Peaks of People: Using Topographic Prominence as a Method for Determining the Ranked Significance of Population Centers

This article borrows a statistical method from physical geography—topographical prominence—to suggest a new technique for measuring the relative significance or rank of population centers. Unlike raw population measures, prominence gives consideration to both the spatial intensity of concentrated population areas as well as the spatial dependence or independence of neighboring settlement clusters in relation to one another. We explain how to apply the topographic prominence calculation method to gridded population data and examine its practical utility through case studies of several U.S. states. We then discuss some ways in which parametric choices about point-to-surface transformations can result in considerably different outcomes and offer further suggestions for conceptualizing and measuring population center significance.     

沉积物中硬质粘土层的研究进展

大量的钻孔资料表明,平原地区及其海域沉积物中普遍有硬质粘土层的存在。硬质粘土层在工程地质、地理学研究等方面具有重要的价值,它不仅是高层建筑的持力层,而且是研究全球环境变化事件、古气候演变的良好载体。该文阐述了硬质粘土层的一般特征、成因以及在粒度、地球化学元素、年代学、沉积环境等方面的研究进展,并展望了硬质粘土层在年代、物质来源和沉积环境等方面的研究方向,认为黄河三角洲硬质粘土层研究较少,需要开展大范围的、系统深入的、多学科的宏观和微观综合分析,挖掘硬质粘土层蕴含的古环境意义和应用价值。     

西部省会城市新型城镇化水平综合测度研究

新型城镇化是中国经济社会健康、稳定、可持续发展的根本途径，也是消除中国城乡社会经 济“二元结构”的根本出路。根据新型城镇化的内涵，从人口、经济发展、生活质量、基础设施、资源 环境、城乡统筹 6 个方面，构建了包含 24 项指标的新型城镇化水平综合测度指标体系，运用熵值 法，对西部 11 个省会城市 2005—2015 年的城镇化发展水平进行综合测度。研究表明：西部省会城 市的新型城镇化发展水平存在显著差异，总体上可分为“高等水平”、“中等水平”、“低等水平”3 个 级别，基础设施建设是造成差异的主要驱动力。各城市不同年间的城镇化单项水平影响因素呈现 多元化，在今后的发展中应有所侧重，同时兼顾城镇化质量，推动城乡协调发展。     

城镇化与生态环境耦合的动态模拟——研究进展与展望

Urbanization and eco-environment coupling is a research hotspot.Dynamic simulation of urbanization and eco-environment coupling needs to be improved because the processes of coupling are complex and statistical methods are limited.Systems science and cross-scale coupling allow us to define the coupled urbanization and eco-environment system as an open complex giant system with multiple feedback loops.We review the current state of dynamic simulation of urbanization and eco-environment coupling and find that:(1)The use of dynamic simulation is an increasing trend,the relevant theory is being developed,and modeling processes are being improved;(2)Dynamic simulation technology has become diversified,refined,intelligent and integrated;(3)Simulation is mainly performed for three aspects of the coupling,multiple regions and multiple elements,local coupling and telecoupling,and regional synergy.However,we also found some shortcomings:(1)Basic theories are inadequately developed and insufficiently integrated;(2)The methods of unifying systems and sharing data are behind the times;(3)Coupling relations and the dynamic characteristics of the main driving elements are not fully understood or completely identified.Additionally,simulation of telecoupling does not quantify parameters and is not systemically unified,and therefore cannot be used to represent spatial synergy.In the future,we must promote communication between research networks,technology integration and data sharing to identify the processes governing change in coupled relations and in the main driving elements in urban agglomerations.Finally,we must build decision support systems to plan and ensure regional sustainable urbanization.