Glacial erosion and relief production in the Eastern Sierra Nevada,California

The proposal that climate change can drive the uplift of mountain summits hinges on the requirement that glacial erosion significantly enhances the relief of a previously fluvially sculpted mountain range. We have tested this hypothesis through a systematic investigation of neighbouring glaciated and nonglaciated drainage basins on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, CA. We present a simple, objective method for investigating the relief structure of a drainage basin, which shows noticeable differences in the spatial distribution of relief between nonglaciated and glaciated basins. Glaciated basins on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada have only ∼80 m greater mean geophysical relief than nonglaciated basins. This “extra” relief, though, is attributable principally to the larger size of the glaciated basins, as geophysical relief generally increases with basin size. The glaciers on this side of the range were only responsible for relief production if they substantially increased headward erosion rates into low relief topography, such as an elevated plateau, and thus enlarged previously fluvial basins. We carried out a preliminary morphometric analysis to elucidate the importance of this effect and found that the glaciers of the eastern Sierra Nevada may have eroded headward at considerably faster rates than rivers, but only when they were not obstructed from doing so by either competing larger glaciers in adjacent valleys or transfluent ice at the head of the basin. Our results also suggest that, in temperate regions, alpine glaciers are capable of eroding downward at faster rates than rivers above the equilibrium line altitude (ELA). Although we can rule out significant peak uplift in response to local relief production, in the special case of the Sierra Nevada the concentration of mass removal above the ELA could have contributed to flexural uplift at the edge of a tilting block.     

南极沿海伯尔顿盐湖双刺镰状水蚤种群生态及其与盐湖环境的关系

对南极沿海伯尔顿盐湖浮游桡足类双刺镰状水蚤(Drepanopus bispinosus)种群生态进行了全年连续观察和研究,结果表明,该水蚤为一年一代,其个体发育周期,雄性约为10～12个月,雌性约为12～18个月。种群密度随季节不同而差异较大,其成体高密度期约在6～9月份,幼体高密度期大约在11～12月份,主要为无节幼体,桡足幼体Ⅰ期的高密度期出现在1月份。该水蚤繁殖期大约从6月至翌年1月,期间出现两次生殖高峰,7～8月为前一高峰期,所出现的无节幼体受环境因子主要是湖中食物和含氧量不足的影响而不能继续发育至桡足幼体Ⅰ期以上的阶段,后一高峰大约在10～12月,所出期的无节幼体能继续发育至桡足幼体各期直至成体。伯尔顿湖双刺镰状水蚤种群生态特征及其出现两次生殖高峰的现象,可能与该湖环境的季节变化有关。     

'A good site for health': Missionaries and the pathological geography of central southern Africa

Throughout much of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the tropics and subtropics were constructed as a relatively homogenous realm. The supposed 'pathological potency' of these regions was assumed to render them particularly hazardous for European constitutions relative to 'temperate' locations. The interior of Africa represented one such apparently pestilential place. This paper examines how the experiences of nineteenth-century missionaries based at various stations in central southern Africa might have been influenced by popular and scientific debates focusing on environment, climate and health in Africa. We also illustrate how their perspectives may have challenged popular homogenized conceptualizations of interior Africa as a uniformly dangerous place for Europeans and helped to identify a spatially varied pathological geography of the region.     

新疆天山山地自然灾害垂直带谱及其特征

分析天山山地由气候原因引起的自然灾害分布的垂直带谱,主要灾害类型有１２种,可分为３个带：（１）基带（暴雨－塌方带）：主要是由中、低山突发性的降雨引起的各种灾害。此带灾害频发时期与最大降水期是同步的。（２）中带（融水－冰冻带）：其灾害大多同温度的变化有密切的关系。（３）上带（风吹雪－雪崩带）：由积雪运动造成的灾害多集中在这里。山地坡向和高度对自然灾害垂直带谱的组成和灾害出现的频率影响很大。由于温度和     

AMENITY MIGRATION IN THE U.S. SIERRA NEVADA*

ABSTRACT. Since 1960 California's Sierra Nevada counties have ranked among the regions with the strongest relative population growth in the state. Reassessment of peripheral areas has been the main force driving population and settlement growth in the central Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada, termed “amenity migration” or “counterurbanization.” This study analyzes the impacts of amenity migrants—“urban refugees”—on socioeconomic conditions in high‐mountain regions. We define these regions as the “High Sierra,” comprising zones at elevations more than 1,800 meters above sea level. People who migrate to the High Sierra tend to be white and well educated, with considerable household earnings. Unlike the population in the foothills, these migrants are not senior citizens. Their demand for periodic or permanent residences has caused housing prices to increase enormously. As a result, a majority of homes are now priced well beyond the reach of local salaries, which may lead to potential conflict between locals and newcomers. The massive settlement expansion in high‐mountain areas requires a new approach to land‐use planning, one that takes functional regions into account. Therefore, it is expedient to reassess existing jurisdictional boundaries.     

