Groundwater-flow modeling in the Yucatan karstic aquifer, Mexico

The current conceptual model of the unconfined karstic aquifer in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, is that a fresh-water lens floats above denser saline water that penetrates more than 40 km inland. The transmissivity of the aquifer is very high so the hydraulic gradient is very low, ranging from 7–10 mm/km through most of the northern part of the peninsula. The computer modeling program AQUIFER was used to investigate the regional groundwater flow in the aquifer. The karstified zone was modeled using the assumption that it acts hydraulically similar to a granular, porous medium. As part of the calibration, the following hypotheses were tested: (1) karstic features play an important role in the groundwater-flow system; (2) a ring or belt of sinkholes in the area is a manifestation of a zone of high transmissivity that facilitates the channeling of groundwater toward the Gulf of Mexico; and (3) the geologic features in the southern part of Yucatan influence the groundwater-flow system. The model shows that the Sierrita de Ticul fault, in the southwestern part of the study area, acts as a flow barrier and head values decline toward the northeast. The modeling also shows that the regional flow-system dynamics have not been altered despite the large number of pumping wells because the volume of water pumped is small compared with the volume of recharge, and the well-developed karst system of the region has a very high hydraulic conductivity. Electronic Publication     

Spatial and temporal variation of the nekton and hyperbenthos from a temperate European estuary with regulated freshwater inflow

The aquatic macrofauna of the Guadalquivir estuary were sampled (1 mm mesh persiana net) at 5 sampling sites located along the entire (except the tidal freshwater region) estuarine gradient of salinity (outer 50 km). A total of 134 fish and macroinvertebrate species was collected but only 62 were considered common or regularly present in the estuary. Univariate measures of the community structure showed statistically significant differences among sampling sites: species richness, abundance, and biomass decreased in the upstream direction, being positively correlated with the salinity. Temporal differences of these three variables were also statistically significant. While a clear seasonal pattern (minimum densities in winter and maximum in spring-summer) was observed for abundance and biomass, no such pattern existed for the number of species. Mysids was the most dominant group throughout the estuary (96% to 99% of abundance; 49% to 85% of biomass), although fish biomass was also important at the outer estuary (36% to 38%). Multivariate analyses indicated highly significant spatial variation in the macrofaunal communities observed along the salinity gradient. These analyses suggest that the underlying structure was a continuum with more or less overlapping distributions of the species dependent on their ability to tolerate different physicochemical conditions. There were also significant temporal (intermonthly + interannual) variation of the estuarine community; the relative multivariate dispersion indicated that monthly variation was more considerable (relative multivariate dispersion >1) at the outer part of the estuary during the wet year (last 20 km) and was higher in the inner stations during the dry year (32 to 50 km from the river mouth). Since a clear negative exponential relationship was observed between the freshwater input (from a dam located 110 km upstream) and water salinity at all sampling stations, it is concluded that the human freshwater management is probably affecting the studied estuarine communities. While the higher seasonal (long-term) stability of the salinity gradient, due to the human control of the freshwater input, may facilitate the recruitment of marine species juveniles during the meteorologically unstable early-spring, the additional (short-term) salinity fluctuations during the warm period may negatively affect species that complete their lifecycle within the estuary.     

Seismic Hazard Estimate at the Iberian Peninsula

—?Seismic hazard at the Iberian Peninsula has been evaluated by using a methodology which combines both zonified and non-zonified probabilistic methods. Seismic sources are used when considering zones where certain calculation parameters may be considered homogeneous, as in zonified methods, while, on the other hand, earthquakes are considered wherever it has taken place, as in non-zonified methods. The methodology which is applied in this paper has been originally used to calculate the seismic hazard maps in the United States. In our case, it has been necessary to adapt the method to the specific features of the seismicity in the Iberian Peninsula and its geographical surroundings, not only with respect to its distribution and characteristics, but also with respect to the properties of the seismic catalog used.¶Geographically, the main feature of the result is the fact that it reflects both historical seismicity and current seismic clusters of the region. Despite the smoothing, maps show marked differences between several seismic zones; these differences becoming more noticeable as exposure time increases. Maximum seismic hazard is found to be in the southwestern region of the Peninsula, especially in the area of the Cape St. Vicent, and around Lisbon. The uncertainty of the results, without considering that due to the attenuation laws, as deduced from the other evaluation parameters, is quite stable, being more sensitive to the parameters b and m _max of the Gutenberg-Richter relation.     

