Eastern Mountainous Area Research Articles

Assessing the Vulnerability of Agricultural Systems to Drought in Kyrgyzstan

As climate change worsens, the frequent occurrence of extreme drought events will further threaten the agricultural systems of all countries in the world. Kyrgyzstan is a country with agriculture and animal husbandry as its main industries, with a weak industrial base, and agriculture plays an important role in the national economy. Kyrgyzstan is located in Central Asia and suffers from a dry climate and frequent droughts. Thus, an integral analysis of the vulnerability of Kyrgyzstan’s agricultural system is of great significance for this country’s socio-economic stability. In this study, we comprehensively analyze the agricultural system drought vulnerability of Kyrgyzstan from three dimensions of sensitivity, adaptability and exposure. The results show that the areas of higher vulnerability in Kyrgyzstan’s agricultural system are distributed in the eastern mountainous, northwest and southwest areas. In addition, regions with low vulnerability are mainly concentrated in the central area. Kyrgyzstan has abundant water resources, but the supporting infrastructure construction is relatively backward. The imperfect irrigation facilities have greatly restricted the development of agriculture and have also increased the vulnerability of the agricultural systems. In the face of climate change, the region may face more severe drought disasters, so increasing infrastructure investment and building a complete irrigation system and water use plan are the keys to reducing the vulnerability of Kyrgyzstan’s agricultural system.

Impacts of climate change on suitability zonation for potato cultivation in Jilin Province, Northeast China

Global climate change is causing notable shifts in the environmental suitability of the main regions involved in potato cultivation and has, thus, changed the production potential of potatoes. These shifts can be mapped at fine scales to better understand climate change within areas of potato cultivation and to find infrastructural- and breeding-based solutions. As a case study, we have identified and mapped the structural and spatial shifts that occurred in areas suitable for potato cultivation in Jilin Province, China. We identified a discontinuity in climate change trends between 1961 and 2018 based on data for Jilin Province, and analyzed the averages and linear trends for six important climatic parameters. We used the averages of these climatic parameters to establish climate models for the province and determined cultivation using a multi-criteria, decision-based model that integrates Analytical Hierarchy Process Weighted Principal Component Analysis (AHP-PCA) and Geographic Information System (GIS). We mapped the environmentally suitable areas for potato cultivation at a 3-km resolution based on the geo-climate model for each time period and analyzed differences between them. We found that "Most suitable” areas for potato cultivation were mainly distributed in the central area of Jilin Province, “Suitable” areas were located in the northwestern plains, and “Sub-suitable” areas were located in the eastern mountainous areas. In contrast, “Not suitable” areas occur mainly in the high-altitude areas in the east. The areas of “Most suitable” and “Suitable” areas for potato cultivation in Jilin Province were increasing, with increasing rates of 0.37 × 1,000 km2 decade−1 (R2 = 0.58, P < 0.01) and 0.20 × 1,000 km2 decade−1 (R2 = 0.28, P < 0.01), respectively, while the extent of “Sub-suitable” areas is decreasing, with a decreasing rate of 0.58 × 1,000 km2 decade−1 (R2 = 0.53, P < 0.05). The area of “Not suitable” areas had undergone little change. “Most suitable” and “Suitable” areas for potato cultivation showed a trend towards northward expansion. Overall, our results suggest that global climate change has had a positive impact on potato cultivation in Jilin Province over the past 58 years.

