GEOGRAPHY AND THE LESSONS FROM EL NIÑO*

Recognized for years as a major environmental disruption, El Niño generated intense public interest in 1982–1983. During its last occurrence, this phenomenon, which develops in the tropical Pacific and usually affects rimlands of the Pacific basin, exceeded its boundaries and its effects were transmitted to continental North America, Europe, Africa and East Asia. Notwithstanding its vast areal extent, the interest of geographers in El Niño events, past and recent, has been comparatively less than that demonstrated by natural scientists and ecologists: little has been accomplished to place these climatic-ecological crises within global perspective. Lessons from El Niño include the acknowledgement of new concepts of climatic transitivity, ocean dynamics and energy exchanges that must find a place within the conceptual wealth of geography if this science intends to keep up with the rapid progress of other geosciences.     

NATIONALISM,COSMOPOLITANISM, AND GEOGRAPHICAL IMAGINATIONS

In this article I set nationalism and cosmopolitanism into sharp contrast with one another as inherently incompatible geographical imaginations. I begin by briefly denaturalizing nationalism and the nation‐state. I then turn to the philosophy and political agenda of cosmopolitanism, an ideology simultaneously very old and new, which offers a more inclusive and empathetic alternative to nationalist xenophobia. In the third section I argue that contemporary globalization has laid the ontological foundations of a cosmopolitan world order. Next, I explicate nationalism's and cosmopolitanism's competing visions of the definition and meaning of “community.” I summarize major objections to cosmopolitanism and offer a defense of it. In the following section I focus on the implications of cosmopolitanism for contemporary geography, including relational spatialities of empathy and caring. Finally, I suggest that contemporary globalization is gradually putting into place the legal and institutional apparatus for cosmopolitan global governance and democracy.     

IMPLICATIONS FROM CHEMICAL,STRUCTURAL AND MINERALOGICAL STUDIES OF MAGNETIC MICROSPHERULES FROM AROUND THE LOWER YOUNGER DRYAS BOUNDARY (NEW MEXICO,USA)

Hollow magnetic microspherules from along the lower Younger Dryas boundary (c. 12.9 ka bp ) in New Mexico (USA) were studied using scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, X‐ray diffraction, and laser‐ablation inductively coupled‐plasma mass spectrometry methods. The shell of the microspherules (10–15% of the spherule's diameter) displays dendritic surface textures, which are likely due to quenching during rapid cooling of molten material. Structurally, multiple single‐magnetite crystals attached together form the bulk of the microspherules. Iron dominates the microspherules’ composition (～90% FeO_tot), Mn is the second most abundant element (up to 0.4% MnO), Al is detected in low concentrations (<0.30% of Al₂O₃). Among the trace elements, the rare earth elements display slightly fractionated patterns with concentrations of 0.1–1.0× CI chondrite. The microspherules contain elevated concentrations of Ni relative to detrital magnetite (up to 435 ppm) and very low concentrations of Ti (down to 5 ppm). Chemical, structural and mineralogical features of the microspherules do not contradict the existing models of the formation during ablation while a meteoroid goes through the Earth's atmosphere. Elevated concentrations of the magnetic microspherules in sediments can be a stratigraphic marker for the lower Younger Dryas boundary in North America.     

BEACH RIDGES AND PALEOGEOGRAPHY,CENTRAL BAJA CALIFORNIA,MEXICO

Two spatially separated sets of beach ridges were studied in Baja California. Each set contains several well-preserved beach ridges and each is adjacent to an arroyo mouth. Modern beach ridges mark coastal location whereas abandoned paleobeach ridges record coastal change. Paleobeach ridges were dated by absolute and relative techniques for rate-change, chronology, and longshore correlation purposes. With time, shape becomes more planar, foreslope angle is reduced, and there is a progressive tendency for constituent shingle to disintegrate and develop both rinds and surficial roughness. One paleobeach ridge on the lowest emergent terrace was assigned a 1,150 ± 230 yr. B.P. radiocarbon date whereas another beach ridge 18 km farther north has a partially overlapping date. Older but undated beach ridges also exist on the lowest emergent terrace as well as on the highest persistent terrace. Those beach ridges on the highest persistent terrace are highly weathered and Pleistocene in age. All beach ridges have paleogeographic implications and suggest that shoreline orientation has been generally stable although its position has shifted laterally by up to 720m westward in the last 1,150 ± 230 years.     

