Search

University students’ psychological state has not only an impact on their individual development but also on the campus’s stability, which in turn has an impact on social cohesion and the general enhancement of human excellence. This article aims to conduct an in-depth study on the management system of psychological health in universities based on data discovery to determine whether university students have psychological problems in time, prevent extreme phenomena, and enhance the efficiency of psychological counseling in universities. This study initially discusses the general functional structure of the mental health management system at universities before breaking it down into three primary modules: user information function management; psychological testing and psychological caution; and psychological counseling management. Furthermore, it analyses and classifies data from the mental health management system using decision tree algorithms written in C4.5. It can effectively solve the problem of multiple attributes that tend to select values when selecting test attributes of the information gain by using the index of split as the information gain rate, which completes the design of the mental health management system by utilizing data discovery. The simulation experiments of the proposed work show that the suggested system has high security and accuracy of discovery, which can effectively improve the efficiency of psychological counseling work in universities.

Accurate estimates of evapotranspiration (ET) are essential for the conservation of ecosystems and sustainable management of water resources in arid and semiarid regions. Over the last two decades, several empirical remotely sensed ET models (ERSETMs) had been developed and extensively used for regional-scale ET estimation in arid and semiarid ecosystems. These ERSETMs were constructed by combining datasets from different sites and relating measured daily ET to corresponding meteorological data and vegetation indices at the site scale. Then, regional-scale ET on a pixel basis can be estimated, using the established ERSETMs. The estimation accuracy of these ERSETMs at the site scale plays a fundamental and crucial role in regional-scale ET estimation. Recent studies have revealed that ET estimates from some of these models have significant uncertainties at different spatiotemporal scales. However, little information is available on the performance of these ERSETMs at the site scale. In this study, we compared eight ERSETMs, using ET measurements from 2013 to 2018 for two typical eddy covariance sites (Tamarix site and Populus site) in an arid riparian ecosystem of Northwestern China, intending to provide a guide for the selection of these models. Results showed that the Nagler-2013 model and the Yuan-2016 model outperformed the other models. There were substantial differences in the ET estimation of the eight ERSETMs at daily, monthly, and seasonal scales. The mean ET of the growing season from 2013 to 2018 ranged from 465.93 to 519.65 mm for the Tamarix site and from 386.22 to 437.05 mm for the Populus site, respectively. The differences in model structures and characterization of both meteorological conditions and vegetation factors were the primary sources of different model performance. Our findings provide useful information for choosing models and obtaining accurate ET estimation in arid regions.

Widely distributed in arid and semiarid regions, phreatophytic roots extend into the saturated zone and extract water directly from groundwater. In this paper, we implemented a vegetation optimality model of root dynamics (VOM-ROOT) in the Noah land surface model with multi parameterization options (Noah-MP LSM) to model the extraction of groundwater through phreatophytic roots at a riparian site with a hyperarid climate (with precipitation of 35 mm/yr) in northwestern China. VOM-ROOT numerically describes the natural optimization of the root profile in response to changes in subsurface water conditions. The coupled Noah-MP/VOM-ROOT model substantially improves the simulation of surface energy and water fluxes, particularly during the growing season, compared to the prescribed static root profile in the default Noah-MP. In the coupled model, more roots are required to grow into the saturated zone to meet transpiration demand when the groundwater level declines over the growing season. The modeling results indicate that at the study site, the modeled annual transpiration is 472 mm, accounting for 92.3% of the total evapo- transpiration. Direct root water uptake from the capillary fringe and groundwater, which is supplied by lateral groundwater flow, accounts for approximately 84% of the total transpiration. This study demonstrates the importance of implementing a dynamic root scheme in a land surface model for adequately simulating phreatophytic root water uptake and the associated latent heat flux.