Conservation of aquatic insects in Neotropical regions: A gap analysis using potential distributions of diving beetles in Cuba

Abstract Human activities are an increasing threat to Neotropical freshwater ecosystems, with the potential extinction of thousands of aquatic species. Despite this, knowledge about the effectiveness of protected area networks in protecting aquatic insects in this biogeographical region is very limited. Cuba supports the highest diversity of aquatic insects in the Antilles, with a large number of endemics. A gap analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the National System of Protected Areas of Cuba (NSPAC) in the conservation of Cuban diving beetles (family Dytiscidae). This involved considering the areas with the highest potential species richness, estimated by using species distribution models with three different approaches (MaxEnt, Random Forest and Support Vector Machine), and the known localities of endemic species. The highest potential species richness of Dytiscidae in Cuba is predicted to occur in the low–medium altitude of the eastern mountain areas. Although most of these areas occur inside the NSPAC, several areas of potential high species richness are currently unprotected. It is recommended that sampling programmes are carried out in areas with high predicted species richness to validate the species distribution models. The distribution of three Cuban endemic species (Copelatus barbouri, Desmopachria glabella and Celina cubensis) lies completely outside of the NSPAC. Despite their conservation interest as threatened endemic species, they are currently unprotected. To improve the conservation of freshwater biodiversity in Cuba it is recommended that (i) the NSPAC network is extended to protect areas supporting endemic species and those with the highest potential species richness that are currently unprotected, and (ii) a whole‐catchment management approach, specifically to maintain natural flows, should be adopted, especially in the mountainous areas of eastern Cuba.

Near-term regional climate change over Bangladesh

Bangladesh stands out as a climate change hot spot due to its unique geography, climate, high population density, and limited adaptation capacity. Mounting evidence suggests that the country is already suffering from the effects of climate change which may get worse without aggressive action. Here, we use an ensemble of high-resolution (10 km) regional climate model simulations to project near-term change in climate extremes, mainly heat waves and intense rainfall, for the period (2021–2050). Near-term climate projections represent a valuable input for designing sound adaptation policies. Our climate projections suggest that heatwaves will become more frequent and severe in Bangladesh under the business-as-usual scenario (RCP8.5). In particular, extremes of wet-bulb temperature (a temperature and humidity metric important in evaluating humid heat stress) in the western part of Bangladesh including Bogra, Ishurdi, and Jessore are likely to exceed the extreme danger threshold (according to U.S. National Weather Service criterion), which has rarely been observed in the current climate. The return periods of extreme heat waves are also significantly shortened across the country. In addition, country-averaged rainfall is projected to increase by about 6% during the summer months, with the largest increases (above 10%) in the eastern mountainous areas, such as Sylhet and Chittagong. Meanwhile, insignificant changes in extreme rainfall are simulated. Our results suggest that Bangladesh is particularly susceptible to climate extremes in the near future, in the form of extreme heat waves over the western part of the country.

Mine Geological Environment Monitoring and Risk Assessment in Arid and Semiarid Areas

Along with the accelerated shift of coal mining to the ecologically fragile west, the contradiction between coal resource development and ecological protection in the western arid and semiarid coal mining areas is rapidly intensifying. Based on the above background, this thesis takes the coal mining area in the arid and semiarid regions as an example; applies the theories of ecology, coal mining subsidence, geodesy, and ecological restoration; uses remote sensing in synthetic aperture radar (SAR), geographic information system (GIS), and mathematical modelling to reveal the ecological evolution law of the mining area; measures the ecological damage of the mining area; and then proposes a reasonable ecological restoration strategy. The surface deformation monitoring study in the study area shows that on the whole, some areas in the study area have different degrees of surface subsidence disasters, and the maximum surface subsidence value exceeds 800 mm. From the distribution of surface subsidence in the study area, surface subsidence disasters mainly occur in the eastern and central mountainous areas rich in coal resources, as well as in the mining areas west of the Yellow River, and the subsidence basins are distributed in a series of irregular concentric ovals. In terms of the scale of surface subsidence in the study area, a total of 230.03 km2 of land in the study area showed surface subsidence hazards during the monitoring period, accounting for 13.78% of the total area of the study area, of which the area of severe subsidence was 44.98 km2 (2.69%). The area of more serious subsidence area is 101.33 km2 (6.07%), and the area affected by subsidence is 83.72 km2 (5.01%).

