Historical Changes,Contemporary Characteristics,and Five Transformations of Environmental Design in China

Starting from the characteristics of modernization in three different historical stages since the founding of the People’s Republic of China,this paper analyses the internal changes in the professional name,subordinate disciplines and categories,and professional mission of the environmental design profession,and summarizes the changes in the characteristics of the environmental design profession in 10 aspects such as subordinate disciplines,design objects,design types,cultural characteristics,and aesthetic values on the basis of the results of the analysis,and explores five transformations of the environmental design profession in the process of China’s development in the future.The five transformations in the future development of China are to serve the harmony and beauty of the three major urban and rural spaces with“small and micro-renewal and reconstruction”;to serve the transmission of Chinese culture and the spread of Chinese civilization with“spatial heritage and innovation”;to serve the balance and sufficiency of the four functions of urban and rural settlements with“friendliness and equilibrium”;to serve the intelligence,wisdom,and enjoyment of indoor and outdoor living environment space with“scientific and technological achievements”;and to serve the co-construction,co-management,and sharing of indoor and outdoor public space in urban and rural areas with“public participation.”

Available parking space occupancy change characteristics and short-term forecasting model

Based on an available parking space occupancy （APSO） survey conducted in Nanjing, China, an APSO forecasting model is proposed. The APSO survey results indicate that the time series of APSO with different time-sections are periodical and self-similar, and the fluctuation of the APSO increases with the decrease in time-sections. Taking the short-time change behavior into account, an APSO forecasting model combined wavelet analysis and a weighted Markov chain is presented. In this model, an original APSO time series is first decomposed by wavelet analysis, and the results include low frequency signals representing the basic trends of APSO and several high frequency signals representing disturbances of the APSO. Then different Markov models are used to forecast the changes of low and high frequency signals, respectively. Finally, integrating the predicted results induces the final forecasted APSO. A case study verifies the applicability of the proposed model. The comparisons between measured and forecasted results show that the model is a competent model and its accuracy relies on real-time update of the APSO database.

Climatic Change Characteristics in Growing Season in Rice Producing Area of Liaoning over the Past 50 years

Based on the conventional meteorological data of temperature,accumulated temperature,precipitation,sunshine,frozen soil and frost-free period from five stations(including Liaozhong,Kaiyuan,Dawa,Donggang and Zhuanghe)in Liaoning Province from April to September during 1960-2009,the climatic changes in growing season in rice producing area of Liaoning Province were analyzed.The results showed that average temperature,frost-free period and accumulated temperature showed increase trend in growing season in rice producing area over the past 50 years,while average maximum depth of frozen soil,precipitation and sunshine duration went down with fluctuation.

Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of Climate Changes in the Urumqi River Basin of Tianshan Mountain over 50 years

Based on the meteorological data during 1959-2008 from five representative weather stations in the Urumqi River Basin and surrounding areas,the regional characteristics of temperature and precipitation in the basin featuring multi-climatic zones were studied by means of some methods including wavelet analysis.As was shown in the results,the temperature in the whole Urumqi River Basin demonstrated a significant upward trend.The temperature increase particularly in autumn and winter made the greatest contribution to the marked ascent.The interdecadal temperature in the basin showed a tendency to decline before the period during 1970s-1980s while it was on the rise after 1990s on the whole.The most concentrated period of temperature mutations was in the late 1990s.At the same time,the precipitation also showed an escalating trend,which experienced a stage of unanimous upward trend after 1990s.The most concentrated period of precipitation mutations was in the early 1990s.

