Path of Rural Vitalization Based on Coupling Perspective of Township Construction and Resource Environment in Jiangsu Province,China

Recently,the field of rural vitalization has received extensive research attention.However,only few studies have proposed an approach to rural vitalization from the coupling perspective of township construction and the resource environment.Taking Jiangsu Province of China as the study area,we constructed index systems of township construction function types and resource environments.Based on 875 township study units in Jiangsu,we characterized the township construction function type and resource environment and analyzed the dynamic process of their coupling from 2005 to 2017.The results are as follows:1)the townships of planting and breeding types in Jiangsu were mainly distributed in northern and central Jiangsu;the townships of business travel,industry,and integrated types were mainly distributed in southern Jiangsu;and the townships of ecological type were irregularly distributed throughout Jiangsu.2)Resource environment factors and township construction function types in Jiangsu clustered based on their location with some overlap.3)Spatial variability in the degree of coupling level between township construction and the resource environment in Jiangsu was not apparent,and low coupling levels accounted for most of the study units.The sum of the number of medium and high coupling townships in southern,central,and northern Jiangsu was roughly equal,and the coupling level between township construction and the resource environment in southern Jiangsu evolved remained unchanged,whereas that in the central and northern Jiangsu became imbalanced.4)In Jiangsu,township construction was mainly constrained by water resources,and the constraint parameters gradually increase.Large variability in resource environment constraint was observed in northern,central,and southern Jiangsu for different township construction function types.Based on these findings,we proposed the implementation of targeted rural vitalization strategies.

Spatial restructuring and the logic of industrial land redevelopment in urban China: Ⅳ. A case study of jointly redevelopment by multi-actors

Within the inventory era, urban shrinkage characterized by economic decline and space decay has been widely witnessed in China. The modes and trajectories of urban redevelopment have thus become areas of major concern for both policymakers and scholars. Taking the multi-actor participation nature of redevelopment, this paper stemming from the game-theoretical approach demonstrates in empirical terms on two major fronts. First, the redevelopment of industrial land without the transfer of land use right is shown to be deadlocked by the incapacitation of the original land-user and unlocked with the participation of the new developer. Second, the preference of the original land-user to maximize its interests by operating by itself rather than continue to cooperate with the new developer is observed in the post-redevelopment stage. Therein, the entrepreneurial local government acts only as a “mediator” between the two market entities and tends not to directly intervene in their cooperation. Thus that, it is the reasonable distribution of potential benefits or the pricing of different rights in the land property right bundle rather than their definition that matters more for land redevelopment. Because the delineation of land property rights has never been a problem in a mature land market, particularly for stock industrial land.

Influence Mechanism of New-type Urbanization on Urban Land Use Efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta, China

Rapid urbanization in China has led to inefficient use of urban land and spatial structure disorder,attracting attention from academia and society.Taking the Yangtze River Delta,China as an example,this study constructed an index evaluation system that quantitatively analyses the impact of new-type urbanization(NTU)on urban land use efficiency(ULUE)from 2000 to 2020 using a panel data vector autoregressive model.The results show that NTU in the Yangtze River Delta promotes ULUE improvement.However,the promotion of NTU to ULUE is limited,and the level of urban economic development also plays a role in promoting the change of ULUE.Moreover,the study further analyzed the results of urbanization decomposition and found that population urbanization(PU),economic urbanization(EU),spatial urbanization(SU),and social urbanization(SCU)can explain changes in ULUE in the Yangtze River Delta to a certain extent.In terms of variance decomposition,PU contributed the most to ULUE,followed by EU,SU,and SCU.Some necessary measures should be taken to coordinate the development of different types of urbanization,improve the sustainable utilization level of land resources,and provide a reference for high-quality development in the Yangtze River Delta.

