Spatio-temporal variation of depth to groundwater level and its driving factors in arid and semi-arid regions of India

Climate change and increasing anthropogenic activities,such as over-exploitation of groundwater,are exerting unavoidable stress on groundwater resources.This study investigated the spatio-temporal variation of depth to groundwater level(DGWL)and the impacts of climatic(precipitation,maximum temperature,and minimum temperature)and anthropogenic(gross district product(GDP),population,and net irrigated area(NIA))variables on DGWL during 1994-2020.The study considered DGWL in 113 observation wells and piezometers located in arid western plains(Barmer and Jodhpur districts)and semi-arid eastern plains(Jaipur,Ajmer,Dausa,and Tonk districts)of Rajasthan State,India.Statistical methods were employed to examine the annual and seasonal patterns of DGWL,and the generalized additive model(GAM)was used to determine the impacts of climatic and anthropogenic variables on DGWL.During 1994-2020,except for Barmer District,where the mean annual DGWL was almost constant(around 26.50 m),all other districts exhibited increase in DGWL,with Ajmer District experiencing the most increase.The results also revealed that 36 observation wells and piezometers showed a statistically significant annual increasing trend in DGWL and 34 observation wells and piezometers exhibited a statistically significant decreasing trend in DGWL.Similarly,32 observation wells and piezometers showed an statistically significant increasing trend and 37 observation wells and piezometers showed a statistically significant decreasing trend in winter;33 observation wells and piezometers indicated a statistically significant increasing trend and 34 had a statistically significant decreasing trend in post-monsoon;35 observation wells and piezometers exhibited a statistically significant increasing trend and 32 observation wells and piezometers showed a statistically significant decreasing trend in pre-monsoon;and 36 observation wells and piezometers reflected a statistically significant increasing trend and 30 observation wells and piezometers reflected a statistically significant decreasing trend in monsoon.Interestingly,most of the observation wells and piezometers with increasing trends of DGWL were located in Dausa and Jaipur districts.Furthermore,the GAM analysis revealed that climatic variables,such as precipitation,significantly affected DGWL in Barmer District,and DGWL in all other districts was influenced by anthropogenic variables,including GDP,NIA,and population.As a result,stringent regulations should be implemented to curb excessive groundwater extraction,manage agricultural water demand,initiate proactive aquifer recharge programs,and strengthen sustainable management in these water-scarce regions.

Can climate change influence agricultural GTFP in arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China?

There are eight provinces and autonomous regions(Gansu Province,Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,Tibet Autonomous Region,Qinghai Province,Shanxi Province,and Shaanxi Province)in Northwest China,most areas of which are located in arid and semi-arid regions(northwest of the 400 mm precipitation line),accounting for 58.74%of the country's land area and sustaining approximately 7.84×10^6 people.Because of drought conditions and fragile ecology,these regions cannot develop agriculture at the expense of the environment.Given the challenges of global warming,the green total factor productivity(GTFP),taking CO2 emissions as an undesirable output,is an effective index for measuring the sustainability of agricultural development.Agricultural GTFP can be influenced by both internal production factors(labor force,machinery,land,agricultural plastic film,diesel,pesticide,and fertilizer)and external climate factors(temperature,precipitation,and sunshine duration).In this study,we used the Super-slacks-based measure(Super-SBM)model to measure agricultural GTFP during the period 2000-2016 at the regional level.Our results show that the average agricultural GTFP of most provinces and autonomous regions in arid and semi-arid regions underwent a fluctuating increase during the study period(2000-2016),and the fluctuation was caused by the production factors(input and output factors).To improve agricultural GTFP,Shaanxi,Shanxi,and Gansu should reduce agricultural labor force input;Shaanxi,Inner Mongolia,Gansu,and Shanxi should decrease machinery input;Shaanxi,Inner Mongolia,Xinjiang,and Shanxi should reduce fertilizer input;Shaanxi,Xinjiang,Gansu,and Ningxia should reduce diesel input;Xinjiang and Gansu should decrease plastic film input;and Gansu,Shanxi,and Inner Mongolia should cut pesticide input.Desirable output agricultural earnings should be increased in Qinghai and Tibet,and undesirable output(CO2 emissions)should be reduced in Inner Mongolia,Xinjiang,Gansu,and Shaanxi.Agricultural GTFP is influenced not only by internal production factors but also by external climate factors.To determine the influence of climate factors on GTFP in these provinces and autonomous regions,we used a Geographical Detector(Geodetector)model to analyze the influence of climate factors(temperature,precipitation,and sunshine duration)and identify the relationships between different climate factors and GTFP.We found that temperature played a significant role in the spatial heterogeneity of GTFP among provinces and autonomous regions in arid and semi-arid regions.For Xinjiang,Inner Mongolia,and Tibet,a suitable average annual temperature would be in the range of 7℃-9℃;for Gansu,Shanxi,and Ningxia,it would be 11℃-13℃;and for Shaanxi,it would be 15℃-17℃.Stable climatic conditions and more efficient production are prerequisites for the development of sustainable agriculture.Hence,in the agricultural production process,reducing the redundancy of input factors is the best way to reduce CO2 emissions and to maintain temperatures,thereby improving the agricultural GTFP.The significance of this study is that it explores the impact of both internal production factors and external climatic factors on the development of sustainable agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions,identifying an effective way forward for the arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China.

