Environmental Conditions of Barchan Dune and Barchan Chain-A Case Study from the Hexi Desert Area of Gansu

[Objective] The paper was to discuss why the top of tall barchan dunes and barchan chains widespread in single prevailing wind area had not been leveled by wind erosion. [Method] Based on the preliminary survey of distribution status,the morphological characteristics and environmental conditions of barchan dunes and barchan chains in Hexi desert area of Gansu were investigated in details. The significance of difference between samples and significance of correlation between indicators were examined via variance test. [Result] Barchan dunes and barchan chains in Hexi desert area of Gansu distributed at the leeward direction of desert fringe,generally in patch distribution. The distribution area was gravelly beach or cohesive gravel beach,with broader dune slack; winds in distribution area of barchan dunes and barchan chains blew obviously from one direction,while winds at other directions were light or occasionally strong but with low frequency;the barchan dune in the desert fringe of Hexi desert area of Gansu was relatively tall,while barchan chain was even more taller and larger. Coincidence or separation of the dune peak and the sand ridge might be related to distribution frequency of dominant prevailing wind or wind at opposite direction and the observation seasons.[Conclusion]Studying top stability of barchan dune has an important academic value in revealing blowing sand movement rule at desert fringe,invasion of sand flow,and expansion of desert.

Effects of urbanization on the relationship between greenspace patterns and evolution of regional heat island in cities of Ethiopia

Green space(GS)is a central element of urban ecosystems while,urbanization is substantially changed green land into impervious ecosystems,which has then troubled the equilibrium of the surface thermal energy and the ecosystem services fluxes.This study was intended to explore the response of relative land surface temperature(RLST)intensities to the urban ecosystem-agglomeration dynamics as well as regional thermal environment(RTE)effects on green space in four major cities(i.e.,Addis Ababa-Hawassa-Adama-Bahir Dar)of Ethiopia from 1990−2020,using a set of remote sensing images,single-channel algorism,and geospatial analyses.The results showed the trends of GS evolution were:GS loss>GS gain>GS exchange.Besides,the distinct ecosystems as high-temperature zones(RLST more than 2°C)were gradually augmented and significantly intensified between 2010−2020 in all cities,while the proportion of green space was significantly decreased.Due to this,the segregated urban heat islands were gradually inter-weaved and interacted with each other and forming regional heat islands.However,the newly established green space has fewer cooling effects than urban forest and greenery,because RLST of green space loss and gain are substantially disparate.We also confirmed that the regional thermal environment is not only prejudiced by ecosystem patterns and processes besides substantially conquered by the particular GS change processes as well as RHI dynamics and evolution rate.

Research on the Regional Ecological Environment Evaluation and Application under the Influence of the Severe Earthquake Disaster

To conduct the ecological restoration and reconstruction of disaster areas after the severe earthquake, such as Wenchuan Earthquake and Lushan Earthquake, this article uses region al ecological environment evaluation and ecological footprint to construct a quantitative analysis model on the basis of ecololgical environment indexes in Mianzhu City. Through this model, resource status of the regional environment in Mianzhu is analyzed, as well as the ecological capacity and the ecological security. Based on the evaluation and analysis, this paper provides multi-path development strategies of ecological restoration and sustainable development of human settlements after the earthquake.

COLD AND ARID REGIONS ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENGINEERING RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The Cold and Arid Regions Environmental andEngineering Research Institute(CAREERI) wascreated in June 1999 as a result of the current PilotRroject of the Knowledge Innovation Program of theChinse Academy of Sciences (CAS). Formed onthe basis of three former CAS institutes,namely, theLanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Geocryology,the Lanzhou Institute of Desert Studies, and

Community Tourism as Practiced in the Mountainous Qiang Region of Sichuan Province,China-a Case Study in Zhenghe Village

In China, community tourism is still a relatively new phenomenon, but the villagers of a small Qiang village in the Qiang Autonomous County of Beichuan in Southwestern Sichuan have initiated tourism in a way which conforms to the basic theory of community tourism development. This demonstrates that community tourism possesses a strength and vitality that can promote the development of tourism in the rural and mountainous areas. In the district of Zhenghe Village, the tourism industry, based on the community tourism model, is the mainstay of its economy. The practice of community tourism in the village not only promotes the economic development of the village community, but also leads to the protection of the mountainous natural environment and of the culture of the Qiang people. This paper investigates the development process of community tourism in Zhenghe and shows how the local residents participate in this process. It also looks at how profits have been distributed within the community. It demonstrates that community tourism is a correct choice by the Zhenghe people as they have dearly been moving from poverty to prosperity, while the local ecology and environment have been simultaneously protected. The authors hope that other minority villages with similar local conditions and natural resources will be able to use this example to develop their own community tourism.

