High Precipitation Amounts Research Articles

Field Study of the Effects of Two Different Environmental Conditions on Wheat Productivity and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Induction (OJIP) Parameters

Wheat is one of the main cereal crops for ensuring food supply. Thus, increasing grain yield is a major target for plant breeders, where insights into wheat productivity can be gained by studying the activity of the components of photosynthetic apparatus. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the agronomical performance of three winter wheat varieties and test photosynthetic efficiency over two different locations. Chlorophyll fluorescence was used to evaluate the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) (TR0/ABS) and performance index on absorption basis (PIabs) of flag leaves and glumes of heads at the flowering stage until the mid-senescence stage. The grain yield of all varieties on average was significantly higher at Osijek compared to Tovarnik. Variety Tika Taka exhibited the highest yield reduction (27.1%) at Tovarnik compared to Osijek, followed by El Nino (20.5%) and Vulkan (18.7%), respectively. A higher amount of precipitation in June at Tovarnik provoked higher Fusarium head blight disease intensity, which could be seen as the bleaching of plant heads at the plots and resulted in an earlier decrease in photosynthetic activity. Therefore, earlier senescence and contracted grain fill duration could occur.

Developing a Formula to Estimate Precipitation at Ungauged Location and Analysis of Rainfall Pattern: Case Study for Rastra Bank Chowk, Pokhara, Nepal

Pokhara receives the second highest amount of rainfall in the country, according to Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. The rainfall distribution within this small region is random. The precipitation in Pokhara is measured from limited rain gauge stations. For understanding the spatial variation, it is necessary to access the daily rainfall data at the gauged as well as ungauged stations. In view of this problem, this study is aimed at developing the formula to estimate the rainfall value at an ungauged station, Rastrabank Chowk Pokhara using the calibration and validation method. For this purpose, the daily rainfall data of the sample station was measured using standard rain gauge for a period of four months from May 13, 2020 to September 15, 2020. The analysis of the spatial distribution and variation of daily rainfall at meteorological stations as well as sample station was done to select the data for the development of the formula. Calibration and validation of formula was performed for equal period using the statistical indices NSE, R2 and PBIAS. Calibration was performed using rainfall data of available meteorological stations of Pokhara in the first two consecutive months. From the numerous hit and trial procedures, the equation developed with rainfall data of Airport and Malepatan stations comprising of three constant values were obtained with the highest NSE and R2. PBIAS value was then calculated for maximum NSE and R2. In the next phase, validation of the equation for other two months (14 July- 15 September,2020) was performed to obtain maximum possible value of NSE and R2 and a smaller value of PBIAS. The equation was obtained with 0.980 NSE, 0.980 R2 and 6.437 % PBIAS value which indicated good agreement between observed and predicted rainfall value. Spatial rainfall pattern analysis using SURFER model demonstrated that there was a homogenous distribution of rainfall in Malepatan, Airport and sample stations. The temporal trend showed that the month July of 2020 had a higher amount of precipitation at Pokhara valley. From the HYSPLIT model, it was observed that the rainfall events in Pokhara valley was due to westerlies dominance. This study would provide the rainfall estimation techniques and hence would significantly contribute to meteorological investigations and water resource planning.

Grapevine responses to site-specific spatiotemporal factors in a Mediterranean climate

Water availability in vineyards varies in space and time. The spatiotemporal variability of water availability to vines is affected by terrain, meteorology, and irrigation. This study aimed to analyze the response of vegetative and reproductive attributes of vines to spatiotemporal variability in water availability. We quantified the spatial autocorrelation of terrain covariates and grapevine attributes and determined the relative influence (RI) of the covariates on these attributes. In each of four growing seasons (2017–2020), in a Vitis vinifera cv. “Sauvignon Blanc” vineyard, five vegetative and reproductive attributes were collected for 240 vines. Terrain covariates included elevation, slope, aspect, topographic wetness index, and categorical landforms; and meteorological covariates consisted of annual rainfall and chilling hours. A Moran’s I statistic was computed for each spatial covariate and each grapevine attribute during each season to define temporal changes in spatial variability. A multivariate analysis using gradient boosted regression trees algorithm was applied to extract the RI of the covariates. The results showed high spatial autocorrelation of the terrain covariates and a strong negative shift in spatial dependency of the grapevine attributes throughout the experiment. Yield and number of clusters per vine were highly affected by seasonal precipitation (RI of 46.15% and 42.59%), while changes in inter-seasonal cluster weight and pruning weight were highly subjected to irrigation amounts (RI of 23% and 26.66%), with complementary terrain influences. The number of canes per vine was mainly affected by terrain characteristics. Long-term changes in grapevine attributes depended on meteorological shifts, while higher precipitation amounts were associated with weaker responses of vines to irrigation strategies. The spatial patterns of terrain affected water distribution in the vineyard and controlled the spatial dynamics of grapevine attributes. Knowledge regarding the space-time trends of water availability effects on grapevine attributes may assist decision making of irrigation practices in vineyards.