Performance evaluation of an integrated eddy covariance (EC) instrument called the IRGASON, with a separated EC for reference, was conducted in a desert riparian Populus euphratica stand in the lower Tarim River basin in northwestern China. The separated EC consisted of an open-path gas analyzer and a sonic anemometer separated by 20 cm. The IRGASON integrates an open-path gas analyzer and a sonic anemometer into the same sensing volume, thus eliminating sensor separation in comparison to the traditional open-path EC setup. Integrating the infrared gas analyzer’s sensing head into the sensing volume of the sonic anemometer had negligible effects on wind speed and friction velocity observations of the IRGASON. Physiologically unreasonable daytime CO2 uptake was observed by both systems during the cold winter season (mean air temperature of −6.7°C), when the trees were dormant without any photosynthetic activities. The mean midday CO2 flux was −1.65 and −1.61 μmol m−2 s−1 for the IRGASON and the separated EC setup, respectively. No evidence was found for sensor self-heating as the cause of the apparent uptake CO2 flux. Instead, the uptake CO2 flux appeared to be an artifact of the spectroscopic effect of the IRGASON’s gas analyzer. After adjusting for this spectroscopic effect using a relationship with the sensible heat flux, the wintertime IRGASON CO2 flux became physiologically reasonable (mean value of −0.04 μmol m−2 s−1).

Balancing human demands for water with environmental requirements to maintain functioning ecosystems requires the quantification of ecological water requirements. In arid regions, high spatial variability of vegetation cover and different water consumption of plant species make it different to estimate reasonable ecological water requirements. We developed a simple and practical approach that estimates the vegetation water requirements (VWRs) of desert riparian ecosystems. This model is species-specific and spatially-explicit; it considers the water consumption characteristics required by different species and highlights the impacts that high vegetation cover spatial variability has in arid regions on evapotranspiration. The model was parameterized based on the observation of the water consumption of two typical desert riparian species, Populus euphratica and Tamarix spp., in the lower basin of the Tarim River in northwestern China. Comparisons between the modeling results and measured data for two mature Populus and Tamarix stands indicate that the model is reasonable predictive. A case study in the lower basin of the Tarim River demonstrated the model’s practicality and transferability. This model could run based on near real-time or forest weather data and spatial vegetation patterns, and provides a continuous estimation of the temporal and spatial variations of the VWR. Particularly, this model forecasts VWRs under different vegetation spatial distribution and coverage scenarios, and evaluates the impacts and consequences of different management actions. This model can serve as a useful tool for management agencies interested in improving their decisions to allocate river water between human activities and natural ecosystems in arid regions.

Atmospheric wet nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) depositions are important sources of bioavailable N and P, and the input of N and P and their ratios significantly influences nutrient availability and balance in terrestrial as well as aquatic ecosystems. Here we monitored atmospheric P depositions by measuring monthly dissolved P concentration in rainfall at 41 field stations in China. Average deposition fluxes of N and P were 13.69 ± 8.69 kg N ha−1 a−1 (our previous study) and 0.21 ± 0.17 kg P ha−1 a−1, respectively. Central and southern China had higher N and P deposition rates than northwest China, northeast China, Inner Mongolia, or Qinghai-Tibet. Atmospheric N and P depositions showed strong seasonal patterns and were dependent upon seasonal precipitation. Fertilizer and energy consumption were significantly correlated with N deposition but less correlated with P deposition. The N:P ratios of atmospheric wet deposition (with the average of 77 ± 40, by mass) were negatively correlated with current soil N:P ratios in different ecological regions, suggesting that the imbalanced atmospheric N and P deposition will alter nutrient availability and strengthen P limitation, which may further influence the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems. The findings provide the assessments of both wet N and P deposition and their N:P ratio across China and indicate potential for strong impacts of atmospheric deposition on broad range of terrestrial ecosystems.

