Spatial and temporal variability of air temperature across urban neighborhoods with varying amounts of tree canopy

Recent studies have emphasized the presence of microclimates in urban settings, but most do not have the high resolution observations necessary to understand the interactions taking place at a neighborhood scale. This study used a network of 10 identical weather stations and high resolution land cover data in Knoxville, Tennessee, to analyze the microclimates of a medium-sized city with a temperate climate. Two stations were installed in each of four urban neighborhoods in locations with varying localized tree cover, and two additional stations were installed in the center of downtown and in a nearby urban nature center. The intra-neighborhood results suggested that there is significant temperature variability within a single neighborhood based on the tree canopy density immediately surrounding a given weather station. However, the inter-neighborhood variability (differences between neighborhoods) was similar in magnitude, which suggests that the overall differences in neighborhood characteristics also have an effect on climate. Land cover at the neighborhood scale (in particular tree canopy percentages at the 500-m radii) had the highest correlation with the minimum daily temperature (Tmin) during the summer season. Maximum daily temperature (Tmax) relied most on the distance of each station from Downtown and the amount of impervious area in the 50 m surrounding each station. Tmax was also most influenced by surrounding land cover during dry conditions (a Dry Moderate air mass). Overall, highly localized impervious land cover percentages and larger-scale forested canopy were important in explaining temperature fluctuation, pointing to the importance of scale in microclimate assessments. Dry air masses enhanced the relationship between land cover and temperature during the day, while moist air masses did the same overnight. These data can be used to better inform planning strategies to build resiliency to extreme heat into urban environments by considering the influence of tree canopy.     

国内外应对气候变化立法研究进展

为了积极应对气候变化,促进低碳经济发展,分析了当前应对气候变化立法方面的研究进展,认为尽管取得了一定进展,但现有法律既不能满足我国气候外交的需求,也不足以担当气候治理的重任,我国还缺乏系统性专门性的应对气候变化法律.为了应对气候变化的挑战,必须充分整合国内外应对气候变化立法方面的科技资源,以保证我国气候外交和气候治理战略的科学性.     

Decreasing of methanogenic activity in paddy fields via lowering ponding water temperature: A modeling investigation

Methane (CH₄) is a potent greenhouse gas and the huge CH₄ fluxes emitted from paddy fields can prejudice the eco-compatibility of rice cultivation. CH₄ production in submerged rice crops is known to be highly influenced by water temperature. Hence, lowering ponding water temperature (LPWT) could be an option to mitigate CH₄ emissions from paddy environments when it is possible either to irrigate with slightly colder water or to increase ponding water depth. However, paddy soil is a complex environment in which many processes are simultaneously influenced by temperature, leading to a difficult prediction of LPWT effects. For this reason, LPWT efficiency is here theoretically investigated with a one-dimensional process-based model that simulates the vertical and temporal dynamics of water temperature in soil and the fate of chemical compounds that influence CH₄ emissions. The model is validated with literature measured data of CH₄ emissions from a paddy field under time-variable temperature regime. Based on modeling results, LPWT appears promising since the simulated reduction of CH₄ emissions reaches about −12% and −49% for an LPWT equal to −5 °C during the ripening stage only (last 30 days of growing season, when rice is less sensitive to temperature variations) and −2 °C over the whole growing season, respectively. LPWT affects CH₄ emissions either directly (decreasing methanogenic activity), indirectly (decreasing activity of bacteria using alternative electron acceptors), or both. The encouraging results provide the theoretical ground for further laboratory and field studies aimed to investigate the LPWT feasibility in paddy environments.     

Soil enzyme activities during the 2011 Texas record drought/heat wave and implications to biogeochemical cycling and organic matter dynamics

Extreme droughts and heat waves due to climate change may have permanent consequences on soil quality and functioning in agroecosystems. During November 2010 to August 2011, the Southern High Plains (SHP) region of Texas, U.S., a large cotton producing area, received only 39.6 mm of precipitation (vs. the historical avg. of 373 mm) and experienced the hottest summer since record keeping began in 1911. Several enzyme activities (EAs) important in biogeochemical cycling were evaluated in two soils (a loam and a sandy loam at 0–10 cm) with a management history of monoculture (continuous cotton) or rotation (cotton and sorghum or millet). Samplings occurred under the most extreme drought and heat conditions (July 2011), after precipitation resulted in a reduction in a drought severity index (March 2012), and 12 months after the initial sampling (July 2012; loam only). Eight out of ten EAs, were significantly higher in July 2011 compared to March 2012 for some combinations of soil type and management history. Among these eight EAs, enzymes key to C (β-glucosidase, β-glucosaminidase) and P cycling (phosphodiesterase, acid and alkaline phosphatases) were significantly higher (19–79%) in July 2011 than in March 2012 for both management histories regardless of the soil type (P > 0.05). When comparing all sampling times, the activities of alkaline phosphatase, aspartase and urease (rotation only) showed this trend: July 2011 > March 2012 > July 2012. Activities of phosphodiesterase, acid phosphatase, α-galactosidase, β-glucosidase and β-glucosaminidase were higher in July 2011 than July 2012 in at least one of the two management histories. Total C was reduced significantly from July 2011 to March 2012 in the rotation for both soils. Only the activities of arylsulfatase (avg. 36%) and asparaginase showed an increase from July 2011 to March 2012 for both soil types, which may indicate they have a different origin/location than the other enzymes. EAs continued to be a fingerprint of the soil management history (i.e., higher EAs in the rotation than in monoculture) during the drought/heat wave. This study provided some of the first evidence of the adverse effects of a natural, extreme drought and heat wave on soil quality in agroecosystems as indicated by EAs involved in biogeochemical cycling.     

