August Temperature Research Articles

Climate effects on the growth of Pinus latteri and Pinus kesiya at the Intakin Silvicultural Research Station, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

Abstract. Naumthong M, Palakit K, Duangsathaporn K, Prasomsin P, Lumyai P. 2021. Climate effects on the growth of Pinus latteri and Pinus kesiya at the Intakin Silvicultural Research Station, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. Biodiversitas 22: 2512-2519. Relationship between the growth of two pine species, Pinus latteri and Pinus kesiya, and past climatic factors are studied. Standard dendrochronological techniques were used on 40 core samples obtained from 20 trees from each species to cross-date tree-ring width and determine the growth patterns of each species. Over a period spanning from 1980-2019 (P. latteri) and 1984-2019 (P. kesiya), the calculated mean ring-width values were 0.596 and 0.430 cm per year, respectively. An analysis of the relationship between tree-ring width of P. latteri and climatic data indicated a positive correlation with the relative humidity in April. However, a negative correlation was observed with the temperature in April and August. The factors limiting the growth of P. latteri the most were the temperature in August (r2=0.228; P<0.01). The index constructed for P. kesiya indicated a positive correlation with extreme minimum relative humidity in December and extreme maximum temperature in March. The factors limiting the growth of P. kesiya with a significant correlation, were the relative humidity in April (r2=0.173) and temperature in May (r2=0.184). These results can be used to plan the management of forest plantations and to select suitable areas for the cultivation of pine trees in Thailand

Fifty-year dynamics of the Lena River islands (Russia): Spatio-temporal pattern of large periglacial anabranching river and influence of climate change

The Lena, a large river that drains the northern coldest region of the Northern Hemisphere, is deeply influenced by the continuous permafrost and degradation of the frozen ground has been shown to be the main cause of the marked increase in water discharge. The first objective of this study conducted on the middle Lena was to analyze the island dynamics for the last 50 years (1967 to 2017). Several morphological parameters were surveyed using a GIS on seven series of aerial photographs and satellite images of a 100 km-long reach: island size, eroded and deposited areas, position and morphology of the islands. This approach enabled the identification of evolutionary models. Our second objective was to evaluate the potential impact of ongoing climate change. We analyzed morphological parameters with respect to two main factors: efficient discharge (bar-full, bankfull and flood discharges) and water temperature. A potential erosion index (PEI) was calculated by coupling the duration of discharge exceeding the bar-full level and water temperature.The results identified several morphological changes that occurred at the end of the 20th century: an increase in the number of islands, greater eroded surfaces and accelerated migration of islands. Comparing the dynamics of islands with and without permafrost is a good indicator of their sensitivity to climate change. A major change was observed concerning the erosion and migration of islands with and without permafrost. This evolution seems to be linked both with the duration of the discharge that exceeds the bar-full level and with the number of flood peaks. The water temperature in May and August have a major influence on permafrost islands that become increasingly destabilized. Thus, as large rivers are assumed to slowly react to climate change, the recent changes in the Lena River prove that the global change deeply impacts periglacial rivers.

Radial growth of Pinus massoniana is influenced by temperature, precipitation, and site conditions on the regional scale: A meta-analysis based on tree-ring width index