Talus Instability in a Recent Deglaciation Area and Its Relationship to Buried Ice and Snow Cover Evolution (Picacho Del Veleta, Sierra Nevada, Spain)

The southernmost glacier in Europe formed during the Little Ice Age at the foot of the north wall of Picacho del Veleta (3 398 m) in Sierra Nevada, in the southeast region of the Iberian Peninsula (lat. 37δ03‘N, long. 3δ22‘W). The glacier gradually retreated during the last century, leaving a large talus slope at the base of the wall. The unconsolidated material covering the ice masses acted as a thermal insulator. Recent bottom temperature of snow (BTS) analyses and drillings indicate that the ice still exists within the talus. Evidence from field observations made during the period 1995–2001, revealed that large mass movements occurred during the driest summers (1998 and especially, 1999 and 2000) when the talus was snow free. These conditions suggest a direct relationship between talus stability and thermal insulation from the snow cover in areas where buried ice or decaying marginal permafrost exists.     

哈巴雪山自然保护区垂直气候带划分研究

依据哈巴雪山自然保护区及附近气候观测资料,应用气候学方法和原理,综合分析该自然保护区垂直气候要素,分析中发现,光照、气温、降水等气候要素,随海拔升高,垂直分异明显。依据气候特征的垂直变化,结合植被及土壤的分布,参照划分垂直气候带的标准,将保护区划分为7种气候带：河谷中亚热带、河谷北亚热带、山地暖温带、山地中温带、山地寒温带、高山寒带、高山永久冰雪带。分析结果表明：保护区垂直气候带特征分异明显,气候类型丰富多样;山地寒温带、高山寒带等地区,生态高度敏感脆弱。     

PLANT COLONIZATION IN CONDESA NIVATION HOLLOW, SIERRA DE GUADARRAMA (SPANISH CENTRAL SYSTEM)

The purpose of this study was to determine plant distribution at a nivation hollow located in a Mediterranean high mountain area and to analyse the effects of snow cover, wind exposure, proximity to moisture and the characteristics of the substrate on the vegetation. We analyse these factors and interpret concurrent effects due to recent climate change.
The nivation hollow, called Ventisquero de la Condesa, is located at 2258 m a.s.l., 40°47'10"N and 3°58'35"W, in the Sierra de Guadarrama (Madrid, Spain). We established 579 small sample plots in the study area, and grouped them into 29 transects where snow duration, wind exposure, availability of meltwater, geomorphologic instability and surface rockiness were examined directly and indirectly. The types of plants and the number of individuals per species were registered for each plot to establish ecological affinities among the 28 distinguishable species. Six showed the highest level of chionophily while nine showed the lowest adaptation to snow cover duration. A statistical study incorporating other variables applied in the research revealed that wind exposure, moisture capture and the intensity of geomorphologic dynamics have a highly significant correlation with nivation, while surface rockiness is a virtually independent factor. Due to environmental changes caused by recent global warming, several plant species, especially adapted to survival in snow conditions, coexist in the hollow with saxicolous plants that have invaded the site from adjacent grass and shrublands.     

The environmental protection of landscapes in the high semiarid Mediterranean mountain of Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain): Historical evolution and future perspectives

Sierra Nevada is a protected mountain in the Iberian Peninsula classified as a Biosphere Reserve (1986), Natural Park (1989) and National Park (1999). All these environmental protection programmers are a consequence of its unique landscape in the context of the mid-latitude semiarid mountains, with enclaves of exceptional scientific and cultural value. Thanks to its high altitude, Sierra Nevada held the southernmost Quaternary glaciers in Europe, as well as it happened during the Little Ice Age. In turn, Sierra Nevada is also singular thanks to its vast cultural heritage, since very early societies settled on its slopes and valleys and accommodate their lifestyles and economy to the characteristics of this mountain environment. Currently, Sierra Nevada has become an important tourist centre and receives a large amount of visitors. This process of change has conditioned the implementation of a different economic model: it brings benefits to the populations but it involves changes in the landscape as well, sometimes questionable. From this perspective, a critical revision of the legislation is required balancing the sustainable economic development of the population and the preservation and safeguarding of the heritage values of the landscape. With this goal, we suggest creating and implementing the Sites of Geomorphological Interest.     