Runoff of arid and semi-arid regions simulated and projected by CLM-DTVGM and its multi-scale fluctuations as revealed by EEMD analysis

Runoff is a major component of the water cycle, and its multi-scale fluctuations are important to water resources management across arid and semi-arid regions. This paper coupled the Distributed Time Variant Gain Model （DTVGM） into the Community Land Model （CLM 3.5）, replacing the TOPMODEL-based method to simulate runoff in the arid and semi-arid regions of China. The coupled model was calibrated at five gauging stations for the period 1980-2005 and validated for the period 2006-2010. Then, future runoff （2010-2100） was simulated for different Representative Concentration Pathways （RCP） emission scenarios. After that, the spatial distributions of the future runoff for these scenarios were discussed, and the multi-scale fluctuation characteristics of the future annual runoff for the RCP scenarios were explored using the Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition （EEMD） analysis method. Finally, the decadal variabilities of the future annual runoff for the entire study area and the five catchments in it were investigated. The results showed that the future annual runoff had slowly decreasing trends for scenarios RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5 during the period 2010-2100, whereas it had a non-monotonic trend for the RCP 4.5 scenario, with a slow increase after the 2050s. Additionally, the future annual runoff clearly varied over a decadal time scale, indicating that it had clear divisions between dry and wet periods. The longest dry period was approximately 15 years （2040-2055） for the RCP 2.6 scenario and 25 years （2045-2070） for the RCP 4.5 scenario. However, the RCP 8.5 scenario was predicted to have a long dry period starting from 2045. Under these scenarios, the water resources situation of the study area will be extremely severe. Therefore, adaptive water management measures addressing climate change should be adopted to proactively confront the risks of water resources.

Research Advances in Allelopathy of Plants in Arid Desert Regions of Northwest China

To investigate allelopathy of plants in desert ecosystems, related research achievements obtained in recent years, reported allelopathic plants, allelochemicals and releasing ways of alleochemicalds were summarized, and then the key problems of research into allelopathic plants in desert ecosystems were indicated. It was considered that the research of allelopathy of plants in desert regions has just started in China, and plants with atlelopathic potential were found in the Compositae, Leguminosae, Rosaceae, Scrophulariaceae and Gramineae; plants in desert regions re- lease allelochemicals mainly via natural volatilization, which is closely related to their growing environment; allelochemicals such as alkaloids, fla- vonoids, terpenoids have been identified. This study can provide theoretical basis and practical value for reasonable adoption of protection meas- ures of desert plants and comprehensive control of desertification.

