The changes in the annual distribution of mountain runoff during the period of 1965-2018 in Hexi Corridor,Northwest China

The annual distribution characteristics of river runoff in arid regions have significant implications for water resource stability and management.Based on the mountain runoff data from 1965 to 2018,this study examines the annual change characteristics of monthly runoff of the Shiyang River Basin,Heihe River Basin,and Shule River Basin in the Hexi Corridor,Northwest China.Many indexes are used and analyzed,including the coefficient of variance,the complete regulation coefficient,the concentration degree and concentration period,the magnitude of change,the skewness coefficient,and the kurtosis coefficient of the annual distribution curves.The results reveal the following:(1)The inhomogeneity of annual runoff distribution in the Taolai River and the rivers to the west of it,except the Shiyou River,show an increasing trend.Conversely,the inhomogeneity of the rivers to the east of the Taolai River generally show a downward trend,but the coefficient of variance value is still very high.(2)In the Shiyang River Basin,the annual distribution of the concentration period is characterized by a relatively discrete pattern.Conversely,the Heihe River Basin exhibits a relatively concentrated pattern,and the distribution pattern of the Shule River Basin is quite different.Notably,all concentration periods in the three basins have shifted backward after the 2000s.(3)The Shiyang River Basin exhibits disordered annual distribution curves of runoff in different years.In contrast,the Heihe River Basin presents a typical‘single-peak’pattern with a prominent right-skewed.The Shule River Basin has regular distribution curves,with a gradually significant‘double-peak’pattern from east to west.Overall,there has been a slight change in runoff in the Shiyang River Basin,while the Heihe River Basin and Shule River Basin have experienced significant increases in runoff.The annual distribution curves of runoff in the Liyuan River and the rivers to the east of it exhibit a gentle peak pattern,and the appearance probability of extreme runoff during the year is low.Conversely,the rivers to the west of the Liyuan River,excluding the Danghe River,display a sharp peak and thick tail pattern,indicating that the appearance probability of extreme runoff during the year is high.These findings have practical implications for the planning and management of water resources in the Hexi Corridor.Moreover,they provide a solid foundation for predicting future changes in regional water resources.

A Study on German Translation Strategies of Culture-Loaded Words in Documentary Hexi Corridor(Expert)by Adaptation Theory

This paper deals with the translation strategies of Chinese Culture-Loaded Words from the perspective of adaptation theory.It is based on the translation text of the sixth episode“Silk Road”and the seventh episode“Dunhuang”of the documentary Hexi Corridor.Many words with Chinese cultural connotations appear in the subtitles of this documentary.This paper will be divided into four parts.The first part and the second part deal with the basic theories,i.e.,definition of Chinese Culture-Loaded Words and of adaptation theory.The original text is analysed in the third part.This part deals with the background and specifics of the language of the documentary film Hexi Corridor.The fourth part deals with the difficulties encountered by the author in translation practice and the corresponding solutions adopted by the author.The translation difficulties are solved by five translation methods,namely transliteration,loan translation,substitution,interpretation,and adaptation.

Study on Fog Climate Characteristic and Forecasting Method in East of Hexi Corridor

Using fog meteorological data of five stations of Wuwei in east of Hexi Corridor from 1961 to 2008,geography distribution and climate characteristic of fog were analyzed with statistical method.The results showed that fog had the obvious region characteristic,fog days were more in mountainous area than Sichuan area and were more in south than north.Fog assumed reducing tendency year by year.Fog occurring frequency was the highest from July to October in one year.Fog occurring centralized time was form 20:00 to next day 08:00 in one day.Selecting of ECMWF numerical forecast grid field,factor was initially elected with Press criterion,factor was selected with stepwise regression forecast method.The fog forecasting equation was built with optimal subset regression.The overall situation and the most superior significance equations of fog forecasting were ascertained finally for spring,summer and autumn.Fitting rate three seasonal forecasting equation were 85.5%,82.1% and 81.2% respectively,which would provide objective and effective instruction products for forecasting service.

