Environmental and socioeconomic dynamics of the Indian Ocean tsunami in Penang,Malaysia

This paper addresses some of the environmental and socioeconomic dimensions of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on Penang, Malaysia. We aim to offer wide access to unique and perishable data, while at the same time providing insight to ongoing debates about hazards, vulnerability and social capital. Our social survey examines some of the dynamics that shaped the tsunami impact, response and recovery process. While in terms of lives lost Penang may not conform to arguments surrounding vulnerable environments, the recovery process is more marked by social disparities in terms of the ability to access resources. Our physical survey records local topography, flow depth and flow direction, and charts the differential impact of the tsunami. Yet measuring hazards is not a straightforward process, and relies on reflexive methodologies and eyewitness accounts.     

Making a home during crisis: Post‐tsunami recovery in a context of war,Sri Lanka

This paper provides insights into the dynamic linkages between the ongoing construction of houses for people displaced by war and disaster, conceptions of homemaking and processes of recovery and reconstruction in the post‐tsunami context in Sri Lanka. In so doing, it also uncovers the dilemmas and ambiguities that are embedded in the recovery process. A case from Eastern Province, Sri Lanka illustrates how recovery works in local areas are driven by various stakeholders from outside, whose negotiations and power, voices and preferences, both independently and collectively, define the scope for homemaking processes. Our findings recommend that debates of ‘building back better’ following such disasters should embody an understanding of houses as political, cultural, social and economic constructs, and be cognizant of the wider processes of homemaking.     

台风“麦德姆”后海岸横向沙丘年内形态变化的观测

基于2014年第10号强台风“麦德姆”登陆前后一年内不同时间的福建平潭岛长江澳海岸横向沙丘形态高精度观测数据,分析了台风后典型海岸横向沙丘的年内形态变化过程及其特征。结果表明：（1）台风“麦德姆”造成海岸横向沙丘的体积减小、高度降低,其中体积减少了1.3%、丘顶高度最大降低1.43 m,且不同部位的变化程度亦非完全一致。（2）海岸横向沙丘形态在台风“麦德姆”后的一年内主要以体积增加、高度增大为特征,半年内海岸横向沙丘的体积与高度即已超过台风登陆前,丘顶高度最大月均升高0.39 m,沙丘迎风坡基本恢复到台风登陆前状态,背风坡以堆积为主且高度超过台风之前。（3）海岸横向沙丘的形态特征是由丰富的海滩沙源、强劲的常态向岸风、沙丘原形态及植被盖度等因素相互作用的结果,其中丰富的海滩沙源和强劲的常态向岸风是决定性因素,台风对海岸横向沙丘形态的影响应是暂时性的,较长时间尺度而言低频高能的台风对海岸横向沙丘形态的塑造作用相对有限。     

Temporality of disasters: The politics of women's livelihoods ‘after’ the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka

The devastation caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Sri Lanka is represented as a ‘natural disaster’. Yet, the tsunami did not occur in a sociopolitical and historical vacuum. How people responded to the tsunami, the challenges of and attitudes to relocation and post‐tsunami livelihoods, were/are shaped by uneven development, social exclusion and ethnonationalist war. All these responses are embedded in structures of gender, caste, class, and ethnicity. The tsunami, thus, brought to the forefront preexisting inequalities, showing up complexities in the temporality of disasters. Drawn from fieldwork in two coastal areas in the Southern and Eastern provinces, this paper shows how gendered structures within the local political economy influenced the ways that institutional actors as well as the displaced communities and women initially devised livelihood strategies. These reactions show how place matters as much as preexisting gendered political economy conditions and reveal the complex ways in which women continue to mediate and negotiate everyday responses in the aftermath of a ‘natural’ disaster.     

