Responses of breeding waterbird communities to environmental changes in subsidence wetlands in the North China Plain

In the context of global degradation and loss of natural wetlands,waterbirds have been increasingly using artificial wetlands as alternative habitats.However,waterbirds are facing various threats in these artificial wetlands,due to dramatic environmental changes induced by anthropogenic activities.Exploring the effects of these changes on the temporal dynamics of the waterbird communities can help understand how waterbirds adapt to environmental changes and thus formulate effective management and conservation plans.In this study,we carried out field surveys on waterbirds and environmental factors across 20 subsidence wetlands created by underground coal mining in the Huainan coal mining area in the breeding seasons of 2016 and 2021.We predicted that the waterbird assemblages(i.e.,number of individuals,species richness,Shannon-Wiener diversity,Pielou evenness and species composition) differed between the two years,and that these differences were correlated with the temporal changes in environmental factors.Across the surveyed wetlands,we recorded 26 waterbird species in 2016 and 23 in 2021.For individual wetlands,the number of waterbird individuals and species richness increased by 71.6% and 20.1%,respectively,over the five years,with no changes in Shannon-Wiener diversity and Pielou evenness.The overall increase in the number of bird individuals was mainly caused by an increase in vegetation gleaners and gulls that adapt well to anthropogenic activities.The species composition was significantly different between the two years,which was mainly caused by changes in the number of individuals of dominant species under influence of changes in human activities.For most wetlands,the temporal pairwiseβ-diversities could be explained by species turnover rather than nestedness,probably due to high mobility of waterbird species and dramatic changes in local environments.Our study suggests that waterbird communities could respond to environmental changes in subsidence wetlands,providing important implications for waterbird conservation in human-dominated artificial wetlands.

The sources and composition of organic matter in sediments of the Jiaozhou Bay：implications for environmental changes on a centennial time scale

The Jiaozhou Bay is characterized by heavy eutrophication that is associated with intensive anthropogenic activities. Four core sediments from the Jiaozhou Bay are analyzed using bulk technologies, including sedimentary total organic carbon(TOC), total nitrogen(TN), the stable carbon(δ^(13)C) and nitrogen(δ^(15) N) isotopic composition to obtain the comprehensive understanding of the source and composition of sedimentary organic matter and further shed light on the environmental changes of the Jiaozhou Bay on a centennial time scale.Results suggest that the TOC and TN concentrations increase in the upper core, having indicated a probable eutrophication process since the 1920 s in the inner bay and the 2000 s in the bay mouth. The TOC and TN concentrations outside the bay have also changed since 1916 owing to the variation of terrigenous input.Considering TOC/TN ratio, δ^(13) C and δ^(15) N, it can be concluded there is a mixture of terrigenous and marine organic matter sources in the study area. A simple two end-member(terrigenous and marine) mixing model usingδ^(13) C indicats that 45%–79% of TOC in the Jiaozhou Bay is from the marine source. The environmental changes of the Jiaozhou Bay are recorded by geochemical proxies, which are influenced by the intensive anthropogenic activities(e.g., extensive use of fertilizers, and discharge of sewage) and climate changes(e.g., rainfall).

Attaching Importance to Post-9/11 Environmental Changes

Security environment is both an objective reality and a subjective consciousness. Here so-called "objective reality" mainly refers to the inherent law of the changes in international security situation. To a great extent, the subjective consciousness of the objective reality depends on the position and strategic choices of a nation in the international

Environmental changes in Jiaozhou Bay of northern China during the past 90 years using metals and biogenic elements in sediments

Metals and biogenic elements were analyzed from surface sediments and a 100 cm core collected from Jiaozhou Bay in July 2009, to determine how the environment has changed over the past 90 years due to increasing anthropogenic influences in this region. High concentrations of biogenic silica(BSi) represented the dominance of diatoms in the bay. Most metals were lower than the marine sediment quality guidelines; however, Hg, Zn,and Mn were at polluted levels. The vertical profiles of biogenic elements and metals in the sediment core suggest that the most significant environmental changes occurred since the 1990 s, and three stages could be defined:(1) before 1950, characterized by low concentrations of biogenic elements and metals;(2) between 1950 and 1990, displaying an obvious increase of Hg and a slow increase of biogenic elements;(3) after 1990, reflected by a significant increase of total organic carbon(TOC), total nitrogen(TN), total phosphate(TP),and most metals, but a decrease of BSi. Correlation and principal component analyses indicated that most metals originated from lithogenic sources, industrial and domestic discharges as well as maricultural activities.

