Natural-resource space: Differentiation, boundaries, types

Natural-resource space (NRS) is a set of resource-containing components of geographical environment as taken in a spatiotemporal continuum. We suggest different types and levels of NRS: global, national, regional and local; space of homogeneous resources, and territorial combinations of natural resources, and others. Borders are identified as really existing transitional zones between NRS of different types and levels, and institutional boundaries. Ecological-resource space is singled out, given a connectivity of national and regional NRS, with portions of transboundary geosystems going beyond their boundaries.     

Chemical composition of glacial meltwaters and river waters within the Aktru river basin (Gornyi Altai)

An assessment was made of the mean levels of major and trace elements and of biogenic and organic matter in glacial and river waters within the Aktru river basin (Gornyi Altai, Russia). The analysis showed a general tendency for an increase in mineralization along the direction from the region of alimentation of glaciers to the mouth of the river. A relatively abrupt increase was revealed in Al, Zn, Cu, Pb, Si, NO₂ ^? and NH₄ ⁺ concentrations in the source of the Aktru river and its glacial tributaries, with their subsequent decrease downstream. The mechanism for such changes is governed by the conditions of interaction of rocks with meltwaters and river waters.     

A comparative analysis of DEM‐based models to estimate the solar radiation in mountainous terrain

Daily solar radiation estimates of four up‐to‐date solar radiation models (Solar Analyst, r.sun, SRAD and Solei‐32), based on a digital elevation model (DEM), have been evaluated and compared in a Mediterranean environment characterized by a complex topography. The models' estimates were evaluated against 40 days of radiometric data collected in 14 stations. Analyzed sky conditions ranged from completely overcast conditions to clear skies. Additionally, the role of the spatial resolution of the DEM has been evaluated through the use of two different resolutions: 20 and 100 m. Results showed that, under clear‐sky conditions, the daily solar radiation variability in the study area may be reasonably estimated with mean bias errors under 10% and root mean square error values of around 15%. On the other hand, results proved that the reliability of the estimates substantially decreases under overcast conditions for some of the solar radiation models. Regarding the role of the DEM spatial resolution, results suggested that the reliability of the estimates for complex topography areas under clear‐sky conditions improves using a higher spatial resolution.     

A Voronoi neighborhood-based search heuristic for distance/capacity constrained very large vehicle routing problems

Local search heuristics for very large-scale vehicle routing problems (VRPs) have made remarkable advances in recent years. However, few local search heuristics have focused on the use of the spatial neighborhood in Voronoi diagrams to improve local searches. Based on the concept of a k-ring shaped Voronoi neighbor, we propose a Voronoi spatial neighborhood-based search heuristic and algorithm to solve very large-scale VRPs. In this algorithm, k-ring Voronoi neighbors of a customer are limited to building and updating local routings, and rearranging local routings with improper links. This algorithm was evaluated using four sets of benchmark tests for 200–8683 customers. Solutions were compared with specific examples in the literature, such as the one-depot VRP. This algorithm produced better solutions than some of the best-known benchmark VRP solutions and requires less computational time. The algorithm outperformed previous methods used to solve very large-scale, real-world distance constrained capacitated VRP.     

Stochastic model-based methods for handling uncertainty in areal interpolation

Handling of uncertainty in the estimation of values from source areas to target areas poses a challenge in areal interpolation research. Stochastic model-based methods offer a basis for incorporating such uncertainty, but to date they have not been widely adopted by the GIS community. In this article, we propose one use of such methods based in the problem of interpolating count data from a source set of zones (parishes) to a more widely used target zone geography (postcode sectors). The model developed also uses ancillary statistical count data for a third set of areas nested within both source and target zones. The interpolation procedure was implemented within a Bayesian statistical framework using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, enabling us to take account of all sources of uncertainty included in the model. Distributions of estimated values at the target zone level are presented using both summary statistics and as individual realisations selected to illustrate the degree of uncertainty in the interpolation results. We aim to describe the use of such stochastic approaches in an accessible way and to highlight the need for quantifying estimation uncertainty arising in areal interpolation, especially given the implications arising when interpolated values are used in subsequent analyses of relationships.     

