Studying the climatic and environmental changes on different time scales in inland arid regions of Asia can greatly improve our understanding of climatic influences for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the context of global change. Pollen, as a remnant of seed plants, is sensitive to environmental factors including precipitation, temperature and altitude, and is a classic proxy in environmental reconstruction. In the last two decades, great progress in the application of palynology to inland areas of Asia has highlighted the role of palynology in paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental research. The main progress is as follows. (1) On the tectonic time scale of the late Cenozoic, the palaeoclimatological sequence has been established on the basis of pollen percentage, concentration and taxon. Pollen data have revealed a continuous enhancement of drought in the inland arid region of Asia, in contrast to evidence acquired based on other proxies. (2) In the late Quaternary, an increase in herbaceous plants further supports the intensification of drought associated with global cooling. In more detail, the palynological record shows a glacial-interglacial pattern consistent with changes in global ice volume. (3) The Holocene pollen record has been established at a high resolution and across a wide range of inland areas. In general, it presents an arid grassland environment in the early Holocene, followed by the development of woody plants in the mid- to late-Holocene climate optimum. This pattern is related to moisture changes in areas dominated by the westerlies. There are also significant regional differences in the pattern and amplitude of vegetation response to the Holocene environment. (4) Modern pollen studies based on vegetation surveys, meteorological data and statistics show that topsoil palynology can better reflect regional vegetation types (e.g., grassland, meadow, desert). Drier climates yield higher pollen contents of drought-tolerant plants such as Chenopodioideae, Ephedra, and Nitriaria, while contents of Artemisia and Poaceae are greater under humid climates. Besides these achievements, problems remain in palynological research: for example, pollen extraction, identification, interpretation, and quantitative reconstruction. In the future, we encourage strengthened interdisciplinary cooperation to improve experimental methods and innovation. Firstly, we should strengthen palynological classification and improve the skill of identification; secondly, laboratory experiments are needed to better constrain pollen transport dynamics in water and air; thirdly, more rigorous mathematical principles will improve the reliability of reconstructions and deepen the knowledge of plant geography; and finally, new areas and methods in palynology should be explored, for example DNA, UV-B and isotopic analysis. It is expected that palynology will continue to develop, and we hope it will continue to play an important role in the study of past climatic and environmental changes.

Ecophysiological responses to drought stress of Populus euphratica in Alashan Desert Eco-hydrology Experimental Research Station were investigated. Results show that under mild and moderate drought stress, stomatal length, aperture, area and density is likely to decrease in the early days, but afterwards this is likely to recovery with treatment over the passage of treatment time. Under severe drought stress, these properties appear to decline continuously. However, after 45 days of drought-stress treatment, the decline is not as noticeable as before, indicating that Populus euphratica could possibly reduce water evaporation by shutting down the stoma, leading to an improvement in its water use efficiency with better survival under drought stress conditions. The leaf area first decreases, and then increases under mild and moderate drought stress conditions, with the average values under different degree of stress found to be approximately 129.52, 120.08, 116.63 and 107.28 cm², respectively. Under moderate stress conditions, the leaf water potential appears to show a continuous decline where the average values under different degree of stress are found to be -1.27, -1.85, -4.29 and -4.80 MPa, respectively. In terms of proline content, the results demonstrate that this factor appears to increase significantly under moderate and severe drought stress conditions. Especially under severe drought stress condition, the content is found to be more than 700 μg/g. Ranging over average values of 14.64 and 15.90 nmol/g under moderate and severe drought stress, respectively, Malondialdehyde content is found to increase quite rapidly under moderate and severe drought stress conditions at first, which then appears to decrease gradually with the treatment over time.

Land surface actual evapotranspiration is an important process that influences the Earth's energy and water cycles and determines the water and heat transfer in the soil-vegetation-atmosphere system. Meanwhile, the cryosphere's hydrological process is receiving extensive attention, and its water problem needs to be understood from multiple perspectives. As the main part of the Chinese cryosphere, the Tibetan Plateau faces significant climate and environmental change. There are active interaction and pronounced feedback between the environment and ET_a in the cryosphere. This article mainly focuses on the research progress of ET_a in the Tibetan Plateau. It first reviews the ET_a process, characteristics, and impact factors of typical underlying surfaces in the Tibetan Plateau (alpine meadows, alpine steppes, alpine wetlands, alpine forests, lakes). Then it compares the temporal and spatial variations of ET_a at different scales. In addition, considering the current greening of cryosphere vegetation due to climate change, it discusses the relationship between vegetation greening and transpiration to help clarify how vegetation activities are related to the regional water cycle and surface energy budget.

As a linkage between plants and soil, litter decomposition and its effect on nutrient recirculation have an important ecological significance as they contribute to soil structure improvement and the restoration of degraded ecosystems. Fragile ecosystems in arid regions (both hot and cold) are depleted in soil organic matter, and as a result of various factors their circulation of material and energy is slower. Here we discuss how litter decomposition is necessary to maintain the stability of fragile ecosystems. We reviewed research on litter decomposition carried out in arid regions. Our objective in this review is to outline how litter decomposition, and the subsequent buildup of organic matter in soil, is a key process determining the stability of fragile ecosystems. Our review shows that existing studies have focused on the influence of single ecological factors on litter decomposition and nutrient cycling, and highlights how the exploration of interactions among factors determining litter decomposition is still lacking. This interaction is a key aspect, since in the real world, decomposition and nutrient return to soil of litter products is affected by multiple factors. We propose a network setup on a cross-regional scale using standardized methods (e.g., the tea bag method) to understand litter decomposition and nutrient return in fragile ecosystems. Such a unique network could contribute to establish predictive models suitable for litter decomposition and nutrient return in these areas, and thus could provide theoretical and practical support for regional ecological protection and high-quality development.

