Copenhagen,Climate Science and the Emotional Geographies of Climate Change

The Pacific island nation-state of Tuvalu featured significantly at the Copenhagen Conference of Parties (COP) 15 climate change negotiations, where the vulnerability of Tuvalu to sea level rise and emotional outpourings of the Tuvaluan delegation contributed to the nation's prominence. In this paper we discuss the likely impacts for Tuvalu of a 1.5°C versus 2°C global warming target and explore sadness and discomfort surrounding discussion of these targets during COP 15. We highlight tensions between science and emotion, arguing that affective encounters can be significant in climate change decision-making. Weeping by a member of the Tuvalu delegation evoked discomfort in the conference plenary. This discomfort briefly unsettled the apparently stable boundaries of convention and protocol that seek to separate emotion from science and politics. We argue that possibilities for change arise when emotions enter climate change negotiations, even though (or perhaps because) these are arenas that privilege rational exchange. Our conclusion urges that more attention be paid to how climate science and emotion are intertwined in climate change politics.     

气候变化与多维度可持续城市化

全球大规模城市化和气候变化已是不争的事实,这是全人类需要共同面对和关注的突出问题。当前对于两者之间的复杂关系以及城市化进程如何科学应对气候变化并不清晰,从科学、管理到实践都需要进一步加强探究,以实现全球和区域可持续发展。本文首先给出全球大规模城市化和气候变化发生的基本事实,综述归纳城市化与气候变化的相互影响以及可能机制,城市化导致热岛效应、降水分配不均以及极端天气,并具有局地—区域—全球多尺度叠加效应,加剧了全球气候变化问题;气候变化对城市化的影响主要表现为能源消费变化、死亡率与传染病传播、海平面上升、极端天气对基础设施的破坏、水资源短缺等方面。简要梳理相关的国际研究和行动联盟,从城市化的4个关键维度：人口、土地、经济和社会视角出发,提出适应与减缓气候变化的多维度可持续城市化的分析框架。呼吁加强自然与人文学科交叉,将城市化等人类活动纳入地—气系统,探究人—地—气复杂耦合过程,从城市化为代表的人类活动角度的适应与减缓,或许是应对气候变化的最关键和最现实的路径。     

沙漠化与气候变化互馈机制研究进展

沙漠化与气候变化是当前全世界面临的两大热点问题,尤其是二者之间的互馈机制是研究的热点和难点。气候条件的恶化如持续干旱等可以引起土地的沙漠化,而沙漠化又可以通过生物地球物理互馈机制、增加沙尘气溶胶和温室气体等途径反作用于气候变化,并可能在局地形成正反馈,导致沙漠化向恶性方向发展。笔者在查阅大量文献的基础上,系统回顾了气候变化对沙漠化影响的研究历史,并从生物地球物理互馈机制、沙尘增多及温室气体增加对气候的影响三个方面概述了沙漠化对气候变化的反馈研究。在研究中存在如下瓶颈:①生物地球物理互馈机制发生的尺度;②沙尘和降水的因果关系;③数据的不一致性及数据特征的差异;④沙漠化过程中自然因素与人为因素的剥离。笔者认为:未来研究应从地球系统科学的角度出发,综合研究沙漠化与气候变化问题,并将模型研究与实地观测并重。     

青海湖周边年代际气候振动及其对青海高原气候变化的响应

利用青海高原1958—2005年常规气象观测资料,统计了青海高原、青海湖周边的降水、气温序列,应用气候诊断方法分析了其年代际的变化规律及其成因。结果表明：青海湖周边1958年以来年度和四季平均气温均呈明显的上升趋势,秋、冬两季和20世纪90年代升温比较明显。降水量除秋季呈减少趋势外,年度和其他季节均呈增加的趋势。60—90年代青海湖周边除70年代冬季、80年代秋季、90年代夏季气候类型与青海高原不一致外,其他年代和季节气候类型均与青海高原完全一致,该区域年代际气候的振动主要是由青海高原自然的气候波动和人类活动引起的。     

Climate change effects at your doorstep: Geographic visualization to support Nordic homeowners in adapting to climate change