Soil Iodine Determination in Deccan Syneclise,India: Implications for Near Surface Geochemical Hydrocarbon Prospecting

The association of iodine with organic matter in sedimentary basins is well documented. High iodine concentration in soils overlying oil and gas fields and areas with hydrocarbon microseepage has been observed and used as a geochemical exploratory tool for hydrocarbons in a few studies. In this study, we measure iodine concentration in soil samples collected from parts of Deccan Syneclise in the west central India to investigate its potential application as a geochemical indicator for hydrocarbons. The Deccan Syneclise consists of rifted depositional sites with Gondwana–Mesozoic sediments up to 3.5 km concealed under the Deccan Traps and is considered prospective for hydrocarbons. The concentration of iodine in soil samples is determined using ICP-MS and the values range between 1.1 and 19.3 ppm. High iodine values are characteristic of the northern part of the sampled region. The total organic carbon (TOC) content of the soil samples range between 0.1 and 1.3%. The TOC correlates poorly with the soil iodine (r ² < 1), indicating a lack of association of iodine with the surficial organic matter and the possibility of interaction between the seeping hydrocarbons and soil iodine. Further, the distribution pattern of iodine compares well with two surface geochemical indicators: the adsorbed light gaseous hydrocarbons (methane through butane) and the propane-oxidizing bacterial populations in the soil. The integration of geochemical observations show the occurrence of elevated values in the northern part of the study area, which is also coincident with the presence of exposed dyke swarms that probably serve as conduits for hydrocarbon microseepage. The corroboration of iodine with existing geological, geophysical, and geochemical data suggests its efficacy as one of the potential tool in surface geochemical exploration of hydrocarbons. Our study supports Deccan Syneclise to be promising in terms of its hydrocarbon prospects.     

改革开放以来中国农业政策效果的时空计量分析

Since reform and opening up, how much contribution has China’s implementation of new agricultural policy made to agricultural output? This paper is trying to establish an agricultural policy output econometric model for doing a quantitative analysis of China’s new agricultural policy. The results show that China’s agricultural policies on agricultural output have an average contribution rate of about 7% since 1978, which is consistent with the OECD’s basic forecast. There are obvious temporal and spatial differences. Generally speaking, we can divide the contribution of agricultural policy into three periods, which are the start-up phase from 1978 to 1991 (14 years), the stationary phase from 1992 to 2002 (11 years) and the rising phase from 2003 to 2008 (6 years). In space, the contribution of agricultural policy underwent a process from the all-low in the start-up phase, the gradual increase in the stationary phase to the all-high in the rising phase. Northern and western regions are more sensitive to policies. There are three major factors that can affect the contribution of regional agricultural policies, which are the process of national industrialization strategy, terrain and the level of local finance.     

基于聚落地名记录的过去300年吉林省土地开垦过程

聚落作为一种土地利用类型,是人类活动与自然环境之间相互作用的综合反映。新开垦区的聚落建立与农业土地开垦相辅相成,聚落格局演变可反映出土地开垦的过程。聚落地名,记录人类移居到新开垦区域时的直观状况,对于认识土地开发过程和恢复土地利用/覆被变化的历史进程有着重要的价值。本文根据地名志资料,将聚落地名依据不同的土地开垦类型进行划分,提出了土地开垦-聚落地名的分类方法,在此基础上辨识出土地开垦-聚落类型,即官垦聚落和民垦聚落,其中民垦聚落又可分为自发移民聚落和政府招垦聚落,并得到各类型聚落近300年来的时空格局演变过程,为认识吉林省土地利用/覆被变化提供依据,也为利用聚落地名进行土地开垦格局重建提供尝试。     

西南山地森林变化对洪水频率影响的模拟

森林砍伐和恢复改变了流域洪水形成条件,将影响河流洪水的总量与洪峰形态,但是选择合适的技术来进行准确的分析评价仍然是个难题.采用流域分布式水文数学模型(SWAT)对四川梭磨河径流过程进行模拟,得到不同森林覆被率的洪水过程和洪峰的频率分布.针对各种森林情境下的洪水过程模拟,发现对于中小尺度流域,良好的森林覆被可以减小洪水大小30％～ 40％,而且其中森林覆被率在35％ ～ 40％之内具有最显著的滞蓄洪效益,它与完全的森林覆被对在洪水的影响差异仅在5％以内,这对于我国西南生态保护与恢复工程的实施决策具有重要参考价值.     

Revaluation of the natural-resource potential of Ukraine

We provide a rationale for the technique of revaluating the natural-resource potential which is built upon the natural crop yield of Ukrainian lands obtained, with the observance of rotation cropping and by implementing the complex of mechanical tillage operations without fertilizer application. An assessment is made of Ukraine’s natural-resource potential within the context of three physical-geographical countries, four zones, three subzones, and 14 krais.