Possible impacts of climate change on hydrologic cycle in Slovakia and results of observations in 1951–2007

The hydrologic cycle in Slovakia is determined mainly by three basic components: precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (E) and runoff (R). The mean annual P total was 747 mm, E sum 476 mm and the mean R was 271 mm in Slovakia in 1951–1980 (E ≈ 0.65P and R ≈ 0.35P). T increase in 1.6°C and annual P decrease in 24 mm (3.1%) were detected in the 1881–2007 period. Regimes of potential and actual evapotranspiration, soil moisture and R have been changed mainly in the southern Slovakia. A physical model for the estimation of the energy balance equation components (total radiation balance and its components, potential and actual evapotranspiration, sensible heat flux) has been developed. Input data are the air temperature and humidity, cloudiness, the number of days with snow cover and precipitation, all measured in the network of 31 meteorological stations in Slovakia since 1951. The 20-year period 1988–2007 was by 0.9°C warmer than the normal period mean. The observed increase is at the upper limit of all climate change scenarios projected for Slovakia in 1991–2001. Annual P totals have not changed significantly, but substantial changes have been found in the P regime. The scenarios show significant changes in the hydrological cycle not only at river basins balance but also in case of soil water balance, mainly in the southern Slovakia.     

The time variability of evapotranspiration and soil water storage in long series of rainfall-runoff process

Natural variability, i. e. climatic oscillation, influences the development of vegetation in the annual cycle. At the same time it creates the conditions for the changes of the vegetation cover even in the scale of centuries. This is the phenomenon, which causes the variation or tendencies in evapotranspiration demands and consequently of water storage regime, and its long scale change is sometimes disregarded. The simulation of rainfall-runoff process has been used for the re-evaluation of the assumed evapotranspiration demand due to the developing vegetation cover and of groundwater storage in the catchments. The simulations provide the results, which illustrate the dominant role of transpiration in comparison with other components of evapotranspiration. The simulations also illustrate the interaction between evapotranspiration and groundwater storage. Additionally, the modelling confirms that it could be useful to compare the parameters for the recession process of simulated sub-surface water storage with the decreases of observed outflow of springs and/or with the course of water levels in the bore holes.     

1971-2010年中国大陆潜在蒸散变化的年代际转折及其成因

潜在蒸散时间演变的年代际转折研究有助于全面认识潜在蒸散对气候变化的响应。基于修正的FAO56 Penman-Monteith公式和中国580个台站逐日气象观测资料,利用气候变化趋势转折判别模型分析了1971—2010年中国潜在蒸散变化的年代际转折特征,并探讨转折前、后的变化趋势及其主导因素。结果表明:1971—2010年中国年平均潜在蒸散在20世纪90年代初期由显著下降(-2.46 mm/a)转变为显著上升(1.57 mm/a),这与影响潜在蒸散变化的4个气象因子趋势的年代际转折密切相关。90年代之前,全国风速和日照时数普遍下降引起的负贡献超过气温上升引起的正贡献,导致潜在蒸散显著下降;90年代之后,全国大部分地区的增暖加剧和干旱化使得气温和相对湿度的正贡献明显增大,超过由于风速和日照时数下降趋势减缓甚至转折而减小的负贡献,导致潜在蒸散显著上升。潜在蒸散趋势转折现象在全国80%以上的站点普遍存在,且转折前、后主导因子的空间分布格局存在差异。90年代之前,风速和日照时数分别是北方和南方多数站点的主导因子;90年代之后,以气温和相对湿度为主导因子的站点明显增多,尤其是在西北地区、青藏高原和东南沿海部分地区。     

Spatio-temporal characteristics of evapotranspiration and water use efficiency in grasslands of Xinjiang

