Investigating Bermuda's pollution history through stable isotope analyses of modern and museum-held gorgonian corals

For centuries, Bermuda has been challenged with wastewater management for the protection of human and environmental health. By quantifying the δ¹⁵N of the common sea fan Gorgonia ventalina sampled from 30 sites throughout Bermuda we show that sewage-derived nitrogen is detectable on nearshore coral reefs and declines across the lagoon to the outer rim. We also sampled gorgonians from two museum collections representing a 50y time-series (1958–2008). These samples revealed an increase in δ¹⁵N of > 4.0‰ until the mid-1970s, after which δ¹⁵N values slowly declined by ~ 2.0‰. A δ¹⁵N chronology from a gorgonian skeleton exhibited a similar decline over the last 30–40 years of approximately 0.6‰. We conclude that policies have been effective in reducing sewage impacts to Bermudian reefs. However, significant sources of sewage pollution persist and are likely have a strong impact on harbor and nearshore coral communities and human health.     

不同顶管组合方式的管幕冻结温度场模型试验

拱北隧道作为港珠澳大桥珠海连接线的关键性工程, 在国内外首次成功运用了管幕冻结技术。以此为背景, 为更加全面地掌握饱和软土地层中管幕冻结温度场的分布特点, 开展了不同顶管组合方式下的管幕冻结温度场模型试验研究。试验结果表明： 各测点温度曲线在积极冻结期前4 h急剧下降, 随后逐渐减缓, 降至砂土冰点后趋于平稳, 三种布管方式均满足冻结设计要求; 冻结管中低温盐水提供的冷量首先传递给顶管管壁, 再以“面”的形式均匀地传递给周围土体; 积极冻结21 h后, 采用四根空顶管组合的C区冻结壁竖向范围最大, 空管管壁正上方冻结壁平均厚度约为105 mm, 在满足管幕刚度设计要求的前提下, 可采此布管方式以达到快速形成冻结帷幕的目的。限位管开启后的4 h内, 实顶管中线垂直距离100 mm范围内测点温度曲线虽有明显回升但仍维持在冻土冰点以下, 超出此范围后温度变化影响逐渐减弱, 且顶管间冻结壁稳定存在, 表明限位管在满足管间有效封水的条件下, 能在一定范围内起到定向限制地层冻胀的作用。优化后的双圆形冻结管在满足冻结设计要求的同时, 更加便于安装且经济环保。     

基于半分析算法的香港邻近海域叶绿素a浓度反演

为进一步了解香港近海水体特性及监测其水质状况,根据2001年3-5月在香港临近海域调查取得的实测资料,对该海域水体光谱进行解析,开发该海域叶绿素a浓度与色素吸收系数aph(675)的经验模型,具有较高相关性;用剖面数据外推及水体光谱模拟方法完成对水下表面遥感反射率光谱的推导;进而建屯反演低浓度区叶绿素a浓度的半分析算法,反演结果与实测值比较平均相对误差为45%,均方根差0.933,相关系数0.78,误差主要来源于外推演算及散射模型.结果表明该算法在低悬浮物低叶绿素浓度区域有一定适用性.     

香港自由港模式发展演化、动力机制及启示

文章在总结并回顾香港由转口贸易型自由港、加工贸易型自由港向综合型自由港和跨区域综合型自由港的演化历程的基础上,分析探讨了区位市场、运行机制、政策框架、要素投入等内部动因与国际经济环境、政治环境等外部动因的相互作用,共同推动其发展演化的动力机制。最后提出香港自由港发展演化对中国自由贸易区建立与发展的几点启示：1）依据其发展阶段与条件选择与之相适应的发展模式;2）选择区位条件有利的地区建设自由贸易区;3）自由贸易港或贸易区持续发展的必要条件是能保持相对稳定的政治环境和相对独立的行政单元;4）自由贸易港（区）功能和作用的充分发挥离不开自由的经济制度和仿真的国际化经营环境。     

MANAGING PLANET EARTH TO MAKE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT MORE SUSTAINABLE： CLIMATE CHANGE AND HONG KONG

Selected recent findings related to climate change in Hong Kong include： (1)The Hong Kong seafloor has yielded a ca0.5-million year record of climate and sealevel changes.(2)Greenhouse gases produced naturally from subaerially exposed continental shelves and oceanic islands were a probable forcing mechanism in triggering the abrupt termination of past ice ages. (3)An analysis of annual mean temperature records has revealed that the urban heat island effect has contributed ca75％ of the warming. (4)Past volcanic eruptions are found to lower Hong Kongs temperature and to cause extremely dry and wet years. (5)No evidence can be found for an increase in frequency and intensity of typhoons based on the instrumental record since the end of the Second World War. (6)The observed rate of sealevel rise in the South China Sea is much slower than the predictions of the IPCC Fourth Assessment.
For the Earths management, population growth and the depletion of nonrenewable resources must be recognized as unsustainable. The human impact on the natural hydrological cycle is an important forcing mechanism in climate change. In order to delay the demise of the human race, management must include curbing population growth and much more waste recycling than at present.     

