Brackish groundwater as an alternative source of cooling water for nuclear power plants in Israel

Because of a high population density in the coastal plain, any future nuclear power plants will be located in the sparsely settled Negev desert Since this part of Israel has no surface water, the only alternatives to cooling water are piped-in Mediterranean. Water and local, brackish groundwater One particular aquifier was examined for its potential to provide the required amount of cooling water over the lifetime of the plant, without causing a drastic lowering of the regional water table It was concluded that given the assumed range of aquifer properties, extraction of brackish water for cooling purposes will not result in large changes in the regional water table, furthermore, it could possibly halt the gradual deterioration of the quality of the water supply of the city of Beer Sheva     

Urban settlement program and land dispute resolution: The State of Israel versus the Negev Bedouin

Geo-political changes and the drive to higher standards of living induce growing numbers of nomad populations to give-up their special way of life. The Bedouin of the Israeli Negev are no exception. Gradually, they settled down in scattered, unauthorized clusters of tents and shacks in the open lands of the northern Negev. Governments of Israel were unsatisfied with the emerging unplanned spontaneous settlements. Consequently, governmental planning agencies came up with a program to house the Bedouin population in seven new towns. The government's initiative in establishing the towns had two main objectives. First, urban settlements were viewed as conduits for the provision of modern utilities and social services that were very hard to supply and distribute among the many small and scattered spontaneous settlements. Second, Bedouin put forward claims over much of the lands they arguably were using in their former way of life as nomads. Although the claims were not – and could not be – supported by legal documents, the government offered the Bedouin subsidized developed urban land in exchange of their claims over the undeveloped dry desert lands. Currently, more than 60 per cent of the Negev Bedouin population reside in the seven planned urban settlements. Nevertheless, only a small proportion of the land claims has been settled. This paper argues that the attempt to achieve both goals via the urban settlement program was too ambitious. While the goal of providing better services in urban areas has been partially accomplished, the goal of removing the claims over the lands is far from being resolved. The paper argues that the link between the two goals should be reconsidered. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

基于空间与产业分解视角的川藏铁路沿线经济差异分析

以规划建设中的川藏铁路沿线地区为研究区域,使用2000―2015年人口、地区生产总值与构成等数据,采用Nich指数、Theil指数与Gini系数分别测度经济相对发展速度和空间、产业视角下的经济差异。结果表明：近15年川藏铁路沿线地区经济发展强劲,增速高于全国平均水平,但具有明显的阶段性变化特征,藏东地区外援型经济的特点使其2012年后的增速回落与川西地区相比更为和缓。空间视角下,2000―2015年沿线地区经济差异经历“增大―缩小―再增大―再缩小”过程,经济发展总体趋于协调。藏东、川西两地区内部差异是区域经济差异存在的根源,其对总差异的贡献率高于94%,且藏东地区内部经济差异大于川西地区。产业分解视角下,川藏铁路沿线地区经济差异呈“增大―减小―再增大”态势。三大产业的差异依次为第三产业>第二产业>第一产业,相应的对总差异的贡献率亦依次为第三产业>第二产业>第一产业,但第二、第三产业贡献率差距呈缩小趋势。产业集中效应主导区域经济差异的变化,第二和第三产业（尤其是第三产业）在区域上的集聚是区域经济差异扩大的决定性因素。     

Patterns of population change in Ghana (1984–2000): urbanization and frontier development

The study addresses population dynamics in Ghana on the urban and regional levels between 1984 and 2000. At the urban level, the development trends are analyzed for urban localities (population above 5,000) on the basis of geo-coded census data. Potential driving forces for rapid population growth related to size, location, accessibility and facility counts are examined using bivariate and multivariate analysis. An index of weighted accessibility relative to other urban localities provides significant explanation at the national level, as does initial locality size. At the regional level, population development is analyzed to provide insight into the rural–urban relations. The level of urbanization is steadily increasing but varies considerably between regions. Areas of high population growth are found in some rural areas that have a remote location relative to the large urban centers. This seems to indicate the existence of ‘frontier’ regions, i.e. areas that experience a high degree of in-migration by people aiming to undertake specific farming activities. A high proportion of the population growth in these areas appears to take place in relatively small towns. The paper concludes with a more in-depth discussion of the development characteristics of Ghana’s Western Region. This region has experienced one of the highest regional population growth rates, mainly due to its status as a ‘frontier’ for cocoa production.