Aims Xinjiang is located in the hinterland of the Eurasian arid areas, with grasslands widely distributed. Grasslands in Xinjiang provide significant economic and ecological benefits. However, research on evapotranspiration (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE) of the grasslands is still relatively weak. This study aimed to explore the spatio-temporal characteristics on ET and WUE in the grasslands of Xinjiang in the context of climate change.Methods The Biome-BGC model was used to determine the spatio-temporal characteristics of ET and WUE of the grasslands over the period 1979-2012 across different seasons, areas and grassland types in Xinjiang.Important findings The average annual ET in the grasslands of Xinjiang was estimated at 245.7 mm, with interannual variations generally consistent with that of precipitation. Overall, the value of ET was lower than that of precipitation. The higher values of ET mainly distributed in the Tianshan Mountains, Altai Mountains, Altun Mountains and the low mountain areas on the northern slope of Kunlun Mountains. The lower values of ET mainly distributed in the highland areas of Kunlun Mountains and the desert plains. Over the period 1979-2012, average annual ET was 183.2 mm in the grasslands of southern Xinjiang, 357.9 mm in the grasslands of the Tianshan Mountains, and 221.3 mm in grasslands of northern Xinjiang. In winter, ET in grasslands of northern Xinjiang was slightly higher than that of Tianshan Mountains. Average annual ET ranked among grassland types as: mid-mountain meadow > swamp meadow > typical grassland > desert grassland > alpine meadow > saline meadow. The highest ET value occurred in summer, and the lowest ET value occurred in winter, with ET in spring being slightly higher than that in autumn. The higher WUE values mainly distributed in the areas of Tianshan Mountains and Altai Mountains. The lower WUE values mainly distributed in the highland areas of Kunlun Mountains and part of the desert plains. The average annual WUE in the grasslands of Xinjiang was 0.56 g·kg^-1, with the seasonal values of 0.43 g·kg^-1 in spring, 0.60 g·kg^-1 in summer, and 0.48 g·kg^-1 in autumn, respectively. Over the period 1979-2012, the values of WUE displayed significant regional differences: the average values were 0.73 g·kg^-1 in northern Xinjiang, 0.26 g·kg^-1 in southern Xinjiang, and 0.69 g·kg^-1 in Tianshan Mountains. There were also significant differences in WUE among grassland types. The values of WUE ranked in the order of mid-mountain meadow > typical grassland > swamp meadow > saline meadow > alpine meadow > desert grassland.     

长江流域实际蒸散发演变趋势及影响因素

长江流域是我国重要的水资源供给区域,流域生态系统的水资源供给不仅服务于流域内部,同时也通过南水北调服务于北方部分地区。实际蒸散发作为地表水文循环重要环节会直接影响到生态系统的水资源供给服务能力。在全球气候变暖与地表环境变化的背景下,分析长江流域实际蒸散发的演变趋势与成因,对于我国水资源供给和生态安全的保障有着重要的意义。在对比GLEAM_v3.2a、MOD16、GLDAS_Noah2、ERA_Interim四种常用蒸散发数据集精度的基础上,选择精度最优的GLEAM_v3.2a数据集,通过分段线性拟合、逐步回归和相关性分析了1981-2017年间长江流域地表实际蒸散发演变趋势和影响因素。结果表明：（1）长江流域实际蒸散发的演变具有明显的阶段性,1981-1997年为不显著下降阶段,下降速率为-0.02 mm/a,下降区域主要分布在长江流域西北和东部部分子流域,1998-2017年为全流域显著上升阶段,上升速率为1.94 mm/a;（2）日照时数下降速率减缓、植被指数增加速率升高是长江流域实际蒸散发阶段性变化的主要原因,气温突增、风速回升在长江流域实际蒸散发的长期增加趋势中也起到了重要的正向作用;（3）1998-2017年间,长江流域生态系统水资源供给服务量在实际蒸散发显著增加的影响下有所下降,流域西部地区下降趋势明显,旱情加剧;（4）建议在长江流域西部干旱地区优先加强对本地原生林的保护,同时在生态修复工程中选择针叶乔木等蒸腾能力弱的树种,以缓解旱情加剧的趋势。     

玉米农田蒸散过程及其对气候变化的响应模拟

应用基于生理生态学过程的EALCO模型,对玉米农田生态系统的蒸散(ET)过程进行了模拟,在模型检验基础上,使用该模型模拟了玉米农田生态系统ET过程对未来气候变化的响应。结果表明,EALCO模型中能量与水过程的动态耦合机制使模型能够较好地模拟农田蒸散过程,基于涡度相关法的观测值与模型模拟值在小时、日尺度上均吻合较好,模型可以解释67%的日蒸散的变化特征。对土壤蒸发与冠层蒸腾的分别模拟显示,生长季土壤蒸发约占ET的36%。温度的升高会引起ET与冠层蒸腾的增加,同时土壤蒸发减少;ET对降水减少的响应较为敏感,主要表现在土壤蒸发的下降。大气CO2浓度升高对冠层蒸腾影响显著,该情景下冠层蒸腾下降幅度最大。研究所假设的2100年气候情景下,该农田生态系统生长季蒸散将减少,然而相对于降水的减少而言,蒸散的减少量较小,即水分支出项相对增加,因此,发生土壤水分匮乏的可能性加大,这可能会加剧该地区的暖干化趋势,给作物产量及生态环境带来威胁。     

