1980 tephra from Mount St. Helens: Spatial and temporal variation beneath forest canopies

Summary Tephra and underlying litter and soil were sampled in 1980, 1982, and 1987 beneath subalpine forests where 4.5 and 15 cm of tephra fell during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington State, USA. Coarse pumice had a higher initial pH and less total N, less exchangeable K, Ca, and Mg, and less extractable B and S than finer textured layers. Tephra pH and concentrations of cations and S decreased rapidly with time, especially during the first 2 years in the finer layers. Total N, Bray-Kurtz P, and organic C concentrations in the tephra increased with time. Changes within a site in total N, pH, organic C, P, Ca, Mg, and S from 1980 to 1987 exceeded the differences among sites at any one time. By 1987 a forest floor covered much of the tephra surface, and differences in Ca associated with site vegetation and seepage had developed in tephra layers of a similar depth. In 15 cm deep tephra at one site in 1987, the tephra crust beneath the forest canopy was thicker and had higher concentrations of coarse particles, organic C, total N, and cations than beneath forest openings. In concave microsites the crust was thicker, with higher pH, organic C, and total N but lower S than in adjacent convex microsites. Spatial and temporal chemical differences are sufficient to affect patterns of vegetation recovery.     

Centimetre-scale digital representations of terrain and impacts on depression storage and runoff

The microscale topography of a 20 × 10 m hillslope in a burned portion of Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada was determined through laser scanning at a sub-centimetre scale. Digital terrain models (DTM) were developed for this hillslope at the 0.75 cm, 10 cm, 25 cm, 50 cm, 75 cm and 1 m scales. Random Roughness, Tortuosity and Mean Upslope Depression were computed for bare and vegetated surfaces created at each resolution to determine mean depression storage as a function of resolution. Results for these various roughness parameters and associated depression storage values are not found to change appreciably between the vegetated and bare surface DTMs, and moreover do not change notably with increasing grid cell resolution. Depression storage was also computed using a GIS-based method, the values of which are considered to be, at the highest resolution of 0.75 cm, the most realistic for comparative purposes. Mean depression storage using this latter approach decreases significantly with an increase in grid cell size, in contrast to the values based on Random Roughness which remain stable with increasing grid cell size. The generation of Hortonian overland flow was modelled at different scales using the GIS-derived DTMs. The values of depression storage for the various scales of DTM are demonstrated to have significant influences on overland flow generation. The scale of the DTM affects the changes over time between the proportion of water going into depression storage and that contributing to overland flow, with more water being retained as depression storage at a particular value of rainfall excess after infiltration for the smaller DTM scalings. When overland flow develops from a rising groundwater table in a simulation exercise, water depths are initially lower than the primary roughness elements on the land surface and water is relatively disconnected. As water depths increase, more integrated connections form.     

南方红壤侵蚀区芒萁散布与坡位的关系——以朱溪小流域为例

以朱溪小流域来油坑野外试验场作为研究区,以实时动态差分仪(Real-time kinematic,RTK)进行微地形实地测量,生成高精度DEM和芒萁分布区,提取研究区微观地形坡位因子,对坡度图和芒萁分布图进行空间叠加,分析坡位对芒萁散布的影响.结果表明,①芒萁散布明显地表现为高度集中于沟谷、低坡和高坡,中坡和平坡地区也少量存在,沟脊不存在或者零星地出现.低坡占41.68％,沟谷30.52％,高坡占17.48％,平坡、中坡和沟脊所占面积最小,均不足5％.②坡位引起水肥变化,导致芒萁在不同坡位上的分布比例不均.③微观地形的研究在实际水土流失区治理中具有重要的意义.     

东莞市大屏嶂森林公园微地形对植被多样性的影响

[目的]研究微地形与植被多样性的关系。[方法]设置1 hm2大样地,调查大屏嶂森林公园南亚热带次生常绿阔叶混交林的树木性状,分析微地形与森林植被多样性指数的关系。[结果](1)1 hm~2大样地内共记录到2 209个植株,含24科38属45种。优势树种为杨梅叶青冈(Cyclobalanopsismyrsi-naefolia)等树种。单位面积植株密度为0.220 9株/m~2。植被多样性指数的平均值为1.29,均匀度指数的平均值为0.56。(2)陡坡的植被多样性指数最高(1.46),其次为缓坡(1.28),最低的是急坡(1.19)。(3)各坡向的植被多样性指数从大到小依次为北向(1.95)、西向(1.47)、东向(1.31)、南向(0.95)。(4)上坡和下坡的植被多样性指数相当(1.43和1.40),而中坡的相对较低(1.29)。[结论]该研究可为更深入地研究该地区的物种多样性维持机制等提供基础资料。     

Suitability of terrestrial laser scanning for studying surface roughness effects on concentrated flow erosion processes in rangelands