The White method is a simple but the most frequently applied approach to estimate groundwater evapotranspiration (ETg) from groundwater level diurnal signals. Because of a lack of direct measurements of ETg, it is difficult to evaluate the performance of the White method, particularly in field environments with variable groundwater fluctuations. A 2-year field observation in a hyper-arid riparian tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) stand with deep groundwater depth in the lower Tarim River basin of China was conducted to measure the surface evapotranspiration (ETs) and groundwater table. The performance of the White method and the influences of the variable groundwater fluctuations on the determinations of the specific yield (S-y) and recharge rate of groundwater (r) in the White method were investigated. The results showed that the readily available S-y determined by Loheide's method was feasible but must be finely determined based on the soil textures in the layers in which the groundwater level fluctuated. A constant S-y value for a defined porous medium could be assumed regardless of the discharge or recharge processes of groundwater. The time span of 0000h to 0600h for r estimation for the White method worked best than other time spans. A 2-day moving average of r values further enhance ETg estimation. Slight effects of environmental or anthropogenic disturbances on the diurnal fluctuations of groundwater level did not influence the ETg estimations by the White method. Our results provide valuable references to the application of the White method for estimating daily ETg in desert riparian forests with deep groundwater depth. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evapotranspiration (ET) and its controlling mechanism over the desert riparian forests in arid regions are the important scientific basis for the water resources managements of the lower reaches of the inland rivers of China. Nearly three years of continuous measurements of surface ET, soil water content at different depths and groundwater table over a typical Tamarix spp. stand and a typical Populus euphratica stand were conducted in the lower reach of the Tarim River. The ET seasonal trends in the growing season were controlled by plant phenology, and ET in non-growing season was weak. The diurnal variations of ET resulting from the comprehensive effects of all atmospheric factors were significantly related with reference ET. The spatial pattern of ET was determined by vegetation LAI, more vegetation coverage, more ET amount. Groundwater is the water source of surface ET, and the soil water in shallow layers hardly took part in the water exchange in the groundwater-soil-plant-air system. The temporal processes of ET over the Tamarix stand and the Populus stand were similar, but the water consumption of the well-grown Populus euphratica was higher than that of the well-grown Tamarix spp. Further analysis indicates that plant transpiration accounts for most of the surface ET, with soil evaporation weak and negligible; groundwater table is a crucial factor influencing ET over the desert riparian forests, groundwater influences the processes and amounts of ET by controlling the growth and spatial distribution of desert riparian forests; quantifying the water stress of desert riparian forests using groundwater table is more appropriate, rather than soil water content. Based on the understanding of ET and water movements in the groundwater-soil-plant-air system, a generalized framework expressing the water cycling and its key controlling mechanism in the lower reaches of the inland rivers of China is described, and a simple model to estimate water requirements of the desert riparian forests is presented.

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is an important component of the global N cycle, and is a key source of biologically available N. Understanding the spatio-temporal patterns and influencing factors of N deposition is essential to evaluate its ecological effects on terrestrial ecosystems, and to provide a scientific basis for global change research. In this study, we monitored the monthly atmospheric N deposition in rainfall at 41 stations from the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network through measuring total N (TN), total dissolved N (TDN), ammonium (NH4+-N), and nitrate (NO3-;-N). The results showed that the atmospheric wet deposition of TDN, NH4+-N, and NO3--N were 13.69, 7.25, and 5.93 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1), respectively. The deposition of TN and total particulate N (TPN) was 18.02 and 4.33 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1) respectively, in 2013. TPN accounted for 24% of TN, while NH4+-N and NO3--N made up 40% and 33%, respectively, confirming the assumption that atmospheric wet N deposition would be underestimated without particulate N in rainfall. The N deposition was higher in Central and Southern China, and lower in North-west, North-east, Inner Mongolia, and Qinghai-Tibet regions. Precipitation, N fertilizer use, and energy consumption were significantly correlated with wet N deposition (all p