Declining water yield from forested mountain watersheds in response to climate change and forest mesophication

Climate change and forest disturbances are threatening the ability of forested mountain watersheds to provide the clean, reliable, and abundant fresh water necessary to support aquatic ecosystems and a growing human population. Here, we used 76 years of water yield, climate, and field plot vegetation measurements in six unmanaged, reference watersheds in the southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, USA to determine whether water yield has changed over time, and to examine and attribute the causal mechanisms of change. We found that annual water yield increased in some watersheds from 1938 to the mid‐1970s by as much as 55%, but this was followed by decreases up to 22% by 2013. Changes in forest evapotranspiration were consistent with, but opposite in direction to the changes in water yield, with decreases in evapotranspiration up to 31% by the mid‐1970s followed by increases up to 29% until 2013. Vegetation survey data showed commensurate reductions in forest basal area until the mid‐1970s and increases since that time accompanied by a shift in dominance from xerophytic oak and hickory species to several mesophytic species (i.e., mesophication) that use relatively more water. These changes in forest structure and species composition may have decreased water yield by as much as 18% in a given year since the mid‐1970s after accounting for climate. Our results suggest that changes in climate and forest structure and species composition in unmanaged forests brought about by disturbance and natural community dynamics over time can result in large changes in water supply.     

Satellite‐derived estimates of forest leaf area index in southwest Western Australia are not tightly coupled to interannual variations in rainfall: implications for groundwater decline in a drying climate

There is increasing concern that widespread forest decline could occur in regions of the world where droughts are predicted to increase in frequency and severity as a result of climate change. The average annual leaf area index (LAI) is an indicator of canopy cover and the difference between the annual maximum and minimum LAI is an indicator of annual leaf turnover. In this study, we analyzed satellite‐derived estimates of monthly LAI across forested coastal catchments of southwest Western Australia over a 12 year period (2000–2011) that included the driest year on record for the last 60 years. We observed that over the 12 year study period, the spatial pattern of average annual satellite‐derived LAI values was linearly related to mean annual rainfall. However, interannual changes to LAI in response to changes in annual rainfall were far less than expected from the long‐term LAI‐rainfall trend. This buffered response was investigated using a physiological growth model and attributed to availability of deep soil moisture and/or groundwater storage. The maintenance of high LAIs may be linked to a long‐term decline in areal average underground water storage and diminished summer flows, with an emerging trend toward more ephemeral flow regimes.     

Impact of climatic change on eco-hydrology: a case study for Poland

The impact of climatic change on variables of concern to eco-hydrology was examined. Long time series of records of temperature, precipitation and river flow for Poznan were analyzed and forecasts of tendencies were made. Spatial distribution of runoff and of the ratio of evapotranspiration to precipitation was obtained for the country. It was found likely that the dynamics of the hydrological cycle will accelerate. Annual precipitation, runoff and evapotranspiration will increase. The joint effect, including estimated growth in water demand, is likely to be a decrease in the amount of soil moisture.     

Stomatal responses to increased CO2: implications from the plant to the global scale

Increased atmospheric CO₂ often but not always leads to large decreases in leaf conductance. Decreased leaf conductance has important implications for a number of components of CO₂ responses, from the plant to the global scale. All of the factors that are sensitive to a change in soil moisture, either amount or timing, may be affected by increased CO₂. The list of potentially sensitive processes includes soil evaporation, run-off, decomposition, and physiological adjustments of plants, as well as factors such as canopy development and the composition of the plant and microbial communities. Experimental evidence concerning ecosystem-scale consequences of the effects of CO₂ on water use is only beginning to accumulate, but the initial indication is that, in water-limited areas, the effects of CO₂-induced changes in leaf conductance are comparable in importance to those of CO,₂-induced changes in photosynthesis. Above the leaf scale, a number of processes interact to modulate the response of canopy or regional evapotran-spiration to increased CO₂. While some components of these processes tend to amplify the sensitivity of evapo-transpiration to altered leaf conductance, the most likely overall pattern is one in which the responses of canopy and regional evapotranspiration are substantially smaller than the responses of canopy conductance. The effects of increased CO₂ on canopy evapotranspiration are likely to be smallest in aerodynamically smooth canopies with high leaf conductances. Under these circumstances, which are largely restricted to agriculture, decreases in evapotranspiration may be only one-fourth as large as decreases in canopy conductance. Decreased canopy conductances over large regions may lead to altered climate, including increased temperature and decreased precipitation. The simulation experiments to date predict small effects globally, but these could be important regionally, especially in combination with radiative (greenhouse) effects of increased CO₂.     

