Recent evolution of Lake Arreo,northern Spain: influences of land use change and climate

We present a high-resolution, multiproxy reconstruction of the depositional history of Lake Arreo, northern Spain, for the last 60 years. We conducted sedimentological, geochemical and diatom analyses in short cores and made a detailed comparison with regional instrumental climate data (1952–2007), limnological monitoring of the lake (1992–2008) and recent land use changes that affect the lake catchment. Chronology is based on “floating” discontinuous varve counts and ¹³⁷Cs and ¹⁴C dates. Four periods were identified in the Lake Arreo recent history: (1) prior to 1963, varved facies intercalated with fine turbidite deposits, and diatom assemblages dominated by Cyclotella taxa indicate predominantly meromictic conditions, (2) from 1964 to 1978, permanent anoxia persisted in bottom waters, as shown by similar facies and diatom assemblages as before, though detrital layers were coarser, (3) from 1979 to 1994, sediment delivery to the lake increased and laminated, clastic facies were deposited, and (4) from 1995 to 2008, dominance of massive facies and an increase in Fragilaria tenera and Achnanthes minutissima reflect relatively lower lake levels, less frequent bottom anoxia with more frequent water column mixing, similar to modern conditions. The period 1952–1979 was a time of meromixis and varved facies deposition, and was characterized by higher rainfall and less intense agricultural pressure in the watershed. There were two short humid periods (1992–1993 and 1996–1998) when monitoring data show more anoxic weeks per year and relatively higher lake levels. Increased cultivation of small landholdings in 1963, and particularly after 1979, caused a large increase in sediment delivery to the lake. The inferred lake evolution is in agreement with monitoring data that suggest a transition from dominantly meromictic conditions prior to 1993–1994 to a predominantly monomictic pattern of circulation since then, particularly after 2000. The synergistic effects of intensive water extraction for irrigation and lower rainfall since 1979, and particularly since 1994, brought the long period of meromictic conditions in Lake Arreo to an end. Water balance and sediment delivery to the lake are dominant factors that control the limnological and mixing conditions in Lake Arreo and they must be considered in management and restoration plans.     

Climate signal in varve thickness: Lake La Cruz (Spain), a case study

Lake La Cruz is a meromictic, karstic lake with annually laminated sediment formed by summer pulses of calcite deposition. The aim of this study was to explore the potential use of the laminated sediment from Lake La Cruz as a quantitative climate proxy, by calibrating lamina thickness against instrumental climate data. Statistical analysis of the relation between lamina thickness and the meteorological dataset indicated a high correlation between calcium carbonate lamina thickness and rainfall from December to March (r  = 0.725, P < 0.01, n = 35). Winter rainfall anomalies in the area are, in turn, highly negatively correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation index (NAO, r = −0.832; P < 0.01; n = 53). We propose a regression model to infer past winter rainfall from calcium carbonate laminae thickness. These results highlight new possibilities for paleoenvironmental research using calcite laminated sediment records as climate proxies, especially to study past rainfall variability.     

Scale dependence in habitat selection: the case of the endangered brown bear (Ursus arctos) in the Cantabrian Range (NW Spain)

Animals select habitat resources at multiple spatial scales. Thus, explicit attention to scale dependency in species–habitat relationships is critical to understand the habitat suitability patterns as perceived by organisms in complex landscapes. Identification of the scales at which particular environmental variables influence habitat selection may be as important as the selection of variables themselves. In this study, we combined bivariate scaling and Maximum entropy (Maxent) modeling to investigate multiscale habitat selection of endangered brown bear (Ursus arctos) populations in northwest Spain. Bivariate scaling showed that the strength of apparent habitat relationships was highly sensitive to the scale at which predictor variables are evaluated. Maxent models on the optimal scale for each variable suggested that landscape composition together with human disturbances was dominant drivers of bear habitat selection, while habitat configuration and edge effects were substantially less influential. We found that explicitly optimizing the scale of habitat suitability models considerably improved single-scale modeling in terms of model performance and spatial prediction. We found that patterns of brown bear habitat suitability represent the cumulative influence of habitat selection across a broad range of scales, from local resources within habitat patches to the landscape composition at broader spatial scales.     

