Forest biomass carbon storage from multiple inventories over the past 30 years in Gansu Province, China: implications from the age structure of major forest types

We used the forest inventory data of Gansu Province, China to quantify carbon storage and carbon density changes by regional forest cover and by typical forest types in 1979-2006. Total forest area increased from 1.77 x 106 ha in 1979 to 2.32 x 106 ha in 2006, and the forest carbon storage, estimated by the continuous biomass expansion factor method, increased from 83.14 to 100.66 Tg, equivalent to a carbon accumulation rate of 0.0071 Tg per year during the period. Mean carbon densities were 44.83-48.50 t ha-1 and the values decreased slightly over the time period. Natural forests generated greater car- bon storage and density than did plantations. By regression analysis, forest stand age was an important parameter incarbon density studies. We developed various regression equations between carbon density and stand age for major types of natural forests and plantations in the region. Our results can be used for proper selection of re-forestation species and efficient management of young and middle-aged forests, offering great potential for future carbon sequestra- tion, especially in arid and semi-arid regions.

Response of forestland soil water content to heavy rainfall on Beijing Mountain, northern China

Continuous recording of precipitation and soil water content（SWC）, especially during long periods of torrential rainfall, has proven challenging. Over a 16 h period spanning 21-22 July, 2012, Beijing experienced historic rainfall that totaled 164.4 mm. We used large lysimeter technology in four forested plots to record precipitation and variation in SWC at 10-min intervals to quantify the response of forestland SWC to heavy rainfall in a semi-arid area. Mean,maximum and minimum rainfall intensities were 23.4, 46.8and 12.0 mm/h, respectively. Rainfall was concentrated in 2-6 mm bursts that accounted for 67.32 % of the total rainfall event. Soil moisture conditions in this region are strongly dependent on patterns of precipitation. Water infiltration into 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 and 160 cm soil layers required 1, 5,20, 37, 46, 52 and 61 mm of precipitation, respectively, and to fully saturate these soil layers required 80, 120, 140, 150, 180,200 and 220 mm of precipitation, respectively.

Quantitative Classification of Forestry Division in Ceheng County

To determine the main functions of regional forest and focus of forestry construction to form the regional forestry economy with characteristics and ecological service system pattern with obvious advantages,we select some indicators on Ceheng County in Guizhou Province, such as natural geography,socio-economic conditions,ecological environment and forests status. Using the quantitative classification method combining factor analysis and system clustering,we conduct quantitative county level forestry division. The results show that first using factor analysis to establish factor analysis model,and then using a handful of factors loading large amounts of information to carry out system clustering,is an effective quantitative classification method of forestry division,which can not only overcome the weakness of previous division mainly focusing on qualitative analysis,but also eliminate the correlation between indicators in the conventional classification methods; through the factor analysis of 30 indicators influencing the forestry development of each township in Ceheng County,the factor analysis model is established,6 factors loading 89. 94 5% of information amount are used to conduct system clustering on 14 townships in Ceheng County,and finally Ceheng County can be divided into five zones. This study not only enriches the theory of forestry division,but also provides reference for the forestry planning in Guizhou and division of related industries.

Flood risk assessment of check dams in the Wangmaogou watershed on the Loess Plateau of China

Check dams have been widely used in China’s Loess Plateau region due to their effectiveness in erosion and flood control.However,the safety and stability of the check dam decrease with the operation process,which increases the probability of dam failure during flood events and threatens local residents’ life and property.Thus,this study simulated flood process of the check dam failure in the Wangmaogou watershed in Yulin City,Shaanxi Province,China,calculated different types of inundation losses based on the flood inundation area within the watershed,and determined the number of key flood protection check dams by classifying the flood risk levels of the check dams.The results showed that 5 dams in the watershed were subject to overtopping during different rainfall return periods,which was related to their flood discharge capacity.Dam failure flood process showed a rapid growth trend followed by slow decrease,and the time of flood peak advanced with increase in the return period.After harmonization of evaluation scales,the magnitude of flood inundation losses can be ranked as:economic losses(212.409 million yuan) > life losses(10.368 million yuan) > ecological losses(6.433 million yuan).The risk value for both individual dams and the whole dam system decreases as the return period increases.The number of key flood protection check dams in the Wangmaogou watershed was 2,3,3,3,4,and 5 for floods with return periods of 10,20,30,50,100,and 200 years,respectively.The results provided a theoretical basis for the safe operation and risk evaluation of check dams in the Loess Plateau Hills watershed.