Mass balanced based LCA of a common carp-lettuce aquaponics system

An aquaponics system (AS) is an integrated system that combines a recirculating aquaculture system and a hydroponics system (HS). It is designed to recover nutrients released from fish and transfer them to plants to provide a system more environmentally-friendly than the two systems working separately. As a result, several AS are under development, but little information is available about their overall performances. The aim of this study was to assess nutrient-use efficiency and environmental impacts of an AS, specifically a common carp-lettuce AS located in a greenhouse. Nutrient budgets of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were calculated and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed for the AS and for a lettuce Individual Hydroponics System (IHS), similar to the HS of the AS, operating in the greenhouse at the same time. The experiment was performed over a 52-day cycle, which corresponds to the growing time required to harvest marketable lettuce. The nutrient budgets were well balanced, with 24.6% of the N unaccounted-for, most likely due to N2 gas emission, and 6.6% of the P unaccounted-for, most likely due to having underestimated the quantity of sediment. At the beginning of the experiment, N represented 55.9%, 37.1% and 0.1% of the total N input in the formulated feed, stocked fish and lettuce seedlings, respectively. At the end of the experiment, N represented 47.6% and 0.4% of the total N input in the harvested fish and lettuce, respectively. At the beginning of the experiment, P represented 56.94%, 40.20% and 0.03% of the total P input in the formulated feed, stocked fish and lettuce seedlings, respectively. At the end of the experiment, P represented 51.52% and 0.42% of the total P input in the harvested fish and lettuce, respectively. LCA clearly indicated two environmental impact hotspots: the origin of nutrients and energy use. One kg of lettuce growth in the AS clearly had lower environmental impacts than that in the IHS for climate change, acidification, eutrophication, land competition and cumulative energy demand; however, a decrease in water dependence was not observed. The indicator for net primary production use highlighted the dependence of the AS on natural resources, especially fish meal and fish oil. Compared to the use of chemical nutrients in the IHS, the use of nutrients from formulated feed in the AS decreased climate change impact but increased the use of natural resources.     

湖南洋泉水库调度的最优气候决策方法探讨

充分利用气候资源作好水库水位（量）调度、提高水库在抗旱和发电中的经济效益,是当今水库调度决策亟待解决的一个重要课题.本文根据气象经济学原理,运用连续函数求极值方法,利用洋泉水库有关经济参数,建立水库气候最优调度决策,在水库的实际调度中应用,可取得明显的社会经济效益.     

未来中高排放情景下松嫩平原农业气候资源变化分析

基于松嫩平原地区基准时段（1961−1990年）的观测数据,应用统计方法对模型模拟的未来30a(2021−2050年)温度、降水、辐射的逐日数据进行偏差订正,同时采用五日滑动平均法计算≥10℃积温,分析研究区域相对于基准时段,未来30a农业气候资源指标的时空变化特征。结果表明：在RCP4.5和RCP8.5两种排放情景下,未来30a松嫩平原大部分地区平均温度在4～8℃,较基准时段升高2.5～2.8℃,且北部地区的增温幅度大于南部地区;此外,大部分地区≥10℃积温介于3000～3700℃·d,两种情景下分别增加500～550℃·d和600～670℃·d,其中南部部分地区增幅超过670℃·d;大部分地区年降水量在460～580mm,增量为50～90mm不等,降水增量在空间分布上表现为南多北少,其中南部地区增量超过90mm,而北部地区年增量则不足50mm,两种情景在相同区域的降水增量表现为RCP4.5多于RCP8.5;相较于基准时段,年辐射量减少85～100MJ·m−2,生长季内辐射量减少10～40MJ·m−2,变化趋势均不明显。综上所述,未来松嫩平原地区农业气候资源表现为整体提升趋势,农作物可种植期相对延长,因此,应适当种植生育期更长的作物,避免因未来气温升高,造成现有作物生育期缩短,导致产量降低的情况发生;同时研究结果对调整种植结构、改变种植措施和选育作物品种等具有指导意义,有利于充分利用气候资源,提高作物产量。     