Implementing land evaluation and site assessment (LESA system) in farmland protection: A case‐study in northeastern China

AbstractFarmland evaluation has become a major topic in farmland protection research. Due to the lack of reasonable and scientifically reliable evaluation methods for farmland protection, the farmland of quality and covering a wide area are at high risk of degradation and destruction in China due mainly to rapid industrialization and urbanization. The land evaluation and site assessment (LESA) system has been successfully applied to protect important farmland globally. To better understand and testify the flexibility and suitability of the LESA system for farmland protection in different geomorphic regions in China, we investigated the delineation of basic farmland by applying and testing the LESA system in Liaoning Province of China. In this study, the LESA system was constructed and comprehensively evaluated through the land evaluation (LE) and site assessment (SA) subsystems; soil conditions suitable for agriculture and site conditions feasible for other land uses were selected in the LE and SA subsystems, respectively. The results demonstrated that the ratios of the LE and SA subsystems were 6:4, 5:5, and 4:6 in the middle plain area (MPA), eastern mountainous area (EMA), and western hilly area (WHA), respectively. Farmlands with LE scores over 80 accounted for 80.7%, 34.7%, and 28.6% in the MPA, WHA, and EMA, respectively. Moreover, 37.2% of farmland with high SA scores (over 50) was primarily distributed in the WHA, and only 7.1% and 0.4% in the MPA and EMA, respectively. The farmland ratios with LESA scores over 60 were 74.8%, 52.2%, and 30.2% in the MPA, EMA, and WHA, respectively. In particular, the total farmland was grouped into three primary categories, which scientifically demonstrated the suitability and compatibility of the farmland features and also provided guidance for the implementation of farmland consolidation and remediation techniques.

Statistical characteristics and risk zoning of different duration heavy rainfall in Shanxi

Based on different duration heavy rainfall data and the associated disaster situation, geographic information, socio-economic characteristics, river network density, and geological hazard-prone zoning of 109 stations in Shanxi Province in the past 38 years, a statistical analysis of different duration heavy rainfall events in Shanxi Province was carried out. In addition, a comprehensive risk zoning was performed using hierarchy analysis and weighted comprehensive evaluation methods. The results show that: (1) the spatial distribution of the extreme value indicates the following: the mountain area is larger than that of the basin, and the south is greater than the north and has a shorter time-effect and a stronger local distribution of the extreme value. Yuanqu County (YuanQ) has the highest concentration area of all different duration heavy rainfall events within 12 h. (2) Within 12 h., the occurrence frequency of different duration heavy rainfall has the spatial distribution characteristics of being higher in the south and lower in the north, higher in the mountain area than in the basin area, higher in the eastern mountain area than in the western mountain area, and obviously concentrated in the southeast. YuanQ is a high incidence area of short-duration heavy rainfall over 1 h. and 3 h., and Jincheng City (JinC) is a high incidence area of heavy rainfall over 6 h and 12 h.. (3) Severe precipitation with different durations occurs in July–August every year, and the frequency of hourly heavy rainfall is the highest. (4) The intra-day distributions of heavy rainfall over a period of 1 h., 3 h., and 12 h. are single-peak curves, with peaks at 18:00, 19:00 and 09:00, respectively; the intra-day distribution of heavy rainfall over 6 h. is a double peak curve, with peaks at 06:00 and 20:00. (5) The variation trend of the annual occurrence times of short-duration heavy precipitation is similar for 1 h, 3 h, and 6 h, and the growth rate is the highest in southeastern Shanxi Province. The variation trend of the occurrence times of heavy rainfall over 12-h. is different from that of 1-h., 3-h., and 6-h. short-duration heavy rainfall. The rate of growth is the largest in the eastern and western mountain areas of Shanxi Province. (6) The whole area of JinC, the east of Yuncheng City (YunC), and the southeast of Changzhi City (CZ) are the high-risk areas for all different duration heavy precipitation disaster-causing factors within 12 h. As the duration of heavy rainfall increases, the high-risk areas with respect to disaster factors in Linfen City (LF) and CZ increase. (7) JinC, YunC, and Liulin County (LL) are high-risk areas for the comprehensive risk of different duration heavy rainfall within 12 h, and LF and CZ districts increase the extent of high-risk areas with the increase in the duration of heavy precipitation.