20 000 years environmental changes of the Gonong Co in Hoh Xil of Qinghai

The Gonong Co is situated at 60 km west of the No. 84 Highway Maintenance Squadof the Qinghai-Xizang Highway (34°38’N, 92°09’E) with an elevation of 4670m. In Juneof 1990, a drill 725 cm deep was made on the lake beach with a distanee of 100m to thewater line (20cm high above lake level) by the Hoh Xil Integtated Scientific

Urbanization,economic development,and environmental changes in transitional economies in the global south:a case of Yangon

Background:Transitional economies in Southeast Asia—a distinct group of developing countries—have experienced rapid urbanization in the past several decades due to the economic transition that fundamentally changed the function of their economies,societies and the environment.Myanmar,one of the least developed transitional economies in Southeast Asia,increased urbanization substantially from 25%in 1990 to 31%in 2019.However,major knowledge gaps exist in understanding the changes in urban land use and land cover and environment and their drivers in its cities.Methods:We studied Yangon,the largest city in Myanmar,for the urbanization,environmental changes,and the underlying driving forces in a radically transitioned economy in the developing world.Based on satellite imagery and historic land use maps,we quantified the expansion of urban built-up land and constructed the land conversion matrix from 1990 through 2020.We also used three air pollutants to illustrate the changes in environmental conditions.We analyzed the coupled dynamics among urbanization,economic development,and environmental changes.Through conducting a workshop with 20 local experts,we further analyzed the influence of human systems and natural systems on Yangon’s urbanization and sustainability.Results:The city of Yangon expanded urban built-up land rapidly from 1990 to 2000,slowed down from 2000 to 2010,but gained momentum again from 2010 to 2020,with most newly added urban built-up land appearing to be converted from farmland and green land in both 1990–2000 and 2010–2020.Furthermore,the air pollutant concen-tration of CO decreased,but that of NO_(2)and PM_(2.5)increased in recent years.A positive correlation exists between population and economic development and the concentration of PM_(2.5)is highly associated with population,the economy,and the number of vehicles.Finally,the expert panel also identified other potential drivers for urbanization,including the extreme climate event of Cyclone Nargis,capital relocation,and globalization.Conclusions:Our research highlights the dramatic expansion of urban land and degradation of urban environment measured by air pollutants and interdependent changes between urbanization,economic development,and environmental changes.

Potential impacts of climate and anthropogenic-induced changes on DOM dynamics among the major Chinese rivers

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is closely linked to human activities in drainage basins and plays a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem functioning and reflecting environmental quality. However, the impacts of climate and anthropogenic-induced changes on DOM in riverine systems under increasingly warming conditions still need to be better understood, particularly at large regional scales. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed a dataset containing 386 published measurements for nine major Chinese river systems, examining dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and optical properties of chromophoric DOM (CDOM) under diverse envi- ronmental conditions, including mean air temperature, precipitation, surface solar radiation, population density, and land use. Our findings indicate that riverine DOC concentrations are significantly higher in northern China (at ∼46.8%) than in the south. This disparity is primarily due to the high input of soil erosion-induced DOM from drying-affected lands (57.0%), farmland (49.1%), and forests in the north. The high temperate and strong hydrological conditions would lead to DOM degradation easily in the riverine system in the south of China. Our study highlights that various climatic and anthropogenic factors, such as agriculture, vegetation coverage, soil erosion, surface solar radiation, and precipitation, individually or in combination, can affect DOM dynamics in river systems. Therefore, considering alterations in DOM dynamics resulting from climate and environmental changes is crucial for carbon-neutral policies and sustainable river ecosystem assessments.