STRATIGRAPHY, DENSITY AND CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF FIRN-ICE AT DE08-A VERY HIGH ACCUMULATION SITE ON LAW DOME, ANTARCTICA

An approximately 195 mm diameter firn/ice core, 234 m long, was thermally drilled in 1987 austral summer at DE08 (66°43′S, 113°12′E) on Law Dome, East Antarctica, where the accumulation rate is about 1200kg/(m~2. a); 10m ice temperature is about-18.8℃. Analysis was mainly made at the site immediately after drilling. The snow stratigraphy at DE08 is characterised by the lack of coarse-grained snow and other distinct visible feature normally corresponding to annual layers. There is a smooth transformation from fine-grained snow at shallow depth to ice at about 80-90m which is greater than that at most other polar locations due to its abnormally high accumulation rate. According to the marked change in the trend of density with depth and in the crystal properties four stages of the transformation of snow to ice and development of crystal structure can be distinguished; settling stage (0-10m); sintering stage (10-90m); rapid crystal growth stage (90-170m); and dynamic metamorphism stage (170-234m). The     

近一千年来贺兰山积雪和气候变化

通过对历史文献中关于贺兰山积雪变化记录的研究,以及其他反映贺兰山气候变化的环境信息的分析,确认贺兰山地区西夏、元明时期为冷凉气候,积雪特征反映的气候变化与中国西部气候变化相一致。通过贺兰山与天山、太白山、点苍山积雪变化的比较,发现其时间变化过程和演化规律具有一致性,进而对12世纪寒冷期永久积雪下限进行推测。根据对一千年来贺兰山年日最低气温≤0℃日数的计算,认为12世纪寒冷期年平均气温较现代约低1.5²℃,推算当时贺兰山永久积雪下限为海拔3400³500m;以17世纪中叶为代表的小冰期年平均气温较现代约低1¹.5℃,推算当时贺兰山永久积雪下限为海拔3500³600m。     

RADIOCARBON DATING OF GLACIAL MORAINES USING THE AEOLIAN BIOME: TEST RESULTS AT BISHOP CREEK,SIERRA NEVADA,CALIFORNIA

Radiocarbon measurements on fossilized remnants of the aeolian biome, incorporated in glacial moraines in the Sierra Nevada of California, are consistent with the relative order of moraines at Bishop Creek, on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. Holocene ¹⁴C ages correspond with periods of more effective moisture according to paleoecological and treeline data in the range, whereas Pleistocene ages are penecontemporaneous with Heinrich Events in the North Atlantic. These findings must be interpreted with caution, however, owing to a number of uncertainties, including: evidence that younger contaminants are added to till matrix; the possibility of older contaminants; the effects of pretreatment on aeolian biome remains; and processes by which organics undergo diagenesis within till matrices in different biogeochemical settings. [Key words: aeolian biome, Heinrich Events, moraines, radiocarbon dating, Sierra Nevada.]     

南极威尔克斯地SGR钻孔处雪冰转化过程中的密度变化特征

本文着重描述了SGR钻孔处冰盖上的积雪在密实化过程中的特征变化,并对该过程进行了分段的和全面的回归分析.结果表明,冰盖密度随深度增大,但增长幅度随深度减小.作者提出密度变化减小度的概念.计算得出的所研究冰芯钻取点的密度变化减小度为-0.15kg/m~3·m~2,粒雪成冰前的密实速率平均值为4.08kg/m~3·a.本文得到的冰盖密度变化“临界点”与以往报道的有所不同.分析这一现象时,作者强调当积雪还在活动层时冰盖温度的影响,并以此解释密度剖面的异常变化以及离差的回升.特别指出,积雪的密度变化具有气候学意义,它在一定程度上能够反映出积雪形成及变化过程中气候变化的某些信息.本文由密度变化确定的钻孔点雪冰转化深度为50米.     

Microclimate, freezing tolerance, and cold acclimation along an elevation gradient for seedlings of the Great Basin Desert shrub, Artemisia tridentata

Vegetation, microclimate, seedling frequency, freezing tolerance, and cold acclimation were compared for seedlings of Artemisia tridentata collected from 1775, 2175, and 2575 m elevation in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California. Data were used to test the hypothesis that ecotypic differences in stress physiology are important for seedling survival along gradients from desert to montane ecosystems. The vegetation canopy cover and A. tridentata seedling frequency were greatest at 2575 m, compared to 1775 and 2175 m. Snow cover ameliorated temperatures near the soil surface for part of the winter and depth varied across elevations. Freezing tolerance was compared for seedlings maintained in growth chambers at day/night air temperatures of 25°C/15°C. The temperature at which electrolyte leakage and Photosystem II function (F_V/F_M) from leaves were half-maximum was approximately −13·5°C for leaves of seedlings from all three elevations. Shifting day/night air temperatures from 25°C/15°C to 15°C/5°C initiated about 1·5° of acclimation by plants from all three altitudes, with seedlings from the highest elevation exhibiting the greatest acclimation change. Measurements of ambient air and canopy temperatures at the three elevations indicated that wintertime average low temperatures were consistent with the measured degree of freezing tolerance. At small spatial scales used in this study, pollen and seed dispersal between study sites may have precluded resolution of ecotypic differences. Patterns of freezing tolerance and cold acclimation may depend on a combination of mesoclimate and microclimate temperatures, canopy cover, snow depth, and snow melt patterns.     