Recent increases in tropical cyclone precipitation extremes over the US east coast.

The impacts of inland flooding caused by tropical cyclones (TCs), including loss of life, infrastructure disruption, and alteration of natural landscapes, have increased over recent decades. While these impacts are well documented, changes in TC precipitation extremes-the proximate cause of such inland flooding-have been more difficult to detect. Here, we present a latewood tree-ring-based record of seasonal (June 1 through October 15) TC precipitation sums (ΣTCP) from the region in North America that receives the most ΣTCP: coastal North and South Carolina. Our 319-y-long ΣTCP reconstruction reveals that ΣTCP extremes (≥0.95 quantile) have increased by 2 to 4 mm/decade since 1700 CE, with most of the increase occurring in the last 60 y. Consistent with the hypothesis that TCs are moving slower under anthropogenic climate change, we show that seasonal ΣTCP along the US East Coast are positively related to seasonal average TC duration and TC translation speed.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ФЛУКТУАЦИЙ ЭФЕМЕРОВО-ЭФЕМЕРОИДОВОЙ СИНУЗИИ В ПОЛУПУСТЫННЫХ ФИТОЦЕНОЗАХ КУРА-АРАЗСКОЙ НИЗМЕННОСТИ В СВЯЗИ С КЛИМАТИЧЕСКИМИ ИЗМЕНЕНИЯМИ

The dynamics of semi-desert herbaceous phytocenoses was studied under the conditions of the Kura-Araz lowland on permanent model sites (10×10 m). Based on seven-year (2014–2020) stationary observations, regularities of seasonal and annual fluctuations of cereal-forb and legume-forb phytocenoses were revealed in connection with weather conditions. The analysis of data on the long- term dynamics of their species composition, structure, stock of the raw above-ground part is carried out. The α-diversity is estimated by generally accepted indices, the results of phenological observations are given. It was found that in the seasonal dynamics of plants, the beginning of the growing season depends on the air temperature in March, and the end of the cycle depends on the air temperature in May-early June. The optimal dates for the mass development of grasses are the beginning and the middle of May. In the case of an increased norm of atmospheric precipitation and a late onset of summer heat, this pattern may be violated, and the dates are shifted to the end of May – beginning of June. Over the years of observations in the cereal-forb phytocenosis of 19 species, 9, and in the legume-forb phytocenosis of 17 species, 5 turned out to be constant. The total projective cover ranged from 50 (dry years) to 100 % (wet years). The assessment of α-diversity showed that the species diversity of phytocenoses increased in years with a high amount of atmospheric precipitation in May. A linear dependence of phytomass on the total amount of atmospheric precipitation for March-June was revealed. It was found that the best accumulation of herbal phytomass is influenced by the amount of precipitation in late spring. The most resistant to warming plant species have been identified. These are mainly cereals with an average feed value: Avena eriantha, Bromus japonicus, Bromus rubens, Eremopyrum orientale, Lolium rigidum and weed herbs – Capsella bursa- pastoris, Carduus pycnocephalus, Convolvulus arvensis, Erodium cicutarium, Lepidium draba, Xanthium strumarium, the last species is an invasive plant. Among the representatives of legumes, only one species, Medicago minima, turned out to be relatively resistant to high air temperatures. It was found that of the total herbage, only 35.5 % of species can withstand a warming of 1.5–2 °C.

