Stellar luminosity variations and global warming

Recent studies indicate that variation in the sun's luminosity is less than that observed in many other stars of similar magnetic activity. Current findings also indicate that in more active stars, the attenuation by faculae of sunspot luminosity modulation is less effective than in the sun at present. The sun could thus become photometrically more variable (and dimmer) if its magnetic activity exceeded present levels. But the levels of solar activity required for this to occur are not observed in carbon-14 and beryllium-10 records over the past several millennia, which indicates that such an increase in amplitude of surface magnetism-driven variations in solar luminosity is unlikely in the present epoch.     

Grassland vegetation changes and nocturnal global warming

Global minimum temperatures (TMIN) are increasing faster than maximum temperatures, but the ecological consequences of this are largely unexplored. Long-term data sets from the shortgrass steppe were used to identify correlations between TMIN and several vegetation variables. This ecosystem is potentially sensitive to increases in TMIN. Most notably, increased spring TMIN was correlated with decreased net primary production by the dominant C4 grass (Bouteloua gracilis) and with increased abundance and production by exotic and native C3 forbs. Reductions in B. gracilis may make this system more vulnerable to invasion by exotic species and less tolerant of drought and grazing.     

Simulation of early 20th century global warming

The observed global warming of the past century occurred primarily in two distinct 20-year periods, from 1925 to 1944 and from 1978 to the present. Although the latter warming is often attributed to a human-induced increase of greenhouse gases, causes of the earlier warming are less clear because this period precedes the time of strongest increases in human-induced greenhouse gas (radiative) forcing. Results from a set of six integrations of a coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model suggest that the warming of the early 20th century could have resulted from a combination of human-induced radiative forcing and an unusually large realization of internal multidecadal variability of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system. This conclusion is dependent on the model's climate sensitivity, internal variability, and the specification of the time-varying human-induced radiative forcing.     

Quantifying global warming from the retreat of glaciers

Records of glacier fluctuations compiled by the World Glacier Monitoring Service can be used to derive an independent estimate of global warming during the last 100 years. Records of different glaciers are made comparable by a two-step scaling procedure: one allowing for differences in glacier geometry, the other for differences in climate sensitivity. The retreat of glaciers during the last 100 years appears to be coherent over the globe. On the basis of modeling of the climate sensitivity of glaciers, the observed glacier retreat can be explained by a linear warming trend of 0.66 kelvin per century.     

长沙市区马尾松人工林生态系统碳储量及其空间分布

\t\t\t\t\t目的\t\t\t\t\t通过对帽儿山不同红松人工林凋落物的分析测定,研究不同红松人工林凋落物含量、组成以及凋落物碳密度的动态规律和特点,为其区域尺度上森林碳储量的估测和碳汇林业的开展提供科学和理论依据。\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t方法\t\t\t\t\t运用凋落物筐收集法对帽儿山地区红松人工纯林、白桦—红松人工混交林和蒙古栎—红松人工混交林的凋落物进行研究。\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t结果\t\t\t\t\t不同林型凋落物组成不同,凋落物含量和凋落物碳密度随着林龄的增长也逐渐增加,3种林型42年林龄凋落物含量和碳密度均明显大于20年;不同林型的人工林凋落物碳密度差异显著,20年人工林凋落物碳密度表现为：白桦—红松林 [0.751 t/(hm²·a)] >蒙古栎—红松林 [0.721 t/(hm ²·a)] >红松纯林 [0.688 t/(hm ²·a)](P<0.05);42年生人工林凋落物碳密度依次为：蒙古栎—红松林 [2.995 t/(hm²·a)] >白桦—红松林 [2.779 t/(hm ²·a)] >红松纯林 [2.007 t/(hm ²·a)](P<0.05)。\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t结论\t\t\t\t\t不同林型的红松人工林凋落物碳密度差异显著,混交林明显大于纯林;林分凋落物碳密度随着林龄的增长而增加。\t\t\t\t     

Effect of global warming on soil salinity of the arid regions

On the basis of comparison of the current climate and soil salinity of the subboreal deserts of Central Asia (the Turan Lowland and the Gobi desert), we have identified that different climate conditions of these regions determine specific features of salinization of the majority of hydromorphic soils. The spread and the salinization rate of automorphic desert soils are determined, primarily, by the presence of salt-bearing rocks dating back to the previous periods of landscape development and do not have any direct relation to the modern aridity. This fact allows us to argue that global warming will not contribute to rapid salt accumulation in the automorphic soils of arid regions, except for the regions exposed to eolian salt accumulation. Under hydromorphic conditions, aridization of the climate will lead to a higher rate of soil salinization.