A new type of soil moisture sensor using spatial frequency domain transmissometry (SFDT) was evaluated. This sensor transmits and receives ultrawideband (1 to 6 GHz) radio waves between two separated antennas and measures the propagation delay time in the soil related to the dielectric constant. This method is expected to be less affected by air ga...
Published in National science review
The past Asian precipitation δ18O (δ18Op) records from stalagmites and other deposits have shown significant orbital-scale variations, but their climatic implications and regional differences are still not fully understood. This study, as the first attempt of a 300-kyr transient stable isotope-enabled simulation, investigated the characteristics an...
Published in Miscellanea Geographica
The surge-type Uisu glacier and its forefield in the Tajik part of Eastern Pamir are described. To this end, 1977–2019 Landsat satellite imagery, the DEM, and a high-resolution orthophotomap were used, and detailed geomorphological mapping was carried out. The results show that the present-day position of the terminus of the studied glacier results...
Published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Both natural and sexual selection can shape sexual dimorphism. However, determination of the contribution of these selection pressures is challenging. In lizards, sexual selection can contribute to the larger head size of males than that of females. However, males and females can also diverge in their head size to prey on different food resources u...
The accumulation of salts within the rhizosphere is a common phenomenon in arid and semi-arid regions where irrigation water is high in salts. A previous study established the ameliorative effect of foliarly applied 24-epibrassinolide (BR) on soybean under salinity stress. As a follow-up to that study, this work evaluated the effects of BR on the e...
Published in Frontiers in Plant Science
Excessive nitrogen (N) fertilizer has threatened the survivability and sustainability of agriculture. Improving N productivity is promising to address the above issue. Therefore, the field experiment, which investigated the effect of no-till and N fertilizer reduction on water use and N productivity of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), was condu...
Published in Frontiers in Microbiology
Endorheic lakes in arid regions of Northwest China are generally vulnerable and sensitive to accelerated climate change and extensive human activities. Therefore, a better understanding of the self-purification capacity of ecosystems, such as denitrification, is necessary to effectively protect these water resources. In the present study, we measur...
Published in Frontiers in Environmental Science
Northwest China has a desert, arid and semi-arid climate that makes outdoor air sampling challenging. The region is also affected by intense dust storms. Monitoring challenges from the harsh climate have limited supplies of the data needed to inform appropriate regulatory actions to address air pollution in the region. Here we combine a comprehensi...
Published in Frontiers in Environmental Science
Abstract: Northwest China has become a base for wind and solar energy development due to its rich wind and solar resources and large area of desert and unutilized land. However, whether the scarce water resources in the arid regions there can meet the requirements for renewable energy development is currently a pressing, critical problem. Therefore...
Published in Frontiers in Earth Science
Groundwater is the foremost water resource for various purposes in arid regions. The extremely arid climate makes groundwater geochemistry there evolve faster in a short distance and water supply face higher pressure of poor geochemical quality. A hyper-arid watershed on the Tibetan Plateau was investigated to get insights into the geochemical sign...
