Screening Test of Small Seedless Watermelon Varieties in Beijing Area

[Objectives]This study was conducted to select small seedless watermelon varieties with excellent quality and high yield suitable for planting in Beijing.[Methods]Under the conditions of facility cultivation in Beijing,a screening test was conducted on seven small seedless watermelon varieties for growth process,field traits,yield traits,fruit quality,and disease resistance.[Results]Varieties Mitong,Motong and Tianbao Xiaowuzi had a short growth period and relatively stable growth,and bore fruit easily,and their female flowers were closely spaced.Their yields exceeded 60000 kg/hm~2,ranking in the top three among all varieties.The fruit had a thin skin,a bright red flesh color,and a high mass fraction of soluble solids in the center.The flesh was tight or crispy,and tasted good.They also showed good disease resistance.Overall,they showed excellent comprehensive agronomic traits,and are thus suitable for facility cultivation in Beijing and its surrounding areas.[Conclusions]This study provides a theoretical basis for the upgrading of varieties and the increase in production and farmers'income in the suburbs of Beijing.

Diurnal Variations of Summer Precipitation in the Beijing Area and the Possible Effect of Topography and Urbanization

The present study examined the diurnal variations of summer precipitation in the Beijing area by usingsubdaily precipitation and wind observations. A combined effect of topography and urbanization on thecharacteristics of diurnal variations was suggested. It was shown that stations located in the plain areaexhibited typical night rain peaks, whereas those in the mountainous area exhibited clear afternoon peaks ofprecipitation diurnal variations. The precipitation peaks were associated with wind fields around the Beijingarea, which were found to be highly modulated by mountain-valley circulation and urban-country circulation.The lower-tropospheric wind exhibited a clear diurnal shift in its direction from north at 0800 LST to southat 2000 LST, which reflected mountain-valley circulation. The transitions from valley to mountain windand the opposite generally happened after sunset and sunrise, respectively, and both occurred earlier for thestations located closer to mountains. By comparing the diurnal variations of precipitation at stations in anortheast suburb, an urban area, and a southwest suburb, it was revealed that the northeast suburb grouphad the highest normalized rainfall frequency, but the southwest group had the lowest from late afternoon tolate evening. On the contrary, in the early morning from about 0200 to 1000 LST, the southwest group andurban group had the highest normalized rainfall frequency. This pattern might originate from the combinedeffects of mountain-valley topography and urbanization.

Ambient noise as the new source for urban engineering seismology and earthquake engineering: a case study from Beijing metropolitan area

In highly populated urban centers, traditional seismic survey sources can no longer be properly applied due to restrictions in modern civilian life styles. The ambient vibration noise, including both microseisms and microtremor, though are generally weak but available anywhere and anytime, can be an ideal supplementary source for conducting seismic surveys for engineering seismology and earthquake engineering. This is funda- mentally supported by advanced digital signal processing techniques for effectively extracting the useful information out from the noise. Thus, it can be essentially regarded as a passive seismic method. In this paper we first make a brief survey of the ambient vibration noise, followed by a quick summary of digital signal processing for passive seismic surveys. Then the applications of ambient noise in engi- neering seismology and earthquake engineering for urban settings are illustrated with examples from Beijing metro- politan area. For engineering seismology the example is the assessment of site effect in a large area via microtremor observations. For earthquake engineering the example is for structural characterization of a typical reinforced con- crete high-rise building using background vibration noise.By showing these examples we argue that the ambient noise can be treated as a new source that is economical, practical, and particularly valuable to engineering seis- mology and earthquake engineering projects for seismic hazard mitigation in urban areas.