Regional and structural components of South Australian population change

The spatial dynamics and structural changes in population growth in South Australia between 1961 and 1971 are investigated using a model developed by PARIS (1970). The derived components are cross-matched with rates of natural increase, migration and levels of regional development. The observed relationships are interpreted as effects of differential regional development acting as a field of forces to distort even population distribution. The approach is deemed suitable for estimating regional population in regard to economic potential.     

Planning development towns in Kuwait

Kuwait has been characterised by the emergence of a dominating metropolitan center in the last two decades. The new phenomenon led to severe regional imbalance because investments and development programs concentrated around the metropolitan center of Kuwait. To alleviate problems associated with such a phenomenon, to improve urban life, and to achieve regional balance, the country must plan for establishing new towns.This paper is divided into three sections. The first section identifies and discusses the major factors which contributed to the phenomenon of metropolitan dominance. The identified factors are: oil wealth, immigration and population growth, sectoral expansion, i.e. governmental services, the housing sector, commercial activities, industrial growth, and the road network. Discussions in the second section emphasized the different patterns of urban growth and expansion in Kuwait. Four patterns of urban development are identified in this section. The third sections deals with the necessity of town development in Kuwait in light of the growing phenomenon of metropolitan dominance. To evaluate the potentials of town development in the country, four major factors are stressed in this study. They are: planning, size and location, cultural aspirations, and leadership.This is a revised version of an original paper presented at the 77th Meeting of the Association of American Geographers held in Los Angeles, April 1981     

Counterurbanisation and the characteristics of persons migrating to West Cornwall

Studies at the macro-scale have indicated that many remote rural areas are for the first time in over a century experiencing population growth while metropolitan areas are losing population. In this paper theories of counterurbanisation directed towards explaining the redistribution of population at a national or regional scale are criticised and a more localised research framework is proposed. Such a framework is constructed for the examination of migration into West Cornwall. Results from a postal questionnaire survey of seven study areas in West Cornwall are used to illustrate differences between three population subgroups, namely, return migrants, non-return migrants and non-migrants. Clear differences emerge not only between the population subgroups but between the study areas as well. In conclusion, it is suggested that this middle-range approach should be adopted more widely in order to gain greater insight into the counterurbanisation process and to increase the prospect of relating macro-processes to local trends and human experience.     

未来江苏中部沿海相对海面变化预测

相对海面变化是由全球绝对海面变化和区域性地面和海面因素共同控制。通过对江苏沿海近几十年来的潮位记录的分析,得出江苏沿海近期的相对海面变化速率。在此基础上根据近期绝对海面的变化速率计算出局地因素对江苏沿海相对海面变化的贡献量。在假设未来局地因素影响基本不变的前提下与IPCC对未来100年绝对海面的变化趋势 进行叠加,预测了江苏沿海未来相对海面变化的趋势。结果显示,江苏中部沿海海面在2000-2100年的100年间将上升15～152 cm,较IPCC对同期全球平均海平面上升的预测结果大的多。最后就区域性海面气压对相对海面变化的影响进行了讨论。     

陆源碎屑岩中的古土壤在地层分析中的应用

对各种古土壤的分类标准进行比较之后,重点介绍了Mack的古土壤分类及其土壤的演变序列。Mack的古土壤分类主要依据稳定矿物和保存在土壤中的古地貌属性,将古土壤划分为9种。在地层序列中古土壤的识别标志主要包括颜色、粒度、生物成因构造（植物生长痕迹）、原生沉积构造退化特征、层次化和边界特征、宏观结构特征、矿物及地球化学特征等。可以通过野外观察、室内显微镜观察、实验室化验及地震、测井资料来进行鉴别。陆相盆地具有很强的分隔性,盆地相变又非常复杂,寻找区域性较稳定的层序界面比较困难。越来越多的研究证实用古土壤划分陆相成因地层层序、解决地区及全球对比具有重要的实用价值。     