Effects of Water-table Depth and Soil Moisture on Plant Biomass, Diversity, and Distribution at a Seasonally Flooded Wetland of Poyang Lake, China

Hydrological regime has been widely recognized as one of the major forces determining vegetation distribution in seasonally flooded wetland. Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, has been encountering dramatic changes in hydrological conditions in last decade, which greatly influenced the wetland vegetations. To explore the relationships between hydrology and vegetation distribution, water-table depth, soil moisture, species composition, diversity and biomass were measured at a seasonally flooded wetland section at Wucheng National Nature Reserve. Three plant communities, Artemisia capillaris, Phragmites australis and Carex cinerascens communities, were examined which are zonally distributed from upland to lakeshore with decreasing elevation. Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA), spearmen correlation and logistic regression were adopted to analyze the relationships between vegetation characteristics and hydrological variables of water-table depth and soil moisture. Results show that significant hydrological gradient exist along the wetland transect. Water-table demonstrates a seasonal variation and is consistently deepest in A. capillaris community(ranging from –0.5 m above ground to +10.3 m below ground), intermediate in P. australis community(–2.6 m to +7.8 m) and shallowest in C. cinerascens community(–4.5 m to +6.1 m). Soil moisture is lowest and most variable in A. capillaris community, highest and least variable in P. australis community, and intermediate and moderate variable in C. cinerascens community. The CCA ordination indicated that variables of water-table depth and soil moisture are strongly related to community distribution, which explained 81.7% of the vegetation variations. Species diversity indices are significantly positively correlated with soil moisture and negatively correlated with moisture variability, while above- and belowground biomass are positively correlated with moisture. Above- and belowground biomass present Gaussian models along the gradient of average water-table depth in growing season, while species diversity indices show bimodal patterns. The optimal average water-table depths for above- and belowground biomass are 0.8 m and 0.5 m, respectively, and are 2.2 m and 2.4 m for species richness and Shannon-Wiener indices, respectively. Outcomes of this work improved the understandings of the relationship between hydrology and vegetation.

Sedimentary Records of Heavy Metal Pollution in Fuxian Lake,Yunnan Province,China:Intensity,History,and Sources

This study focused on the concentration change of heavy metals of sediment cores in heavily polluted north area and less polluted middle area of Fuxian Lake in Southwest China.On the basis of the analysis of Cu,Ni,Ti,V,Pb,Cd,and Zn concentration-depth profiles,the pollution history of heavy metals was studied using 137cesium(137Cs) dating.The sources of heavy metals were distinguished by normalization of their profiles to aluminum and analysis of heavy metal concentrations of potential source materials.Geoaccumulation index(Igeo) was used to quantify their contamination intensity.The results showed that all the heavy metals found in the Fuxian Lake sediments originated naturally before 1980s.Cu,Ni,Ti,and V were still mainly natural in the north lake after 1980s,Cu,Ni,Ti,V,and Pb were mainly natural in the middle lake at all time,but the concentrations of Pb and Zn in the north lake were influenced by industrial wastes from the phosphorus fertilizer factory and cement plants.In all the lake,the contaminations of Cd and Zn were the results of agricultural cultivation using a large amount of fertilizers and the atmospheric fallouts of dusts from cement plants.At present,the geoaccumulation indices showed that the Fuxian Lake sediments were moderately to strongly polluted by Cd in the middle lake,and unpolluted to moderately polluted by Pb and Zn and strongly polluted by Cd in the north lake.Moreover,the pollution intensities of Cd,Zn,and Pb have been increased since 1980s.