Landslide Developmental Characteristics and Response to Climate Change since the Last Glacial in the Upper Reaches of the Yellow River, NE Tibetan Plateau

The upper reaches of the Yellow River in northeastern Tibetan Plateau are geohazards areas.The evolution of the Yellow River,chronology of some landslides,and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of super large scale and giant landslides within the region are summarized using paleoclimate evidence,and the relationship between the intensive landslide period and climatic changes since the Last Glacial period is analyzed.It is concluded that （1） Super large scale and giant landslides are distributed widely within the region,particularly in the Qunke-Jianzha basin.（2） The chronological sequence of landslides is established by dating the slip zones of landslides and analyzing the relations between landslides and their overlying or underlying loess formations.Five landslide development periods are determined：53-49 ka BP,33-24 ka BP,10-8 ka BP,5-3.5 ka BP,and the present.（3） These correspond closely to warm and wet periods during the last 100,000 years,i.e.,two weak paleosol development stages of Malan loess deposited during the last Glacial period in the Chinese loess Plateau,L1-4 and L1-2 that belong to the marine oxygen isotope stage 3,the last deglaeial period,the Holocene Optimum,and the modern global warming period.（4） Landslide triggers may be closely linked to warm and wet periods related to rapid climatic transitions.

Spatiotemporal variation of drought characteristics in the Huang- Huai-Hai Plain, China under the climate change scenario

Understanding the potential drought characteristics under climate change is essential to reduce vulnerability and establish adaptation strategies, especially in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain （3H Plain）, which is a major grain production area in China. In this paper, we investigated the variations in drought characteristics （drought event frequency, duration, severity, and intensity） for the past 50 years （1961-2010） and under future scenarios （2010-2099）, based on the observed meteorological data and the Representative Concentration Pathway （RCP） 8.5 scenario, respectively. First, we compared the applicability of three climatic drought indices： the standardized precipitation index （SPI）, the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index based on the Penman-Monteith equation （SPEI-PM） and the same index based on the Thornthwaite equation （SPEI-TH） to correlate the recorded agricultural drought areas. Then, we analyzed the drought characteristics using ＇run theory＇ for both historical and the future RCP 8.5 scenario based on the best performing index. Correlation analyses between drought indices and agricultural drought areas showed that SPEI-PM performed better than SPI and SPEI-TH in the 3H Plain. Based on the results of SPEI-PM, drought risks including duration, severity and intensity during 1961-2010 showed an decreasing trend. However, under the RCP 8.5 scenario, drought is expected to rise in frequency, duration, severity, and intensity from 2010-2099, although drought components during the 2010-2039 are predicted to be milder compared with historical conditions. This study highlights that the estimations for atmospheric evaporative demand would create differences in the prediction of long-term drought trends by different drought indices. The results of this study can help inform researchers and local policy makers to establish drought management strategies.

Characteristics and Process of Land Use Changes in the Yangtze River Delta, China

As one of the developing countries China has an arable land per capita far below the world’s average level. With a high-density population and the quick development of economy and urbanization, the Yangtze River Delta shows the typical characteristics of land use in developed regions of China, which are: high land reclamation rate and low arable land per capita; intensive land use and high output value; and rapid increasing of construction land area and fast diminishing of arable lands. The analysis indicates that the process of the arable land changes in the Yangtze River Delta could be divided into four different change stages over the past 50 years.

Characteristics of Changes in Karst Rocky Desertification in Southtern and Western China and Driving Mechanisms

The karst landform is a typical ecologically vulnerable region,and the problem of karst rocky desertification in southtern and western China has led to impoverishment and a degraded local ecological environment,which severely limits local socioeconomic development.An effective and appropriate control of karst rocky desertification in southtern and western China requires knowledge about its characteristics of variation and driving mechanisms.In this study,we chose eight regions in the southtern and western China as research areas and analysed the characteristics of the changes in karst ecosystem patterns and rocky desertification from 2000 to 2015.Based on these characteristics,we present the mechanisms that drive karst rocky desertification in the southtern and western China by utilizing the redundancy analysis(RDA)ordination method.The results show that the total area of rocky desertification in southtern and western China had been continuously decreasing from 2000 to 2015,revealing a positive development trend in rocky desertification.Rocky desertification variations were mainly affected by human activities.The reduction in farmland area improved farmland management and increased regional gross industrial product,which together with continuously rising gross domestic product of the tertiary industry caused a positive rocky desertification development.However,the local karst tourism has a certain effect on inducing slight rocky desertification.