Current developments of research on permafrost engineering and cold region environment:a report of the 8^(th) International Symposium on Permafrost Engineering

The Eighth International Symposium on Permafrost Engineering was held in Xi’an,China,October 2009.The major topics discussed in the symposium included:permafrost engineering (involving design,construction and evaluation);mitigation of frost hazards in the regions affected by seasonally frozen ground;properties of frozen soils,model development and their applications;frost hazards and periglacial environments in mountain and plateau regions;climatic,environmental and cryospheric changes;and permafrost hydrology,cold regions water resources and land uses.The papers submitted to the symposium and lectures during the meeting represented some new developments of research on cold region engineering and environment.Here we summarized the works of the symposium in topics including:Permafrost engineering;General geocryology;Properties of frozen soils:model development and their applications;And climatic,environmental and cryospheric changes.During the symposium,the attendees pointed out that future studies should pay more attention to theoretical study and engineering mechanism study,and also on interaction between climate change and cold region environments and their engineering affects.

Analysis of the negative effects of groundwater exploitation on geological environment in Asia

This paper summarizes the negative effects on geological environment caused by groundwater exploitation and its distribution. There are seven main types of the geological environment negative effects, which are generally as follows:(1) Constant decrease of groundwater level is mainly distributed in China(East Asia), India(South Asia), Tajikistan(Central Asia) and Saudi Arabia(West Asia);(2) land subsidence occurs mainly in eastern plains of East Asia and west Siberian Plain of North Asia;(3) seawater intrusion occurs mainly in China, Japan and South Korea in East Asia, Philippines and Indonesia in Southeast Asia, the Indian coastal areas in South Asia;(4) groundwater level decline caused by groundwater exploitation in oil fields;(5) mining collapse is mainly in 50° to 70° north latitude band;(6) the total area of karst collapse in China of East Asia is as much as 197.05 km^2; and(7) ground fracture is mainly distributed in the North China Plain, Fenwei Plain and the Yangtze River Delta. Asia can be divided into 6 zones in terms of the geological environment negative effect caused by groundwater exploitation. According to analysis, with the increasing intensity of human activities, geological environment issues become more and more serious, therefore it is vital to control the human activities within the scope of 5× 10~5 people/km^2 to 9.9× 10~5 people/km^2 for the effective control of the size of the affected area by geological environment problems.

Overview of harmful algal blooms(red tides)in Hong Kong during 1975–2021

Hong Kong has a long historical record of harmful algal blooms(HABs).In the 1980s-1990s,HABs were mainly pollution-related and most of the events happened in estuaries and enclosed embayment such as Tolo Harbour and Port Shelter.The major cause of HABs in 1980s-1990s was closely related to nutrients enrichment;included but not limited to changes in the concentration and ratio of soluble N and P in seawater.The major causative organisms of HABs in Hong Kong by then were meso-plankton such as selected species of diatoms and dinofl agellates.Sometimes,zooplankton was also a cause of red tides(the common name of HABs).There has been gradual change after the 2000s.It is attributed to higher and higher influences from the region,namely the Zhujiang(Pearl)River delta.There are increasing influences from Chinese mainland due to extraordinary social and economic growths during the past 20 years.In the past10 years,HABs in Hong Kong was mainly subject to regional impacts in the Zhujiang River delta.Both the duration period and covered areas have been enlarged which overwhelmed the localized influences of stream pollution and self-contamination of aquaculture zones.More flagellates of uncommon happening become dominant species in HAB now.Nevertheless,the seasonal impact of Noctiluca scintillans in late winter to mid spring remained.

Landscape Visual Environment Impact Analysis of Wind Power Project in Plain Region--Case in One Wind Power Farm Project of Zhanjiang

The construction of wind power project is conducive to saving energy,reducing emissions and regulating energy structure. But it inevitably causes some impacts on the environment in the construction process. Because that the height of wind power generator generally exceeds 100 m,and visual range in plain region is farther,it is necessary to scientifically and rationally evaluate and analyze landscape visual environment impact of wind power generator in plain region. One wind power farm project of Zhanjiang is located in typical plain region of Guangdong coast. Referring to traditional analytic method of landscape visual impact and comparing with actual situation for the same kind of project in the region,results show that it is ＂ extremely sensitive＂ area at 0- 2. 5 km from wind power generator, ＂ very sensitive＂ area at 2. 5- 5. 0 km, ＂ sensitive＂ area at 5- 10 km, ＂generally sensitive＂ area at 10- 20 km,and non-sensitive area outside 20 km.

THE LABORATORY OF ICE CORE AND COLD REGIONS ENVIRONMENT

Affiliation unit: Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Cold Regions Environment, CAS Brief history: The Laboratory of Ice Core and Cold Regions Environment (LICCRE) was formally approved to open domestically and internationally by Chinese Academy of Sciences in April 1997. It is attached to the Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Geocryology, CAS.

