Beta-Glucosidase Activity in Paddy Soils of the Taihu Lake Region, China

The profile distribution of β-gulcosidase activity in twelve typical paddy soil profiles with high productivity in the Taihu Lake region of China were investigated. Activities of β-gulcosidase in the plow layers were in the range of 52.68- 137.02μg PNP g^-1 soil h^-1 with a mean of 89.22μg PNP g^-1 soil h^-1. However, most plow layers ranged from 70 to 110 μg PNP g^-1 soil h^-1. The profile distribution of β-gulcosidase activity in the 12 soil profiles decreased rapidly with soil depth, with activity at the 60 cm depth only about 10% of that in the surface layers （0-15 cm or 0-20 cm）. In these soil profiles, β-gulcosidase activity was significantly positively correlated with soll organic carbon and arylsulphatase activity. Meanwhile, a significantly negative correlation was shown between β-gulcosidase activity and soil pH.

Farmers＇ vulnerability to flood risk： A case study in the Poyang Lake Region

This paper quantitatively explores farmers＇ vulnerability to flood in the Poyang Lake Region （PLR） with the supports of GIS spatial functions. The analysis consists of three major steps, which is based on the spatial unit of township. Firstly, the spatial extent and characteristics of flood risk areas were determined using a digital elevation model （DEM） derived from the 1：50,000 topographic map. Secondly, for each of the township, six indices indicating the economic activities of local farmers were calculated. These indices are： rural population proportion, cultivated land proportion, GDP per unit area, employment proportion of primary industry, net rural income per capita and agricultural income proportion. These six indices were then normalized and used for later vulnerability assessment. Thirdly, the normalized indices （as GIS data layers） were overlaid with the flood risk areas to produce the risk coefficient for each township and to calculate the overall vulnerability for each township. The analysis results show that in the PLR there are high flood risk areas where the farmers＇ livings are seriously influenced or threatened. About 55.56% of the total 180 townships in the flood risk areas have a high degree of flood vulnerability. The townships under flood risk are mainly distributed in the areas around the Poyang Lake and the areas along the ＂five rivers＂.

Monitoring Glacier and Supra-glacier Lakes from Space in Mt. Qomolangma Region of the Himalayas on the Tibetan Plateau in China

Because of the large number and remoteness, satellite data, including microwave data and optical imagery, have commonly been used in alpine glaciers surveys. Using remote sensing and Geographical Information System （GIS） techniques, the paper presents the results of a multitemporal satellite glacier extent mapping and glacier changes by glacier sizes in the Mt. Qomolangma region at the northern slopes of the middle Himalayas over the Tibetan Plateau. Glaciers in this region have both retreated and advanced in the past 35 years, with retreat dominating. The glacier retreat area was 3.23 km2 （or o.75 km^2 yr^-1 during 1974 and 1976, 8.68 km^2 （or 0.36 km^2 yr^-1 during 1976 and 1992, 1.44 km^2 （or 0.12 km^2 yr^-1） during 1992-2ooo. 1.14 km^2 （or 0.22 km^2 yr^-1 during 2000-2003, and 0.52 km^2 （or 0.07 km^2 yr^-1 during 2003-2008, respectively. While supra-glacier lakes on the debris-terminus of the Rongbuk Glacier were enlarged dramatically at the same time, from 0.05 km^2 in 1974 increased to 0.71 km^2 in 2008, which was more than 13 times larger in the last 35 years. In addition, glacier changes also showed spatial differences, for example, glacier retreat rate was the fastest at glacier termini between 5400 and 5700 m a.s.l than at other elevations. The result also shows that glaciers in the middle Himalayas retreat almost at a same pace with those in the western Himalayas.

Water Pollution and Environmental Governance of the Tai and Chao Lake Basins in China in an International Perspective

The Tai and Chao Lake basins are currently facing a serious water pollution crisis associated with the absence of an effective environmental governance system. The water pollution and the water governance system of the two basins will be compared. The reasons for water pollution in both basins are similar, namely the weak current water environmental governance system cannot deal with the consequences of the rapidly growing economy. China’s water governance system is a complicated combination of basin management with both departmental management and regional management. There is an absence of legal support and sound coordination mechanisms, resulting in fragmented management practices in the existing water environmental governance system. A comparison is made for the Tai and Chao Lake basins and Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Based on China’s present central-local governance structure and departmental system, an integrated reform of basin level and water environmental governance in China should learn from international experiences. The reforms could consist of improved governance structures, rebuilding authoritative and powerful agencies for basin management, strengthening the organizational structure of the basin administrations, improving legislation and regulatory systems for basin management and enhancing public participation mechanisms.