Variation Characteristics of Hydrothermal Resources Effectiveness Under the Background of Climate Change in Southern Rice Production Area of China

The spatiotemporal characteristics of hydrothermal resources in southern rice production area of China have changed under the background of climate change,and this change would affect the effectiveness of hydrothermal resources during local rice growing period.According to the cropping system subdivision in southern rice production area of China during 1980s,this study used climate data from 254 meteorological stations and phonological data from 168 agricultural observation stations in the south of China,and adopted 6 international evaluation indices about the effectiveness of hydrothermal resources to analyze the temporal and spatial characteristics of hydrothermal resources during the growing period of single cropping rice system and double cropping rice system for 16 planting zones in the whole study area.The results showed that：in southern rice production area of China,the effectiveness of thermal resources of single cropping rice area（SCRA） was less than that of double cropping rice area（DCRA）,whereas the effectiveness of thermal resources of both SARA and DCRA showed a decreasing trend.The index value of effective precipitation satisfaction of SCRA was higher than that of DCRA,nevertheless the index value of effective precipitation satisfaction of both SCRA and DCRA showed a decreasing trend.There was a significant linear relationship between effective thermal resource and water demand,likely water demand increased by 18 mm with every 100°C d increase of effective heat.Effective precipitation satisfaction index（EPSI） showed a negative correlation with effective heat,yet showed a positive correlation with effective precipitation.EPSI reduced by 1% when effective heat resource increased by 125°C d.This study could provide insights for policy makers,land managers or farmers to improve water and heat resource uses and rationally arrange rice production activities under global climate change condition.

Analysis on the Change Characteristics of Haze in Dezhou City in Recent 40 Years

[Objective] The aim was to analyze the change characteristics of haze in Dezhou City. [Method] Based on the data of haze and sunshine duration from 11 counties or cities in Dezhou City from 1970 to 2009, the daily, monthly, seasonal and annual variation of haze and their variation reasons were studied, meanwhile, the effects of haze on sunshine duration were discussed. [Result] Haze occurred most frequently from 09:00 to 14:00 and daily variation was different in various seasons; haze days were the most in December (200 d), and next came January (161 d), while hazes days were the fewest in August (20 d). From seasonal variation, haze appeared most frequently in winter, accounting for 40% of that in total year, autumn (23%) and summer (20%) the second, and haze days were the fewest in spring (18%). For annual variation, haze days were the fewest from 1970 to 1979 (110 d) and most from 2000 to 2009 (724 d), with the tendency rate of 2.27 and 16.35 d/a, respectively. From regional distribution, haze days were the most in Decheng District, and next came Xiajin, while Yucheng had the fewest haze days. In addition, the annual variation of haze days was related to pollutant concentration in atmosphere, while monthly variation and seasonal variation were controlled by weather situation and meteorological condition. [Conclusion] The study could provide scientific reference for the prevention and impact assessment of haze.

Climatic Change Characteristics of Sunshine Hours and Cause Analysis in Lianyungang City

[Objective]The research aimed to study climatic change characteristics of sunshine hours in Lianyungang and analyze its formation reason. [Method]Based on monthly sunshine hours,precipitation,cloudiness,haze days and vapor pressure from 7 stations of Lianyungang from 1961 to 2010,monthly,seasonal,annual and interdecadal change trends of the sunshine hours were analyzed by using MK test,linear trend analysis and Morlet wavelet. Meanwhile,the cause of change characteristics was analyzed. [Result] Monthly sunshine hours of Lianyungang showed bimodal distribution,and seasonal and annual sunshine hours had decreasing trend at different degrees. The interdecadal change of sunshine hours showed wave characteristics. The annual sunshine hours had multiple temporal-spatial scale features,and there was an obvious mutation in the late 1980s. Sunshine hours in Lianyungang was closely related to visibility,cloudiness,vapor pressure and haze,and they were important factors causing that sunshine hours significantly declined. [Conclusion]The research could provide reference basis for scientifically developing and using solar energy resource and reasonably adjusting industrial and agricultural structures.

