山东中低山丘陵古冰川遗迹质疑

近年来,有关山东中低山丘陵“古冰川遗迹”时有报道,使中国东部第四纪冰川问题在某种意义上再起纷争。为作澄清,通过实地考察对业已报道的“古冰川遗迹”进行质疑,指出其列举的“冰碛垄”“古冰斗”“擦痕”“颤痕”等不符合冰川地貌证据的专有属性和判别标准,冰期划分和雪线重建不符合科学发现与科学事实确证所需的充分条件,即不满足“将古论今”、地貌组合三要素系统配套、成因-环境一致性的判别原则和方法。因此认为,山东中低山丘陵不存在第四纪冰川遗迹。部分学者提出“低海拔型古冰川”的论断,是基于例外主义的泛冰川论,必然会引致“雪球地球”事件进而颠覆第四纪为灵生纪的科学基础。     

中国典型山地冰川平衡线的影响因素分析

中国典型山地无现代冰川作用区冰川平衡线高度的确定对于过去环境变化研究具有重要的科学意义。选取青藏高原边缘17个山体的28个气象站气温与降水数据,采用确定的最大降水带与经验曲线关系法 (简称MPC,下同)、确定的最大降水带与统计公式法 (MPF) 和实际气象站降水与经验公式法 (WPF),恢复了17个山地的现代理论冰川平衡线高度,并对比了三种方法的适用性;综合分析了三种方法的原理、参数选取、计算过程以及误差来源;详细讨论了冰川平衡线处气温与降水关系式、气象站的海拔高度、气温垂直递减率、降水梯度对计算现代冰川平衡线的影响。提出了无现代冰川区的现代理论冰川平衡线计算的综合因子法 (ZYZ)。     

过去44年乌鲁木齐河源一号冰川物质平衡结果及其过程研究

通过1997—2003年度天山乌鲁木齐河源一号冰川物质平衡的观测结果,分析比较了过去44年间一号冰川物质平衡、累积物质平衡的变化过程,以及反映气候一地形要素和冰川发育条件要素的平衡线高度和冰川积累区比率,认为一号冰川负平衡波动期随时间推移而递增,目前处于其观测历史上物质平衡亏损最为强烈的时期。     

Regional analysis of indirect factors affecting the recovery,degradation and deforestation in the tropical dry forests of Oaxaca,Mexico

This study evaluates the dynamics and identifies the indirect biophysical and socio‐economic factors related to the recovery, degradation and deforestation of the tropical dry forest (TDF) cover in the municipality of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. Annual rates and transition matrices were determined to identify indirect factors; the cartographic information of 25 variables with shift points were overlaid and Generalized Linear Models (GLM) were applied. The change process with the greatest impact in TDF during the study period (1993–2011) was degradation, with 10468 ha degraded (12 per cent of the initial tropical cover); recovery of coverage was the second most important change process, with 4808 ha (5.5 per cent); and deforestation was the change process with the lowest impact, with a loss of 2800 ha (3.23 per cent). The net balance was negative, with a decrease (through land degradation and deforestation) of 8460 ha (9.75 per cent). The recovery of coverage was mainly associated with biophysical factors such as land suitability and accessibility to natural vegetation. On the other hand, deforestation and degradation of coverage were associated with both biophysical and socioeconomic factors such as land suitability, accessibility to natural vegetation, migration, marginalization, population pressure, economy, education and health. The findings of this study determined the spatial distribution of forest recovery, deforestation and degradation processes at a regional level, allowing for future researchers to focus their efforts at local and landscape levels. Also, the work allows for an approximation of the factors associated with the change processes studied, hence supporting the allocation of resources for the establishment of management, conservation, development and restoration strategies of tropical dry forests at the regional level.     

Current Behaviour and Dynamics of the Lowermost Italian Glacier (Montasio Occidentale,Julian Alps)

Smaller glaciers (<0.5 km²) react quickly to environmental changes and typically show a large scatter in their individual response. Accounting for these ice bodies is essential for assessing regional glacier change, given their high number and contribution to the total loss of glacier area in mountain regions. However, studying small glaciers using traditional techniques may be difficult or not feasible, and assessing their current activity and dynamics may be problematic. In this paper, we present an integrated approach for characterizing the current behaviour of a small, avalanche‐fed glacier at low altitude in the Italian Alps, combining geomorphological, geophysical and high‐resolution geodetic surveying with a terrestrial laser scanner. The glacier is still active and shows a detectable mass transfer from the accumulation area to the lower ablation area, which is covered by a thick debris mantle. The glacier owes its existence to the local topo‐climatic conditions, ensured by high rock walls which enhance accumulation by delivering avalanche snow and reduce ablation by providing topographic shading and regulating the debris budget of the glacier catchment. In the last several years the glacier has displayed peculiar behaviour compared with most glaciers of the European Alps, being close to equilibrium conditions in spite of warm ablation seasons. Proportionally small relative changes have also occurred since the Little Ice Age maximum. Compared with the majority of other Alpine glaciers, we infer for this glacier a lower sensitivity to air temperature and a higher sensitivity to precipitation, associated with important feedback from increasing debris cover during unfavourable periods.     

Reconstruction of anastomosing river course by means of geophysical and remote sensing surveys (the Middle Obra Valley,western Poland)

Intensive hydro technical works were conducted in the middle course of the Obra River (Poland) at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The ‘natural’ river course (functioning before the major construction works) was transformed into three artificial canals. Ground‐penetrating radar investigations, ground‐truthed with coring and remote sensing surveys, were conducted to reconstruct the course taken by the river prior to the hydro technical works. This work demonstrated that the Obra formerly had an anastomosing planform. Radiocarbon dating indicated that the earliest of the retraced channels were active before 9000 bp . The retraced river system was formed in a proglacial stream valley perpendicularly cut by remains of subglacial tunnels, now partly filled with lakes. The planform consisted of one or two major channels and a number of secondary channels formed by avulsions. During the last 2000 years, some of the avulsions may have been caused by anthropogenic interventions. The sequences of channel fill deposits indicate that particular channels changed from major to secondary ones. Sand deposits filling the bottom and middle parts of the channels point to an important role of upstream sediment supply causing in‐channel aggradation triggering the avulsions. Moreover, spatial variability in river patterns was found within the anastomosing system. Valley sections with meandering anabranches, anastomosing patterns with traces of a lateral migration and traces of a transition from meandering to anastomosing planform were distinguished.