台风群后海岸爬坡沙丘形态变化特征

依据福建平潭岛海岸爬坡沙丘在2016年夏秋季台风“尼伯特”“莫兰蒂”“鲇鱼”组成的台风群登陆前后一年内8次形态高精度测量数据,探究典型海岸爬坡沙丘在台风群登陆后的年内形态变化过程及其特征。结果表明:(1)台风群造成海岸爬坡沙丘体积减少了0.13%、沙丘高度最大降低1.43 m,且不同部位高度变化存在一定差异,特别是后缘因地表植被破坏高度变化最明显。(2)台风群中单个台风作用下海岸爬坡沙丘形态变化虽明显,但未发现存在累积效应。(3)海岸爬坡沙丘形态在台风群后的近一年内以体积增加、沙丘高度增加为主,特别是爬坡沙丘前缘部位有明显的变化规律。(4)海岸爬坡沙丘形态对台风群的响应特征是台风群(强度、数量)、海岸爬坡沙丘原形态、植被盖度、海滩类型及周边环境等因素综合作用的结果,而台风群过后爬坡沙丘形态恢复变化与其形成发育因素相类似,其中海滩沙源和风况是关键性因素。     

Beach recovery after 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami from Phang-nga, Thailand

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated the coastal areas along the Andaman western coast of Thailand and left unique physical evidence of its impact, including the erosional landforms of the pre-tsunami topography. Here we show the results from monitoring the natural recovery of beach areas at Khuk Khak and Bang Niang tidal channels of Khao Lak area, Phang-nga, Thailand. A series of satellite images before and after the tsunami event was employed for calculating the beach area and locating the position of the changed shoreline. Field surveys to follow-up the development of the post-tsunami beach area were conducted from 2005 to 2007 and the yearly beach profile was measured in 2006. As a result, the scoured beach areas where the tidal channel inlets were located underwent continuous recovery. The return of post-tsunami sediments within the beach zone was either achieved by normal wind and wave processes or during the storm surges in the rainy season. Post-2004 beach sediments were derived mainly from near offshore sources. The present situation of the beach zone has almost completed reversion back to the equilibrium stage and this has occurred within 2 years after the tsunami event. We suggest these results provide a better understanding of the geomorphological process involved in beach recovery after severe erosion such as by tsunami events.     

Post‐tropical/post‐tsunami: Climate and architectural discourse in South and Southeast Asia

Following the Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004, scenes of destruction overwrote representations of a benign tropical landscape on the eastern periphery of the Indian Ocean. The incongruous coupling of luxury resort hotels with devastated indigent fisher settlements in international media coverage had exposed the global inequities embedded in a tropical tourism industry subscribed to and abetted by states, institutions, developers and architects. As post‐tsunami reconstruction commenced, it became evident that the climatic trope through which regionalist aesthetics had been filtered thus far was incapable of providing expedient solutions to real social problems. In academia and in the profession, the complex discourse of so‐called tropical architecture shaping the debates has yet to be untangled and problematized. Implicating and haunted by colonial, nationalist, developmental and political renderings, and more recently by issues of globalization, such representations continue to undergird architectural debates and production. In the wake of recent reconstruction projects and provoked by related architectural student designs in Sri Lanka, this paper reviews the politics of the tropical agenda in architecture and some considerations for its demise.     

库布齐沙漠南缘抛物线形沙丘表面风速与输沙率的变异

以库布齐沙漠南缘典型抛物线形沙丘为研究对象,选取3个沙丘前端活动区的纵断面和一个贯穿两翼及翼间平地的横断面,同步观测各个断面的风速与输沙率,讨论抛物线形沙丘表面形态-动力学过程。结果显示,沙丘前端活动区3个纵断面的风速和输沙率遵循一般变化规律,即沿迎风坡上升逐渐增加,至丘顶及附近达到最大,并在背风侧降低;二者在3个纵断面上的变化趋势一致,但具体变化形式不同,沙丘表面动力与输沙过程存在较大的空间异质性。沙丘两翼具有纵向沙丘的动力学性质,翼体两侧风速和输沙率具有对称性。该沙丘沙源匮缺,前端活动区主要依靠两翼内侧侵蚀提供沙源。受沙丘形状和植被等因素影响,坡脚及坡下部风速与输沙率之间没有相关性,因此简单的风速放大率和输沙率变化程度无法准确揭示该类型沙丘表面复杂的形态-动力学关系。     

