An environmental perturbation at AD 600 and subsequent human impacts recorded by multi-proxy records from the sediments of Lake Mayinghai, North China

The Holocene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 1870-1880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongwei Shen ◽  
Jianbao Liu ◽  
Chengling Xie ◽  
Xiaosen Zhang ◽  
Fahu Chen
Keyword(s):  
Human Activity ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Environmental Stability ◽  
Shanxi Province ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Proxy Records ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Historical Accounts

Modern observations indicate that a dramatic increase in the intensity of human activity is the main cause of environmental degradation. However, the timing of the onset of significant human impacts on regional environments during the historical period is unclear. In this study, an AMS 14C-dated 878-cm-long sediment core (MYH14B), from Lake Mayinghai in the farming-pastoral ecotone of northern China, was used to study the long-term relationship between the ecological environment and human activity. The area is characterized by a fragile ecological system and is sensitive to environmental change and human activity. We found evidence for abrupt sedimentary changes beginning around AD 600, revealed by the increased (decreased) content of exogenous (endogenous) elements, a decrease in grain size and the appearance of quartz particles with V-shaped percussion cracks. This evidence indicates an abrupt increase in sediments transported by surface run-off and that a large amount of freshwater was injected into the lake. The climate was stable at the time and therefore, combined with historical documentary evidence, we attribute this event to the excavation of a river channel flowing into the lake, in association with the construction of nearby Fenyang Palace by Emperor Yang during the Sui Dynasty. Subsequently, the content of exogenous elements in the sediments was significantly positively correlated with the intensity of deforestation, cultivation and grazing, indicating that these elements can be used as a proxy of the intensity of human activity. The variation of this proxy demonstrates that intensified human activity occurred during AD 600– 1100 and after AD 1350, and that human activity weakened during AD 1100–1350, which is supported by evidence from historical accounts and changes in the population size of Shanxi Province. Overall, our findings reveal a substantial conflict between human activity and environmental stability in the farming-pastoral ecotone of northern China during the Sui Dynasty (AD ~600). In addition, the sensitivity of the lake response to human activity revealed in this study highlights the importance of further paleolimnological studies in the region.

scholarly journals Stability of ENSO and its tropical Pacific teleconnections over the Last Millennium

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1347-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Lewis ◽  
A. N. LeGrande
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Proxy Records ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Stability

Abstract. Determining past changes in the amplitude, frequency and teleconnections of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is important for understanding its potential sensitivity to future anthropogenic climate change. Palaeo-reconstructions from proxy records can provide long-term information of ENSO interactions with the background climatic state through time. However, it remains unclear how ENSO characteristics have changed on long timescales, and precisely which signals proxies record. Proxy interpretations are typically underpinned by the assumption of stationarity in relationships between local and remote climates, and often utilise archives from single locations located in the Pacific Ocean to reconstruct ENSO histories. Here, we investigate the long-term characteristics of ENSO and its teleconnections using the Last Millennium experiment of CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5; Taylor et al., 2012). We show that the relationship between ENSO conditions (NINO3.4) and local climates across the Pacific basin differs significantly for 100-year epochs defining the Last Millennium and the historical period 1906–2005. Furthermore, models demonstrate decadal- to centennial-scale modulation of ENSO behaviour during the Last Millennium. Overall, results suggest that the stability of teleconnections may be regionally dependent and that proxy climate records may reveal complex changes in teleconnected patterns, rather than large-scale changes in base ENSO characteristics. As such, proxy insights into ENSO may require evidence to be considered over large spatial areas in order to deconvolve changes occurring in the NINO3.4 region from those relating to local climatic variables. To obtain robust histories of the ENSO and its remote impacts, we recommend interpretations of proxy records should be considered in conjunction with palaeo-reconstructions from within the central Pacific.

scholarly journals Millennial-scale change on a Caribbean reef system that experiences hypoxia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blanca Figuerola ◽  
Ethan L Grossman ◽  
Noelle Lucey ◽  
Nicole D Leonard ◽  
Aaron O'Dea
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Reef System ◽  
Caribbean Reef ◽  
History Of ◽  
Shallow Part