Black Carbon (BC), as a driver of environmental change, could significantly impact the snow by accelerating melting and decreasing albedo. Systematic documentation of BC studies is crucial for a better understanding of its spatial and temporal trends. This study reviewed the BC studies in the ice core and remote lake sediments and their sources in the northern hemisphere. The literature surveyed points to around 2.9 to 3.7 times increase of BC in the European Alps and up to a three-fold increase of BC in the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau (HTP) after the onset of industrialization in Europe and Asia, respectively. BC concentration from Greenland ice core showed seven times increase with an interrupted trend after 1950's. South Asian emissions were dominant in the HTP along with a contribution from the Middle East, whereas Western European and local emissions were responsible for the change in BC concentration in the European Alps. In the Arctic, contributions from North America, Europe and Asia persisted. Similarly, a historical reconstruction of lake sediments records demonstrates the effects of emissions from long-range transport, sediment focusing, local anthropogenic activities, precipitation and total input of flux on the BC concentration.

The unfrozen water content and ice content of frozen soil change continuously with varying temperatures, resulting in the temperature dependence of mechanical properties of frozen soil. Thus the dynamic behavior of embankment in permafrost regions under train loading also alters with seasons. Based on a series of strong-motion tests that were carried out on the traditional embankment of Qinghai-Tibet Railway (QTR) in permafrost regions, the acceleration waveforms recorded at the embankment shoulder and slope toes were obtained. Testing results show an obvious attenuation effect on the vertical train loading from road shoulder to slope toes. Furthermore, numerical simulations of a traditional embankment under vertical train loading in different seasons were conducted, and the dynamic behavior of the embankment was described. The results show that the vibration attenuation in the cold season is greater than that in the warm season. The maximum acceleration of vibration drops to about 5% when the train vibration load is transferred through the embankment into the permafrost, and the high-frequency components are absorbed when the vibration transmits downward. Moreover, the dynamic stress under the dynamic train loading decreases exponentially with an increasing depth in different seasons. The results can be a reference for design and maintenance of embankments in permafrost regions.

Holocene δ¹⁸O records from various archives (ice cores, cave stalagmites, and peat sediments) from the Xinjiang region of northwestern China, in arid central Asia (ACA), are all derived ultimately from local precipitation δ¹⁸O (δ¹⁸O_p). Nevertheless, they have been proposed as indicators of different climatic parameters, such as wetness and temperature changes. This article summarizes previously reported records of moisture sources for the Xinjiang region and the results of modern observations conducted at an ice core site and a peat site in the Altai Mountains. The findings are used to propose that the overall positive trends in Holocene δ¹⁸O records from the various archives from the Xinjiang region primarily reflect the Holocene's long-term warming trend. It is concluded that more site-specific modern observations are needed to further elucidate the environmental significance of Holocene δ¹⁸O records from this region, especially for the separation of different seasonal temperature signals present within δ¹⁸O records.

Fossil Taiwania was discovered from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Lingyuan City, western Liaoning Province, Northeast China. It is identified as a new species, Taiwania lingyuanensis sp. nov.. The present specimen is preserved as impressions with well defined leaf shoots system and reproductive structures. Leaves are dimorphic, spirally and imbricately arranged. They are scale-like on the main and cone-bearing branchlets, and subulate to falcate-subulate on the juvenile or sterile shoots. The seed cones are singly elliptic, ovate or elongate-ovate and terminally borne on ultimate shoots, bearing 22–24 scale-bracts complexes imbricately and helically arranged around the cone axis, the bracts are broad-ovate, rhomboidal or hexagonal with entire margins. Both the leafy shoots morphology and reproductive structures are similar to extant Taiwania. Furthermore, geological distribution and molecular biological evidences support that Taiwania is probably originated from the eastern Asia at least in the Early Cretaceous and widely distributed in the North Hemisphere thereafter.

Light-absorbing impurities on glaciers are important factors that influence glacial surface albedo and accelerate glacier melt. In this study, the quantity of light-absorbing impurities on Keqikaer Glacier in western Tien Shan, Central Asia, was measured. We found that the average concentrations of black carbon was 2,180 ng/g, with a range from 250 ng/g to more than 10,000 ng/g. The average concentrations of organic carbon and mineral dust were 1,738 ng/g and 194 μg/g, respectively. Based on simulations performed with the Snow Ice Aerosol Radiative model simulations, black carbon and dust are responsible for approximately 64% and 9%, respectively, of the albedo reduction, and are associated with instantaneous radiative forcing of 323.18 W/m² (ranging from 142.16 to 619.25 W/m²) and 24.05 W/m² (ranging from 0.15 to 69.77 W/m²), respectively. For different scenarios, the albedo and radiative forcing effect of black carbon is considerably greater than that of dust. The estimated radiative forcing at Keqikaer Glacier is higher than most similar values estimated by previous studies on the Tibetan Plateau, perhaps as a result of black carbon enrichment by melt scavenging. Light-absorbing impurities deposited on Keqikaer Glacier appear to mainly originate from central Asia, Siberia, western China (including the Taklimakan Desert) and parts of South Asia in summer, and from the Middle East and Central Asia in winter. A footprint analysis indicates that a large fraction (>60%) of the black carbon contributions on Keqikaer Glacier comes from anthropogenic sources. These results provide a scientific basis for regional mitigation efforts to reduce black carbon.

Microbes inhabiting the desert respond sensitively to environmental changes and may be an indicator for changes in the desert ecosystem. Hypolithic microbial communities in the desert play a vital role in ecosystem processes such as soil formation and organic matter accumulation. This study investigated and compared the culturable bacterial community structure and diversity in hypolithic and peripheral soils, and the interaction between bacteria and environmental factors. The bacteria were isolated using four different kinds of media and identified by 16S rRNA gene-sequence analysis. The numbers of culturable bacteria in the hypolithic and peripheral soils ranged from 3.0×10⁴ to 3.6×10⁵ CFU/g and from 6.5×10⁴ to 5.3×10⁵ CFU/g, respectively, indicating that the bacteria number in peripheral soil was higher than that in hypolithic soil. A total of 98 species belonging to 34 genera were identified, among which Arthrobacter, Bacillus,and Streptomyces were found dominantly and widely distributed. The community of culturable bacteria had obvious sample specificity, and the diversity in hypolithic soil was higher than that in peripheral soil. On the regional scale, the distribution of culturable bacteria and the environmental factors showed regular changes. On the local scale, the high heterogeneity of the hypolithic environment determined the specificity of the number and species of culturable bacteria.