Seasonal variation of Microcystis in Lake Taihu and its relationships with environmental factors

In order to monitor the changes of Microcystis along with temporal and spatial variations, seasonal variation of Microcystis in Lake Taihu was investigated by 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （16S-23S rRNA-ITS DGGE） and microscopic evaluation. Samples were collected quarterly at four sites （River Mouth, Meiliang Bay, Cross Area, and Lake Center） from August 2006 to April 2007. Results showed that Microcystis dominated total phytoplankton abundance at the four sites in all seasons except winter. The average annual abundance of Microcystis was relatively high at River Mouth and Meiliang Bay, reaching 81.22×10^6 and 61.32×10^6 cells/L, respectively. For temporal variations, Shannon-Wiener diversity index （H＇） according to DGGE profile revealed the richness of Microcystis in summer （H＇ = 1.375±0.034） and winter （H＇ = 1.650 ±0.032） was lower than that in spring （H＇ = 2.078 ±0.031） and autumn （H＇ = 2.365 ±0.032） （P 〈 0.05）. While for spatial variations, the richness of Microcystis at River Mouth （H＇ = 2.015± 0.074） was higher than at other sites during four seasons （P 〈 0.01）. Very few differences of Microcystis diversity in the same season were observed among the other three sites （P 〉 0.05）. Canonical correspondence analysis （CCA） was performed to elucidate the relationships between Microcystis operational taxonomic units （OTUs） composition and the environmental factors. Results of CCA revealed that temperature was strongly positively correlated with the first axis （r = 0.963）, while TSS was negative correlated with the second axis （r = -0.716）. Phylogenetic tree based on the sequencing results of target bands on DGGE gel indicated that samples collected in summer and winter constituted two separated clusters.

Modelling Hydrological Consequences of Climate Change—Progress and Challenges

The simulation of hydrological consequences of climate change has received increasing attention from the hydrology and land-surface modelling communities. There have been many studies of climate-change effects on hydrology and water resources which usually consist of three steps： （1） use of general circulation models （GCMs） to provide future global climate scenarios under the effect of increasing greenhouse gases, （2） use of downscaling techniques （both nested regional climate models, RCMs, and statistical methods） for ＂downscaling＂ the GCM output to the scales compatible with hydrological models, and （3） use of hydrologic models to simulate the effects of climate change on hydrological regimes at various scales. Great progress has been achieved in all three steps during the past few years, however, large uncertainties still exist in every stage of such study. This paper first reviews the present achievements in this field and then discusses the challenges for future studies of the hydrological impacts of climate change.

Effect of CO_2 Enrichment on the Growth and Nutrient Uptake of Tomato Seedlings

Exposing tomato seedlings to elevated CO2 concentrations may have potentially profound impacts on the tomato yield and quality. A growth chamber experiment was designed to estimate how different nutrient concentrations influenced the effect of elevated CO2 on the growth and nutrient uptake of tomato seedlings. Tomato (Hezuo 906) was grown in pots placed in controlled growth chambers and was subjected to ambient or elevated CO2 (360 or 720μL L-1) and four nutrient solutions of different strengths (1/2-, 1/4-, 1/8-, and 1/16-strength Japan Yamazaki nutrient solutions) in a completely randomized design. The results indicated that some agricultural characteristics of the tomato seedlings such as the plant height, stem thickness, total dry and fresh weights of the leaves, stems and roots, the G value (G value = total plant dry weight/seedling age), and the seedling vigor index (seedling vigor index = stem thickness/(plant height×total plant dry weight) increased with the elevated CO2, and the increases were strongly dependent on the nutrient solution concentrations, being greater with higher nutrient solution concentrations. The elevated CO2 did not alter the ratio of root to shoot. The total N, P, K, and C absorbed from all the solutions except P in the 1/8- and 1/16-strength nutrient solutions increased in the elevated CO2 treatment. These results demonstrate that the nutrient demands of the tomato seedlings increased at elevated CO2 concentrations.