Coastal hypoxia has become an increasingly acknowledged threat to coral reefs that is potentially intensifying because of increased input of anthropogenic nutrients. Almirante Bay (Caribbean Panama) is a semi-enclosed system that experiences hypoxia in deeper waters which occasionally expand into shallow coral reefs, suffocating most aerobic benthic life. To explore the long-term history of reefs in the bay we extracted reef matrix cores from two reefs that today experience contrasting patterns of oxygenation. We constructed a 1800-year-long record of gastropod assemblages and isotope compositions from six U-Th chronologically-constrained reef matrix cores. We extracted two cores from each reef at 3 m water depth and two additional cores from a deeper part (4.8 m) of the hypoxia-exposed reef. Results show that the deeper part of the hypoxic reef slowed in growth and stopped accreting approximately 1500 years BP while the shallow part of the reef continued to accrete to the present day, in agreement with a model of expanding hypoxia at this time. Our proxy-based approach suggests that differences among these palaeoindicators in the two reefs may have been driven by an increase in hypoxia via eutrophication caused by either natural changes or human impacts. Similar patterns of increasing herbivores and decreasing carbon isotope values occurred in the shallow part of the hypoxic reef during the last few decades. This suggests that hypoxia may be expanding to depths as shallow as 3 m and that shallow reefs are experiencing greater risk due to increased human activity.

Past testate amoeba communities in landslide mountain fens (Polish Carpathians): The relationship between shell types and sediment

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362199464
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Marcisz ◽  
Krzysztof Buczek ◽  
Mariusz Gałka ◽  
Włodzimierz Margielewski ◽  
Matthieu Mulot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Mineral Matter ◽  
Testate Amoeba ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Depth To Water Table ◽  
Polish Carpathians ◽  
The Relationship

Landslide mountain fens formed in landslide depressions are dynamic environments as their development is disturbed by a number of factors, for example, landslides, slopewash, and surface run-off. These processes lead to the accumulation of mineral material and wood in peat. Disturbed peatlands are interesting archives of past environmental changes, but they may be challenging for providing biotic proxy-based quantitative reconstructions. Here we investigate long-term changes in testate amoeba communities from two landslide mountain fens – so far an overlooked habitat for testate amoeba investigations. Our results show that abundances of testate amoebae are extremely low in this type of peatlands, therefore not suitable for providing quantitative depth-to-water table reconstructions. However, frequent shifts of dominant testate amoeba species reflect dynamic lithological situation of the studied fens. We observed that high and stable mineral matter input into the peatlands was associated with high abundances of species producing agglutinated (xenosomic) as well as idiosomic shells which prevailed in the testate amoeba communities in both analyzed profiles. This is the first study that explores testate amoebae of landslide mountain fens in such detail, providing novel information about microbial communities of these ecosystems.

scholarly journals The implications of vehicle collisions for the Endangered endemic Zanzibar red colobus Piliocolobus kirkii

Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Harry Olgun ◽  
Mzee Khamis Mohammed ◽  
Abbas Juma Mzee ◽  
M. E. Landry Green ◽  
Tim R. B. Davenport ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Road Ecology ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Red Colobus ◽  
Vehicle Collisions ◽  
The Road ◽  
Life History Data ◽  
Natural Predation ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Roads affect wildlife in a variety of negative ways. Road ecology studies have mostly concentrated on areas in the northern hemisphere despite the potentially greater impact of roads on biodiversity in tropical habitats. Here, we examine 4 years (January 2016–December 2019) of opportunistic observations of mammalian roadkill along a road intersecting Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park, Unguja, Zanzibar. In particular, we assess the impact of collisions on the population of an endemic primate, the Endangered Zanzibar red colobus Piliocolobus kirkii. Primates accounted for the majority of roadkill in this dataset. Monthly rainfall was not associated with roadkill frequency for mammals generally, nor for the Zanzibar red colobus. No single age–sex class of colobus was found dead more often than expected given their occurrence in the local population. The overall effect of roadkill on colobus populations in habitats fragmented by roads is unknown given the lack of accurate, long-term life history data for this species. Our findings suggest that mortality from collisions with vehicles in some groups of colobus is within the range of mortality rates other primates experience under natural predation. Unlike natural predators, however, vehicles do not kill selectively, so their impact on populations may differ. Although a comparison with historical accounts suggests that the installation of speedbumps along the road near the Park's entrance has led to a significant decrease in colobus roadkill, further actions to mitigate the impact of the road could bring substantial conservation benefits.