Eternal Climate Change Patterns and the Causes and Countermeasures of Global Climate Change

It is an objective fact that the weather is unpredictable.Even the famous meteorologist,Academician Chu Ko Chen,has only a partial understanding of the changing laws of wind and rain.Even though ancient people summarized the 24 solar terms by observing the annual activities of the sun for a long time,because they ignored the impact of the activities of the moon on the Earth’s climate change on a small scale,the 24 solar terms they summarized often could not accurately predict the change of the Earth’s climate.Therefore,the author studied the influence of lunar activities on the Earth’s climate change,finds out the law of the influence of lunar activities on the Earth’s climate change on a small scale,and summarizes the eternal climate change pattern determined by the activities of the sun and the moon.In addition,the author also reveals the causes and countermeasures of global warming and the frequent occurrence of extreme weather as well as environmental change.

Inter-Annual Variabilities of the Body Weights of Two Cephalopod Species in the Yellow Sea Under Different Environmental Conditions

As fish stocks have been overexploited and catches have decreased over the last few years,the cephalopod catch has increased globally to the point that they are now among the most important marine resources in the world.Climate change and hu-man activities greatly affect the growth and abundance of cephalopods.Understanding how the individual growth of key species varies and how they respond to environmental changes is essential for an effective fishery management.Loliolus beka and Amphioc-topus fangsiao are two dominant species in the cephalopod community of Yellow Sea(YS).Both of them are commercially impor-tant and have great ecological values.Herein,we compared the body weights(BW)of these two species from 2011 to 2018 based on an analysis of biological parameters(i.e.,mantle length and BW)from trawl surveys in the YS.Considerable temporal variations in the BW of the two species are apparent.Specifically,the BW of L.beka was the lowest in 2011 and the highest in 2017,and the well growth was noted in 2015-2018.The BW of A.fangsiao was the lowest in 2013 and the highest in 2016,while well growth was ob-served in 2015-2016.Mixed-effect models indicate that the BW of these species correlates significantly with the sea surface tem-perature(SST)and Southern Oscillation Index(SOI),suggesting the impact of the regional environment associated with strong ENSO events on BW.In a different response window,growth increases with increased SST and decreases with increased SOI.The consistent patterns of the BW of these cephalopods in response to environmental factors demonstrate they can be employed as indi-cator species for studying environmental change in the YS.Our results improve the understanding of the responses of cephalopods to environmental changes in the YS,as well as the mechanisms that drive their growth.Such information is critical for the effective management and sustainable development of cephalopod fisheries in this region.

Remote sensing-based dynamic monitoring and environmental change of wetlands in southern Mongolian Plateau in 2000‒2018

The environmental change in the wetlands in the southern Mongolian Plateau has important impacts on the environment of North China and even the entire Northeast Asia,from which the global climate change can be understood on a large scale,especially the climate change in the Mongolian Plateau.This study extracted the information on the wetlands from three stages of remote sensing images(also referred to as RS images)of the study area,including Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus(ETM+)images of 2000,TM images of 2010,and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager(OLI)images of 2018.As indicated by the extraction results,the area of wetlands decreased from 796.90 km^(2) of 2000 to 666.24 km^(2) of 2018 at a rate of 7.26 km^(2)/a.The reduced area is 130.66 km^(2),which is about 16.4%reduction.And the patch number of wetlands decreased from 731 of 2000 to 316 of 2018 in the study area,approximately 56.8%reduction(415 patches),and the decrease in the area of the wetlands mainly occurred in the northwest endorheic region.In terms of wetland types,the change of the wetlands was dominated by the decrease of lacustrine wetlands,of which the area and patch number decreased by 106.2 km^(2) and 242,respectively.Furthermore,the area of the lacustrine wetlands decreased at the highest rate of 8.70 km^(2)/a in 2010‒2018.From the perspective of spatial distribution,the wetlands in the western part shrunk more notably than those in the eastern part as a whole in the study area.According to local meteorological data,the precipitation gently decreased and the temperature increased(about 1.7℃)from 1975-2018.Overall,the decrease in the area of the wetlands and the temperature rises in the study area were mainly driven by the Mongolian monsoon climate,reduction in precipitation,and human activities.