Study on Spatial and Temporal Distribution Characteristics of Wind Energy Resource and Preservation in Central and West Hexi Corridor

[Objective] The aim was to explore the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of wind energy resource and preservation in central and west area of Hexi Corridor. [Method] By dint of the wind speed data from 1955 to 2007 in ten meteorological observation station in central and west area of Hexi Corridor,and special wind tower fine data from January to December in 2007,the distribution and reserves of the region＇s wind energy resources were studied. [Result] The results showed that environmental wind speed was relatively stable in central and west Hexi Corridor. There were no distinct changes in climate characteristics distribution. There were regional differences in the distribution of wind energy,and there was a large numerical area of wind energy in Gazhou County and Yumen City; Wind energy in the region generally was higher. The wind energy density was above 100 w/m2 in the 10 m layer,around 140 w/m2 in most places,and was more than 200 w/m2 in the large number area. The wind grew in vertical direction along with the linear growth of height. Each 10 m high wind increased to 15 w/m2 averagely,50m layer wind energy was greater than the general 240 w/m2 and there were obvious changes on daily and annual with wind energy in central and west area of Hexi Corridor. The duration from March to May was a wind energy-intensive stage,10m height from the ground in the wind around 10：00 in low-value. After growing from 11：00,it met the day largest number at 18：00,and then reduced gradually. Effective wind speed hours in the region in general were more than 6 200 h,and the value in the large areas was close to 7 600 h. [Conclusion] The study laid basis for the development and application of wind energy in central and west area of Hexi Corridor.

Analysis on the Climatic Characteristics of High and Low Temperature in the East of Hexi Corridor in Recent 50 Years

[Objective] The research aimed to provide the certain theory basis for the accurate forecast and early warning of high and low temperature in the east of Hexi Corridor.[Method] Based on the high(the daily highest temperature ≥35 ℃) and low(the daily lowest temperature ≤-20 ℃) temperature data in five observatories in the east of Hexi Corridor during 1960-2009,the temporal and spatial distribution,intensity,continuity and circulation situation of high and low temperature were analyzed in detail by using the statistical method.[Result] The high temperature weather in the east of Hexi Corridor mainly happened in the edge of northeast desert,and the low temperature mainly happened in the mountain zone where the altitude was higher and the edge of north desert.As the climate became warm,the high temperature days showed the weak increase trend,and the intensity strengthened.The low temperature days showed the obvious decrease trend,and the intensity weakened.The high temperature weather mainly occurred in June,August,and the low temperature mainly occurred in January,February,December.The high and low temperature weather had the durative characteristic.The strong high and low temperature mainly occurred in the durative time of high and low temperature.The high temperature weather appeared in the zone where was controlled and affected by the subtropical high.The low temperature weather appeared in the zone where the strong cold air accumulated and invaded.[Conclusion] The research had the extremely important significance on servicing for the agriculture,preventing and reducing the natural disasters,promoting the local economic development.

Spatial variability of soil water content and related factors across the Hexi Corridor of China

Soil water content(SWC) is a key factor limiting ecosystem sustainability in arid and semi-arid areas of the Hexi Corridor of China, which is characterized by an ecological environment that is vulnerable to climate change. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the large-scale spatial distribution of SWC in this region. The specific objectives of this study were to determine the spatial distribution patterns of SWC across the Hexi Corridor and identify the factors responsible for spatial variation of SWC at a regional scale. This study collected and analyzed SWC in the 0–100 cm soil profile from 109 field sampling sites(farmland, grassland and forestland) across the Hexi Corridor in 2017. We selected 17 factors, including land use, topography(latitude, longitude, elevation, slope gradient, and slope aspect), soil properties(soil clay content, soil silt content, soil bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, field capacity, and soil organic carbon content), climate factors(mean annual precipitation, potential evaporation, and aridity index), plant characteristic(vegetation coverage) and planting pattern(irrigation or rain-fed), as possible environmental variables to analyze their effects on SWC. The results showed that SWC was 0.083(±0.067) g/g in the 0–100 cm soil profile and decreased in the order of farmland, grassland and forestland. The SWC in the upper soil layers(0–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm) had obvious difference when the mean annual precipitation differed by 200 mm. The SWC decreased from southeast to northwest following the same pattern as precipitation, and had a moderate to strong spatial dependence in a large effective range(75–378 km). The SWC showed a similar distribution and had no significant difference between soil layers in the 0–100 cm soil profile. The principal component analysis showed that the mean annual precipitation, geographical position(longitude and latitude) and soil properties(soil bulk density and soil clay content) were the main factors dominating the variance of environmental variables. A stepwise linear regression equation showed that plant characteristic(vegetation coverage) and soil properties(soil organic carbon content, field capacity and soil clay content) were the optimal factors to predict the variation of SWC. Soil clay content could be better to explain the SWC variation in the deeper soil layers compared with the other factors.

