Emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N8)clade 2.3.4.4b viruses in grebes in Inner Mongolia and Ningxia,China,in 2021

Highly pathogenic avian influenza(HPAI)subtype H5Nx viruses have spread globally and are a major concern for poultry,wild birds,mammals,and even humans(de Vries et al.2015;Zeng et al.2022).The hemagglutinin(HA)genes of H5 subtype viruses have evolved into multiple clades and some of these clades have been further divided into subclades(Cui et al.2022).Clade 2.3.4.4H5N8 HPAI viruses(HPAIVs)have caused several waves of disease outbreaks in wild birds and domestic poultry(Wang et al.2022).

Spatial and Temporal Evolution Characteristics of Extreme Precipitation and Isohyets in Ningxia

The multi-scale spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of extreme precipitation and isohyets in Ningxia were studied using daily,monthly,and annual precipitation data from 20 meteorological stations in Ningxia over the last 60 years.The results revealed that the intensity of rainstorms in Ningxia had decreased slightly over the previous 60 years,with the intensity of rainstorms in southern and central Ningxia being higher than in northern areas.Ningxia's annual and seasonal precipitation varied regionally,declining from the southeast to the northwest.Annual,spring and autumn precipitation exhibited a significantly declining trend from 1960 to the early 21^(st)century;summer precipitation displayed a slightly decreasing trend;and winter precipitation showed a significantly increasing trend.Nevertheless,there was a noticeable increase in annual and seasonal precipitation after 2005.From the 1960s to the 2000s,the 200 mm isohyet moved slowly southward,while the 400 mm isohyet jumped southward twice in the 1970s and 2000s before jumping considerably northward in the 2010s to reach their northernmost region.

Exploring Ningxia The Chinese Culture and Tourism Global Promotional Campaign&Ningxia Cultural Tourism Resources Promotion

Ningxia,known as"Saishang Jiangnan"(the place to the north of the Great Wall,which is as beautiful as south of Yangtze River),is converged with diverse natural landscapes and rich cultural heritage.In recent years,Ningxia has combined the development of the wine industry with the strengthening of ecological governance and the development of culture and tourism.

Treating Guests Coming from Afar with Delicious Ningxia Food

Located in China's mainland,Ningxia has complex terrain and landform,unique landscape and distinctive delicious food.The Helan Mountain and Yinchuan Plain in the north are intertwined with the Yellow River,contributing to the fertile land.

China-Arab States Tour Operators Conference of the Sixth China-Arab States Expo Opens in Yinchuan,Ningxia

China-Arab States Tour Operators Conference of the Sixth China-Arab States Expo,co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the People's Government of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,and organized by the Network of International Culturalink Entities and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region..

China Story,Purple Image Ningxia Wine Cultural Tour in the Eyes of Foreign Photographers

Ningxia,a treasure land in western China converged with profound culture and rich natural resources,is now attracting the world's attention with its unique wine culture.This year,we invited four photographers,i.e.,Jeremy Walter from France,OlmoReverterFernandezfromSpain,DanSandoval from the United States and Micheal Joseph Finck from Canada,to visit Ningxia for a six-day tour of wineculture.

Research on the Spatial Characteristics of Traditional Residential Buildings in Ningxia Region

This article takes traditional residential buildings in Ningxia region as the starting point,and through field research and data analysis,demonstrates the specific elements of the spatial composition of traditional residential buildings and the common forms of courtyard space.The study summarizes the regional cultural characteristics of traditional residential buildings in the region,laying a foundation for subsequent research and providing some reference basis.

China Story,Purple Witness Ningxia Wine Label Art Exhibition

Wine and art are our connection to the land.The land at the foot of the Helan Mountains has been quiet for too long between sand and gravel.It wasn't until the 1980s that there was finally human farming on this land for the first time.Wine,for the first time,conveyed the vitality of life and thepowerof millions ofyears ofdeposition.