Climate-Driven Changes in Lake Areas for the Last Half Century in the Valley of Lakes, Govi Region, Southern Mongolia

This study presents the changes in lake areas in the Valley of Lakes, the Govi region, southern Mongolia. The recent changes in lake areas show decreases depending on vulnerability of lake basins and response of Govi landscape to the present climatic warming. During the recent 44 - 45 years (from 1970 to 2014 or 2015), modern lakes have encountered the present rapid increase in temperature, water evaporation and drying up that induced the reduction in lake areas in the Valley of Lakes. The finding of the reduction in lake areas is consistent with the trends on increasing in temperature since 1995 and fluctuating precipitation since 1975. Investigations with detailed chronology of lake sediment are needed from the lakes to review a more complete evolution of lake basins during the Late Quaternary paleoclimatic history in Mongolia and Central Asia.

Tracing the Provenance of the Huguangyan Maar Lake Sediments in Coastal Regions of South China

The Huguangyan Maar Lake（HML）（21°9＇N,110°17＇E）,situated on the Leizhou Peninsula in the southernmost of China's Mainland,is the deepest recent crater lake among the identified volcanic structures in the Leiqiong Volcanic Field.The bi-lobate lake.

The structure of the plant communities in the different environment contact sites on the base of the soil-geobotanic profiling in the changing climate of Lake Baikal region

The results of studies of the peculiarities of formation of phytocenoses in environments contact sites of the western and eastern coasts of the Lake Baikal has been showed in this paper. On the base of geobotanic profiling combined with soil one, the structure and dynamics of phytocenoses forming under the conditions of mutual development of light-coniferous taiga forest and of extra zonal steppes. Edaphic conditions and placement of phytocenoses are main trigger factors determining the ways of plant cover development in this part of Lake Baikal basin. We discuss the characteristics properties inherent in the linkage of the dynamics and spatial variability of the vegetation with the change of climate in the Baikal region. The regional conditions of the physiogeographic environment had given rise to structurally highly contrasting plant communities in this region. The increase in yearly mean summertime amounts of rainfall, combined with the rise of yearly mean winter temperatures over the last years were conducive to changes in the spatial structure of vegetation. The boundary between the types of vegetation undergoes smoothing. The upper boundary of forest is altered because of changes of the environment that are responsible for the zonality and properties of vertical zonality of the vegetation on the mountains surrounding Lake Baikal. Changes in the vegetation serve as indicators of climate change as well as providing diagnostic tools for the genesis of the Baikal region’s natural environment.

Impacts of the Three Gorges Project and Converting Farmland into Lake on the Microtus fortis Population in Dongting Lake Region

The outbreak of Yantze vole ( Microtus fortis) population in Dongting Lake region is closely related to the evolvement of lake beaches,because the deposition of lake sediments results in the expansion of lake beaches,which provides the possibility of the increase of the vole's population. Reclaiming farmland from lake via building cofferdams,eliminating snails by building cofferdams for eradicating schistosomiasis,and over-hunting predators in the region cause the voles becoming a pest after the 1970s. In recent years,the Three Gorges Project and the conversion from farmland into lake have had deep impacts on the environment in the lake region. The dispatching of the down flow rate by the project has induced the expansion of the low and medium level beaches in the lake region,while converting farmland into lake directly has induced the expansion of the lake beaches,both of which have expanded the potential habitats of the vole's population. Therefore,more attention should be paid to the quantitative variation trend of the vole's population in the future.

DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS OF PERSISTENT DROUGHT/FLOOD EVENTS IN SUMMER OVER THE TWO-LAKE REGION OF CHINA

Based on the daily regional mean rainfall,the Z-index method is used to identify persistent flood and drought events lasting for at least 10 days over a region where Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake sit(referred to as the"two-lake region"hereafter).The National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)reanalysis data are then utilized to perform a preliminary diagnostic analysis on these events.The results indicate that the composite standardized geopotential height at 500 hPa presents two different meridional wave trains from north to south over the East Asian-Pacific region,i.e.,a"-+-"pattern for the droughts and a"+-+"pattern for the floods,respectively.The developing,maintaining and decaying phases in the drought and flood events are closely related to the intensity and location of a subtropical high and an extra-tropical blocking high.It is shown that the East Asian summer monsoon is strong(weak)with the occurrence of persistent drought(flood)events.Droughts(floods)are accompanied by a weak(strong)tropical convergent system and a strong(weak)subtropical convergent system.Furthermore,the persistent drought(flood)events are associated with a divergence(convergence)of vertically integrated water vapor flux.In the vertical profile of water vapor flux,divergence(convergence)in the mid-and lower-levels and convergence(divergence)in the higher levels are evident in the droughts(floods).Both the divergence in the droughts and the convergence in floods are strongest at 850 hPa.

