Ingestion rates and grazing impact of the brackwater mussel Brachidontes virgiliae in Lake St Lucia,iSimangaliso Wetland Park,South Africa

Bivalves feed on a combination of phytoplankton and zooplankton and have the potential to impact considerably the planktonic biomass, especially when they occur in high densities, such as in oyster and mussel beds. The brackwater mussel Brachidontes virgiliae is numerically dominant during wet phases within Africa’s largest estuarine lake, St Lucia, in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park on the east coast of South Africa. The ingestion rates and potential grazing impact of this small mussel (maximum shell length = 2.5 cm) were estimated for both the wet and dry seasons using an in situ gut fluorescence technique. Ingestion rates were higher during the wet season (5.78 µg pigment ind.^?1 d^?1) than during the dry season (4.44 µg pigment ind.^?1 d^?1). This might be explained by the increased water temperature and food availability during the wet season. Because of the patchy distribution of mussel populations, there could be higher localised grazing impact near mussel aggregations. Results showed a potential grazing impact of up to 20 times the available phytoplankton biomass at specific sites. These high grazing impacts have the potential to deplete phytoplankton stocks in the lake, especially during wet phases in the northern reaches, where mussel densities are highest. This needs to be factored into ecological models of Lake St Lucia, because the system might function differently during increased flood events.     

Application of logistic regression for landslide susceptibility zoning of Cekmece Area, Istanbul, Turkey

As a result of industrialization, throughout the world, cities have been growing rapidly for the last century. One typical example of these growing cities is Istanbul, the population of which is over 10 million. Due to rapid urbanization, new areas suitable for settlement and engineering structures are necessary. The Cekmece area located west of the Istanbul metropolitan area is studied, because the landslide activity is extensive in this area. The purpose of this study is to develop a model that can be used to characterize landslide susceptibility in map form using logistic regression analysis of an extensive landslide database. A database of landslide activity was constructed using both aerial-photography and field studies. About 19.2% of the selected study area is covered by deep-seated landslides. The landslides that occur in the area are primarily located in sandstones with interbedded permeable and impermeable layers such as claystone, siltstone and mudstone. About 31.95% of the total landslide area is located at this unit. To apply logistic regression analyses, a data matrix including 37 variables was constructed. The variables used in the forwards stepwise analyses are different measures of slope, aspect, elevation, stream power index (SPI), plan curvature, profile curvature, geology, geomorphology and relative permeability of lithological units. A total of 25 variables were identified as exerting strong influence on landslide occurrence, and included by the logistic regression equation. Wald statistics values indicate that lithology, SPI and slope are more important than the other parameters in the equation. Beta coefficients of the 25 variables included the logistic regression equation provide a model for landslide susceptibility in the Cekmece area. This model is used to generate a landslide susceptibility map that correctly classified 83.8% of the landslide-prone areas.     

环境地质研究进展与展望

环境地质学与其他地质学科的最大区别是,把人类活动作为一种地质作用营力加以研究,这是前所未有的.面向国民经济、国家重大工程建设和城市化的快速兴起与发展,环境地质学科得到了迅速发展.关注气候变化、海岸带发展、城市化、地下水资源与地质环境的相互关系至关重要.要重视地质灾害形成发育的规律,特别是人类工程活动与自然地质作用相互关系的研究.地质灾害防治和群测群防,在今后一个相当长的时期内仍然是研究重点.持久地为社会、为公众、为政府服务,提高地质科学在环境保护中的作用与地位,提高公众对环境地质学的认知与认同,才能采取共同行动,为可持续发展做出贡献.     

导波式雷达水位计在潮位观测中的应用

文中简要介绍了雷达水位计的测量原理、分类和技术特点,并将其中的导波式雷达水位计和非接触式雷达水位计与传统的浮子式水位计进行了比较,说明了导波式雷达水位计应用于一些特定条件下潮位观测的优势。基于导波式雷达水位计设计了一套水位观测系统。简要介绍了该水位观测系统的系统组成、硬件设计、软件设计。针对该水位观测系统进行了计量检定,并进行了现场安装试验。在现场实验中将导波式雷达水位计数据与浮子式水位计数据进行比较,说明了采用该设计方案进行潮位观测的可行性。     