Seasonal changes in the water-use strategies of three herbaceous species in a native desert steppe of Ningxia,China

Frequent periods of drought conditions are known to limit plant performance,primary production,and ecosystem stability in arid and semi-arid desert steppe environments.Plants often avoid competition by shifting their water use seasonally,which affects the water-use patterns of dominant species as well as the composition and structure of plant communities.However,the water-use strategies of dominant herbaceous species,which grow under natural field conditions in the desert steppe region of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,China,are poorly known.Here,we explored the possible sources of water uptake and water-use efficiency(WUE)of three dominant herbaceous plant species(Stipa breviflora,Agropyron mongolicum,and Glycyrrhiza uralensis)in a native desert steppe in the semi-arid area of Ningxia through an analysis of multiple parameters,including(1)the stable isotopic oxygen and hydrogen(δ18O andδ2H)compositions of precipitation,soil water,and stem water,(2)the carbon isotope(13C)composition of leaves,and(3)the soil water contents,based on field sampling across varying water conditions from June to September,2017.Frequent small precipitation events replenished shallow soil water,whereas large events only percolated down to the deep soil layers.Changes in soil water availability affected the water-use patterns of plants.Generally,during light precipitation periods,the deep root system of G.uralensis accessed deeper(>80 cm)soil water,whereas S.breviflora and A.mongolicum,which only have shallow roots,primarily absorbed water from the shallow and middle soil layers.As precipitation increased,all three plant species primarily obtained water from the shallow soil layers.Variation in soil water uptake between the dry and wet seasons enabled plants to make better use of existing satoil water.In addition,theδ13C values of G.uralensis and S.breviflora were higher than those of A.mongolicum.Theδ13C values of the three plant species were significantly negatively correlated with soil water content.Therefore,G.uralensis and S.breviflora maintained a higher WUE through their conservative and water-saving strategies across the entire growing season.In contrast,A.mongolicum,with a relatively low WUE in the wet season but a high WUE in the dry season,exhibited a more flexible water-use strategy.The different water-use strategies of these dominant plant species demonstrated the mechanisms by which plant communities can respond to drought.

Preliminary analysis of teleseismic receiver functions of the Ningxia and its adjacent area

The teleseismic receiver functions of digital seismic network of Ningxia and its adjacent area are calculated with two different Gauss filter factors. The accuracy and stability of the receiver functions are discussed. The h-k stacking method is applied to estimate the crustal thickness and velocity ratio beneath seismic stations. The results indicate that there are sharp changes of crustal thickness and velocity ratio in the studied region. This region is located in the northeastern margin of Tibet, and also a junction of several first-grade blocks. The large contrast of crustal structure in this region is considered to be resulted from the interaction of these blocks. Our results are helpful to construct the completed model of the formation and evolution of the Tibet. Some local structures are also discussed combining with the geological faults.

Analysis on the Climatic Characteristics of Hail in the South Mountain Area of Ningxia