Regional atmospheric cooling and wetting effect of permafrost thaw‐induced boreal forest loss

In the sporadic permafrost zone of North America, thaw‐induced boreal forest loss is leading to permafrost‐free wetland expansion. These land cover changes alter landscape‐scale surface properties with potentially large, however, still unknown impacts on regional climates. In this study, we combine nested eddy covariance flux tower measurements with satellite remote sensing to characterize the impacts of boreal forest loss on albedo, eco‐physiological and aerodynamic surface properties, and turbulent energy fluxes of a lowland boreal forest region in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Planetary boundary layer modelling is used to estimate the potential forest loss impact on regional air temperature and atmospheric moisture. We show that thaw‐induced conversion of forests to wetlands increases albedo: and bulk surface conductance for water vapour and decreases aerodynamic surface temperature. At the same time, heat transfer efficiency is reduced. These shifts in land surface properties increase latent at the expense of sensible heat fluxes, thus, drastically reducing Bowen ratios. Due to the lower albedo of forests and their masking effect of highly reflective snow, available energy is lower in wetlands, especially in late winter. Modelling results demonstrate that a conversion of a present‐day boreal forest–wetland to a hypothetical homogeneous wetland landscape could induce a near‐surface cooling effect on regional air temperatures of up to 3–4 °C in late winter and 1–2 °C in summer. An atmospheric wetting effect in summer is indicated by a maximum increase in water vapour mixing ratios of 2 mmol mol^?1. At the same time, maximum boundary layer heights are reduced by about a third of the original height. In fall, simulated air temperature and atmospheric moisture between the two scenarios do not differ. Therefore, permafrost thaw‐induced boreal forest loss may modify regional precipitation patterns and slow down regional warming trends.     

Litter mass loss rates in pine forests of Europe and Eastern United States: some relationships with climate and litter quality

The purpose of this study was to relate regional variation in litter mass-loss rates (first year) in pine forests to climate across a large, continental-scale area. The variation in mass-loss rate was analyzed using 39 experimental sites spanning climatic regions from the subarctic to subtropical and Mediterranean: the latitudinal gradient ranged from 31 °N to 70 °N and may represent the the largest geographical area that has ever been sampled and observed for the purpose of studying biogeochemical processes. Because of unified site design and uniform laboratory procedures, data from all sites were directly comparable and permitted a determination of the relative influence of climateversus substrate quality viewed from the perspective of broad regional scales. Simple correlation applied to the entire data set indicated that annual actual evapotranspiration (AET) should be the leading climatic constraint on mass-loss rates (R_adj ² = 0.496). The combination of AET, average July temp. and average annual temp. could explain about 70% of the sites' variability on litter mass-loss. In an analysis of 23 Scots pine sites north of the Alps and Carpatians AET alone could account for about 65% of the variation and the addition of a substrate-quality variable was sufficiently significant to be used in a model. The influence of litter quality was introduced into a model, using data from 11 sites at which litter of different quality had been incubated. These sites are found in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland. At any one site most ( ≫ 90%) of the variation in mass-loss rates could be explained by one of the litter-quality variables giving concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus or water solubles. However, even when these models included nitrogen or phosphorus even small changes in potential evapotranspiration resulted in large changes in early-phase decay rates. Further regional subdivision of the data set, resulted in a range of strength in the relationship between loss rate and climatic variables, from very weak in Central Europe to strong for the Scandinavian and Atlantic coast sites (R_adj ² = 0.912; AETversus litter mass loss). Much of the variation in observed loss rates could be related to continentalversus marine/Atlantic influences. Inland locations had mass-loss rates lower than should be expected on the basis of for example AET alone. Attempts to include seasonality variables were not successful. It is clear that either unknown errors and biases, or, unknown variables are causing these regional differences in response to climatic variables. Nevertheless these results show the powerful influence of climate as a control of the broad-scale geography of mass-loss rates and substrate quality at the stand level. Some of these relationships between mass-loss rate and climatic variables are among the highest ever reported, probably because of the care taken to select uniform sites and experimental methods. This suggest that superior, base line maps of predicted mass-loss rates could be produced using climatic data. These models should be useful to predict the changing equilibrium litter dynamics resulting from climatic change.     