Changes in freezing and thawing indices over the source region of the Yellow River from 1980 to 2014

Freezing and thawing indices are not only of great significance for permafrost research but also are important indicators of the effects of climate change.However,to date,research on ground-surface freezing and thawing indices and their relationship with air indices is limited.Based on daily air and ground-surface temperatures collected from 11 meteorological stations in the source region of the Yellow River,the freezing and thawing indices were calculated,and their spatial distribution and trends were analyzed.The air-freezing index(AFI),air-thawing index(ATI),ground surface-freezing index(GFI),ground surface-thawing index(GTI),air thawing-freezing index ratio(Na)and surface ground thawing-freezing index ratio(Ng)were 1554.64,1153.93,1.55,2484.85,850.57℃-days and 3.44,respectively.Altitude affected the spatial distribution of the freezing and thawing indices.As the altitude increased,the freezing indices gradually increased,and the thawing indices and thawing-freezing index ratio decreased.From 1980 to 2014,the AFI and GFI decreased at rates of 8.61 and 11.06℃-days a^(-1),the ATI and GTI increased at 9.65 and 14.53℃-days a^(-1),and Na and Ng significantly increased at 0.21 and 0.79 decade^(-1).Changes in the freezing and thawing indices were associated with increases in the air and ground-surface temperatures.The rates of change of the ground surface freezing and thawing indices were faster than the air ones because the rate of increase of the groundsurface temperature was faster than that of the air and the difference between the ground surface and air increased.The change point of the time series of freezing and thawing indices occurred in 2000–2001.After 2000–2001,the AFI and GFI were lower than before the change point,and the changing trend was lower.The ATI,GTI,Na and Ng during 2001–2014 were higher,with faster rates than before.In addition,the annual thawing indices composed a greater proportion of the mean annual air temperature and mean annual ground surface temperature than the annual freezing indices.This study provides the necessary basis for research on and prediction of permafrost changes,especially changes in the depth of the active permafrost layer,climate change,and possible evolution of the ecological environment over the source region of the Yellow River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Spatial-temporal variations in near-surface soil freeze-thaw cycles in the source region of the Yellow River during the period 2002–2011 based on the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System(AMSR-E) data

Detecting near-surface soil freeze-thaw cycles in high-altitude cold regions is important for understanding the Earth＇s surface system, but such studies are rare. In this study, we detected the spatial-temporal variations in near-surface soil freeze-thaw cycles in the source region of the Yellow River（SRYR） during the period 2002–2011 based on data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System（AMSR-E）. Moreover, the trends of onset dates and durations of the soil freeze-thaw cycles under different stages were also analyzed. Results showed that the thresholds of daytime and nighttime brightness temperatures of the freeze-thaw algorithm for the SRYR were 257.59 and 261.28 K, respectively. At the spatial scale, the daily frozen surface（DFS） area and the daily surface freeze-thaw cycle surface（DFTS） area decreased by 0.08% and 0.25%, respectively, and the daily thawed surface（DTS） area increased by 0.36%. At the temporal scale, the dates of the onset of thawing and complete thawing advanced by 3.10（±1.4） and 2.46（±1.4） days, respectively; and the dates of the onset of freezing and complete freezing were delayed by 0.9（±1.4） and 1.6（±1.1） days, respectively. The duration of thawing increased by 0.72（±0.21） day/a and the duration of freezing decreased by 0.52（±0.26） day/a. In conclusion, increases in the annual minimum temperature and winter air temperature are the main factors for the advanced thawing and delayed freezing and for the increase in the duration of thawing and the decrease in the duration of freezing in the SRYR.

Vascular bundle connection between seed stalk and seed coat of Caragana arborescens

The purpose of this study was to investigate the morphology, transmission route of photosynthetic products in the seed stalk of Caragana arborescens Lam. at various stages after flowering and evaluate the role of the seed stalk in seed maturation using scanning electron microscopy. We found that the mature seed stalk mainly consisted of vessels,sclerenchymatous cells and parenchymatous cells. Elongated cells formed a ring at the junction between the seed stalk and seed, and a large hollow was produced by two layers of sclerenchymatous cells in the interior seed, which functions to sustain seed growth. The opening in the center of the ring was closed during an early stage of seed development, and the opening enlarged as the seed matured.There were two routes for material transport, which started from the seed stalk： one from the seed coat to the embryo,and another directly entering the embryo. Vessels, which are abundant in the seed stalk, are the pathway for absorption of nutrients by the seeds. The vessels were densely packed in the seed stalk, and secondary thickening of the cell wall of the vessels was characterized by net thread thickening, while the secondary thickening of the cell wall of the vessels within the seed was characterized by screw thread thickening. The morphological characteristics of the vessels were adaptive to its functions.

Discovery of a high-altitude ecotype and ancient lineage of Arabidopsis thaliana from Tibet

Arabidopsis thaliana(A.thaliana)has long been a model species for dicotyledon study,and was the first flowering plant to get its genome completed sequenced[1].Although most wild A.thaliana are collected in Europe,several studies have found a rapid A.thaliana west-east expansion from Central Asia[2].The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)is close to Central Asia and known for its high alti-

Soil salinization research in China： Advances and prospects

With the environmental deterioration caused by the advance of climate change, soil salinization is a serious and growing global problem. Currently about 7% of the world＇s land surface is threatened by salinization. China is a country whose soils are severely affected by this problem, which, due to its extensive area, and wide distribution poses a serious threat to regional agricultural development. In this review, we summarize the framework for soil salinization research in China over the past 70 years, assess the weaknesses of existing research in both a domestic and international context, highlight the trends and key findings of global research about saline soils over the past 30 years, and propose six major fields and directions for future research on saline soil.