The effects of temperature and precipitation on tree growth of given species may vary across its distribution range. To determine how temperature and precipitation influence tree radial growth, we conducted a dendrochronology-based meta-analysis using a network of 113 tree-ring width chronologies of Pinus massoniana trees from the geographical range of the species in southern China. Our results revealed that the difference in the sensitivity of P. massoniana growth to temperature and precipitation was not observed in the entire tree species distribution and each sub-region (all P > 0.05), indicating that there are similarities with respect to the effects of temperature and precipitation on P. massoniana growth among different regions. January–March temperature (T1–3), June–August temperature (T6–8), and July–September precipitation (P7–9) were the key climate signals influencing P. massoniana growth. T1–3 and P7–9 generally enhanced tree growth, whereas T6–8 lead to a decrease in tree growth. Sites with significant negative correlations between tree-ring width index (RWI) and T1–3 showed a northward shift (P < 0.05). The mean latitude of sites with negative correlations was 29.98 ± 0.77°N, whereas the mean latitudes of sites with a non-significant or positive correlation were 27.27 ± 0.28° and 27.34 ± 0.46°N, respectively. The three correlation classes (i.e., positive, negative and non-significant) between T6–8 and RWI showed no significant shifts in longitude, latitude, and elevation (P > 0.05), indicating that high summer temperatures are widespread climate stressors for this species. The growth-climate relationship was determined by combinations of both temperature and precipitation condition of the sampling sites. Temperature seasonality, temperature annual range, and mean temperature of driest quarter of the sampling sites were major contributors to this relationship. These findings have crucial implications for predicting tree growth, introducing the selection of appropriate provenance for afforestation, as well as for climate reconstruction at the regional scale.

Topography modulates near-ground microclimate in the Mediterranean Fagus sylvatica treeline

Understanding processes controlling forest dynamics has become particularly important in the context of ongoing climate change, which is altering the ecological fitness and resilience of species worldwide. However, whether forest communities would be threatened by projected macroclimate change or unaffected due to the controlling effect of local site conditions is still a matter for debate. After all, forest canopy buffer climate extremes and promote microclimatic conditions, which matters for functional plant response, and act as refugia for understory species in a changing climate. Yet precisely how microclimatic conditions change in response to climate warming will depend on the extent to which vegetation structure and local topography shape air and soil temperature. In this study, we posited that forest microclimatic buffering is sensitive to local topographic conditions and canopy cover, and using meteorological stations equipped with data-loggers we measured this effect during 1 year across a climate gradient (considering aspect as a surrogate of local topography) in a Mediterranean beech treeline growing in contrasting aspects in southern Italy. During the growing season, the below-canopy near-ground temperatures were, on average, 2.4 and 1.0 °C cooler than open-field temperatures for south and north-west aspects, respectively. Overall, the temperature offset became more negative (that is, lower under-canopy temperatures at the treeline) as the open-field temperature increased, and more positive (that is, higher under-canopy temperatures at the treeline) as the open-field temperature decreased. The buffering effect was particularly evident for the treeline on the south-facing slope, where cooling of near-ground temperature was as high as 8.6 °C for the maximum temperature (in August the offset peaked at 10 °C) and as high as 2.5 °C for the average temperature. In addition, compared to the south-facing slope, the northern site exhibited less decoupling from free-air environment conditions and low variability in microclimate trends that closely track the free-air biophysical environment. Although such a decoupling effect cannot wholly isolate forest climatic conditions from macroclimate regional variability in the south-facing treeline, it has the potential to partly offset the regional macroclimatic warming experienced in the forest understory due to anthropogenic climate change.

Climatic trends variability and concerning flow regime of Upper Indus Basin, Jehlum, and Kabul river basins Pakistan