A hasznosítási gyakoriság és az időjárás hatása száraz és üde fekvésű gyepek takarmány-minőségére

Irrigating pastures is a viable option only in a few selected areas in Hungary, even though pasture is a water demanding culture. Species composition will be impacted by the climate change, reduced winter and spring precipitation and the increasing number of hot days as well as the rise in temperature. Coverage by dicots and C4 grasses will increase, resulting in a change in feed quality. Yield losses and deteriorating quality should be compensated by an adaptive agricultural technology. We examined the impacts of 3 utilization technologies and seasonal weather conditions on dry and mesic pastures in the years 2006-2010. Results indicated a significant difference in feed quality and factors determining nutrient content caused by water supply. On the dry pasture, humidity had a significant and substantial negative impact (highest significance, highest r-value) whereas the mesic pasture was essentially affected by precipitation. On the mesic pasture, high temperatures, strong radiation and high amounts of precipitation all had negative impacts on the digestibility and metabolisable energy content of grass. Crude protein contents showed strong correlation only with annual precipitation.

Estimates of the sensible heat of rainfall in the tropics from reanalysis and observations

AbstractPrecipitation cools the surface because the temperature of raindrops is typically lower than the temperature of the surface. This precipitation‐induced sensible heat flux (QP) due to the temperature difference between the surface and raindrops is thought to be small and is typically ignored in weather and climate models. However, there are many instances in which instantaneous values in QP can be large, especially in extreme rainfall events. In this study, we provide a systematic estimate of QP over the tropics based on in‐situ buoy observations, satellite data, and reanalysis. The results show that the highest climatological QP values (~2 to 3 W m−2) are found over the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), both associated with higher amount of precipitation. The QP over land, however, is not well correlated with precipitation due to a more complex relationship between the raindrops temperature and surface temperature. Estimation of QP based on in‐situ buoy observations shows that QP can be large at shorter time scales, and can be higher than surface sensible heat flux due to air‐sea temperature difference (QSH), and even surface latent heat flux (QLH), for heavy precipitating events. Implications of these results and possible future research avenues related to QP are discussed.

Local Meteoric Water Lines in a Semi-Arid Setting of Northwest China Using Multiple Methods

The local meteoric water lines (LMWLs) reflect water sources and the degree of sub-cloud evaporation at a specific location. Lanzhou is a semi-arid city located at the margin of the Asian monsoon, and the isotope composition in precipitation around this region has aroused attention in hydrological and paleoclimate studies. Based on an observation network of stable isotopes in precipitation in Lanzhou, LMWLs at four stations (Anning, Yuzhong, Gaolan and Yongdeng) are calculated using the event-based/monthly data and six regression methods (i.e., ordinary least squares, reduced major axis, major axis regressions, and their counterparts weighted using precipitation amount). Compared with the global meteoric water line, the slope and intercept of LMWL in Lanzhou are smaller. The slopes and intercepts calculated using different methods are slightly different. Among these methods, precipitation-weighted least squares regression (PWLSR) usually had the minimum average value of root mean sum of squared error (rmSSEav), indicating that the result of the precipitation weighted method is relatively stable. Higher precipitation amount and lower air temperature result in larger slopes and intercepts on an annual scale, which is out of accordance with the summertime.

Conditional inference trees in the assessment of tree mortality rates in the transitional mixed forests of Atlantic Canada.

Long-term predictions of forest dynamics, including forecasts of tree growth and mortality, are central to sustainable forest-management planning. Although often difficult to evaluate, tree mortality rates under different abiotic and biotic conditions are vital in defining the long-term dynamics of forest ecosystems. In this study, we have modeled tree mortality rates using conditional inference trees (CTREE) and multi-year permanent sample plot data sourced from an inventory with coverage of New Brunswick (NB), Canada. The final CTREE mortality model was based on four tree- and three stand-level terms together with two climatic terms. The correlation coefficient (R2) between observed and predicted mortality rates was 0.67. High cumulative annual growing degree-days (GDD) was found to lead to increased mortality in 18 tree species, including Betula papyrifera, Picea mariana, Acer saccharum, and Larix laricina. In another ten species, including Abies balsamea, Tsuga canadensis, Fraxinus americana, and Fagus grandifolia, mortality rates tended to be higher in areas with high incident solar radiation. High amounts of precipitation in NB’s humid maritime climate were also found to contribute to heightened tree mortality. The relationship between high GDD, solar radiation, and high mortality rates was particularly strong when precipitation was also low. This would suggest that although excessive soil water can contribute to heightened tree mortality by reducing the supply of air to the roots, occasional drought in NB can also contribute to increased mortality events. These results would have significant implications when considered alongside regional climate projections which generally entail both components of warming and increased precipitation.

