Re-intensification of flash drought in western China over the past decade: Implications of fluctuating wetting trend.

Climate changes and human activities have led to a rise of frequency and intensity of the global flash droughts, resulting in severe consequences for ecosystems, agriculture, and human societies. However, research dedicated to flash droughts in the dryland of western China is relatively limited, leaving their evolutionary characteristics and development processes of these phenomena unclear. To bridge this gap, this study analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of flash droughts in western China from 1981 to 2020, based on the standardized evapotranspiration stress index. Additionally, we investigated the development mechanisms by taking meteorological conditions and soil moisture into account. The findings revealed that the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, western Qilian Mountains, and western and southern Loess Plateau are hotspots of flash droughts, characterized by rapid development rates. Across most of the study area, flash drought events persisted between 25 and 30 days. Adequate precipitation is necessary before the onset of flash droughts in western China, while water scarcity and high temperatures played crucial roles in driving the mid-stage of flash droughts. Within the context of the observed "warming and wetting" trend, the average flash droughts occurrence from 2011 to 2020 was approximately 16 % lower than that from 1981 to 1990, and there was a significant annual decrease in spatial coverage of 0.01 % per year. However, in the "wetting in west, drying in east" trend, the spatial coverage of flash droughts has shifted from a declining trend to an insignificant increasing trend since 2000 in the study area, with significant regional differences between the western and eastern regions. Over the past decade, flash droughts had once again intensified in the central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Loess Plateau due to warming and fluctuating wetting trends, raising significant concerns for future ecosystem and agricultural water management in these regions.

Simulation of future land use/cover change (LUCC) in typical watersheds of arid regions under multiple scenarios.

The rapid development of the social economy has promoted a continuous increase in the intensity and scale of land use by humans, which has seriously affected the sustainable development of the region. It is important to understand the land use/cover change (LUCC) in the arid region and its future development trends and to make reasonable planning recommendations for the sustainable development of the ecological environment. This study validates the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model in a typical arid region, the Shiyang River Basin (SRB), and analyzes the applicability of the model in arid regions. On this basis, the PLUS model is combined with the scenario analysis method to design four scenarios including no policy intervention, farmland protection, ecological protection and sustainable development to analyze the dynamic changes in past and future land use in the SRB and to make corresponding planning recommendations for the development of each type of land use in the arid region. The results showed that the PLUS model had a better simulation effect in the SRB (its overall accuracy reached 0.97). Coupled models obtain better simulation results than quantitative and spatial models by comparing the mainstream models, with PLUS model that combines CA model and patch generation strategy showing better simulation results in the same category. From 1987 to 2017, the spatial centroid of each LUCC in the SRB moved to varying degrees due to a continuous increase in human activities. The spatial centroid of water bodies had the most obvious change, with a moving speed of 1.49 km/a, while the moving speed of built-up land increased year by year. The spatial centroid of farmland, built-up land and unused land all shifted toward the middle and lower plains, which is a further indication of increased human activity. Due to different government policies, the development trend of land use was also different under different scenarios. However, the four scenarios all showed that the area of built-up land will be increasing exponentially from 2017 to 2037, which would seriously affect the surrounding ecological land and have a negative impact on the local agro-ecological environment. Therefore, we proposed the following planning recommendations: (1) Land leveling work should be carried out on scattered farmland located at high altitudes and with slopes over 25°. Additionally, the land use of low-altitude areas should strictly adhere to basic farmland, increase the diversification of cropping patterns and improve the efficiency of agricultural water. (2) The relationship between ecology, farmland and cities should be reasonably coordinated and the existing idle built-up land should be efficiently used. (3) Forestland and grassland resources should be strictly protected and the ecological redline should be strictly observed. This study can provide new ideas for LUCC modeling and prediction in other parts of the world and provide a strong basis for ecological management and sustainable development in arid areas.

A Monte Carlo simulation-based health risk assessment of heavy metals in soils of an oasis agricultural region in northwest China.