A Review on Renewable Energy Systems for Irrigation in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions

The lack of water in arid and semi-arid regions has often limited agricultural production. Indeed, even where water is available for irrigation, the lack of electricity, as well as the high costs of diesel, has created constraints on small farmers. The purpose of this research is to review the renewable energy potential available in arid and semi-arid zones that can be used for irrigation as a substitute for fossil fuels. In this review, the solar thermal irrigation, solar photovoltaic (PV) irrigation, wind pumping and biomass pumping are discussed. The comparison of different hybrid pumping systems and analyses of renewable sources irrigation assessment in arid and semi-arid regions of Mozambique also are discussed. The results of this study showed that there are still certain technological limitations regarding the use of solar thermal energy for irrigation. As far as wind power is concerned, the analysis of the pumping water life cycle cost showed that the wind power water pumping system is more economical and viable compared to the diesel based system. However, the study concluded that photovoltaic solar energy has been shown to be more viable for pumping water for irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions.

Evaluation of SEBS Algorithm for Estimation of Daily Evapotranspiration Using Landsat-8 Dataset in a Semi-Arid Region of Central Iran

Evapotranspiration is one the most important parameters in the hydrological cycle and plays a significant role in energy balance of the earth’s surface. Traditional field-based measurements approaches for calculation of daily evapotranspiration are valid only for local scales. Using advanced remote sensing technology, the spatial distribution of evapotranspiration may now be quantified more accurately. At the present study, daily evapotranspiration is estimated using Landsat 8 datasets based on the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) algorithm over the Zayanderud Dam area in central Iran. For this purpose, three Landsat 8 datasets in the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 covering the study area were atmospherically corrected using the FLAASH approach. The biophysical parameters of the earth’s surface for SEBS algorithm, such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), Leaf area index (LAI), fractional vegetation cover (FC) were extracted from the visible and near infrared bands and land surface temperature was computed from thermal bands the Landsat 8 datasets. The spatial distribution of daily ET was provided separately for each year. In addition to the SEBS algorithm, the Penman-Monteith method was applied to estimate the daily ET from meteorological datasets which was obtained from two synoptic stations within the study area. Finally, the simulated daily ET values from both SEBS and Penman-Monteith method were compared to observed values obtained from a lysimeter within the study area. Although the estimated results from both SEBS and Penman-Monteith show a strong correlation with the observed values, the derived ET maps and following analysis demonstrated SEBS has higher accuracy and strength in estimation of daily ET in Zayanderud Dam region.

Influence of non-stationarity and auto-correlation of climatic records on spatio-temporal trend and seasonality analysis in a region with prevailing arid and semi-arid climate,Iran

Trend and stationarity analysis of climatic variables are essential for understanding climate variability and provide useful information about the vulnerability and future changes,especially in arid and semi-arid regions.In this study,various climatic zones of Iran were investigated to assess the relationship between the trend and the stationarity of the climatic variables.The Mann-Kendall test was considered to identify the trend,while the trend free pre-whitening approach was applied for eliminating serial correlation from the time-series.Meanwhile,time series stationarity was tested by Dickey-Fuller and Kwiatkowski-Phillips-Schmidt-Shin tests.The results indicated an increasing trend for mean air temperature series at most of the stations over various climatic zones,however,after eliminating the serial correlation factor,this increasing trend changes to an insignificant decreasing trend at a 95%confidence level.The seasonal mean air temperature trend suggested a significant increase in the majority of the stations.The mean air temperature increased more in northwest towards central parts of Iran that mostly located in arid and semiarid climatic zones.Precipitation trend reveals an insignificant downward trend in most of the series over various climatic zones;furthermore,most of the stations follow a decreasing trend for seasonal precipitation.Furthermore,spatial patterns of trend and seasonality of precipitation and mean air temperature showed that the northwest parts of Iran and margin areas of the Caspian Sea are more vulnerable to the changing climate with respect to the precipitation shortfalls and warming.Stationarity analysis indicated that the stationarity of climatic series influences on their trend;so that,the series which have significant trends are not static.The findings of this investigation can help planners and policy-makers in various fields related to climatic issues,implementing better management and planning strategies to adapt to climate change and variability over Iran.