Ice documentation and response to prominent warming, especially after the 1990s, is further investigated because it is concerned whether ice records have absence. A δ¹⁸O series of a Laohugou (LHG) shallow ice core (20.12 m) in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau was reconstructed covering the period of 1960-2006. The ice core δ¹⁸O record had significant positive correlations with the warm season (May-September) air temperatures at adjacent meteorological stations and the 500 hPa temperatures in boreal China, indicating that the δ¹⁸O record could be considered a credible proxy of regional temperature. A clear, cold temperature event in 1967 and rapid warming after the 1990s were captured in the LHG δ¹⁸O series, revealing that it could record extreme air-temperature events on both regional and global scales. The LHG δ¹⁸O variations had evident positive correlations with both the summer surface outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) in the Mongolia region and the summer meridional wind at 500 hPa in the LHG region during 1960-2006, suggesting that the increased OLR in the Mongolia region might have intensified the Mongolia Low and expanded the pressure gradient to the LHG region (the Shulehe High), which would have pushed the westerlies further north and suppressed southward incursions of cold air into the LHG region, and thus augmented the temperature rise. The regional atmospheric circulation difference (1985-2006 minus 1960-1984) suggested that the anticyclone in the Mongolia region might have developed the easterly wind, which transported warmer air from the east toward the LHG region and weakened the cold penetration of the westerlies, resulting in the temperature rise since the middle 1980s.

Seed germination and early seedling growth are crucial stages for plant establishment. Two neutral (NaCl and Na₂SO₄) and two alkali (NaHCO₃ and Na₂CO₃) salts were selected to investigate their effects on germination and recovery responses in Reaumuria soongorica. Results show that both salt types significantly reduced germination and radicle elongation. The rate of germination and emergence of R. soongorica seeds continuously decreased as salinity increased, and the time to achieve maximum germination rate was delayed. The speed of seed germination dropped rapidly as salt concentration increased. Alkaline salts restricted the germination rate of R. soongorica seeds, and stresses resulting from alkaline salts and high concentrations of neutral salts resulted in many deformed seedlings. The length of the radicle and germ decreased with increasing salt concentration, but certain concentrations of salt and increased pH promoted germ growth. The results of regression analysis show that salt concentration was the dominant factor inhibiting R. soongorica seed germination rate. Salinity, buffering capacity, and pH all affected embryo growth, but salinity had the most pronounced effect. Seed viability under highly saline conditions appears to be a better indicator of adaptation to saline environments than seed germination under saline conditions.

Rainfall variability dominates livelihoods in all countries of Saharan Africa. To better understand the processes involved in Sahara precipitation changes, we used the Global Precipitation Climatology Center (GPCC) dataset to examine dry and wet seasonal trends in the Sahara region from 1979 to 2016. We also used the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to evaluate the general atmospheric circulation associated with seasonal change of Sahara precipitation. The Mann-Kendall test and Theil sens' slope estimator methods were adopted to test and estimate the significance and weight of precipitation trend, respectively. The results revealed that Sahara precipitation has increased significantly. The seasonal evaluation shows a positive trend of 0.42 mm/decade and 1.43 mm/decade in JAS (June, August, and September) seasons for the northern and southern Saharan Desert, respectively. Moreover, the JFMA (January, February, March, and April) period shows a negative trend but not statistically significant. An examination of the general circulation and moisture transport changes suggested an increase of rainfall in southern Sahara. The wet period is also driven by northward penetration of moisture originating from the Sahel region, African Easterly Jet (AEJ), and weakening in the upper tropospheric zonal wind. Summer rainfall has also been likely associated with positive anomalies of sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Tropical Atlantic (NTA) and the Mediterranean Sea.

Evapotranspiration (ET) within an ecosystem is crucial for the water-limited environment that currently lacks adequate quantification in the arid region of Northwest China, mainly covered by phreatophytes, such as the Populus euphratica Oliv. tree and the Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. shrub species. Accordingly, ET was measured for an entire year using eddy covariance (EC) in P. euphratica stands in the lower Heihe River Basin, Northwest China. During the growing season, the total ET was 850 mm, with a mean of 4.0 mm/d, which is obviously more than that observed at tree-level and standlevel scales, which was likely due to the different level of soil evaporation induced by irrigation via water conveyance. Factors associated with ET fall into either environmental or plant eco-physiological categories. Environmental factors account for at least 79% variation of ET, and the linear relationship between ET and the groundwater table (GWT) revealed the potential water use of P. euphratica forests under the non-water stress condition with the GWT less than 3 m deep. Plant eco-physiological parameters, specifically the leaf area index (LAI), have direct impact on the seasonal pattern of ET, which provides a valuable reference to the wide-area estimates of ET for riparian forests by using LAI. In conclusion, P.euphratica forests have high water use after water conveyance, which may be the result of long-term adapting to local climates and limited water availability.

The soil-freezing characteristic curve (SFCC), which represents the relationship between unfrozen water content and sub-freezing temperature (or suction at ice-water interface) in a freezing soil, can be used for understanding the transportation of heat, water, and solute in frozen soils. In this paper, the soil freezing process and the similarity between the SFCC of saturated frozen soil and soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) of unfrozen unsaturated soil are reviewed. Based on similar characteristics between SWCC and SFCC, a conceptual SFCC is drawn for illustrating the main features of soil freezing and thawing processes. Various SFCC expressions from the literature are summarized. Four widely used expressions (i.e., power relationship, exponential relationship, van Genuchten 1980 equation and Fredlund and Xing 1994 equation) are evaluated using published experimental data on four different soils (i.e., sandy loam, silt, clay, and saline silt). Results show that the exponential relationship and van Genuchten (1980) equation are more suitable for sandy soils. The simple power relationship can be used to reasonably best-fit the SFCC for soils with different particle sizes; however, it exhibits limitations when fitting the saline silt data. The Fredlund and Xing (1994) equation is suitable for fitting the SFCCs for all soils studied in this paper.