Public policy and residential provision for the elderly

In recent years there has been a growing concern about the best type of residential care for the increasing elderly population in Britain. This paper examines the response of the public, private and voluntary sectors to the provision of residential care. It looks at the relative levels, spatial variations in the levels and changes in the proportions of provision by each of these sectors for the years 1981 and 1984. The levels of provision are related to indices of need, available resources and the political disposition of each local authority area. This paper then focuses on the variations in the growth of the private-sector provision of residential homes. It was found that the metropolitan districts had the greatest proportion of voluntary-sector provision; and the traditional seaside retirement counties such as Devon and Lancashire had the highest levels of and experienced the greatest growth in private residential care. The key variables in explaining variations in the mix of provision between areas were indices of need and resources. This study has established that there are great regional variations in the mix of the different sectors of residential care, although it is not possible to offer a total explanation of these differentials. In Britain, there are substantial inequalities in terms of the choice of types of provision for the elderly population which have significant implications for local authority policy.     

Population density pattern and change in the City of Riyadh,Saudi Arabia

This paper examines and assesses changes in the population density pattern in the city of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia where the city has undergone dramatic changes in its physical as well as its social structure. Analysis of data revealed a decline in population density at an exponential rate from the city center with variation between city sectors and zones. The city's rapid horizontal expansion and dispersal of population is the result of factors such as increases in city population and in size and number of single family dwellings, widing of streets, rise in income and residential mobility rates, mass use of automobile, change in family size, zoning regulations, leapfrogging, and huge governmental city development projects. The resulting low population density pattern made it difficult for city officials to provide necessary services and facilities for the dispersed residential development. This paper recommends that city officials make real efforts and workable programs to stop or slow this uneconomical growth by improving quality of life in the central areas to make them residentially desirable by some city residents and reduce the high residential turnover the central area has experienced in last years, and to centralize peripheral growth by planning for self-sufficient satellite communities in outer areas.     

The 1979 Census and some demographic trends in the Soviet Union

Recent demographic trends in the USSR are analyzed using preliminary 1979 census results that were published by the Soviet press in a central report issued on April 22, 1979, and in regional reports issued between April 25 and May 25, 1979. Topics discussed include regional patterns of change in the total population; urban and rural population; trends in the growth of major cities; changes in the sex ratio, particularly in urban areas; and trends in inter-regional and inter-republic migration.     

Last millennium development and dynamics of vegetated linear dunes inferred from ground‐penetrating radar and optically stimulated luminescence ages

Using ground‐penetrating radar, optically stimulated luminescence dating, particle‐size distribution and morphological analysis, the study of the construction phases of a vegetated linear dune in the arid north‐western Negev dunefield of Israel during the last millennium improves current knowledge about vegetated linear dunes that developed in the late Pleistocene. Vertical accretion in rapid pulses forming horizontally bedded units along the axis of vegetated linear dunes, regardless of their age, was found to be characteristic of vegetated linear dunes. The combination of the unique topographic feature of a longitudinal 5 m step‐like fall in dune crest elevation with the substantial narrowing of dune width constitutes a distinct morphological marker for interpreting local dune growth and stabilization of the last, albeit localized, dune mobilization episode at ca 0·5 ka. Evidence for lateral dune migration was not observed. Where local sediment supply exists, short episodes of powerful winds within the Holocene (with recurrence intervals separated by hundreds of years) can lead to the construction of vegetated linear dunes. The spatially constrained extent of such young dunes in the north‐western Negev may be due to limited sand availability because most of the Negev dunes were stable during the Holocene. These findings imply that vegetated linear dune construction can occur in glacial and interglacial (including Holocene) environments in semi‐arid to arid climates if certain conditions are met. In times of increased wind power during the Anthropocene, a period characterized by simultaneous rises in the human impact on the landscape and in climate variability (i.e. drought), local growth of vegetated linear dunes can be expected. This study demonstrates that ground‐penetrating radar is a reliable tool for interpreting the shallow internal structure of young vegetated linear dunes.     