CHARACTERISTICS OF CHANGE IN TEMPERATURE DURING THE PAST 50 YEARS IN JILIN PROVINCE OF CHINA

Based on the monthly mean temperatu re,the changing processes and tendencies of temperature during1951-2000in Jilin Province,which i s in Northeast China,are analyzed.A nd the spatial characteristics of th e change are submitted.In the past 50years the te mperature of Jilin Province was increasing just like the other areas in th e world.Since 1990,the increasing of temperature has been more obvious th an that in the previous 40a.From the west to the east,the province has larger tem perature rising.According to Principal Component Analysis(PCA)of temperature field,Jilin Province is divided int o 3regions and the degree of becoming warmer is different from region to re gion.During the period of 1951to 2000,the annual temperature in Jilin Province has been rising,so has the temperature in winter and summer.The average temperature in t he 1990s was 0.5-2.0℃higher than that in the 1950s.From the west to the east,the increasing of temperature becam e smaller.

ANALYSIS OF LONG TERM CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERANNUAL CHANGE OF TEMPERATURE IN DONGGUAN OVER THE RECENT 50 YEARS

With the series of annual and seasonal temperature during 1957 – 2001 in Dongguan, Guangdong, the statistical characteristic and power spectrum and secular trend and sudden change phenomena are computed in this paper. From the results it is known that (1) the temperatures have obvious characteristics of monsoon climate but do not have normal distribution, showing biased distribution of high or low kurtosis; (2) over the recent half- century, the temperatures tend to rise, specially in the last 10 years, in which mean temperature have quickly ascended by about 1.5°C, and except for the spring, there were sudden change of seasonal temperature rising from the 1980’s to 1990’s, which really reflected the influence of developing and opening and urbanization on Dongguan temperature; (3) except for the spring, the temperature of other seasons show some oscillatory periods in Dongguan and some of them also include long-term variation trends.

Characteristics and changes of permafrost along the engineering corridor of National Highway 214 in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Due to a series of linear projects built along National Highway 214,the second"Permafrost Engineering Corridor"on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has formed.In this paper,by overcoming the problems of data decentralization and standard inconsistency,permafrost characteristics and changes along the engineering corridor are systematically summarized based on the survey and monitoring data.The results show that:1)Being controlled by elevation,the permafrost is distributed in flake discontinuity with mountains as the center along the line.The total length of the road section in permafrost regions is 365 km,of which the total length of the permafrost section of National Highway 214 is 216.7 km,and the total length of the permafrost section of Gong-Yu Expressway is 197.3 km.The mean annual ground temperature(MAGT)is higher than−1.5℃,and permafrost with MAGT lower than−1.5℃ is only distributed in the sections at Bayan Har Mountain and E'la Mountain.There are obvious differences in the distribution of ground ice in the different sections along the engineering corridor.The sections with high ice content are mainly located in Zuimatan,Duogerong Plain and the top of north and south slope of Bayan Har Mountain.The permafrost thickness is controlled by the ground temperature,and permafrost thickness increases with the decrease of the ground temperature,with the change rate of about 37 m/℃.2)Local factors(topography,landform,vegetation and lithology)affect the degradation process of permafrost,and then affect the distribution,ground temperature,thickness and ice content of permafrost.Asphalt pavement has greatly changed the heat exchange balance of the original ground,resulting in serious degradation of the permafrost.Due to the influence of roadbed direction trend,the phenomenon of shady-sunny slope is very significant in most sections along the line.The warming range of permafrost under the roadbed is gradually smaller with the increase of depth,so the thawing settlement of the shallow section with high ice-content permafrost is more significant.