The meso-structure of sandstone has a significant effect on its mechanical properties under external loads. In this paper, by taking two types of sandstone with different grain sizes as the study objects, the effects of grain size and freeze-thaw cycles on tensile strength and damage mode of sandstone are analyzed using a combination of laboratory tests, theoretical analysis, and numerical calculation. The Brazilian splitting tests are carried out on sandstone samples subjected to freeze-thaw cycles. The results show that: (1) The Brazilian splitting mode of the fine-grained sandstone is dominated by the central fracture, whereas that of the coarse-grained sandstone is controlled by a noncentral fracture. (2) The freeze-thaw cycles aggravate the initial damage of sandstone, and the cumulative freeze-thaw damage has a greater impact on the Brazilian splitting damage mode of the coarse-grained sandstone than on the fine-grained sandstone. (3) The numerical analysis software RFPA^2D system can simulate the Brazilian splitting failure process of the two types of sandstone with varying grain sizes under different freeze-thaw cycles. It is shown to be an effective method to reveal the tensile failure process and deterioration mechanism of sandstone under freeze-thaw cycling. (4) The formation mechanisms of the two splitting modes are analyzed according to the energy principle. The energy release of coarse-grained sandstone forms a noncentral splitting mode along the rock sample internal weak structural plane, whereas the fine-grained sandstone sample's energy accumulates in the rock sample center and releases it instantaneously at its center, showing the failure mode of central splitting. In addition, based on damage mechanics theory, the damage evolution equation of sandstone subjected to freeze-thaw cycles under tension is established, and the influence of energy release and dissipation on the sandstone's tensile properties is quantitatively analyzed.

In cold regions, the widened subgrade could produce uneven frost heave that is detrimental to the pavement. This study investigates the differential frost heave characteristics in a widened subgrade. The field monitoring system mainly consists of temperature, moisture, and displacement sensors and distributed optical fiber cables for strain measurement. The monitoring results show that the cooling period in the subgrade is longer than the warming period. Water content in the subgrade changes significantly within 0-2 m below the subgrade surface but stabilizes within 2-5 m. The maximum frost heave occurs from February to March. In comparison, the existing subgrade has a longer freezing period and larger heave value, caused by the higher density and water content inside. Water in the existing subgrade migrates into the new one after widening, leading to frost heave reduction in the existing subgrade. Simultaneously, the traffic loads result in the consolidation of the new subgrade, thus reducing the heave value in the second year. In the third year, the water supply from the existing subgrade facilitates the frost heave in the new subgrade. The tensile strain distributions obtained by the distributed optical fiber cables show that the maximum differential frost heave occurs at the joint between the existing and new subgrades. The differential frost heave gradually stabilizes after three years. Finally, an improved frost heave prediction model is developed based on the segregation potential concept and monitoring results.

Satellite remote sensing is widely used to estimate snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE) which are two key parameters in global and regional climatic and hydrological systems. Remote sensing techniques for snow depth mainly include passive microwave remote sensing, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Interferometric SAR (InSAR) and Lidar. Among them, passive microwave remote sensing is the most efficient way to estimate large scale snow depth due to its long time series data and high temporal frequency. Passive microwave remote sensing was utilized to monitor snow depth starting in 1978 when Nimbus-7 satellite with Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) freely provided multi-frequency passive microwave data. SAR was found to have ability to detecting snow depth in 1980s, but was not used for satellite active microwave remote sensing until 2000. Satellite Lidar was utilized to detect snow depth since the later period of 2000s. The estimation of snow depth from space has experienced significant progress during the last 40 years. However, challenges or uncertainties still exist for snow depth estimation from space. In this study, we review the main space remote sensing techniques of snow depth retrieval. Typical algorithms and their principles are described, and problems or disadvantages of these algorithms are discussed. It was found that snow depth retrieval in mountainous area is a big challenge for satellite remote sensing due to complicated topography. With increasing number of freely available SAR data, future new methods combing passive and active microwave remote sensing are needed for improving the retrieval accuracy of snow depth in mountainous areas.

This paper studied the basic properties of saline soil at different depths of a sampling site in Da'an, China, through field reconnaissance and laboratory analysis. A series of experiments which comprised the analyses of grain size distribution, mineral composition, soil physical properties, soluble salt concent, pH, organic content and cation exchange capacity were conducted. Through these experiments, the distribution rule of each property and their causes are discussed. These results could provide a fundamental base for the study of moisture migration.

The colonization and development of biological soil crusts (BSCs) are rarely discussed when investigating vegetation restoration with difference arrangement and structure of anthropogenically damaged areas in semi-arid regions. The present study analyzes the relationships among coverage, height and density of woody vegetation and coverage and thickness of BSCs on the surface mine dumpsite in Heidaigou, China. Results showed that PR (Prunus sibirica L.), PT (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) and PPr (P. tabulaeformis Carr., P. sibirica L.) types had the highest coverage of total BSCs, which were 76.8%, 75.9% and 78.9%, respectively and PR showed the thickest BSCs of 4.41 mm. There was a significant correlation between coverage and thickness of BSCs and coverage and height of woody vegetation as a unimodal curve. Our findings suggest that a single woody plant species and low level coverage and height (no more than 30% and 300 cm, respectively) of woody plants may be able to create suitable conditions for facilitating BSCs restoration on the surface of mine dumpsites. The effects of vegetation arrangement and structure on BSCs colonization and development should be considered in reconstructing and managing woody vegetation in disturbed environments, such as surface mine dumpsites in semi-arid areas.