Potential influence of land development patterns on regional climate: a summer case study in the Central Florida

Two land development scenarios based on the Central Florida Regional Growth Vision projection for 2050 were used to explore the developments?? potential influence on regional climate. One scenario is a widespread suburban land development plan, and the other is a higher density urban development plan, both for the same location in central Florida. A series of simulation experiments were conducted using a regional climate model upgraded for this study to include an urban scheme. Noticeable differences in simulated regional climate patterns were found between the land development scenarios, which could potentially influence population requirements for energy and water. In our simulations, the aggregated effect of land cover changes over large suburban areas produced a more intense heat island effect than that produced by high-density urban areas.     

A numerical scheme for groundwater development in a watershed basin of basement terrain: a case study from India

The development of watershed basins to increase groundwater recharge potential is becoming a major issue in India due to an acute shortage of groundwater resources, resulting from the marked expansion of land-use activities and the explosive growth in population. It is necessary to study the regional characteristics in order to identify potential artificial groundwater recharge zones. A combination of morphometric analysis coupled with hydrogeological information is used to prepare a generalized scenario for watershed development plans. A numerical scheme is, thus, proposed for the relative evaluation of surface rock-permeability in relation to morphometry (stream order, stream length, drainage density, channel maintenance, overland flow, basin shape, etc.). An attempt is made, from the morphometrical studies of the Varaha watershed of the Precambrian Eastern Ghats basement terrain in Eastern India, to illustrate how the numerical scheme is helpful as a tool in watershed development planning programs. This method involves the designation of various recharge-related measures, based upon the relative ranking of surface-material permeability after comparison with the hydrogeological conditions of sub-basins of the river basin. The scheme can also help to pin-point areas of study on a local scale, and thus facilitate developmental programs to augment groundwater recharge.     

三相耦合渗流侵蚀管涌机制研究及有限元模拟

管涌的发生、发展过程是土骨架相在渗流作用下侵蚀为可动细颗粒相,并随水相在孔隙通道中运移流失的过程。在该过程中,渗流与侵蚀相互耦合,相互促进,水相、土相、可动细颗粒相互作用,因此,管涌过程是一个多场、多相耦合的高度非线性的动态过程。现有的管涌试验结果表明,只有当水力梯度大于起始水力梯度时,细颗粒相才会随水相从土体中运移流失,土体才会发生管涌侵蚀,且管涌稳定后土体的孔隙率（稳定孔隙率）和水力梯度之间存在对应关系,根据该结果,提出管涌稳定孔隙率的概念,修正传统的渗流侵蚀本构方程,建立多孔介质中三相耦合的修正的渗流侵蚀管涌控制方程。最后,针对特定应力状态下的土体建立稳定孔隙率和水力梯度之间的对应关系。基于Galerkin有限元法编制有限元程序,在轴对称情况下对该土体的管涌过程进行数值模拟。结果表明,修正后的管涌控制方程能更全面地描述管涌发生、发展直至稳定状态的特性。     

Research Progress on the Impact of Urbanization on Climate Change

The world has been undergoing a remarkable process of urbanization, especially in developing countries in recent years. The urbanization process has brought about great urban development and large population agglomeration, changes in production and lifestyle, and man-made disturbances such as greenhouse gas and pollution emissions. As the global urbanization process continues to advance, its impact on climate change continues to strengthen significantly. This paper mainly reviewed and summarized relevant researches from two aspects: the influence of urbanization on climate change and the mechanism of influence of urbanization on climate change. Urbanization causes regional warming and urban heat island effect, extreme events such as high temperature, heat wave and heavy rainfall increase in frequency, and also leads to increased urban flood risk. The increase of pollutant emission in the process of urbanization is the main cause of air quality deterioration. Urbanization also has an indirect impact on air quality by changing urban climate. Urbanization has an important impact on climatic factors such as relative humidity, wind speed, sunshine and cloud cover. The impacts of urbanization on climate change are mainly realized through underlying surface changes, greenhouse gas and pollution emissions, anthropogenic heat emissions and urban high heat capacity. Urbanization not only directly affects the regional/local climate, but also indirectly affects the regional/local climate by promoting global climate change. Therefore, the impact of urbanization on climate change has a global and regional multi-scale superposition effect.     