黄土高原中部冬小麦生长对气候变暖和春季晚霜冻变化的响应

利用位于黄土高原中部的甘肃西峰试验田资料和当地平行气象观测资料,分析了春季气温、终霜冻和冬小麦生长发育对气候变暖的响应特征。结果表明：1981年以来,春季平均气温和平均最低气温分别以1.2℃/10a和1.1℃/10a的速率升高,5月的极端最低气温以1.2℃/10a的速率升高;1997年以来4月极端最低气温波动幅度增大,在气候变暖大背景下2001年和2006年出现了最小值,属于反常年份,冻害严重;终霜日期提前的气候趋势比较明显,速率为3.2d/10a,终霜日地面最低温度表现为波动变化,个别年份出现反常的重霜冻灾害;终霜冻过程的持续日数表现出阶段性增加规律,地面最低温度负积温在反常年份2005-2006年有增强变化;1981年以来冬小麦拔节期以4.5d/10a的速率极显著提前（P〈0.01）,1997年以来提前趋势更加明显,1997-2008年平均拔节期比1981-1996年提前9d。气候持续变暖,冬小麦拔节期提前的速率大于终霜日提前的速率,表明冬小麦春季拔节-孕穗期遭受终霜冻危害的气候风险在增大。     

黑龙港流域参考作物蒸散量的时序变化和分形特征

利用位于黑龙港流域的武强、深泽、饶阳、晋州、献县5站1957-2009年日最高气温、日平均气温、日最低气温、日平均相对湿度、日平均风速、日照时数资料,采用Penman-Monteith算法,计算各站不同时间尺度ET0,采用线性趋势分析法分析其趋势倾向,并应用滑动R/S分析方法研究该流域不同时间尺度ET0时间序列的分形特征。线性趋势分析显示,各站历史上自1957年以来的ET0年总值的气候倾向率在-33.81-10.79mm.10a^-1,即均呈下降趋势,但变化倾向率不同;各月ET0倾向率在-11.27-2.02mm.10a^-1,大多数为负值,其中5、6月份各站的下降趋势最大;春、夏、秋、冬季ET0倾向率为-15.87-1.30mm.10a^-1,且夏季各站之间的差异较大,尤以饶阳站与其他4站间的差异最大。气候要素倾向率的对比分析表明,5站参考作物蒸散量总体下降趋势的基本特征主要是由于风速下降、日照时数减少、日最高最低气温上升造成的;5、6月份下降趋势明显则主要是由于风速下降、日照时数减少、日平均气温上升减缓、相对湿度上升明显造成的;饶阳站与其他4站差异较大的主要原因在于2、3、11、12月风速下降和日照时数减少以及日最高最低气温上升趋势减缓、相对湿度和气压下降明显,以致这些月份的ET0倾向率大于0,形成秋季和冬季ET0倾向率大于0,年尺度ET0年际变化下降趋势不明显。R/S分析结果显示,5站全年和各季ET0时间序列的Hurst指数均大于0.5,相关系数均在0.98以上,分维数均小于1.5,说明各站全年和各季节ET0时间序列变化趋势在未来一段时间内具有持续性,即ET0在未来将呈较明显的下降趋势,这种趋势在除饶阳外的其他站月均有不同程度的表现。     

内蒙古典型草原区地表干湿状况变化趋势及影响因素分析

分析气候变化对典型草原区干湿状况的影响,对于了解草原退化原因、恢复草原生态环境有重要的指导意义。本文根据FAO推荐的彭曼一孟蒂斯方程,利用典型草原区1961—2008年25个地面气象站资料,通过计算潜在蒸发量、地表干燥度指数和水分盈亏量,分析了典型草原区地表干湿状况的空间分布规律及其年代际变化趋势,并探讨了它们与气候要素的相互关系。结果表明：（1）典型草原区牧草生长季干燥度指数均在2．0以上,水分亏缺量在400mm以上,属于地表干燥、水分亏缺状态。且整个牧草生长季4—9月,地表仍以干燥、水分亏缺为主。（2）典型草原区地表干湿状况存在着明显的阶段性变化特征。20世纪60、70年代水分亏缺多、干燥度大,属于气候相对干燥时期;80、90年代水分亏缺减少、干燥度降低;2001—2008年,水分亏缺量和干燥度指数逐渐增大,甚至达历史最大值,成为气候最为干燥时期,且变干倾向显著。（3）对典型草原区地表干湿状况影响最显著的因子为降水量和相对湿度（相关系数在0．8以上）,其次为日照时数（相关系数在0．6以上）,平均气温和平均风速对其影响相对较小。