Geographical and seasonal variability of the global “practical” wind resources

This paper provides global and seasonal estimates of the “practical” wind power obtained with a 3-D numerical model (GATOR-GCMOM) that dynamically calculates the instantaneous wind power of a modern 5 MW wind turbine at 100-m hub height at each time step. “Practical” wind power is defined as that delivered from wind turbines in high-wind locations (year-average 100-m wind speed ≥ 7 m/s) over land and near-shore, excluding both polar regions, mountainous, and conflicting land use areas, and including transmission, distribution, and wind farm array losses. We found that seasonal variations in the global practical wind resources are significant. The highest net land plus near-shore capacity factors globally are found during December–January–February and the lowest during June–July–August. The capacity factors in the transitional seasons (March–April–May and September–October–November) are rather similar to one another in terms of geographical patterns and frequency distributions. The yearly-average distributions of capacity factors, whether in terms of geographic patterns or frequency distributions, differ from those in all four seasons, although they are closest to the transitional seasons. Regional practical wind resources are sensitive to seasons and to thresholds in year-average wind speed and bathymetry, but are more than enough to supply local electricity demand in all regions except Japan.     

What a Friend We Have in GIS

Abstract

Almost half a century has passed since Jean Gottmann coined the term “Megalopolis” in reference to the almost continuously urbanized stretch of land spanning the East Coast of the United States from southern New Hampshire to northern Virginia. Because a disproportionate concentration of population resided in this Megalopolis, the northeastern core enjoyed an economic and cultural supremacy, and he termed the Megalopolis “The Main Street of the Nation.” By the later 1960s and 1970s, however, population migration patterns began to reflect the influence exerted by the emergence of a second national core centered on the large metropolitan areas along the Pacific Coast, especially those of the Los Angeles and Bay Area conurbations in California. Although of different character, this burgeoning concentration of population, economic activity, and cultural influence may reflect the development of a West Coast Megalopolis that could soon rival the original Megalopolis of the Northeastern Corridor. Today, the U.S. population distribution is largely a bicoastal one. This article documents the emergence of this bicoastal population distribution. Using historical census data and GIS technology, we present a number of novel ways to graphically portray and examine this population redistribution phenomenon. The United States is not unique in witnessing an increasing share of its inhabitants clustering in coastal zones. Current critical policy concerns about the worldwide vulnerability of coastal populations have focused the need for better coastal population estimates and better mapping methods for portraying population redistribution trends.     

Intraurban Residential Location Of The Elderly

Abstract

Many socio-economic analyses of senior citizens presume the aged to be concentrated in the central cities of American metropolitan centers. This presumption was examined by studying the intraurban residential location patterns of the aged in Toledo, Ohio from 1940 to 1970. The residential location patterns of the elderly in each census period were mapped and discussed. Also, their residential location pattern was compared with the distributions of the non-elderly population and the black population. Although a slight concentration of aged in the central city was noted, their distribution was closely related to the distribution of the non-elderly population. Furthermore, they are much less segregated than the black population.     

Visualising 30 Years of Population Density Change in Australia’s Major Capital Cities

ABSTRACT

This study uses a novel spatial approach to compare population density change across cities and over time. It examines spatio-temporal change in Australia’s five most populated capital cities from 1981 to 2011, and documents the established and emerging patterns of population distribution. The settlement patterns of Australian cities have changed substantially in the last 30 years. From the doughnut cities of the 1980s, programs of consolidation, renewal and densification have changed and concentrated population in our cities. Australian cities in the 1980s were characterised by sparsely populated, low density centres with growth concentrated to the suburban fringes. ‘Smart Growth’ and the ‘New Urbanism’ movements in the 1990s advocated higher dwelling density living and the inner cities re-emerged, inner areas were redeveloped, and the population distribution shifted towards increased inner city population densities. Policies aimed at re-populating the inner city dominated and the resultant changes are now visible in Australia’s five most populated capital cities. While this pattern has been reported in a number of studies, questions remain regarding the extent of these changes and how to analyse and visualise them across urban space. This paper reports on a spatial method which addresses the limitations of changing statistical boundaries to identify the changing patterns in Australian cities over time and space.     