Determining the maintenance and control mechanisms of the energy and water exchanges over the desert riparian forest zone in the lower Tarim River of China could improve our understanding of land surface processes of the groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the hinterland area of the Eurasian continent under hyper-arid climate. Nearly three years of continuous measurements of meteorological factors, surface water and energy fluxes, soil water content, and groundwater table were carried out over a riparian Tamarix spp. stand in the lower Tarim River basin. Because of scarce precipitation and low air humidity, the diurnal and seasonal variations of most meteorological factors exhibited simple unimodal dynamics. However, the seasonal variation of latent heat exchange (LE) was distinctly related to plant phenology. The sensible heat exchange (H) exhibited reverse course with the LE seasonal course, which suggested seasonal variation of the H was controlled by the LE course. In the daytime, a good linear relationship existed between evapotranspiration (ET) and reference evapotranspiration. The yearly ET over the tamarisk stand was approximately 500 mmyear(-1), and the mean daily ET is about 3.85 mm d(-1) in a vibrant growing season. The groundwater table and the soil water content (SWC) near the groundwater table exhibited obvious seasonal and diurnal variations in the growing seasons but SWC in the shallow soil layer did not, suggesting the groundwater was the water source of the tamarisk. Our analysis indicated that under a hyper-arid climate, the energy and water exchanges over riparian tamarisk stands in the lower Tarim River basin showed certain features: (1) plant transpiration accounted for most of the surface ET, with soil evaporation weak and negligible; (2) the seasonal processes of surface energy and water exchanges were highly related with plant phenology; (3) the diurnal processes of ET resulted from the comprehensive effects of all atmospheric factors; and (4) ET depends on groundwater, rather than precipitation. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Aims It is more difficult to determine soil moisture in root zones (RSM) than soil moisture in the top-most layer (TSM). The relationship between TSM and RSM based on point A is useful for acquiring RSM at point B from its TSM if the relationship between TSM and RSM is general. The general relationships established so far have been based on only one crop or one ecosystem. Our aims are to determine the general relationship between TSM and RSM in China over various crops and ecosystems and to explore the effects of ecosystem, soil property, precipita- tion, vegetation, soil thickness and the order of magnitude of soil moisture on the relationship. Methods We used 3 437 pairs of TSM and DSM data from 31 stations at 109 observation sites. The data repre- sent all the terrestrial ecosystems, including forest, grass, agriculture, desert and mire, in 2006 from the China Ecosystem Research Network. We used linear regression in mathematics and effect analysis in physics to study the general relationship between TSM and RSM and to determine the influence of ecosystem, soil property, pre- cipitation, vegetation, soil thickness, the order of magnitude of soil moisture on the relationship. The data are di- vided into calibration and verification groups for producing the relationship. Important findings There is generally a linear relationship between TSM and RSM. The coefficient of determi- nation (R 2 ) between RSM and TSM is high for forest and mire ecosystems (R 2 > 0.79 for both calibration and verification), intermediate for agricultural (R 2 > 0.80 for calibration and 0.70 for verification) and grass

The ecosystem-level fluxes of water vapour and carbon dioxide were measured from 2003 to 2006 at a tropical rain forest in Xishuangbanna, southwest China, using the eddy covariance (EC) technique. These flux measurements allowed the canopy-level evaluation of stomatal conductance (g) response to humidity models. The results showed that both the BWB model and the Leuning model discussed here underestimated g at high humidity and overestimated g at the mid-to-low range of humidity. In contrast, the Wang models discussed here (model-ha and model-Da) perfectly described the relationship of g response to humidity. The model comparison results also demonstrated high consistency over all the observation years. The good performance of the Wang model-ha and model-Da indicated that stomatal conductance responds more sensitively to humidity deficit or water vapour pressure deficit than to relative humidity itself at canopy level.

Global climate change has significant impacts on agricultural production. Future climate change will bring important influences to the food security. The CERES-Wheat model was used to simulate the winter wheat growing process and production in Panzhuang Irrigation District (PID) during 2011–2040 under B2 climate scenario based on the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) assumptions with the result of RCMs (Regional Climate Models) projections by PRECIS (Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies) system introduced to China from the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research. The CERES-Wheat model was calibrated and validated with independent field-measured growth data in 2002–2003 and 2007–2008 growing season under current climatic conditions at Yucheng Comprehensive Experimental Station (YCES), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The results show that a significant impact of climate change on crop growth and yield was noted in the PID study area. Average temperature at Yucheng Station rose by 0.86°C for 1961–2008 in general. Under the B2 climate scenario, average temperature rose by 0.55°C for 2011–2040 compared with the baseline period (1998–2008), which drastically shortened the growth period of winter-wheat. However, as the temperature keep increasing after 2030, the top-weight and yield of the winter wheat will turn to decrease. The simulated evapotranspiration shows an increasing trend, although it is not very significant, during 2011–2040. Water use efficiency will increase during 2011–2031, but decrease during 2031–2040. The results indicate that climate change enhances agricultural production in the short-term, whereas continuous increase in temperature limits crop production in the long-term.