Late Mesozoic-Cenozoic Exhumation of the Northern Hexi Corridor：Constrained by Apatite Fission Track Ages of the Longshoushan

The apatite fission track（AFT） ages and thermal modeling of the Longshoushan and deformation along the northern Hexi Corridor on the northern side of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau show that the Longshoushan along the northern corridor had experienced important multi-stage exhumations during the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The AFT ages of 7 samples range from 31.9 Ma to 111.8 Ma.Thermal modeling of the AFT ages of the samples shows that the Longshoushan experienced significant exhumation during the Late Cretaceous to the Early Cenozoic（-130-25 Ma）. The Late Cretaceous exhumation of the Longshoushan may have resulted from the continuous compression between the Lhasa and Qiangtang blocks and the flat slab subduction of the Neo-Tethys oceanic plate, which affected wide regions across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. During the Early Cenozoic, the Longshoushan still experienced exhumation, but this process was caused by the Indian-Eurasian collision. Since this time,the Longshoushan was in a stable stage for approximately 20 Ma and experienced erosion. Since -5 Ma,obvious tectonic deformation occurred along the entire northern Hexi Corridor, which has also been reported from the peripheral regions of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, especially in the Qilianshan and northeastern margin of the plateau. The AFT ages and the Late Cenozoic deformation of the northern Hexi Corridor all indicate that the present northern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is situated along the northern Hexi Corridor.

Soil Properties and Characteristics of Soil Aggregate in Marginal Farmlands of Oasis in the Middle of Hexi Corridor Region, Northwest China

The composition and stability of soil aggregate are closely related to soil quality, soil erosion, and agricultural sustainability. In this study, 49 soil samples at the 0-10 cm surface layer were collected from four soil types （i.e., Ari-Sandic Primosols, Calci-Orthic Aridosols, Siltigi-Otrthic Anthrosols, and Ustic Cambosols） in the marginal farmland in the oasis of the middle Hexi Corridor region and was used to determine the characteristics of soil aggregates. The composition of dry- and wet- sieved aggregates and the physical and chemical properties （including soil particle distribution, soil organic carbon （SOC）, calcium carbonate （CaCO3）, and oxides of Fe^3＋ and Al^3＋） of the selected soils were analyzed. The results show that soil particle size distribution is dominated by fine sand fraction in most of soils except Ustic Cambosols. Soil organic carbon concentration is 5.88 ± 2.52 g kg^-1 on average, ranging from 4.75 g kg^-1 in Ari-Sandic Primosols to 10.51 g kg^-1 in Ustic Cambosols. The soils have high calcium carbonate （CaCO3） concentration, ranging from 84.7 to 164.8 g kg^-1, which is increased with soil fine particle and organic carbon content. The percentage of 〉0.25 mm dry aggregates ranges from 65.2% in Ari-Sandic Primosols to 94.6% in Ustic Cambosols, and large dry blocky aggregates （〉5 mm） is dominant in all soils. The mean weight diameter of dry aggregates （DMWD） ranges from 3.2 mm to 5.5 mm. The percentage of 〉0.25 mm water-stable aggregate is from 23.8% to 45.4%. The percentage of aggregate destruction （PAD） is from 52.4% to 66.8%, which shows a weak aggregate stability. Ari-Sandic Primosols has the highest PAD. The distribution and characteristics of soil aggregates are in favor of controlling soil wind erosion. However, the stability of aggregate of all soils is weak and soils are prone to disperse and harden after irrigation. The mass of macro-aggregates and DMWD are positively significantly correlated with the contents of soil clay and silt, soil organic carbon （SOC）, CaCO3, and oxides of Fe^3＋ and Al^3＋. Soil fine silt and clay, SOC and CaCO3 are important agents of aggregation in this region, and the effect of SOC and CaCO3 on aggregate stability is more significant than that of soil silt and clay. Converting cropland to alfalfa forage land can increase SOC concentration, and in turn, enhance the formation of aggregates and stability. For the marginal farmlands in this fragile ecological area, converting cropland to alfalfa grassland or performing crop-grass rotation is an effective and basic strategy to improve soil structure and quality, to mitigate soil wind erosion, and to enhance oasis agricultural sustainability.