Evaluation of the forest ecosystem health in Beijing area

The evaluation of ecosystem health has become one of the main research topics of ecosystem science, thus more and more assessment methods and frameworks have been put forward in recent years. However, the attention people pay to ecosystem health is actually more about what the social functions the ecosystem affords, which depend on the integrity and maintenance of the ecosystem structure and function, and the intensity of disturbance from outside. Accordingly, this research commenced from three main aspects, selected the evaluation indices, and then established the Evaluation Index System of Beijing Forest Ecosystem Health （EIS-BFEH）. In the EIS-BFEH, each of the three foundations contained an easily-operated and standard sub-index system, which compounded the specific natural and social conditions of Beijing and was concrete enough to measure and evaluate. Then with the method of the Analytical Hierarchy Process （AHP）, the comprehensive index （CI） could be obtained, which represented the health of the forest ecosystem. As a case study, the forest ecosystems in the Badaling area were sampled, evaluated, compared and ranked by use of the EIS-BFEH. The result show that the health of natural forests is much better than that of plantations in the Badaling forest center： the average comprehensive index of the former is 7.9, while the latter is only 6.6. From the results, it could also be found that there are nine units in the healthy state, two units in the subhealthy state, and only one unit of Robiniapseudoacacia in the morbid state.

Multi-scale wavelet separation of aeromag-netic anomaly and study of faults in Beijing area

In this paper, through a multi-scale separation of the aeromagnetic anomaly by wavelet transform technique, we reprocessed the aeromagnetic data collected 20 years ago in Beijing area and analyzed the aeromagnetic anomaly qualitatively, integrating geological structure features in the area. In particular, we studied the spatial distributions of the two main faults called Shunyi-Liangxiang fault and Banqiao-Babaoshan-Tongxian fault, which have cut and gone through the central Beijing area striking in NE and EW directions, respectively. The influences of these two faults on the earthquakes have also been discussed briefly.

Application of WRF 3DVar to a high-resolution model over Beijing area

To improve the weather forecasting over the Beijing area for the 2008 Olympic Games,a triple-nested(27/9/3km) WRFVar/WRF system with 3-h update cycle was established.Experiments have been done for a convective event that occurred on August 1,2006.The results showed that the high-resolution rapid update cycle gave a good precipitation forecast;the tunings of background error statistics(BES) and observation-error statistics in WRFVar improved the skill of the precipitation forecast;the BES for the fine domain(3 km) obtained by interpolation from its parent domain(9 km) can be used in 3 km WRFVar as a reasonable approximation.The user can now save a great deal of work related to the derivation of the fine mesh BES from the forecast over a period of time;the rapid update cycle with 3-h frequency has satisfied the forecast,and the update cycle with 1-h frequency was not necessary.

A Study of the Radiation-Climate Effect of Aerosol over Beijing Area

In this paper, the monthly-averaged planetary albedo and equivalent blackbody temperature are calculated by using Gauss-Seidle numerical model to solve the equation of radiative transfer, based on measured aerosol data over Beijing aera. With the increase of atmospheric turbidity, the planetary albedo has different characteristics in different seasons, and there is an evident decrease in the winter season. It means that the local aerosol has an heating effect to the atmosphere in winter. The correlation feature between the surface temperature and the horizontal visibility from 1963 to 1986 is analyzed, and anticorrelation is discovered in winter. It is found that surface temperature increases with the increase of aeresol.

Numerical study of aerosol effect on three types of clouds and precipitation in Beijing area

Three types of rainfall （storm, moderate and slight rainfall） in the Beijing area were simulated by the Weather Research and Fore- cast （WRF3.2） model coupled with Milbrandt-two-moment cloud microphysics scheme, to explore the effect of aerosols on clouds and precipitation under continental and maritime aerosol scenarios. Results indicate that an increase of aerosols has various effects on clouds and precipitation. （1） The amount of surface precipitation is obviously affected. With an increase of aerosol con- centration, the 48-hr total precipitation of storm and moderate rainfall decreased by 23% and 16.6%, respectively, and the 24-hr total precipitation of slight rainfall decreased by 14.0%. （2） The distribution of surface precipitation is also clearly affected. The average precipitation for a rain storm increases in most parts of western Beijing and decreases by more than 20 mm in most parts of eastern Beijing with increasing aerosol concentration. The average precipitation of moderate rainfall decreases by 0.1-5 mm in most parts of the Beijing area. The effect of increased aerosol concentration is weak for slight rainfall distribution in the study area. （3） With an increase of aerosol concentration, a narrower width and lower precipitation peak value are found in the storm rainfall, and its duration is prolonged for the high aerosol concentration. An earlier precipitation termination of moderate rainfall is found with increasing aerosol concentration. （4） The upper-air hydrometeors vary with aerosol concentration, For storm and moderate rainfall, significantly higher cloud water concentration and lower rain water were found under the continental aerosol scenario.