The Indus Basin is referred to as a “water tower” which ensures water storage and supply to sustain environmental and human needs downstream by a balanced combination of precipitation, snow, glaciers, and surface water. The Upper Indus Basin (UIB) combines the high mountain ranges of the Hindukush, Karakoram, and Himalaya (HKH); this unique region is largely controlled by seasonal meltwater associated with snow and glacier melt during the summer months. The present study seeks to evaluate changes in hydrological and meteorological variable data collected through a network of 35 hydrometric and 15 climatic stations, respectively, across the UIB, Jehlum, and Kabul river basins in Pakistan. The Innovative Trend Significance Test (ITST) in combination with the Modified-Mann-Kendall (MMK) test was used for seeking trends, while Sen’s method was applied for the slope determination of detected trends over four periods of differing lengths (T1: 1961–2013; T2: 1971–2013; T3: 1981–2013; and T4: 1991–2013). Significant decreases were observed in the mean summer and distinct months of (June–August) temperature (Tmean) at most of the stations during T1, while significant increases were dominant over the shorter T4. The mean precipitation (Pmean) was observed as significantly negative at ten stations during July; however, positive trends were observed in August and September. For streamflow, significantly upward trends were observed for mean summer, June and July flows (snowmelt dominant) during T1 and T2, within the glacier-fed basins of Hunza, Shigar, and Shyok; in contrast, streamflow (glacier melt dominant) decreased significantly in August and September over the most recent period T4. For snow-fed basins, significant increases were observed in summer mean flows at Indus at Kachura, Gilgit at Gilgit, and Alam Bridge, Astore at Doyian during (T1–T3). In particular, a stronger and more prominent signal of decreasing flows was evident in T4 within the predominantly snow-fed basins. This signal was most apparent in summer mean flows, with a large number of stations featuring significant downward trends in Jehlum and Kabul river basins. The present study concludes that the vulnerability of this region related to water stress is becoming more intense due to significantly increased temperature, reduced precipitation, and decreasing summer flows during T4.

The interactive effects of stream temperature, stream size, and non-native species on Yellowstone cutthroat trout

Climate change and non-native species are considered two of the biggest threats to native salmonids in North America. We evaluated how non-native salmonids and stream temperature and discharge were associated with Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) distribution, abundance, and body size to gain a more complete understanding of the existing threats to native populations. Allopatric Yellowstone cutthroat trout were distributed across a wide range of average August temperatures (3.2 to 17.7 °C), but occurrence significantly declined at colder temperatures (&lt;10 °C) with increasing numbers of non-natives. At warmer temperatures, occurrence remained high, despite sympatry with non-natives. Yellowstone cutthroat trout relative abundance was significantly reduced with increasing abundance of non-natives, with the greatest impacts at colder temperatures. Body sizes of large Yellowstone cutthroat trout (90th percentile) significantly increased with warming temperatures and larger stream size, highlighting the importance of access to these more productive stream segments. Considering multiple population-level attributes demonstrates the complexities of how native salmonids (such as Yellowstone cutthroat trout) are likely to be affected by shifting climates.

Rain-Fed Rice Yield Fluctuation to Climatic Anomalies in Bangladesh

To examine the rain-fed Aman rice yield fluctuation due to climatic anomalies overtimes in Bangladesh, we used climate-induced yield index (CIYI), ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), step-wise multiple regression, isotopic signature, wavelet transform coherence (WTC) and random forest (RF) model. In this work, daily multiple source climatic data which were collected between 1980 and 2017, from 18 weather stations and five atmospheric circulation indices were used for this purpose. The key findings were as follows; by employing principal component analysis (PCA), six temporal variability modes were identified as six corresponding sub-regions with various Aman rice CIYI fluctuations. The Aman rice CIYI in different sub-regions represented a noteworthy 3–4-year quasi-oscillation using the EEMD. The key climate variables (KCVs) including the potential evapotranspiration and cloud cover in September, the minimum temperature in August, and precipitation in July, August, and October were the best rice yield prediction signals in these sub-regions. The results suggest that Aman rice yield could likely decline by 33.59%, and 3.37% in the southwestern and southeastern regions, respectively, if KCV increased by 1 °C or 1%. The RF model suggests that the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) significantly influenced the rice yield. Isotopic signatures were employed to confirm the fluctuation and anti-amount effect during the Aman rice-growing period in Bangladesh. The results obtained in this study could be used as a guideline for sustainable mitigation and adaptation measures in managing agro-meteorological hazards in Bangladesh.

