Mediterranean fin whales at risk from fatal ship strikes

This paper reviews and analyzes ship collision records for the relatively isolated population of fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea from 1972 to 2001. Out of 287 carcasses, 46 individuals (16.0%) were certainly killed by boats. The minimum mean annual fatal collision rate increased from 1 to 1.7 whales/year from the 1970s to the 1990s. Fatal strike events (82.2%) were reported in or adjacent to the Pelagos Sanctuary, characterized by high levels of traffic and whale concentrations. Among 383 photo-identified whales, 9 (2.4%) had marks that were attributed to a ship impact. The reported rates are unusually high for baleen whales. The high likelihood of unreported fatal strikes combined with other anthropogenic threats suggests an urgent need for a comprehensive, basin-wide conservation strategy, including ship strike mitigation requirements, like real-time monitoring of whale presence and distribution to re-locate ferry routes to areas of lower cetacean density, and reducing ship speed in high cetacean density areas.     

Factors controlling the spatial and temporal variability of dust emissions

New field measurement techniques are allowing researchers to better understand how surficial properties affect the temporal and spatial variability of dust emissions. In this paper we review the current understanding of the dust emission process and present new field measurements that examine how three surface properties： roughness, crust strength, and temporal changes of surface properties affect dust emissions. These data were collected using three unique measurement systems developed by our team. Roughness exerts considerable control on the entrainment threshold and emissions of dust from a surface. We have carried out a series of experiments designed to quantify roughness effects on aeolian sediment entrainment and transport in a shear stress partitioning framework. Our results show that the model of Raupach et al. （1993） provides very good agreement with available data to predict the amount of shearing stress on the intervening surface among roughness elements, relatively independent of their size and distribution. However, element size affects the aeolian sediment transport process beyond that attributable only to the reduction of surface shear stress caused by the roughness. Additional interactions of the elements with the saltation cloud appear to reduce the transport efficiency and potentially dust emissions as well. The effect of crust strength on dust emissions was assessed using a newly-developed pin penetrometer, which can measure crust strength in-situ. Previous researchers suggested that variation in crust strength even within a small area could lead to considerable spatial variability in dust emissions. Our measurements showed that crust strength is highly variable over a scale of centimeters. This variability may help to explain some of the observed scatter in field measurements of dust emissions for what appear to be homogeneous surfaces. Variability of dust emissions in time and space was also evaluated using a new instrument, the Portable In-Situ Wind Erosion Lab （PI-SWERL） developed to measure dust emissions from soil surfaces.     

用于地震作用预测的弱震数字记录分析

本文中使用了麦迪奥台９０个小震的近震数字记录，这些小震分布在阿拉木图市附近，处在东经７６°４０’～７７°４０’和北纬４２°５０’～４３°２０’座标所局限的区域范围内。分析了ＣＫＭ信道水平分量Ｓ波振相的记录。对于所有被研究的数字地震记录，得到了如下动力学参数：基底最大位移的振幅Ａｍａｘ，与Ａｍａｘ相应的周期Ｔ和０．５Ａｍａｘ水平上的相对持续时间ｄ。这些参数是对于各个分量按每个滤波信道来测定的。编制了原始地震记录图以及最大振动分量的参数Ｔ和ｄ的整体分布。确定了７０％置信区间内的中值和误差。它们的分布接近于正态分布。对Ｔ和ｄ的研究表明；这些参数彼此互相关：周期愈大，相对持续时间的值也愈大。得到了Ｔ和ｄ与地震能级及震级的初步关系。     

A new approach for detecting and mapping sewage impacts

Increased nitrogen loading has been implicated in eutrophication occurrences worldwide. Much of this loading is attributable to the growing human population along the world's coastlines. A significant component of this nitrogen input is from sewage effluent, and delineation of the distribution and biological impact of sewage-derived nitrogen is becoming increasingly important. Here, we show a technique that identifies the source, extent and fate of biologically available sewage nitrogen in coastal marine ecosystems. This method is based on the uptake of sewage nitrogen by marine plants and subsequent analysis of the sewage signature (elevated delta 15N) in plant tissues. Spatial analysis is used to create maps of delta 15N and establish coefficient of variation estimates of the mapped values. We show elevated delta 15N levels in marine plants near sewage outfalls in Moreton Bay, Australia, a semi-enclosed bay receiving multiple sewage inputs. These maps of sewage nitrogen distribution are being used to direct nutrient reduction strategies in the region and will assist in monitoring the effectiveness of environmental protection measures.     

GPS天线安置方法和误差来源

本文阐述了天线准确定位的重要性，提出了影响天线相位中心与测站标志之间准确关系的误差来源，也提出了能够减少误差，检测粗差的外业方法和设备改进意见。     

塔里木地台西南缘皮山煌斑岩的^40Ar／^39Ar年龄及其地质意义

塔里木地台西南缘皮山县煌斑岩脉群为超钾系列的煌斑岩,侵位于元古宇角门片岩中。经~(40)Ar/~(39)Ar法测定,煌斑岩中金云母的等时线年龄为(231.7±0.3)Ma,全岩等时线年龄为(228.5±0.3)Ma。地球化学数据指示其源区为受俯冲     

ADULT DRAGONFLY COMMUNITIES IN TROPICAL RIVERS OF THE NORTHERN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA： SPECIES COMPOSITION, BIOTOPE AND HOST PLANT PREFERRENCES

1INTRODUCTION Manyfactorshavebeenlinkedwithobserved patternsofodonatediversity.Eachhabitatisdifferent andpresentsitsownopportunitiesforexploitationby welladaptedspecies(Krebs,1989).Theyaresensi tiveresponderstonewlycreatedphysicalandtogether withphysiogra…     

2004年9月28日加州帕克菲尔德M6．0级地震的初步报告

引言 2004年9月28日17时15分14秒(协调世界时)加州中部帕克菲尔德发生了一次 Mw6．0级地震。震中位于圣安德烈斯断层靠近戈尔德希尔附近的帕克菲尔德镇东南 11 km的地方(图1)。加州综合地震台网 (CISN)报告说,震源位于北纬35．819°,西经120．364°的8．8 km深的地下。根据余震的分布状况以及此次地震的地震图、应变变     

Towards an operational use of space imagery for oil pollution monitoring in the Mediterranean basin: a demonstration in the Adriatic Sea

Studies of operational pollution carried out by European commission - Joint Research Centre in the Mediterranean Sea for the years 1999-2004 are briefly introduced. The specific analysis of the Adriatic Sea for the same period demonstrates that this area has been characterized by a relevant number of illegal discharges from ships. After setting the historical background of the project AESOP (aerial and satellite surveillance of operational pollution in the Adriatic Sea), the content, partners and aim of the project are presented. Finally, the results of the first phase of the AESOP project are presented. The results seem very encouraging. For the first time in the Adriatic, real time detection of oil spills in satellite images and an immediate verification by the Coast Guard has been undertaken. An exploratory activity has also been carried out in collaboration with the University of Ljubljana to use automatic information system (AIS) to identify the ships detected in the satellite images.