Evaluating climate change induced water stress: A case study of the Lower Cape Fear basin,NC

With the possibility of future fresh water shortages increasing, a methodology that incorporates climatic and anthropogenic factors is needed. This research estimates future water availability in the Lower Cape Fear basin using changes in climate, land use, and population growth. The USGS Thornthwaite monthly water balance model is used with estimates of climate change and land use change parameters to assess future water resources based on predicted monthly fluxes of the water balance.The southern United States is a rapidly growing region. Trends present in the population data are used to produce future estimates of population for the basin. Precipitation and temperature estimates based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predictions and current climatology are inputs to the model. Projected increases in impervious surface cover due to population growth and urbanization are incorporated through the model runoff factor. Water stress indicators are used to categorize the sub-watersheds as water rich, water stressed, or water scarce. Scenarios incorporating regional predictions of climate change indicate a decrease in summer soil moisture minima and increases in summer water deficits. Ensemble runs indicate a shift toward water stress in the Lower Cape Fear River basin, due to a warming climate as well as increased demand. While climate change has a significant impact on water resources, population growth was found to have the most substantial impact. The methods and findings have application to water managers at local and regional levels.     

Till fabric and grain-size analysis of glacial sequences in the Upper Sil River Basin,Cantabrian Mountains,NW Spain

Fabric and grain-size analysis of eight deposits present in the Upper Sil River Basin palaeoglacial system of northwest Spain were used to interpret till types and to reconstruct the glacial paleoprocess history of this region. They are represented by lodgement, deformation, and melt-out tills. The first, representative of glacial advance stages, present cluster fabrics and are generally composed of poorly sorted and finer sediments. Melt-out and deformation tills, representative of stages of glacial stability followed by fast recession, present transitional to girdle fabrics and are composed of poorly sorted coarser sediments. In any case, multiple criteria, including lithological, clast-shape, or structural data, support these directional and grain-size observations. These sequences, most of them located in the snout area of the Sil palaeoglacier, are important in the reconstruction of glacial dynamics due to poor preservation of landforms related to the maximum glacial advance. This palaeoglacial system was formed by multiple tributaries and had an extension of over 450 km², with the Sil paleoglacier being 51 km long during its maximum glacial advance.     

Landslides in the Central Coalfield (Cantabrian Mountains, NW Spain): Geomorphological features, conditioning factors and methodological implications in susceptibility assessment

A geomorphological study focussing on slope instability and landslide susceptibility modelling was performed on a 278 km² area in the Nalón River Basin (Central Coalfield, NW Spain). The methodology of the study includes: 1) geomorphological mapping at both 1:5000 and 1:25,000 scales based on air-photo interpretation and field work; 2) Digital Terrain Model (DTM) creation and overlay of geomorphological and DTM layers in a Geographical Information System (GIS); and 3) statistical treatment of variables using SPSS and development of a logistic regression model. A total of 603 mass movements including earth flow and debris flow were inventoried and were classified into two groups according to their size. This study focuses on the first group with small mass movements (10⁰ to 10¹ m in size), which often cause damage to infrastructures and even victims. The detected conditioning factors of these landslides are lithology (soils and colluviums), vegetation (pasture) and topography. DTM analyses show that high instabilities are linked to slopes with NE and SW orientations, curvature values between − 6 and − 0.7, and slope values from 16° to 30°. Bedrock lithology (Carboniferous sandstone and siltstone), presence of Quaternary soils and sediments, vegetation, and the topographical factors were used to develop a landslide susceptibility model using the logistic regression method. Application of “zoom method” allows us to accurately detect small mass movements using a 5-m grid cell data even if geomorphological mapping is done at a 1:25,000 scale.     

清代耕地数据恢复重建方法与实证研究

本文尝试构建一套适用于清代耕地数据的修正校验体系,以清代官方册载田亩数据为基础,采用人口基数和垦殖趋势进行检验和订正,通过替换、引用、衔接对比等方法进行数据修正,重建清代耕地数据,以期为后续相关研究提供参考.在建立理论分析框架的基础上,本文以历史资料相对丰富的山东省为例,对清代山东省的耕地数据进行修正与校验,结果表明：① 清代山东省的册载田亩数据不实情况普遍,经要素法修正的数据虽然通过了人口检验,但未能通过垦殖趋势校验,有必要进行进一步的订正和校准;② 在修正和校验过程中应综合考虑不同省份间垦殖政策、种植制度、自然条件等的差异,从修正系数到校验重点进行因时因地调整;③ 清前期山东省耕地增长主要受限于劳动力供给,耕地面积接近于劳动力供给线,随着人口的增长,耕地面积逐渐趋向于温饱线.同治以后,耕地面积开始低于温饱线,需要依靠粮食输入才能满足人口需求,山东省由粮食输出省变为粮食输入省.     

