Comparative analysis of the mass elevation effect and its implication for the treeline between the Tibetan and Bolivian plateaus based on solar radiation

As one of the main non-zonal factors,the mass elevation effect(MEE)has significant impacts on both regional climates and mountain ecological patterns.In recent years,with the development of quantitative techniques and methods,quantitative studies on the MEE and its implication on mountain altitudinal belts have developed rapidly.However,some issues have not been solved yet,such as high errors in spatial temperature estimations and difficulties in the definition and extraction of intramountain base elevation.Moreover,there is still a lack of comparative studies on the MEE and its influence on treelines and snowlines as most studies were conducted on specific mountains or plateaus.To compare the MEE magnitudes of the Tibetan Plateau(TP)and the Bolivian Plateau(BP),we estimated the correspondent air temperatures and simulated the solar radiations based on MODIS surface temperature,station observation,and treeline data.Then,we analyzed the elevation of the 10℃isotherms on the two plateaus,the temperatures at the same elevation,and the solar radiations.According to the mechanism of the MEE and the relationship of solar radiation and treeline,we constructed treeline models for the two plateaus through a stepwise regression analysis by considering several influencing factors of the MEE(e.g.,air temperature and precipitation)and using solar radiation as its proxy.The results showed that:(1)the MEE magnitude on the TP is equivalent to that on the BP although the former is slightly higher than the latter;(2)the MEE strongly influences the highest treelines in the northern and southern hemispheres,which both occur on the two plateaus.Notably,the treeline distribution models based on solar radiation had higher accuracies than those models with parameters of temperature and precipitation(the adjusted R^(2) values were 0.76 for the TP and 0.936 for the BP),indicating that solar radiation can be used to quantify the MEE and its implications on treelines.Overall,the results of this study can serve as a basis for subsequent analyses on the MEE’s impact factors.

Application of a sea surface temperature front composite algorithm in the Bohai, Yellow, and East China Seas

The oceanic front is a narrow zone in which water properties change abruptly within a short distance.The sea surface temperature(SST) front is an important type of oceanic front,which plays a significant role in many fields including fisheries,the military,and industry.Satellite-derived SST images have been used widely for front detection,although these data are susceptible to influence by many objective factors such as clouds,which can cause missing data and a reduction in front detection accuracy.However,front detection in a single SST image cannot fully reflect its temporal variability and therefore,the long-term mean frequency of occurrence of SST fronts and their gradients are often used to analyze the variations of fronts over time.In this paper,an SST front composite algorithm is proposed that exploits the frontal average gradient and frequency more effectively.Through experiments based on MODIS Terra and Aqua data,we verified that fronts could be distinguished better by using the proposed algorithm.Additionally through its use,we analyzed the monthly variations of fronts in the Bohai,Yellow,and East China Seas,based on Terra data from 2000 to 2013.

Ecological vulnerability analysis of Tibetan towns with tourism-based economy： a case study of the Bayi District

This paper provides a generalizable mode for the ecological vulnerability evaluation for tourism planning and development in high mountain areas.The Bayi District located in southeastern Tibet is taken as a typical town to study the conflict between the protection of natural ecological environment and the exploitation of tourism resources. Based on the Sensitivity-Recovery-Pressure(SRP) framework, a set of vulnerability evaluation systems for plateau tourism regions were developed. The spatial principal component analysis(SPCA), remote sensing and GIS technologies were integrated to apply for spatial quantification of evaluation index system. The ecological vulnerability of the Bayi District was divided into five levels: potential, mild, moderate,severe, and extreme, and our results showed that significantly severe and extreme vulnerability areas were mainly distributed throughout the southwestern and central northern alpine pasture and glacial zones.Potential and mild vulnerability areas were mainly distributed in the vicinity of the Yarlung Zangbo River tributary basin. Then three tourism development and environmental protection zones were classified and appropriate measures for the protection were proposed. It also provides a reference for the spatial distribution of a range of areas that require different protection measures according to ecological vulnerability classification.

The current and future of terrestrial carbon balance over the Tibetan Plateau

The contemporary carbon balance over the Tibetan Plateau is highly uncertain with a ten-fold difference between various estimates.In a warming world,the potential exists for a large carbon release from its permafrost which could compromise China’s 2060 carbon-neutral goal.Here,we used a satellite-and inventory-based approach,ecosystem models,and atmospheric inversions to estimate that the carbon sink was 33.12–37.84 TgC yr^(–1)during 2000–2015.The carbon sink induced by climate change and increasing CO_(2) levels largely overcompensated for a livestock grazing-induced carbon source of 0.38TgC yr^(-1).By 2060,the carbon sink is projected to increase by 38.3–74.5% under moderate to high emissions scenarios,with the enhanced vegetation carbon uptake outweighing the warming-induced permafrost carbon release.The restoration of degraded grassland could sequestrate an additional 9.06 TgC yr^(-1),leading to a total carbon sink of 57.78–70.52 TgC yr^(-1).We conclude that the Tibetan Plateau’s ecosystems absorbed two-and-a-half times the amount of its cumulative fossil CO_(2) emissions during 2000–2015 and that their carbon sinks will almost double in strength in the future,helping to achieve China’s pledge to become carbon neutral by 2060.