THE DISCOVERED DEEP BURIED LAKE ICE IN SOURCE REGION OF THE HUANGHE RIVER

The 4.45 m-thick pure ice lens have been discovered firstly at depth from 19.81 -24.26 m in the bore No.6, which locates in north bank of the Ngoring Lake. In source region of the Huanghe (Yellow) River, 14C dating, X -ray diffraction, pollen analysis, micropalaeontology, chemical components, environmental isotope 2H, 3H, 18O and freezing point of the ice and water samples from the bore have been tested and microorganism in the ice have been also appraised with microscope. Combined with the research on geomorphy and Quaternary around the lake, the ice lens are determined as a kind of deep-buried lake ice, formed in 35,030-45,209 yr.B.P., and annual mean air temperature was about -10℃ during that time.

Chemical Composition of Some Saline Lakes in the Tuva Region(Russia)

1 Introduction Salt lakes are very interesting natural objects which can be found in different places in the world.Russia is not an exception.Climate conditions are various in Russia,but the climate is not very hot.In Russia there are a lot of places where salt lakes are spread.One of them is the Tuva region where lakes with different compositions are

Research on the Variation of Population Distribution and Its Characteristics Based on Spatial Autocorrelation Method: A Case Study of Poyang Lake Region in Jiangxi Province

According to Statistical Yearbook of Jiangxi Province(2001～2006),We analyze the time-space variation of population distribution of Poyang Lake region from the two points of view.The former is quality of population,which involves culture structure,occupational structure,age structure and sex structure of population.The latter is quantity of population,which only involves the amount of population.Furthermore,we can reveal the internal relations and action mechanism of variation of population distribution by analyzing the regional economic development,population urbanization,land use and ecological landscape of Poyang Lake region.It is important to provide help for region planning,ecological landscape planning and environmental protection by correct understanding the man-land relationship of natural-human ecosystem in Poyang Lake region.

Multisource Disaster Chain and Control in Regional Water Environment of the Dongjiang Lake in China

On the background of analysis on region water environment safety in the Dongjiang Lake of south-central China, the source of pollution of water environment and its control are studied. The concept of region environment disaster chain is put forward on the basis of combination study on the disaster chain theory and pollution problem in regional water environment. Through identification and analysis of pollution disaster resources in regional water environment of the Dongjiang Lake, the annual emission of the chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus (TP) and heavy metal (Cd, As, Pb) are counted. According to evaluation on structure proportion of contaminants in the Dongjiang Lake, agricultural non-point source is the uppermost pollution source, which accounted for 87.74% in total pollution load. Ammonia nitrogen, TP and COD are mainly contaminants accounted for 94.27% in total pollution load. By analyzing danger of contaminants in the lake, basic form of disaster chain of water environment pollution is built elementarily. It shows characteristics of branches and trunk basin disaster chain and embodies multisource disaster implication chain caused by human activities. Then, disaster resources chain-cutting methods for pollution prevention and control of regional water environment of the Dongjiang Lake are analyzed.

Contribution of Geographic Information Systems in Protection Zones Delineation around a Surface Water Resource in Adzope Region (Southeast of Côte d’Ivoire)

Adzope’s Municipal Artificial Lake which serves as a drinking water supply to the population is prone to pollution due to human activities and increasing urbanization. Thus, it is essential to protect this surface water supply for sustainable use. The objective of this study is to determine the protection zones around this water reservoir in order to preserve the stored water quality. To achieve this, a methodological approach based on a Geographic Information System (GIS) was adopted. This methodological approach first consisted to assess the water reservoir vulnerability to pollution according to certain hydrological parameters (slope, land use, soil type, runoff, and drainage network density) and then to determine the protection zones according to the different vulnerability classes. After the scoring of different parameters, a weight was assigned to each, from the multi-criteria method (AHP). The combination of the weighted parameters in the GIS enabled to establish the water reservoir vulnerability indexes map. The vulnerability map established subsequently presents five (5) vulnerability classes in the watershed: very low (12%) and low (23%) in the North and South of the study area, moderate (32%) disseminated throughout the study area, high (20%) and very high (13%) particularly in the West and North of the water reservoir and in the East of study area. This water reservoir vulnerability map is potentially influenced by the land use parameter according to the sensitivity analysis test. The different vulnerability classes then allowed the delimitation of three protection zones (Zone 1, Zone 2 and Zone 3) around the water reservoir. The immediate protection zone (Zone 1) has a width between 100 and 450 m around the water reservoir with a surface of 1.16 km2. The delimitation of this immediate protection zone takes into account the high and very high vulnerability classes near the water reservoir. The width of protection zone 2 varies from 350 m to 1 km around protection zone 1 with a surface of 5.38 km2. The protection zone 3 covers the rest of the high vulnerability areas contiguous to protection zone 2 with a total surface of 5.69 km2.

