巴基斯坦瓜达尔港气象要素特征分析

利用克拉玛依-瓜达尔友好城市气象站2018年1月1日至2019年12月31日逐日及逐小时气温、气压、降水、相对湿度、水汽压、风向风速观测资料,对瓜达尔港的气象要素特征进行分析。结果表明：1）瓜达尔港属热带沙漠气候,年平均气温为26.9 ℃,最热月为5—7月,最冷月为1月。瓜达尔港气温年较差、日较差分别为12.5 ℃和6.5 ℃,各季节间气温差异较小。其极端高温达42.7 ℃,极端低温为11.9 ℃。2）瓜达尔港年平均气压为1 009.1 hPa,气压最大值出现在12月和1月,最小值出现在7月,季节差异明显。3）瓜达尔港受制于副热带高压,常年干旱少雨,降水年季之间分布不均,差异明显。2018年年降水量为0.3 mm,集中于冬季;2019年年降水量为67.6 mm,主要集中于秋冬两季。相对湿度和水汽压年均值分别是67.3%和24.3 hPa。4）瓜达尔港年平均风速为2.4 m·s-1,白天风速大于夜晚风速。四季中春季风速偏大,夏季、秋季次之,冬季偏小。风向季节性变化明显,盛行风向除东北风外,还包括西南风。出现频率最高的是2级风,其次是1级风和3级风,6级以上大风出现频率为0。     

An appropriate multiple criteria decision making method for solving electricity planning problems, addressing sustainability issue

In the past, decision making within the energy sector, especially in Iran, was limited to economic analysis. Lately, multiple criteria decision making has gained great popularity. However, this is not enough to make a right decision by considering sustainability. This paper deals with designing an appropriate multiple criteria decision making method to address the multifaceted nature of such problems. This task is the second precondition to make a decision which meets the sustainability criterion. This is done by revealing new facts about quantitative and qualitative data and the degree of compensation between the criteria. Moreover, this paper illustrates the capability of different methods with regard to sustainable energy planning and management in two steps: 1) comparison of two main approaches in the strategic energy planning context; 2) evaluation of multi attribute decision making methods and combining them. Combining four methods including Analytical hierarchy process, Preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation II, geometric mean and weighted sum seems to result in designing an appropriate method which meets the sustainability criterion. These contributions are proposed for comparing the renewable energy technologies with non-renewable ones. Nevertheless, these seem to be applicable in any comparison between discrete alternatives in the energy sector.     

Design of small GPS drifters for current measurements in the coastal zone

Field observations of flows in coastal zone are scarce, but important for understanding the spatial variability of currents. The design of small, low-cost GPS drifters for collecting accurate Lagrangian data in the coastal zone is described. The drifters are intended for using in nearshore environments, lakes and estuaries over timescales of a few minutes up to several hours and are a low-cost alternative for applications which do not require drifter’s sea-going capability. Two field tests of GPS drifters in the south coast of Caspian Sea in Anzali port, Iran, in November 2008 and July 2009 were successful.     

Effects of Replacing Fishmeal with Animal By-products Meal Supplementation in Diets on the Growth and Nutrient Utilization of Mangrove Red Snapper

A feeding trial was conducted for 75 d to evaluate the nutritive value of a mixture of animal by-products(MAB) as a possible protein source in diets for juvenile mangrove red snapper,Lutjanus argentimaculatus(mean initial body weight,30 g). Fish were fed one of five isonitrogenous diets(40% crude protein) replacing 0,25%(MAB25),50%(MAB50),75%(MAB75) and 100%(MAB100) of fish meal protein with similar percentages of MAB. The MAB consisted of 25% cow liver meal,20% leather meal,20% meat and bone meal,15% blood meal,10% APC(poultry feather meal),8% poultry manure dried,1.5% choline and 0.5% chromic oxide. After 75 d of feeding,fish fed with diets MAB50,MAB75 and MAB100 exhibited significantly lower growth per-formance than that of fish fed with control and MAB25 diets. The optimum level of MAB was estimated to be 23%. Replacement of fish meal by MAB23% showed the following performance:maximum weight gain,510%;SGR,2.39% and FCE,2.83%. The MAB substitution up to 75% of fish meal protein in diets did not show differences in apparent protein digestibility(83.6% for MAB25,79.2% for MAB50,78.7% for MAB75) compared with control(83.4%),whereas in MAB100 group digestibility(65.3%) was sig-nificantly lower than in other groups. The apparent phosphorus absorption of test diet groups was significantly higher(37.1% for MAB25,28.5% for MAB50,55.6% for MAB75 and 54.5% for MAB100) than that of control(11.2%). The levels of protein and ash in the whole body,carcass and viscera increased as MAB substitution in diets increased,whereas lipids and moisture remained con-sistent among all treatment groups. These results showed that approximately 23% of fish meal protein could be replaced by a mixture of animal by-products for juvenile snapper growing from 30 g to 167 g in 75 d without compromising growth performance and feed efficiency.     

An Empirical Model for Significant Duration of the Ground Motions Containing Velocity Pulses

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - ln this study, two relationships have been presented for predicting the significant duration values $$({{D}_{{s5 - 75}}}$$ and $${{D}_{{s5 - 95}}})~$$ of...     

