Large-scale characteristics of thermokarst lakes across the source area of the Yellow River on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

As significant evidence of permafrost degradation,thermokarst lakes play an important role in the permafrost regions by regulating hydrology,ecology,and biogeochemistry.In the Sources Area of the Yellow River(SAYR),permafrost degradation has accelerated since the 1980s,and numerous thermokarst lakes have been discovered.In this paper,we use Sentinel-2 images to extract thermokarst lake boundaries and perform a regional-scale study on their geometry across the permafrost region in the SAYR.We also explored the spatiotemporal variations and potential drivers from the perspectives of the permafrost,climate,terrain and vegetation conditions.The results showed that there were 47,518 thermokarst lakes in 2021 with a total area of 190.22×106 m^(2),with an average size of 4,003.3 m^(2).The 44,928 ponds(≤10,000 m^(2))predominated the whole lake number(94.1%)but contributed to a small portion of the total lake area(28.8%).With 2,590 features(5.9%),small-sized(10,000 to 100,000 m^(2))and large-sized lakes(>100,000 m^(2))constituted up to 71.2%of the total lake area.Thermokarst lakes developed more significantly in warm permafrost regions than in cold permafrost areas;74.1%of lakes with a total area of 119.6×106 m^(2)(62.9%),were distributed in warm permafrost regions.Most thermokarst lakes were likely to develop within the elevation range of 4,500~4,800 m,on flat terrain(slope<10°),on SE and S aspects and in alpine meadow areas.The thermokarst lakes in the study region experienced significant shrinkage between 1990 and 2021,characterized by obvious lake drainage;the lake numbers decreased by 5418(56.1%),with a decreasing area of 58.63×106 m^(2)(49.0%).This shrinkage of the thermokarst lake area was attributable mainly to the intensified degradation of rich-ice permafrost thawing arising from continued climate warming,despite the wetting climatic trend.

Mechanism of nitrogen loss driven by soil and water erosion in water source areas

Nitrogen(N)present in drinking water as dissolved nitrates can directly affect people’s health,making it important to control N pollution in water source areas.N pollution caused by agricultural fertilizers can be controlled by reducing the amount of fertilizer applied,but pollution caused by soil and water erosion in hilly areas can only be controlled by conservation forests.The catchment area around Fushi Reservoir was selected as a test site and mechanisms of N loss from a vertical spatial perspective through field observations were determined.The main N losses occurred from June to September,accounting for 85.9-95.9%of the annual loss,with the losses in June and July accounting for 46.0%of the total,and in August and September for 41.9%.The N leakage from the water source area was effectively reduced by 38.2%through the optimization of the stand structure of the conservation forests.Establishing well-structured forests for water conservation is crucial to ensure the security of drinking water.This preliminary research lays the foundation for revealing then loss mechanisms in water source areas and improving the control of non-point source pollution in these areas.

Fluxes Footprint and Source Area of Rubber Plantation

[Objective] The paper was to analyze the quality of flux observation data of rubber plantation.[Method]Based on the FSAM model,footprint and flux source area were analyzed according to the continuous flux measurement with the open-path eddy covariance system on the 50 m tower of Danzhou Key Field Station of Observation and Research for Tropical Agricultural Resources and Environments,Ministry of Agriculture from Jan 1 to Jun 30,2010.[Result] Under unstable stratification,source areas were smaller than those under stable conditions,and source areas in the dormant season were larger than those in the growing season at the same level.In the main wind direction 130°-270°,the upwind range of source areas was in the magnitude of 100-758 m and vertical upwind range was-251-251 m at 80% level under unstable stratification in the growing season,and they were some large than those under the unstable stratification in the dormant season.The source areas of the upwind and vertical upwind ranges were 173-1 858,-534-534 m especially under stable stratification in the growing season,and they were smaller than those under stable stratification in the dormant season.In the other wind directions of 0°-130° and 270°-360°,the ranges were similar to those of the growing season in the prevailing wind direction under the same atmospheric conditions.[Conclusion] The study would lay a foundation for the future flux calculation and analysis.