沙坡头固定沙丘结皮层的微生物区系动态

对中科院沙坡头沙漠研究试验站的人工植被固定沙丘、红卫自然植被固定沙丘的结皮层和流动沙丘表层(0~ 05cm)中的微生物类群数量的研究结果表明:①好气性细菌数量影响着微生物总数量的变化趋势;②微生物总数量分布依次排列为:自然植被固定沙丘>1956年栽植区>1964年栽植区>自然半固定沙丘>1982年栽植区>流动沙丘;③土壤微生物类群数量与结皮层的形成、植物覆盖度和土壤含水率等因子有密切的关系;④结皮层中的微生物类群数量与流动沙丘的固定程度呈正向关系。     

Synthetic tsunami mareograms for realistic oceanic models

We study how the tsunami mode is generated by a scaled double-couple seismic source, and how it propagates in realistic oceanic models. The method developed and used is the direct extension to tsunami waves propagating in multilayered oceanic media of the well-known Haskell method. The most intensive tsunamis may be expected from sources located within the crust in the deep-water parts of the ocean. The extension to laterally heterogeneous structures shows that, if the thickness of the ocean liquid layer diminishes, the maximum amplitude of the tsunami wave train increases.     

Far-field simulation of the 1946 Aleutian tsunami

We present hydrodynamic far-field simulations of the Aleutian tsunami of 1946 April 1, using both a dislocation source representing a slow earthquake and a dipolar one modelling a large landslide. The earthquake source is derived from the recent seismological study by López and Okal, while the landslide source was previously used to explain the exceptional run-up at Scotch Cap in the near field. The simulations are compared to a field data set previously compiled from testimonies of elderly witnesses at 27 far-field locations principally in the Austral and Marquesas Islands, with additional sites at Pitcairn, Easter and Juan Fernández. We find that the data set is modelled satisfactorily by the dislocation source, while the landslide fails to match the measured amplitudes, and to give a proper rendition of the physical interaction of the wavefield with the shore, in particular at Nuku Hiva, Marquesas. The emerging picture is that the event involved both a very slow earthquake, responsible for the far-field tsunami, and a major landslide explaining the near-field run-up, but with a negligible contribution in the far field.     

Desertification in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

The problem of land degradation in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia is not a new phenomenon, but during the last decade it has grown to be a serious threat to the delicate desert ecosystems, and also to the urban and industrial areas, due to an increase in sand movement. The area under investigation is situated on the Gulf coast north of Jubail and is approximately 20 km in width centered along the coastline. The total area is almost 1000 km². Eight vegetation types were classified according to the dominant and co-dominant species. A comparative study of the vegetation in a fenced, non-grazed area and in an open grazed area showed that the impact of grazing and recreational activities have largely reduced the value of the rangelands. The reduction in species diversity and density leads to an increase in wind and sand dynamics. Exposed roots, giant ripples, changes in the extension of inland sabkhas and new active dunes could be observed in many parts of the study area. It could be proved that most inland sabkhas in the area are pure deflational features with considerable dynamic due to the reduction in vegetation cover during the recent years. The monitoring of vegetation density was carried out during helicopter flights with the help of GPS and a video camera. Image processing on a personal computer allowed accurate calculations of vegetation density. Observations on active dune fields in the area showed that the size of the dune fields almost doubled in 15 months. Tests in small enclosures showed that there is a potential for natural recovery even in severely damaged areas. In just one year without grazing and with average precipitation there is a significant difference in vegetation cover. Strict grazing management and camping regulations are required to prevent further degradation and allow the recovery of damaged ecosystems. Community involvement and education is necessary for the development of an understanding of regulations and the need for preservation.     