In recent years, heavy metal contamination of soils has been increasing, posing a major threat to food security, human health, and soil ecosystems. This study analyzed the spatial characteristics, contamination sources, risks of heavy metals by collecting topsoil samples from farmland in an oasis agricultural region in northwest China. The results found that soil heavy metals in farmland were at a moderate contamination level. The PMF model classifies soil heavy metals as fertilizer and pesticide sources dominated by As and Mn with 27.8 %, mixed sources of transport and agricultural sources dominated by Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb with 26.9 %, metal processing sources dominated by Cr and Ni with 22.6 %, and the combined pollution sources of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, As, Pb dominated by natural sources and fuel combustion. The noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risks values from the ingestion route were higher for children than for adults. The non-carcinogenic risk of heavy metals to adults in the southwestern and central regions of the study area was >1 × 10-4. The carcinogenic risk was >1 in all adults, but >1 in children in the central and southwestern study areas. Monte Carlo simulation takes into account the parameters and their distributions that affect the health risk assessment model by combining the uncertainty assessment with the health risk, which will reduce the uncertainty of the health risk assessment. The results showed that conventional deterministic risk assessment may overestimate health risk outcomes. In addition, As has a 1.85 % probability of non-carcinogenic risk to children, and an 85.3 % probability of total non-carcinogenic risk for children for all heavy metals. 69.5 % and 11.4 % probability of carcinogenic risk for children and adults respectively for Ni, and 96.4 % and 52.1 % probability of total carcinogenic risk, suggesting that Ni is a priority control heavy metal.

[Sub-cloud secondary evaporation effect of precipitation isotope in Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region, China]. / é™•ç”˜å®åœ°åŒºé™æ°´åŒä½ç´ äº‘ä¸‹äºŒæ¬¡è’¸å‘æ•ˆåº”.

During atmospheric precipitation, the evaporation of raindrops falling from the bottom of cloud layer to the ground and passing through unsaturated air, a process was called sub-cloud secondary evaporation, which will change the isotopic composition of precipitation. Using the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope method to understand the temporal and spatial variation of secondary evaporation effect under clouds and its causes is important to understand regional water cycle process. Based on hourly meteorological data of 187 meteorological stations in Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region from March 2018 to February 2019, the spatial and temporal variations of evaporation surplus ratio (f) and precipitation excess deuterium variation (Δd) were analyzed using the improved Ste-wart model, and the relationships between f and meteorological elements and Δd were examined. The results showed that, at the hourly scale, the minimum values of f and Δd in all provinces of the region appeared in the daytime, and the maximum values appeared in the night, indicating that the secondary evaporation effect under the cloud was more obvious in the daytime. At the monthly scale, the monthly variation trend of f and Δd in each province was relatively consistent, with the minimum value appearing in the summer half year, and the maximum value appearing in the winter half year, indicating that the second evaporation effect under cloud was more significant in the summer half year. From the spatial perspective, the spatial variation of f and Δd values in the region was consistent with that at the seasonal scale. In spring, the eastern and western regions were larger while the central part was smaller. In summer, the northwest region was smaller, and other regions were larger. In autumn, it decreased from south to north. In winter, the central and southern regions were smaller, and the western and northeast regions were larger. The spatial differences of secondary evaporation effects under clouds in different seasons was significant. The slopes of the linear relationship between f and Δd in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia provinces were all less than 1‰·%-1, which may be caused by the arid and semi-arid climate in this area. When air temperature was higher and the relative humidity, vapor pressure, precipitation and raindrop diameter were smaller, the value of Δd was smaller, and the secondary evaporation effect under the cloud was more obvious.

[Characteristics of Stable Isotopes and Moisture Sources of Two Typical Precipitation Events in Lanzhou City].

To better understand the isotope variations on a short time scale, this study focused on a long-term rainfall event with light precipitation (June 26-27) and a short-term one with heavy precipitation (July 28) in Lanzhou City in the summer of 2019. Combined with HYSPLIT model, samples collected during a continuous precipitation event every 10 min and 30 min were analyzed to explore the characteristics and mechanism of stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in precipitation. The results indicate that the effect of sub-cloud secondary evaporation makes the slope of the sequential meteoric water line (SMWL) smaller at the beginning of the rainfall event. Most of the continuous sampling points are distributed above the global meteoric water line (GMWL) and local meteoric water line (LMWL). Moreover, the deuterium excess is larger than the local average annual deuterium (8.13), indicating that the samples have experienced moisture recycling to a certain extent. During two consecutive days (June 26-27) of rainfall, the variations in oxygen isotope δ18O did not follow the effect of precipitation amount; the precipitation δ18O of the first day was "L" shaped, and it fluctuated the next day. On July 28, δ18O steadily decreased, and the range of δ18O exceeded 9‰. On June 26, the moisture transport path was short at the height of 500 m and on June 27 local evaporation was the main pathway. On July 28, with a relatively stable air mass, the moisture source of the entire precipitation event did not change significantly, neither did the isotope value. Therefore, for a single precipitation event on a short time scale, the difference in moisture sources is one of the reasons for isotope variations.

[Water sources of riparian plants based on stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in Lanzhou section of the Yellow River, China].