Walkability Assessment of Microclimatic Environments of Six Typical Communities in Central Urban Area of Beijing from the Perspective of the Elderly

Community walking space is the most used space in residents’daily life,such as commuting and walking,and is also the most basic type of space for outdoor activities.The microclimatic environment of walking space not only affects the health status of residents,but also determines the service effi ciency of outdoor public space.Based on actual measurement and simulation of microclimatic environment,the status quo of walkability of microclimatic environments in six typical communities is evaluated by quantitative methods,and general problems and optimization suggestions are put forward,in order to provide new ideas for future community environment transformation.

Sensitivity Assessment and Optimization Strategy of Climatic Environment in Central Urban Area of Beijing

As one of the methods of urban environmental assessment,sensitivity assessment of urban climatic environment can accurately reflect the problem areas of current urban climate and built environment through visual means,and help cities to carry out sustainable transformation and renewal in the stock era to optimize the living environment.Taking the central urban area of Beijing as the research object,the sensitivity of climatic environment was evaluated by meteorological data and built environment element data.The results showed that the distribution of sensitive units showed a centrifugal radiation pattern of"high in the center and low in the periphery".Block units with high climate sensitivity were mostly concentrated in Xicheng District and Dongcheng District,accounting for 93%of the total number of units.Further research showed that complex built environment and lack of elements to regulate climatic environment were the main reasons for the poor local climatic environment in the region with high climate sensitivity.Finally,a comprehensive evaluation of the remolding capacity,renewal potential and future development intensity of different grades of climate sensitive units was given.The results will provide scientific reference for urban renewal and reconstruction under climatic and environmental changes,so as to promote urban sustainable development and improvement of living environment.

Spatial patterns of the main trees in a plant micro-reserve constructed in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics mountainous competition zone

Several plant micro-reserves were established to preserve the vegetation in local mountain areas during the construction of the Yanqing competition zone of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.The spatial patterns of the main species in one of the micro-reserves and the factors affecting these patterns were characterized in this study.The distribution of arbor species was found to be mostly aggregated,especially at fine scales(<5 m).Minor species were found to be more aggregated than the major species in each forest layer.The spatial patterns were found to be affected by habitat heterogeneity,intraspecific relationships,interspecific competition,and seed dispersal limitation.Habitat heterogeneity was found to affect large-scale spatial patterns,and its effects were observed throughout population development.Interspecific competition is another factor affecting the distribution of the species,and its effects were stronger during the later stages of population development.Habitat heterogeneity was found to affect competition among species and is key for species coexistence.Both these processes are affected by the seed dispersal limitation,and intraspecific relationships are a legacy of seed dispersal.The point patterns can be used as a tool for the initial assessment of the status of communities within micro-reserves.The consideration of these relationships in the development,management,and formulation of policies for micro-reserves in mountainous areas will facilitate the achievement of conservation goals.The careful consideration of habitat conditions when selecting sites for micro-reserves establishment can promote species conservation.