Flexible Robotic Grasping Strategy with Constrained Region in Environment

Grasping is a significant yet challenging task for the robots. In this paper, the grasping problem for a class of dexterous robotic hands is investigated based on the novel concept of constrained region in environment, which is inspired by the grasping operations of the human beings. More precisely, constrained region in environment is formed by the environment, which integrates a bio-inspired co-sensing framework. By utilizing the concept of constrained region in environment, the grasping by robots can be effectively accomplished with relatively low-precision sensors. For the grasping of dexterous robotic hands, the attractive region in environment is first established by model primitives in the configuration space to generate offline grasping planning. Then, online dynamic adjustment is implemented by integrating the visual sensory and force sensory information, such that the uncertainty can be further eliminated and certain compliance can be obtained. In the end, an experimental example of BarrettHand is provided to show the effectiveness of our proposed grasping strategy based on constrained region in environment.

The Moderating Effect of the Ski Resort Environment on the Skier’s Travel Radius under the Restriction of Skill Consumption

Starting from the skill characteristics of ski tourism,this paper discusses the impact of consumer skill on travel decisions,and the moderating effect of the ski resort’s comprehensive leisure environment(including the ski resort sports environment and the regional cultural tourism environment),in order to both understand their impacts on the travel distance characteristics of skiers and attempt to provide necessary research support for the development of China’s ski industry and the construction of destinations.Based on the data from multi-period visitor surveys,this paper constructs the consumption skill-travel radius decision-making influence model under the moderating effect of the ski resort comprehensive leisure environment.The results show three main characteristics.(1)The travel radius obviously differs among skiers with different skill levels.The skill level of skiers has a significant positive effect on the larger travel radius,and a significant negative effect on the smaller travel radius.That is,skiers with a higher skill level are more inclined to undertake long-distance skiing travel,while skiers with a lower skill level are more inclined to undertake short-distance skiing travel.(2)The comprehensive leisure environment has a significant moderating effect on the skiers’travel radius,with a significant positive impact on enlarging the travel radius,while the influences on high-skill and low-skill skiers are significantly higher than on middle-skill skiers.(3)In the comprehensive leisure environment,there are differences in the moderating effect of the ski resort sports environment and the regional cultural tourism environment on the skiers travel radius,and the positive moderating effect of the ski resort sports environment on the high-skill skiers’travel radius is more obvious.While the regional cultural tourism environment has a more obvious positive moderating effect on the travel radius of non-skiers and junior skiers,it is more conducive to promoting domestic travel.In general,the skier skill level in China was generally lower,and the ski resort comprehensive leisure environment optimization is conducive to overcoming the limitation of the travel radius caused by the disadvantageous skill level of consumers.However,to promote the development of China’s ski industry in the long run,it is necessary to focus on improving the consumer’s ski skill level,but prevent the risk of losing high-skill consumers overseas.In the course of improving the level of domestic ski sports facilities,we should also focus on the domestic leisure cultural tourism environment to better enhance the attractiveness of domestic ski destinations.

Influence factors and variation characteristics of water vapor absorption by soil in semi-arid region

The adsorption of water vapor by soil is one of the crucial contributors to non-rainfall water on land surface, particularly over semi-arid regions where its contribution can be equivalent to precipitation and can have a major impact on dry agriculture and the ecological environment in these regions. However, due to difficulties in the observation of the adsorption of water vapor,research in this area is limited. This study focused on establishing a method for estimating the quantitative observation of soil water vapor adsorption(WVA), and exploring the effects of meteorological elements(e.g., wind, temperature, and humidity) and soil environmental elements(e.g., soil temperature, soil moisture, and the available energy of soil) on WVA by soil over the semi-arid region, Dingxi, by combining use of the L-G large-scale weighing lysimeter and meteorological observation. In addition, this study also analyzed the diurnal and annual variations of WVA amount, frequency, and intensity by soil, how they changed with weather conditions, and the contribution of WVA by soil to the land surface water budget. Results showed that WVA by soil was co-affected by various meteorological and soil environmental elements, which were more likely to occur under conditions of relative humidity of 6.50% and the diurnal variation of relative humidity was large, inversion humidity, wind velocity of 3.4 m/s,lower soil water content, low surface temperature and slightly unstable atmospheric conditions. There was a negative feedback loop between soil moisture and the adsorption of water vapor, and, moreover, the diurnal and annual variations of WVA amount and frequency were evident—WVA by soil mainly occurred in the afternoon, and the annual peak appeared in December and the valley in June, with obvious regional characteristics. Furthermore, the contribution of WVA by soil to the land surface water budget obviously exceeded that of precipitation in the dry season.