Sea cliffs resulting from late Miocene extensional tectonics: the Serra Gelada case study (Betic Cordillera, Spain)

The Serra Gelada sea cliffs are carved in Mesozoic carbonate rocks belonging to the External Zones of the eastern Betic Cordillera (Alicante, SE Spain). Several normal faults with vertical slips of more than a hundred metres have played an important role in the origin of this coastline. Some previous studies propose that the present cliff morphology was mainly originated by Quaternary fault activity. However, the integration of geomorphological features, stratigraphical and sedimentological data, together with the results of the tectonic analysis of fractures occurring in Serra Gelada, and a detailed study of seismic reflection profiles carried out in the adjacent continental shelf, indicate that these normal faults were active mainly during the late Miocene. Therefore, the Serra Gelada sea cliffs represent a tectonically controlled long-term landscape. Thus, normal faults have not significantly modified the Serra Gelada relief since then. Furthermore, the northern part of the Serra Gelada cliff may be considered as an inherited pre-Quaternary relict palaeocliff since it has only undergone very little erosive recession.     

Analyzing the commercial activities of a street network by ranking their nodes: a case study in Murcia,Spain

Urban researchers and planners are often interested in understanding how economic activities are distributed in urban regions, what forces influence their special pattern and how urban structure and functions are mutually dependent. In this paper, we want to show how an algorithm for ranking the nodes in a network can be used to understand and visualize certain commercial activities of a city. The first part of the method consists of collecting real information about different types of commercial activities at each location in the urban network of the city of Murcia, Spain. Four clearly differentiated commercial activities are studied, such as restaurants and bars, shops, banks and supermarkets or department stores, but obviously we can study other. The information collected is then quantified by means of a data matrix, which is used as the basis for the implementation of a PageRank algorithm which produces a ranking of all the nodes in the network, according to their significance within it. Finally, we visualize the resulting classification using a colour scale that helps us to represent the business network.     

Quantification of human and climate contributions to multi-dimensional hydrological alterations: A case study in the Upper Minjiang River,China

Dual factors of climate and human on the hydrological process are reflected not only in changes in the spatiotemporal distribution of water resource amounts but also in the various characteristics of river flow regimes. Isolating and quantifying their contributions to these hydrological alterations helps us to comprehensively understand the response mechanism and patterns of hydrological process to the two kinds of factors. Here we develop a general framework using hydrological model and 33 indicators to describe hydrological process and quantify the impact from climate and human. And we select the Upper Minjiang River(UMR) as a case to explore its feasibility. The results indicate that our approach successfully recognizes the characteristics of river flow regimes in different scenarios and quantitatively separates the climate and human contributions to multi-dimensional hydrological alterations. Among these indicators, 26 of 33 indicators decrease over the past half-century(1961–2012) in the UMR, with change rates ranging from 1.3% to 33.2%, and the human impacts are the dominant factor affecting hydrological processes, with an average relative contribution rate of 58.6%. Climate change causes an increase in most indicators, with an average relative contribution rate of 41.4%. Specifically, changes in precipitation and reservoir operation may play a considerable role in inducing these alterations. The findings in this study help us better understand the response mechanism of hydrological process under changing environment and is conducive to climate change adaptation, water resource planning and ecological construction.     

Stratigraphic modelling of platform architecture and carbonate production: a Messinian case study (Sorbas Basin,SE Spain)

The late Messinian mixed carbonate‐siliciclastic platforms of the Sorbas Basin, known as the Terminal Carbonate Complex, record significant changes in carbonate production and geometry. Their facies and stratigraphic architecture result from complex interactions between base‐level fluctuations, evaporite deformation/dissolution and detrital inputs. A 3D quantitative approach (with DIONISOS software) is used to explore the basin‐scale platform architecture and to quantify the carbonate production of the Terminal Carbonate Complex. The modelling strategy consists in integrating detailed 2D field‐based transects and modern carbonate system parameters (e.g. carbonate production rates, bathymetric and hydrodynamic ranges of production). This approach limits user impact and so provides more objective output results. Tests are carried out on carbonate production rates, subsidence and evaporite deformation/dissolution. Numerical modelling provides accurate predictions of geometries, facies distributions and depositional sequence thicknesses, validated by field data. Comparative statistical testing of the field transects and of the various model outputs are used to discern the relative contribution of the parameters tested to the evolution of basin filling. The 3D visualization and quantification of the main carbonate producers (ooids and microbialites) are discussed in terms of changes in base‐level and detrital supply. This study demonstrates that base‐level fluctuations have the greatest impact on the carbonate budget. Evaporite deformation/dissolution affects the type and amount of carbonate production, inducing a transition from an ooid‐ to microbialite‐dominated system and also has a major effect on stratigraphic architecture by inducing the migration of depocentres. The numerical modelling results obtained using modern carbonate system parameters could also be applied to subsurface ooid‐microbialite reservoirs, and the Terminal Carbonate Complex is a good analogue for such systems.     