Provenance-specific climate sensitivity of Pinus massoniana – a multi-environmental trial in subtropical China

Climate change is causing changes in tree species performance and distribution, impacting breeding programme effectiveness. Our aim was to analyse the effects of provenance and climatic factorson the annual ring density of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) at different experimental sites and potential breeding strategies that may be developed in response to future climate change. The study trees represented provenances originating from the western, east-central, northern, and southern regions of P. massoniana distribution in China. The wood density differed significantly among provenances. A multisite variance analysis test showed that the type B correlation coefficients for ring density at the two sites studied were less than 0.8, indicating an interaction effect of genotype by environment (G×E) on tree ring density. Climatic factors directly affected the wood density properties. At Chun’an (CA), the maximum latewood density (MXD) and minimum earlywood density (MND) were positively correlated with absolute maximum temperatures in August and May of the current growing season, respectively. At Taizi Mountain (TZS), MXD was significantly positively correlated with absolute maximum temperature in September ofthe current year and significantly negatively correlated with precipitation in June. MND was significantly positively correlated with absolute maximum temperature in May of the current year and significantly negatively correlated with precipitation in April. The climatic effects on P. massoniana wood density differed among seed-source origins. This study showed that ring density characteristics differed significantly among provenances, and provenance selection could promote wood density. MXD and MND exhibited significant genotype-by-environment interaction effects, and significant correlations were found between ring density and temperature, and precipitation conditions. These findings suggest that climatic factors and site conditionsin addition to genetics could be strong drivers of wood density variation, and/or that wood density is a highly plastic trait.

Previous Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) modulates the lightning-ignited fire regime in the boreal forest of Northeast China

Lightning-ignited fire is sensitive to climatic change and responsible for large fires in boreal forests. In addition to global-warming caused fire increase, large-scale climate oscillations have significantly contributed to fire variability. However, the leading climate oscillation driving lightning-ignited fire and the mechanisms connecting regional and large-scale climate in the boreal forest of Northeast China, the most fire-prone biome of China, are still unclear. By compositing fire, climate, and atmospheric data, we found that the previous Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) was significantly coherent with the May to August temperature–evapotranspiration variability and lightning-ignited fire occurrence. These connections were valid at both the interannual and multidecadal time scales. Different from previous viewpoints, we found no connection of fire occurrence with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation. A warm AMO was followed by high sea level pressure and geopotential height over the study region. We assume these atmospheric anomalies are associated with descending atmospheric motion, producing adiabatic warming and less precipitation on the land surface, both of which favour high fuel aridity and lightning ignition. Therefore, we believe that the winter AMO could be a promising predictor for lightning-ignited fire occurrences in the following summer.

Change-point detection and trend analysis in monthly, seasonal and annual air temperature and precipitation series in Bartın province in the western Black Sea region of Turkey

Studies associated with climate change and variability are of great importance at both the global and local scale in the global climate crisis. In this study, change-point detection and trend analysis were carried out on mean, maximum, minimum air temperatures and total precipitation based on monthly, seasonal and annual scale in Bartın province located in the western Black Sea Region of Turkey. For this aim, 4-different homogenei-ty tests (von Neumann test, Pettitt test, Buishand range test and standard normal homogeneity test) for change-point detection, Modified Mann–Kendall test and Şen’s innovative trend test for trend analysis, and Sen’s slope test for the magnitude estimation of trends were used. According to the test results, the summer temperatures in particular show increasing trends at the 0.001 significance level. Mean maximum temperature in August, mean minimum temperature in June and August, and mean temperature in July and August are in increasing trend at the 0.001 significance level. Over a 51 year period (1965–2015) in Bartın province, the highest rate of change per decade in air temperatures is in August (0.55°C for Tmax, 0.46°C for Tmin and 0.43°C for Tmean) based on Sen’s slope. However, the study showed that apart from October precipitation, there is no significant trend in monthly, seasonal and annual precipitation in Bartın. Increasing trends in mentioned climate variables are also visually very clear and strong in Şen’s innovative trend method, and they comply with the statistical results. As a result, the study revealed some evidence that temperatures will increase in the future in Bartın and its environs.