深圳香港海域可能最高潮位和浪高计算分析

基于历史数据的分析,选择历史上强度最强的台风"荷贝"作为设计超强台风的强度,最不利路径的台风"雪莉"作为设计路径,作为深圳香港海域设计超强台风。采用海洋-陆架区-海岸三重嵌套网格建立的天文潮-风暴潮-台风浪耦合模型计算设计超强台风遭遇天文大潮的高潮位登陆时深圳香港海域的可能最高潮位和浪高。计算结果表明,大鹏湾北部和香港吐露港内,可能最高风暴潮位在3.00 m以上,浪高达到4.0～5.0 m;香港维多利亚港风暴潮位2.92 m,深圳香港水域东部南部在2.50 m以上,浪高3.0～5.0 m。可能最高风暴潮位比大鹏湾防潮警戒水位高1.62 m左右,比香港维多利亚港200年一遇的潮位高0.50 m。     

Industrial structural changes in Hong Kong, China under one country, two systems framework

Hong Kong has undergone substantial economic transformations and developed into a sophisticated business and financial center in the Asia-Pacific region,since the return of sovereignty to China as a Special Administrative Region under the One Country Two Systems (OCTS) in 1997.This paper discusses and analyzes the industrial structural changes of Hong Kong in recent decades as well as its future challenges and opportunities.The data and finding reveal that even though Hong Kong will face fierce competition from the Mainland’s cities as the rise of China,the important role as a bridge between China and the rest of the world will brace Hong Kong itself under the OCTS for developing into a service hub for business and trade in the Asia-Pacific region.     

Spatial and temporal deformation characteristics of marine alluvial deposits due to land reclamation: implications from InSAR observation and geotechnical estimate

Ground deformation of reclaimed land is a key issue for reclamation design, construction and sustainable development in coastal areas as this consolidation process of the underlying compressible marine sediment sequences over very long‐time periods could lead to damage of both ground constructions and underground facilities. In this case study, we have investigated the spatial and temporal characteristics of residual reclamation settlement of Chek Lap Kok Airport, Hong Kong, one of the largest land reclamation projects worldwide. A total of 25 time series ENVISAT ASAR datasets, acquired between December 2003 and October 2008, were used to retrieve settlement rates and deformation history at high resolution and accuracy by means of advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR). The InSAR‐derived results show a fairly homogenous and stable pattern in the sectors of the airport site corresponding to the two original islands of Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau. In contrast, a relatively high spatial settlement variability, ranging from moderate (3–7?mm/yr) to strong (>10?mm/yr) settlement rates, was discovered within the majority of the reclaimed portion of the airport. A joint analysis of InSAR observations and geological materials indicates that the variability of the recorded residual settlement was highly correlated with the variations of thickness and pre‐consolidation state of alluvial deposits below the reclamation. A quantitative comparison analysis also has been carried out between time series InSAR observations and theoretical estimates of residual settlement modelled by geotechnical investigations. The results imply that a primary consolidation process in alluvial deposits below the reclamation might be delayed with respect to the predicted results and may still have been occurring in most reclaimed areas during the investigation period (2003–2008); the time to complete it could stretch to decades depending on hydraulic conductivity and natural drainage conditions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial Patterns of Seasonal Level Diurnal Variations of Ozone and Respirable Suspended Particulates in Hong Kong

In this study we analyzed the diurnal spatial patterns of cycles of ozone (O₃) and respirable suspended particulate (RSP) matter in Hong Kong between 2001 and 2011. We used harmonic analysis to reveal the diurnal cycle in the seasonal-level spatial patterns. The diurnal cycle of O₃ is stronger in the northeast rural areas of Hong Kong than in the urban center due to the lower titration effects of nitric oxide in the rural areas. For RSP, the southern sections show the strongest diurnal cycle and the northeastern sections show the weakest diurnal cycle, which could be explained by the heavy vehicular traffic in the southern urban areas and light vehicular traffic in the northeast rural areas. The diurnal patterns of O₃ and RSP both show stronger cycles in the summer months, which might be related to the diurnal rainfall pattern. The time of maximum for O₃ is around 1400 Local Standard Time (LST) in the afternoon in summer, whereas a wider range in the time of maximum, between 1100 and 1400 LST, was observed in winter. The spatial pattern of the time of maximum for RSP showed a gradual progression from the center of the city to the west, between 1300 and 1700 LST, which is consistent with rush hour traffic.     

Regional Temperature Forecast for the Next Day in Hong Kong

For a century or so, the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has been providing temperature forecast for the whole of Hong Kong with the HKO Headquarters as the reference location. In recent decades, due to spreading of population from the main urban center to satellite towns, there is an increasing demand for regional temperature forecasts. To support such provision, the HKO has developed a regression model to provide objective guidance to forecasters in formulating forecasts of maximum and minimum temperatures for the next day at various locations in Hong Kong. In this paper, the regression model is presented, together with the assessment of its performance. Based on the verification of one year of forecasts, it is found that the root mean square errors (RMSEs) of maximum (minimum) temperature forecasts are from about 1.3 to 2.1 (1.1 to 1.4) degrees, respectively. The regression model is shown to have generally out-performed the operational regional spectral model then operated by HKO. Regional temperature forecast methods of other meteorological or research centers are also surveyed. Equipped with the regression model, the HKO has launched an online regional temperature forecast service for the next day in Hong Kong since March 2008.