The dynamic coupling model and its application of urbanization and eco-environment in Hexi Corridor

This paper, taking Hexi Corridor as an example, analyzes the altemating intimidation and the dynamic evolving relation between urbanization and eco-environment in arid area of West China. We argue that the harmonious development system of the urbanization and eco-environment would go through four phases： rudimentary symbiotic phase, harmonious developmental phase, utmost increasing phase and spiral type rising phase. Throughout the four phases, the elements of the system would influence each other, coerce each other, and complete the spiral type rising process from low-grade symbiosis to high-grade harmony together. The study on Hexi Corridor shows that the urbanization level in Hexi Corridor has increased gradually from 1985 to 2003 accompanied with the fluctuations of eco-environment state. The response of eco-environment to urbanization has been evident, but lagged behind the urbanization course. At present, the harmonious development system in Hexi Corridor was in its harmonious developmental phase. However, the coupling degree has increased quickly and approached 90 yet, which is signaling that the system is about to enter the utmost increasing phase, and the ecological crisis will enter the latent period. We have found that the coupling degree can well reflect the interactive coercing and dynamic evolving situation between urbanization and eco-environment in Hexi Corridor. From the temporal change of the coupling degree, it can be concluded that urbanization sometimes needs to pay a certain cost for the damage of the eco-environment in its initial stages, but as the urbanization continues, the state of the eco-environment would be meliorated.

Petrology, Geochemistry and Zircon U-Pb Geochronology of the Xiangshan Group in the Eastern Hexi Corridor Belt: Implications for Provenance and Tectonic Evolution

The eastern Hexi Corridor Belt（HCB） is located in the transitional belt among the Alxa Block,the Qilian Orogenic Belt and the North China Block. Because of its unique tectonic location, the tectonic setting, provenance, and even the age of the sedimentary strata in the eastern HCB during the Early Paleozoic remain controversial. This study analyzes the provenance of the poorly studied Xiangshan Group, discusses its age of development and tectonic setting in the eastern HCB using a combination of petrological, geochemical and LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating methods. Based on the youngest age peaks and the fossil evidence, we suggest that the Xiangshan Group is Middle Cambrian to Late Ordovician in age. The complexity of the geochemical characteristics and associated diagrams suggests that the early stage of the Xiangshan Group developed in a passive continental margin environment, late in the backarc basin of the eastern HCB. Based on the sandstone detrital composition, whole-rock geochemistry and detrital zircon ages, we conclude that the Xiangshan Group had an early provenance that was mainly from the Qilian Block and a late provenance from the Qilian Block and the western Alxa Block. The eastern HCB and its northern and southern blocks have similar palaeontology, lithology and basement age characteristics to the South China Block. This indicates that the eastern HCB might not have formed in the intra-continental aulacogen of the North China Block during the Early Paleozoic but has a close affinity to eastern Gondwana.

Landuse/landcover changes in Zhangye oasis of Hexi Corridor

Taking two f alse color composite Landsat 5 TM (Thematic Mapper) images of band 4,3,2 taken in 1995 and 2000 as data resources, this paper carried out study on LUCC of Zhan gye oasis in recent five years by interpretation according to land reso urces classification system of 1:100,000 Resources and Environmental Data base of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The results show that great changes have taken place in landuse/landcover in Zhangye oasis since 1 995: (1) Changes of landuse structure show that cropland and land for urban c onstruction and built-up area increased, on the contrary, water area an d grassland decreased. These changes reflect the deterioration of eco-e nvironment and the acceleration of urbanization, and also indicate the problems existing in the arrangement of water and land resources betw een the upper and lower reaches of the Heihe River. (2) Regional diff erences of landuse/landcover are evident, characterized by following asp ects: in Sunan County located in Qilian Mountain area, unused land an d grassland decreased, but cropland and land for urban construction an d built-up area increased. In Minle and Shandan counties located in f oothills, unused land, water area and cropland decreased, but grassland and land for urban construction and built-up area increased. In Zhan gye City, Linze County and Gaotai County located in plain area of th e middle reaches of the Heihe River, unused land, water area and gra ssland decreased, while woodland, cropland and land for urban construction and built-up area increased.