Avalanche prediction in Scotland: II. Development of a predictive model

The paper presents a method for predicting avalanche activity from meteorological data which is suitable for Scottish snow conditions. Two main types of avalanche are distinguished. Direct-action avalanches are the result of fresh snow accumulation and may release after approximately 200 mm of fresh snow has fallen over a period of a few days. They become extremely likely if a further 100 mm falls in a single day. Climax avalanches are the result of strength loss in the snow cover, due either to thawing or persistent cold. Thaws may produce an avalanche after only three or four days with maximum temperatures around 2°C. Alternatively, if maximum temperatures remain below ?4°C for over a week, and especially if cold weather persists for two weeks, slab avalanches of dry snow are likely to occur. Between these two types are several possible avalanche situations in which fresh snow accumulation is combined with high or low temperatures. Topography plays a passive role, and determines where avalanche activity is most likely. Free faces, smooth surfaces and slopes in the lee of major storms respond most rapidly to the onset of avalanche conditions.     

Snow Accumulation on a Small High‐Arctic Glacier Svenbreen: Variability and Topographic Controls

One of the main controls on the net mass change of land‐terminating Arctic glaciers is the magnitude and distribution of snow accumulation. In Dickson Land, region of Svalbard with the greatest distance to the sea, the issue has not been receiving much scientific attention for decades. In this paper, new snow accumulation data are presented from Svenbreen in Dickson Land from end‐of‐winter surveys. The measured winter balance was 0.42 ± 0.15 m w.e. in 2010, 0.50 ± 0.10 m w.e. in 2011 and 0.62 ± 0.10 cm w.e. in 2012. Snow depth and water equivalent have been analysed in the background of altitude, slope and aspect extracted from the digital elevation model of the glacier. On steep northern slopes (>15°) accumulation was the highest, whereas it was decreased on southern slopes with moderate inclination (9–12°). Elevation, which on many glaciers proved to be highly correlated with snow depth, explained only 17–34% of snow depth variability due to complex interplay between local climate and geometry of a small valley.     

Avalanche prediction in Scotland: I. A survey of avalanche activity

Avalanches are a common occurrence throughout the Scottish Highlands and have been responsible for several injuries and deaths amongst climbers and ramblers. The paper describes approximately 1000 avalanches which have been recorded over the last 200 years, the majority being observed in the Cairngorms between the winters of 1977–1978 and 1979–1980. Many different types of avalanche have been recorded, including slab avalanches and loose snow avalanches. Although the majority are comparatively small, a small proportion are extremely large. These may travel over a mile and involve a snow layer up to two or three metres thick and 200–300 m wide. Excluding small-scale sluffing from free faces, most avalanches release from slopes between 35° and 45°. Avalanche activity occurs during many different types of weather conditions, including thaws, cold snaps, storms and calm conditions.     

美国山地降水量垂直分布的研究

根据美国西部山地资料,依据宏观地理因素和局地海拔高度因素从各种气候区域和不同纬度上选择典型坡地研究了降水的垂直分布规律。     

南极瑞穗站上空动量和感热等湍流通量的观测研究

本文根据南极瑞穗站气温、风等平均廓线资料,利用相似理论通量一廓线关系计算得出了该站的湍流通量,并与西太平洋热带海域和北京地区湍流通量计算结果进行了比较。     

A paleoclimatic context for the drought of 1999–2001 in the northern Great Plains of North America

The least annual precipitation in the western interior of North America occurs in the northern Great Plains, including an area that encompasses parts of south-eastern Alberta, south-western Saskatchewan and eastern Montana. During 1999–2001, most climate stations in this region had record low precipitation. This paper examines this three-year drought in the context of historical climate records from Medicine Hat, Alberta and Havre, Montana and summer (June–July) and annual (August–July) precipitation reconstructed from standardized tree-ring widths (residual chronologies) from Pinus contorta (lodgepole pine) sampled in the Cypress Hills of Alberta and Saskatchewan and the Bears Paw Mountains of north-central Montana. Drought is operationally defined as precipitation in the lower 10th and 20th percentiles. Plots of reconstructed precipitation and cumulative departure from median values indicate a shift in climate variability prior to the twentieth century, when EuroCanadians settled in this region. The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are characterized by sustained periods of progressively wetter and drier conditions, including prolonged drought. Various archival sources document the significant impacts of these prolonged droughts. While drought was frequent in the twentieth century, it tended to be of short duration and the impacts also were ameliorated by intervening periods of relatively high precipitation. Increasing aridity in response to global warming could expose a larger area of the northern Great Plains to the impacts of drought.