A framework for predicting abrasion rupture of crusts in wind erosion

Crusts play a crucial role in the reduction or control of wind erosion. In this regard, the resilience and durability of crusts are of prime importance. Crusts have high resilience and durability against wind flow shear stresses; however, they are prone to abrasion induced by saltating particles. Therefore, estimating crust durability in abrasion rupture has practical importance. In this study, a cyanocrust and a biocemented sand crust were subjected to a controlled flux of saltating particles for different sandblasting periods to provide a framework for predicting crust rupture. The velocity and pre- and post-collision energy of the saltating particles were measured using high-speed photography. The changes in the strength of the crusts after different periods of sandblasting were determined using a scratch test. The results suggested that the average strength of the cyanocrust and biocemented sand crust became 0.25 and 0.7 of their corresponding initial values after 30 min of sandblasting. Also, the average stiffness of the cyanocrust and biocemented sand crust decreased to 0.5 and 0.9 of their initial values, respectively. Furthermore, the amount of impact energy absorbed by the crusts increased by the deterioration of the crusts. Compiling the results of the wind tunnel experiment and scratch tests yielded an exponential equation which can be used to estimate crust durability in a given condition of saltation. Based on this equation, the cyanocrust and biocemented sand crust will break down entirely after 23 and 449 min, respectively, at a wind velocity of 6.8 m/s and a saltation flux of 1 g/s/m.     

Impacts of human activities and natural inputs on heavy metal contents of many coral reef environments along the Egyptian Red Sea coast

In order to monitor the heavy metals effect coming from both human activities and natural inputs on coral reef environments of the Egyptian Red Sea coast, metal concentrations in thirty- eight coral reef species and nearby sediment samples collected from seven studied sites were analyzed. Four sites represent impacted areas; included from south to north Hamrawein, Safaga and Hurghada Harbours and Ras El-Behar Area. Wadi El-Gemal represents natural input area while Qola'an and Kalawye Reefs are the control areas. Heavy metal contents were measured in both coral skeletons and nearby marine sediments. Both impact areas as well as natural inputs area recorded the highest values of metals compared with the control ones. However, heavy metal contents recorded high values in sediments of Hamrawein Harbour, while coral species recorded high values in Wadi El-Gemal area. Generally, metal variations in coral reef species reflect natural conditions and human activity. On the other hand, there are no clear relationships between concentrations of heavy metals in coral reef species and those in sediments.     

Deforestation Trends and Spatial Modelling of its Drivers in the Dry Temperate Forests of Northern Pakistan–A Case Study of Chitral

Deforestation is a major environmental challenge in the mountain areas of Pakistan. The study assessed trends in the forest cover in Chitral tehsil over the last two decades using supervised land cover classification of Landsat TM satellite images from 1992, 2000, and 2009, with a maximum likelihood algorithm. In 2009, the forest cover was 10.3% of the land area of Chitral(60,000 ha). The deforestation rate increased from 0.14% per annum in 1992–2000 to 0.54% per annum in 2000–2009, with 3,759 ha forest lost over the 17 years. The spatial drivers of deforestation were investigated using a cellular automaton modelling technique to project future forest conditions. Accessibility(elevation, slope), population density, distance to settlements, and distance to administrative boundary were strongly associated with neighbourhood deforestation. A model projection showed a further loss of 23% of existing forest in Chitral tehsil by 2030, and degradation of 8%, if deforestation continues at the present rate. Arandu Union Council, with 2212 households, will lose 85% of its forest. Local communities have limited income resources and high poverty and are heavily dependent on non-timber forest products for their livelihoods. Continued deforestation will further worsen their livelihood conditions, thus improved conservation efforts are essential.     

Integrated risk assessment of urban water supply systems from source to tap

Urban water supply systems (UWSS) are generally composed of water sources, transmission pipes, treatment plants, and distribution networks from source to tap and usually are exposed to variety of uncertain threatening hazards. These threats can be divided to three main groups of natural, human-made, and operational hazards which affect either water quantity or water quality. In order to evaluate the reliability of water supply systems, risk assessment tools must be used to identify threats, their probability, and consequences and vulnerabilities of each element of these systems against the hazards. Due to the complexity and uncertainties affecting water supply systems and threatening hazards, a comprehensive and effective risk assessment method is required. In this study, an integrated fuzzy hierarchical risk assessment model for water supply systems (IFHRA-WSS) is proposed to assess hazards in a complex UWSS using a systematic approach incorporating both water quantity and quality issues. This model uses a hierarchical framework for breaking down the UWSS infrastructures to their interrelated elements to reduce the overall complexity of the system. It also considers uncertainties using Fuzzy Logic approach. Effects of functional interdependencies between different components of the system have also been considered in the vulnerability analysis. IFHRA-WSS incorporates the contributions of urban water experts in a group risk assessment procedure in a way that they can be easily expressed in terms of the qualitative and quantitative risk measures. Efficiency of this model has been examined in a case study which includes a large part of a drinking water supply system in a major city in Iran. This system includes all the elements of the UWSS from the delivery point to the consumption point. In the case study, different components and subcomponents of this system have been ranked based on their estimated risk values. It is envisaged that the results of the proposed model can help the decision makers to plan for effective risk mitigation measures.