[Objective] The research aimed to study the climatic characteristics of hail in the southern mountain area of Ningxia in recent 50 years. [Method] Based on the hail observation data of 5 surface meteorological stations (Guyuan, Xiji, Jingyuan, Longde, Liupanshan) in the south of Ningxia during 1960-2009, the spatial distribution rule, the interannual and monthly climatic characteristics and variation trends of hail in the south mountain area of Ningxia were analyzed by using the statistical method. Moreover, the hail disaster prevention and reduction measures in Guyuan were put forward. [Result] The hail in the south mountain area of Ningxia in recent 50 years had the obvious annual, seasonal, monthly and daily variation characteristics. The hail might occur from March to October and mainly concentrated during May-August which occupied 72% in the whole year. The occurrence probability of hail in June was the biggest and occupied 21.7% in the whole year. It was the typical multi-hail zone in summer. The interannual variation of hail occurrence in Guyuan was big and had 3-year periodicity. The secondary-order time trend of hail in Guyuan was the anti-parabolic type, and the hail occurrence times during the 1960s-1980s presented the increase trend. It was the hail multi-occurrence period in the 1970s and 1980s. After the 1990s, the hail presented the decrease trend. In recent 20 years, the hail significantly decreased. The hail in Guyuan mainly concentrated during 12:00-21:00, and the hail occurrence times occupied 85% of total times. The hail distribution in Guyuan area had the obvious regional characteristics. The hail in the mountain area, hilly area was more and in the stream valley, north Pingchuan area was less. The hail cloud mainly derived from the mountain areas, such as Liupanshan, Nanhua Mountain, Yueliang Mountain, Xifeng Mountain and Yunwu Mountain, etc. The move direction of hail cloud was mainly from northwest to southeast or from north to south. Part of hail cloud disappeared in the original place. According to the regional distribution of hail, the hail risk in Guyuan City was divided into the high, moderate and low occurrence zones by combining with the hail disaster data. [Conclusion] The research provided the scientific basis for the forecast, early-warning of hail weather and the artificial hail suppression.

Characteristics of Spatial Structural Patterns and Temporal Variability of Annual Precipitation in Ningxia

[Objective] The aim was to study the characteristics of the spatial structural patterns and temporal variability of annual precipitation in Ningxia.[Method] Using rotated empirical orthogonal function,the precipitation concentration index,wavelet analysis and Mann-Kendall rank statistic method,the characteristics of precipitation on the spatial-temporal variability and trend were analyzed by the monthly precipitation series in Ningxia during 1951-2008.[Result] In Ningxia,the spatial structural patterns of annual precipitation appeared 'North-south type' and 'North-center-south type'.It increased from north to south,the changes of interannual precipitation decreased from north to south.Precipitation changed significantly in month and distributed differently in the Yellow River irrigation area.But it was conversely steady in central arid zone and mountainous area of southern Ningxia.The probability of single abundant precipitation year was higher than single short precipitation year and the continuous short precipitation year was higher than continuous abundant precipitation year.The main cycles were 3a,6a and 10a approximately.In the mid arid zone and the mountainous area of southern Ningxia,the probability of precipitation reduction was about 75% and the Yellow river irrigation area,71.4%,respectively.The reduction in the entire area was about 73.3%.The annual precipitation in the middle arid area and irrigation area was increasing.The variability would change slowly for the intra-annual distribution of precipitation.Especially,the reduction tendency rate in the middle arid area reached 100.0%.[Conclusion] The study provided references for the effective utilization of the local precipitation,and the coordinated development of the regional social economy and ecological environment.

Study on the Countermeasures of Eco-environment Conservation in the Mountainous Areas of Southern Ningxia under New Situation

Under the implementation of principal functional zoning,further promotion of western development,regional migration,new countryside construction,global warming and so on,the spatial adjustment of regional industry and its structure must be enforced.The spatial adjustment and arrangement of population and economy in the mountainous areas of southern Ningxia could create tremendous opportunity for its eco-environment conservation.Based on analysis on the opportunity and challenge of eco-environment conservation in the mountainous areas of southern Ningxia,some countermeasures of eco-environment conservation were discussed in the paper,so as to provide some theoretical references for the eco-environment conservation in the mountainous areas of southern Ningxia.

Late Cenozoic Stratigraphic Sequence and Its Implication to Tectonic Evolution, Hejiakouzi Area, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

The Late Cenozoic stratigraphic sequence and its information of tectonic evolution are obtained here through the detailed petrostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic study and research of stratigraphic contact and sedmentary faces of the Cenozoic strata profile, Hejiakouzi area, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The intense Cenozoic tectonic deformation began at 10Ma BP in the Haiyuan-Tongxin Syntaxis, the northeastern margin of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, and a few deformation events occurred during Late Cenozoic Era.