The influence of near ground atmosphere CH4 concentration, soil water content, soil Eh, plants, soil temperature, and pH on CH4 uptake flux of Leymus chinensis steppe during rapid growth season was studied using field in-situ measurement in Xilin River basin of Inner Mongolia, China. The results showed that CH4 uptake flux was positively correlated with near ground atmosphere CH4 concentration and soil Eh but negatively correlated with soil water content. Precipitation may decrease the CH4 flux by increasing the soil water content. The average fluxes of three treatments during the observation period were 1.52 (natural conditions, 1.51 (aboveground plants were excluded), and 2.00 mg m−2 d−1 (all plants were removed), respectively. The difference between the CH4 flux of natural condition treatment and that of removing aboveground plants treatment is small, whereas the flux of removing all plants treatment is larger than the other two treatments. This means that the contribution of aboveground plants to CH4 uptake flux is smaller than that of roots or roots-removing process. CH4 uptake flux is not sensitive to soil temperature and the narrow-ranged soil pH (6.36–7.86). The Leymus chinensis steppe acts as a sink for CH4, and thus more studies should be focused on its affecting factors and related mechanisms.

Monsoon circulation is an important carrier of water vapor transport, and it impacts the precipitation of the monsoonal regions through the constraints and controls of large-scale water vapor transport and distributions as well as the water vapor balance. An overall research on stable Hydrogen and Oxygen isotopes in precipitation over Eastern Monsoon China could benefit a comprehensive understanding of the monsoonal precipitation mechanism. Seventeen field stations of the Chinese Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (CHNIP) have been selected to collect monthly composite precipitation samples during the years 2005–2006. Components of δD and δ18O have been analyzed to achieve the spatiotemporal distributions. The established Local Meteoric Water Line δD=7.46δ18O+0.90 based on the 274 obtained monthly samples could be treated as isotope input functions across the region, due to basically reflecting the specific regional meteorological conditions over Eastern Monsoon China. The δ-value depleted from coastal to inner area. In Southern China and Northeastern China there were typical periodic patterns of δ18O. Different dominant affecting metrological factors have been raised with different regions. From south to north, the temperature effect of δ18O enhanced, while the amount effect changed from existing at an all-year-scale in Southern China to being only remarkable during the main rainy seasons in North China and Northeastern China. Main geographical controls varied from altitude in Southern China and North China to latitude in Northeastern China. Furthermore, δ18O had an implication of advance and retreat of the monsoon as well as rainfall belt transfer. δ18O was also a tracer for the movement path of typhoon and tropical storms.

Summer monsoons (South Asian monsoon, South China Sea monsoon and Subtropical monsoon) are prominent features of summertime climate over southern China. Different monsoons carry different inflow moisture into China and control the temporal and spatial distributions of precipitation. Analyses of meteorological data, particularly wind, temperature and pressure anomalies are traditional methods of characterizing moisture sources and transport patterns. Here, we try to utilize the evidence from stable isotopes signatures to trace summer monsoons over southern China. Based on seven CHNIP (Chinese Network of Isotopes in Precipitation) observatory stations located in southern China, monthly composite precipitation samples have been collected and analyzed for the composition of δ18O during July, 2005. The results indicated that the spatial distributions of δ18O in precipitation could properly portray the moisture sources together with their transport pathways. Moreover, the amount effect, altitude effect, temperature effect and the correlation between δ18O vs. relative humidity were discussed.