The original landform along the China-Russia Crude Oil Pipeline (CRCOP, line 2) was disturbed during installation of pavement for the pipeline. Forest and vegetation coverage is dense, and runoff develops along the pipe. Since the operation of the CRCOP (line 2) began in 2018, ponding has appeared on both sides of the pipeline. If there is no drainage, ponding can hardly dissipate, due to the low permeability of the permafrost layer. With the supply of surface flow and the transportation of oil at positive temperatures, ponding promotes an increase in temperature and changes the boundary thermal conditions of the pipeline. Meanwhile, when the ponding freezes and thaws, frost heave threatens operational safety of the pipeline. Furthermore, the ponding can affect the thermal condition of line 1. In this paper, the distribution of ponding along the CRCOP was obtained by field investigation. The type and cause of ponding were summarized, and the catchment and stream order were extracted by the Digital Elevation Model (DEM). According to the statistical results in attributes for topographic factors, it is known that ponding along the pipeline is relative to elevation, slope, aspect, and the Topographic Wetness Index (TWI). Water easily accumulates at altitudes of 300-450 m, slopes within 3°-5°, aspect in the northeast or south, TWI within 13-16, flow direction in north-east-south, and flow length within 90-150 km. This paper proposes a theoretical basis for the cause and characteristics of ponding along the pipeline.

Cyclic triaxial tests are conducted to analyze the evolution of strength parameters and energy dissipation of thawing silty clay under different stress paths.The effects of freezing temperature, thawing temperature and confining pressures on the stress-strain and strength characteristics of soil samples are studied through monotonic loading and cyclic loading tests by using high- and low-temperature triaxial apparatus. The variation of the total work, elastic deformation energy, dissipated energy, energy dissipation rate, residual strain, and damage variable during loading and unloading are discussed. The experimental results show that the samples have higher strain tolerance under high confining pressure, low freezing temperature, and low thawing temperature, and the same other conditions. The soil sample state and failure pattern can be judged by using the energy parameters measured in the experiment.

Worldwide examination of glacier change is based on detailed observations from only a small number of glaciers. The ground-based detailed individual glacier monitoring is of strong need and extremely important in both regional and global scales. A long-term integrated multi-level monitoring has been carried out on Urumqi Glacier No. 1 (UG1) at the headwaters of the Urumqi River in the eastern Tianshan Mountains of Central Asia since 1959 by the Tianshan Glaciological Station, Chinese Acamedey of Sciences (CAS), and the glaciological datasets promise to be the best in China. The boundaries of all glacier zones moved up, resulting in a shrunk accumulation area. The stratigraphy features of the snowpack on the glacier were found to be significantly altered by climate warming. Mass balances of UG1 show accelerated mass loss since 1960, which were attributed to three mechanisms. The glacier has been contracting at an accelerated rate since 1962, resulting in a total reduction of 0.37 km² or 19.3% from 1962 to 2018. Glacier runoff measured at the UG1 hydrometeorological station demonstrates a significant increase from 1959 to 2018 with a large interannual fluctuation, which is inversely correlated with the glacier's mass balance. This study analyzes on the changes in glacier zones, mass balance, area and length, and streamflow in the nival glacial catchment over the past 60 years. It provides critical insight into the processes and mechanisms of glacier recession in response to climate change. The results are not only representative of those glaciers in the Tianshan mountains, but also for the continental-type throughout the world. The direct observation data form an essential basis for evaluating mountain glacier changes and the impact of glacier shrinkage on water resources in the interior drainage rivers within the vast arid and semi-arid land in northwestern China as well as Central Asia.

A prominent contradiction between supply and demand of water resources has restricted local development in social and economic aspects of Zhangye City, located in a typical arid region of China. Our study quantified the Water Resource Stress Index (WRSI) from 2003 to 2017 and examined the factors of population, urbanization level, GDP per capita, Engel coefficient, and water consumption per unit of GDP by using the extended stochastic impact by regression on population, affluence and technology (STIRPAT) model to find the key factors that impact WRSI of Zhangye City to relieve the pressure on water resources. The ridge regression method is applied to improve this model to eliminate multicollinearity problems. The WRSI system was developed from the following three aspects: water resources utilization (WR), regional economic development water use (WU), and water environment stress (WE). Results show that the WRSI index has fallen from 0.81 (2003) to 0.17 (2017), with an average annual decreased rate of 9.8%. Moreover, the absolute values of normalized coefficients demonstrate that the Engel coefficient has the largest positive contribution to increase WRSI with an elastic coefficient of 0.2709, followed by water consumption per unit of GDP and population with elastic coefficients of 0.0971 and 0.0387, respectively. In contrast, the urbanization level and GDP per capita can decrease WRSI by -0.2449 and -0.089, respectively. The decline of WRSI was attributed to water-saving society construction which included the improvement of water saving technology and the adjustment of agricultural planting structures. Furthermore, this study demonstrated the feasibility of evaluating the driving forces affecting WRSI by using the STIRPAT model and ridge regression analysis.

The Elkon Horst is a geological structure that consists of heterogeneous strata with highly variable geocryological and temperature conditions. Gaining accurate knowledge of permafrost distribution patterns within this structure is of both scientific and practical importance. In mountainous terrain, the ground thermal regime is controlled by both surface and subsurface conditions. Surface conditions include snow cover characteristics, the presence or absence of vegetation, vegetation density, etc.. In contrast, subsurface conditions involve rock lithology or petrography, density, quantity and depth of fissures, groundwater, etc.. This article examines ground thermal regimes in various geomorphological settings based on temperature measurement data from geotechnical boreholes. The occurrence and extent of permafrost were evaluated for the entire horst area using direct and indirect methods. The maximum permafrost thickness measured in the Elkon Horst is 330 m, and the estimated maximum is 450 m at higher elevations. Thermophysical properties were determined for the major rock types, and the geothermal heat flux was estimated for the study area. The thermal conductivities were found to vary from 1.47 to 4.20 W/(m·K), and the dry bulk densities to range between 2,236 kg/m³ and 3,235 kg/m³. The average geothermal heat flux was estimated to be 44 mW/m².