Spatial structure analysis of a reptile community with airborne LiDAR data

The analysis of the spatial structure of animal communities requires spatial data to determine the distribution of individuals and their limiting factors. New technologies like very precise GPS as well as satellite imagery and aerial photographs of very high spatial resolution are now available. Data from airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors can provide digital models of ground and vegetation surfaces with pixel sizes of less than 1 m. We present the first study in terrestrial herpetology using LiDAR data. We aim to identify the spatial patterns of a community of four species of lizards (Lacerta schreiberi, Timon lepidus, Podarcis bocagei, and P. hispanica), and to determine how the habitat is influencing the distribution of the species spatially. The study area is located in Northern Portugal. The position of each lizard was recorded during 16 surveys of 1 h with a very precise GPS (error < 1 m). LiDAR data provided digital models of surface, terrain, and normalised height. From these data, we derived slope, ruggedness, orientation, and hill-shading variables. We applied spatial statistics to determine the spatial structure of the community. We computed Maxent ecological niche models to determine the importance of environmental variables. The community and its species presented a clustered distribution. We identified 14 clusters, composed of 1–3 species. Species records showed two distribution patterns, with clusters associated with steep and flat areas. Cluster outliers had the same patterns. Juveniles and subadults were associated with areas of low quality, while sexes used space in similar ways. Maxent models identified suitable habitats across the study area for two species and in the flat areas for the other two species. LiDAR allowed us to understand the local distributions of a lizard community. Remotely sensed data and LiDAR are giving new insights into the study of species ecology. Images of higher spatial resolutions are necessary to map important factors such as refuges.     

Diurnal Variations in the Characteristics of Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Activity in the Great Lakes Region of the United States

Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning observations for the warm seasons (May-September) of 1989 and 1990 were analyzed for the Great Lakes region in order to assess the diurnal variations in the lightning characteristics. Several parameters, including flash rate, the spatial extent of lightning activity, first stroke peak current, and the percentage of positive flashes, varied markedly over the course of the day. In contrast, other parameters, such as the frequency of lightning periods and the multiplicity of both negative and positive CG flashes, displayed little diurnal variation. A large degree of intraseasonal (i.e., month-to-month) variation was observed in the diurnal patterns for several of the lightning parameters.     

Great Powers and Geopolitical Change

Abstract

Most traditional segregation measures, such as the index of dissimilarity D, fail to distinguish spatial patterns effectively. Previously proposed spatial measures modifying D suffer from several shortcomings. This article describes a general spatial segregation index based upon the concept of composite population counts, which are derived from grouping people in neighboring areas together to account implicitly for spatial interaction of groups across unit boundaries. The suggested spatial index can overcome the disadvantages of previous indices and can assess the spatial extent of the segregated clusters. The results offer a more comprehensive depiction of spatial segregation of a region.

     

MIGRAT: A COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM FOR THE SIMULATION OF MIGRATION

Primary individuals and the households that they head now compose a significant proportion of US households. This paper examines the regional and intraurban distribution of primary households. Macro-scale data from the 1960 and 1970 Censuses are used to examine the evolving regional patterns of primary individuals and households. Using intraurban data for the 1970's, the paper also examines the impact of recent rapid growth in the number of primary individuals on the spatial distribution of primary households within urban areas. Inferences are drawn with respect to the macro- and micro-scale distributions of primary individuals and households and the impact of continued growth of this subpopulation on urban form and population distribution.     

