Some meteorological conditions associated with forest fires in Galicia (Spain)

The present paper offers data on the effect of certain meteorological parameters on the outbreak of forest fires in Galicia (Spain). In a day-to-day analysis, the values of the stability of the air column and the saturation deficit at the lower levels are related to the number of fires occurring in the following 24 h.     

Collection of wind-borne haematophagous insects in the Torres Strait,Australia

Circumstantial evidence has implicated wind-borne mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the introduction of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus into Australia from the New Guinea mainland. A study was initiated on Saibai Island in the northern Torres Strait, during January and February 2000, to identify the potential source of insects collected in aerial (kytoon) and surface-level traps. Wind speed and direction were recorded to determine wind profiles during insect sampling. Northerly winds capable of carrying insects from New Guinea to Saibai Island were only present on three out of 18 nights sampled. Only three male mosquitoes, comprising two Verrallina funerea (Theobald) and one Ochlerotatus vigilax (Skuse), were collected in aerial samples, and were most likely of local origin. Culicoides midges were also collected in aerial nets and included gravid/parous C. bundyensis Lee and Reye, and one parous C. histrio Johannsen. Highest densities of arthropods (up to 1562/million m3) were on 30 January 2000 when NW winds, sustained for six hours, probably introduced midges from the New Guinea mainland. Adult mosquitoes (including three female Ve. funerea and a single female Ficalbia) and Culicoides (including two gravid C. bundyensis and one parous C. cordiger Macfie) were also collected in 2 m high mast nets during northerly surface winds. Although the results do not provide evidence that wind-blown mosquitoes introduced JE from New Guinea into Australia, they do not preclude that strong N winds associated with low pressure systems SW of the Torres Strait could have done so. However, results suggest that Culicoides were more likely than mosquitoes to reach high altitude and travel long distances during the light N winds experienced during the study.     

Pollen content study of the lower atmosphere in León (Spain) by use of a tethered balloon

This study was undertaken in order to understand thebehaviour of airborne pollen grains, namely therelationship between their concentrations andconcomitant meteorological parameters, at differentaltitudes (ground level, 200, 400 and 600 m) of thelower atmosphere and its daily variations over onesite (the experimental farm of the University ofLeón). The experimental design involved a tetheredballoon (2.25 m³), an ADAS remote meteorologicalstation and an original radio controlled three headedpollen and spore sampler (called GABIS) using theRotorod design. Each head sampled a differentaltitude, while two control samples were taken atground level. Twenty-one takeoffs could be realized inthe 5 weeks period between end of May and end of June1997. Sampling was done early in the morning and sampling time at each altitudewas of 15 minutes. Results show that 45 differenttypes of pollen grains could be collected at this timeof the year and that significant variations could beobserved in the behaviour of the pollen cloud on a dayto day basis, probably because of differentmeteorological situations. Contrary to what isgenerally believed, pollen was in most cases moreabundant at higher altitude – on average by 30% ascompared to ground level – making evident anaerobiological layer of transport at about 500 m aboveground. This was especially the case for trees (Quercus and Castanea). The atmosphere MixingRatio was the most explicative factor at 200 m, whiletemperature dominated significance analysis at both400 and 600 m.     

Airborne pollen sampling in Toledo, Central Spain

Toledo is one of the main tourist spots of Spain, attracting around two million visitors per year. Its geographical situation in the vast and scarcely monitored Region of Castilla La Mancha and the high number of tourists (especially in the spring) has resulted in the Spanish Aerobiology Network (REA) making this city a major study objective. Air monitoring studies carried out using REA sampling procedures commenced in October 2002. Thirty-two pollen types were identified during the sampling period (October 2002 to October 2004). The annual Pollen Index (PI) was 44124 for the agricultural year October 2002–October 2003, and 29666 in the same period of 2003–2004. The most abundant taxa were, in decreasing order of dominance: Cupressaceae, Quercus, Poaceae, Populus, Olea, Urticaceae, Platanus, Pinus and Ulmus. Other, less well-represented pollen taxa included Salix, Alnus, Fraxinus and Tamarix, which were characteristic of riverside areas, and Morus, Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae. The presence of Castanea pollen grains originating from chestnut crops far away from the city was clearly an example of long-distance transport. The highest concentrations of airborne pollen were detected from March to May and also in January, due to the flowering of Cupressaceae species. In general, there was a correlation between pollen and meteorological parameters: a positive correlation with temperature and a negative correlation with rainfall and humidity during the pre-peak period. A negative correlation between temperature and some tree pollen taxa was detected in the principal pollen period correlation analysis due to their long pollination periods.     

