Biogeosciences Discussions This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Biogeosciences (BG). Please refer to the corresponding final paper in BG if available. Abstract Atmospheric concentrations of reactive nitrogen species (Nr) from 2009 to 2011 are reported for ten sites in Xinjiang, an arid region in Northwest China. Concentrations of NH 3 , NO 2 , particulate ammonium and ...

Pollen data from 30 sites in arid and semi-arid regions of China were reviewed to document regional patterns of Holocene vegetation and climate change and to understand the large-scale controls on these changes. Vegetation at most sites in eastern Inner Mongolia switched between forest, forest steppe, and typical steppe, showing maximum moisture conditions before 6 ka (1 ka 1⁄4 1000 cal yr BP) ...

Shrublands are one of the major types of ecosystems in the desert regions of northern China, which is expected to be substantially more sensitive to global environmental changes, such as widespread nitrogen enrichment and precipitation changes, than other ecosystem types. However, the interactive effects of nitrogen and precipitation on them remain poorly understood. We conducted a fully factor...

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of "Paramesorhizobium deserti" A-3-E(T), a strain isolated from the Taklimakan Desert of Xinjiang, China, which is resistant to multiple β-lactam antibiotics and other antibiotics (kanamycin, erythromycin, streptomycin, etc.) as well.

Knowledge of the distribution patterns of soil organic carbon (SOC) and factors that influence these patterns is crucial for understanding the carbon cycle. The objectives of this study were to determine the spatial distribution pattern of soil organic carbon density (SOCD) and the controlling factors in arid desert grasslands of northwest China. The above- and belowground biomass and SOCD in 2...

Abstract. From the perspectives of many environmental and conservative policy makers, improving and diversifying the livelihoods have been found as a mechanism to promote the livelihoods and persuade people to avoid the overexploitation and degradation of natural resources. Due to the fragility of the environment and inconsistency of incomes, the alternative income sources may be promised to wa...

Vegetation phenology in temperate grasslands is highly sensitive to climate change. However, it is still unclear how the timing of vegetation phenology events (especially for autumn phenology) is altered in response to climate change across different grassland types. In this study, we investigated variations of the growing season start (SOS) and end (EOS), derived from Moderate Resolution Imagi...

Acquiring water is essential for all animals, but doing so is most challenging for desert-living animals. Recently Przewalski's horse has been reintroduced to the desert area in China where the last wild surviving member of the species was seen before it vanished from China in the 1960s. Its reintroduction placed it within the range of a close evolutionary relative, the con-generic Khulan. Dete...

a State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, and School of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China U.S. Department of Agricultural, Agricultural Research Service, Hydrology and Remote Sensing Lab, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA U.S. Department of Agricultural, Agricultural Research Service, Conservation and Production Research Laboratory, P.O. Drawer 10, Bushland, TX 79012, ...

The interaction of wind and water in semiarid and arid areas usually leads to low-frequency flash flood events in desert rivers, which have adverse effects on river systems and ecology. In arid zones, many aeolian dune-fields terminate in stream channels and deliver aeolian sand to the channels. Although aeolian processes are common to many desert rivers, whether the aeolian processes contribut...