Intermediate disturbance and patterns of species richness

Abstract

The intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) predicts highest species diversity in environments experiencing intermediate intensity disturbance, after an intermediate timespan. Because many landscapes comprise mosaics with complex disturbance histories, the theory implies that each patch in those mosaics should have a distinct level of diversity reflecting the magnitude of disturbance and the time since it occurred. We model changing patterns of species richness across a landscape experiencing varied scenarios of simulated disturbance in order to predict first the variation of richness through time in individual patches, based on their disturbance histories, and then the changing patterns of richness across the landscape through time, representing the cumulative impact of changing richness within the individual patches. Model outputs show that individual landscape patches have highly variable species richness through time, with the trajectory reflecting the timing, intensity and sequence of disturbances. When the results are mapped across the landscape, the resulting temporal and spatial complexity reveals a distribution of biodiversity that is strikingly contingent on the details of disturbance history. These results illustrate the danger of generalization (in either data interpretation or management decisions), as IDH actually imposes a highly variable pattern of diversity.     

长江三角洲人口分布演变、偏移增长及影响因素

在长江三角洲区域一体化上升为国家战略背景下,论文运用核密度、重心、集中指数和偏移—分享等方法,研究2000—2018年长江三角洲人口时空演变规律,并采用定量方法探讨人口偏移增长影响因素。结果表明：① 部分城市主导下的人口集散趋势转变,并未显著改变区域人口不均衡格局,且集中度呈现稳步增长态势。② 基于偏移—分享法的研究发现,人口增长格局转变主要表现为部分欠发达地区人口增速加快,如三省一市上安徽省转变为正偏移增长、城市尺度上核心发达城市为主的正偏移增长向部分欠发达城市为主的正偏移增长转变、县域尺度上正偏移市辖区由核心区向边缘区的转移,但人口向少数大城市、市辖区集聚的态势显著,而多样化的人口偏移增长态势表征了未来城市发展策略的差异化需求。③ 经济因素、社会发展和财政水平等是长江三角洲人口偏移增长的重要驱动力,而影响因素的时空演变表明,未来人口均衡化政策的制定不仅要因地制宜,更要与时俱进。     

Seasonal diet of black-backed jackal in the Eastern Karoo,South Africa

The ability of small canids to consume a variety of resources in an opportunistic manner has been cited as a reason for their wide distribution across many habitats. Black-backed jackals Canis mesomelas have varied diets that reflect changes in food availability as a result of seasonal fluctuations in resources. Seasonal fluctuations can include variations in food type availability, as well as variations in the phenology of food resources (i.e. ungulate birth peaks). Additionally, the presence of apex predators can affect opportunistic predator diets through the provision of carrion. We investigated the diet of black-backed jackals on a reserve in the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa. Ungulates (>5 kg) were the dominant prey item across all seasons, reflecting either active predation or scavenging. Most seasonal comparisons in percent occurrence of prey groups revealed significant seasonal fluctuations in black-backed jackal diet. However, in terms of biomass consumed, the diet remained stable, dominated by small ungulates across all seasons with no clear seasonal change in ungulate composition. These results suggest that in this study black-backed jackals, although being opportunistic in terms of diet composition, had a seasonally stable food resource, most likely facilitated by the presence of cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus providing scavenging opportunities.     

Equity vs. Efficiency: Public Capital Investment in Ohio, 1988–1992

Recent research on the role of public capital in the economy focuses primarily on assessing its economic, and sometimes spatial economic, impacts. Access to more detailed and disaggregate data than typically used in these analyses allows us to take a fresh perspective on the often conflicting goals of interregional equity and aggregate efficiency. Using the state of Ohio as a case study, and classic definitions of equity and efficiency, we assess the correspondence between distributions of infrastructure investment and the social/economic distress they are intended to alleviate. Traditional map and statistical analysis combined with a graphical device we call the variegated distribution plot reveals that, in both rates and levels, investment is highest in areas of greatest distress. Both patterns are consistent with equity-driven investment distributions.     