Frontline soldiers of globalisation: Port–city evolution and regional competition

This paper is an empirical attempt to measure the relative concentration of port–city functions in the context of globalisation. It reviews a number of urban and port issues regarding their complementary and contradictory aspects about the evolution of port cities. The main purpose is to verify how port function is more or less important to local economies, compared to other functions, through a temporal and global approach. Based on a matrix of port–city centrality and intermediacy, the main indicators available for international comparison are urban population and container throughput. An analysis of 653 places between 1970 and 2005 period is provided, using the relative concentration index (RCI) proposed by Vallega. The appropriate geographical scale to measure the relative evolution of port cities at a global level is discussed. Results tend to question previous models which consider functional and spatial separation between the city and its port as an ineluctable process. The port–city evolution appears to be gradual rather than linear or chaotic, and in many cases largely influenced by regional factors and local strategies.     

Transition from arid to hyper-arid environment in the southern Levant deserts as recorded by early Pleistocene cummulic Aridisols

The time at which deserts established their current arid or hyper-arid conditions remains a fundamental question regarding the history of Earth. Cosmogenic isotope exposure ages of desert pavement and welded, calcic–gypsic–salic Reg soils that developed on relatively flat alluvial surfaces ～2 Ma ago in the Negev Desert indicate long geomorphic stability under extremely dry conditions. Over a short interval during their initial stage of development between 1–2 Ma, these cumulative soils are characterized by calcic soils reaching maximum stage III of carbonate morphology. This interval is the only period when calcic soil horizons formed on stable abandoned alluvial surfaces in the southern Negev Desert. Since ～1 Ma pedogenesis changed toward more arid soil environment and the formation of gypsic–salic soil horizons that were later followed by dust accumulation. The dichotomy of only moderately-developed calcic soil (stages II–III) during a relatively long time interval (10⁵–10⁶ years) indicates an arid environment that does not support continuous development but only occasional calcic soil formation. The very low δ¹⁸O and relatively high δ¹³C values of these early pedogenic carbonates support soil formation under arid climatic conditions. Such an environment was probably characterized by rare and relatively longer duration rainstorms which occasionally allowed deeper infiltration of rainwater and longer retention of soil moisture. This, in turn enabled the growth of sparse vegetation that enhanced deposition of pedogenic carbonate. At ～1 Ma these rare events of slightly wetter conditions ceased and less atmospheric moisture reached the southern Negev Desert leading to deposition of soluble salts and dust deposited in the soils. The combination of long-term hyperaridity, scarcity of vegetation and lack of bioturbation, salts cementation, dust accumulation and tight desert pavement cover, has protected the surfaces from erosion forming one of the most remarkably stable landscapes on Earth, a landscape that essentially has not eroded, but accumulated salt and dust for more than 10⁶ yr.     

Temporal variation in the geometry of a strike–slip fault zone: Examples from the Dead Sea Transform

The location of the active fault strands along the Dead Sea Transform fault zone (DST) changed through time. In the western margins of Dead Sea basin, the early activity began a few kilometers west of the preset shores and moved toward the center of the basin in four stages. Similar centerward migration of faulting is apparent in the Hula Valley north of the Sea of Galilee as well as in the Negev and the Sinai Peninsula. In the Arava Valley, seismic surveys reveal a series of buried inactive basins whereas the current active strand is on their eastern margins. In the central Arava the centerward migration of activity was followed by outward migration with Pleistocene faulting along NNE-trending faults nearly 50 km west of the center. Largely the faulting along the DST, which began in the early–middle Miocene over a wide zone of up to 50 km, became localized by the end of the Miocene. The subsidence of fault-controlled basins, which were active in the early stage, stopped at the end of the Miocene. Later during the Plio-Pleistocene new faults were formed in the Negev west of the main transform. They indicate that another cycle has begun with the widening of the fault zone. It is suggested that the localization of faulting goes on as long as there is no change in the stress field. The stresses change because the geometry of the plates must change as they move, and consequently the localization stage ends. The fault zone is rearranged, becomes wide, and a new localization stage begins as slip accumulates. It is hypothesized that alternating periods of widening and narrowing correlate to changes of the plate boundaries, manifest in different Euler poles.