Precipitation and anthropogenic activities regulate the changes of NDVI in Zhegucuo Valley on the southern Tibetan Plateau

Whether climate change or anthropogenic activities play a more pivotal role in regulating vegetation growth on the Tibetan Plateau is still controversial.A better understanding on grassland changes at a fine scale may provide important guidance for local government policy and grassland management.Using two of the most reliable satellite NDVI products(MODIS NDVI and SPOT NDVI),we evaluated the dynamic of grasslands in the Zhegucuo valley on the southern Tibetan Plateau from 2000 to 2020,and analyzed its driving factors and relative influences of climate change and anthropogenic activities.Here,the key indicators of climate change were assumed to be precipitation and temperature.The main results were:(1)the grassland NDVI in Zhegucuo valley did not reflect a significant temporal change during the last 21 years.The variation of precipitation during the early growing season(GSP)resembled that of NDVI,and the GSP was positively correlated with NDVI.At the pixel level,the partial correlation analysis showed that 37.79%of the pixels depicted a positive relationship between GSP and NDVI,while 11.32%of the pixels showed a negative relationship between temperature during the early growing season(GST)and NDVI.(2)In view of the spatial distribution,the areas mainly controlled by GSP were generally distributed in the southern part,while those affected by GST stood in the eastern part,mainly around the Zhegucuo lake where most population in Cuomei County settled down.(3)Decreasing NDVI trends were mainly occurred in alpine steppe at lower elevations rather than alpine meadow at higher elevations.(4)The residual trend(RESTREND)analysis further indicated that the anthropogenic activities played a more pivotal role in regulating the annual changes of NDVI rather than climate factors in this area.Future studies should pay more attention on climate extremes rather than the simple temporal trends.Also,the influence of human activities on alpine grassland needs to be accessed and fully considered in future sustainable management.

Local failure mechanism of sand-blocking fence in latticed dune along desert roads

The latticed dunes in the Tengger Desert are widely distributed,and the sand-blocking fence placed here are highly susceptible to local failure due to complex wind-sand activities,posing a serious threat to the safe operation of the highway.To explore the local failure mechanism of sand-blocking fence in the latticed dune area,the local failure of sand-blocking fence in the latticed dune areas along the Wuhai-Maqin Highway in China was observed.Taking the first main ridge of the latticed dune as the placement location,the structure of the wind-sand flow field of sand-blocking fence placed at top,the bottom and the middle of windward slope was analyzed by Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD).The results show that when placed at top of the first main ridge,the wind speed near the sand-blocking fence is the highest,up to 15.23 m/s.Therefore,the wind load strength on the sand barrier is correspondingly larger,up to 232.61 N∙m-2.As the strength of material continues to decrease,the nylon net is prone to breakage.The roots of the angle steel posts are susceptible to hollowing by vortex action,which can cause sand-blocking fence to fall over in strong wind conditions.When placed at the bottom of windward slope,wind speed drop near sand-blocking fence is greatest,with the decrease of 12.48-14.32 m/s compared to the original wind speed.This is highly likely to lead to large-scale deposition of sand particles and burial of the sand-blocking fence.When placed in the middle of windward slope,sand-blocking fence is subjected to less wind load strength(168.61N∙m-2)and sand particles are mostly deposited at the bottom of windward slope,with only a small amount of sand accumulating at the root of sand-blocking fence.Based on field observations and numerical modelling results,when the sand-blocking fence is placed in latticed dune area,it should be placed in the middle of the windward slope of the first main ridge as a matter of priority.Besides the sand-blocking fence should be placed at the top of the first main ridge,and sand fixing measures should be added.

Effects of long-term fencing on soil microbial community structure and function in the desert steppe,China