The Spatiotemporal Patterns and Interrelationships of Snow Cover and Climate Change in Tianshan Mountains

To reveal the spatiotemporal patterns of the asymmetry in the Tianshan mountains’ climatic warming, in this study, we analyzed climate and MODIS snow cover data (2001–2019). The change trends of asymmetrical warming, snow depth (SD), snow coverage percentage (SCP), snow cover days (SCD) and snow water equivalent (SWE) in the Tianshan mountains were quantitatively determined, and the influence of asymmetrical warming on the snow cover activity of the Tianshan mountains were discussed. The results showed that the nighttime warming rate (0.10 °C per decade) was greater than the daytime, and that the asymmetrical warming trend may accelerate in the future. The SCP of Tianshan mountain has reduced by 0.9%. This means that for each 0.1 °C increase in temperature, the area of snow cover will reduce by 5.9 km2. About 60% of the region’s daytime warming was positively related to SD and SWE, and about 48% of the region’s nighttime warming was negatively related to SD and SWE. Temperature increases were concentrated mainly in the Pamir Plateau southwest of Tianshan at high altitudes and in the Turpan and Hami basins in the east. In the future, the western and eastern mountainous areas of the Tianshan will continue to show a warming trend, while the central mountainous areas of the Tianshan mountains will mainly show a cooling trend.

Conversion relationship between groundwater and surface water in the Taizi River Basin in China based on geochemical and isotopic characteristics.

Stable isotopes (δDVSMOW and δ18OVSMOW) and hydrochemical characteristics were analyzed to determine the groundwater and surface water characteristics of the Taizi River Basin in Northeast China. Total dissolved solids and major ion concentrations gradually increase along the Taizi River, and only parts of the middle and lower reaches were slightly reduced by replenishment from the Hun River and the tributaries of the eastern mountainous areas. The hydrochemical evolution of the surface water and groundwater may be due to a combination of mineral dissolution, mixing processes, cation exchange, and evaporation along the groundwater flow path. The geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the waters suggest that the surface water from the piedmont recharges the groundwater through faults and that precipitation near the mountain reservoirs contributes immensely to both water types. Lateral groundwater movement from the piedmont may be an effective source for replenishing river water in the middle and lower reaches. The geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the groundwater and surface water interaction in the Taizi River Basin contribute toward their comprehensive management.

Eco-Environment Evaluation of Grassland Based on Remote Sensing Ecological Index: A Case in Hulunbuir Area, China

This research is based on Landsat5 TM, Landsat8 OLI/TIRS remote sensing data using RSEI model to analyze and monitor the ecological environment and its temporal and spatial changes in the forest-grass transition zone in Northeast China from 2004 to 2019. The change characteristics of the ecological environment of different types of land cover types are monitored by RSEI method, and the response of different land cover types to natural factors such as precipitation and temperature is analyzed at the same time. The distribution of RSEI in the study area presents the characteristics of high in the east and low in the west. The eastern mountainous area is densely covered with woodland, which is the area with the best ecological environment quality in the study area. The grassland in the western plain and the saline-alkali land around the river are the areas with poor ecological environment in the study area. Climate, precipitation, topography and other natural elements work together to form the quality of the ecological environment in the study area roughly bounded by 120?E. In years with poor natural conditions, this dividing line will have a clear eastward shifting trend, especially in the northern part of the study area. The spatial distribution of RSEI in the study area has a high degree of spatial autocorrelation, and Global Moran’s I has been above 0.8 over the years. In terms of temporal changes in ecological conditions, the ecological environment in the study area was basically stable from 2004 to 2008, with a slight deterioration; it improved significantly from 2008 to 2011; however, it deteriorated significantly from 2011 to 2019. According to the results of partial correlation analysis, the ecological environment of the former is highly correlated with natural elements such as climate and precipitation, while the latter is mainly affected by human factors.