Organochlorine pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water and sediment of the Bosten Lake,Northwest China

We evaluated organic pollution in Bosten Lake, Xinjiang, China, by measuring the concentrations and distributions of organochlorine pesticides （OCPs） and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs）. Water and sediment samples were collected from 19 sites 031-1319） in the lake for analysis. Our analytical results show that the concentrations of total OCPs in water ranges from 30.3 to 91.6 ng/L and the concentrations of PAHs ranges from undetectable （ND） to 368.7 ng/L. The concentrations of total OCPs in surface （i.e., lake bottom） sediment ranges from 6.9 to 16.7 ng/g and the concentrations of PAHs ranges from 25.2 to 491.0 ng/g. Hexachlorocyclohexanes （HCHs） and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes （DDTs） account for large proportions of the OCPs. Low α- to γ-HCH ratios in both water and sediment samples indicate possible contributions from both industrial products and lindane. DDTs in water are probably from historical input, whereas DDTs in sediments are from both historical and recent inputs. Moreover, DDT products in both water and sediments were from multiple sources in the northwestern part of the lake（B11, B12, B13, and B14）. Fugacity ratios for DDT isomers （p,p＇-DDE and p,p＇-DDT） at these sites were generally higher than equilibrium values. These results suggest that the input from the Kaidu River and diffusion of DDTs from the sediment to the water are responsible for DDT pollution in the water. Lower-molecular-weight PAHs, which originate primarily from wood and coal combustion and petroleum sources, represent the major fraction of the PAHs in both water and sediment samples. Our findings indicate that OCPs and PAHs in Bosten Lake can be attributed primarily to human activities. A risk assessment of OCPs and PAHs in water and sediment from Bosten Lake, however, suggests that concentrations are not yet high enough to cause adverse biological effects on the aquatic ecosystem.

Effects of elevated CO_2 concentration on growth and water usage of tomato seedlings under different ammonium/nitrate ratios

Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration is generally expected to enhance photosynthesis and growth of agricultural C3 vegetable crops, and therefore results in an increase in crop yield. However, little is known about the combined effect of elevated CO2 and N species on plant growth and development. Two growth-chamber experiments were conducted to determine the effects of NH4^＋/NO3^- ratio and elevated CO2 concentration on the physiological development and water use of tomato seedlings. Tomato was grown for 45 d in containers with nutrient solutions varying in NH4^＋/NO3^- ratios and CO2 concentrations in growth chambers. Results showed that plant height, stem thickness, total dry weight, dry weight of the leaves, stems and roots, G value （total plant dry weight/seedling days）, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, leaf-level and whole plant-level water use efficiency and cumulative water consumption of tomato seedlings were increased with increasing proportion of NO3- in nutrient solutions in the elevated CO2 treatment. Plant biomass, plant height, stem thickness and photosynthetic rate were 67%, 22%, 24% and 55% higher at elevated CO2 concentration than at ambient CO2 concentration, depending on the values of NH4^＋/NO3^- ratio. These results indicated that elevating CO2 concentration did not mitigate the adverse effects of 100% NH4^＋-N （in nutrient solution） on the tomato seedlings. At both CO2 levels, NH4^＋/NO3^- ratios of nutrient solutions strongly influenced almost every measure of plant performance, and nitrate-fed plants attained a greater biomass production, as compared to ammonium-fed plants. These phenomena seem to be related to the coordinated regulation of photosynthetic rate and cumulative water consumption of tomato seedlings.

Magnetic Properties of Tree Leaves and Their Significance in Atmospheric Particle Pollution in Linfen City,China

Fifty-one tree leaves were sampled in the industrial area,residential area,and Fenhe River ecological zone,for the purpose of a magnetic study on atmospheric pollution in Linfen City,Shanxi Province,China.Measurements of mass-specific magnetic susceptibility(χ) show a significant variation range(from 11.6 × 10-8 m3/kg to 129.7 × 10-8 m3/kg).Overall values of magnetic susceptibility decline in the following sequence:industrial area > residential area > Fenhe River ecological zone.The relatively elevated concentration-related magnetic parameters(saturation isothermal remanent magnetization,anhysteretic remanent magnetization and magnetic susceptibility) appear in the industrial area,with their highest values in the vicinity of Linfen Steel Mill.Magnetic particles are dominated by multidomain,magnetite-like minerals.Magnetic particle concentration and grain size both decrease with the increasing distance from industrial area,indicating the industrial area,especially Linfen Steel Mill,is the main source of atmospheric particle pollution.Residential area and Fenhe River ecological zone are also affected by industrial emission to a certain extent.The results of this study indicate that magnetic measurements of tree leaves are practicable for monitoring and determination of atmospheric pollution in Linfen City.