Dunefield activity response to climate variability in the southwest Kalahari

Aeolian activity on the crests of linear dunes in the arid southwest Kalahari Desert is primarily controlled by vegetation cover. Cover is temporally variable in response to rainfall, with mobility index (MI) values and field based studies demonstrating the dynamic nature of aeolian processes in this dunefield. Landsat TM data for a drought (1984) and wetter (1993) year were analysed for two subscenes in the dune field, one for a pastoral landscape and one for a conservation area, to investigate the spatial dynamics of dune activity, using the empirically determined 14% cover threshold as the limit to crestal aeolian activity. TM band 3 data were found to best represent vegetation cover, including senesced material, at the end of the dry season, the period when the potential for aeolian activity is normally high due to the wind strength at this time. The extent of 0–14% cover areas ranged from 10% (1984) to 3% (1993) for the pastoral area and 16% (1984) to 6% (1993) for the conservation landscape. The wetter (1993) image residuals have different spatial characteristics in the two subscenes, with bare active dunes in the pastoral lands associated with locations of livestock pressure and those in the conservation area related to natural fire events. The study demonstrates the spatial dynamics of temporally variable linear dune activity in the southwest Kalahari, and also shows that areas devegetated by drought can recover sufficient vegetation in wet years to limit the spatial extent of aeolian transport on dune crests.     

不同固沙区结皮中微生物生物量和数量的比较研究

沙地生态系统是温带干旱区、半干旱区的重要草地类型, 沙地的稳定性是生态系统健康的重要条件。在中国科学院沙坡头沙漠试验研究站, 笔者对不同程度固沙区结皮和流动沙丘表层中的微生物生物量和数量进行了比较研究。结果表明: 自然和人工植被固沙区结皮及流沙表层的微生物数量分布不同, 细菌数量比真菌和放线菌数量多数百倍, 在所有微生物类群中, 细菌数量最大, 微生物总数的变化取决于好气性细菌数量的多少, 但生物量却与之不同。在不同程度固沙区结皮中, 微生物生物量大小依次排列为: 自然植被区>1956年人工植被区>1964年人工植被区>1982年人工植被区>流沙区, 微生物生物量在自然植被固沙区中最多, 分别是1956年、1964年、1982年人工植被固沙区和流沙区的2.63、4.17、9.25和44.29倍, 表明微生物生物量随人工植被的栽植年代增加而增大, 在流动沙丘中最小, 而菌丝生物量方面是1956年人工植被固沙区已与自然植被固沙区十分接近。微生物生物量和数量与沙丘固定程度、人工植被栽植年代、结皮厚度、苔藓种类等均呈正相关, 人工植被栽植年代越长, 结皮越厚、微生物生物量和数量也越大。在不同年代人工植被固沙区结皮中, 微生物生物量和数量与相对稳定的自然植被固沙区相比, 仍未达到稳定状态。     

塔克拉玛干沙漠公路固沙植物立地条件分区评价

塔克拉玛干沙漠公路沿线气候恶劣、土壤和浅层地下水的含盐量高,沿线天然植被稀少,沙漠腹地仅发现12种能忍耐干旱和抗盐的植物种。经过科学试验,已经解决了沙漠腹地灌溉条件下固沙植物引种、选育和咸水灌溉等一系列人工绿地建设的技术难题,并且已经引种固沙植物50多种,建成沙漠公路固沙、基地绿化人工绿地43.3 hm2。沙漠人工植物栽培离不开灌溉。因此,主要从沿线土壤盐分状况,可利用水资源分布来评价植物固沙的立地条件。评价结果,在塔里木河近现代冲积平原有古河道淡水可以利用,昆仑山山前冲洪积扇普遍赋存可以利用的咸水。但全线可利用水资源的量不足以维持常规灌溉方式,必须采取节水灌溉,尽量节省资源,一些地方生物防沙要结合工程固沙,形成工程生物防沙体系,保证公路的畅通。     