Regional contributions to interannual variability of net primary production and climatic attributions

Climate change profoundly affects the interannual variability (IAV) of net primary production (NPP) of terrestrial ecosystem from multiple aspects. However, the IAV of the nationwide annual NPP in China and the impacts of distinct climatic drivers are not well addressed. In this study, we investigated regional contributions to the IAV of the nationwide NPP and quantified the contributions of nine climatic drivers in different regions using the NPP estimated by the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford (CASA) model from 1982 to 2018. Our results showed that the simulated NPP exhibited an increasing trend of 15.2 Tg C yr-1 at the national scale. The nationwide NPP also showed large IAV ranging from ‍-0.29 to 0.22 Pg C with the mean absolute NPP IAV showing a descending gradient from southeastern to northwestern China. Our estimates and thirteen terrestrial biosphere models verified that humid region accounted for the largest contribution (62%) to this large IAV. Attribution analyses indicated that normal and high precipitation amount (nP, HP), as well as high temperature days (HT) and daily temperature range (DTR) exerted the largest contributions to the national NPP IAV. Regional analyses indicated that DTR and HP were the major climatic drivers to NPP IAV in humid region, whereas NPP IAV in water-limited regions (i.e., semi-humid, semi-arid, and arid regions) were tightly associated with nP, HP, and HT. DTR and nP exerted the largest contributions to NPP IAV in the Tibetan Plateau. However, more attention should be paid to the negative impacts of low temperature events and potential drought on NPP IAV in humid region and that of HT in water-limited regions. This study emphasized the dominant role of humid region in controlling the national NPP IAV and the different ecosystem responses to diverse climatic drivers, and therefore can be valuable for adaptive management of ecosystems when facing climate change.

Exploring the Role of Anti-solvent Effects during Washing on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Purity.

Washing is a key step in pharmaceutical isolation to remove the unwanted crystallization solvent (mother liquor) from the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) filter cake. This study looks at strategies for optimal wash solvent selection, which minimizes the dissolution of API product crystals while preventing the precipitation of product or impurities. Selection of wash solvents to avoid both these phenomena can be challenging but is essential to maintain the yield, purity, and particle characteristics throughout the isolation process. An anti-solvent screening methodology has been developed to quantitatively evaluate the propensity for precipitation of APIs and their impurities of synthesis during washing. This is illustrated using paracetamol (PCM) and two typical impurities of synthesis during the washing process. The solubility of PCM in different binary wash solutions was measured to provide a basis for wash solvent selection. A map of wash solution composition boundaries for precipitation for the systems investigated was developed to depict where anti-solvent phenomena will take place. For some crystallization and wash solvent combinations investigated, as much as 90% of the dissolved PCM and over 10% of impurities present in the PCM saturated mother liquor were found to precipitate out. Such levels of uncontrolled crystallization during washing in a pharmaceutical isolation process can have a drastic effect on the final product purity. Precipitation of both the product and impurities from the mother liquor can be avoided by using a solvent in which the API has a solubility similar to that in the mother liquor; for example, the use of acetonitrile as a wash solvent does not result in precipitation of either the PCM API or its impurities. However, the high solubility of PCM in acetonitrile would result in noticeable dissolution of API during washing and would lead to agglomeration during the subsequent drying step. Contrarily, the use of n-heptane as a wash solvent for a PCM crystal slurry resulted in the highest amount of precipitation among the solvent pairs evaluated. This can be mitigated by designing a multi-stage washing strategy where wash solutions of differing wash solvent concentrations are used to minimize step changes in solubility when the mother liquor and the wash solvent come into contact.