Impacts of degrading permafrost on streamflow in the source area of Yellow River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

Many observations in and model simulations for northern basins have confirmed an increased streamflow from degrading permafrost,while the streamflow has declined in the source area of the Yellow River(SAYR,above the Tanag hydrological station)on the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,West China.How and to what extent does the degrading permafrost change the flow in the SAYR?According to seasonal regimes of hydrological processes,the SAYR is divided intofour sub-basins with varied permafrost extents to detect impacts of permafrost degradation on the Yellow River streamflow.Results show that permafrost degradation may have released appreciable meltwater for recharging groundwater.The potential release rate of ground-ice melt-water in the Sub-basin 1(the headwater area of the Yellow River(HAYR),above the Huangheyan hydrological station)is the highest(5.6 mm per year),contributing to 14.4%of the annual Yellow River streamflow at Huangheyan.Seasonal/intra-and annual shifts of streamflow,a possible signal for the marked alteration of hydrological processes by permafrost degradation,is observed in the HAYR,but the shifts are minor in other sub-basins in the SAYR.Improved hydraulic connectivity is expected to occur during and after certain degrees of permafrost degradation.Direct impacts of permafrost degradation on the annual Yellow River streamflow in the SAYR at Tanag,i.e.,from the meltwater of ground-ice,is estimated at 4.9%that of the annual Yellow River discharge at Tanag,yet with a high uncertainty,due to neglecting of the improved hydraulic connections from permafrost degradation and the flow generation conditions for the ground-ice meltwater.Enhanced evapotranspiration,substantial weakening of the Southwest China Autumn Rain,and anthropogenic disturbances may largely account for the declined streamflow in the SAYR.

Diversity analysis of soil dematiaceous hyphomycetes from the Yellow River source area:Ⅰ

Twenty-four soil samples of eight ecosystem-types around the Yellow River source area were investigated for the number and specific composition of soil dematiaceous hyphomycetes by dilution plate technique. And then the co-relationship between genus species of soil dematiaceous hyphomycetes and ecosystem-types was analyzed. The results show that the amount and species distribution of soil dematiaceous hyphomycetes had an obvious variability in different ecosystem-types, and that the dominant genus species varied in the eight ecosystem-types studied, with Cladosporium being the dominant genus in seven of the eight ecosystem-types except wetland. The index of species diversity varied in different ecosystem-types. The niche breadth analysis showed that Cladosporium had the highest niche breadth and distributed in all ecosystem-types, while the genera with a narrow niche breadth distributed only in a few ecosystem-types. The results of niche overlap index analysis indicated that Stachybotrys and Torula, Doratomyces and Scolecobasidium, Cladosporium and Chrysosporium had a higher niche overlap, whereas Arthrinium and Gliomastix, Phialophora and Doratomyces, Oidiodendron and Ulocladium had no niche overlap.

Ice-wedge Pseudomorphs Showing Climatic Change Since the Late Pleistocene in the Source Area of the Yellow River, Northeast Tibet

The source area of the Yellow River is located in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, and is a high-elevation region with the annual mean temperature of -3.9℃. The ice-wedge pseudomorphs discovered in this region are recognized as two types. One was found in sandy gravel beds of the second terrace of the Yellow River. This ice-wedge pseudomorph is characterized by higher ratio of breadth/depth, and are 1-1.4 m wide and about 1 m deep. The bottom border of the ice-wedge pseudomorph is round arc in section. Another discovered in the pedestal of the second terrace has lower ratio of width/depth, and is o.3-1.0 m wide and 1-2 m deep. Its bottom border is sharp. Based on the TL dating, the former was formed at the middleHolocene （5.69±0.43 ka BP and 5.43±0.41 ka BP）, that is, the Megathermal, and the latter was formed at the late Last Glacial Maximum （13.49±1.43 ka BP）. Additionally, the thawing-freezing folders discovered in the late Late Pleistocene proluvium are 39.83±3.84 ka BP in age. The study on the ice-wedge pseudomorphs showed that the air temperature was lowered by up to 6-7℃ in the source area of the Yellow River when the ice-wedge pseudomorphs and thawing-freezing folds developed.