The complexity of climate information, particularly as related to climate scenarios, impacts, and action alternatives, poses significant challenges for science communication. This study presents a geographic visualization approach involving lay audiences to address these challenges. VisAdapt™ is a web-based visualization tool designed to improve Nordic homeowners’ understanding of climate change vulnerability and to support their adaptive actions. VisAdapt is structured to enable individual users to explore several climate change impact parameters, including temperature and precipitation, for their locations and to find information on specific adaptation measures for their house types and locations. The process of testing the tool included a focus group study with homeowners in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden to assess key challenges in geographic visualization, such as the level of interactivity and information. The paper concludes that geographic visualization tools can support homeowners’ climate adaptation processes, but that certain features, such as downscaled climate information are a key element expected by users. Although the assessment of interactivity and data varied both across countries and user experience, a general conclusion is that a geographic visualization tool, like VisAdapt, can make climate change effects and adaptation alternatives tangible and initiate discussions and collaborative reflections.     

Climate change and community resilience in Samoa

Being resilient in the face of climate change seems especially important for island societies, which face the effects of rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, changing wind patterns and sea level rise. To date, most studies of adaptation and resilience among Pacific island communities have used indicators and methods rooted in Western science and neo-classical economics. These have been criticized as being locally irrelevant and inadequate to appreciate the dynamic nature and social structures of island communities and their capacity to adapt. This paper challenges the paradigm that defines resilience as a return to equilibrium, by using a non-equilibrium, cultural ecological lens. The non-equilibrium view of resilience sees the social systems of island nations as highly dynamic and undergoing persistent adaptation in the face of changing environmental factors. Field-based research undertaken in eight villages in Samoa found that, through constant exposure to environmental change over extended periods of time, communities have become resilient and are in a position to adapt to future changes. In developing future policy in relation to climate change, Pacific island governments need to develop a more nuanced understanding of islanders’ perceptions and historical actions in the context of both their physical locations and their dynamic socio-cultural systems.     

Climate change and multi-dimensional sustainable urbanization

Global large-scale urbanization and climate change have become indisputable scientific facts yet are unresolved issues, and are a common concern for mankind. The relationship between these two topics is unclear and it is not known how to deal appropriately at the scientific level with climate change in the process of urbanization. Further exploration of the science, management and practice, are needed to achieve global and regional sustainadevelopment. This paper first considers the basic facts concerning mass urbanization and climate change and summarizes the interactions and possible mechanisms of urbanization and climate change. Urbanization leads to the heat island effect, an uneven distribution of precipitation and extreme weather, together with a local-regional-global multi-scale superposition effect, which aggravates the consequences of global climate change. The impact of climate change on urbanization is mainly manifested in aspects such as changes of energy consumption, mortality, and the spread of infectious diseases, sea level rise, extreme weather damage to infrastructure, and water shortages. This paper also briefly reviews relevant international research programs and action coalitions and puts forward an analysis framework multi-dimensional sustainable urbanization which can adapt to and mitigate climate change, from the perspective of the four key dimensions—population, land use, economy, and society. It is imperative that we strengthen the interdisciplinary activities involving the natural and social sciences, take urbanization and other human activities into consideration of the land-atmosphere system, and explore the human-land-atmosphere coupling process. The adaptation and mitigation from the perspective of human activities, as represented by urbanization, might be the most critical and realistic way to deal with climate change.     

Climate advice and extension practice

This article unpacks the problematic relationship between emerging climate change adaptation norms and changes underway in agricultural extension. It is increasingly recognised that in order to apply new knowledge about climate change in rural development practice a more institutional perspective is needed, but there is no clear consensus on what this implies. This article looks at agricultural extension as an example of a meso-level institution that is frequently assumed to be a major potential “implementing partner” in climate adaptation efforts, at the same time as it is also often portrayed as a worst-case example of the obstacles encountered in changing the focus of a path dependent bureaucracy. This article contrasts the perspectives of normative climate adaptation frameworks (exemplified by the 2011 World Resources Report) with what is known about prevailing extension trends and realities. It is suggested that long lists of recommended climate adaptation tasks and technologies may distract from an understanding of the institutional change processes underway within meso-level institutions, wherein the climate agenda would need to be merged with other agendas related to pluralistic, pragmatic, accountable, sustainable and market-oriented rural development.     