At present, using Eddy Covariance (EC) method to estimate the “true value” of carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystem arrests more attention. However, one issue is how to solve the uncertainty of observations (especially the nighttime CO2 flux data) appearing in post-processing CO2 flux data. The ratio of effective and reliable nighttime EC CO2 flux data to all nighttime data is relatively low (commonly, less than 50%) for all the long-term and continuous observation stations in the world. Thus, the processing method of nighttime CO2 flux data and its effect analysis on estimating CO2 flux annual sums are very important. In this paper, the authors analyze and discuss the reasons for underestimating nighttime CO2 flux using EC method, and introduce the general theory and method for processing nighttime CO2 flux data. By analyzing the relationship between nighttime CO2 flux and air fraction velocity u*, we present an alternate method, Average Values Test (AVT), to determine the thresholds of fraction velocity (u*c) for screening the effective nighttime CO2 flux data. Meanwhile, taking the data observed in Yucheng and Changbai Mountains stations for an example, we analyze and discuss the effects of different methods or parameters on nighttime CO2 flux estimations. Finally, based on the data of part ChinaFLUX stations and related literatures, empirical models of nighttime respiration at different sites in ChinaFLUX are summarized.

Roughness length and zero-plane displacement over three typical surfaces were calculated iteratively by least-square method, which are Yucheng Experimental Station for agriculture surfaces, Qianyanzhou Experimental Station for complex and undulant surfaces, and Changbai Mountains Experimental Station for forest surfaces. On the basis of roughness length dynamic, the effects of roughness length dynamic on fluxes were analyzed with SEBS model. The results indicate that, aerodynamic roughness length changes with vegetation conditions (such as vegetation height, LAI), wind speed, friction velocity and some other factors. In Yucheng and Changbai Mountains Experimental Station, aerodynamic roughness length over the fetch of flux tower changes with vegetation height and LAI obviously, that is, with the increase of LAI, roughness length increases to the peak value firstly, and then decreases. In Qianyanzhou Experimental Station, LAI changes slightly, so the relationship between roughness length and LAI is not obvious. The aerodynamic roughness length of Yucheng and Changbai Mountains Experimental Station changes slightly with wind direction, while aerodynamic roughness length of Qianyanzhou Experimental Station changes obviously with wind direction. The reason for that is the terrain in Yucheng and Changbai Mountains Experimental Station is relatively flat, while in Qianyanzhou Experimental Station the terrain is very undulant and heterogeneous. With the increase of wind speed, aerodynamic roughness length of Yucheng Experimental Station changes slightly, while it decreases obviously in Qianyanzhou Experimental Station and Changbai Mountains Experimental Station. Roughness length dynamic takes great effects on fluxes calculation, and the effects are analyzed by SEBS model. By comparing 1 day averaged roughness length in Yucheng Experimental Station and 5 day averaged roughness length of Qianyanzhou and Changbai Mountains Experimental Station with roughness length parameter chosen by the model, the effects of roughness length dynamic on flux calculation is analyzed. The maximum effect of roughness length dynamic on sensible heat flux is 2.726%, 33.802% and 18.105%, in Yucheng, Qianyanzhou, and Changbai Mountains experimental stations, respectively.

In this paper, the ‘ensemble block’ time average procedure and the Ogive function are applied to three ChinaFLUX sites to determine the low-frequency contribution to eddy fluxes. It is found that both methods give similar results. They show that 30 min flux-averaging periods are sufficient to capture all flux scales over a wheat field, but 60 min or longer is necessary over forests. Our results show that the optimal averaging period is a site-specific parameter. According to this analysis, for some ChinaFLUX sites at least, an averaging period that captures the low-frequency transport may improve the energy balance problem. # 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Canopy temperature measured with infrared thermometers or other remote infrared sensors is an important tool for detecting crop water stress. The crop water stress index (CWSI) is the most often used index which is based on canopy temperature to detect crop water stress. This study evaluates the application of three different forms of CWSI for winter wheat water stress monitoring in the North China Plain (NCP): the Idso empirical model, the Jackson theoretical model, and the new Alves model, which replaces the radiometric surface temperature with a surface “wet bulb” temperature, thereby avoiding the evaluation of the surface resistance of the crop. The results show that the CWSI based on Jackson’s definition and Alves’ definition are better than the empirical CWSI for monitoring winter wheat water stress in NCP. Both definitions are useful tools to evaluate winter wheat water stress in NCP, but the CWSI based on Alves’ definition is more practical for monitoring winter wheat water stress in NCP, mainly due to not having to estimate the crop surface resistance, while the CWSI based on Jackson’s definition is more reasonable for quantifying winter wheat water stress in NCP. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