Comparative Test on Spring Medium-sized Watermelon Varieties in Beijing

[Objectives]This study was conducted to select suitable medium-sized watermelon varieties for early spring cultivation in Beijing.[Methods]Seven watermelon varieties were collected,including Beinong Tianjiao 2,Beinong Tianjiao,Hongfuji,Yongfeng 1,Beinong Futian,Beinong Shijia,and Beinong Jinxiu,and Jingxin 2 was used as the control check(CK).The growth period,morphological traits,yield traits and fruit quality of the tested varieties were investigated.[Results]Beinong Tianjiao 2 had an earlier maturation stage,a fruit development period of 38 d and a total growth period of 118 d.It showed stable growth,with a single fruit weight of 7.56 kg,a fruit setting rate of 0.99 per plant,and a yield of 83076.9 kg/hm~2,which ranked,respectively,second,first,and second among all tested varieties,and were significantly superior to the CK.Furthermore,this variety had thin and tough peel,a bright red flesh color,high central sugar content,loose and crisp flesh,and a good taste.[Conclusions]It is preliminarily believed that it is suitable for early spring watermelon production in Beijing area.

Life in “IT-Based” Showcase Residential Area in Beijing

＂I am a migrant worker and I am a resident here,＂ reads a message on the BBS （bulletin board system） of the Jingtie Jiayuan area in Beijing. ＂I have learned that Jingtie Jiayuan Residents＇ Committee distributes free contraceptives. Am I able to have them （for free）？ If I am, what shall I do to get free contraceptives？＂

Crustal structure beneath Beijing and its surrounding regions derived from gravity data

In this paper we use gravity data to study fine crustal structure and seismogenic environment beneath Beijing and its surrounding regions. Multi-scale wavelet analysis method is applied to separating gravity fields. Logarithmic power spectrum method is also used to calculate depth of gravity field source. The results show that the crustal structure is very complicated beneath Beijing and its surrounding areas. The crustal density exhibits laterally inhomogeneous. There are three large scale tectonic zones in North China, i.e., WNW-striking Zhangjiakou-Bohai tectonic zone （ZBTZ）, NE-striking Taihang piedmont tectonic zone （TPTZ） and Cangxian tectonic zone （CTZ）. ZBTZ and TPTZ intersect with each other beneath Beijing area and both of them cut through the lithosphere. The upper and middle crusts consist of many small-scale faults, uplifts and depressions. In the lower crust, these small-scale tectonic units disappear gradually, and they are replaced by large-scale tectonic units. In surrounding regions of Beijing, ZBTZ intersects with several other NE-striking tectonic units, such as Cangxian uplift, Jizhong depression and Shanxi Graben System （SGS）. In west of Taihangshan uplift, gravity anomalies in upper and middle crusts are correlated with geological and topographic features on the surface. Compared with the crust, the structure is comparatively simple in uppermost mantle. Earthquakes mainly occurred in upper and middle crusts, especially in transitional regions between high gravity anomaly and low gravity anomaly. Occurrence of large earthquakes may be related to the upwelling of upper mantle and asthenosphere heat flow materials, such as Sanhe earthquake （Ms8.0） and Tangshan earthquake （Ms7.8）.

Study on the Current Situation and Countermeasures of Rural Domestic Sewage Treatment in Beijing City

In recent years,the construction of rural sewage treatment in Beijing City has developed rapidly,but there are still many problems in some rural domestic sewage treatment. In this paper,the current situation of rural domestic sewage in Beijing City is combed,and its characteristics are summarized. Meanwhile,the current situation of rural domestic sewage treatment in Zhejiang Province,Hunan Province and Shandong Province is summarized by consulting relevant data. By comparing with current situation of rural domestic sewage treatment in Beijing City,it is found that there are some problems in the treatment of rural domestic sewage in Beijing City,such as unsuitable treatment mode,unreasonable discharge requirements and inadequate treatment technology. Therefore,some countermeasures and suggestions are proposed,such as strengthening the investigation,research and planning,and differential formulation of the sewage treatment discharge standards,and establishing modular treatment technology system. It is hoped that this paper will be helpful to the treatment of rural domestic sewage in Beijing City.