An atmospheric perspective on the carbon budgets of terrestrial ecosystems in China:progress and challenges

The atmospheric inversion is an effective method for quantifying surface CO_(2) fluxes at global and regional scales using the gradient of CO_(2) measurements and has the advantage of inferring CO_(2) sources and sinks over large spatial scales.The“2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories”was adopted and accepted during the 49th Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)in May 2019.

Predicting Potential Geographic Distribution of Tibetan Incarvillea younghusbandii Using the Maxent Model

Incarvillea younghusbandii is a well-known Tibetan medicinal plant with considerable development and research value distributed widely throughout the Tibetan plateau.It is important to study spatial distribution patterns of the plant in order to develop effective protection measures.Based on field survey work and environmental data, the potential geographic distribution of Incarvillea younghusbandii was delineated using a Maximum Entropy (Maxent)model with 28environmental variables that screened for climate,topography,human activity and biological factors.Our results showed that the main geographic range of Incarvillea younghusbandii included the valley between the Yarlung Zangbo river and the Duoxiong Zangbo river,the valley in the middle section of the Himalaya Mountains,and the area between the north side of the east section of the Himalayas and the south bank of the middle reach of the Yarlung Zangbo river.Distribution may spread to parts of the eastern Himalayas.The Jackknife test indicated that soil types,ratio of precipitation to air temperature,extreme atmospheric pressure differences and annual precipitation were the most important predictive factors for the model,while other variables made relatively small contributions.

The oasis expansion and eco-environment change over the last 50 years in Manas River Valley, Xinjiang

The oasis expansion and economic development of the Manas River Valley is one of the most successful examples in Xinjiang. In this paper, the oasis spatial distribution pattern and dynamic change were examined using imageries of Landsat MSS, TM and ETM, land use and topographic maps in six different periods (such as 1949, 1962, 1976, 1989, 1999 and 2001) over the last 50 years in the valley. The oasis expansion process could be divided into two stages according to the annual rate of oasis area increase, the fast oasization stage (from 1949 to 1976) when the oasis area ex-panded from 156.385 km2 in 1949 to 3,639.491 km2 in 1976 because of rapidly increased population and quickly enlarged farmland area; and the urbanization stage (from 1976 to 2001) when the ex-pansion ratio of farmland slowed down, and the urbanization process quickened, the total oasis area reached 5042.440 km2 in 2001. With the continuous expansion of oasis and farmland, a large quantity of river water was drawn into irrigation ditch and plain lakes, so only a small quantity of river water could flow into lakes, as a result, the Manas Lake dried up, salization and basification problems happened in the low-lying oasis region. The natural swamp around the lake was shrunk greatly and biodiversity decreased significantly. The driving force analysis reveals that human activities, such as reclamation and population growth, played a major role in the oasis expansion and ecological dete-rioration in the Manas River Valley. So further efforts should be made to improve the efficiency of water resource utility and adjust layout of the regional agricultural and animal husbandry to keep the sustainable development of oasis economic belt of the northern slope of Tianshan Mts.

MODIS-based air temperature estimation in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau and neighboring areas

Climatic conditions are difficult to obtain in high mountain regions due to few meteorological stations and, if any, their poorly representative location designed for convenient operation. Fortunately, it has been shown that remote sensing data could be used to estimate near-surface air temperature （Ta） and other climatic conditions. This paper makes use of recorded meteorological data and MODIS data on land surface temperature （Ts） to estimate monthly mean air temperatures in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau and its neighboring areas. A total of 72 weather stations and 84 MODIS images for seven years （2001 to 2007） are used for analysis. Regression analysis and spatio-temporal analysis of monthly mean Ts vs. monthly mean Ta are carried out, showing that recorded Ta is closely related to MODIS Ts in the study region. The regression analysis of monthly mean Ts vs. Ta for every month of all stations shows that monthly mean Ts can be rather accurately used to estimate monthly mean Ta （R2 ranging from 0.62 to 0.90 and standard error between 2.25℃ and 3.23℃）. Thirdly, the retrieved monthly mean Ta for the whole study area varies between 1.62℃ （in January, the coldest month） and 17.29℃ （in July, the warmest month）, and for the warm season （May-September）, it is from 13.1℃ to 17.29℃. Finally, the elevation of isotherms is higher in the central mountain ranges than in the outer margins; the 0℃ isotherm occurs at elevation of about 4500±500 m in October, dropping to 3500±500 m in January, and ascending back to 4500±500 m in May next year. This clearly shows that MODIS Ts data combining with observed data could be used to rather accurately estimate air temperature in mountain regions.

