USERS′ PERCEPTION OF KOWLOON PARK, HONG KONG:VISITING PATTERNS AND SCENIC ASPECTS

1INTRODUCTIONThe importance of urban park in a sustainable urban e-cosystem is an aspect that, until now, has been well under-researched (BREUSTE etal., 1998). Public de-mand to improve urban environmental quality, howev-er, has risen. How to improve the livability of com-pacted and congested cities like Hong Kong, has be-come the focus of debate for scientists and poli-cy-makers. The study of the complex relationship of human-environment in urban areas, such as the behav-iors of park …     

Sensing with boots and trousers — qualitative field observations of shallow soil moisture patterns

While soil moisture patterns can be interesting traits to investigate spatio‐temporal heterogeneity of catchments relevant for various physical processes of soil–atmosphere interaction and soil water redistribution, many of the existing methods to capture spatial patterns are time consuming, expensive or need site‐specific calibration. In this study we present a quick and inexpensive supplementary field method for classifying soil wetness in wet environments. The seven wetness classes are based on qualitative indicators, which one can touch, hear or see on the soil surface. To counter critics that such qualitative methods are considerably affected by subjectivity, we performed systematic testing of the method by taking qualitative measurements in the field with 20 non‐expert raters. We then analyzed these in terms of degree of agreement and assessed the results against gravimetric sampling and time domain reflectometry measurements. In 70% of all classifications raters agreed on the wetness class assigned to the marked sampling locations and in 95% they were not off by more than one wetness class. The seven quantitative wetness classes agreed with gravimetric and time domain reflectometry measurements, although intermediate to wet classes showed an overlap of their range whereas the driest classes showed considerable spread. Despite some potential to optimize the method, it has been shown to be a reliable supplement to existing quantitative techniques for assessing soil moisture patterns in wet environments. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Robust date for the Bronze Age Avellino eruption (Somma-Vesuvius): 3945 ± 10 calBP (1995 ± 10 calBC)

We found Bronze Age lake sediments from the Agro Pontino graben (Central Italy) to contain a thin (2–3 cm) continuous tephra layer composed of lithics, crystals and minor volcanic glass. Tephrochronological and compositional constraints strongly suggest that this layer represents the Avellino pumice eruption, which has also been identified in Central Italian lake cores. Its provenance is corroborated by electron-microprobe analyses performed on juvenile pumice grains, showing that the tephra layer is probably the distal equivalent of the EU2 event of the Avellino eruption. We used multiple ¹⁴C age estimations of two lacustrine sequences with intercalated tephra layer, from the western border zone (Migliara 44.5) and the centre of the former lake (Campo Inferiore), for in tandem dating of this eruption, employing the OxCal code, which yielded a robust age of 3945 ± 10 calBP (1995 ± 10 calBC). To date, this is the only study providing both a terminus post and terminus ante quem of this precision, also demonstrating the advantage of dating distal tephra layers in a clear stratigraphic context over proximal deposits in sequences with major stratigraphic hiatuses. Our new results underscore the importance of the Avellino tephra layer as a precise time marker for studies on the Early Bronze Age of Central Italy.     

Reconstructing past fire regimes: methods,applications, and relevance to fire management and conservation

Biomass burning and resulting fire regimes are major drivers of vegetation changes and of ecosystem dynamics. Understanding past fire dynamics and their relationship to these factors is thus a key factor in preserving and managing present biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Unfortunately, our understanding of the disturbance dynamics of past fires is incomplete, and many open questions exist relevant to these concepts and the related methods. In this paper we describe the present status of the fire-regime concept, discuss the notion of the fire continuum and related proxies, and review the most important existing approaches for reconstructing fire history at centennial to millennial scales. We conclude with a short discussion of selected directions for future research that may lead to a better understanding of past fire-regime dynamics. In particular, we suggest that emphasis should be laid on (1) discriminating natural from anthropogenic fire-regime types, (2) improving combined analysis of fire and vegetation reconstructions to study long-term fire ecology, and (3) overcoming problems in defining temporal and spatial scales of reference, which would allow better use of past records to gain important insights for landscape, fire and forest management.     

Deep-seated gravitational slope deformation (DSGSD) and slow-moving landslides in the southern Tien Shan Mountains: new insights from InSAR,tectonic and geomorphic analysis

We investigated deep-seated gravitational slope deformation (DSGSD) and slow mass movements in the southern Tien Shan Mountains front using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) time-series data obtained by the ALOS/PALSAR satellite. DSGSD evolves with a variety of geomorphological changes (e.g. valley erosion, incision of slope drainage networks) over time that affect earth surfaces and, therefore, often remain unexplored. We analysed 118 interferograms generated from 20 SAR images that covered about 900 km². To understand the spatial pattern of the slope movements and to identify triggering parameters, we correlated surface dynamics with the tectono-geomorphic processes and lithologic conditions of the active front of the Alai Range. We observed spatially continuous, constant hillslope movements with a downslope speed of approximately 71 mm year⁻¹ velocity. Our findings suggest that the lithological and structural framework defined by protracted deformation was the main controlling factor for sustained relief and, consequently, downslope mass movements. The analysed structures revealed integration of a geological/structural setting with the superposition of Cretaceous–Paleogene alternating carbonatic and clastic sedimentary structures as the substratum for younger, less consolidated sediments. This type of structural setting causes the development of large-scale, gravity-driven DSGSD and slow mass movement. Surface deformations with clear scarps and multiple crest lines triggered planes for large-scale deep mass creeps, and these were related directly to active faults and folds in the geologic structures. Our study offers a new combination of InSAR techniques and structural field observations, along with morphometric and seismologic correlations, to identify and quantify slope instability phenomena along a tectonically active mountain front. These results contribute to an improved natural risk assessment in these structures. © 2019 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Climatological characteristics of the tropics in China： climate classification schemes between German scientists and Huang Bingwei

Reviewing some important German scientists who have developed climatic regionalization schemes either on a global or Chinese scale, their various definitions of the tropical climate characteristics in China are discussed and compared with Huang Bingwei‘s climate classification scheme and the identification of the tropical climate therein. It can be seen that, due to different methodological approaches of the climatic regionalization schemes, the definitions of the tropics vary and hence also their spatial distribution in China. However, it is found that the tropical climate type occupies only a peripheral part of southern China, though it firmly represents a distinctive type of climate that is subsequently associated with a great economic importance for China. As such, the tropical climate type was mostly identified with its agro-climatological significance, that is by giving favourable growing conditions all-year round for perennial crops with a great heat demand. Tropical climate is, hence, conventionally regarded to be governed by all-year round summer conditions “where winter never comes“.     

On the thermal history of a moon of fission origin

Model calculations show that the thermal history of a Moon which originated by fission from the proto-Earth is the same as that for the Moon as it is currently understood. In particular, a fissioned Moon currently has a small percent of partial melt or at least near solidus temperatures below depths of 800 km in accord with the seismic data which show that the deep interior of the Moon has a very lowQ. The models have moderate (20–50%) degrees of partial melting in the upper mantle (depths < 300 or 200 km) in the period between 3 to 4 × 10⁹ years ago and, therefore, can account for the mare filling epoch. Finally the heat flow of the models is 18 ergs cm^–2 s^–1 which is close to the average of 19 ergs cm^–2 s^–1 derived from the Apollo heat flow experiments. These findings add further support for the fission origin of the Moon.