Arctic environmental change research and Antarctic studies have mutual benefits

Arctic environmental change research and Antarctic studies have mutual benefits for increasing understanding of climate and environmental change in the polar regions. Two examples of bipolar environmental research questions with mutual benefit are presented here. First, climate change and climatically significant cryospheric changes are introduced, and then the roles of albedo feedback mechanism and light absorbing impurities are discussed. Second, the challenge of polar stratospheric ozone depletion is discussed in connection with the increase in the harmful ultraviolet solar irradiance reaching the Earth.

Sedimentary Records and Environmental Analysis of the Ximencuo Lake in Northeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the Past 1,700 Years

Lake sediment is the recorder of historical climate fluctuation and basin environment change. This study collected the Ximencuo Lake sediment in source area of the Yellow River, analyzed organic matters and geochemical elements of the core, obtained nearly environment changes of the past 1,720 years. The results showed the environment evolution process of the 47-cm columnar core can be divided into four stages: below 32 cm(before 900 A.D.), corresponding to the cool and wet climate; 32–20 cm(900 A.D–1300 A.D.), corresponding to the warming temperature and decreasing precipitation; between 20–3.5 cm(1300–1900 A.D.), the stage is more consistent with the Little Ice Age, and precipitation gradually reduced; 3.5–0 cm(since 1900 A.D.), this is the twentieth Century warming period with increasing temperature and reduced precipitation. Phosphorus content increased rapidly in the last 20 years, reflecting the continuously increasing human interventions, but before this period, the P content was low and stable, indicating the natural background of regional phosphorus content.

Grasping Changes in Environment from the Economic Angle

It is of great significance to have a clear understanding of the international environment that China faces. But this is an uneasy job. Since September 11, the world situation has become so complicated that it is hard to grasp its essence even with painstaking efforts. To judge such an already complicated international environment from China’s perspective adds more difficulties, for different people usually have different views due to the different angles from which they see the situation and different methods they adopt. This, understandably, leads to hot debates within the Chinese academic circles. To provide a stage for exchange of views, at the invitation of the CIR Expert Forum, some well-known scholars and experts on international relations from Beijing gathered to hold a symposium on November 5, 2002, with the theme of "How to assess the international environment that China faces". The speeches at the symposium are published in two installments. Following are the second half.

Special Issue on "Response of Polar Organisms and Natural Environment to Global Changes"

High altitude and high latitude regions on Earth are experiencing rapid changes in climate,with impacts on polar organisms and the environment.The persistent cold and sometimes inhospitable conditions create unique ecosystems and habitats for polar organisms.This thematic issue will focus on various polar organisms and natural

Changes in Ecological Environment of the Tarim River Confirmed by Tree Rings

The tree ring is an important carrier of the evolution of climate in the study of global change.It enjoys advantages of accurate dating,strong continuity,high resolution ratio and high reconstruction precision.This paper tested the changes of Populus euphratica tree ring and the runoff in the upper and middle reaches of the Tarim River through the monotonic trend and analyzed the response of the tree ring in the lower reaches of the Tarim River to the water supply through the combined tree ring data and the historical literature,so as to confirm the accuracy of the response of Populus euphratica tree ring to river diversion.The results were included as follows.(1)From 1957 to 2010,the radial growth of Populus euphratica in the upper and middle reaches of the Tarim River decreased gradually in the time series,which was the same as the runoff.The downtrend was significant,and|Zc|was more than 0.96.(2)From1913 to 2000,the radial growth of Populus euphratica as a whole in the lower reaches of the Tarim River decreased.The downtrend was significant between 1973 and 2001,reaching the lowest level in the past 100years.The formation and diversion of the Layi River was as described in the historical literature.(3)The development of the ecological water delivery project has improved the ecological environment of the lower reaches,which has been verified from the Populus euphratica tree ring in the lower reaches.However,despite the ecological water delivery project in recent years,the growth of Populus euphratica tree ring has not reached to the level before 1920,indicating that the existing ecological water delivery is of limited value in recovering desert riparian forest.(4)In the analysis of the response of the Populus euphratica to the water resources,the wavelet analysis method and the historical literature review method have drawn the same conclusion.