Numerical Simulation of Wind and Temperature Fields over Beijing Area in Summer

The non-hydrostatic mesoscale model MM5V3 is used to simulate the wind andtemperature fields of the atmospheric boundary layer over Beijing area in summer with the meshresolution of 1 km. The simulation results show that the numerical model can successfully simulatethe urban heat island effect and the wind and temperature fields which are affected by thecomplicated topography and urban heat island. The results show that: (1) the west area (from Haidianto Fengtai Districts) is always the high temperature center of Beijing, where the surfacetemperature is about 6 K higher than the other suburbs; and (2) due to the unique topography thewind of Beijing area during the daytime is southern anabatic wind and at the night is northernkatabatic wind. The results comparing well with the data from surface observation stations validatethe accuracy of the simulation.

Spatial structure of valley economic development in the mountainous areas in Beijing

Valley economy is a new mode in mountainous area development that is defined by various characters of valley development, and is a distinguishing economical geographic pattern for mountainous area development. The special spatial coupling relations in the distribution of different mountainous elements in valleys are new subjects for the mountain development studies, and such studies are meaningful both for researches and practices. Based on the long term researches on mountainous area development and following a brief exploration into the connotations and the spatial organizing process of valley economy, the authors analyzed the present situations of the development of valley economy in Beijing＇s mountainous areas, studied the characteristics and the impacts of the spatial structural changes of the valley economy in Beijing＇s mountainous areas, and finally proposed a rational arrangement of the spatial structure of the valley economy in Beijing＇s mountainous areas. It is considered in this study that valley economy plays an important role in the development and functional transformation in Beijing＇s mountainous areas in the new epoch. Firstly, valley economy is not outlined by the administrative boundaries, and it connects most of the villages in the mountainous areas roughly along the major transportation lines. Therefore, valley economy can exert positive influence on the development in the mountainous areas, at least in the aspects such as the rearrangement of industrial structure in the mountainous areas and the coordinated development of rural and urban areas. In addition, it is found that the valley economy in Beijing＇s mountainous areas is evolved in a spatial organizing stage of secondary concentration, which is characterized by resource-saving, ecological protection and industrial optimization. Therefore, the development of valley economy will be helpful to the coordination between ecological protection and economic development in the mountainous areas, and will promote the integrated development of the mountainous areas. The developing mode of the valley economy in Beijing＇s mountainous areas will provide the basis for the decision-making in the transformation of the functional roles of Beijing＇s mountainous areas, and on the other hand, will present experiences for the studies in the mountainous areas outside of Beijing.

An efficient method of evaluating large scale urban residential skylight environment and an empirical study of Beijing main area

A good skylight environment in urban residential areas is an important component of a healthy city,and has always been highly valued.With the rapid development of new-type urbanization,the density of buildings continues to increase,and megacities have entered the stage of stock transformation.An effective method for evaluating the skylight environment of large-scale urban residential areas is urgently needed.However,there is still a lack of empirical research methods and cases of large-scale residential skylight environment.In this regard,this article takes the megacity Beijing as the research object,and proposes an efficient analysis method of residential skylight environment that integrates multiple real-world data at city scale.In terms of data,it collects and integrates 3D data of urban-scale building space and residential boundary data;in terms of algorithm,Sky View Factor(SVF)is used as the evaluation index of residential skylight environment,and an efficient analysis method of urban-scale skylight environment based on cloud parallel simulation is realized.Through analysis,it is found that:(1)the average SVF value of Beijing residential area is 61%,which means that its skylight quality is in general level;(2)the skylight environment of Beijing residential area is distributed in a circle,and there are 4 types of skylight environment quality residential areas;(3)The skylight environment of Beijing residential area is relatively weakly related to the distance from the residential area to the city center and the average height of the residential buildings,and is closely related to the plot volume ratio,the residential building density and the shading from surrounding buildings.The highlight of this study lies in the empirical research on the skylight environment of mega-city residential areas that incorporates multiple real data for the first time,which can promote the study of skylight environment on a city scale and provide a reference for the updating of Beijing’s residential daylight environment.