Protection Planning for Rural Centralized Drinking Water Source Areas in Chongqing

Protection planning is made for rural centralized drinking water source areas according to current situations of rural drinking water and existing problems of centralized drinking water source areas in Chongqing,and in combination with survey,analysis and evaluation of urban-rural drinking water source areas in whole city.There are engineering measures and non-engineering measures,to guarantee drinking water security of rural residents,improve rural ecological environment,realize sustainable use of water resource,and promote sustainable development of society.Engineering measures include conservation and protection of water resource,ecological restoration,isolation,and comprehensive control of pointsource and area-source pollution.Non-engineering measures include construction of monitoring system for drinking water source area,construction of security information system for rural centralized drinking water source area,and construction of emergency mechanism for water pollution accidents in rural water source areas.

An evaluation of soil moisture from AMSR-E over source area of the Yellow River, China

In this study,in-situ soil moisture measurements are used to evaluate the accuracy of three AMSR-E soil moisture prod ucts from NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration),JAXA(Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency)and VUA(Vrije University Amsterdam and NASA)over Maqu County,Source Area of the Yellow River(SAYR),China.Re sults show that the VUA soil moisture product performs the best among the three AMSR-E soil moisture products in the study area,with a minimum RMSE(root mean square error)of 0.08(0.10)m3/m3 and smallest absolute error of 0.07(0.08)m3/m3 at the grassland area with ascending(descending)data.Therefore,the VUA soil moisture product is used to describe the spatial variation of soil moisture during the 2010 growing season over SAYR.The VUA soil moisture product shows that soil moisture presents a declining trend from east south(0.42 m3/m3)to west north(0.23 m3/m3),with good agreement with a general precipitation distribution.The center of SAYR presents extreme wetness(0.60 m3/m3)dur ing the whole study period,especially in July,while the head of SAYR presents a high level soil moisture(0.23 m3/m3)in July,August and September.

Seasonal variation and principle of cyanobacterial biomass and forms in the water source area of Chaohu City, China

We investigated seasonal variations in cyanobacterial biomass and the forms of its dominant population （M. aeruginosa） and their correlation with environmental factors in the water source area of Chaohu City, China from December 2011 to October 2012. The results show that species belonging to the phylum Cyanophyta occupied the maximum proportion of phytoplankton biomass, and that the dominant population in the water source area of Chaohu City was M. aeruginosa. The variation in cyanobacterial biomass from March to August 2012 was well fitted to the logistic growth model. The growth rate of cyanobacteria was the highest in June, and the biomass of cyanobacteria reached a maximum in August. From February to March 2012, the main form of M. aeruginosa was the single-cell form; M. aeruginosa colonies began to appear from April, and blooms appeared on the water surface in May. The maximum diameter of the colonies was recorded in July, and then gradually decreased from August. The diameter range ofM. aeruginosa colonies was 18.37-237.77μm, and most of the colonies were distributed in the range 20-200μm, comprising 95.5% of the total number of samples. Temperature and photosynthetically active radiation may be the most important factors that influenced the annual variation in M. aeruginosa biomass and forms. The suitable temperature for cyanobaeterial growth was in the range of 15-30℃. In natural water bodies, photosynthetically active radiation had a significant positive influence on the colonial diameter of M. aeruginosa （P〈0.01）.

Dynamic assessment of pollution risk of groundwater source area in Northern China

Based on the dynamic analysis and research of pollution risk of groundwater sources, this paper creates the dynamic assessment method of pollution risk of groundwater source area under the theory of "source-pathway-receptor", and applies this method to one typical fissure karst groundwater source area in northern China. Following the 30-year petroleum pollutant migration simulation and pollution risk assessment of groundwater source area, this study finds that the very high risk zone is mainly located in Q Petrochemical Company and the surrounding area and the area adjacent to River Z. Within this period of thirty years, the pollution risk of groundwater source area has showed a dynamic trend that features an inverted "V" shape. The ratio of very high risk zone to the total area will be 18.1%, 17.47% and 16.62% during the tenth year, the twentieth year and the thirtieth year separately, and will reach the highest level of 19.45% during the fifteenth year. Meanwhile, the vertical migration distance of pollutant centre concentration changed from the surface soil at the outset to the deepest point of about 250 meters underground during the tenth year. The results of this risk assessment indicate the dynamic feature of pollution risk. The dilution, degradation and migration of petroleum pollutants in groundwater system contribute to an ultimate decline in pollution risk.