The State of Geography Education Research

Abstract

College enrollment and Association of American Geographers membership data reveal a significant deficit in minority participation in geography and environmental science. The author asserts that this dearth may have its origin at the K-12 level, where science subjects are presented in a manner that alienates socioeconomically disadvantaged pupils. With recent research indicating that low-income and nonwhite communities are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation, it is pertinent that methods be developed to increase the number of minority students choosing to pursue environmental careers. Involving students directly in projects investigating the pollution in their communities aids in enhancing student interest. By participating in a lead (Pb) contamination study, students are introduced to several geographic subdisciplines including cartography, demography, and environmental geography. Students also acquire skills in spatial analysis, map interpretation, and graphic design. Complementing basic lead-soil field investigations with geographic information systems, spreadsheet, and/or computer mapping software, offers students a valuable high-tech learning experience.     

中国内陆热带地区近40年气候变化特征

用西双版纳6个气象站40余年观测资料,探讨中国内陆热带地区气候变化特征及趋势。结果表明:西双版纳地区的平均气温、平均最低气温、平均最高气温总体上呈逐年增暖的趋势,其中平均气温上升率0.016 5～0.033 4℃/a,平均最低气温上升率0.008 6～0.038 7℃/a,平均最高气温上升率-0.001 4～0.018 6℃/a;降水长期变化特征则较复杂,规律不如气温明显,但总体趋势减少,年降水量变化主要决定于雨季降水量变化;相对湿度呈现逐年降低趋势。说明该地区气候向干热型转变。     

Concept Mapping Strategies: Content,Tools and Assessment for Human Geography

Abstract

This article examines the use of concept mapping for formative and summative assessment of northeast Florida middle school students’ knowledge of human geography. The students were participants in an afterschool, academic, college reach-out program that provided opportunities to test concept mapping strategies that support spatial thinking and stimulate interest in human geography. The study documents the use of concept mapping for assessment of seventh graders’ achievement of a specific lesson and for students’ human geography achievement across all implementation grades. Concept mapping results provided insight into aspects of the curriculum and instruction where appropriate modifications could better facilitate meaningful learning.     

陇中和鲁西南乡村居民对当地气候变化感知研究

基于问卷调查、气温和降水资料等气象资料以及农业灾害资料,分析甘肃省会宁县和山东省单县乡村居民对当地气候变化感知情况,探讨影响感知的因素.研究发现,绝大部分受访者在大部分情况下正确感知到气候变化,但感知及其影响因素较复杂.气候变化及其产生的影响是制约人们感知的最重要的要素,决定了感知的总体特征;感知也受相较调查时间而言较...     

黄土的形成与气候旋回划分

根据黄土土壤特征的研究和黄土地层古土壤的识别和划分,结合磁化率测定,研究了黄土剖面冷干与温湿条件下发育的古土壤的分层和代表的气候旋回变化。资料表明,黄土具有土壤的结构和淀积成分,它是在相对冷干气候条件下发育的成熟的灰黄色古土壤,能够可靠地作为冷干气候的指示;250万年来的黄土地层至少可分为51层灰黄色古土壤与50层红褐色古土壤,代表了51个生物、气候、土壤旋回和亚旋回的变化。在50万年来的温湿气候阶段中,气候波动更频繁。     

气候变化风险及其定量评估方法

风险评估是气候变化研究领域的核心课题之一,减缓和适应战略的理论需求推动下发展出许多定量评估方法,完成了大量的评估工作。然而,已有研究在气候变化的风险构成上从不同的角度去认识,且评估方法论在整体上缺乏对致险因子与承险体的集成分类。基于此,本文明晰气候变化风险构成,包括致险因子的危险性、承险体的暴露度与脆弱度及其相互关系,明晰了风险产生与变化逻辑。融合致险因子与承险体特征,将气候变化风险定量评估方法归纳为突发事件和渐变事件两类,并分别进行了理论阐述和案例剖析。最后,根据气候变化风险的研究现状和评估需求,从温升目标、脆弱性曲线、适应措施等方面提出未来展望。     

Bridging the Divide: The Potential Role of Contemporary Geographical Research in Schools

This article examines the implementation and impacts of a program intended to improve research-led teaching in schools. Little consideration is given to the role of research-led teaching in schools; the argument is that this is a consequence of fractures between schools and universities. A program was developed to bring contemporary geographical research of university scholars into schools. Examining this program, the finding is that being exposed to research: improves access to up-to-date knowledge; heightens student enthusiasm; and informs choices students make about their learning. This article calls for bridges to be built between universities and schools upon the nexus of teaching and research.     