Sensitivity of canopy transpiration to altered precipitation in an upland oak forest: evidence from a long-term field manipulation study

Climate‐induced changes in regional precipitation could have important implications for the carbon, water, and nutrient cycles of forest ecosystems. However, few studies have examined the response of deciduous forests to increases or decreases in precipitation. Therefore, the throughfall displacement experiment (TDE) was established in 1993 near Oak Ridge, Tennessee to examine the sensitivity of an upland oak (Quercus spp.) forest to ambient, wet (+33%), and dry (?33%) precipitation regimes. Sap flux measurements on co‐occurring tree species were scaled using species‐specific estimates of stand sapwood area to derive daily and seasonal rates of canopy transpiration (E_C) from 2000 to 2003. With the exception of 2003, which was an extremely wet year, daily E_C in the dry plot, and occasionally during extended droughts in the ambient and wet plots, declined as water potential in the upper 0.35 m soil profile approached ‐3.0 MPa. Seasonal patterns of soil water potential and treatment‐specific differences in E_C were dependent on precipitation frequency and intensity. Supplemental precipitation added to the wet plot increased seasonal E_C on average by 9% (range ?1% to 19%), whereas extended periods of drought on the dry plot in 2000, 2001, and 2002 were sufficient to reduce seasonal E_C by 26–30% compared with the ambient plot. There was a strong correlation between seasonal E_C and the water stress integral, a cumulative index of drought severity and duration. A polynomial fitted to these data indicated that reductions in seasonal E_C on the order of 40% were possible given TDE‐imposed reductions in soil water potential. Application of this equation to all years of the TDE (1994–2003) revealed considerable interannual and treatment‐specific variation in canopy transpiration. In general, a 33% removal of throughfall on the dry plot during 1995, 1998, and 2002 resulted in a 23–32% reduction in seasonal E_C compared with the ambient plot. While droughts in deciduous forests are often limited in duration and tend to occur late in the growing season, soil water deficits of the magnitude observed in this study have the potential to impact local and regional forest water budgets.     

松嫩平原潜在蒸散量的时空变化特征

利用松嫩平原及周边地区72个气象站1961—2003年逐日气象资料,应用Penman-Monteith方程计算潜在蒸散量,采用气候倾向率、Mann-Kendall突变检验、累积距平法,对松嫩平原地区潜在蒸散量变化进行定量分析,并应用ArcGIS软件的空间分析功能对研究区潜在蒸散量的空间分布特征进行分析.结果表明:1961—2003年,松嫩平原年均潜在蒸散量在330~860 mm,总体呈减小趋势,空间分布总体特征为西南高、四周低,呈环带状向西南方向增加;年潜在蒸散量的气候倾向率为-0.21 mm.a-1;年潜在蒸散量在1982年达最大值,形成突变点,而后下降,至1995年降至最低,此后呈增加趋势;春、夏、秋、冬季潜在蒸散量的气候倾向率分别为-0.19、0.01、-0.05、0.03 mm.a-1,表明春、秋季潜在蒸散量呈微弱减小趋势,夏、冬呈微弱增加趋势.     

全球变化的中国气候-植被分类研究

区域潜在蒸散具有作为植被－气候相关分析与分类的综合气候指标的功能。根据区域潜在蒸散对气候－植被分类的热量与水分指标进行了初步探讨,并对中国气候－植被分类进行了初步的定量研究。根据该模式对中国陆地生态系统对全球变化的反应进行了探讨,结果表明我国自然植被在气温增加２℃或４ ℃、降水增加２０％ 时, 森林和草原的面积都有所减少,且随着温度的升高而减少,沙漠化趋势增强。特别是青藏高原地区对全球气候变化非常敏感,因而可以作为全球变化的先兆区或预警区,具有重要的监测和研究意义     