Buried pipelines are widely used for transporting oil in remote cold regions. However, the warm oil can induce considerable thermal influence on the surrounding frozen soils and result in severe maintenance problems. This paper presents a case study of the thermal influence of ponding and buried warm-oil pipelines on permafrost along the China-Russia Crude Oil Pipeline (CRCOP) in Northeast China. Since its operation in 2011, the operation of the warm-oil pipelines has led to rapid warming and thawing of the surrounding permafrost and development of sizable ponding along the pipeline route, which, in return, exacerbates the permafrost degradation. A field study was conducted along a 400-km long segment of the CRCOP in permafrost regions of Northeast China to collect the location and size information of ponding. A two-dimensional heat transfer model coupled with phase change was established to analyze the thermal influence of ponding and the operation of warm-oil pipelines on the surrounding permafrost. In-situ measured ground temperatures from a monitoring site were obtained to validate the numerical model. The simulation results show that ponding accelerates the development of the thaw bulb around the pipeline. The maximum thaw depth below the pipeline increases from 4 m for the case without ponding to 9 m for the case with ponding after 50 years of operation, and ponding directly above the pipe induces the maximum thaw depth. Engineering measures should be adopted to control the size or even eliminate surface water-rich ponding for the long-term performance of buried warm-oil pipelines.

Spatial heterogeneity is an inherent characteristic of natural forest landscapes, therefore estimation of structural variability, including the collection and analyzing of field measurements, is a growing challenge for monitoring wildlife habitat diversity and ecosystem sustainability. In this study, we investigated the combined influence of plot shape and size on the accuracy of assessment of conventional and rare structural features in two young-growth spruce-dominated forests in northwestern China. We used a series of inventory schemes and analytical approaches. Our data showed that options for sampling protocols, especially the selection of plot size considered in structural attributes measurement, dramatically affect the minimum number of plots required to meet a certain accuracy criteria. The degree of influence of plot shape is related to survey objectives; thus, effects of plot shape differ for evaluations of the "mean" or "representative" stand structural conditions from that for the range of habitat (in extreme values). Results of Monte Carlo simulations suggested that plot sizes <0.1 ha could be the most efficient way to sample for conventional characteristics (features with relative constancy within a site, such as stem density). Also, 0.25 ha or even larger plots may have a greater likelihood of capturing rare structural attributes (features possessing high randomness and spatial heterogeneity, such as volume of coarse woody debris) in our forest type. These findings have important implications for advisable sampling protocol (plot size and shape) to adequately capture information on forest habitat structure and diversity; such efforts must be based on a clear definition of which types are structural attributes to measure.

The behavior and fates of environmental pollutants within the cryosphere and the associated environmental impacts are of increasing concerns in the context of global warming. The Tibetan Plateau (TP), also known as the "Third Pole", represents one of the most important cryospheric regions in the world. Mercury (Hg) is recognized as a global pollutant. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of Hg concentration levels, pools and spatio-temporal distribution in cryospheric environments (e.g., glacier, permafrost), and its transfer and potential cycle in the TP cryospheric region. Transboundary transport of anthropogenic Hg from the surrounding heavily-polluted regions, such as South and Southeast Asia, provides significant sources of atmospheric Hg depositions onto the TP cryosphere. We concluded that the melting of the cryosphere on the TP represents an increasing source of Hg and brings a risk to the TP environment. In addition, global warming acts as an important catalyst accelerating the release of legacy Hg from the melting cryosphere, adversely impacting ecosystems and biological health. Furthermore, we emphasize on the remaining gaps and proposed issues needed to be addressed in future work, including enhancing our knowledge on some key release pathways and the related environmental effects of Hg in the cryospheric region, integrated observation and consideration of Hg distribution, migration and cycle processes at a key region, and uses of Hg isotopic technical and Hg models to improve the understanding of Hg cycling in the TP cryospheric region.

Ganzhou District is an oasis city in the Zhangye Municipality of Gansu Province, China. Based on multi-temporal TM and ETM satellite remote sensing data in 1985, 1996, 2000, and 2012, and by using corrected figures of land use status over the same periods, the spatial area of Ganzhou District since 1985 was extracted with statistical methods, and urban spatial expansion was measured by quantitative research methods. The characteristics of spatial expansion of Ganzhou District were analyzed by urban expansion rate, expansion intensity index, compactness, fractal dimension, and the city center shift method. The results showed that the built-up area of Ganzhou District increased by 3.46 times during 1985-2012. The expansion in 1985-1996 was slow, during 1996-2000 it was rapid, and during 2000-2012 it was at a high speed. This city mainly expanded to the northeast and northwest. Government decision making had a decisive influence on urban expansion. Initially the expansion was uniform, but later the local transportation, economy, resources, population, and national policies factors had an obvious influence on urban expansion.

Dunhuang Yardang National Geo-park, situated in the Gansu Province of northwestern China (40º25'36"N-40º33'10"N, 93º00'00"E-93º13'30"E), was chosen as a research locality of aesthetics evaluation of yardang landforms landscape. The yardang landforms landscape is a composite structural system of patch-corridor-matrix, with four landscape unit elements as dense group, sparse group, single body and remnant. The study of the landscape aesthetics spatial pattern of Dunhuang Yardang National Geo-park shows that yardang dense group, sparse group and single body provide the greatest contribution to the aesthetic value of yardang landforms landscape. Yardang bodies are scarce, unique, irreplaceable, and priceless resources in yardang landforms areas. However, they are easily destroyed under the influence of the natural and artificial factors. Therefore, when the tourism potential of yardang landforms landscape is exploited, the protection should be fully improved.

The Qilian mountain area was examined for using the Logistic-CA-Markov coupling model combined with GIS spatial analyst technology to research the transformation of LUCC, driving force system and simulate future tendency of variation. Results show that:(1) Woodland area decreased by 12.55%, while grassland, cultivated land, and settlement areas increased by 0.22%, 7.92%, and 0.03%, respectively, from 1986 to 2014. During the period of 1986 to 2000, forest degradation in the middle section of the mountain area decreased by 1,501.69 km². Vegetation cover area improved, with a net increase of grassland area of 38.12 km² from 2000 to 2014. (2) For constructing the system driving force, the best simulation scale was 210m×210m. Based on logistic regression analysis, the contribution (weight) of composite driving forces to land use and cover change was obtained, and the weight value was more objectively compared with AHP and MCE method. (3) In the natural scenarios, it is predicted that land use and cover distribution maps of Qilian mountain area in 2028 and 2042, and the Lee-Sallee index test was adopted. Over the next 27 years (2015-2042), farmland, woodland, grassland, settlement areas show an increasing trend, especially settlements with an obvious change of 0.56%. The area of bare land will decrease by 0.89%. Without environmental degradation, tremendous structural change of LUCC will not occur, and typical characteristic of the vertical zone of the mountain would remain. Farmland and settlement areas will increase, but only in the vicinity of Qilian and Sunan counties.

