Coupled motions of the inner core and possible geomagnetic implications

As the inner core is a good electrical conductor any ambient magnetic field would diffuse into it on a time scale long compared to several thousand years, and conversely be frozen there on shorter time scales. From the observations that the dipole component of the Earth's magnetic field has been inclined persistently to the spin axis over hundreds of thousands of years, and that the dipole drifts and decays significantly more slowly than the nondipole field, it is suggested that the external dipole is simply a manifestation of a field frozen in an inclined inner core. It is shown that the much neglected gravitational restoring torque can be significant for an inclined inner core, so much so that its motion is in the main determined by gravity, with electromagnetic and inertial coupling effects being of secondary importance. A regular precession of the inner core is shown to be possible where its spin axis drifts westward relative to the mantle with a period of ～ 7000 y. Some preliminary calculations of the possible motions of a gravitationally coupled mantle-inner core system are shown.     

Population distribution and its change in Guangzhou city

Population density in Guangzhou City is characterized by a main single center and considerable differences throughout the 8 districts and 112 neighborhoods and towns. Historically, population density in Guangzhou City rose sharply, and population distribution was mainly influenced by the attraction of the port. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a series of large-sized factories were built in suburban areas, which drew in a large amount of population from the areas outside of Guangzhou. A small part of this population lived in the suburban areas while most resided within the city centre. As the natural increase rate of population was very high, the population density of both the city centre and suburban areas rose, the former rose at higher rates. Since reform and the opening up to the outside world, Chinese economy has grown quickly, the total population of Guangzhou has also increased quickly. Meanwhile, changes in population density within the city is becoming more and more obvious. Population density in the city centre is falling and in city periphery is rising. From the analysis of the population density model, it is found that population distribution of Guangzhou is in the process of transition from an early stage to a mature stage. Population decline within the centre city of Guangzhou City, which reflects a prosperous economy of the city, is significantly different from the recession of in the western countries.     

Characterization and assessment of the devastating natural hazards across the Canadian Prairie Provinces from 2009 to 2011

From 2009 to 2011, the Canadian Prairies were subjected to exceptionally variable precipitation regimes, ranging between record drought and unprecedented flooding. Adjacent regions concurrently experienced droughts and floods, and individual areas transitioned rapidly from pluvial to drought conditions and vice versa. Such events had major impacts; for example, damages from floods in the Assiniboine River Basin (ARB) have exceeded $1 billion, and forest fires ravaged the town of Slave Lake, Alberta. This study first characterizes, and then assesses, these devastating natural hazards in terms of their physical processes (across multiple spatial and temporal scales) related to both the spatially contrasting precipitation states and rapid temporal transitions between these states. Subtle differences in large-scale atmospheric flow had marked impacts on precipitation. Primary factors controlling the distribution and amount of precipitation included the location and persistence of key surface and upper-air features, as well as their interaction. Additionally, multiple events—rather than individual extremes—were responsible for the flooding over the Saskatchewan River Basin and the ARB. Very heavy rainfall events (≥25 mm d^?1) accounted for up to 55 % of warm season rain at some locations, and the frequency of heavy rainfall events was critical for determining whether a region experienced drought or pluvial conditions. This study has increased our knowledge of the characteristics, impacts and mechanisms of rapidly transitioning disparate precipitation states on the Canadian Prairies and will aid in better understanding both past and projected future hydro-climatic extremes in the region.