One of the goals of grazing management in the desert steppe is to improve its ecosystem.However,relatively little is known about soil microbe communities in the desert steppe ecosystem under grazing management.In this study,we investigated the diversity and aboveground biomass of Caragana korshinskii Kom.shrub communities in long-term fencing and grazing areas,combined with an analysis of soil physical-chemical properties and genomics,with the aim of understanding how fence management affects plant-soil-microbial inter-relationships in the desert steppe,China.The results showed that fence management(exclosure)increased plant diversity and aboveground biomass in C.korshinskii shrub area and effectively enhanced soil organic carbon(233.94%),available nitrogen(87.77%),and available phosphorus(53.67%)contents.As well,the Shannon indices of soil bacteria and fungi were greater in the fenced plot.Plant-soil changes profoundly affected the alpha-and beta-diversity of soil bacteria.Fence management also altered the soil microbial community structure,significantly increasing the relative abundances of Acidobacteriota(5.31%-8.99%),Chloroflexi(3.99%-5.58%),and Glomeromycota(1.37%-3.28%).The soil bacterial-fungal co-occurrence networks under fence management had higher complexity and connectivity.Based on functional predictions,fence management significantly increased the relative abundance of bacteria with nitrification and nitrate reduction functions and decreased the relative abundance of bacteria with nitrate and nitrite respiration functions.The relative abundances of ecologically functional fungi with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi,ectomycorrhizal fungi,and saprotrophs also significantly increased under fence management.In addition,the differential functional groups of bacteria and fungi were closely related to plant-soil changes.The results of this study have significant positive implications for the ecological restoration and reconstruction of dry desert steppe and similar areas.

Flow field, sedimentation, and erosion characteristics around folded linear HDPE sheet sand fence: Numerical simulation study

Wind and sand hazards are serious in the Milan Gobi area of the Xinjiang section of the Korla Railway. In order to ensure the safe operation of railroads, there is a need for wind and sand protection in heavily sandy areas. The wind and sand flow in the region is notably bi-directional. To shield railroads from sand, a unique sand fence made of folded linear high-density polyethylene(HDPE) is used, aligning with the principle that the dominant wind direction is perpendicular to the fence. This study employed field observations and numerical simulations to investigate the effectiveness of these HDPE sand fences in altering flow field distribution and offering protection. It also explored how these fences affect the deposition and erosion of sand particles. Findings revealed a significant reduction in wind speed near the fence corner;the minimum horizontal wind speed on the leeward side of the first sand fence(LSF) decreased dramatically from 3 m/s to 0.64 m/s. The vortex area on the LSF markedly impacted horizontal wind speeds. Within the LSF, sand deposition was a primary occurrence. As wind speeds increased, the deposition zone shrank, whereas the positive erosion zone expanded. Close to the folded corners of the HDPE sand fence, there was a notable shift from the positive erosion zone to a deposition zone. Field tests and numerical simulations confirmed the high windproof efficiency(WE) and sand resistance efficiency(SE) in the HDPE sand fence. Folded linear HDPE sheet sand fence can effectively slow down the incoming flow and reduce the sand content, thus achieving good wind and sand protection. This study provides essential theoretical guidance for the design and improvement of wind and sand protection systems in railroad engineering.

Effect of fence opening configurations on dune development

Fences have been widely used in coastal protection engineering for their low cost,simple deployment,and easy integration with ecosystems.The effects of fence porosity and height on dune development have been investigated while not much attention has been paid to the effects of fence opening configurations,such as opening size and geometry,and porosity distributions.In this study,we deployed eight fences with same height and similar porosity,but different opening configurations on a sandy beach in Pingtan,Fujian Province.Results indicate that there is a similar two-dune-one-trough pattern for all fences at the beginning of dune development,and opening size,orientation,and geometry,and porosity distribution control the leeward dune peak locations.Fences with small openings and non-uniform porosity have high trapping efficiency,and upper denser porosity may be the optimal design as these fences have the highest trapping efficiency and capacity.The conclusions from this study can provide guidance on practical fence design.

Characteristics of snow cover distribution along railway subgrade and the protective effect of snow fences

Railways built in cold,snowy,and lightly populated areas are subjected to wind and snow disasters.In this study,we selected a snow hazard prevention and control section of the Altay–Zhundong Railway in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China as the research object.We investigated the deposited snowfall variation characteristics on the two sides and in the embankment pavement area of snow fences with different porosities,fence heights,and arrangement distances using single-factor tests and orthogonal tests based on global atmospheric reanalysis climate data,field survey data,and a multi-phase flow analysis model.The results showed significant differences in the characteristics of snow cover distribution and snow cover thickness between the embankment and the cutting in the absence of snow protection measures.The maximum snow cover thickness of the embankment pavement decreased by 12.6%relative to the cutting pavement.The snow cover thickness of the embankment exhibited an increasing trend from windward shoulder to leeward shoulder,whereas the snow cover thickness of the cutting presented a declining trend from windward shoulder to leeward toe.In the collaborative prevention and control of snow fences and embankments,the three factors can be ranked in terms of their sensitivity to deposited snowfall within the influence scope of snow fences as follows:fence height>arrangement distance>porosity.At the same time,fence height yielded a significant relationship for the influence scope of snow fences(P<0.05).The three factors can also be ranked in terms of their sensitivity to deposited snowfall on the pavement as follows:porosity>fence height>arrangement distance.For the embankment protection of the Altay–Zhundong Railway against wind and snow,snow fence with a porosity of 75%,a fence height of 4.8 m,and an arrangement distance from the embankment of 60 m produced the best snow control effect.By revealing the characteristics of snow cover distribution along railway subgrade and the protective effect of snow fences,this study provides valuable references for the engineering applications of railway construction in areas prone to wind and snow disasters.