THE BALANCE BETWEEN SUPPLY AND DEMAND OF WATER RESOURCES AND THE WATER-SAVING POTENTIAL FOR AGRICULTURE IN THE HEXI CORRIDOR

The Hexi Corridor is an important base of agriculture development inNorthwest China. According to recent statistics, there are 65. 94 x 10~8m^3 of water resourcesavailable in the Hexi Corridor. At present, net consumption in development and utilization is 43. 33x 10~8m^3. Water supply and demand reach a balance on the recent level of production, but loss ofevaporation and evapotranspiration is as much as 25. 69 x 1010~8m^3. So net use efficiency of waterresources is 59% Based on analyzing balance between water and land considering ecologicalenvironment at present, there exists the serious water shortage in the Shiyang River system whereirrigation lands have overloaded. There is a comparative balance between supply and demand of waterresource in the Heihe River system; and the Sule River system has some surplus water to extendirrigation land. Use of agriculture water accounts for 83. 3% and ecological forest and grass for 6.9% . The Hexi Corridor still has a great potential for water saving in agriculture production.Water-saving efficiency of irrigation is about 10% by using such traditional technologies as furrowand border-dike irrigation and small check irrigation, and water-saving with plastic film cover andtechniques of advanced sprinkler and drip/micro irrigation etc. can save more than 60% of irrigatedwater. Incremental irrigation area for water-saving potential in the Hexi Corridor has beenestimated as 56% - 197% to original irrigation area. So the second water sources can be developedfrom water saving agriculture in the Hexi Corridor under Development of the Western Part of China inlarge scale. This potential can be realized step by step through developing the water-savingmeasures, improving the ecological condition of oasis agriculture, and optimizing allocation ofwater resources in three river systems.

Spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation based on corrected TRMM data around the Hexi Corridor,China

Accurate rainfall distribution is difficult to acquire based on limited meteorological stations, especially in remote areas like high mountains and deserts. The Hexi Corridor and its adjacent regions （including the Qilian Mountains and the Alxa Plateau） are typical districts where there are only 30 available rain gauges. Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission （TRMM） data provide a possible solution. After precision analysis of monthly 0.25 degree resolution TRMM 3B43 data from 1998 to 2012, we find that the correlations between TRMM 3B43 estimates and rain gauge precipitation are significant overall and in each station around the Hexi Corridor; however, the biases of annual precipitation differ in different stations and are seriously overestimated in most of the sites. Thus, Inverse Distance Weighting （IDW） interpolation method was used to rectify TRMM data based on the difference between TRMM 3B43 estimates and rain gauge observations. The results show that rectified TRMM data present more details than rain gauges in remote areas where there are few stations, alt- hough they show high coherence of distribution. Precipitation decreases from southeast to northwest on an annual and seasonal scale. There are three rainfall centers （〉500 mm） including Menyuan, Qilian and Toson Lake, and two low rain- fall centers （〈50 mm） including Dunhuang and Ejin Banner. Meanwhile, precipitation in most of the study area presents an increasing trend; especially in northern Qilian Mountains （〉5 mm/a）, Badain Jaran Desert （〉2 mm/a）, Toson Lake （〉20 mm/a） and Qingtu Lake （〉20 ram/a） which shows a significant increasing trend, while precipitation in Hala Lake （〈-2 mm/a） and Tengger Desert （〈-3 mm/a） demonstrates a decreasing trend.