MODIS-based estimation of air temperature of the Tibetan Plateau

The immense and towering Tibetan Plateau acts as a heating source and, thus, deeply shapes the climate of the Eurasian continent and even the whole world. However, due to the scarcity of meteorological observation stations and very limited climatic data, little is quantitatively known about the heating effect and temperature pattern of the Tibetan Plateau. This paper collected time series of MODIS land surface temperature （LST） data, together with meteorological data of 137 stations and ASTER GDEM data for 2001-2007, to estimate and map the spatial distribution of monthly mean air temperatures in the Tibetan Plateau and its neighboring areas. Time series analysis and both ordinary linear regression （OLS） and geographical weighted regression （GWR） of monthly mean air temperature （Ta） with monthly mean land surface temperature （Ts） were conducted. Regression analysis shows that recorded Ta is rather closely related to Ts, and that the GWR estimation with MODIS Ts and altitude as independent variables, has a much better result with adjusted R 2 〉 0.91 and RMSE = 1.13-1.53℃ than OLS estimation. For more than 80% of the stations, the Ta thus retrieved from Ts has residuals lower than 2℃. Analysis of the spatio-temporal pattern of retrieved Ta data showed that the mean temperature in July （the warmest month） at altitudes of 4500 m can reach 10℃. This may help explain why the highest timberline in the Northern Hemisphere is on the Tibetan Plateau.

The implication of mass elevation effect of the Tibetan Plateau for altitudinal belts

The heating effect （or mass elevation effect, MEE） of the Tibetan Plateau （TP） is intense due to its massive body. Some studies have been undertaken on its role as the heat source in summer and its implications for Asian climate, but little has been known of the im- plications of its MEE for the distribution of mountain altitudinal belts （MABs）. Using air tem- perature data observed and remotely sensed data, MAB/treeline data, and ASTER GDEM data, this paper compares the height of MABs and alpine treelines in the main TP and the surrounding mountains/lowland and explains the difference from the point of view of MEE. The results demonstrate： 1） at same elevation, air temperature and the length of growing season gradually increase from the eastern edge to the interior TP, e.g., at 4500 m （corre- sponding to the mean altitude of the TP）, the monthly mean temperature is 3.58℃ higher （April） to 6.63℃ higher （June） in the interior plateau than in the Sichuan Basin; the 10℃ iso- therm for the warmest month goes upward from the edge to the interior of the plateau, at 4000 m in the Qilian Mts. and the eastern edges of the plateau, and up to 4600-5000 m in Lhasa and Zuogong; the warmth index at an altitude of 4500 m can be up to 15℃-month in the in- terior TP, but much lower at the eastern edges. 2） MABs and treeline follow a similar trend of rising inwards： dark-coniferous forest is 1000-1500 m higher and alpine steppe is about 700-900 m higher in the interior TP than at the eastern edges.

Spatiotemporal measurement of urbanization levels based on multiscale units: A case study of the Bohai Rim Region in China

Urbanization is a complex process reflecting the growth, formation and develop- ment of cities and their systems. Measuring regional urbanization levels within a long time series may ensure healthy and harmonious urban development. Based on DMSP/OLS night- time light data, a human-computer interactive boundary correction method was used to ob- tain information about built-up urban areas in the Bohai Rim region from 1992 to 2012. Con- sequently, a method was proposed and applied to measure urbanization levels using four measurement scale units： administrative division, land-sea location, terrain feature, and geomorphological types. Our conclusions are： 1） The extraction results based on DMSP/OLS nighttime light data showed substantial agreement with those obtained using Landsat TM/ETM＋ data on spatial patterns. The overall accuracy was 97.70% on average, with an average Kappa of 0.79, indicating that the results extracted from DMSP/OLS nighttime light data were reliable and could well reflect the actual status of built-up urban areas. 2） Bohai Rim＇s urbanization level has increased significantly, demonstrating a high annual growth rate from 1998 to 2006. Areas with high urbanization levels have relocated evidently from capital to coastal cities. 3） The distribution of built-up urban areas showed a certain degree of zonal variation. The urbanization level was negatively correlated with relief amplitude and altitude. A high level of urbanization was found in low altitude platforms and low altitude plains, with a gradual narrowing of the gap between these two geomorphological types. 4） The measure- ment method presented in this study is fast, convenient, and incorporates multiple perspec- tives. It would offer various directions for urban construction and provide reference values for measuring national-level urbanization.

2060年中国实现碳中和所面临的挑战:现状与展望

China’s high ambitions to reach peak CO_(2) emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 make carbon mitigation an urgent issue with widespread societal consequences.To develop an achievable roadmap and an effective portfolio of climate policies,it is essential that a clear picture of the magnitude and uncertainty of China’s current carbon balance is available,at both national and regional levels.