Dramatical hydro-sedimentary changes induced by bamboo fences over mangrove tidal flat of the largest delta in Beibu Gulf, southwestern China

Mangrove forest is one of the most important ecological and environmental resources by effectively promoting tidal flat deposition and preventing the coastal region from typhoon.However,there have been mass loss of mangrove forests due to anthropogenic activities.It is an urgent need to explore an effective way for mangrove restoration.Here,three rows of bamboo fences with hydro-sedimentary observation set over Aegiceras corniculatum mangrove tidal flat of the Nanliu Delta,the largest delta of Beibu Gulf,China,were conducted to analyze the hydro-sedimentary variations induced by bamboo fences.Results identified that the mean horizontal velocity Um per burst(20 min)decreased by as much as 71%and 40%in comparison with those without bamboo fences in March and November,respectively,when the tidal current entering the bamboo area during flood.The maximum of mean horizontal flow velocity Um-max at bamboo area was 50%–75%of that without bamboo fences during ebb tide.The suspended sediment concentration of bamboo area suggested a maximum reduction of 57%relative to bare flat during flood,and was 80%lower than bare flat at ebb peak.Moreover,the turbulent kinetic dissipationεat flood tide was significantly higher than that at ebb tide,while the bamboo fences greatly increased the turbulent kinetic dissipationεby 2 to 5 times relative to bare flat,resulting in an increase of the bed elevation by inhibiting the sediment incipient motion and intercepting suspended sediment.The siltation rate at the bamboo area was 140%and 29.3%higher than that at the bare flat and the region covered with A.corniculatum,respectively.These results highlight that bamboo fences can effectively attenuate tidal current and thus promote siltation over mangrove flat,which contribute great benefit to mangrove survival.

Fences and hydropower:Important but overlooked Human Footprint

Human activities have impacted 77%of the terrestrial ecosystems(excluding Antarctica),and the remaining areas are becoming increasingly endangered.Mapping spatiotemporal dynamics of Human Footprint has been used to evaluate the cumulative interference on terrestrial environments globally.However,fences and hydropower,two widespread and rapidly expanding infrastructures,have not been considered regarding Human Footprint,despite their complicated and extensive effects on ecosystem functioning and species survival.Previous work has proved that fences increase habitat fragmentation,disrupt migratory routes,inadvertently trap and kill wildlife,and hinder genetic exchange.Hydropower construction also caused habitat loss,fragmentation,and degradation.These impacts have received global concern,but fences around the world are difficult to be detected due to the limitations of current cartographic technologies.Furthermore,the effect of hydropower on the terrestrial environment has been underestimated,making the research on this topic at a global scale still in its infancy.Therefore,building an observation network of global fences and hydropower is a necessary step to move forward in the assessment of the impact of human activities on our planet,but also to better provide scientific support for policy-making regarding global biodiversity conservation,the identification of protected areas,and the prioritization of ecological restoration areas.

Endeavors on the development of efficient and sustainable supported metal catalysts for chemical synthesis on solid-liquid interfaces

Supported metal catalysts,particularly for precious metals,have gained increasing attention in green synthetic chemistry.They can make metal-catalyzed organic synthesis more sustainable and economical due to easy separation of product with less metal residue,as well as reusability of the high-cost catalysts.Although great effort has been spent,the precise catalytic mechanism of supported metal-catalyzed reactions has not been clearly elucidated and the development of efficient and stable recyclable catalysts remains challenging.This highlight reveals a“molecular fence”metal stabilization strategy and discloses the metal evolution in Pd-catalyzed C-C bond formation reactions using Nheterocyclic carbene(NHC)-functionalized hypercrosslinked polymer support,wherein the polymeric skeleton isolates or confines the metal species involved in the catalytic reactions,and NHC captures free low-valent metal species in solution and stabilizes them on the support via strong metal-support coordination interaction.This strategy creates a novel route for the development of supported metal catalysts with high stability and provides insights into the reaction mechanism of heterogeneous catalysis.