Sedimentary Paleoenvironment of the Eastern Hexi Corridor, NW China: Constraints from Chert Geochemistry and Sedimentary Analysis of Early Paleozoic Strata

The eastern Hexi Corridor, northwest China, is located at the tectonic junction of the Alxa Block, the North China Craton, and the Qinling-Qilian Orogen. The early Paleozoic Xiangshan Group record critical information regarding paleoenvironment, paleoclimate and paleotectonic setting, from which we here present a focused study on the chert beds within the Xiangshan Group. Through field mapping, microstructural observation, whole-rock geochemistry analyses and detrital zircon dating, we suggest that the Xiangshan Group chert was deposited along a passive continental margin, formed primarily through biological activity with minor hydrothermal influence and terrestrial input. The characteristics of the chert support a low latitude sedimentary paleoenvironmental origin, and reveal the fact that the Alxa Block was separated from the North China craton, while emerged some paleogeographic affinity with the Qilian region in the Middle-Late Cambrian.

HISTORICAL DESERTIFICATION PROCESS IN HEXI CORRIDOR,CHINA

Over the last 2000 years, approximately 38 ancient cities were abandoned through desertification in Hexi Corridor, Northwest China. Among them, 21.05% were abandoned during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, 21.05% during the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, and 57.9% during the Ming and Qing dynasties. At the same time, main lakes were shrinking rapidly from the 5th Century to the 6th Century and the end of the Qing Dynasty. The climate in these periods was relatively arid and cold with frequent dusts. The phase of these changes indicated that there were three periods of desertification enlargement in the northern China. They were Northern and Southern Dynasties, the end of Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties, the Ming and Qing dynasties. The macro-process of desertification in the study area was controlled mainly by the climatic changes. But from the facts that the population density in the middle of Qing Dynasty had exceeded the critical index of population pressure in arid area and the usage rate of water resources had exceeded 40% in Hexi Corridor, this paper also suggests that human activities have played an important role in desertification processes of the study area mainly during the recent 300 years.

WATER RESOURCE IN QILIAN MOUNTAINOUS REGION AND ITS INFLUENCE ON ECO－ENVIRONMENT OF HEXI CORRIDOR

Based on the water resources of the Shiyang, Heihe and Shule riverbasins in the Hexi Corridor and their original runoff volume, the actual annual waterresources in the oasis of every county and town of the Hexi Corridor are calculated indetail. From the point of view of ecological balance, the ecological water requirementin oasis and farmland in this region are determined. Then, to basically keep the natural ecological balance of every county and town, the proper oasis area and farmlandarea are given.

Hyper-spectral characteristics of rolled-leaf desert vegetation in the Hexi Corridor, China

Desert plants survive harsh environment using a variety of drought-resistant structural modifications and physio-ecological systems.Rolled-leaf plants roll up their leaves during periods of drought,making it difficult to distinguish between the external structures of various types of plants,it is therefore necessary to carry out spectral characteristics analysis for species identification of these rolled-leaf plants.Based on hyper-spectral data measured in the field,we analyzed the spectral characteristics of seven types of typical temperate zone rolled-leaf desert plants in the Hexi Corridor,China using a variety of mathematical transformation methods.The results show that:(1)during the vigorous growth period in July and August,the locations of the red valleys,green peaks,and three-edge parameters,namely,the red edge,the blue edge,and the yellow edge of well-developed rolled-leaf desert plants are essentially consistent with those of the majority of terrestrial vegetation types;(2)the absorption regions of liquid water,i.e.,1400-1500 and 1600-1700 nm,are the optimal bands for distinguishing various types of rolled-leaf desert plants;(3)in the leaf reflectance regions of 700-1250 nm,which is controlled by cellular structure,it is difficult to select the characteristic bands for differentiation rolled-leaf desert vegetation;and(4)after processing the spectral reflectance curves using a first-order differential,the envelope removal method,and the normalized differential ratio,we identify the other characteristic bands and parameters that can be used for identifying various types of temperate zone rolled-leaf desert plants,i.e.,the 510-560,650-700 and 1330-1380 nm regions,and the red edge amplitude.In general,the mathematical transformation methods in the study are effective tools to capture useful spectral information for species identification of rolled-leaf plants in the Hexi Corridor.