Spatial variation of East Asian winter monsoon evolution between northern and southern China since the last glacial maximum

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Qin Li ◽  
Haibin Wu ◽  
Jun Cheng ◽  
Shuya Zhu ◽  
Chunxia Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Asian Winter Monsoon ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Winter Monsoon ◽  
Asian Winter Monsoon ◽  
Spatial Differences ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

Abstract The East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) is one of the most dynamic components of the global climate system. Although poorly understood, knowledge of long-term spatial differences in EAWM variability during the glacial–interglacial cycles is important for understanding the dynamic processes of the EAWM. We reconstructed the spatiotemporal characteristics of the EAWM since the last glacial maximum (LGM) using a comparison of proxy records and long-term transient simulations. A loess grain-size record from northern China (a sensitive EAWM proxy) and the sea surface temperature gradient of an EAWM index in sediments of the southern South China Sea were compared. The data–model comparison indicates pronounced spatial differences in EAWM evolution, with a weakened EAWM since the LGM in northern China but a strengthened EAWM from the LGM to the early Holocene, followed by a weakening trend, in southern China. The model results suggest that variations in the EAWM in northern China were driven mainly by changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, whereas orbital insolation and ice sheets were important drivers in southern China. We propose that the relative importance of insolation, ice sheets, and atmospheric CO2 for EAWM evolution varied spatially within East Asia.

scholarly journals Bacterial Succession Pattern during the Fermentation Process in Whole-Plant Corn Silage Processed in Different Geographical Areas of Northern China

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 900
Author(s):  
Chao Wang ◽  
Hongyan Han ◽  
Lin Sun ◽  
Na Na ◽  
Haiwen Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acetic Acid ◽  
Bacterial Community ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Ammonia Nitrogen ◽  
Corn Silage ◽  
Shanxi Province ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Bacterial Succession ◽  
Fermentation Quality

Whole-plant corn silage is a predominant forage for livestock that is processed in Heilongjiang province (Daqing city and Longjiang county), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Helin county and Tumet Left Banner) and Shanxi province (Taigu and Shanyin counties) of North China; it was sampled at 0, 5, 14, 45 and 90 days after ensiling. Bacterial community and fermentation quality were analysed. During fermentation, the pH was reduced to below 4.0, lactic acid increased to above 73 g/kg DM (p < 0.05) and Lactobacillus dominated the bacterial community and had a reducing abundance after 14 days. In the final silages, butyric acid was not detected, and the contents of acetic acid and ammonia nitrogen were below 35 g/kg DM and 100 g/kg total nitrogen, respectively. Compared with silages from Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia, silages from Shanxi contained less Lactobacillus and more Leuconostoc (p < 0.05), and had a separating bacterial community from 14 to 90 days. Lactobacillus was negatively correlated with pH in all the silages (p < 0.05), and positively correlated with lactic and acetic acid in silages from Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia (p < 0.05). The results show that the final silages had satisfactory fermentation quality. During the ensilage process, silages from Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia had similar bacterial-succession patterns; the activity of Lactobacillus formed and maintained good fermentation quality in whole-plant corn silage.

First report of Eimeria and Entamoeba infection in alpacas (Vicugna pacos) in Shanxi Province, northern China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Wei Gao ◽  
Ye-Ting Ma ◽  
Yuan-Yuan Ma ◽  
Run-Li Li ◽  
Jin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Northern China ◽  
Shanxi Province ◽  
First Report ◽  
Vicugna Pacos

scholarly journals Stability of graphene-based heterojunction solar cells

RSC Advances ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (90) ◽  
pp. 73575-73600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Singh ◽  
Hari Singh Nalwa
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Environmental Stability ◽  
Light Illumination ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Air Humidity ◽  
Heterojunction Solar Cells ◽  
Commercial Applications

The long-term environmental stability and degradation of graphene-based heterojunction solar cells under different atmospheric conditions such as air, humidity, temperature, and light illumination for commercial applications are discussed.

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