Influence of aerosols on clouds, precipitation and freezing level height over the foothills of the Himalayas during the Indian summer monsoon

Long term (2002–2017) satellite-retrieved and reanalysis datasets are utilized to assess the daily and interannual timescale impact of aerosol loadings on the cloud properties, precipitation amounts, and freezing level height over the southern slopes and adjacent foothills (SSFH) of the Himalayas during the Indian summer monsoon season. Daily timescale composites during polluted days suggest the development of widespread deeper clouds and higher precipitation amounts. Significant efforts were carried out to isolate the role of weather forcing in the daily timescale from the outlined aerosol-cloud-precipitation relationship by using the environmental relative humidity (RH) and vertical velocity (ω). Results provide strong evidence suggesting that regardless of weather pattern forcing, the direct association of aerosol optical depth (AOD) with precipitation, and cloud properties remained consistent for day-to-day timescales. The spatial correlation analyses of daily AOD with cloud properties and precipitation during both wet and dry monsoonal years indicate a positive association of higher aerosol concentration with cloud vertical development and precipitation. The 0 °C isotherm altitude is found to be higher by 136.82 ± 18.82 m (mean ± standard deviation) during the polluted days in comparison to relatively cleaner environments, which can be crucial for the change in snow line and melting of glaciers impacting the hydroclimate of the Himalayas. Our results suggest that the influence of aerosol on modulating the regional precipitation and freezing level height can be significant for the hydroclimate of the Himalayan region in a daily to interannual timescale.

The effect of hydrogeological and hydrochemical dynamics on landslide triggering in the central highlands of Ethiopia

The volcanic terrain at the western margin of the Main Ethiopian Rift in the Debre Sina area is known for its slope stability problems. This report describes research on the effects of the hydrogeological and hydrochemical dynamics on landslide triggering by using converging evidence from geological, geomorphological, geophysical, hydrogeochemical and isotopic investigations. The chemical characterization indicates that shallow to intermediate aquifers cause groundwater flow into the landslide mass, influencing long-term groundwater-level fluctuations underneath the landslide and, as a consequence, its stability. The low content of total dissolved solids and the bicarbonate types (Ca–Mg–HCO3 and Ca–HCO3) of the groundwater, and the dominantly depleted isotopic signature, indicate a fast groundwater flow regime that receives a high amount of precipitation. The main causes of the landslide are the steep slope topography and the pressure formed during precipitation, which leads to an increased weight of the loose and weathered materials. The geophysical data indicate that the area is covered by unconsolidated sediments and highly decomposed and weak volcanic rocks, which are susceptible to sliding when they get moist. The heterogeneity of the geological materials and the presence of impermeable layers embodied within the highly permeable volcanic rocks can result in the build-up of hydrostatic pressure at their interface, which can trigger landslides. Intense fracturing in the tilted basalt and ignimbrite beds can also accelerate infiltration of water, resulting to the build-up of high hydrostatic pressure causing low effective normal stress in the rock mass, giving rise to landslides.

The use of personal weather station observations to improve precipitation estimation and interpolation

Abstract. The number of personal weather stations (PWSs) with data available through the internet is increasing gradually in many parts of the world. The purpose of this study is to investigate the applicability of these data for the spatial interpolation of precipitation using a novel approach based on indicator correlations and rank statistics. Due to unknown errors and biases of the observations, rainfall amounts from the PWS network are not considered directly. Instead, it is assumed that the temporal order of the ranking of these data is correct. The crucial step is to find the stations which fulfil this condition. This is done in two steps – first, by selecting the locations using the time series of indicators of high precipitation amounts. Then, the remaining stations are then checked for whether they fit into the spatial pattern of the other stations. Thus, it is assumed that the quantiles of the empirical distribution functions are accurate. These quantiles are then transformed to precipitation amounts by a quantile mapping using the distribution functions which were interpolated from the information from the German National Weather Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst – DWD) data only. The suggested procedure was tested for the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. A detailed cross validation of the interpolation was carried out for aggregated precipitation amount of 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h. For each of these temporal aggregations, nearly 200 intense events were evaluated, and the improvement of the interpolation was quantified. The results show that the filtering of observations from PWSs is necessary as the interpolation error after the filtering and data transformation decreases significantly. The biggest improvement is achieved for the shortest temporal aggregations.