上海中华地学会和《地学季刊》

二十世纪初,是我国地理学发展的更替时期,一方面记述性的旧地理学逐渐被淘汰,另一方面探寻地理事象因果规律的新地理学正在成长。为了积极推动新地理学的发展,三十年代初在上海从事地理教学、研究及编辑出版的人士便发起成立《中华地学会》,成为继中国地学会(1909年成立)之后我国第二个地理学术组织。     

地理环境与社会发展

本文运用现代科学方法论的理论观点，在史地结合的层面上，对地理环境与社会发展的辩证关系进行了深入分析。认为地理环境不仅是社会发展的外部条件（背景与舞台、物质能量前提），而且是社会发展的内在因素（生产力的重要成分），它对社会发展的作用具有动态性和复杂性。在对传统观念反思的基础上提出了一些新的见解。     

GEOGRAPHERS AND POLICY-MAKING: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE FAILURE OF THE NEW JERSEY DUNE MANAGEMENT PLAN*

The case of a New Jersey dune management plan demonstrates that geographers can initiate environmental policy by formulating and proposing meritorious plans. An evaluation of the plan's rejection shows the complexity of policy-making and indicates that failure to adopt useful plans may be due to distortion of information or misunderstanding of the original plan. In order to avoid failure, geographers should participate in the entire policy-making sequence and should encourage the participation of the public who will be affected by the plan.     

面向建设实践,促进地理学的发展

以经济建设为中心是我国长期的、基本的国策，可持续发展纲领从总体战略上、社会发展上、经济发展上、生态发展上为经济建设提供了框架。在此框架下，地理学可以在人地关系、区域可持续发展、全球环境变化及地理信息技术等领域发挥学科优势，同时也面临着巩固理论基础、扩展应用领域方面的机遇与挑战。     

实验地理学与地理工程学

综述了竺可极、黄秉维、钱学森等关于自然地理学的思想,认为这些思想是建立实验地理学与地理工程学的基础。作者根据自身的工作经验,论述了实验地理学的对象、任务、工作程序、基本方法以及在地理学中的地位,提出了建立地理工程学的重要性、任务、工作程序、特点以及一个实例──山东禹城旱涝碱综合治理和中低产田的改造利用。     

人类活动与地理环境

本文从如下几个方面论述了人类活动与(自然)地理环境之间的关系问题:1、人类活动与地理环境关系主要学说的考察;2、人类活动与地理环境相互作用的历史分析;3、地理环境对人类活动的影响;4,人类活动对地理环境的反作用;5、人类与地理环境的共生。     

知识经济与地理综合研究

在未来的知识经济时代,以知识为基础的经济将逐渐占据国际经济的主导地位。知识经济时代,经济发展的可持续性、知识的创新以及世界经济一体化等特点与地理综合研究的特点和长处有许多共同之处。但地理综合研究为适应新时代的需求,亦需在研究内容上进一步深化和革新。包括充分考虑单一地理空间向地理空间和虚拟空间的转化,凸现人力资源的权重而对传统综合研究中要素均衡观的冲击,充分考虑科学技术发展而导致的资源和生产要素的相互替代,以及摒弃传统二元系统结构等。     

RURAL ADDRESSING AND COMPUTER MAPPING IN NEW MEXICO

Specifying the location of a rural residence is a common geographic problem. Most addressing systems are designed for urban areas and are not applicable to rural areas. The mile marker addressing system meets all of the requirements for a rural addressing system. With the addition of computer mapping techniques, rural addressing can be done efficiently and can provide the basis for a county's computer mapping system. Projects in New Mexico provide several examples of computerized rural addressing projects.     

NEGOTIATING DUALISMS: WOMEN, LOCALITY AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN OAXACA CITY, MEXICO

This paper examines the validity of the public/private and reproductive/productive dichotomies commonly adopted in the analysis of gender and employment. It considers three aspects of the dualisms: spatial division, activity patterns and the construction of identities. The discussion is based on fieldwork undertaken in three districts of Oaxaca City, Mexico, between 1992 and 1995. While recognising the usefulness of spatial dualisms within Mexican cities, the paper seeks to identify the ways in which class and location within the urban space affect the construction of the boundary between “public” and “private”, women's “employment” experiences, and women's identities.