中国基础教育资源布局研究述评

资源配置不均是当前中国基础教育发展面临的核心问题,反映在空间上则为资源布局不均。在新型城镇化建设阶段,基础教育资源空间布局作为关乎民生与社会公正的重要议题,成为教育、经济、社会、地理、城乡规划等多学科共同关注的研究热点。本文梳理中国基础教育资源布局研究发展脉络,将其分为探索期、深化期、快速拓展期3个阶段;对基础教育资源布局的空间特征与演化趋势,需求与供给方影响要素,均衡性评价标准与方法,以及对城乡空间发展影响等主要研究领域进行综述;指出现有研究在基于可达性分析的基础教育资源布局评价模型引介与优化方面成果丰富,但总体仍存在学科融合不足、研究体系不完整等问题;并鉴于此,提出今后应在结合教育发展规律分析基础教育资源空间布局模式与演化规律、多学科融合探索基础教育资源空间布局生成机制、关注地方特色对案例区长期系统追踪等方面深入研究。     

THE GEOGRAPHY PLACEMENT SEMINAR: A COURSE SYLLABUS

This article examines linkages between recent domestic out-migration from immigrant gateway metropolitan areas and nonmetropolitan migration gains, based on data of the 1990 census, 1996 Current Population Survey, and population estimates for the 1990–1996 period from the Bureau of Census. Our analysis of these data suggests that there is a mirror image of migration patterns between high immigration metropolitan area losses and nonmetropolitan area gains. This is especially evident in the West with the relationship between Los Angeles and San Francisco areas' losses on the one hand, and the region's nonmetropolitan gains on the other. While pre-elderly and elderly retirees have contributed to these nonmetropolitan gains, much of it is attributable to the destination choices of suburban-like populations—Whites with children, not college educated, and with lower incomes—that have been leaving high immigration metropolitan areas. This new, more dispersed form of “White flight” holds the potential for reinvigorating smaller, nonmetropolitan communities, but creating, as well, new demographic divisions across space.     

Explaining the settlement patterns of foreigners in Spain

This paper investigates the settlement patterns of the foreign population across the Spanish provinces over the period 2000–2009 and identifies the key determinants of these patterns. To this end, the paper determines the spatial distribution of foreign residents and, based on it, incorporates explanatory variables into a model designed to understand settlement patterns. After addressing the issue of spatial dependence, the model is estimated at both the aggregate level and for major areas of origin. The results reveal that social networks and economic factors, such as unemployment and per capita income in the hosting provinces, play a key role in explaining foreigners' settlement patterns in Spain. Significant differences exist, however, when areas of origin are allowed for.     

Size and spatial distribution of loess slides on the Chinese Loess Plateau

ABSTRACT

The size and spatial distribution of loess slides are important for estimating the yield of eroded materials and determining the landslide risk. While previous studies have investigated landslide size distributions, the spatial distribution pattern of landslides at different spatial scales is poorly understood. The results indicate that the loess slide distribution exhibits a power-law scaling across a range of the size distribution. The mean landslide size and size distribution in the different geomorphic types are different. The double Pareto and inverse gamma functions can coincide well with the empirical probability distribution of the loess slide areas and can quantitatively reveal the rollover location, maximum probability, and scaling exponents. The frequency of loess slides increases with mean monthly precipitation. Moreover, point distance analysis showed that > 80% of landslides are located < 3 km from other loess slides. We found that the loess slides at the two study sites (Zhidan and Luochuan County) in northern Shaanxi Province, China show a significant clustered distribution. Furthermore, analysis results of the correlated fractal dimension show that the landslides exhibit a dispersed distribution at smaller spatial scales and a clustered distribution at larger spatial scales.     