Preliminary Study on the Ecological Compensation of the Primary and Secondary Reserves in Drinking Water Source Area of the Shitoukoumen Reservoir

The Shitoukoumen Reservoir is one of main drinking water source areas in Changchun City,and there is a contradiction between the protection and the economic development of water source areas. In this paper,the primary and secondary reserves in drinking water source area of the Shitoukoumen Reservoir are taken as research objects. Based on the theory of ecological compensation,the ecological compensation standard is accounted and determined from different perspectives,and the suggestion of the phased ecological compensation in water source areas is proposed.

Application of Characteristics of Seismogenic Structures in the Determination of Parameter of Potential Seismic Source Areas

The characteristics of seismogenic structures are an important basis for delineating the potential seismic source areas and determining the annual occurrence rate of earthquakes. The potential seismic source area does not only have the intension that “this area has the possibility for destructive earthquakes to occur in the future" but also means that earthquakes of high magnitude interval have the characteristics of similar recurrence. When determining the seismic activity parameters of a statistical unit, some active tectonic blocks in the unit may have different background earthquakes. In order to better reflect the heterogeneity in space of seismic activities, it is necessary to divide the potential seismic source areas into three orders. By analyzing the recurrence characteristics of earthquakes of high magnitude interval in the potential source area and calculating the occurrence probability of earthquakes of high magnitude interval in the potential seismic source area in the time window for prediction, the average annual occurrence rate of earthquakes can be obtained by the method of probability equivalent conversion in the time window for prediction. This would be helpful for considering the recurrence characteristics of strong earthquakes in potential source areas within the framework of seismic risk analysis of China. Besides, the insufficient frequency of characteristic earthquakes of the next high magnitude interval in the potential source area and the heterogeneity of strong earthquakes on seismogenic structures are analyzed to see their application in seismic risk analysis.

Characterization,reactivity,source apportionment,and potential source areas of ambient volatile organic compounds in a typical tropical city

Based on one-year observation,the concentration,sources,and potential source areas of volatile organic compounds(VOCs)were comprehensively analyzed to investigate the pollution characteristics of ambient VOCs in Haikou,China.The results showed that the annual average concentration of total VOCs(TVOCs)was 11.4 ppb V,and the composition was dominated by alkanes(8.2 ppb V,71.4%)and alkenes(1.3 ppb V,20.5%).The diurnal variation in the concentration of dominant VOC species showed a distinct bimodal distribution with peaks in the morning and evening.The greatest contribution to ozone formation potential(OFP)was made by alkenes(51.6%),followed by alkanes(27.2%).The concentrations of VOCs and nitrogen dioxide(NO_(2))in spring and summer were low,and it was difficult to generate high ozone(O_(3))concentrations through photochemical reactions.The significant increase in O_(3)concentrations in autumn and winter was mainly related to the transmission of pollutants from the northeast.Traffic sources(40.1%),industrial sources(19.4%),combustion sources(18.6%),solvent usage sources(15.5%)and plant sources(6.4%)were identified as major sources of VOCs through the positive matrix factorization(PMF)model.The southeastern coastal areas of China were identified as major potential source areas of VOCs through the potential source contribution function(PSCF)and concentration-weighted trajectory(CWT)models.Overall,the concentration of ambient VOCs in Haikou was strongly influenced by traffic sources and long-distance transport,and the control of VOCs emitted from vehicles should be strengthened to reduce the active species of ambient VOCs in Haikou,thereby reducing the generation of O_(3).