遥测降雨异常值的三步抗差统计探测(英文)

由于遥测降雨系统自身的原因,遥测降雨资料中常有异常值的出现.充分利用降雨分布特征以及抗差统计理论,提出一种三步抗差统计方法探测遥测降雨资料中的异常值.本方法采用Tukey fence统计方法抵御异常值的干扰,用三步的形式以适应降雨资料的分布特征.对面平均降雨量进行的分组,进一步提高方法的探测效率.数据证明,新方法的探测效果较好,且符合水文预报要求.

超融合云数据中心架构解析

超融合解决了存储、网络、计算虚拟化的问题,将虚拟化计算、网络、存储整合到同一个系统平台。超融合架构大幅提升了计算能力,依托其底层分布式存储,可提供数据容灾,不但解决计算的问题,同时底层的分布式存储又是一个天然的数据容灾系统。数据的副本机制、切片算法使得当系统一个或多个节点在硬件损毁、掉电等情况下,应用不会中断,数据也不会丢失。

Selection of tree species by principal component analysis for abandoned farmland in southeastern Horqin Sandy Land,China

With changes in global climate and land use,the area of desertified farmland in southeastern Horqin Sandy Land(HSL)has increased in recent years,and farmlands are being abandoned.These abandoned farmlands(AFs)nega-tively impact the local ecology.Therefore,the aim of the present study was to select suitable trees and shrubs for those AFs to prevent and control the desertification tendency.In this study,three AFs were fenced for 2 years,then 37 arbor and shrub species or varieties of 21 families were planted in the fenced AFs and grown for 10 years.The ecological adaptability of the species was evaluated and ranked using a principal component analysis.The results showed that the biodiversity of the AFs significantly improved after 2 years of fencing;the Shannon-Wiener index and species rich-ness of perennial grasses and forbs were 1.45 and 3.6 times higher,respectively,than for the unfenced AF.Among all species planted in fenced AFs,nine tree species had posi-tive comprehensive F(CF)values;Pinus sylvestris(Russian Shira steppe provenance),Populus alba‘Berolinensis’and Gleditsia triacanthos had CF greater than 1,and the first(PC1),second(PC2)and third(PC3)principal component values(F_(1),F_(2),F_(3))were all positive.Among the shrubs,only Lespedeza bicolor and Rosa xanthina f.normalis had CF greater than 0.All these results suggest that fencing improves biodiversity and that planting trees and shrubs that have higher CF values on the basis of fencing is an effective way to green and beautify AFs in HSL.

ZnCl2辅助制备FeNC催化剂:增加活性位点密度以提高氧还原活性

Fe、N掺杂的碳材料(FeNC)是最有希望取代贵金属用作氧还原反应的催化剂之一.然而,传统FeNC材料制备过程中所采用的高温碳化-蚀刻步骤会造成相邻Fe原子随温度升高而逐渐团聚,形成较大尺寸金属铁单质、铁氧化物或碳化物的聚集颗粒,并在后续酸刻蚀处理中被移出,铁元素损失严重,无法形成有效活性位点.同时高温下含N小分子物质也容易分解并从产物中逸出,导致N元素掺杂量较低.直接焙烧还加重了碳的团聚,造成材料内部孔道有限,比表面积低,活性位难以暴露于三相界面.因此,焙烧处理过程中如何形成Fe、N元素的高含量、均匀分散掺杂,同时构建大量内部联通孔道,是形成高活性Fe NC催化剂的关键.本文采用ZnCl2辅助焙烧方法制备出具有高活性位点密度和大材料孔隙率的Fe NC催化剂;通过TEM、N2吸附和XPS等一系列物理手段对所制备样品进行了形貌、结构及组成表征,提出了ZnCl2辅助催化剂合成机理;结合CV和LSV等电化学测试结果详细探讨了ZnCl2辅助方法对催化剂结构和催化性能的影响.普通共价盐ZnCl2在283–732°C的较宽温度范围内呈现熔融态,同卟啉铁(Fe Pc)碳化温度区间恰好匹配,可以辅助Fe NC催化剂进行元素掺杂和多级孔结构的构建.首先,在熔融状态下,过量的ZnCl2形成分支结构,阻止相邻Fe物种直接接触和聚集,有利于形成高度分散的FeNx活性位点.其次,熔融的ZnCl2像盖子一样包封住催化剂前驱体,避免了挥发性含N小分子的快速逸出,使得N原子在高温下有可能重新在碳骨架中形成掺杂,有助于在材料中保留更高比例的活性N物质.在ZnCl2的辅助下碳化Fe Pc得到的Sphere-FeNC样品具有高达4.37%的总N含量,并且Fe-Nx含量也高达0.71%,分别是不使用ZnCl2制备的对比催化剂FeNC-none的3.2和13倍.同时, ZnCl2辅助合成方法将Fe NC材料的比表面积增加4.5倍,总孔体积增加7倍.三电极氧还原反应性能测试表明, Sphere-Fe NC在碱性和酸性介质的初始电位分别为1.080和1.015 V(vsRHE),半波电位分别为0.906和0.799 V (vs RHE),活性优异.以Sphere-FeNC为阴极催化剂组装的单电池功率达到0.72 W mg–1,高于已报道的Fe NC和Pt/C催化剂.因此, ZnCl2辅助焙烧碳化的方法可以作为一种普适手段用于构建具有高密度活性元素掺杂和大量微孔介孔分布的碳基催化材料,并应用于各类催化反应.