Cutoff low over the southeastern Pacific Ocean: a case study

Cutoff lows (COLs) are infrequent events in the tropics that can cause extreme rainfall, flash flooding and landslides in arid areas, such as western South America. In this study, the life cycle of a COL in the southeastern Pacific at the beginning of April 2012 was analysed using the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset. This paper examines: (1) the precursor flow evolution prior to the COL, its development and dissipation by applying the quasi-geostrophic and vorticity equations; and (2) the influence of the COL in the heavy precipitation events over the western Peruvian Andes. During April 2012, the highest amount of precipitation was recorded in Chosica (850 masl) with 37 mm on 5 April. Days prior to the formation of the COL, a subtropical trough deepened by the amplification of a ridge over the tropical Pacific and the incursion of cold air from medium and low levels into the trough. The strong cyclonic vorticity advection was intensified by a short-wave trough embedded inside a long-wave one that strengthened the system on 5 April 2012. In the dissipation stage, warm vertical advection predominated, resulting in the reabsorption of the COL by a new trough. Understanding the behaviour COL systems is important for reducing the impact of these extreme weather events on lives and infrastructure in densely populated areas.

Agroclimatic conditions of the Osijek area during referent (1961–1990) and recent (1991–2018) climate periods

One highly important segment of agricultural production is the agroecological condition of a given area, including climatic conditions, which have been changing recently. Croatia belongs to a climate zone also known as a climate hot spot, characterised by a pronounced sensitivity to climate change. In order to determine if the climate has changed in the Osijek area, climatic elements and agroclimatic indicators were analysed for a referent period (1961∑1990) and a recent period (1991∑2018). The analysis shows that the climate has changed in the recent period as compared to the referent period. The identified climate changes manifest in higher mean air temperatures, higher precipitation amount, increased actual evapotranspiration and prolonged vegetation periods in the recent period. Furthermore, hydrothermal condition analysis shows that the ten warmest years and vegetation periods in the studied 58-year period were within the past 26 years. Due to the identified climate change and the assumption that the climate will continue to change in the future, adaptation and mitigation measures will have to be applied in agricultural production. For a more reliable assessment of agroclimatic conditions at certain area, it is recommended to analyse other climatic elements as well, such as the number of consecutive dry or rainy days above the critical precipitation threshold, wind, solar radiation, insolation, etc.

Effects of water and nitrogen stress on water utilization of dominant species in broadleaved Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountain, China

The aggravation of global nitrogen deposition may change plant water utilization and affect plant growth. Understanding the changes of vegetation water consumption under nitrogen deposition is of great significance for simulating and predicting the evolution of each component of forest hydrological cycle. We used the hydrogen and oxygen isotope tracer method to analyze water consumption source, quantity and law of Quercus mongolica (Qm), Fraxinus manshurica (Fm) and Tilia amurensis (Ta), the dominant species in broadleaved Korean pine forest of Changbai Mountain, under different add amounts of nitrogen [low nitrogen addition group (11.8 kg·hm-2·a-1), LN; high nitrogen addition group (23.6 kg·hm-2· a-1), HN] and different amounts of simulated precipitation (water addition amount were 0, 400, 800 and 1600 mL, equivalent to single rainfall amount were 0, 16, 32 and 64 mm, respectively). The results showed that under the condition of relative drought, soil water utilization ratio of Qm, Fm and Ta in the LN group were 26%, 12% and 20%, higher than that in HN group. When the amount of simulated precipitation was 16 mm, soil water utilization ratio of Qm, Fm and Ta in LN group reached the highest, being 73%, 70% and 43%, respectively. This ratio also reached a high value in HN group, but being less than the values in LN group. When the amount of simulated precipitation was 32 mm, soil water content approximated the average value in broadleaved Korean pine forest in the growing season in Changbai Mountain. The average soil water utilization ratio of test tree species in HN group was 39%, higher than that in LN group (16%). When the amount of simulated precipitation reached 64 mm, the soil water was saturation. Soil water utilization ratio of Qm, Fm and Ta in LN group was 14%, 5% and 1%, which was lower than that in HN group, the corresponding ratio were 64%, 13% and 10%, respectively. In conclusion, under the condition of less precipitation and relatively dry soil, the soil water utilization ratio of those three tree species were lower, and the increases of nitrogen availability further reduced the ratio. When the amount of precipitation was high and soil moisture was higher than the average value of the growing season, soil water utilization ratio of those tree species was higher. With the increases of soil nitrogen availability, this ratio was further increased.