The geographic distribution of small dams in Oregon using ecoregion and landform classification

Abstract

Small dams fragment river landscapes, disrupting channel connectivity and impacting water quality and quantity. Although they impound volumetrically less total water than large dams, the ubiquity of small dams suggests their cumulative impacts could be significant. Documenting the distribution and characteristics of small dams is necessary to understanding and mitigating their impacts. In this study, we compare datasets of small dams in Oregon, compile a new comprehensive dataset, and document geographic variations in small dam distributions between different ecoregions. We used Oregon Water Resources Department dam and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife fish passage barrier datasets to compare dam heights and contributing drainage areas between different ecoregions. Over 61% of Oregon’s land area is above one or more small dam. We highlight the location of Oregon’s small dams at valley margins, transition zones between flat plains and mountains, and areas of high population density. Given the hidden nature of small dams, evaluation of small dam impacts using public imagery is not effective. However, knowledge of small dam distributions given their association with landforms can aid in finding unrecorded dams, assessing approaches for evaluating their geomorphic impacts, and informing their management.     

Evolving United States metropolitan land use patterns

We investigate spatial patterns of residential and nonresidential land use for 257 United States metropolitan areas in 1990 and 2000, measured with 14 empirical indices. We find that metropolitan areas became denser during the 1990s but developed in more sprawl-like patterns across all other dimensions, on average. By far, the largest changes in our land use metrics occurred in the realm of employment, which became more prevalent per unit of geographic area, but less spatially concentrated and farther from the historical urban core, on average. Our exploratory factor analyses reveal that four factors summarize land use patterns in both years, and remained relatively stable across the two years: intensity, compactness, mixing, and core-dominance. Mean factor scores vary by metropolitan population, water proximity, type, and Census region. Improved measurement of metropolitan land use patterns can facilitate policy and planning decisions intended to minimize the most egregious aspects of urban sprawl.     

长江三角洲人口与经济空间格局演变及影响因素

人口与经济是反映区域差异的两大主要指标,其空间分布与区域差异的形成有密切关联。产业作为经济发展的基本载体,产业结构是影响人口与经济空间分布协调性的重要因素。在产业转移加快的背景下,长三角人口与经济空间分布格局也出现了一定的变化,对二者空间演变协调性研究具有重要的现实意义。本文运用重心、不一致指数及不均衡指数等方法,分析2000-2013年长三角人口与经济空间格局演变趋势及影响因素。结果表明,核心区经济增长有所放缓、边缘区经济增长加快,但人口向核心区集聚态势依然存在;基于不一致指数与不均衡指数的分析表明,与边缘区GDP快速增长导致区域GDP格局显著变化不同,边缘城市的人口增长并不显著且集中在部分城市;尽管人口与经济不一致指数分布格局呈现相对稳定的“核心—边缘”格局,但人口与经济增长不协调性增强推动了长三角人口与经济总体协调性的提高。本文尝试从市场、政府及人均GDP等因素对长三角人口与经济分布不协调的现象进行了解释。     

Decentralization of the Nation's Main Street: New Coastal‐Proximity‐Based Portrayals of Population Distribution in the United States, 1950–2000

Almost half a century has passed since Jean Gottmann coined the term “Megalopolis” in reference to the almost continuously urbanized stretch of land spanning the East Coast of the United States from southern New Hampshire to northern Virginia. Because a disproportionate concentration of population resided in this Megalopolis, the northeastern core enjoyed an economic and cultural supremacy, and he termed the Megalopolis “The Main Street of the Nation.” By the later 1960s and 1970s, however, population migration patterns began to reflect the influence exerted by the emergence of a second national core centered on the large metropolitan areas along the Pacific Coast, especially those of the Los Angeles and Bay Area conurbations in California. Although of different character, this burgeoning concentration of population, economic activity, and cultural influence may reflect the development of a West Coast Megalopolis that could soon rival the original Megalopolis of the Northeastern Corridor. Today, the U.S. population distribution is largely a bicoastal one. This article documents the emergence of this bicoastal population distribution. Using historical census data and GIS technology, we present a number of novel ways to graphically portray and examine this population redistribution phenomenon. The United States is not unique in witnessing an increasing share of its inhabitants clustering in coastal zones. Current critical policy concerns about the worldwide vulnerability of coastal populations have focused the need for better coastal population estimates and better mapping methods for portraying population redistribution trends.