Response of radial growth of Pinus sylvestriformis and Picea jezoensis to climate warming in the ecotone of Changbai Mountain, Northeast China

Changbai Mountain is a typical distribution area of temperate coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests, with significant influence of global climate change. In order to understand the responses of forest ecosystem to climate change, we examined the responses of dominant arbor species in the community ecotone of broad-leaved Korean pine forest and spruce-fir forest (also known as dark coniferous forest), Pinus sylvestriformis and Picea jezoensis. The standard chronologies were established by obtaining tree ring width data in order to identity the key climatic factors that confine the radial growth of both species. The responses of P. sylvestriformis and P. jezoensis to climate factors were different.P. sylvestriformis was more sensitive than P. jezoensis, indicating that P. sylvestriformis was more suitable for dendroclimatological analysis. The radial growth of P. sylvestriformis was consistent with the increases of mean temperature, while the radial growth of P. jezoensis showed a "divergence problem" which decreased with the increases of mean temperature. The radial growth of P. sylvestriformis was mainly limited by temperature, especially the mean temperature in last July and August and current September. However, there was a negative correlation between standard chronologies of P. jezoensis and mean temperature in most months, which was limited by both temperature and precipitation. The correlation between radial growth of both species and climate factors after sudden temperature rise, was weaker than that before sudden temperature rise. The correlation between radial growth and climate factors changed from positive to negative in some months. Current temperature rise might not exceed the critical threshold of the radial growth of P. sylvestriformis, which could promote the radial growth. In addition, the wavelet analysis showed that the radial growth of trees in this area might be affected by large-scale coupling effects of atmospheric-ocean-land changes. In conclusion, climate warming was beneficial to the radial growth of P. sylvestriformis, while drought stress caused by warming was the main factor limiting the radial growth of P. jezoensis. If the global temperature continues to increase in the future, it will have an adverse impact on P. jezoensis. The results would help improve our understanding of the responses of radial growth of P. sylvestriformis and P. jezoensis to future climate change, and provide some basic data for climate reconstruction using both species.

Baseline Water Temperature: Estimation of the Annual Cycle of Surface Water Temperature in Lakes in North-Central Poland over the 1951–1968 Period

Water temperature is an important ecological variable that affects the functioning of lakes. Unfortunately, for many lakes there are no long-term observations enabling the assessment of changes in water temperatures. This makes it difficult to include this aspect in research into the biology, ecology and chemistry of such lakes. This paper presents a literature review related to changes of surface water temperatures in lakes and in particular describing the response of water temperatures and stratification to changing climate in Polish lakes. On this basis, a model based on the available data on water temperature in 931 Polish lakes in the years 1951–1968 was proposed, which allows to estimate the baseline water temperature on any day of the year. This model is calculated using the complementary error peak function on the 0–3 m water temperature dataset, which provides the best reduction of diurnal temperature fluctuations. It can be an alternative to the average temperature of surface waters, which are calculated on the basis of systematically collected data. Based on the average water temperature data obtained from 56 thermal profiles in 10 lakes in 2010–2019, the equation was analogically calculated. The average monthly water temperatures in June, July, August and September and the change in water temperature (0.24–0.30 °C decade−1) in the period 1951–1968/2010–2019 were estimated then. Similar regional or single lake trends have been found in studies by other authors covering a similar or longer period of time. The proposed method, which is suitable for simulating temperatures, especially in summer, enables the determination of the value of changes in surface water temperature in Polish lakes when only thermal profiles data from different dates are available, which can be especially helpful when analyzing hydrobiological results.