Pollen and Phytolith Analyses of Ancient Paddy Fields at Chuodun Site, the Yangtze River Delta

A number of paddy fields pertaining to the Majiabang Cultures (5500-3800 years BC) were discovered during the archaeological excavations that were carried out since 1998 at the Chuodun site in the Yangtze River Delta. The pollen and phytolith analyses of two soil profiles from the northeastern part of this site were carried out to trace the agricultural practices of the Neolithic period. The phytolith results showed that rice domestication in the Yangtze River Delta could be traced back to as early as the Majiabang Culture. The pollen assemblage also revealed low levels of aquatic species, similar to that in modern paddy fields. This finding suggested that humans might have removed weeds for rice cultivation during the Neolithic period. Thus, pollen analysis in association with phytolith analysis was a promising method for identifying ancient paddy fields.

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Elements in a Small Catchment, and Buffer Function of Wetland in Longgan Lake, China

Wetland is the conjunction of lake and terrene where human activities are concentrated. From the viewpoints of material transport and cycling in the terrene-lake system, wetland is the buffer where sand and mud, heavy metals, pollutants and nutrients are tarried. In this paper, we provide a case study based on the temporal and spatial distribution of elements in the Wangling River catchment, a small sub-catchment of Longgan Lake in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. We have found that wetland can buffer major heavy metals such as Cr, Cu, etc. significantly, but has a little buffer function to some active elements such as Fe and Mn, which are always transported as solutions. Human activities not only influence the distribution of elements, but also weaken the buffer function of wetland. Intensive human activities in the Longgan Lake area in the past 70 years have been recorded in stream, wetland and lake sediments, especially the human activity events such as deforesting and reclaiming on a large scale in 1958 and the 1980’s. Human activities caused the increase of sedimentation rates since the 1950’s, as well as the increase of elements’ concentrations. The extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides since the 1960’s have led to the increase of total P concentrations. Increasing SO-2 emission accelerate the process of cation exchange in soil, and enhance the leaching of Mn out of soils. Permanent storing of water causes the soil gleyification that also intensifies the leaching of Mn. These are two major reasons for the obvious increase of manganese concentrations in recent 20 years in Longgan Lake. Intensive human activities since the 1950s’ have intensified the population in this region and thus destroyed the buffer function of wetland.

Effects of rice straw on the cell viability, photosynthesis, and growth of Microcystis aeruginosa

Rice straw is supposed to be an environment-friendly biomaterial for inhibiting the growth of harmful blooms of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. However, its potential mechanism is not well known. To explore this mechanism, the growth, cell viability(esterase activity, membrane potential, and membrane integrity), photosynthesis, and cell size of M. aeruginosa were determined using fl ow cytometry and Phyto-PAM after exposure to rice straw extracts(RSE). The results show that doses from 2.0 to 10.0 g/L of RSE effi ciently inhibited the alga for 15 days, while the physiologic and morphologic responses of the cyanobacteria were time-dependent. RSE interfered with the cell membrane potential, cell size, and in vivo chlorophyll- a fl uorescence on the fi rst day. After 7 days of exposure, RSE was transported into the cytosol, which disrupted enzyme activity and photosynthesis. The cyanobacteria then started to repair its physiology(enzyme activity, photosynthesis) and remained viable, suggesting that rice straw act as an algistatic agent.