On the faults of western Hexi Corridor and its nearby regions, northwestern China: Thrust faults and strike-slip faults of Late Cenozoic

The structural analysis based on the explanation of seismic profiles indicates that a lot of thrust faults and strike-slip faults of Late Cenozoic occur in western Hexi Corridor and its nearby regions. They can be divided into two types. One is thrust faults dipping southwards and extending NWwards, which was mainly correlated with the thrusting of northern Qilianshan and located at the NE margin of Qilianshan and the southwestern Hexi Corridor, the other is thrust faults and strike-slip faults that were related to the strike-slipping of Altun fault and located mainly at the regions of Hongliuxia, Kuantaishan, and Helishan that are close to the Altun fault. All these faults, which were related to the remote effects of collision between the two continents of India and Tibet during the Late Eocene and later, started to develop since the Late Tertiary and presented the features of violent thrust or strike-slip movement in Quaternary. Many of them are still active up to now and thus belong to the active faults that are the potential inducement of earthquakes in the Hexi Corridor. Moreover, a lot of intense structural deformation and many morphology phenomena such as tectonic terrace and river offset were formed under the control of these faults in Quaternary.

Climate Change, Geopolitics, and Human Settlements in the Hexi Corridor over the Last 5,000 Years

Social responses to climate change over human history have been widely discussed in academia over the last two decades. However, the transformation of the human–environment nexus crossing prehistoric and historic periods and the processes associated with it are not yet clearly understood. In this study, based on published works on radiocarbon dating, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, and archaeological sites, together with a synthesis of historical documents and highresolution paleoclimatic records, we trace the extent to which human settlement patterns in the Hexi Corridor in northwestern China evolved in conjunction with climate change over the last 5,000 years. A total of 129 Neolithic, 126 Bronze Age, and 1,378 historical sites in the Hexi Corridor(n=1,633) were surveyed. Our results show that, in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age periods(~2800–100 BC), climate change contributed to the transformation of subsistence strategies and the subsequent changes in human settlement patterns in the Hexi Corridor. The warm-humid climate in ~2800–2000 BC promoted millet agriculture and helped the Majiayao, Banshan, and Machang Cultures to flourish. The cold-dry climate in ~2000–100 BC resulted in the divergence and transformation of subsistence strategies in the Xichengyi–Qijia–Siba and Shajing–Shanma Cultures and in a shift in their settlement patterns. However, in the historical period(121 BC–AD 1911), human settlement patterns were primarily determined by geopolitics related to the alternating rule of regimes and frequent wars, especially in the Sui–Tang dynasties. We also find that trans-Eurasian cultural exchange since ~2000 BC improved social resilience to climate change in the Hexi Corridor, mediating the human–environment nexus there. Our findings may provide insights into how human societies reacted to climate change in arid and semi-arid environments over the long term.

Analysis of the Relationship Between Plant Growth and Moisture Variation in the Desert Area of Hexi Corridor

In order to analyze the relationship between desert plant growth and precipitation,soil moisture,as well as groundwater in desertification control,a comprehensive desertification prevention and control station was established in the desert area of Hexi Corridor for long-term location monitoring,and data of precipitation,soil moisture,groundwater,coverage,and biomass were obtained.Methods including characteristic parameter algorithm,correlation analysis,and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis were employed to analyze the annual and inter-annual variation characteristics of plant growth and moisture,and related regression models were analyzed.The results showed that:(1) from 2006 to 2014,the inter-annual variation of soil moisture was the most drastic,the precipitation,biomass,and coverage underwent a similarly great variation,and the variation of the groundwater was the most moderate.The coverage showed a significantly fluctuating uptrend,and the biomass increased slightly.The precipitation,soil moisture,and groundwater showed a slight decrease,but it was not obvious.(2) During the plant growing season from March to November,the change of moisture content in each layer of soil was basical y the same,and the changes in biomass and coverage were basically the same,so were the changes in precipitation and groundwater.The order of the change range from large to small within the year was precipitation > groundwater depth > biomass > average coverage > soil moisture content.(3) Both the coverage and biomass models passed the R-fitting test,the F-test,and the t-test.The models predicted the variation of 58.0% and 98.7%,and the accuracy rate reached 52.0% and 86.2%.The research results can provide scientific support and reference data for water resources management in the prevention and control of desertification,as well as the evaluation of the influence of projects such as returning farmland to forest,natural forest protection,and comprehensive management of the Heihe River Basin on water resources.