成都市民消费结构与休闲活动关系研究

城市居民消费水平，消费结构会影响其休闲消费能力，消费意愿，消费方式，消费态度和休闲时空结构，文章以成都市7个城区歌舞，茶棋牌，电影及城市公园休闲活动调查为基础，探讨了城市居民消费结构及其变化与休闲活动特征的关系。研究结果表明，城市居民消费结构的改变对歌舞，茶棋牌娱乐活动影响最大。     

区域视觉形象识别系统设计的理论与实践

目前，全国各地正在兴起区域形象设计与建设的浪潮，但如何把区域形象信息系统地传递出去，这方面的理论研究大大落后于实践。文章就区域形象信息传递的有效工具－区域视觉识别系统设计的主要内容，设计的原则，设计的基本流程等在理论与实践上作了较为详细的探讨，并就区域视觉识别系统设计方案的经济学论证作了一些有益探讨。     

河南经济技术开发区发展前景与对策

文章阐述了经济技术开发区在区域经济发展过程中的作用。根据河南省经济技术开发区的发展现状和存在的问题，分析了加入WTO后开发区所面临的机遇和挑战，并在此基础上从开发区环境营造，运行机制，筹资方式，产业发展，城市建设等方面提出了加快河南省经济技术开发区发展的对策。     

土地持续利用的五维空间分析

土地资源的持续利用是人类社会发展的基础，文章较为系统地提出了时间，空间，用途，技术和制度是实现土地资源持续利用的五维空间，并对各维度的内涵进行了较为深入的分析。其中，土地持续利用的时间维主要表现为从伦理角度考虑如何在代际间合理分配土地资源，使代际间利益之和最大；空间维则要求实现土地利用在空间上的合理布局；胜任维要求将土地资源合理配置到各种用途上，从而使人们从土地所提供的产品和劳各中获得的总效用最大；技术维选择意味着土地利用的直接或间接技术的选用能够保证土地的永续使用；制度维要求制度建设适应土地利用情况的变化，通过消除不同的土地制度之间存在着的外部利润来实现土地资源的最优配置。     

旅游信息系统建设模式探讨——以佛山市为例

作为当前旅游信息系统开发的两种主要基础平台，地理信息系统和多媒体制作系统都存在一定的缺陷。多媒体制作系统缺乏旅游地图的有效管理，空间查询，分析和统计功能，旅游地理信息系统则缺乏旅游信息的多媒体表达能力。从实用性和普及性出发，集合二者优点开发模式具有更大的推广应用价值。因此，论文提出在同一界面下基于GIS和多媒体集成的旅游信息系统开发模式；（1）在GIS中增加多媒体信息表达能力，以关系数据库为核心，把多媒体文件名信息存储在地理信息系统属性库，依靠多媒休段实现多媒体数据与地理信息系统图形和属性的关联，实现查询的基本概念；（2）在多媒体系统中开发部分GIS空间查询功能。以此思路，佛山科技学院GIS技术实验室利用VB进行GIS和多媒体二次开发，成功地完成了佛山旅游信息系统的设计和开发。     

Upper Oligocene-Lower Miocene shallowing-upwardlacustrine sequences controlled by periodic and non-periodic processes(Ebro Basin, northeastern Spain)

The lacustrine facies from two sections (Candasnos and Fraga) ofthe Oligocene-Miocene Torrente de Cinca lithostratigraphic Unit in thecentral part of the Ebro Basin (Spain) have been analysed to determine theinfluence of orbital parameters in lacustrine sedimentation. The unit ispredominantly composed of limestones and marls, and represents a shallowlacustrine freshwater system. The sedimentological features of the faciesstudied demonstrate that the lower part of the Candasnos section representsoffshore lacustrine subenvironments whereas the upper part, and the whole ofthe Fraga section, characterise marginal lacustrine areas. Series of stratalthickness variations of limestone, marl, and limestone/marl couplets fromboth sections have been analysed using spectral analysis. This shows thatinformation corresponding to periodic cycles only appears in the offshorefacies, that is to say, in the lower part of Candasnos section, and disappearsin the marginal facies where non-periodic cycles exist. Furthermore, thespectral analysis of the offshore facies highlights the existence of a peak inthe power spectrum with a period of around 7 (6.8 to 7.8) that can berecognised in the field as shallowing-upward lacustrine sequences.Magnetostratigraphic data from the Candasnos section allow us to establish atime span of 2,808 years for the limestone/marl couplet from the lower partof this section, and between 19,000 and 22,000 years for the periodic cycleidentified, thus representing the climatic precession cycle. Shallowingsequences from marginal areas do not correspond with any periodiccycle.