Metagenomic studies have demonstrated the existence of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and revealed they are responsible for ammoxidation in some extreme environments. However, the changes in compositional structure and ammonia-oxidation capacity of AOA communities in biological soil crusts (BSCs) of desert ecosystems remain poorly understood. Here, we utilized Illumina MiSeq sequencing and microbial functional gene array (GeoChip 5.0) to assess the above changes along a 51-year revegetation chronosequence in the Tengger Desert, China. The results showed a significant difference in AOA-community richness between 5-year-old BSCs and older ones. The most dominant phylum during BSC development was Crenarchaeota, and the corresponding species were ammonia-oxidizing_Crenarchaeote and environmental_samples_Crenarchaeota. Network analysis revealed that the positive correlations among dominant taxa increased, and their cooperation was reinforced in AOA communities during BSC succession. Redundancy analysis showed that the dominant factor influencing the change in AOA-community structure was soil texture. GeoChip 5.0 indicated that the amoA gene abundances of AOA and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were basically the same, demonstrating that AOA and AOB played an equally important role during BSCs development. Our study of the long-term succession of BSC demonstrated a persistent response of AOA communities to revegetation development in desert ecosystems.

The effects of salinity on soil organic carbon (SOC) and its labile fractions including microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and easily oxidation organic carbon (EOC), basal soil respiration, and soil nematode community in the Fluvents, an oasis in an arid region of northwestern China were investigated. Five sites were selected which had a salinity gradient with different groundwater table from 1.0 m to 4.0 m. Soils were sampled at the 0-20 cm plough layer from 25 irrigated fields of five sites and electrical conductivity was measured in the saturation paste extracts (ECe). Soils were categorized into five salinity levels:(1) non-saline, (2) very slightly saline, (3) slightly saline, (4) moderately saline, and (5) strongly saline according to the values of ECe. The results show that SOC and total nitrogen concentration, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and the concentrations of labile organic fractions (MBC, EOC), and basal soil respiration decreased significantly with increasing ECe. The relationships between ECe and MBC, EOC and basal soil respiration were best described by power functions. Slight and moderate salinity had no significant impact on soil nematode abundance, but excessive salt accumulation led to a marked decline in soil nematode community diversity and abundance. Soil salinity changed soil nematode trophic groups and bacterivores were the most abundant trophic groups in salt-affected soils. Further study is necessary to identify the response of soil microbial processes and nematode community dynamics to soil salinity.

Understanding the variation in a plant's water sources is critical to understanding hydrological processes in water-limited environments. Here, we measured the stable-isotope ratios (δ¹⁸O) of xylem water of Caragana microphylla, precipitation, soil water from different depths, and groundwater to quantitatively analyze the proportion of water sources for the shrub. We found that the water sources of C. microphylla differed with the plant's ages and the seasons. The main water source for young shrubs was upper-soil water, and it showed significant changes with seasonal precipitation inputs. In summer, the proportion contributed by shallow water was significantly increased with increased precipitation inputs. Then, the contribution from shallow-soil water decreased with the decline in precipitation input in spring and autumn. However, the adult shrubs resorted to deep-soil layers and groundwater as the main water sources during the whole growing season and showed much less seasonal variation. We conclude that the main water source of the young shrubs was upper-soil water and was controlled by precipitation inputs. However, once the shrub gradually grew up and the roots reached sufficient depth, the main water sources change from the upper-soil layer recharged by precipitation to deep-soil water and groundwater, which were relatively stable and abundant in the desert ecosystem. These results also suggest that desert shrubs may be able to switch their main water sources to deep and reliable water sources as their age increases, and this adjustment to water availability carries significant importance for their acclimation to the desert habitat.

Water is the most important limiting factor in arid areas, and thus water resource management is critical for the health of dryland ecosystems. However, global climate change and anthropogenic activity make water resource management more difficult, and this situation may be particularly crucial for dryland restoration, because of variation in water uptake patterns associated with artificial revegetation of different ages and vegetation type. However, there is lacking long-term restorations that are suitable for studying this issue. In Shapotou area, Northwest China, artificial revegetation areas were planted several times beginning in 1956, and now form a chronosequence of sand-binding landscapes that are ideal for studying variability in water uptake source by plants over succession. The stable isotopes δ¹⁸O and δ²H were employed to investigate the water uptake patterns of the typical revegetation shrubs Artemisia ordosica and Caragana korshinskii,which were planted in different years. We compared the stable isotope ratios of shrub stem water to groundwater, precipitation, and soil water pools at five layers (5-10, 10-40, 40-80, 80-150, and 150-300 cm). The results indicate that Artemisia ordosica derived the majority of their water from the 20-150 cm soil layer, whereas Caragana korshinskii obtained water from the 40-150 cm soil layer. The main water sources of Artemisia ordosica and C. korshinskii plants changed over time, from deeper about 150 cm depth to shallow 20 cm soil layer. This study can provide insights into water uptake patterns of major desert vegetation and thus water management of artificial ecosystems, at least in Northwest China.