Simulation and Exploration of the Mechanisms Underlying the Spatiotemporal Distribution of Surface Mixed Layer Depth in a Large Shallow Lake

The aquatic eco-environment is significantly affected by temporal and spatial variation of the mixed layer depth （MLD） in large shallow lakes. In the present study, we simulated the three-dimensional water temperature of Taihu Lake with an unstructured grid with a finite-volume coastal ocean model （FVCOM） using wind speed, wind direction, short-wave radiation and other meteorological data measured during 13-18 August 2008. The simulated results were consistent with the measurements. The temporal and spatial distribution of the MLD and the possible relevant mechanisms were analyzed on the basis of the water temperature profile data of Taihu Lake. The results indicated that diurnal stratification might be established through the combined effect of the hydrodynamic conditions induced by wind and the heat exchange between air and water. Compared with the net heat flux, the changes of the MLD were delayed approximately two hours. Furthermore, there were significant spatial differences of the MLD in Taihu Lake due to the combined impact of thermal and hydrodynamic forces. Briefly, diurnal stratification formed relatively easily in Gonghu Bay, Zhushan Bay, Xukou Bay and East Taihu Bay, and the surface mixed layer was thin. The center of the lake region had the deepest surface mixed layer due to the strong mixing process. In addition, Meiliang Bay showed a medium depth of the surface mixed layer. Our analysis indicated that the spatial difference in the hydrodynamic action was probably the major cause for the spatial variation of the MLD in Taihu Lake.

Trade-offs and Synergies of Ecosystem Services in the Taihu Lake Ba- sin of China

Understanding the spatial interactions among multiple ecosystem services is crucial for ecosystem services management. Ecosystem services, including crop production, freshwater supply, aquatic production, net primary production, soil conservation, water conservation, flood regulation, forest recreation, were measured at 1-km grid scale covering the Taihu Lake Basin(TLB) of China. Our objective is to get a comprehensive understanding of the spatial distributions, trade-offs, synergies of multiple ecosystem services across the TLB. Our results found that: 1) majority of ecosystem services were clustered in space and had a similar spatial distribution pattern with the geographical resource endowment. Most of the landscape contributed a high supply of no services, one or two, and a low supply of three to seven services. 2) There were high correlation between forest recreation and freshwater supply and regulating services. Aquatic production had low correlation with other services. 3) The changes of provisioning services led to trade-offs between regulating services and cultural services in the TLB, while synergies mainly occurred among the provisioning service. 4) The spatial relationships of multiple services are consistent at 1-km spatial scale, counties and provinces. This research could help integrate multiple ecosystem services across scales and serve as a reference for decision making.

Spatial-temporal Evolution and Determinants of the Belt and Road Initiative: A Maximum Entropy Gravity Model Approach

The spatial interaction model is an effective way to explore the geographical disparities inherent in the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) by simulating spatial flows. The traditional gravity model implies the hypothesis of equilibrium points without any reference to when or how to achieve it. In this paper, a dynamic gravity model was established based on the Maximum Entropy(MaxEnt) theory to estimate and monitor the interconnection intensity and dynamic characters of bilateral relations. In order to detect the determinants of interconnection intensity, a Geodetector method was applied to identify and evaluate the determinants of spatial networks in five dimensions. The empirical study clearly demonstrates a heterogeneous and non-circular spatial structure. The main driving forces of spatial-temporal evolution are foreign direct investment, tourism and railway infrastructure construction, while determinants in different sub-regions show obvious spatial differentiation. Southeast Asian countries are typically multi-island area where aviation infrastructure plays a more important role. North and Central Asian countries regard oil as a pillar industry where power and port facilities have a greater impact on the interconnection. While Western Asian countries are mostly influenced by the railway infrastructure, Eastern European countries already have relatively robust infrastructure where tariff policies provide a greater impetus.