Spatio-temporal characteristics of cultivated land fragmentation in different landform areas with a case study in Northeast China

ABSTRACT Assessing the temporal and spatial characteristics of cultivated land fragmentation is necessary to identify management practices that can reduce negative environmental effects. Thus, the purpose of this study was to use principal component analysis and spatial autocorrelation to analyze the dynamic characteristics of cultivated land fragmentation in different landform areas in Liaoning Province, China, in terms of time and space. An additional objective was to match the changes with the natural and social environment to support the sustainable development of fragmented cultivated land. The results indicated that the evolutionary trends of cultivated land fragmentation in the central plain area showed a weakening trend, contrary to those observed in the western hilly and eastern mountainous areas. Moreover, the spatial distribution characteristics of cultivated land fragmentation in the western hilly area were generally “external low, internal high,” primarily because of the edge density of cultivated land patches. The spatial distribution characteristics of cultivated land fragmentation in the central plain area were generally “external high, internal low,” primarily because of the number and division of cultivated land patches. The spatial distribution characteristics of cultivated land fragmentation in the eastern mountainous area were generally “south low, north high” because of the division of cultivated land patches. These results can provide guidelines for planners, managers, decision-makers and others to formulate regulatory policies, identify land remediation areas, and promote the sustainable development of cultivated land.

Evapotranspiration as a response to climate variability and ecosystem changes in southwest, China

The aim of our study is to quantify the relationship between ecosystem and climate variables in southwest China. We further examined spatiotemporal distribution patterns of daily reference evapotranspiration (ET0) and ecosystem types through integrated approaches, including spatiotemporal interpolation, Penman–Monteith, Mann–Kendall test, statistical correlation analysis and transition matrix based on those datasets including observation climate data, satellite remote sensing images (MODIS and Landsat) and observed ecosystem data. The following results are achieved. First, changes of ET0 were greatly influenced by the combined effects of precipitation (with a decrease rate of −13 mm/10 years) and temperature (with a decrease rate of + 0.17 ℃/10 years). The annual average ET0 increased by + 2.1 mm/10 years, and the increased ET0 are more than 25% of the total area. Second, evapotranspiration was regarded as a sensitive indicator of climate and ecosystem feedbacks, and these ecosystem types have a great transformation, including forest, agriculture, and grass. Forest and grass were distributed primarily in the southern and eastern mountain areas, grass was in high mountains area while agriculture was prevalent in basin areas respond to climate changes. The area of forest converted to grass was 3670 km2, which was greater than transition from grass to forest (1720 km2). Correlation coefficients of evapotranspiration and NDVI were positive in forest and negative in agriculture. Third, the effects of these changes on climate vegetation and ecosystem process feedbacks on the quickly warming southwest China are potentially significant. Although the variation in ecosystem types was combined effects caused by climate variation and human activities, an effective ecological restoration program “Grain for Green” has improved the environmental conditions in southwest China.

Planning and design of Rural Complex under the background of Rural Revitalization——Taking the eastern mountainous area of Jilin province as an example

The ecological environment and natural resources in the eastern mountainous areas of Jilin Province have special and obvious advantages. From the “Rural Revitalization” strategy proposed by the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to the “rural complex” proposed in the No.1 document, this paper analyses the development model and policy in domestic and international area, combined with the regional characteristics of the eastern mountainous areas in Jilin Province and the advantages of rural complex development. In order to provide reference for similar projects, the planning principles and main contents of rural complex construction in this area are discussed.

Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for the qRT-PCR Assays of Populus ussuriensis Gene Expression under Abiotic Stresses and Related ABA Treatment

Populus ussuriensis Kom. is one of the most important tree species for forest renewal in the eastern mountainous areas of Northeast China due to its fast growth, high yield, and significant commercial and ecological value. The selection of optimal reference genes for the normalization of qRT-PCR data is essential for the analysis of relative gene expression. In this study, fourteen genes were selected and assessed for their expression stability during abiotic stress (drought, high salinity, and cold stress) and after the treatment with the drought-related hormone ABA. Three algorithms were used, geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper, and a comprehensive ranking of candidate reference genes was produced based on their output. The most appropriate reference genes were UBQ10 and RPL24 for drought and ABA treatment, UBQ10 and TUB3 for cold stress, and UBQ10 and 60S rRNA for high salinity. Overall, UBQ10 was the most stable reference gene for use as an internal control, whereas PP2A was the least stable. The expression of two target genes (P5CS2 and GI) was used to further verify that the selected reference genes were suitable for gene expression normalization. This work comprehensively assesses the stability of reference genes in Populus ussuriensis and identifies suitable reference genes for normalization during qRT-PCR analysis.

Development differentiation of rural areas with tourism characteristics in eastern mountainous areas and its driving forces: A case study of Pingyang County, Zhejiang Province

Development differentiation of rural areas with tourism characteristics in eastern mountainous areas and its driving forces: A case study of Pingyang County, Zhejiang Province

Risk map for the range expansion of Thrips palmi in Korea under climate change: Combining species distribution models with land-use change

Abstract Climate change and land-use change are the most powerful drivers for the invasion of alien species. To understand the integrated effects of these two drivers on pest invasion risk in the future, this study assessed how they impact the invasion risk of Thrips palmi Karny, which is the most serious invasive species in the Korean peninsula. The potential distribution of T. palmi was projected with a MaxEnt model for current and future climate change scenarios (RCP 4.5 and 8.5) based on occurrence records. The potential distribution extends to the north over time, except the eastern high mountainous area, for both RCPs in 2075. The MaxEnt outputs were filtered with agricultural area using data from three land-use change scenarios derived from the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs), because T. palmi populations can only be sustained in agricultural areas. The potential risk of T. palmi, based on the potential distribution probability in the future agricultural area, increased over time under all RCPs-SSPs combinations. The total area of T. palmi occurrence increased under RCPs-SSP1 and -SSP2 but decreased under RCPs-SSP3, due to agricultural areas being converted to urban areas. In conclusion, based on future climate change scenarios, T. palmi could be distributed throughout the Korean peninsula in the future. The invasion risk in agricultural areas will increase substantially; thus, intensive control measures for T. palmi are required in the future. Our research suggests that using both climate change and land-use change in pest risk mapping study can provide informative data for management strategy.

Inversion Research on Aerodynamic Roughness of Different Underlying Surfaces in Aral Sea Basin

The study of water and heat flux in Aral Sea Basin is a hot topic in the study of water resources in Central Asia. Aerodynamic roughness is the key parameter of inversion. Zom is retrieved based on NDVI and Albedo simulation and verified by the vegetation height in Central Asia. The results show that the inversion of Zom by this model is basically reasonable. In 2018, the monthly average value of Zom is about 0.056m, the vegetation height in Aral Sea Basin is about 0.44m, and both Zom and vegetation height in space are higher in eastern mountainous areas than in western desert areas.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of precipitation diurnal variations in Chongqing with complex terrain