Cyclical Variations in the Surface Temperature in the Sea of Okhotsk and Adjacent Waters, According to 1998–2018 Satellite Data

A series of monthly mean values of the surface temperature in August are created for the Sea of Okhotsk and adjacent waters using 21 years’ worth of satellite measurements (1998–2018). In each spatial cell about 2 × 2 km in size, the amplitudes and phases of harmonics for different periods are determined by the least squares method. Distribution maps with periods that are multiples of a year are constructed for the harmonic amplitudes whose contributions to the interannual variations in the temperature of the surface layer are greatest. Features of the distribution of harmonics with certain periods in the Sea of Okhotsk and adjacent waters are revealed. Harmonics with periods of 6–7 years especially stand out. Their zone of influence covers most of the studied area, due probably to quasi-periodic oscillations of the Tsushima current. From south to north, the main periods change gradually from 6 to 11 years. However, in the northwestern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, the influence of the high-frequency component with a period of about three years also affects. The possibility of forecasting the temperature of the surface layer for the year ahead is shown, taking into account the parameters of a linear trend and the four harmonics with the largest amplitudes.

高齢者熱中症の最高気温別入院リスク調査と予防に関する費用便益分析(The evaluation of the admission risk according to the daily highest temperature and the cost–benefit analysis for prevention for heat stroke in elderly people)

要旨 近年，わが国における熱中症の発生は急増しており，特に高齢者の割合が多くなっている。高齢者の熱中症の特徴として，多くが自宅などの屋内で日常生活中に発症する非労作性であり，重症度も高い。しかしながら，高齢者は熱中症予防に効果的な冷房の使用をためらう傾向があるとされ，冷房使用で回避し得たはずの熱中症に罹患することが多く認められる。本研究では，都市部における高齢者世帯を対象とし，夏期1日の最高気温と熱中症入院件数との関係を調査した。また，対象地域の高齢者単独世帯のすべてが冷房を使用したことによる追加発電費用と，冷房稼働により減らしうる熱中症の医療費を便益として算出し，費用便益分析を行った。その結果，当日の最高気温が35℃を超える日は，そうでない日に比べて高齢者の熱中症入院件数が4倍近くになることが示された。また，2018年の熱中症救急搬送が最多であった日において，対象世帯全体の熱中症予防に必要な冷房稼働による追加発電分の総費用を，冷房をつけない傾向にあった高齢者の熱中症による期待医療費（便益）が上回り，高齢者単独世帯の冷房使用が費用便益分析上も合理的な予防方法であることが示された。このことより高齢者単独世帯に対して，冷房費用の社会的な補償などの施策が検討されるべきであることが示唆された。近年の熱中症の増加は既に社会的な災害規模にまで達しており，社会全体での対策が必要不可欠である。

Reasons of time shifting of animals’ seasonal events in the Central Forest Biosphere Reserve

The paper considers dynamics of phenological phenomena of animals in the south taiga Central Forest biosphere reserve. As initial data we used materials of meteorological and phenological observations made under the program of maintaining the nature chronicle on the basis of the meteorological post Forest reserve in the Roshydromet network. Of the 46 meteorological series only ten (22%) show significant long-term changes over the period 19902019: an increase in the average annual air temperature, temperature in May, August, September and November; a decrease of total precipitation in September and an increase in December; a positive displacement of occurrence dates of maximum temperature less than 0C and the final formation of ice on the pond, a negative shift of the phenological summer beginning dates. The authors prove that there has been a shift of time when winter comes or an increase in the duration of the frost-free period on the reserve territory over a 30-year period. For the spring phenodates of the considered animal species, there is a negative long-term linear trend in the variability of phenological phenomena towards an earlier start of events. Such signs as the first meeting of the small tortoiseshell, the first bites of the biting mosquito, the first appearance of the grass frog and the viviparous lizard are recommended to be used as indicators of the climate change. The shift of insect and amphibian phenodates is associated with a shortening of the cold season in the reserve climate system. A significant change of lizards phenological phenomenon time is caused by abiotic as well as by biotic (forage) factors.