Solar energy is clean and renewable energy that plays an important role in mitigating impacts of environmental problems and climate change. Solar radiation received on the earth's surface determines the efficiency of power generation and the location and layout of photovoltaic arrays. In this paper, the average daily solar radiation of 77 stations in China from 1957 to 2016 was analyzed in terms of spatial and temporal characteristics. The results indicate that Xinjiang, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, North, Central and East China show a decreasing trend with an average of 2.54×10^-3 MJ/(m²?10a), while Northwest and Northeast China are basically stabilized, and Southwest China shows a clear increasing trend with an average increase of 1.79×10^-3 MJ/(m²?10a). The average daily solar radiation in summer and winter in China from 1957 to 2016 was 18.74 MJ/m² and 9.09 MJ/m², respectively. Except for spring in Northwest, East and South China, and summer in northeast China, the average daily solar radiation in all other regions show a downward trend. A critical point for the change is 1983 in the average daily solar radiation. Meanwhile, large-scale (25-30 years) oscillation changes are more obvious, while small-scale (5-10 years) changes are stable and have a global scope. The average daily solar radiation shows an increasing-decreasing gradient from west to east, which can be divided into three areas west of 80°E, 80°E-100°E and east of 100°E. The average daily solar radiation was 2.07 MJ/m² in the 1980s, and that in 1990s lower than that in the 1960s and the 1970s. The average daily solar radiation has rebounded in the 21st century, but overall it is still lower than the average daily solar radiation from 1957 to 2016 (13.87 MJ/m²).

In Northeast China, permafrost advanced and retreated several times under the influences of fluctuating paleo-climates and paleo-environments since the Late Pleistocene. During the last 60 years, many new data were obtained and studies were conducted on the evolution of permafrost in Northeast China, but so far no systematic summary and review have been made. Based on sedimentary sequences, remains of past permafrost, paleo-flora and -fauna records, and dating data, permafrost evolution since the Late Pleistocene has been analyzed and reconstructed in this paper. Paleo-temperatures reconstructed from the remains of past permafrost and those from paleo-flora and -fauna are compared, and thus the southern limit of permafrost (SLP) in each climate period is inferred by the relationship of the permafrost distribution and the mean annual air/ground temperatures (MAAT/MAGT). Thus, the evolutionary history of permafrost is here divided into five stages:(1) the Late Pleistocene (Last Glaciation, or LG) (65 to 10-8.5 ka), the Last Glaciation Maximum (LGM, 21-13 ka) in particular, the coldest period in the latest history with a cooling of about 6~10℃, characterized by extensive occurrences of glaciation, flourishing Mammathas-Coelodonta Faunal Complex (MCFC), widespread aeolian deposits, and significant sea level lowering, and permafrost greatly expanded southwards almost to the coastal plains (37°N-41°N); (2) the Holocene Megathermal Period (HMP, 8.5-7.0 to 4.0-3.0 ka), 3~5℃ warmer than today, permafrost retreated to about 52°N; (3) the Late Holocene Cold Period (Neoglaciation) (4.0-3.0 to 1.0-0.5 ka), a cooling of 1~3℃, some earlier thawed permafrost was refrozen or attached, and the SLP invaded southwards to 46°N; (4) the Little Ice Age (LIA, 500 to 100-150 a), the latest cold period with significant permafrost expansion; and (5) climate warming since the last century, during which Northeast China has undergone extensive permafrost degradation. The frequent and substantial expansions and retreats of permafrost have greatly impacted cold-region environments in Northeast China. North of the SLP during the HMP, or in the present continuous permafrost zone, the existing permafrost was largely formed during the LG and was later overlapped by the permafrost formed in the Neoglaciation. To the south, it was formed in the Neoglaciation. However, many aspects of permafrost evolution still await further investigations, such as data integration, numerical reconstruction, and merging of Chinese permafrost history with those of bordering regions as well as collaboration with related disciplines. Of these, studies on the evolution and degradation of permafrost during the past 150 years and its hydrological, ecological, and environmental impacts should be prioritized.

In this study, a systematic survey of cultural airborne fungi was carried out in the occurrence environments of wall paintings that are preserved in the Tiantishan Grottoes and the Western Xia Museum, China. A bio-aerosol sampler was used for sampling in four seasons in 2016. Culture-dependent and -independent methods were taken to acquire airborne fungal concentration and purified strains; by the extraction of genomic DNA, amplification of fungal ITS rRNA gene region, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis, thereafter the fungal community composition and distribution characteristics of different study sites were clarified. We disclosure the main environmental factors which may be responsible for dynamic changes of airborne fungi at the sampling sites. The concentration of cultural airborne fungi was in a range from 13 to 1,576 CFU/m³, no significant difference between the two sites at the Tiantishan Grottoes, with obvious characteristics of seasonal variation, in winter and spring were higher than in summer and autumn. Also, there was a significant difference in fungal concentration between the inside and outside of the Western Xia Museum, the outside of the museum was far more than the inside of the museum in the four seasons, particularly in the winter. Eight fungal genera were detected, including Cladosporium, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Filobasidium as the dominant groups. The airborne fungal community structures of the Tiantishan Grottoes show a distinct characteristic of seasonal variation and spatial distribution. Relative humidity, temperature and seasonal rainfall influence airborne fungal distribution. Some of the isolated strains have the potential to cause biodeterioration of ancient wall paintings. This study provides supporting information for the pre-warning conservation of cultural relics that are preserved at local sites and inside museums.

Timely removal of the flower is a key agricultural measure to ensure the concentrated supply of nutrients for the growth of underground bulbs and to increase the yield of lilies. Removing flowers and returning them to the field is one of the traditional ways of treatment, and field litter is formed at this time. Previous study showed that the decomposition of litter changes the soil properties. In order to study the effects of lily litter decomposition on soil physical and chemical properties and microbial structure, three treatments were set up in reference to the Decomposition Bag Method: control (CK), Lanzhou lily flower treatment (LZF), and Zhongbai No.1 flower treatment (ZBF). The effects of lily decomposition on soil physical and chemical properties and microbial community composition were studied in order to provide a scientific basis and theoretical guidance for the planting process of Lanzhou lily. The results show that the decomposition of lily flowers significantly increased the contents of soil organic matter, soil total nitrogen, soil total phosphorus and soil available potassium, and decreased soil pH. RDA shows that soil available nutrients and pH were the driving factors for the change of the soil microbial community. A short-term change of soil microenvironment caused by the decomposed lily flower is beneficial to growing the Lanzhou lily. However, under the correlation analysis of environmental factors, the long-term effects of returning the Lanzhou lily flower to the field, such as the trend of soil acidification, need to be further studied.