Comparing Human and Neural Network Learning of Climate Categories

This study compares how humans and neural networks classify climate types. Human subjects were asked to classify climates from monthly temperature and precipitation patterns. To model their learning process, the same data were used to produce input vectors that trained a pattern associator neural network. Both human subjects and the neural network classified climates accurately after 10 rounds of supervised learning. The neural network successfully modeled the rate of human learning and the ability to learn specific climate categories. Moreover, the neural network weights used to classify climates correspond to distinct visual characteristics in temperature and precipitation. These results suggest that neural networks can model the formation of visual categories.     

塔里木盆地南缘历史时期气候环境变化的过程与特征

根据塔里木盆地南缘具较高分辨率的湖沼相沉积物碳酸盐δ^13C和粒度等记录，恢复出2162-850BC期间为一相对稳定的温暖干旱时期，之后迅速转冷湿，湿润程度呈持续、阶段式增加，50 BC至500 AD期间呈现的显著冷湿特征于550 AD之后突变转暖干而结束。550 AD和1000 AD前后的具突变性质的气候事件在南疆地区近2．0ka的气候变化中具有重要意义，反映气候状况有过重大调整。850—1300AD期间(相当于中世纪温暖期)冷暖、干湿多变，但温暖特征并不明显。特别是1100—1200AD期间气候快速、频繁变化之后，奠定了本地区现代稳定干旱环境特征。区域对比表明，尼雅剖面记录的气候变化具有广泛的区域一致性。     

Climate and causation in the Swedish Iron Age: learning from the present to understand the past

The paper reassesses the role of climate as a factor shaping changes in settlement and landscape in the Swedish Iron Age (500 BC–AD 1050). Two reasons motivate this re-evaluation. First, high-resolution data based on climate proxies from the natural sciences are now increasingly available. Second, the climate-related social sciences have yielded conceptual and theoretical developments regarding vulnerability and adaptability in the present and recent past, creating new ways to analyse the effects of climatic vs. societal factors on societies in the more distant past. Recent research in this field is evaluated and the explicitly climate deterministic standpoint of many recent natural science texts is criticized. Learning from recent approaches to climate change in the social sciences is crucial for understanding society–climate relationships in the past. The paper concludes that we are not yet in a position to fully evaluate the role of the new evidence of abrupt climate change in 850 BC, at the beginning of the Iron Age. Regarding the crisis in the mid-first millennium AD, however, new climate data indicate that a dust veil in AD 536–537 might have aggravated the economic and societal crisis known from previous research.     

Adaptation of U.S. Water Management to Climate and Environmental Change

This study addresses the current status of U.S. water resource management adaptation at the river basin scale. Four large basins, the Colorado, Platte, and Delaware rivers, as well as the Everglades Basin were examined to gain a diverse national perspective. The research program utilized qualitative methods, including observation, interviews, and questionnaires, to survey diverse basin management participants. Fifty-four participants in the case basins were interviewed on their perceptions and actions concerning the effects of climate variability and change. The research objective was to compare the cases in an adaptation assessment. Water decision makers in the United States make basin resource decisions based on a local physical and sociocultural environment. Therefore, although climate change is a global hazard, the characteristic local responses are unique for each of the study basins. The most employed adaptation method currently cited is a paradigm shift from command and control of basin resources to adaptable, flexible, no-regrets strategies, effective as responses to a wide array of potential effects from global environmental change.     

基于GIS的探究式自然地理学野外实习平台系统

为更好地在自然地理学野外实践教学中贯彻以学生为本的教学理念,提出利用GIS技术开发探究式自然地理野外实习平台系统。该系统变革了传统的理论验证型和认知型实习模式,提高了学生实习的自主性和能动性。对探究式自然地理实习平台系统需求进行了分析,并根据该需求,对平台系统框架和功能进行了设计,对研制该系统的核心技术进行了深入研究,最后以庐山自然地理野外实习为例,对该系统进行了验证。验证结果表明该平台系统能够提高实习质量,增强学生学习自主性,具有重要的应用推广价值。