Observation-Based Simulations of Humidity and Temperature Using Quantile Regression

AbstractThe human impacts of changes in heat events depend on changes in the joint behavior of temperature and humidity. Little is currently known about these complex joint changes, either in observations or projections from general circulation models (GCMs). Further, GCMs do not fully reproduce the observed joint distribution, implying a need for simulation methods that combine information from GCMs with observations for use in impact studies. We present an observation-based, conditional quantile mapping approach for the simulation of future temperature and humidity. A temperature simulation is first produced by transforming historical temperature observations to include projected changes in the mean and temporal covariance structure from a GCM. Next, a humidity simulation is produced by transforming humidity observations to account for projected changes in the conditional humidity distribution given temperature, using a quantile regression model. We use the Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble (CESM1-LE) to estimate future changes in summertime (June–August) temperature and humidity over the continental United States (CONUS), and then use the proposed method to create future simulations of temperature and humidity at stations in the Global Summary of the Day dataset. We find that CESM1-LE projects decreases in summertime humidity across CONUS for a given deviation in temperature from the forced trend, but increases in the risk of high dewpoint on historically hot days. In comparison with raw CESM1-LE output, our observation-based simulation largely projects smaller changes in the future risk of either high or low humidity on days with historically warm temperatures.

Cold Water in the Lee of the Batanes Islands in the Luzon Strait

Using satellite remote sensing data and hydrological observation data, this study investigated the cold water in the lee of the Batanes Islands in the Luzon Strait. The formation of cold water in climate is mainly due to the geostrophic heat advection on the east and west sides of the Batanes Islands: the Kuroshio separates into two branches on the east and west sides of the Batanes Islands. These two branches cause two warm tongues by transferring heat from low latitudes to mid-latitudes, and then the two warm tongues lead to the formation of the relatively cold water in the lee of the Batanes Islands. Further study shows that the cold water range has obvious seasonal and inter-annual variations. Except for August, the seasonal variation of the cold water range is caused by the interaction of geostrophic heat advection and net surface heat flux, whereas the low temperature in August in the lee of the Batanes Islands is caused by the island wake effect. The inter-annual of the cold water range is related to the difference in the meridional velocity between the east and west sides of the Batanes Islands, and the correlation coefficient can reach −0.68 at the 95% confidence level.

Guiding riparian management in a transboundary watershed through high resolution spatial statistical network models

The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians (HBMI) built a stream temperature spatial statistical network (SSN) model for the Meduxnekeag Watershed. The headwaters of the Meduxnekeag Watershed are in Maine, United States of America and the outlet is in New Brunswick, Canada, creating an additional challenge because many datasets are constrained to political boundaries. The release of the High-Resolution National Hydrology Dataset Plus included transboundary watersheds and enabled creation of fine resolution (1:24,000) SSN temperature models consistent with management scales for riparian buffers. SSN models were developed for July, August, and September median stream temperatures and the growing season maximum (GSM). Fitted SSN models had relatively high R2 values (0.88–0.96) and all final models included significant parameters for shade-attenuated solar radiation, reference flow, air temperature, and bankfull depth or width. Fitted models predicted stream temperatures during a dry (2010) and wet (2011) year. Monthly models predicted the fewest cold water (<19.0 °C) reaches in July with 28% in the dry and 68% in the wet year. September had >99% cold water reaches, and August results were intermediate between July and September. GSM predictions found 81% of stream reaches could not support salmonid survival (>27.0 °C) in the dry year and 59% of the reaches were warmwater (22.5–27.0 °C) in the wet year. The model was used to predict stream temperatures following restoration scenarios of a forested 30-m or 90-m buffer of stream segments bordered by agricultural or developed land. The restoration scenarios expanded cold water habitat based on monthly median temperatures and decreased the habitat area with GSM above survival thresholds, with little difference in effectiveness of the two buffer widths. These results will guide riparian restoration projects by the HBMI to expand habitat for cold water fishes.