Potential risks and challenges of climate change in the arid region of northwestern China

In the arid region of northwestern China(ARNC),water resources are the most critical factor restricting socioeconomic development and influencing the stability of the area’s ecological systems.The region’s complex water system and unique hydrological cycle show distinctive characteristics.Moreover,the intensified hydrological cycle and extreme climatic and hydrological events resulting from global warming have led to increased uncertainty around water resources as well as heightened conflict between water supply and water demand.All of these factors are exerting growing pressures on the socioeconomic development and vulnerable ecological environment in the region.This research evaluates the impacts of climate change on water resources,hydrological processes,agricultural system,and desert ecosystems in the ARNC,and addresses some associated risks and challenges specific to this area.The temperature is rising at a rate of 0.31
C per decade during 1961–2017 and hydrological processes are being significantly influenced by changes in glaciers,snow cover,and precipitation form,especially in the rivers recharged primarily by melt water.Ecosystems are also largely influenced by climate change,with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)of natural vegetation exhibited an increasing trend prior to 1998,and then reversed in Xinjiang while the Hexi Corridor of Gansu showed the opposite trends.Furthermore,the desert-oasis transition zone showed a reduction in area due to the warming trend and the recent rapid expansion of irrigated area.Both the warming and intensified drought are threatening agriculture security.The present study could shed light on sustainable development in this region under climate change and provides scientific basis to the construction of the“Silk Road Economic Belt”.

Study of Changing Features of Precipitation from 1900-2010 Years in Africa-Asia Arid and Semi-Arid Area

The relationship between time-space variation characteristics and the variation of the general atmospheric circulation of rainfall occurred in Asia, Africa through North Africa-Middle East-Western Middle Asia-Eastern Middle Asia, Northwest China-Eastern Northwest China-North China and Northeast China is studied based on the analysis of GPCC rainfall data from 1901 to 2010 and annual precipitation in relevant cities of China from 1901 to 2010, and the data of NCEP of surface pressure as well as 500 Hpa potential high from 1950 to 2010. The result shows that the total precipitation presents a decreasing trend in north Africa to the northeast of China in recent 100 years. It has a mutation in 1950s. The precipitation presented a decreasing trend in North Africa and Middle East, in recent 100 years;it presented a further decreasing trend after 1950s. It presented a decreasing trend before 1950s and an increasing trend after 1950s in Middle Asia and Northwest china. It also presented a decreasing trend before 1950s and an increasing trend between 1950s to 1990s, and decreased later in Eastern Northwest China, North China and Northeast China which also presented in a more or less period in different areas from North Africa to Northeast China. The beginning of less precipitation years and less period occurred after it presented less period in north Africa in time and space. After it moved to the east areas as the year past, at last, the SLPA fields which presented more or less precipitations of years from North Africa to Northeast China were analyzed. It also shows that the SLPA fields which presented more were beneficial to the precipitations and presented negative effects of precipitations in the polar, high and mid- and lower latitudes.

2010–2020年塔里木盆地南部荒漠草地凋落物回收量月动态数据集

中国科学院新疆策勒荒漠草地生态系统国家野外科学观测研究站(以下简称“策勒站”)地处塔里木盆地南缘,南依昆仑山,北临我国最大的塔克拉玛干沙漠。具有植被群落简单,土壤有机质积累缓慢等特点。凋落物是该区域重要的养分来源。基于对策勒站荒漠植物群落的长期定位观测,通过对不同植物凋落物器官(枝、叶、果)分组,本文整理统计得到2010–2020年塔里木盆地南部荒漠草地凋落物的回收量月动态数据,同时记载了观测场群落以及土壤养分的年度变化情况。数据的产生严格遵照CERN生物观测规范执行,数据的审核及质量控制由台站与分中心质控人员共同完成。本数据集以期为深入研究塔里木盆地南部荒漠草地凋落物动态变化提供基础数据,为了解和评估极端干旱荒漠生态系统养分循环过程提供理论支撑。