THE TYPES OF LAKE IN SONGNEN PLAIN AND THEIR REGIONAL CHARACTER

The lake groups in the Songnen Plain are low plain lake groups, which are located in the temperate semihumid area in China. They are characterized by small area, shallow basin, thick density and various types. In the try for classifying comprehensively the lake groups, a classification system is developed based on three main factors, i.e. forming cause, water quantity and water quality. The most internal character can be concisely grasped through three principal indexes and three auxiliary indexes of three main factors. A sample of complicated changeable path is put forward for further analyzing and outlining these basic types, in the meantime, it’s linking up easily with the classification system of the single factor. According to the regional environment, the regional differences of the type composition and the principal types, the lake groups in the Songnen Plain can be divided into 6 sub-regions.

Thermokarst Lake Changes in the Southern Fringe of Siberian Permafrost Region in Mongolia Using Corona, Landsat, and ALOS Satellite Imagery from 1962 to 2007

This study presents thermokarst lake changes at seven different sites in the continuous and isolated permafrost zones in Mongolia. Lakes larger than 0.1 ha were analyzed using Corona KH-4, KH-4A and KH-4B (1962-1968), Landsat ETM + (1999-2001), and ALOS/AVNIR-2 (2006-2007) satellite imagery. Between 1962 and 2007, the total number and area of lakes increased by +21% (347 to 420), and +7% (3680 ha to 3936 ha) in the continuous permafrost zone, respectively. These changes correspond to the appearance of 85 new lakes (166 ha) during the last 45 years. In contrast, lakes in the isolated permafrost zone have decreased by –42% (118 to 68) in number and –12% (422 ha to 371 ha) in area from 1962 to 2007. The changes in lake area and number are likely attributed to shifts in climate regimes and local permafrost conditions. Since 1962, the mean annual air temperature and potential evapotranspiration have increased significantly in the northern continuous permafrost zone compared to the southern isolated permafrost zone. Due to ongoing atmospheric warming without any significant trend in annual precipitation, patches of ice-rich subsurface have thawed, and the number and area of lakes have accordingly developed in the continuous permafrost zone. Shrinking of thermokarst lakes in the isolated permafrost zone may be due to disappearing permafrost, deepening of the active layer, and increased water loss through surface evaporation and subsurface drainage.

Residual Levels and New Inputs of Chlorinated POPs in Agricultural Soils from Taihu Lake Region

Selected persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), including 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) and its principal metabolites 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)e- thane (DDD), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and its isomers (α-,β-, γ-, and δ-HCH), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), endo- sulfan, dieldrin, and endrin were quantified to determine current levels of organochlorine pesticides, to assess the eco- toxicological potential, and to distin…

Assessment of Nitrogen Pollutant Sources in Surface Waters of Taihu Lake Region

The nitrogen （N） pollution status of the 12 most important rivers in Changshu, Taihu Lake region was investigated. Water samples were collected from depths of 0.5-1.0 m with the aid of the global positioning system （GPS）. The seasonal variations in the concentrations of different N components in the rivers were measured. Using tension-free monolith lysimeters and ^15N-labeled fertilizer, field experiments were carried out in this region to determine variations of iSN abundance of NO3^- in the leachate during the rice and wheat growing seasons, respectively. Results showed that the main source of N pollution of surface waters in the Taihu Lake region was not the N fertilizer applied in the farmland but the urban domestic sewage and rural human and animal excreta directly discharged into the water bodies without treatment. Atmospheric dry and wet N deposition was another evident source of N pollutant of the surface waters. In conclusion, it would not be correct to attribute the N applied to farmlands as the source of N pollution of the surface waters in this region.

Groundwater contributions in water-salt balances of the lakes in the Badain Jaran Desert,China

Groundwater-fed lakes are essential for the ecology in arid and semiarid regions.As a typical arid region,the Badain Jaran Desert （BJD） is famous in the world for the presence of a large number of groundwater-fed saline lakes among the mega dunes.Based on the up to date geological surveys and observations,this study analyzed the groundwater contributions in water-salt balances of the lakes in the desert.We found different types of springs,including the sublacustrine springs that indicate an upward flow of groundwater under the lakebed.A simplified water balance model was developed to analyze the seasonal variations of water level in the Sumu Barun Jaran Lake,which revealed an approximately steady groundwater discharge in the lake and explained why the amplitude of seasonal changes in lake level is less than 0.5 m.In addition,a salt balance model was developed to evaluate the salt accumulations in the groundwater-fed lakes.The relative salt accumulation time is 800–7,000 years in typical saline lakes,which were estimated from the concentration of Cl-,indicating a long history evolution for the lakes in the BJD.Further researches are recommended to provide comprehensive investigations on the interactions between the lakes and groundwater in the BJD.