Batch Microbial Cultures: A Model That Can Account for Environment Changes

The so-called growth curve is of help to understand the underlying physiology of microbial cultures. A number of reported models describe the observed growth trends and the effects produced by the changes of the culture environment. However, the collected data (plate counts and/or Optical Density records) very often do not reliably comply with the number of fitting parameters of such models. An alternative semi empirical model describes the observed experimental trends of growth and decay of batch microbial cultures. Major advantages of the model include: reduced number and direct physical meaning of the best-fit parameters, easy comparison between different microbial cultures and/or different environment conditions for a given microbial strain. The experimental data (either plate counts or OD records) allow the estimation of the fitting parameters: that is why the model is substantially empirical and applies to any batch microbial culture. The present paper reports the formal details of the model and its extension to cases of environment changes occurred because of an exterior perturbation. The model seems adequate for predictive microbiology investigations, as well as for studies on the effects of bactericidal drugs.

APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSING IN ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION AND CHANGE ANALYSIS IN THE THREE GORGES AREA

1. INTRODUCTION The proposed Three Gorges Project, one of the biggest hydroelectric projects in the world, will dam the middle reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River, the third longest river in the world, and form a large reservoir. Its impacts on environment have attracted wide attention. Entrusted by National Scientific-Technical Commission, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was in charge of a research project on this issuse from 1984 to 1989. Tho use of remote sensing played an important role in the project considering the study area is mountainous and not convenientlv located, which makes it difficult to conduct the research onlv using conventional means.

Environmental Change in Agricultural Land in Southwest Cote d’Ivoire:Driving Forces and Impacts

Environmental conditions change in the Southwest of Cote d’Ivoire has been a major issue in development debates over the last decades. Using remote sensing based on land cover change analysis, climatic data, national statistical data, we analyzed the drivers of environmental change in Southwestern of Cote d’Ivoire. Being part of the perennial crops basin, Southwestern of Cote d’Ivoire has witnessed rapid degradation of environmental conditions caused by the conversion of forest areas to agricultural land during the last 20 - 30 years and by a combination of decline in precipitation, soil degradation, a diversity of policies with little concern for the environment and population pressure. We concluded that while climate variability has influenced environmental change in the area of Sassandra, various types of anthropogenic and State interventions in agriculture appear to have been the main underlying causes of environmental degradation.

Effects of Neo-Tethyan evolution on the petroleum system of Persian Gulf Superbasin

Considering the Neo-Tethyan tectonic process and the resulting environmental changes,a geodynamic model of“one-way train loading”is proposed to analyze the formation and evolution mechanism of the Persian Gulf Superbasin with the most abundant hydrocarbons in the world.The Persian Gulf Superbasin has long been in a passive continental margin setting since the Late Paleozoic in the process of unidirectional subduction,forming a superior regional space of hydrocarbon accu-mulation.During the Jurassic-Cretaceous,the Persian Gulf Superbasin drifted slowly at low latitudes,and developed multiple superimposed source-reservoir-caprock assemblages as a combined result of several global geological events such as the Hadley Cell,the Equatorial Upwelling Current,and the Jurassic True Polar Wander.The collision during the evolution of the foreland basin since the Cenozoic led to weak destruction,which was conducive to the preservation of oil and gas.Accordingly,it is be-lieved that the slow drifting and long retention in favorable climate zone of the continent are the critical factors for hydrocarbon enrichment.Moreover,the prospects of hydrocarbon potential in other continents in the Neo-Tethyan were proposed.