Changes in lake area and water level in response to hydroclimate variations in the source area of the Yellow River:a case study from Lake Ngoring

In the north-eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP),the source area of the Yellow River(SAYR)has been experiencing significant changes in climatic and environmental conditions in recent decades.To date,few studies have combined modern hydrological conditions with paleoclimate records to explore the mechanism(s)of these changes.This study seeks to improve understanding of hydrological variability on decadal and centennial timescales in the SAYR and to identify its general cause.We first determined annual fluctuations in the surface area of Lake Ngoring from 1985 to 2020 using multi-temporal Landsat images.The results show that lake surface area changes were generally consistent with variations in precipitation,streamflow and the regional dry-wet index in the SAYR,suggesting that the water balance of the Lake Ngoring area is closely associated with regional hydroclimate changes.These records are also comparable to the stalagmite δ^(18)O monsoon record,as well fluctuations in the Southern Oscillation Index(SOI).Moreover,an association of high TSI(total solar insolation)anomalies and sunspot numbers with the expansion of Lake Ngoring surface area is observed,implying that solar activity is the key driving factor for hydrologic variability in the SAYR on a decadal timescale.Following this line of reasoning,we compared the δ^(13)C org-based lake level fluctuations of Lake Ngoring for the last millennium,as previously reported,with the hydroclimatic history and the reconstructed TSI record.We conclude that the hydrological regime of Lake Ngoring has been mainly controlled by centennial fluctuations in precipitation for the last millennium,which is also dominated by solar activity.In general,it appears that solar activity has exerted a dominant influence on the hydrological regime of the SAYR on both decadal and centennial timescales,which is clearly manifested in the variations of lake area and water level of Lake Ngoring.

Effectiveness Assessment of Soil Erosion Critical Source Areas for Soil and Water Conservation

Critical source areas （CSAs）, characterized by severe soil erosion and high sediment yield, are considered to have a high priority for conservation. How to identify CSAs and assess the effectiveness of conservation practices is a key issue in site-specific watershed management. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool （SWAT） model is a useful tool for site-specific conservation practices design and several studies have attempted to identify CSAs based on watershed models. However, limited research has reported about the effectiveness of conservation practices targeting CSAs. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of conservation pracrices targeted on CSAs using the SWAT model. CSA was firstly identified based on the 4-year average yearly erosion of each HRU. Appropriate soil conservation practices were then designed for the CSAs. A scenario with conservation practices for the whole watershed was also established as the contrasting counter parts scheme and then compared to the outcome of CSA-targeted conservation practices. The result shows that SWAT can accurately simulate sediment yield in the study area. CSAs were mainly located in slope farmland areas and steep gullies, coinciding with the distribution of land use and slope. The identified CSA covered 20% of the HRUs and contributed on average 44% of sediment yield. Conservation practices targeting CSAs had higher sediment reduction effectiveness （24 115 t km-2 y-1） than conservation practice covering the whole watershed （20 290 t km-2 y-1）. Thus conservation practices targeting CSAs are more effective than broad conservation practices. We conclude that soil conservation practices focusing on CSAs do increase sediment reduction effectiveness. Targeting the placement of soil conservation practices based on the CSAs concept will assist water quality control in watersheds.

Evidence for a recent warming and wetting in the source area of the Yellow River （SAYR） and its hydrological impacts

Climate change investigation at a watershed-scale plays a significant role in re- vealing the historical evolution and future trend of the runoff variation in watershed. This study examines the multisource hydrological and meteorological variables over the source area of the Yellow River （SAYR） from 1961 to 2,012 and the future climate scenarios in the region during 2006-2100 based on the CMIP5 projection data. It recognizes the significant charac-teristics of the recent climate change in the SAYR and predicts the change trend of future flow in the region. It is found that （1） The climate in the SAYR has experienced a significant warm-wet change since the early 2000s, which is very different from the antecedent warm-dry trend since the late 1980s; （2） The warm-wet trend in the northwestern SAYR （the headwater area of the Yellow River （HAYR）, is more obvious than that in the whole SAYR; （3） With pre- cipitation increase, the runoff in the region also experienced an increasing process since 2006. The runoff variations in the region are sensitive to the changes of precipitation, PET and maximum air temperature, but not very sensitive to changes in mean and minimum air temperatures; （4） Based on the CMIP5 projection data, the warm-wet climate trend in SAYR are likely to continue until 2049 if considering three different （i.e. RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5） greenhouse gas emission scenarios, and the precipitation in SAYR will not be less than the current level before 2100; however, it is estimated that the recent flow increase in the SAYR is likely to be the decadal change and it will at most continue until the 2020s; （5） The inter-annual variations of the East Asian winter monsoon are found to be closely related to the variations of annual precipitation in the region. Meanwhile, the increased precipitation as well as the increase of potential evapotranspiration （PET） being far less than that of precipitation in the recent period are the main climate causes for the flow increase in the region.