Noah-MP陆面模式对干旱区不同下垫面水热通量模拟评估

基于干旱区张掖国家气候观象台2021年1月-2022年6月和大满灌区绿洲农田站2020年1-12月的观测数据,评估Noah-MP模式对干旱区荒漠和农田两种下垫面的水热通量的模拟性能。结果表明:Noah-MP模式模拟的干旱区荒漠下垫面辐射与观测值的相关系数均>0.98,泰勒评分>0.93。感热的泰勒评分(0.809)>潜热的泰勒评分(0.504),对辐射及湍流通量的变化特征、峰谷值与观测值总体一致,模拟效果较好。模拟的5 cm土壤湿度对降水过程有明显的响应,表现出明显的冷暖季差异,但其模拟性能仍有待改进。Noah-MP模式模拟的干旱区农田下垫面辐射通量及各层土壤温度的相关系数均>0.98,泰勒评分>0.58,模拟效果较理想。但模拟的潜热通量及各层土壤湿度较观测值偏低,尤其在生长季模拟性能不理想。Noah-MP模式对干旱区荒漠下垫面水热通量的模拟性能优于农田下垫面,优化和发展模式水文过程的参数化方案,在模式中考虑人为作用,是提高干旱区陆面过程模式模拟能力的重要方向。

新疆农田和荒漠生态系统土壤有机碳储量及其影响因素

基于中国生态系统研究网络(CERN)长期监测数据,选取新疆维吾尔自治区代表暖温带干旱区的绿洲农田生态系统(阿克苏站)、代表暖温带荒漠区(策勒站)以及温带荒漠区(阜康站)的绿洲农田和荒漠生态系统综合观测场、辅助观测场和农户调查点2005—2020年0—100 cm土层的土壤有机碳(SOC)储量数据,分析新疆农田和荒漠生态系统SOC储量的影响因素。研究结果表明,2005—2020年0—100 cm土层SOC总储量平均值为阿克苏站(5.17 kg/m^(2))>阜康站(4.20 kg/m^(2))>策勒站(2.96 kg/m^(2))。0—20 cm、20—40 cm、40—60 cm土层的SOC分别约占0—100 cm土层储量的27.3%—35.3%、23.1%—24.6%和15.8%—17.5%。在阿克苏站,施肥量最高、灌溉量最低的农户调查点SOC储量最高;而在策勒站和阜康站,农户调查点和辅助观测场的施肥和灌溉措施分别最有利于提高SOC储量。总体来看,土壤含水量、地上生物量与SOC储量呈正相关关系;年平均气温与0—40 cm土层的SOC储量呈负相关关系。在单一生态站的生态系统尺度,年平均气温与SOC储量相关性不显著;地上生物量与策勒站和阜康站的SOC储量呈正相关关系,但是与阿克苏站0—40 cm土层的SOC储量呈负相关关系;施纯钾量与策勒站0—60 cm土层的SOC储量呈正相关关系,但与阜康站40—100 cm土层的SOC储量呈负相关关系。总之,与自然状态下的荒漠和农田不施肥相比,灌溉和施肥的农田管理措施有利于增加干旱区SOC储量。不同生态站要根据自身区域特点制定合理的农田管理模式,以维持较高的SOC储量。

Nebkhas play important roles in desertification control and biodiversity protection in arid and semi-arid regions of China

Nebkhas are isolated mounds vegetated with burial-tolerant desert plants that trap windborne sediment within their canopies.Nebkhas are critical to desertification control and biodiversity protection of oases in arid and semi-arid regions of China,as they(ⅰ)trap windborne sediments and ensure oasis security;(ⅱ)as“fertile islands,”nebkhas can trap and provide a suitable micro-environment for seeds,birds,and small soil animals,and increase biodiversity;(ⅲ)increase the soil surface roughness and significantly reduce soil erosion following heavy rain.However,the establishment of sand-fixing vegetation and over-grazing significantly limits the development and accelerate the degradation of nebkhas,threatening oasis ecosystems.We provide background and recommendations for protective measures for nebkha landscapes in arid and semi-arid areas of China to aid managers in oasis protection.