River hydrology largely determines the species composition and spatial distribution of riparian vegetation. However, it is difficult to determine the riparian vegetation spatial pattern that is only influenced by river hydrology due to the complex impacts of other influencing factors in field environments. We investigated the spatial structure of riparian vegetation in the lower basin of the Tarim River in hyper-arid western China, where distinct geomorphic and climatic features exclude the influences of factors other than river hydrological factors on the spatial structure of riparian vegetation. Landsat 8 OLI remotely sensed data were used to identify the different vegetation types and obtain the vegetation leaf area index (LAI) in the study area. Our results showed that the overall vegetation LAI exhibited a negative exponential declining trend with distance from the river, but this relationship was different for the different vegetation types, exhibiting a negative exponential relationship for the Populus woodlands and a Gaussian-type relationship for the Tamarix shrublands. The average width of the riparian vegetation decreased along the river by a negative power function. The average vegetation LAI decreased linearly along the river. The quantitative data we obtained regarding the river-induced variation in the riparian vegetation cover with the distance from the river channel would particularly be useful for modeling riparian vegetation dynamics and distributions.

During the mid-1980s, there were 31 stations in China that successfully participated in the Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation. However, most observations were suspended after the mid-1990s. The discontinuous data hindered the application of precipitation isotopes, which are strongly affected in China by the Asian monsoon and are thus of intrinsic interest for palaeoclimatologists. Therefore, to continuously observe precipitation isotopes nationwide, the Chinese Network of Isotopes in Precipitation was established in 2004. The current study reviewed the major characteristics of the 928 samples that were collected from 2005 to 2010. The ranges of δD and δ 18 O values generally followed the pattern NE>NW>TP>NC>SC, and the amount-weighted δ-values followed the pattern SC>NW>NC>TP>NE. Temporal variations presented a ‘V’-shaped pattern at the SC region and reverse ‘V’-shaped patterns at the NE and NW regions. Decreasing trends with the advent of the rainy season were found at the NC and TP regions. The Chinese Meteoric Water Line has been established as δD=7.48δ 18 O+1.01. The distributions of scattering along the line demonstrated different water vapour origins and characteristics. The values of δ 18 O showed strong temperature dependence at the NE (0.27‰/°C) and NW stations (0.37‰/°C), and this dependent variable switched to water vapour pressure and vapour pressure at the SC stations. The geographical controls of δ 18 O were −0.22‰/° and −0.13‰/100 m for latitude and altitude, respectively. The δ 18 O/ Latitude gradient increased from south to north at the Eastern Monsoon Region, and the δ 18 O/ Altitude gradient (−0.30‰/100 m) was especially significant for the TP region. The results of this study could provide basic isotopic information for on-going investigations in hydrology, meteorology, palaeoclimatology and ecology at different regions of China. Keywords: δD, δ 18 O, CHNIP, GNIP, environmental controls, multiple non-linear stepwise regressions (Published: 17 March 2014) Citation: Tellus B 2014, 66 , 22567, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v66.22567

