Uncertainty in the spatial pattern of climate change is dominated by divergent predictions among climate models. Model di erences are closely linked to their representation of climate feedbacks, that is, the additional radiative fluxes that are caused by changes in clouds, water vapour, surface albedo, and other factors, in response to an external climate forcing. Progress in constraining this ...

The concentration of the carbon-13 isotope (leaf δ13C) in leaves is negatively correlated with the mean annual precipitation (MAP) at large geographical scales. In this paper, we explain the spatial pattern of leaf δ13C variation for deciduous oriental oak (Quercus variabilis Bl.) across temperate and subtropical biomes and its sensitivity to climate factors such as MAP. There was a 6‰ variatio...

Nitrogen fertilizer use across the world’s croplands enables high-yielding agricultural production, but does so at considerable environmental cost. Imbalances between nitrogen applied and nitrogen used by crops contributes to excess nitrogen in the environment, with negative consequences for water quality, air quality, and climate change. Here we utilize crop input-yield models to investigate h...

It is now common to use data from two or more sensors for land cover change detection. Since the spatial and spectral resolutions of different sensors vary significantly, the ability to discriminate the land cover also varies greatly. In this paper the applications of landuse change detection including area statistics, temporal trajectories and spatial pattern are discussed. The area statistics...

Human-caused changes to the planet have led to worldwide social and environmental disruption. Many of the changes so produced are wicked problems: that is, problems which lie outside the current capacity of the society to resolve them. Resolving such problems requires comprehensive social change. This in turn calls for collaboration among the multiple knowledges into which Western thinking has ...

The tree-ring width series and standardized chronologies of Populus davidiana trees in broad-leaved and Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountains were developed separately for male and female trees. Their differential radial growth and their relationship with climatic conditions were analyzed to reveal the effect of gender on radial growth and their climatic responses. It was found that there wa...

In many scientific and engineering problems the solidification of an alloy leads to a highly convoluted crystalline matrix modeled as a thermodynamically controlled reactive porous medium called a mushy layer. We analyze the interaction of an external shear flow with a solidifying mushy layer through a corrugated mush–liquid interface. We find that the external flow can drive forced convective ...

The distribution of most species is expected to alter in response to climate change. Predictions for the extent of these range shifts are frequently based on ‘climate envelope’ approaches, which often oversimplify species responses because many do not consider interactions between physical and biological factors. The local persistence of some species, however, is likely to be strongly modulated...