Phenology model from surface meteorology does not capture satellite-based greenup estimations

Seasonal temperature change in temperate forests is known to trigger the start of spring growth, and both interannual and spatial variations in spring onset have been tied to climatic variability. Satellite dates are increasingly being used in phenology studies, but to date that has been little effort to link remotely sensed phenology to surface climate records. In this research, we use a two‐parameter spring warming phenology model to explore the relationship between climate and satellite‐based phenology. We employ daily air temperature records between 2000 and 2005 for 171 National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration weather stations located throughout New England to construct spring warming models predicting the onset of spring, as defined by the date of half‐maximum greenness (D₅₀) in deciduous forests as detected from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer. The best spring warming model starts accumulating temperatures after March 20th and when average daily temperatures exceed 5°C. The accumulated heat sums [heating degree day (HDD)] required to reach D₅₀ range from 150 to 300 degree days over New England, with the highest requirements to the south and in coastal regions. We test the ability of the spring warming model to predict phenology against a null photoperiod model (average date of onset). The spring warming model offers little improvement on the null model when predicting D₅₀. Differences between the efficacies of the two models are expressed as the ‘climate sensitivity ratio’ (CSR), which displays coherent spatial patterns. Our results suggest that northern (beech‐maple‐birch) and central (oak‐hickory) hardwood forests respond to climate differently, particularly with disparate requirements for the minimum temperature necessary to begin spring growth (3 and 6°C, respectively). We conclude that spatial location and species composition are critical factors for predicting the phenological response to climate change: satellite observations cannot be linked directly to temperature variability if species or community compositions are unknown.     

基于结构方程模型的森林生态系统空气负离子影响机制分析

空气负离子(Negative air ion, NAI)是衡量空气质量的重要指标之一,受到植被和环境的共同影响。然而,森林生态系统作为NAI产生的重要来源,森林中的植被和环境之间的相互作用以及对NAI的影响机制和贡献潜力仍难以捉摸。以暖温带森林生态系统中广泛分布的栓皮栎(Quercus variabilis BI.)为对象,基于自动观测设备长期定位观测获取了气象、土壤性质、空气洁净度以及植被光合等数据,利用皮尔逊相关系数分析和偏最小二乘结构方程模型分析了森林植被和环境要素对NAI的影响机制和贡献潜力。结果表明,环境要素和植被光合对NAI的贡献差异显著,植被光合对NAI的贡献潜力为62.65%,环境要素对NAI的贡献率为37.35%。环境要素中太阳辐射和饱和水汽压差的影响程度最大,分别为68.94%和16.55%。植被光合和PM_2.5主要通过直接效应影响NAI,而光合有效辐射、紫外辐射、土壤温湿度和饱和水汽压差主要通过间接效应影响NAI。因此,利用结构方程模型可以阐明植被光合与环境要素的变化对NAI的影响趋势,从而全面揭示了森林生态系统中植被产生NAI的作用机制以及...     

Field evidences for the positive effects of aerosols on tree growth

Theoretical and eddy covariance studies demonstrate that aerosol‐loading stimulates canopy photosynthesis, but field evidence for the aerosol effect on tree growth is limited. Here, we measured in situ daily stem growth rates of aspen trees under a wide range of aerosol‐loading in China. The results showed that daily stem growth rates were positively correlated with aerosol‐loading, even at exceptionally high aerosol levels. Using structural equation modeling analysis, we showed that variations in stem growth rates can be largely attributed to two environmental variables covarying with aerosol loading: diffuse fraction of radiation and vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Furthermore, we found that these two factors influence stem growth by influencing photosynthesis from different parts of canopy. Using field observations and a mechanistic photosynthesis model, we demonstrate that photosynthetic rates of both sun and shade leaves increased under high aerosol‐loading conditions but for different reasons. For sun leaves, the photosynthetic increase was primarily attributed to the concurrent lower VPD; for shade leaves, the positive aerosol effect was tightly connected with increased diffuse light. Overall, our study provides the first field evidence of increased tree growth under high aerosol loading. We highlight the importance of understanding biophysical mechanisms of aerosol‐meteorology interactions, and incorporating the different pathways of aerosol effects into earth system models to improve the prediction of large‐scale aerosol impacts, and the associated vegetation‐mediated climate feedbacks.     