Waterborne GPR mapping of stratigraphic boundaries and turbidite sediments beneath the bottom of Lake Polevskoye,Karelia, NW Russia

Journal of Paleolimnology - We used waterborne Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for mapping stratigraphic boundaries, sedimentation environments, and specific features of lacustrine sediments of...     

Holocene climate change and carbon cycling in a groundwater-fed, boreal forest lake: Dune Lake, Alaska

We compared cladoceran assemblages in modern and pre-industrial sediments from cores taken in 48 softwater lakes located in four main regions of Nova Scotia (Canada) to evaluate the impacts of acidification and other recent environmental stressors. Lakes in Kejimkujik National Park showed significant increases in Holopedium relative abundances and significant decreases in Alona and other chydorids since pre-industrial times, which appear to be related to declines in pH and calcium (Ca) concentrations caused by acidic deposition. Lakes in Bridgewater also showed a significant decrease in Alona, as well as a significant increase in macrothricid (Acantholeberis and Ophryoxus) taxa that cannot be explained by declines in pH, although declines in [Ca] have been recorded. Lakes in Yarmouth did not show any significant regional changes in major cladoceran species groups. Still, pre-industrial assemblages in these lakes significantly differed from modern assemblages, with assemblage changes being lake-specific and likely related to interactions between local and regional stressors acting on individual lakes. Finally, lakes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, located on the taiga plateau, have received historically lower levels of sulphate deposition relative to other regions in the province, and recorded a significant decrease in Alona similar to Bridgewater lakes. The province-wide decrease in Alona across different acid deposition rates suggests that limnological changes related to climate warming may be responsible. Overall, this study shows that acidification history is an important predictor of cladoceran assemblage changes since pre-industrial times in Nova Scotia lakes, although multiple stressors result in complex Cladocera responses in some regions.     

城市旅游与城市发展协调关系的定量评价——以杭州市为例

根据对城市旅游与城市发展协调性概念的界定,从城市经济水平、社会发展、公共交通、城市绿化、环境保护和旅游水平等6个方面,构建了城市旅游与城市发展协调性评价指标体系,并运用熵权TOPSIS法,对杭州市2001～2009年的城市旅游与城市发展协调性进行了定量评价。结果发现:杭州市9年间城市旅游与城市发展协调系数呈现持续递增趋势,2009年为0.8043,达到"非常协调"等级水平。尽管如此,但各年之间的改善系数却并未呈现出逐年递增的趋势。随着城市发展水平的提高,杭州市旅游与城市发展存在同步推进规律,两者之间协调状态会持续朝着理想最优方向推进。然而,各年协调状态改善程度非持续递增现象说明杭州城市旅游与城市发展协调状态存在"恶化"的风险,需要对其密切关注。     

Sediment geochemistry of Lake Daihai,north-central China: implications for catchment weathering and climate change during the Holocene

A 12.87-m-long sediment core was retrieved from closed-basin Lake Daihai in the monsoon–arid transition zone of north-central China. Oxides of major elements and their ratios normalized to Al in the AMS-¹⁴C-dated core were employed to evaluate chemical weathering intensity (CWI) in the lake drainage basin, which reflects hydrothermal conditions in the study area. Lower CWI periods occurred prior to 14.5 ka BP, and during the intervals ca. 11.7–10.3, 3.5–3.2, 2.6–1.7 ka BP, and 1.2–0 ka BP, indicating relatively low temperatures and moisture availability. Greater CWI during the intervening periods ca. 14.5–11.7, 10.3–9.0, 3.2–2.6, and 1.7–1.2 ka BP, with the maximum CWI at ca. 6.7–3.5 ka BP, imply ameliorated hydrothermal conditions in the lake basin, i.e. higher temperatures and precipitation. Exceptionally low CWI, associated with high CaO/MgO ratio during ca. 9.0–6.7 ka BP, suggests higher evaporation rates in the area under warmer temperature. Overall, CWI displays in-phase variations with changes in organic matter (TOC, TN), carbonate (CaCO₃) and pollen assemblages, all of which are related to variations in monsoon effective precipitation. High CWI indicates strong monsoon-induced precipitation, whereas low CWI reflects a weak precipitation regime. The optimum hydrothermal status, recorded by the strongest CWI and maximum monsoon effective precipitation during ca. 6.7–3.5 ka BP defines the Holocene climate optimum (HCO) in the Lake Daihai region. These results indicate that the HCO prevails after the early Holocene in the monsoon–arid transition zone of north-central China. Temperature and precipitation variations during most of the Holocene, inferred from the lake sediments, are due largely to insolation forcing. Dry but warm conditions ca. 9.0–6.7 ka BP, however, probably reflect the complex interactions between insolation and geography (e.g. altitude and local topography).     