Characteristics of Organizational Leadership and Motivation as a Factor of Change in the Public Health System

The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of organizational leaders in the health system and the factors that motivate health workers, in order to improve health care. The research was conducted in the public health institutions in Montenegro. The objectives of the research were to investigate whether leaders affect the motivation of employees in order to implement changes in the health system. The study was implemented through the interview method on the representative sample of 603 employees in public health institutions. The factor analysis revealed the latent characteristics of the organizational leader and the factors that motivate employees in public health institutions. The result of study indicates that employees in public health perceive organizational leadership to have a good quality. Result also exposes that the strongest motivation factor is a financial incentive. Financial incentive is the main motivator for employees in the public health sector, while the participation in decision-making was the least important motivational factor. The results obtained indicate that employees are primarily focused on individual goals, which influence the acceptance of change within the health system. The role of organizational leaders in motivating is poor because obtained factor scores are not correlated. The research has shown that organizational leaders do not have a great impact on the motivation of employees in the public health sector. This has effect on the process of accepting changes, where the roles of leaders are very important, especially in providing support to employees.

Analysis on Change Characteristics and Forecast Factors of the Fog in Beibei District of Chongqing

[Objective] The research aimed to analyze change characteristics and forecast factors of the fog in Beibei District of Chongqing from 1953 to 2010. [Method] By observation data of the fog in Beibei District from 1953 to 2010, interdeoadal, interannual, seasonal and monthly varia- tion characteristics of the fog days and formation-dispersion time of the fog were conducted statistical analysis. Meteorological conditions and fore- cast factors of the fog were also analyzed. [Result] Distribution of the fog days in Beibei District had obvious interdecadal characteristics. Fog days was at its maximum in the 1980s while minimum in the 1960s. Fog duration presented slow increase trend. Interannual characteristic of the fog days overall presented increase trend, and it had 9-year periodic oscillation characteristic. Fog mainly concentrated in autumn and winter. Fog was mainly formed at night （20：00 -08：00） and dispersed in the daytime （08：00 -13：00）. Meteorological conditions which affected heavy fog in Beibei District were water vapor and stratification, wind field, temperature, relative humidity and so on. [ Conclusion] The research provided theoretical basis for scientific predication and forecast of the fog in Beibei District.

The change characteristics of the calculated wind wave fields near lateral boundaries with SWAN model

Since the wind wave model Simulating Waves Nearshore （SWAN） cannot effectively simulate the wave fields near the lateral boundaries, the change characteristics and the distortion ranges of calculated wave factors including wave heights, periods, directions, and lengths near the lateral boundaries of calculation domain are carefully studied in the case of different water depths and wind speeds respectively. The calculation results show that the effects of the variety of water depth and wind speed on the modeled different wave factors near the lateral boundaries are different. In the case of a certain wind speed, the greater the water depth is, the greater the distortion range is. In the case of a certain water depth, the distortion ranges defined by the relative errors of wave heights, periods, and lengths are different from those defined by the absolute errors of the corresponding wave factors. Moreover, the distortion ranges defined by the relative errors decrease with the increase of wind speed; whereas the distortion ranges defined by the absolute errors change a little with the variety of wind speed. The distortion range of wave direction decreases with the increase of wind speed. The calculated wave factors near the lateral boundaries with the SWAN model in the actual physical areas, such as Lake Taihu and Lake Dianshan considered in this study, are indeed distorted if the calculation domains are not enlarged on the basis of actual physical areas. Therefore, when SWAN is employed to calculate the wind wave fields near the shorelines of sea or inland lakes, the appropriate approaches must be adopted to reduce the calculation errors.