Monitoring the Structure and Productivity of Biota of Agaricoid Basidiomycetes in Spruce Forests of the Subzone of the Southern Taiga of Perm Krai

The results of monitoring the biota of agaricoid basidiomycetes in spruce forests (riverbank spruce and wood sorrel spruce forest) in the subzone of the southern taiga of Perm krai for 40 years are summed up. To date, 336 species and intraspecific taxa of agaricoid basidiomycetes belonging to 73 genera and 16 families have been found in spruce forests. The species of the families Tricholomataceae, Cortinariaceae, and Russulaceae predominate, which is typical for the boreal zone of Eurasia. The largest number of species is found in the genera Cortinarius (43 species), Mycena (39), Russula (25), and Lactarius (13), which is typical of the southern taiga subzone. It is noted that the species composition of agaricoid basidiomycetes changes with time to a greater extent (Jacquard’s coefficients (J × 100): riverbank spruce forest: J = 44–50; sorrel spruce forest: J = 43–47) than the species composition of higher vascular plants (J = 69–88). Many common features are revealed between the species composition of fungi of spruce forests (J = 49). Over the entire period of observations in spruce forests, 16 species dominating in the number of basidiomas and 19–21 species dominating in the biomass of basidiomas have been identified. As a result of the analysis of the ecological–trophic structure of the studied biogeocenoses, mycorrhiza-forming agents predominate (37.4–43.5%). The relationship between the diversity and productivity of agaricoid fungi with the main climatic indicators (May–September) is studied. It is found that an increase in the average monthly air temperature in August leads to a decrease in the number of xylotroph basidiomas in the sorrel spruce forest (rs = –0.7) and the basidiom litter saprotrophs biomass in the riverbank spruce forest (rs = –0.7). Heavy rainfall in August contributes to a reduction in the number of basidiomas of litter saprotrophs in the riverbank fir forest (rs = –0.7).

Effects of geoclimatic factors on the variability in Pinus pinea cone, seed, and seedling traits in Turkey native habitats

BackgroundStone pine (Pinus pinea L.) is harvested for its edible kernels. It is an important forest tree species, and also plays an important role in afforestation. Successful afforestation activities strongly depend on the quality of seeds and seedlings. Five eastern native populations of stone pine were analyzed, in terms of their geographical and climatic parameters, in order to identify their cone, seed, pine nut, and seedling traits. With this regard, we aimed to contribute to the reforestation, yield, and breeding of this species.ResultsAll native populations occur in the sub-humid bioclimatic zone, according to Emberger’s bioclimatic classification, ranging 74.7–63.2 of Emberger’s Q Index value (Q), which synthesizes humidity and temperature, with lower values indicating more arid conditions. With regard to geographical factors, altitude was found to have the greatest effect on cone diameter and seed weight, while there was a weak correlation of cone, seed, and pine nut dimension with longitude and latitude. In terms of climatic factors, Q and mean of the maximum temperature of June, July, and August (ME) were found to be the main drivers behind significant effects in cone, seed, and pine nut morphometric traits. The most negative effect on seed number cone−1 (r: − 0.897), pine nut number cone−1 (r: − 0.923), pine nut yield (r: − 0.903), and pine nut weight (r: − 0.878) was Q, whereas cone diameter, seed length, and seed weight were positively correlated with the ME (r: 0.939, r: 0.889, and r: 0.866, respectively). Cone and seed diameter and seed weight increased with decreasing summer drought index (r: − 0.806, r: − 0.846, and r: − 0.866, respectively). Rainfall in the June of the third year prior to harvest time (RJ) had a negative effect on the percentage of sound seeds per cone. Annual rainfall in the third year prior to harvest time (AR) significantly affected pine nut weight (r: 0.889), although rainfall during summer had a negative effect. The empty seed ratio of the different populations ranged from 20 to 68%, while considering all populations, the empty seed ratio was 46%.ConclusionsThe study suggests that the Q Index and ME should be taken into account to determine cone to pine nut yield. With this regard, plantations of stone pine should be established on sub-humid areas and Q values should not exceed 75.