Winter Precipitations of Northern Part of Farming-Pastoral Zone and Hulunbuir Grassland

In January 2018, a high record of monthly total precipitation in northern China drew our attention. The precipitation amount is 4 times more than that in normal winters over the past 30 years. Up to now, many researches over the world focus on the intensity of precipitations or the number of intense precipitations, however, no sufficient study is investigated in the continuous moderate precipitations. The abnormal precipitation in January 2018 in northern China is a typical case of the continuous moderate precipitation. The research region is composed by the northern part of the farming-pastoral zone and the Hulunbuir Grassland. The main method in this study consists of analyzing the abnormal precipitation month by identifying the precipitation types and locations, and exploring the atmospheric circulations at the moment of typical precipitations. The research found that the continuity is the key point for high precipitation amount in January 2018 in Northern China. Besides, this continuity is caused by frequent appearance of cyclones in the vicinity.

Eco-physiological responses of ‘Campbell Early’ and ‘Jinok’ grape vines of two regions affected by different climatic conditions

This study was performed to evaluate vine performance, physiological disorders of the berries, and disease of two grape (Vitis labrusca) cultivars, ‘Campbell Early’ and ‘Jinok’, in response to climate changes in private vineyards of two different latitudes, the Naju region (35°N) and the Okcheon (36°N) region, between the years 2016 and 2018. The climates from April to August or during the period of berry ripening (July and August in 2016–2018 in the Naju region was warmer than that of the 10-years average, causing approximately a 10-day longer duration of leafing to harvesting than during 2011 and 2012 for ‘Campbell Early’ vines. Total shoot length was the highest for both grape cultivars grown in Naju vineyard, when temperatures ranged between 20 and 25 °C from April to June, resulting in increased yield of ‘Campbell Early’ vines. Severe cracking of up to 59.1% of ‘Campbell Early’ berries occurred in the vineyard in Okcheon in 2017 when a high amount of precipitation occurred during the period of ripening. Also, an incidence of berry blight occurred on up to 30.6% of berries in ‘Campbell Early’ vines in the vineyard in Naju in 2018, which was subjected to a mean daily maximum temperature of 33.6 °C. Mean daily maximum temperature and number of heatwave days during the ripening period were positively related to the occurrence of berry cracking over the three years of this study, with a significant correlation observed between precipitation and mean temperature and berry blight. Downy mildew and powdery mildew occurred on both grape cultivars in the vineyard in Naju over the three years, with severe leaf spot observed on both cultivars in the region.

Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Promotes In Vitro Calcification.

Calcification plays an important role in the human body in maintaining homeostasis. In the human body, the presence of a high amount of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is a consistent feature of the local areas that are common sites of ectopic calcification, namely dental calculus, renal calculus, and the areas affected by arteriosclerosis. Hence, ox-LDL may have some effect on calcification. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation revealed a high amount of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) when ox-LDL was included in the solution. In the in vitro experiment, the highest amount of precipitation of calcium phosphate was observed in the solution containing ox-LDL compared to the inclusion of other biomaterials and was 4.2 times higher than that of deionized water for 4.86 mM calcium and 2.71 mM phosphate. The morphology of calcium phosphate precipitates in the solution containing ox-LDL differed from that of the precipitates in solutions containing other biomaterials, as determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Through the time course observation of the sediments using TEM, it was observed that the sediments changed from spherical or oval shape to a thin film shape. These results indicate that sediments acquired a long-range order array, and the phase transitioned from non-crystalline to crystalline with an increased time and density of ACP. Thus, it is concluded that ox-LDL promoted ACP precipitation and it plays an important role in ectopic calcification.