Snowpack stores cold-season precipitation to meet warm-season water demand. Climate change threatens to disturb this balance by altering the fraction of precipitation falling as snow and the timing of snowmelt, which may have profound effects on food production in basins where irrigated agriculture relies heavily on snowmelt runoff. Here, we analyse global patterns of snowmelt and agricultural water uses to identify regions and crops that are most dependent on snowmelt water resources. We find hotspots primarily in high-mountain Asia (the Tibetan Plateau), Central Asia, western Russia, western US and the southern Andes. Using projections of sub-annual runoff under warming scenarios, we identify the basins most at risk from changing snowmelt patterns, where up to 40% of irrigation demand must be met by new alternative water supplies under a 4 °C warming scenario. Our results highlight basins and crops where adaptation of water management and agricultural systems may be especially critical in a changing climate.
China’s gains in food production over the past four decades have been associated with substantial agricultural nitrogen losses, which contribute to air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and damage to human health. Here, we explore the potential to improve agricultural production practices that simultaneously increase yields while addressing these environmental challenges. We link agronomic research with air quality modelling for an integrated assessment of four improved nitrogen management strategies: improved farm management practices with nitrogen use reductions; machine deep placement of fertilizer; enhanced-efficiency fertilizer use; and improved manure management. We find that simultaneous implementation of the four strategies provides the largest benefits, which include: reductions in PM2.5 concentrations and associated premature deaths; increases in grain yields and grain nitrogen use efficiency; reductions in NO3− leaching and runoff and greenhouse gas emissions. Total benefits of US\$30 billion per year exceed the US\$18 billion per year in costs. Our findings indicate that policies that improve farmers’ agricultural nitrogen management in China will improve both food security and public health while addressing multiple environmental challenges. Similar increases in attention on agricultural policy around the world are likely to provide large benefits in food security, environmental integrity and public health.
Nitro-aromatic compounds (NACs) were measured hourly at a rural site in China during wintertime to monitor the changes due to local and regional impacts of biomass burning (BB). Concurrent and continuous measurements of the concentrations of 16 NACs in the gas and particle phases were performed with a time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS) equipped with a Filter Inlet for Gas and Aerosol (FIGAERO) unit using iodide as the reagent ion. NACs accounted for < 2 % of the mass concentration of organic matter (OM) and total particulate matter (PM), but the total particle mass concentrations of these compounds can reach as high as 1000 ng m−3 (299 ng m−3ave.), suggesting that they may contribute significantly to the radiative forcing effects of atmospheric particles. Levels of gas-phase NACs were highest during the daytime (15:00–16:00 local time, L.T.), with a smaller night-time peak around 20:00 L.T. Box-model simulations showed that this occurred because the rate of NAC production from gas-phase sources exceeded the rate of loss, which occurred mainly via the OH reaction and to a lesser degree via photolysis. Data gathered during extended periods with high contributions from primary BB sources (resulting in 40–60 % increases in NAC concentrations) were used to characterize individual NACs with respect to gas-particle partitioning and the contributions of regional secondary processes (i.e. photochemical smog). On days without extensive BB, secondary formation was the dominant source of NACs and NAC levels correlated strongly with the ambient ozone concentration. Analyses of individual NACs in the regionally aged plumes sampled on these days allowed precursors such as phenol and catechol to be linked to their NAC derivatives (i.e. nitrophenol and nitrocatechol). Correlation analysis using the high time resolution data and box-model simulation results constrained the relationships between these compounds and demonstrated the contribution of secondary formation processes. Furthermore, 13 of 16 NACS were classified according to primary or secondary formation process. Primary emission was the dominant source (accounting for 60–70 % of the measured concentrations) of 5 of the 16 studied NACs, but secondary formation was also a significant source. Photochemical smog thus has important effects on brown carbon levels even during wintertime periods dominated by primary air pollution in rural China.
The shadow will affect the target and scene analysis in passive millimeter-wave (PMMW) radiation image. In a particular condition, roughness and brightness temperature characteristics of shadow are analyzed based on a theoretical model. Moreover, an image registration method is utilized to segment the shadow and target. Imaging experiments on different surfaces verify the theoretical model and applied method.
Abstract In this paper, two new analytical attractive (alpha) functions and their derivatives in bulk and nanoconfined pores are developed based on the virial equation of state (EOS) and statistical thermodynamics and are evaluated at different conditions for the first time. A cubic EOS is modified to nanometer scale and applied to predict the thermodynamic and phase properties in bulk and nanoconfined pores coupled with the new analytical alpha functions. The nanoscale-extended EOS coupled with the analytical alpha functions are validated to be accurate by means of the experimental data for the thermodynamic and phase calculations. The alpha functions and dimensionless attractive term A for the O2, Ar, CO2, N2, and C1-C10 are always positive and monotonically decrease with the temperature increases at T ≤ 2000 K in the bulk phase, whereas the second virial coefficients (B2) are always negative and increase with the temperature increases. Moreover, the alpha functions, A, and B2 for all of components remain constant with the decreasing pore radius until rp = 50 nm, the former two of which decrease while the latter one increases by further reducing the pore radius. It should be noted that the intermolecular attractive force (ie, A) is a function of the pressure, which is gradually increased at P ≤ 10 MPa though drastically increases afterwards. Also, the enhanced confinement effects lead the same-component intermolecular attractive forces to be smaller. The analytical formulations in the SRK type slightly outperform in the gaseous or light component cases, while those in the PR type are better for the heavy component cases in terms of the thermodynamic property calculations, both of which are compatible with the modified EOS and analytical alpha functions.
Online community and groups often experience heated discussion. This paper examines a WeChat group discussion from the perspective of majority and minority influence to explore the evolvement of the discussion and the be-haviors of group members. Content analysis of 515 messages suggests that opin- ion conflicts between majority and minority evoke discussion engagement and knowledge exchange. There are different patterns of knowledge construction expressions between majority and minority groups. The majority prefer egocentric expression, while the minority prefer allocentric expression. Majority opinion holders have different conflict handling styles compared to minority opinion holders, who are more likely to avoid. Minority group is under great pressure in social interaction, they are easier to receive unfair comments and personal attacks.