Analysis on Change Characteristics of the Average Temperature in Sichuan in 50 Years

[Objective] The research aimed to analyze change characteristics of the average temperature in Sichuan in 50 years.[Method] By using average temperature data at 156 stations of Sichuan from 1961 to 2010,interannual and interdecadal evolution characteristics,regional and seasonal differences of the average temperature in Sichuan in 50 years were analyzed.[Result] Variations of the average temperatures in the whole province and each climatic region in 50 years all presented rise trends.Rise amplitude of the average temperature was obvious in the prior 10 years of the 21st century.Rise amplitude of the temperature was 0-0.5 ℃ in 48.7% of stations in the whole province,and was 0.5-1.0 ℃ in 32.3% of stations.Rise amplitude of the temperature was the maximum in winter.The second one was in spring,and the minimum was in autumn.The annual average temperature in the whole province in 50 years presented east-high-west-low spatial distribution.The regional difference was from-1.2 to 20.9 ℃,and temperature difference was 22.1 ℃.Interannual variation of the average temperature from 1961 to 1997 in the whole province was relatively stable.After that,it presented obvious fluctuation rise trend.Interdecadal variation of the average temperature from the 1960s to the 1990s was relatively stable,and average temperatures were from 8.56 to 8.86 ℃.The maximum interdecadal average temperatures in the whole province and each climatic region all emerged in the prior 10 years of the 21st century,while emergence decades of the minimums were different.[Conclusion] The research provided reference for analyzing climatic change characteristics in Sichuan.

Analysis on the Climatic Change Characteristics of the Snow Cover Days and Its Influence Factors in Suzhou during Recent 50 Years

[Objective] The research aimed to study climatic variation characteristics of snow cover days and its influence factors in Suzhou of Anhui Province during recent 50 years. [Method] According to annual snow cover days and correlated data in Suzhou during 1961-2010, by using linear trend method, accumulative anomaly and complete correlation coefficient method, etc., the climatic variation characteristics of snow cover days and its influence factors in Suzhou were analyzed. [Result] In recent 50 years, the snow cover period in Suzhou presented shortened trend. Except days of snow cover (≥20 cm), the annual snow cover days at each thickness all showed varying degrees of decrease trend. The annual snow cover days had wavy decline trend, and the decline amplitude was 0.84 d/10 a. From the 1960s to prior period of the 1970s, the annual snow cover days presented increase trend. From middle and later periods of the 1970s to middle period of the 1980s, the snow cover days was less and gradually increased from later period of the 1980s to the early 1990s. From middle period of the 1990s to 2003, it entered into less snow period again. From 2004 to now, it presented oscillation of snowy and less-snow alternating. The main climatic factor which affected annual snow cover days in Suzhou was average temperature. The second one was average surface temperature. [Conclusion] The research provided theoretical basis for analyzing climate variation in Suzhou under the background of global climate warming.

Analysis on Change Characteristics of Sunshine in Benxi Mountainous Area in Recent 57 Years

[Objective] This study aimed to analyze the change characteristics of sunshine hours in Benxi mountainous area in recent 57 years.[Method] Based on the data of monthly sunshine hours,total cloudiness,vapor pressure and ≥0.1 mm precipitation days from Caohekou weather station during 1954-2010,by using linear tendency,Mann-Kendall method and wavelet analysis,the change characteristics of sunshine hours in Benxi mountainous area in recent 57 years were analyzed,as well as the possible climatic factors resulting in the decrease of sunshine hours.[Result] In recent 57 years,except for the slight increase of sunshine hours in winter,annual sunshine hours and sunshine hours in other seasons showed significantly decreasing trend,and annual sunshine hours varied abruptly in 1971.In addition,total cloudiness,vapor pressure and ≥0.1 mm precipitation days affected sunshine hours obviously,but sunshine hours didn’t simply increase as the reduction of total cloudiness and ≥0.1 mm precipitation days,which showed that the influencing factors of sunshine hours were complex.[Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the reasonable utilization of light energy,adjustment of agricultural industrial structure and sustainable development of agricultural economy in mountainous areas.