Incorporating stakeholders’ knowledge into assessing vulnerability to climatic hazards: application to the river basin management in Taiwan

There is a growing research interest on the transdisciplinary measurement of vulnerability to climatic hazards from the perspective of integrated river basin management. However, the incorporation of stakeholders’ participation, local knowledge and locally spatial characteristics into the process of such vulnerability assessment is one of the challenges faced by decision-makers, especially in developing countries. This article proposes a novel methodology for assessing and communicating vulnerability to policymaking at the river basin level through a case study of Tachia River basin in Taiwan. The authors used a multicriteria decision analysis to develop an integrated vulnerability index applied to a participatory geographic information system (GIS) to map vulnerability to climatic hazards. Using a GIS-based spatial statistics technique and multivariate analysis, we test the degree to which vulnerabilities are spatially autocorrelated throughout the river basin, explain why clustering of vulnerable areas occurs in specific locations, and why some regions are particularly vulnerable. Results demonstrate that vulnerable areas are spatially correlated across the river basin. Moreover, exposure, biophysical sensitivity, land uses and adaptive capacity are key factors contributing to the formation of localized ‘hot spots’ of similarly and particularly vulnerable areas. Finally, we discuss how the findings provide direction for more effective approaches to river basin planning and management.     

Bioaccumulation of trace metals in the submarine hydrothermal vent crab Xenograpsus testudinatus off Kueishan Island, Taiwan

The concentrations of ten trace metals were determined in the gills, muscles, hepatopancreas, and exoskeleton tissues of Xenograpsus testudinatus that lives around shallow and acidic hydrothermal vents off Kueishan Island, northeastern Taiwan. The analytical results demonstrate that the metal concentrations vary significantly with the type of crab tissue. The concentrations of Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn are highest in the gills, whereas the concentration of Mn is highest in the exoskeleton. Cr and Pb concentrations are similar across the different tissues. The enhanced accumulation of most metals in the gills suggests the metal accumulation via the respiration pathway rather than the uptake of food. The results also reveal that the distribution patterns of metals in tissues are similar in the hepatopancreas and muscles, but very different in both the gills and the exoskeleton, perhaps because of the different pathways of metal utilization in the different crab tissues.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments of the East China Sea and their relationship with carbonaceous materials

This study measured concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments in the East China Sea (ECS) to investigate possible sources and fate of PAHs. Total concentration of PAHs in the sediments of the ECS ranged from 22 to 244 ng g(-1), with the highest levels in the coastal area and outer shelf. The observed PAH results showed elevated levels in both inner and outer shelf areas, a finding that is different from predictions by an ocean circulation model, suggesting that terrestrial sources are important for PAH contaminations in the ECS, while sediment resuspension, tidal changes and lateral transport may be important in affecting the distribution of PAHs in the outer shelf. The distribution of PAHs in the surface sediments of the ECS is similar to the distribution of carbonaceous materials (e.g., particulate organic carbon and black carbon), suggesting that carbonaceous materials may strongly affect the distribution of PAHs.     

Dynamic characteristics of monthly rainfall in the Korean Peninsula under climate change

Global climate change is one of the most serious issues we are facing today. While its exact impacts on our water resources are hard to predict, there is a general consensus among scientists that it will result in more frequent and more severe hydrologic extremes (e.g. floods, droughts). Since rainfall is the primary input for hydrologic and water resource studies, assessment of the effects of climate change on rainfall is essential for devising proper short-term emergency measures as well as long-term management strategies. This is particularly the case for a region like the Korean Peninsula, which is susceptible to both floods (because of its mountainous terrain and frequent intense rainfalls during the short rainy season) and droughts (because of its smaller area, long non-rainy season, and lack of storage facilities). In view of this, an attempt is made in the present study to investigate the potential impacts of climate change on rainfall in the Korean Peninsula. More specifically, the dynamics of ‘present rainfall’ and ‘future rainfall’ at the Seoul meteorological station in the Han River basin are examined and compared; monthly scale is considered in both cases. As for ‘present rainfall,’ two different data sets are used: (1) observed rainfall for the period 1971–1999; and (2) rainfall for the period 1951–1999 obtained through downscaling of coarse-scale climate outputs produced by the Bjerknes Center for Climate Research-Bergen Climate Model Version 2 (BCCR-BCM2.0) climate model with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emission Scenarios (IPCC SRES) 20th Century Climate in Coupled Models (20C3M) scenario. The ‘future rainfall’ (2000–2099) is obtained through downscaling of climate outputs projected by the BCCR-BCM2.0 with the A2 emission scenario. For downscaling of coarse-scale climate outputs to basin-scale rainfall, a K-nearest neighbor (K-NN) technique is used. Examination of the nature of rainfall dynamics is made through application of four methods: autocorrelation function, phase space reconstruction, correlation dimension, and close returns plot. The results are somewhat mixed, depending upon the method, as to whether the rainfall dynamics are chaotic or stochastic; however, the dynamics of the future rainfall seem more on the chaotic side than on the stochastic side, and more so when compared to that of the present rainfall.     

