Eerdun Hasi

Physicochemical characteristics of ambient particles settling upon leaf surfaces of urban plants in Beijing.

Particulate pollution is a serious health problem throughout the world, exacerbating a wide range of respiratory and vascular illnesses in urban areas. Urban plants play an important role in reducing particulate pollution. Physicochemical characteristics of ambient particles settling upon leaf surfaces of eleven roadside plants at four sites of Beijing were studies. Results showed that density of particles on the leaf surfaces greatly varied with plant species and traffic condition. Fraxinus chinensis, Sophora japonica, A ilanthus altissima, Syringa oblata and Prunus persica had larger densities of particles among the tall species. Due to resuspension of road dust, the densities of particles of Euonymus japonicus and Parthenocissus quinquefolia with low sampling height were 2-35 times to other taller tree species. For test plant species, micro-roughness of leaf surfaces and density of particles showed a close correlation. In general, the larger micro-roughness of leaf surfaces is, the larger density of particles is. Particles settling upon leaf surfaces were dominantly PM, (particulate matter less than 10 microm in aerodynamic diameter; 98.4%) and PM25 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microm in aerodynamic diameter; 64.2%) which were closely relative to human health. Constant elements of particles were C, O, K, Ca, Si, Al, Mg, Na, Fe, S, Cl and minerals with higher content were SiO2, CaCO3, CaMg(CO3)2, NaCI and 2CaSO4 x H20, SiO2. CaCO3 and CaMg(CO3)2 mainly came from resuspension of road dust. 2CaSO4 x H20 was produced by the reaction between CaCO3 derived from earth dust or industrial emission and SO2, H2SO4 or sulfate. NaCl was derived from sea salt.

Reconstruction of precipitation in the last 140 years from tree ring at south margin of the Tengger Desert, China

Based on the tree ring width index ofPinus tabulaeformis, precipitation in the last 140 years was reconstructed at south margin of the Tengger Desert. The results indicated that there were obvious fluctuations of dry-wet changes in precipitation: two wet periods occurred during 1868–1876 and 1932–1939, and two dry periods during 1877–1894 and 1924–1932, however, the years 1887 and 1888 were a little wet. There were small changes in precipitation during 1895–1923 and 1940–2000. As compared to the average, the maximum increasing range of precipitation amounted to 56% during the wet periods, and 42% during the dry periods. And the range of variability of precipitation exceeded 30% in 19 years. There was no obvious consistent drying or wetting trend in the last 140 years. But since 1940 fluctuating scope of precipitation tended to be smaller, while the frequency of the fluctuation tended to be larger. Power spectrum analyses suggested that precipitation of south margin of the Tengger Desert had significant periodicities of 2.46–2.64 a and quasi periodicity of 11.67 a.

Nebkha (coppice dune) formation and significance to environmental change reconstructions in arid and semiarid areas

Environments in arid and semiarid regions are extremely sensitive to climate changes. High wind activity in these regions has resulted in an extensively developed arid geomorphology, but past environmental changes are poorly understood because of the absence of relatively high-resolution proxies. The accumulation characteristics of nebkhas, which have developed extensively in these regions, can be used as a method of reconstructing environmental changes. Here we summarized recent advances in research on the formation, development, and sediment characteristics of nebkhas and their significance to environmental changes in arid and semiarid regions. Based on the studies of our colleagues, we suggested that research on nebkha formation can provide distinct clues about environmental changes in arid and semiarid regions; however, continued studies are needed.

NMR-based metabolomic profiling of Peganum harmala L. reveals dynamic variations between different growth stages

Xerophytes play an active role in preventing soil denudation and desertification in arid and semi-arid areas. Peganum harmala L. (Zygophyllaceae family), a seasonally growing, poisonous and drought-tolerant plant, is widely distributed in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and used as a traditional herbal medicine as well as, in winter, a fodder source. Previous research has focused on the pharmacological activity of isolated compounds and stress responses to growth environments. However, the metabolic profile of P. harmala and variations in its metabolites, including medicinally active and stress resistance components, have not been illustrated during different growth stages. Here, we collected plant samples in May, August, October and December. We determined the metabolic composition of methanol extracts using NMR spectroscopy, and comparisons of four growth stages were accomplished by applying statistical analysis. The results showed that vasicine, choline and sucrose were significantly elevated in samples harvested in May. Significantly higher amounts of betaine, lysine, 4-hydroxyisoleucine and proline were found in samples collected in August than in samples collected in other months, and the concentrations of phosphorylcholine, glucose, acetic acid and vasicinone were highest in December. The relationships between differential biomarkers and plant physiological states affected by diverse growth environmental factors were discussed. Our result deepened the understanding of metabolic mechanisms in plant development and confirmed the advantage of using NMR-based metabolomic treatments in quality evaluation when P. harmala is used for different purposes.

Dynamic Changes of Typical Blowouts Based on High-Resolution Data: A Case Study in Hulunbuir Sandy Land, China

Blowouts are an important ground indication of wind-sand activity in the Hulunbuir grassland. They include two basic geomorphologic units, erosion depression and sand deposition, and three typical morphological types: saucer type, trough type, and compound type. In this study, the dynamic changes of typical blowouts within the past decade were analyzed via multiperiod high-resolution remote sensing images. RTK was used to repeatedly measure the blowouts to obtain their high-precision 3D terrain data in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Short-term dynamic changes in 3D blowout morphology were carefully analyzed to discover the following. (1) From 2002 to 2012, the depressions of typical blowouts exhibited downwind extension and lateral expansion trends, as they continuously grew in size. Regarding the sand deposition zones, those of the saucer blowout grew continuously, while those of the trough and compound blowouts fluctuated between growth and contraction. (2) The erosion depression of saucer blowouts eroded downward and spread horizontally; that of trough blowouts first accumulated then eroded but also spread horizontally. The erosion depression of compound blowouts exhibited horizontal spreading accompanied with bottom accumulation. The sand deposition zones of all three types of blowouts exhibited decreasing length with increasing width and height.