风蚀作用对盐尘释放、输送过程的影响——以新疆艾比湖地区为例

艾比湖地区处于准噶尔盆地西部,发源于准噶尔西部山口的大风流决定了该区风蚀作用的发展.由于人类活动而引起的艾比湖的干枯变成了新松散物质来源,最终导致了该区沙尘一盐尘暴的加剧.从1950年以来,随着准噶尔西部山麓平原的开垦和河道三角洲灌溉农业的发展,新疆第一大盐水湖--艾比湖水域面积也逐渐缩小,干涸湖底和湖滨地区荒漠化程度加剧,已成为中国西北方区域沙尘一盐尘暴主要来源地.研究该区风力运输机制和风蚀作用对盐尘释放、输送过程的影响,分析降尘物中盐分的化学成分、总量及沙尘摹的年内发生率和强度机制等.研究结果表明,干涸盐土湖底和盐漠沙丘的风蚀对盐尘的释放、输送过程起到积极地作用,它的形成与盐尘的扩散与沉降有密切的关系.随着离干涸湖底距离越远,沙尘暴的发生率、强度及降尘量也下降;降尘量为600 g·m-2·a-1(湖近)到70 g·m-2·a-1(离湖水面距离为100～200 km),其中盐分总量为14～27g·m-2·a-1;最大盐分含量可达为77 g·m-2·a-1.离湖越远,盐分的钙和硫酸盐成分越高,钠和氯化物成分越低.最后提出了对艾比湖湖区采取筑坝与隔离技术,分离出常年积水区和干涸湖底区,稳定艾比湖的水域面积,综合利用生物、化学、物理的防治技术,种植梭梭、柽柳、胡杨等耐盐灌、乔木树种,治理干涸湖底盐土风蚀的建议.     

精准扶贫驱动贫困乡村重构的过程与机制——以十八洞村为例

精准扶贫方略作为“一揽子工程”,为贫困乡村带来了强烈的外部冲击,驱动贫困乡村的经济、社会和空间加速重构。在对精准扶贫驱动贫困乡村重构的内涵、特征及过程与机制进行理论解析的同时,以精准扶贫首倡地十八洞村的实践加以实证,发现：① 精准扶贫驱动贫困乡村重构是一个政府主导、多方参与,“自上而下”与“自下而上”有机结合的多维、全面、快速重构过程;② 在精准扶贫驱动贫困乡村重构过程中,行政势能、精英下沉、市场链接驱动,要素整合、动力激发、规划引导、能力培育、制度保障机制协同,推动贫困乡村由“低水平贫困均衡”走向“良性发展均衡”;③ 精准扶贫以来,十八洞村经历了经济系统从“二元经济”向“多元经济”转变;社会形态由纯粹的熟人社会向熟人逻辑与契约精神混合的半熟人社会转变;空间形态从生产、生活空间高度重合,但与生态空间隔离的两大传统农业区组团向生产、生活、生态空间有机融合的多元有序组团转变。十八洞村的实践为理解精准扶贫驱动贫困乡村重构的过程与机制提供了鲜活的样本,也是其“可复制可推广”经验最本质的体现。     

Green areas and water management in residential developments in the European Western Mediterranean. A case study of Alicante,Spain

The intense urbanization of the Mediterranean coast as a result of the development of residential-tourist activities since the 1960s, especially from the mid-1990s to 2008, has generated new urban environments associated with extensive urban typologies. These include gardens linked to houses with outdoor spaces that are shared between all of the residents of the residential developments. The aim of this study is to determine the main characteristics of these new urban green spaces and their effect on domestic water consumption in Alicante (Spain). To do this, we analysed the characteristics that define these types of gardens (surface area, density, plant species and irrigation system) and determined their water needs using the Water Use Classifications of Landscape Species method. The main conclusions are that the increase in paved areas is one of the strategies to reduce water consumption in spaces where turf grass is the most common plant species. This is due to increased water prices and lack of water resources.