The Cenozoic on-shore basins of Northern Vietnam: Biostratigraphy,vertebrate and invertebrate faunas

A first account of paleontological data from three Cenozoic on-shore basins in Northern Vietnam, i.e. the Na Duong, Cao Bang, and Hang Mon basins, reveals a rich fossil fauna and flora of supposed Oligocene age, offering a great potential for taxonomic, paleoenvironmental, and paleobiogeographic studies. Two excavation campaigns unearthed well-preserved fossil remains of mammals, crocodiles, at least six turtle species, some 20 fish taxa, some other 20 mollusc species, and different plant remains. The majority of these taxa are regarded as new to science. However, close affinities to modern faunas of northern Southeast Asia demonstrate the importance of these fossils for an evaluation of the biological history of this modern biodiversity hot spot. Moreover, the fossil assemblages may help to disentangle the intricate Cenozoic tectonic evolution of Southeast Asia by application of paleobiogeographic modelling. Finally, the discovery of complex paleo-food-webs and the presence of several taxa indicative of certain ecological conditions provide a solid base for autecologic, synecologic and paleoclimatic studies. The potential biostratigraphic value of the macrofauna has to be demonstrated yet, as evolutionary concepts for most of the respective groups have not been proposed to date.     

Conceptualising the Migration–Food Security Nexus: Lessons from Nepal and Vanuatu

In the past decade, international development practitioners have increasingly argued that migration improves the food security of households at origin, by providing the capital necessary for agricultural intensification or food purchase. These debates have occurred largely in isolation from a discussion of the values that underpin food production and consumption in the communities that migrants call home. We question the assumption that a shift from an agricultural-based economy to an economy based on remittances increases the ability of communities to secure access to food in the face of rapid economic and cultural change. In this paper, we present two independently conducted studies from Nepal and Vanuatu that investigate the impact of out-migration on local perceptions of agricultural and residential land and the meaning given to food security. Our data reveal that the value changes associated with large-scale out-migration have the potential to make the agricultural sector at origin more vulnerable, unproductive, unsustainable or unattractive, leaving a longer-term impact on food security. We offer some reflections on the implications of these findings for the structure of the migration–food security nexus.     

Enhancement of particulate organic carbon export flux induced by atmospheric forcing in the subtropical oligotrophic northwest Pacific Ocean

The effects of extreme atmospheric forcing on the export flux of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the warm oligotrophic nitrogen-limited northwest Pacific Ocean were examined in 2007 during the spring Asian dust storm period. Several strong northeast monsoon events (maximum sustained wind speeds approaching 16.7 m s^? 1, and gusts up to 19.0 m s^? 1) accompanied by dust storms occurred during a 1-month period. The cold stormy events decreased surface water temperature and induced strong wind-driven vertical mixing of the water column, resulting in nutrient entrainment into the mixed layer from subsurface waters. As a result, the export flux of POC ranged from 49 to 98 (average value = 71 ± 16) mg m^? 2 day^? 1, approximately 2–3 times greater than average values in other seasons. As dry and wet deposition of nitrogen attributable to Asian dust storm events does not account for the associated increases in POC stocks in this N-limited oligotrophic oceanic region, the enhancement of POC flux must have been caused by nutrient entrainment from subsurface waters because of the high winds accompanying the dust storm events.     

Analytical solution of water table fluctuations above an inclined leaky layer due to ditch recharge

Ditch recharge is a method used for raising a water table. However, if the aquifer lies above a leaky layer, then the leaky bed will have an effect on the height of the water table. This paper attempts to provide an analytical solution of the transient state to the linearized Boussinesq equation. The solution proposed in this paper is intended for a generalized form of the leaky layer, with the boundary condition of the water level moving according to an exponential form. The results of theoretical analysis and experimental studies can provide a much better explanation of ditch recharge on an inclined leaky layer. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.