As plant species for riparian ecological restoration in northern China, Tamarix ramosissima and Salix matsudana play an important role in river protection, flood control, regional climate regulation, and landscape construction of riparian vegetation. Two sampling sites were selected in the riparian zones along the Lanzhou section of Yellow River, where plant xylems and potential water sources were collected. The direct comparison method, Bayesian mixture model MixSIAR and the proportional similarity index (PS index) were used to determine the proportions of water utilization for each potential water source and the relationship of two species in water utilization. The results showed that shallow soil (0-30 cm) was the main water source during growing season, with utilization ratio being 28.3% for T. ramosissima and 24.4% for S. matsudana. For T. ramosissima, river water had the lowest contribution (16.6%), and for S. matsudana, groundwater contributed the least (17.9%). In the months with low soil moisture, plants increased the utilization ratios of river water and groundwater. The PS index at the sampling site S1 and S2 was 91.0% and 87.7%, respectively. On a monthly basis, the index in May was the highest, indicating an inter-month divergence in water use relationship. At the floodplain, there were even utilization ratios for each potential water source, which is an optimal strategy to obtain water from each potential source to the maximum extent. Our results provided theoretical basis for riparian tourism development along the Lanzhou section of the Yellow River and plant water management in environment protection in the Yellow River Basin.

Kinetics of PCDD/Fs formation from non-wood pulp bleaching with chlorine.

Chlorine bleaching is still practiced by most of nonwood pulp and paper mills, resulting in a considerable amount of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) formation and emission. In this study, the effects of primary chlorination conditions on the formation of PCDD/Fs from nonwood pulp bleaching with elemental chlorine were investigated. It was found that low-chlorinated PCDD/Fs were usually formed and then underwent further chlorination to form highly chlorinated PCDD/Fs with increasing chlorination time. Higher available chlorine dosages and lower system pH values greatly accelerated dioxin formation, and pH 3 was the threshold for the formation of tetra- to octa-CDD/Fs. Higher temperatures promoted the formation of lower-chlorinated PCDD/Fs, while caused significant reduction of tetra- to hepta-CDDs and penta- to octa-OCDFs. PCDFs were formed much faster than PCDDs. A first-order kinetic model showed a good fit to the data for tetra- to oct-CDFs formation under different chlorination conditions, indicating that chlorine substitution was the rate determining step for their formation. Finally, the optimum chlorination conditions for minimizing and eliminating the formation of 2,3,7,8-TCDD/TCDF in nonwood pulp bleaching with elemental chlorine were established.

Studies on structures and activities of initial Maillard reaction products by electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry combined with liquid chromatography in processing of red ginseng.

Electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was applied to analyse the water-soluble extract of red ginseng (RG). Several new compounds were produced from the Maillard reaction during the steaming and drying process for preparing RG. Both the tandem electrospray ionisation (ESI-MS(n)) and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonant mass spectrometric (FT-ICR-MS) data of these products proved that they were the initial Maillard reaction products (MRPs) of maltose with glutamic acid/aspartic acid, which were specific components in RG. In addition, their anti-diabetic and antioxidant activities were examined in vitro. The anti-diabetic activities were evaluated by studying the α-glucosidase inhibition using ultrafiltration LC-MS/MS techniques, while the antioxidant activities were investigated by UPLC-ESI-MS method. The results demonstrated that four initial MRPs in RG were identified as α-glucosidase inhibitors, and showed marked scavenging effect on the hydroxyl radical ((·)OH). Based on these studies, the processing method of RG was improved to generate more active compounds.

[Change of the content of chemical constituents and anti-oxidative action of the decoction of radix ginseng combined with Flos Lonicerae, radix Polygoni Multiflori and Radix Astragali].

Ginsenosides in the decoction of Radix Ginseng, Radix Ginseng with Flos Lonicerae, Radix Polygoni Multiflori or Radix Astragali have been investigated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometric method (ESI-MS). Change of the content of ginsenosides was nonlinear in diverse combinative proportion of Radix Ginseng with Flos Lonicerae, while the stripping of ginsenosides was promoted by a small amount of Radix Polygoni Multiflori. In the combinative decoction of Radix Ginseng with Radix Astragali, ginsenosides contents were increased compared to single decoction of Radix Ginseng. Besides, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method was developed for determination of the total antioxidative activity of n-butanol and water-soluble extracts from the decoction. The experimental results showed that antioxidative activity was better in the combinative decoction than that in single decoction, and the FRAP values of n-butanol extract were also greater compared with that of water extract.