Effects of fencing on vegetation and soil restoration in a degraded alkaline grassland in northeast China

In order to restore a degraded alkaline grassland, the local government implemented a large restoration project using fences in Changling county, Jilin province, China, in 2000. Grazing was excluded from the protected area, whereas the grazed area was continuously grazed at 8.5 dry sheep equivalent（DSE）/hm2. In the current research, soil and plant samples were taken from grazed and fenced areas to examine changes in vegetation and soil properties in 2005, 2006 and 2008. Results showed that vegetation characteristics and soil properties improved significantly in the fenced area compared with the grazed area. In the protected area the vegetation cover, height and above- and belowground biomass increased significantly. Soil pH, electrical conductivity and bulk density decreased significantly, but soil organic carbon and total nitrogen concentration increased greatly in the protected area. By comparing the vegetation and soil characteristics with pre-degraded grassland, we found that vegetation can recover 6 years after fencing, and soil pH can be restored 8 years after fencing. However, the restoration of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations needed 16, 30 and 19 years, respectively. It is recommended that the stocking rate should be reduced to 1/3 of the current carrying capacity, or that a grazing regime of 1-year of grazing followed by a 2-year rest is adopted to sustain the current status of vegetation and soil resources. However, if N fertilizer is applied, the rest period could be shortened, depending on the rate of application.

Damage by wind-blown sand and its control measures along the Taklimakan Desert Highway in China

Desertification is one of the most serious environmental problems in the world,especially in the arid desert regions.Combating desertification,therefore,is an urgent task on a regional or even global scale.The Taklimakan Desert in China is the second largest mobile desert in the world and has been called the''Dead Sea''due to few organisms can exist in such a harsh environment.The Taklimakan Desert Highway,the longest desert highway(a total length of 446 km)across the mobile desert in the world,was built in the 1990s within the Taklimakan Desert.It has an important strategic significance regarding oil and gas resources exploration and plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of southern Xinjiang,China.However,wind-blow sand seriously damages the smoothness of the desert highway and,in this case,mechanical sand control system(including sand barrier fences and straw checkerboards)was used early in the life of the desert highway to protect the road.Unfortunately,more than 70%of the sand barrier fences and straw checkerboards have lost their functions,and the desert highway has often been buried and frequently blocked since 1999.To solve this problem,a long artificial shelterbelt with the length of 437 km was built along the desert highway since 2000.However,some potential problems still exist for the sustainable development of the desert highway,such as water shortage,strong sandstorms,extreme environmental characteristics and large maintenance costs.The study aims to provide an overview of the damages caused by wind-blown sand and the effects of sand control measures along the Taklimakan Desert Highway.Ultimately,we provide some suggestions for the biological sand control system to ensure the sustainable development of the Taklimakan Desert Highway,such as screening drought-resistant species to reduce the irrigation requirement and ensure the sound development of groundwater,screening halophytes to restore vegetation in the case of soil salinization,and planting cash crops,such as Cistanche,Wolfberry,Apocynum and other cash crops to decrease the high cost of maintenance on highways and shelterbelts.