FIRST REPORT OF BERO ZECO ACTIVE FAULT IN GÊRZÊ, NORTHERN TIBET

In the interior of the Tibetan Plateau, the active tectonics are primarily marked by conjugate strike slip faults and north-trending rifts, which represent the E-W extension since late Cenozoic of the plateau. The conjugate faults are mainly composed of NE-trending left-lateral strike-slip faults in Qiangtang terrane and NW-trending right-lateral strike-slip faults in Lhasa terrane. While, the rifts mainly strike N, NNW and NNE within southern Tibet. However, it is still a debate on the deformational style and specific adjustment mechanism of E-W extension. One of key reasons causing this debate is the lack of detailed investigation of these active faults, especially within the northwestern plateau. Recently, we found a 20km long, NNW-trending active fault at Bero Zeco in northwestern Tibet. This fault is presented as fault sag ponds, channel offsets and fault scarps. Displacement of channels and geomorphic features suggested that the Bero Zeco Fault(BZF)is a dextral strike-slip fault with a small amount of normal slip component, which may result from the E-W extensional deformation in the interior of Tibet. BZF strikes N330°~340°W, as shown on the satellite image. The main Quaternary strata in the studied area are two stages alluvial fans around the Bero Zeco. From the satellite images, the old alluvial fans were cut by the lake shoreline leaving many of lake terraces. And the young fans cut across the lake terraces and the old fans. By contrasting to the "Paleo-Qiangtang Huge Lake" since late Quaternary, these old alluvial fans could be late Pleistocene with age ranging from 40ka to 50ka. And the young fans could be Holocene. The sag ponds along the BZF are distributed in the late Pleistocene alluvial fans. Also, the BZF displaced the late Pleistocene fans without traces within Holocene fans, suggesting that the BZF is a late Pleistocene active fault. The fault scarps are gentler with the slope angle of around 10° and the vertical offset is about 2m by field measurement. Reconstruction of the offset of channels suggested that the accumulated dextral offset could be about 44m on the late Pleistocene alluvial fans. Therefore, we infer that the dextral slip-rate could be around 1mm/a showing a low-rate deformation characteristic. The angle between the strike of BZF and principal compressive stress axis(σ₁)is around 30°, which is significantly different to the other faults within the conjugate strike-slip fault zones that is 60°~75°. Now, the deformation mechanisms on these conjugate faults are mainly proposed in the studies of obtuse angle between the faults and σ₁, which is likely not applicable for the BZF. We infer that the BZF could be the northward prolongation of the north-trending rifts based on the geometry. This difference suggests that the conjugate strike-slip faults may be formed by two different groups:one is obtuse angle, which is related to block extrusion or shear zones in Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes possibly; the other is acute angle, which may represent the characteristics of new-born fractures. And more studies are needed on their deformation mechanisms.     

风成沙纹的研究进展

近半个多世纪以来国内外学者对沙纹各方面有了详尽的研究,使沙纹研究理论逐渐趋向系统化和完善化。在扼要回顾了风成沙纹的研究历史的同时,分别从沙纹形态、沙纹形成过程和沙纹形成中的颗粒分异机制等几方面阐述了沙纹研究的现状及主要进展。最后根据沙纹研究的现状和目前沙纹研究中存在的问题,对将来的研究趋势作了初步探讨。     

风蚀地貌形态与过程研究进展

辨析了雅丹、风蚀坑等主要风蚀地貌的概念,雅丹是典型的风蚀正地貌形态,通过回顾雅丹地貌形态与过程的研究历史与进展,发现目前对其发育过程的认识尚不清楚,并且只关注了对残存土墩的观测和分析,没有充分重视凹槽的形态动力学过程;风蚀坑是典型的风蚀负地貌形态,特别是草原景观转变为沙地景观的临界阈现象,目前已经对独立风蚀坑的形态、气流特征、沉积物粒度以及植被演替过程等方面进行了初步研究,但由于风蚀坑形态是多因素共同作用的结果,需要由单因素观测转向综合分析其形态动力学过程.认为对风蚀过程机理及其模拟的研究中,在利用风洞模拟实验、野外观测等手段对风蚀过程微观尺度进行研究的同时,也需要加强通过遥感和GIS手段从景观尺度对风蚀地貌发展变化过程进行分析.     

基于以太网的高精度定位系统设计

针对现有多通道定位控制装置数据通信和组网能力有限的问题,设计一种基于以太网的高精度定位系统,以FPGA为核心处理器,结合高性能18位数模和16位模数转换模块、W5300网络通信模块以及PID控制算法。多台定位控制系统可通过交换机或集线器组网,网络传输速度最高可达50Mbps,能实现中心计算机远程设置位置控制参数,以及对位置控制数据的远距离实时采集与分析,不但成本低廉,而且操作方便灵活,适合复杂平台系统的分布式控制,并在测试中通过。     

The impact of cumulus parameterizations and microphysics schemes under different combinations on typhoon track prediction

This study examines the effects of cumulus parameterizations and microphysics schemes on the track forecast of typhoon Nabi using the Weather Research Forecast model. The study found that the effects of cumulus parameterizations on typhoon track forecast were comparatively strong and the typhoon track forecast of Kain-Fritsch (KF) was superior to that of Betts-Miller (BM). When KF was selected, the simulated results would be improved if microphysics schemes were selected than otherwise. The results from Ferrier, WSM6, and Lin were very close to those in the best track. KF performed well with the simulations of the western extension and eastern contraction changes of a North Pacific high as well as the distribution and strength of the typhoon wind field.