Jurassic rocks,bivalves,and depositional environments of the source area of the Yangtze River,Qinghai Province,western China

Jurassic rocks are abundantly developed in the source area of the Yangtze River,South Qinghai,with the greatest thickness of 6311 m,including five stratigraphic units:Qoimaco Formation,Buqu Formation,Xiali Formation,Suowa Formation,and Xueshan Formation.Based on sufficient fossils of bivalves,ammonites,and brachiopods,the major part of these formations is ascribed to the Middle Jurassic Bathonian to Callovian.No diagnostic fossils have been found from the Lower Qoimaco Formation or Upper Xueshan Formation,which could possibly contain in part Bajocian and Oxfordian taxa respectively.

Seasonal variation of transport pathways and potential source areas at high inorganic nitrogen wet deposition sites in southern China

This study attempts to identify the dominant transport pathways,potential source areas,and their seasonal variation at sites with high inorganic nitrogen(IN)wet deposition flux in southern China.This is a long-term study(2010-2017)based on continuous deposition measurements at the Guangzhou urban site(GZ)and the Dinghushan Natural Reserve site(DHS)located in the Pearl River Delta(PRD)region.A dataset on monthly IN concentration in precipitation and wet deposition flux were provided.The average annual fluxes measured at both sites(GZ:33.04±9.52,DHS:20.52±10.22 kg N/(ha·year))were higher,while the ratios of reduced to oxidized N(GZ:1.19±0.77,DHS:1.25±0.84)were lower compared with the national mean level and the previous reported level throughout the PRD region.The dominant pathways were not always consistent with the highest proportional trajectory clusters.The transport pathways contributing most of deposition were identified in the north and northnortheast in the dry season and in the east-southeast,east,and south-southwest in the wet season.A weighted potential source contribution function(WPSCF)value>0.3 was determined reasonably to define the potential source area.Emission within the PRD region contributed the majority(≥95%at both sites)of the IN deposition in the wet season,while the contribution outside the region increased significantly in the dry season(GZ:27.86%,DHS:95.26%).Our results could help create more effective policy to control precursor emissions for IN fluxes,enabling reduction of the ecological risks due to excessive nitrogen.

Expected magnitude and distance of potential source area and the estimating method

Magnitude and distance of major potential source are needed in order to determine duration time of artificial ground motion and to determine the type of response spectrum (near field or far field) when using the seismic intensity zonation map. The magnitude probabilistic distribution function of seismic belt and the magnitude and space joint distribution function for given intensity of the site in a potential Source are provided. Then the basicformula of calculating expected magnitude and expected distance are developed. Several examples for calculating expected magnitude and expected distance in northern China are discussed. These results show that expected magnitude and expected distance are related not only to geometry of potential source and magnitude but also to the intensity of the site with certain exceeding probability.

Study on phosphorus loss and influencing factors in the water source area

Maintaining drinking water security is a global issue,and phosphorus is a limiting factor affecting drinking water quality.Hence,this study took Fushi Reservoir as a test area,and set up field runoff observation plots around the reservoir catchment,which is covered by moso bamboo stands.Through field observation,the vertical variation of phosphorus loss in different stands of moso bamboo was initially studied.The results showed that:(1)For the vertical dimensions(atmospheric rainfall,stemflow,throughfall,surface runoff)from high to low,the loss of total phosphorus(TP)increased,and the pro-portion of dissolved phosphorus increased from 29.29%(atmospheric rainfall)to 62.76%(surface runoff).(2)Different rainfall factors had various impacts on phosphorus loss at the different vertical levels.The accumulation of rainfall had the greatest impact on surface runoff TP loss,with the correlation coefficient reaching 0.994(P<0.01),while surface runoff particulate phosphorus loss was mostly affected by the average rainfall intensity.(3)Modifying the forest structure in water source areas can reduce the loss of TP via stemflow and throughfall,but the effect on surface runoff TP loss is variable.Thus,it is expected that this novel study can serve as a reference for improving the environmental quality of water source areas,and help in reducing phosphorus loss and controlling non-point source pollution.