Advances in Earth Science ›› 2004, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (2): 296-304. doi: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2004.02.0296

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ADVANCE IN SNOW ECOLOGY STUDY IN THE WORLD

ZHAO Halin, ZHOU Ruilian, ZHAO Yue   

  1. Cold and Arid Regions environment and engineering Research Insititut, CAS, Lanzhou 730000,China
  • Received:2003-05-06 Revised:2003-09-11 Online:2004-12-20 Published:2004-04-01

ZHAO Halin, ZHOU Ruilian, ZHAO Yue. ADVANCE IN SNOW ECOLOGY STUDY IN THE WORLD[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2004, 19(2): 296-304.

The latest research advance in snow ecology in the world was introduced in this paper, including: six aspects: (1) Snow cover and weather system; (2) Physical features of snow and its relation with ecology; (3) Chemical processes of snow and nutrient circulation; (4) Nival microbe; (5) Snow cover and small animal; (6) Relation between snow cover and vegetation. Some contents that need further study in the future were discussed. Generally, snow ecology study in the world had some extensions as follows: (1) Effects of global changes on snow cover and its feedback mechanism was emphasized; (2) Physical characteristics and its ecological functions of snow cover got more attention; (3) The research reports on nutrient circulation processes in snow ecosystem increased; (4) Study of ultra-structure, physiology, eco-physiology, ecology, life history, biochemistry of snow microbe was developed rapidly; (5) Study of small mammalians was attached importance to physiological and ecological and morphological adaptability; (6) Study interests in physiological and ecological adaptability of plant to extreme environment and its relation with snow environment gradients increased; (7) Process study, quantitative study and numerical simulative study were attached more importance in all research field of snow ecology. Study emphases in the near future include mainly: (1) Feedback processes and its mechanism between snow cover and climate system; (2) Physical multiphase of snow cover and its ecological function; (3) earth circulation processes of snow chemical species, especially C, N circulation; (4) Genetic basic and genic transfer on cold adaptability of snow microbe; (5) Dynamics and nutriology and population dynamics on nival animal; (6) feedback processes and its mechanism in multi-scales among snow, vegetation and climate.

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