Surface roughness is thought to affect concentrated flow erosion – a major mechanism of soil loss on disturbed rangelands. However, quantifying surface roughness in the field at appropriately fine spatial scales is laborious and the scale at which to conduct meaningful roughness measurements is difficult to discern. Rapid, objective, and repeatable field methods are therefore needed to accurately measure surface roughness across a range of spatial scales to advance our understanding and modeling of concentrated flow erosion processes. Surface roughness can be derived from surface topography mapped at the sub-cm level using a field-portable terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). To test the suitability of terrestrial laser scanning for studying surface roughness effects on erosion processes in rangelands, we used concentrated flow simulation techniques at 8.5 m² plots that were randomly placed at rangeland sites in southeastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho, USA. Local surface roughness (locRMSH) was calculated as the standard deviation of TLS mapped surface heights within moving windows varying in size from 30 × 30 to 90 × 90 mm. The mean locRMSH of the eroded area and entire plot were negatively correlated (r² > 0.71, RMSE < 95.97 g min^− 1, and r² > 0.74, RMSE < 90.07 g min^− 1, respectively) with concentrated flow erosion. The strength of the locRMSH–erosion relationship and regression model parameters were affected by the moving window size, emphasizing the scale dependence of the locRMSH–erosion relationship. Adjusting locRMSH for slope effects decreased the strength of the locRMSH–erosion relationship from r² < 0.83 to < 0.26. Our results indicate that TLS is a useful tool to enhance our current understanding of the effect of surface roughness on overland flow erosion processes and advance hydrologic and erosion model parameter development. Further research is needed to evaluate the locRMSH – concentrated flow erosion relationship over a wider range of soil properties, surface conditions, and spatial extents.     

Spatial and temporal variability in CH4 and N2O fluxes from a Scottish ombrotrophic peatland: Implications for modelling and up-scaling

Peatlands typically exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity which can lead to large uncertainties when catchment scale greenhouse gas fluxes are extrapolated from chamber measurements (generally <1 m²). Here we examined the underlying environmental and vegetation characteristics which led to within-site variability in both CH₄ and N₂O emissions and the importance of such variability in up-scaling. We also consider within-site variation in the controls of temporal dynamics. Net annual emissions (and coefficients of variation) for CH₄ and N₂O were 1.06 kg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ (300%) and 0.02 kg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ (410%), respectively. The riparian zone was a significant CH₄ hotspot contributing ∼12% of the total catchment emissions whilst covering only ∼0.5% of the catchment area. In contrast to many other studies we found smaller CH₄ emissions and greater uptake in chambers containing either sedges or rushes. We also found clear differences in the drivers of temporal CH₄ dynamics across the site, e.g. water table was important only in chambers which did not contain aerenchymous plants. We suggest that depending on the heterogeneity of the site, flux models could be improved by incorporating a number of spatially distinct sub-models, rather than a single model parameterized using whole-catchment averages.     

陕北黄土区微地形土壤水分对降水特征的响应

利用标准化降水指数分析了吴起县1957—2012年的全年、生长季的降水特征,以及缓坡和陡坡不同微地形土壤水分在2008—2012年生长季的动态变化特征,结果表明:吴起县1957—1986年的降水波动较大,出现极端、严重干旱和湿润年份,但1987年以来则表现为轻微干旱、湿润或正常;生长季标准化降水指数与各点土壤水层厚度变化值呈正相关关系,与塌陷、缓坡的相关程度(R2)低于0.8,与切沟、缓台及浅沟的相关程度介于0.8~0.9之间,与其他各点的相关程度大于0.9;生长季各点土壤水层厚度变化值存在显著差异,且缓坡、塌陷和缓台的值显著高于其他各点。     

Effects of woody debris, microtopography, and organic matter amendments on the biotic community of constructed depressional wetlands

To increase wetland acreage and biodiversity, Delaware agencies constructed >220 depressional wetlands. During construction, agencies included amendments thought to increase biodiversity. Because the efficacy of amendments is unknown, we investigated their effects on macroinvertebrate and vegetative communities. We selected 20 standardized wetlands (five contained coarse woody debris (CWD) and microtopography amendments (land surface ridges and furrows), five had neither, five had CWD only, and five had microtopography only). Additionally, 12 wetlands had received organic matter amendments (i.e., straw). Insect richness (P = 0.010; r² = 0.16), insect biomass (P = 0.023; r² = 0.13), intolerant insect biomass (P = 0.033, r² = 0.03), Ephemeroptera biomass (P = 0.027; r² = 0.12), and Odonata biomass (P = 0.046; r² = 0.10) increased with CWD volume. Obligate plant percent cover increased with microtopographic variation (P = 0.029; r² = 0.120). Although organic matter amendments did not increase percent soil organic matter (t_13.7 = −1.16, P = 0.264), total (P = 0.027; r² = 0.12), native (P = 0.036; r² = 0.11), and facultative (P = 0.001; r² = 0.24) plant richness increased with percent soil organic matter. To enhance biodiversity, constructed wetlands should contain CWD, but additional research is needed to understand the benefits of microtopography and organic matter amendments.     

动物掠影

近年来微地形景观广泛应用于道路、公园和住宅小区绿化,微地形景观越来越受人们的喜爱。本文论述了微地形的概念、历史和类型,分析了微地形景观设计中的特点,并对华南地区的公共绿地、居住区绿化的微地形景观处理手法及其相应的植物配置进行探讨。