中国西北干旱区蒸散发时空动态特征

利用MODIS ET数据集中2000—2014年的地表实际蒸散发量产品,运用变异系数、Theil-Sen median趋势分析与MannKendall检验和Hurst指数法,研究了中国西北干旱区蒸散发的空间格局、不同维度的空间异质性和时间变化特征及未来趋势预测。结果表明:(1)2000—2014年全区蒸散发量总体较小,蒸散发量小于200 mm的区域占总面积的38.329%。在空间上ET自山区向两侧平原减少,不同土地覆盖的ET大小为:林地农用地草地稀疏植被。受降水和土地覆盖的综合影响,ET的高值区(400 mm)主要在降水丰富的山区林地和草地,而低值区(200 mm)主要在降水较少的平原稀疏植被区和草地。(2)近15年全区蒸散发变异程度不明显,以相对较低的波动变化为主。各亚区内波动较低区域的比例为:北疆天山祁连山内蒙西部河西走廊南疆。(3)15年间全区年均蒸散发量呈波动变化,总体有微弱的减小趋势,变化率为-0.9348 mm/a。基于像元尺度的分析也表明全区ET以减小的变化趋势为主,但各亚区的减小程度各异:天山内蒙西部河西走廊北疆祁连山,仅南疆有增加趋势。(4)全区ET的Hurst指数均值为0.689,Hurst指数大于0.5的范围所占比例为80.033%,未来全区蒸散发的变化趋势以持续性减小为主。其中22.003%区域的变化趋势无法确定。未来各亚区ET的减少趋势为:内蒙西部天山河西走廊北疆祁连山南疆。     

Study on Climate Vegetation Classification for Global Change in China

The study on climate-vegetation relationship is the basis for determining the re sponse of terrestrial ecosystem to global change. By means of quantitative analysis on climate-vegetation interaction, vegetation types and their distribution pattern could be corresponded with certain climatic types in a series of mathematical forms. Thus, the climate could be used to predict vegetation types and their distribution, the same is in reverse. Potential evapotranspiration rate is a comprehensive climatological index which combines temperature with precipitation, and could be used to evaluate the effect of climate on vegetation. In this respect, Holdridge life zone system has been drawing much attention and widely applied internationally owing to its simplicity. It is especially used in the assessment of sensibility of terrestrial ecosystems and their distribution in accordance with climate change and in prediction of the changing pattern of vegetation under doubled CO2 condition. However, Prentice (1990) pointed out that the accurancy of Holdridge life zone system is less than 40 % when it is used at global scale. The reason may be that the potential evapotranspiration calculated by Thornthwaite method, which is used in Holdridge life zone system, reflects the potential evapotranspiration from small evaporated area, while climate-vegetation classification is based on the regional scale. The authors try to establish a new climate-vegetation classification system based on the regional potential evapotranspiration. According to the following formula: where E designates regional actual evapotranspiration: Ep local potential evapotran-spiration: Epo, regional potential evapotranspiration. Ed can be calculated from Penman model or other models. E can be calculated from the following model: E=r · Rn (r2+Rn2+r · Rn) / (2) (r+Rn) · (r2+Rn2)where r designates precipitation (mm); Rn, net radiation (mm). Thus, Ep0 can be easily obtained. It is used as the regional thermal index (RTI) of climate-vegetation classification,and can be expressed as: RTl = Epo (3) Moisture index is another index of climate-veggetation classification. Usually, it can be expressed as the ratio between potential evapotranspiration and precipitation. However, this ratio can not reflect soil moisture, which is important for plant. The ratio between regional actual evapotranspiration and regional potential evapotranspiration is associated not only with climatic condition but also with soil moisture. So it can be used as the moisture index of climate-vegetation classification, and is defined as regional moisture index (RMI): RMI = E/Epo (5) Based on the average climatological data of 30 years from 647 meteorological observation stations in China. It was found that RTl could well reflect a regional thermal level. The values of RTI were less than 360 mm in cold temperate zone, 360～650 mm in temperate zone, 650～380 mm in warm temperate zone, 780～1100 mm in subtropical zone. And more than 1100 mm in tropical zone. RMI also reflects a regional moisture level very well. The values of RMI was less than 0.4 in desert area, 0.4～0.7 in grassland area and more than 0.7 in forest area. Thus, the climate-vegetation classification in China is established on the basis of the two indices: RTI and RMI. According to this model, the changing patterns of vegetation zones in China are given under the conditions of mean annual temperature in creasing by 2℃ and 4℃ and mean annual precipitation increasing by 20%. The results showed that the areas of forest and grassland would decrease, the vegetation zones would move northward and upward, and the area of desert would increase. The results also indicate that the Tibetan Plateau is an area highly sensitive to global change. It could be considered as an indicative or forewarning area for global change , and therefore, an area of great siginificance for monitoring and research. The possible beneficial effect of global change on China terrestrial ecosystems is that the plantation boundary will move northwards and upwards; and the disadvantageous effect is the expansion of desertification and the increase of instability in climatic conditions.     