Principal Component and Cluster Analysis of Quality Traits in Ningxia Rice

Six rice quality traits of 47 rice varieties approved in Ningxia in past 25 years were analyzed. The results showed that there was complicated correlation between rice quality traits. Through the principal component analysis using 6 × 6 order correlation matrix, five principal components with different meanings were obtained. The accumulative contribution rate of the first five characteristic roots was as high as 96.04%. Furthermore, the five principal components could cluster the 47 varieties into seven groups. The first group performed the best in quality traits, followed by the second group and the third group taking the second place, and then the fourth, seventh, fifth and sixth groups, sequentially. The clustering pedigree chart showed that only the varieties among the 47 tested varieties, which performed better in chalky kernel percentage and chalkiness degree, could become dominant varieties with extension value. This indicates that chalky kernel percentage and chalkiness degree are main factors restricting rice quality.

Changes of landuse form and their ecological effect on desert-steppe area in Ningxia

The central part of Ningxia is a desert-steppe area with a sparse population and fragile ecosystem where over-grazing has caused serious degeneration of steppe ecosystem; however, the southern part is a populous loessic hilly area subject to serious soil erosion. The central desert steppe has become an oasis with immigrants from southern loessic hilly area thanks to the implementation of new irrigated projects by pumping water from the Yellow River. Using government investment and loan of World Bank, the new irrigated area has been developed which covers an area of 32,527 ha with 145 thousand immigrants moving there from the southern loessic hilly area in 1984-1994. A new ecosystem of oasis economy has been established, socio-economic, and environmental benefits achieved, and changes in land use were prominent. In the central desert steppe of Ningxia, except the original pasture and dryland farming, irrigational farming, horticulture and livestock breeding have been developed. As a result, artificial ecosystems of various types have been formed in the irrigated areas mentioned above. This paper will particularly discusses the changes of landuse patterns in resultant ecological effects, and the environemntal problems for sustainable development in the irrigated area. For the changes of landuse patterns, four aspects are relevant: the dryland was changed into irrigated land, the grassland became irrigated farmland, the agricultural landuse pattern changed and the cropping patterns also altered. The ecological benefits of the irrigated area are as follows: 1) the desert-steppe has been partially replaced by man-made oasis; 2) drinking water for human and livestock was guaranteed; 3) the shifting sand dunes in some areas were brought under control; 4) soil erosion was mitigated; 5) soil mellow process was accelerated and soil fertility increased; and 6) the eco-economic system was diversified. Finally, the authors identifies solutions to the environmental problems, including water pollution. Soil secondary salinization, soil strucrure, improvement shelterbelt construction, all related to sustainable development in irrgational area.

THE RATIONAL UTILIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES IN IRRIGATED AREA OF THE YELLOW RIVER IN NINGXIA

The paper describes the water resources in the irrigated area of Ningxia, China, andthe methods for improving the utilization of the water resources, and puts forward somesuggestions so as to utilize the water resources rationally. The history of irrigation farming in Ningxia can be traced back to more than two thou-

THE ECOLOGICAL DISASTERS IN NINGXIA AND THE COUNTERMEASURES

Ningxia lies in the midland of China, along the upper and middle of the Yellow River.The south of the region belongs to the Loess Plateau and the north of it is Part of theMongolian plateau. The main feature of the climate in the whole region is dry or half dry.The ecological enviroment is in a very delicate state and human activities have made itworse. The severe consequences are widely-spread various types of ecological disasters.

AN APPROACH TO THE FORESTRY PROBLEMS AND TACTS IN THE NEW IRRIGATION AREA OF YANGHUANG IN NINGXIA

This article exponded the importance of forestry construction in Ningxia, Yang HuangNew Irrigation Area economy development. It analysed the problems that may exist in theforestry constructions of New Irrigation Area, (such as the monostructure of trees,struction simplicity, monoculture of stand and lack of functions) And put forward the cont-er actions and construtioes advices.