西北干旱区荒漠植物叶片和细根碳、氮、磷化学计量特征

植物的叶片和细根是植物地上部分和地下部分最重要的营养器官,其碳(C)、氮(N)、磷(P)化学计量特征反映了植物的养分限制状况及叶片与细根间的协同作用,开展叶片与细根化学计量关系的研究,对认识植物养分利用策略及元素间平衡关系有重要意义。对西北干旱区21种荒漠植物叶片与细根C、N、P含量进行了测定,分析了C、N、P含量及其计量比在不同生活型及不同器官间的关系。结果表明:1)西北干旱区荒漠植物叶片与细根C含量相对稳定,叶N、P含量高于细根,说明在干旱生境中,植物对养分的分配侧重于地上部分,以完成其正常的生命活动;叶片与细根的N∶P无显著差异,有明显的保守性,表明植物地上与地下部分养分吸收策略与分配规律具有一致性;2)不同生活型植物叶片和细根的C、N、P含量及C∶N、C∶P存在显著差异,灌木与禾草具有较高的C∶N和C∶P,杂类草具有较高的N、P含量,说明灌木与禾草倾向于保守型养分适应策略,杂类草倾向于快速生长的资源竞争策略;3)21种荒漠植物叶片与细根N、P含量间均存在显著的正相关关系,表明西北干旱区荒漠植物体内N、P元素间存在相互作用;4)植物叶片与细根间C、N、P含量及C∶N、C∶P存在等速生长关系,表明植物光合产物和养分在地上与地下部分间的分配具有平行的比例关系,但这种关系受生活型影响。上述结果表明西北干旱区不同生活型植物在恶劣生境中存在不同的养分适应策略,且地上与地下部分的养分利用策略及分配规律存在协同作用,这为进一步认识西北干旱区荒漠植物的养分利用策略提供了试验基础。

干旱荒漠区三种典型灌丛植物凋落物混合分解效应研究

为探究干旱荒漠区混合凋落物的分解特征,本研究以红砂(Reaumuria soongarica(Pall.)Maxim)、泡泡刺(Nitraria sphaerocarpa Maxim)和珍珠(Salsola passerina Bunge)为研究对象,分析了单一和混合凋落物质量损失率和养分残留率的变化,揭示了混合凋落物分解的加性与非加性效应。结果表明:各凋落物质量损失率随分解时间延长呈增加趋势;各凋落物C和N残留率随分解时间推移为降低趋势,说明C和N养分元素呈释放模式;混合凋落物质量损失率表现为加性效应,C残留率在分解前期为加性效应,分解末期为拮抗的非加性效应,N残留率在分解前期为拮抗和协同的非加性效应,分解末期为加性效应;凋落物混合后,较高的物种丰富度会导致养分残留率的非加性效应增强。综上,混合凋落物分解中养分变化的混合效应因分解时间而不同,混合凋落物物种丰富度会影响养分元素的混合效应,能改善干旱荒漠生态系统的养分循环。

基于改进域对抗网络的新能源基地风光时序功率曲线生成方法

准确刻画风光时序功率曲线对于加快推动新能源大规模并网、指导联合发电系统规划运行具有重要意义。针对我国沙漠、戈壁、荒漠等地区新建大型风电光伏发电基地无历史功率数据可利用的现状,该文提出基于改进域对抗网络(improved domain adversarial neural networks,IDANN)的新能源基地风光时序功率曲线生成方法。以历史气象和功率数据充足的新能源场站作为源域,仅有气象数据的新建基地作为目标域。将源域上学习的输入气象信息到输出风光功率的非线性映射知识迁移到目标域,并添加最大均值差异(maximum mean discrepancy,MMD)作为度量域间特征分布相似性的损失函数以降低目标域泛化误差。最后采用实际风光场站算例验证所提方法的有效性,并进一步表明该方法的实用价值和意义。

西北干旱区荒漠戈壁两次极端沙尘事件的对比研究

为深入理解极端沙尘暴事件的演变过程和驱动因子,结合多源卫星遥感及再分析数据,挑选2007年3月31日(“3·31”事件)和2021年3月14日(“3·14”事件)爆发于西北干旱区荒漠戈壁的两次沙尘暴事件,对比分析了其时空演变、高低空环流配置、近地面气象要素的变化。结果表明:(1)两次极端事件分别爆发于塔克拉玛干沙漠及戈壁荒漠,均受高低层天气系统影响。其中,“3·31”事件受地面冷锋和高空脊控制,脊前西北冷空气与地面冷锋引起的垂直运动配合,将沙尘往下游输送;而“3·14”事件则受蒙古气旋和高空槽影响,气旋后的偏北风和气旋引发的垂直运动将沙尘卷起至高层大气,并通过槽后西北风将其往下游输送;(2)两次极端沙尘事件均有持续时间长的特点,区别在于“3·31”事件主要受高压脊、均压场和周边地形影响,大气层结稳定,沙尘不易沉降和输送,而“3·14”事件则因中国北部持续性高压导致的偏南风和偏东风阻止了沙尘向下游扩散;(3)两次极端沙尘事件爆发前,塔克拉玛干和戈壁荒漠均出现了高温、降水减少及土壤水分枯竭现象,即强风和干燥土壤。为极端沙尘事件的爆发创造了有利的动力条件和物质基础。