基于全球气候模式集合的鄱阳湖流域未来潜在蒸散量及其干旱效应研究

鄱阳湖流域近年来旱涝灾害频发,原有的水量平衡被打破。因此,开展鄱阳湖地区潜在蒸散量及干旱效应研究具有重要意义。潜在蒸散量（Reference Evapotranspiration,ET₀）是评价区域水资源配置和计算干旱指数的重要指标。以我国的鄱阳湖流域为研究区,依托统计降尺度模型,基于站点观测数据、气候模式数据以及美国环境中心再分析数据,运用遗传算法构建多模式集合,模拟未来情景下流域潜在蒸散量和干旱指数（Drought Index,DI）时空演变特征。结果表明：基于遗传算法构建的模式集合较单一气候模式或等权模式集合,模拟性能佳;RCP4.5、8.5情景下流域ET₀均呈上升趋势,ET₀变化的第一主周期分别为20年和4年,流域ET₀未来空间变化特征表现为东高西低;RCP8.5情景下,鄱阳湖流域DI在年际上呈显著上升趋势,9-11月是干旱风险防范的关键时期;流域年DI变化的主周期为8年,流域的中东部地区将是未来干旱风险防范的重点区域。本研究为认识区域尺度下气候变化对潜在蒸散量的影响提供借鉴,同时为政府部门科学应对鄱阳湖流域未来时期可能出现的旱情提供的决策支持。     

地理生态学的干燥度指数及其应用评述

 干燥度指数（Aridity index,AI,该文特指气候干燥度）是表征一个地区干湿程度的指标,在地理学和生态学研究中长期应用,近来成为全球变化研究中经常涉及到的气候指标之一,尤其是气候变化和干旱化、荒漠化等研究。该文列举了国内外目前存在的22种干燥度指数,并对目前常用的8种指数进行了详细描述和分析,包括各自的原理、计算方法和在生态学与地理学研究中的应用等。结合其应用和中国的实际状况,分析了各自的优缺点,认为修改后的谢氏干燥度、de Martonne干燥度和Holdridge可能蒸散率（等同于某种意义上的干燥度）计算方法简单实用,有着明确的物理学和生态学意义,与我国的实际情况对应性较强,适合于中国气候变化及其相关的干旱化、荒漠化等方面的研究。     

The impacts of Miscanthus×giganteus production on the Midwest US hydrologic cycle

Perennial grasses are being considered as candidates for biofuel feedstocks to provide an alternative energy source to fossil fuels. Miscanthus×giganteus (miscanthus), in particular, is a grass that is predicted to provide more energy per sown area than corn ethanol and reduce net carbon dioxide emissions by increasing the storage of carbon belowground. Miscanthus uses more water than Zea mays (maize), mainly as a result of a longer growing season and higher productivity. Conversion of current land use for miscanthus production will likely disrupt regional hydrologic cycles, yet the magnitude, timing, and spatial distribution of effects are unknown. Here, we show the effects of five different scenarios of miscanthus production on the simulated Midwest US hydrologic cycle. Given the same historic precipitation observations, our ecosystem model simulation results show that on an annual basis miscanthus uses more water than the ecosystems it will likely replace. The actual timing and magnitude of increased water loss to the atmosphere depends on location; however, substantial increases only occur when miscanthus fraction cover exceeds 25% in dry regions and 50% in nearly all of the Midwest. Our results delineate where large‐scale land use conversion to perennial biofuel grasses might deplete soil water resources. Given the fact that some watersheds within the Midwest already have depleted water resources, we expect our results to inform decisions on where to grow perennial grasses for biofuel use to ensure sustainability of energy and water resources, and to minimize the potential for deleterious effects to water quantity and quality.