科尔沁沙地沙丘植被对丘间低地水体的影响北大核心CSCD

在流动沙丘以建立固沙植被的方式向固定沙丘转化的过程中,植被将改变沙丘水分再分配过程,影响沙丘的水文调节功能,甚至可能引起沙丘生态系统水资源失衡。为探明植被对沙丘水文调解功能的影响,以科尔沁沙地不同植被盖度的沙丘-丘间地水体组合体为研究对象,于2021年生长季开展了沙丘植被盖度、丘间低地水体变化特征、气象因素的动态观测,以期明确沙丘植被变化对丘间低地水体的影响。结果表明:(1)沙丘植被盖度影响沙丘水分对外补给能力,随着沙丘表面固沙植被盖度增加,单位面积沙丘对外水分补给能力降低,表现为流动沙丘(58.25 mm)>半固定沙丘(24.75 mm)>固定沙丘(14.87 mm),占同期降水量的比例分别为21.39%、9.09%、5.46%。(2)生长季流域降水补给量、植被盖度、气温显著影响沙丘对丘间低地水体的水分补给量,丘间低地水体获补量与流域降水补给量显著正相关,与植被盖度、气温极显著负相关。(3)依据水量平衡原理推导出沙丘水分对外补给量(Y)与影响因素(降水补给量X_(1),植被盖度X_(2),平均气温X_(3))的关系模型,Y=1052.737+0.1X_(1)-11.459X_(2)-37.585X_(3),R2=0.641。可根据模型预测沙丘水分对外补给量,为流动沙丘生物治理模式的合理选择提供支持。     

Effects of dune stabilization on vegetation characteristics and soil properties at multiple scales in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China

Ecological patterns and processes in dune ecosystems have been a research focus in recent years, however information on how dune stabilization influences vegetation and soil at different spatial scales...     

Numerical modelling of flow structures over idealized transverse aeolian dunes of varying geometry

A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model (PHOENICS™ 3.5) previously validated for wind tunnel measurements is used to simulate the streamwise and vertical velocity flow fields over idealized transverse dunes of varying height (h) and stoss slope basal length (L). The model accurately reproduced patterns of: flow deceleration at the dune toe; stoss flow acceleration; vertical lift in the crest region; lee-side flow separation, re-attachment and reversal; and flow recovery distance. Results indicate that the flow field over transverse dunes is particularly sensitive to changes in dune height, with an increase in height resulting in flow deceleration at the toe, streamwise acceleration and vertical lift at the crest, and an increase in the extent of, and strength of reversed flows within, the lee-side separation cell. In general, the length of the separation zone varied from 3 to 15 h from the crest and increased over taller, steeper dunes. Similarly, the flow recovery distance ranged from 45 to >75 h and was more sensitive to changes in dune height. For the range of dune shapes investigated in this study, the differing effects of height and stoss slope length raise questions regarding the applicability of dune aspect ratio as a parameter for explaining airflow over transverse dunes. Evidence is also provided to support existing research on: streamline curvature and the maintenance of sand transport in the toe region; vertical lift in the crest region and its effect on grainfall delivery; relations between the turbulent shear layer and downward forcing of flow re-attachment; and extended flow recovery distances beyond the separation cell. Field validation is required to test these findings in natural settings. Future applications of the model will characterize turbulence and shear stress fields, examine the effects of more complex isolated dune forms and investigate flow over multiple dunes.     

敦煌-格尔木铁路高大沙丘区的风沙环境特征及风沙危害综合防护体系

新建敦煌-格尔木铁路途经库姆塔格沙漠东部的沙山沟,沟内沙源非常丰富,高大沙丘广布,其风沙危害对铁路造成了严重威胁。本研究选择党河上游流动沙丘和黑山嘴流动沙丘两个具有代表性的高大沙丘区域,系统调查与观测了该区域高大沙丘土壤水分、植被、风沙环境和风沙危害,在掌握和分析两试验区环境特征的基础上,在党河上游流动沙丘区建立以工程措施为主的风沙防治试验示范区,在黑山嘴流动沙丘区建立工程与生物相结合的风沙防治试验示范区。研究旨在取得敦煌-格尔木铁路途经高大沙丘区风沙防护的相关工程经验,合理确定风沙防治措施,为铁路通过该区的风沙防护提供了理论依据和实践参考,对保证敦煌-格尔木铁路安全畅通运营具有重要意义。     

沙漠人工植被和流动沙丘的小气候特征观测研究

本文利用１９９２年８月在中国科学院沙坡头治沙试验研究站沙漠人工植被防护体系和流动沙丘下垫面近地面层的微气象观测资料，分析了其小气候特征，效应的物理机制及实际和理论意义。