Community structure and carbon and nitrogen storage of sagebrush desert under grazing exclusion in Northwest China

Overgrazing is regarded as one of the key factors of vegetation and soil degradation in the arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China.Grazing exclusion(GE)is one of the most common pathways used to restore degraded grasslands and to improve their ecosystem services.Nevertheless,there are still significant controversies concerning GE’s effects on grassland diversity as well as carbon(C)and nitrogen(N)storage.It remains poorly understood in the arid desert regions,whilst being essential for the sustainable use of grassland resources.To assess the effects of GE on community characteristics and C and N storage of desert plant community in the arid desert regions,we investigated the community structure and plant biomass,as well as C and N storage of plants and soil(0-100 cm depth)in short-term GE(three years)plots and adjacent long-term freely grazing(FG)plots in the areas of sagebrush desert in Northwest China,which are important both for spring-autumn seasonal pasture and for ecological conservation.Our findings indicated that GE was beneficial to the average height,coverage and aboveground biomass(including stems,leaves and inflorescences,and litter)of desert plant community,to the species richness and importance values of subshrubs and perennial herbs,and to the biomass C and N storage of aboveground parts(P<0.05).However,GE was not beneficial to the importance values of annual herbs,root/shoot ratio and total N concentration in the 0-5 and 5-10 cm soil layers(P<0.05).Additionally,the plant density,belowground biomass,and soil organic C concentration and C storage in the 0-100 cm soil layer could not be significantly changed by short-term GE(three years).The results suggest that,although GE was not beneficial for C sequestration in the sagebrush desert ecosystem,it is an effective strategy for improving productivity,diversity,and C and N storage of plants.As a result,GE can be used to rehabilitate degraded grasslands in the arid desert regions of Northwest China.

Evapotranspiration of an oasis-desert transition zone in the middle stream of Heihe River, Northwest China

As a main component in water balance, evapotranspiration is of great importance for water saving and irrigation-measure making, especially in arid or semiarid regions. Although studies of evapotranspiration have been conducted for a long time, studies concentrated on oasis-desert transition zone are very limited. On the basis of the meteorological data and other parameters（e.g. leaf area index（LAI）） of an oasis-desert transition zone in the middle stream of Heihe River from 2005 to 2011, this paper calculated both reference（ET0） and actual evapotranspiration（ETc） using FAO56 Penman-Monteith and Penman-Monteith models, respectively. In combination with pan evaporation（Ep） measured by E601 pan evaporator, four aspects were analyzed：（1） ET0 was firstly verified by Ep;（2） Characteristics of ET0 and ETc were compared, while the influencing factors were also analyzed;（3） Since meteorological data are often unavailable for estimating ET0 through FAO56 Penman-Monteith model in this region, pan evaporation coefficient（Kp） is very important when using observed Ep to predict ET0. Under this circumstance, an empirical formula of Kp was put forward for this region;（4） Crop coefficient（Kc）, an important index to reflect evapotranspiration, was also analyzed. Results show that mean annual values of ET0 and ETc were 840 and 221 mm, respectively. On the daily bases, ET0 and ETc were 2.3 and 0.6 mm/d, respectively. The annual tendency of ET0 and ETc was very similar, but their amplitude was obviously different. The differences among ET0 and ETc were mainly attributed to the different meteorological variables and leaf area index. The calculated Kc was about 0.25 and showed little variation during the growing season, indicating that available water（e.g. precipitation and irrigation） of about 221 mm/a was required to keep the water balance in this region. The results provide an comprehensive analysis of evapotranspiration for an oasis-desert transition zone in the middle stream of Heihe River, which was seldom reported before.