Using the hourly precipitation data observed at 34 gauge stations in Chongqing during 1991–2012, the spatial and temporal characteristics of the precipitation amount (PA), precipitation intensity (PI), precipitation frequency (PF), and their diurnal cycles are analyzed. Results show that the PA increased from the western to eastern Chongqing in spring and autumn. The summer precipitation was dominant throughout the year, and the PA in the basin was larger than in the eastern and middle mountainous area, which was different from in spring and autumn. The nocturnal precipitation had a quasi-stationary feature. The diurnal peaks of the PA/PI/PF mainly appeared from midnight to early morning. The amplitude of the PF was significantly greater than that of the PI and thus determined the characteristics of diurnal variation of the PA. In terms of the distribution of peak time of precipitation, this study reveals a time lag indicating the peak time was later in the northeast than in the southwest Chongqing. The complex terrain played an important role in the difference of diurnal cycle of precipitation in different areas. The stations in the southwest Chongqing are largely located in the Sichuan Basin, while the stations in the eastern and middle Chongqing are located in the mountainous area surrounding the basin. By selecting 16 representative stations in two types of terrain for analysis, it is shown in the study that the amplitude of diurnal precipitation at the stations in higher terrain was weaker. Moreover, investigating the interval of precipitation associated with the diurnal distribution of lightning reveals that the enhancement of precipitation in the mountainous area in the afternoon was mainly caused by the short-time strong rainfall resulting from the convection.

Phytolith characteristics and preservation in trees from coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest in an eastern mountainous area of Northeast China

Research on phytolith morphology and the preservation of phytoliths in soils provides the theoretical basis for reconstructing shifts in forest–grassland ecotones and the evolution of plant communities. Based initially on anatomical origin, then shape and finally texture, phytoliths in broad-leaved trees were divided into six major types, 10 types and 33 sub-types, respectively; and correspondingly phytoliths in coniferous trees were divided into seven major types, 9 types and 20 sub-types. Results of detrended correspondence analysis showed that broad-leaved trees were characterized by epidermal phytoliths, hair, hair base, sclereid, elongate attenuate, stomate and tracheids; while the main coniferous phytoliths were elongate, tabular, blocky and margin-cuneiform. In Pinaceae, Larix closely corresponded to elongate and margin-cuneiform; Picea and Abies to blocky scrobiculate, stomate and tracheids; while Pinus corresponded well with epidermal, blocky and tabular. Only five kinds of broad-leaved phytoliths and seven kinds of coniferous phytoliths appeared in soils. The preservation degree of different phytolith types was determined by comparing the contents of the same phytoliths in plants and soils. Evidence showed that coniferous phytoliths were better preserved than broad-leaved ones. Among coniferous phytoliths, the cubic, tabular echinate and elongate cavate phytoliths were better preserved than other types. Among broad-leaved phytoliths, sclereid and blocky facetate showed the best preservation. Overall, this research will support the more accurate use of tree phytoliths in interpreting paleo-environments and paleo-vegetation.

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIATION OF LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE IN FUJIAN PROVINCE FROM 2001 TO 2015

Abstract. Land surface temperature (LST) is an essential parameter in the physics of land surface processes. The spatiotemporal variations of LST on the Fujian province were studied using AQUA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer LST data. Considering the data gaps in remotely sensed LST products caused by cloud contamination, the Savitzky-Golay (S-G) filter method was used to eliminate the influence of cloud cover and to describe the periodical signals of LST. Observed air temperature data from 27 weather stations were employed to evaluate the fitting performance of the S-G filter method. Results indicate that S-G can effectively fit the LST time series and remove the influence of cloud cover. Based on the S-G-derived result, Spatial and temporal Variations of LST in Fujian province from 2001 to 2015 are analysed through slope analysis. The results show that: 1) the spatial distribution of annual mean LST generally exhibits consistency with altitude in the study area and the average of LST was much higher in the east than in the west. 2) The annual mean temperature of LST declines slightly among 15 years in Fujian. 3) Slope analysis reflects the spatial distribution characteristics of LST changing trend in Fujian.Improvement areas of LST are mainly concentrated in the urban areas of Fujian, especially in the eastern urban areas. Apparent descent areas are mainly distributed in the area of Zhangzhou and eastern mountain area.