Impact of pond and fence aquaculture on reservoir environment

With the rapid development of aquaculture in lakes and reservoirs, its negative effects on water quality and aquatic organisms are clearly emerging. Toward a better understanding of these effects, chemical and biological monitoring was conducted in the Fangbian Reservoir to study the relationship between aquaculture and eutrophication. As a domestic water supply source, this reservoir has reached the mesotrophic level. The concentrations of total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphorus （TP） in the Fangbian Reservoir have frequently exceeded the prescriptive level according to the Environmental Quality Standardgfor SurJace Water （GB3838-2002）. Pond and fence aquaculture feeding is the main cause of high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, accounting for nearly half of the total pollution, and causing the reservoir environmental capacity to be exceeded. The amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus that went directly to the reservoir through the residual bait and fish droppings in fence aquaculture were 42 768 kg per year and 10 856 kg per year respectively, from 2007 to 2009. About 2 913 kg of nitrogen and 450 kg of phosphorus were imported to the reservoir through the exchange of water from the culturing ponds at the same time. Therefore, controlling the aquaculture scale and promoting eco-aquaculture are key measures for lessening the eutrophication degree and improving the water quality.

Investigating the Effectiveness of Road-related Mitigation Measures under Semi-controlled Conditions:A Case Study on Asian Amphibians

Road traffic is the main factor causing the decline in amphibian populations worldwide. The proper design of an amphibian tunnel is one of the most efficient measures to mitigate the negative impacts of road traffic on amphibians. However, no study has investigated the effectiveness of amphibian tunnels under semi-controlled conditions in Asian amphibians. Here, we selected two representative amphibian species, the Chinese brown frog, Rana chensinensis, and the Asiatic toad, Bufo gargarizans, which suffer the most severe road mortality along the roads in Northeast China. We placed experimental arrays of culverts of various sizes(diameters of 1.5, 1, and 0.5 m for circular culverts; side lengths of 1.5, 1, and 0.5 m for box culverts), and substrate type(soil, concrete, and metal) to examine the preferences of both species during the migratory season between May and September in 2016 and 2017. The results revealed that the Chinese brown frog preferred mid-and large-sized culverts as well as soil culverts. We concluded that culverts with a side length ≥ 1 m, lined with soil, and accompanied by a ≥ 0.4 m high guide drift fence and ≤ 45° gradient on the roadside ditch wall would best facilitate road crossings for both species and likely for other amphibian species in Northeast China.

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.

The blocking effect of the sand fences quantified using wind tunnel simulations

Fences are one of the most effective measures to prevent and control wind-blown sand disasters,and the blocking effect of fences is largely determined by their porosity and height(H).This study employed wind tunnel experiments to measure wind velocities on both sides of wire mesh sand fences with porosities of 75%,63%,56%,36%and heights of 10,5 and 2 cm.The effects of porosity and height on the blocking effect of the fences were evaluated on the basis of velocity variability,flow field,and the wind velocity reduction coefficient.Results show that the smaller the porosity,the stronger the blocking effect.The fence with a porosity of 36%had the strongest windproof efficiency of 0.70 and longest protection range of 9 H,and thus showed the best applicability in preventing and controlling wind-blown sand disasters.The fence with a porosity of 56%showed a windproof efficiency of 0.31 and a protection range of 7 H,which could be considered for adoption.However,fences with porosities of 75%and 63%were not recommended to be adopted,because their windproof efficiency and protection range were very small.Overall,the higher the fence,the stronger the blocking effect.The highest fence(10 cm)had the longest protection range of 90 cm,which was the best in application.Nevertheless,the 5 and 2 cm fences were almost consistent with 10 cm fence in windproof efficiency,which was still suitable for wind and sand fixation.

Mechanism and effects of snow accumulations and controls by lightweight snow fences

This paper investigates the snowdrifts caused by lightweight fences along the lines on the flatland through the computational fluid dynamics method. The characteristic ambient flows around the solid fences and the porous fences with varied heights and bottom wind gaps are simulated in the numerical model, and the working mechanism of ＂interception＂ and ＂scouring＂ of the lightweight fences are analyzed. Based on the friction velocities near the ground, two sets of criteria are proposed to evaluate the deposition and erosion effects of different fences. According to flow separation and reattachment, the simplified relationships between the most likely positions for snow accumulations and fence parameters are devel- oped. The study indicates that the capabilities for snow interception by the solid fence without wind gap and the distance from which to the second snow coverage center both increase with the fence height. Furthermore, it is found that the scouring range for snow surface increases significantly with the size of wind gap, and the snow accumulation rate on the leeward side decreases with the increasing fence porosity.