We assessed the total nitrogen (N) concentrations of 28 still surface water (lake and pond), and 42 flowing surface water (river), monitoring sites under 29 typical terrestrial ecosystems of the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) using monitoring data collected between 2004 and 2009. The results showed that the median total N concentrations of still surface water were significantly higher in the agro- (1.5 mg · L(-1)) and oasis agro- ecosystems (1.8 mg · L(-1)) than in the forest ecosystems (1.0 mg · L(-1)). This was also the case for flowing surface water, with total N concentrations of 2.4 mg · L(-1), 1.8 mg · L(-1) and 0.5 mg · L(-1) for the agro-, oasis agro- and forest ecosystems, respectively. In addition, more than 50% of the samples in agro- and oasis agro- ecosystems were seriously polluted (>1.0 mg · L(-1)) by N. Spatial analysis showed that the total N concentrations in northern and northwestern regions were higher than those in the southern region for both still and flowing surface waters under agro- and oasis agro- ecosystems, with more than 50% of samples exceeding 1.0 mg · L(-1) (the Class III limit of the Chinese National Quality Standards for Surface Waters) in surface water in the northern region. Nitrogen pollution in agro- ecosystems is mainly due to fertilizer applications, while the combination of fertilizer and irrigation exacerbates nitrogen pollution in oasis agro- ecosystems.

The eddy covariance flux measurements from 2003 to 2006 at a tropical rain forest site in Xishuangbanna, southwest China, were used to study the ecosystem evapotranspiration (ET). During the four study years, the mean annual precipitation and air temperature were slightly lower than their long-term averages (1322 vs 1487 mm and 20.1 vs 21.7 degrees C, respectively). Mean annual ET in the four study years was estimated at 1029 mm, accounted for 78% of the corresponding annual precipitation. Mean daily ecosystem ET was 2.6 mm day(-1) during the dry season from November to April and was 3.1 mm day(-1) during the rainy season from May to October. The ET diurnal variations in the cool-dry season (from November to February), the hot-dry season (March and April) and the rainy season had similar maximum values, although the soil water content, leaf area index (LAI) and climate conditions differed greatly. ET was mainly controlled by soil water availability in the hot-dry season, by LAI in the early rainy season (May and June) and by atmospheric conditions in the mid-to-late rainy season (from July to October) and the cool-dry season. The total ET was substantially higher than the corresponding precipitation in the dry season. The extra amount of water evapotranspirated in the dry season was mainly due to the depletion of soil water stored in the previous rainy season. Fog deposition during the dry season also played a role in providing water for ET. Our results indicated the importance of interannual interactions of water balance in the seasonal distribution of ecosystem ET at this site. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A simple and feasible method to retrieve directional fraction of vegetation cover is presented. A digital camera is adopted to capture multi-angle images for a wheat field and trees. The viewing angles are controlled by an automatic multi-angle observation device. After image processing, directional fraction cover and gap probability can be obtained.

Three macroscopic root water uptake models (Molz-Remson, Feddes, and Selim-Iskandar) have been widely used in modeling water flow in soil-plant systems. In this article, we use evapotranspiration data and soil water content data obtained from lysimeter measurements and root distribution data obtained in a nearby wheat field to evaluate the accuracy of these root water uptake models in predicting the soil water content profiles in the winter wheat field. To account for the role of root distribution, we modified the Molz-Remson model and the Selim-Iskandar model with the Feddes reduction function, and the Feddes model with the root length density. These models, with and without modifications, were then individually incorporated into the soil water flow equations as a sink term. The flow equations were solved numerically with the measured evapotranspiration data as input, and the predicted soil water content profiles were compared with the measured profiles to evaluate the validity of the root water uptake models. The comparison showed that: (1) the average deviation of the Molz-Remson (linear version) model, the Feddes model, and the Selim-Iskandar model could reach as high as 25,70, and the non-linear version of the Molz-Remson model performed slightly better, with an average deviation of 13%; (2) modifications made to the Molz-Remson models and the Selim-Iskandar model did not achieve any improvement in the model predictions, but the modified Feddes model significantly improved the prediction accuracy, reducing the average deviation to 5.6%.

Canopy surface temperature measured with infrared thermometers or other remote IR sensor is an important tool for crop water stress monitoring. Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) is the most often used index to detect crop water stress based on canopy surface temperature. The calculation of CWSI relies on two baselines: the non-water-stressed baseline, and the maximum stressed baseline. This paper evaluates the application of the most often used non-water-stressed baselines in North China Plain (NCP): the Idso's empirical baseline, and the Jackson's theoretical baseline. The results show that the Jackson's model makes better than the Idso's in monitoring winter wheat water stress in NCP.