Variation of Floods Characteristics and Their Responses to Climate and Human Activities in Poyang Lake, China

The Poyang Lake is one of the most frequently flooded areas in China. Understanding the changing characteristics of floods as well as the affecting factors is an important prerequisite of flood disaster prevention and mitigation. The present study identified the characteristics variations of historical floods in the Poyang Lake and their tendencies based on the Mann-Kendall(M-K) test, and also investigated the related affecting factors, both from climate and human activities. The results revealed that the highest flood stages, duration as well as hazard coefficient of floods showed a long-term increasing linear trend during the last 60 years with the M-K statistic of 1.49, 1.60 and 1.50, respectively. And, a slightly increasing linear trend in the timing of the highest stages indicated the floods occurred later and later during the last six decades. The rainfall during the flood season and subsequent discharges of the Changjiang(Yangtze) River and runoff from the Poyang Lake Basin were mainly responsible for the severe flood situation in the Poyang Lake in the 1990 s. In addition, the intensive human activities, including land reclamation and levee construction, also played a supplementary role in increasing severity of major floods. While, the fewer floods in the Poyang Lake after 2000 can be attributed to not only the less rainfall over the Poyang Lake Basin and low discharges of the Changjiang River during flood periods, but also the stronger influences of human activity which increased the floodwater storage of the Poyang Lake than before.

The climatic and hydrological changes and environmental responses recorded in lake sediments of Xinjiang,China

Based on the analyses of environmental proxy data in lake sediments and instrumental records of Xinjiang in northwest China, the Holocene climate and hydrological variability and its environmental responses were studied in different time scales and regions. The results showed that the Holocene climate variability had obvious differences between the north and south of Xinjiang. In northern Xinjiang, the Holocene climate was dry in the early period, humid in the middle period, and then changed to dry in the late period. However, the climate transition times were not consistent in different regions. In southern Xin- jiang, although there were many different types of climate change patterns inferred from different catch- ments, the warm and wet climate was recorded in most lake sediments in the middle Holocene. According to comparisons of some millennium scale records in lake sediments, the climate was warm and dry in the past 100 years. It can be concluded the climate showed a trend of aridity in Holocene. Especially in recent 50 years, the lake area has been shrinking rapidly because of the population growth and social economic development, which brings some environmental problems. Lake level and area changes were sensitively affected by the climate variation in geological history of Xinjiang and the lake level will continue to shrink because of the drought climate and strengthened human activities.

Effects of temperature and nutrients on phytoplankton biomass during bloom seasons in Taihu Lake

Long-term variations of phytoplankton chlorophyll-a （Chl-a）, nutrients, and suspended solids （SS） in Taihu Lake, a large shallow freshwater lake in China, during algal bloom seasons from May to August were analyzed using the monthly investigated data from 1999 to 2007. The effective accumulated water temperature （EAWT） in months from March to June was calculated with daily monitoring data from the Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research （TLLER）. The concentrations of Chl-a and nutrients significantly decreased from Meiliang Bay to Central Lake. Annual averages of the total nitrogen （TN）, total phosphorus （TP）, and Chl-a concentrations, and EAWT generally increased in the nine years. In Meiliang Bay, the concentration of Chl-a was significantly correlated with EAWT, ammonia nitrogen （NH4＋N）, TN, the soluble reactive phosphorus （SRP）, TP, and SS. In Central Lake, however, the concentration of Chl-a was only correlated with EAWT, TP, and SS. Multiple stepwise linear regression revealed that EAWT, dissolved total phosphorus （DTP）, and TP explained 99.2% of the variation of Chl-a in Meiliang Bay, and that EAWT, NH4＋-N, and TP explained 98.7% of the variation of Chl-a in Central Lake. Thus EAWT is an important factor influencing the annual change of phytoplankton biomass. Extreme climate change, such as extremely hot springs or cold springs, could cause very different bloom intensities in different years. It is also suggested that both nutrients and EAWT played important roles in the growth of phytoplankton in Taihu Lake. The climate factors and nutrients dually controlled the risk of harmful algal blooms in Taihu Lake. Cutting down phosphorus and nitrogen loadings from catchments should be a fundamental strategy to reduce the risk of blooms in Taihu Lake.