Airborne pollen in Nuuk, Greenland, and the importance of meteorological parameters

To describe the season of airborne pollen ofbirch and grass in the city of Nuuk, Greenland,pollen concentrations were measured dailythroughout the pollen seasons in 1997 to 1999.The study was part of a large epidemiologicalcross-sectional study of allergy and riskfactors for allergy in Greenlander Inuit livingin Greenland and Denmark.For the three years the mean birch pollenseason started around 8 June, lasted in average16 days and the mean annual total pollen countwas 46. The highest daily concentration of 23birch pollen pr. m³ was measured in 1999.The mean grass pollen season began around 22July, it lasted 53 days and the mean annualtotal pollen count was 81. The highest grasspollen number registered for one day reached 12in 1998. Several other types of pollen werealso measured, generally in smallconcentrations, but for Cyperaceae and Alderthe mean annual total pollen count were 43 and19 respectively. Though the measuredconcentrations are small, it is concluded thatairborne pollen occur in the arctic climate ofNuuk in potentially clinically relevantamounts.For the three years large variations wereobserved for the start, duration and amountsfor both birch and grass. Models forestimation of the starting date based onGrowing Degree Hours (GDHs) predicted the startof the birch and grass pollen with greataccuracy – within one day. Analysis of themeteorological conditions show that themeasured pollen in general originated from thearea around Nuuk, but there are indicationsthat pollen might have been long-transportedfrom Canada.     

降雨因素对生态系统生产总值核算结果的影响

目前生态系统生产总值(GEP)核算工作已在全国多地开展,并在不少地方已将其纳入政绩考核指标,但GEP核算中相关生态系统服务多基于实际降雨数据和多年平均降雨数据,导致在进行年际间GEP变化分析时,结果难以反应实际的生态系统质量和数量的变化,从而影响GEP管理应用的效果。本文以深圳为研究案例,提出了更能代表本地降雨一般化特征的可比降雨条件,以及基于主成分分析的确定方法,并且在可比降雨条件和实际降雨条件下核算了可比降雨年和临近年共3种情景下的生态系统生产总值(GEP),分析了不同情景下的GEP构成以及降雨因素对年际间GEP变化的影响能力。研究发现：(1)2019年为深圳可比降雨年,且符合2008—2020年间各年《深圳市气候公报》对降雨情况的阐述;(2)可比降雨条件下,与降雨相关的4项生态系统服务价值(减少泥沙淤积、减少面源污染、涵养水源、削减洪涝)呈年际间增长趋势,实际降雨条件下,减少泥沙淤积、减少面源污染价值增长,涵养水源、削减洪涝价值下降;(3)降雨因素显著影响GEP年际变化,不同降雨条件下,深圳2019—2020年GEP变化差异高达24.78亿元,而可比降雨条件可以有效减少非人为因素...     

森林与空旷地空气温湿度及土壤温度的长期对比研究

森林对温湿度的影响是其生态功能的基础,为了探讨森林的这种小气候效应,本文采用小气候对比观测的方法,根据2005 -2007年观测资料,对长白山阔叶红松林与附近空旷地温度、湿度等小气候要素进行了差异性研究.结果表明,林内近地表层空气温度白天低于林外空旷地,晚间高于林外空旷地,因而具有较低的日较差.非生长季二者的月平均值差异不显著,但生长季差异明显,月平均气温最高差值出现季节与森林叶面积指数最大值出现时间一致.气温年较差的平均值林内小于空旷地,差值可达6.3℃.年均森林与空旷地土壤温度全年均表现出明显差异,以0℃为界,0℃以上,林内土壤温度低于空旷地,0℃以下高于空旷地,其中2005年1月5 cm深处土壤温度差值达到了5.3℃.空气相对湿度生长季差异较大,其中以7、8月份差异最为明显,2006年7月差值最大,达7.0％.