气候变化对喜马拉雅中部甘达基河流域濒危物种的影响预测（英文）

甘达基河流域位于喜马拉雅山脉中部,是众多濒危野生物种的重要栖息地。然而气候变化使该流域的生态环境变得愈发脆弱。本研究利用最大熵物种分布模型(Max Ent)评估气候变化对喜马拉雅黑熊(Ursus thibetanus laniger)和印度花豹(Panthera pardus fusca)等濒危物种空间分布变化的潜在影响。研究基于物种出没地点、生物气候和地形(海拔、坡度和坡向)等数据拟合模拟并预测物种在目前与未来的潜在分布情况。研究结果显示,目前喜马拉雅黑熊的高度适宜区面积约为1642 km²,占流域面积的5.01%,预计至2050年,其高度适宜区面积在甘达基河流域内将会增加约51 km²;印度花豹的高度适宜区面积约为3999 km²,占流域面积的12.19%,预计至2050年可能会增加到4806 km²。喜马拉雅黑熊的栖息地面积可能会在研究区域的东部(伯塞里、塔托潘尼和班塞以北)增加,而在东部(颂当、切坎帕)、西部(布尔提邦和波邦)和北部(桑波切、玛南、切坎帕)减少;印度花豹的栖息地面积则将在研究...     

外资和尼泊尔本土能源项目建设状况遥感对比监测研究（英文）

外资在发展中国家水电站建设中发挥着重要作用。外资在水电站建设过程中会遇到哪些新问题,已成为国际投资者关注的重要问题之一。为了解决这一问题,本文比较了尼泊尔上崔树里3A水电站（由中国政府银行全额出资）和拉苏瓦加迪电站（由尼泊尔拉苏瓦区当地政府银行出资）的建设情况。利用道路、建筑物、大坝和车辆等指标,采用目视判读方法,从2012年至2020年的1m分辨率高分遥感影像中提取监测指标,对比监测两座水电站的建设情况。采用两种方法对比监测了两座电站建设对生态环境的影响。首先,在两个电站建设期内（上崔树里3A水电站监测周期为2012年至2020年,拉苏瓦加迪电站监测周期为2014年至2020年）,利用30 m Landsat 7/8卫星数据,对比评估了两座电站建设期内的归一化植被指数变化情况。然后,利用1 m分辨率高分遥感影像,采用目视判读方法,对比监测两座电站周边的土地利用变化情况。最后,分析和比较影响这两个电站施工过程、环境影响和社会经济影响的因素。结果表明：（1）尽管地质灾害、新冠疫情、印度政府禁令等诸多因素影响了尼泊尔各项目的建设,中国投资的上崔树里3A水电站与尼泊尔本土投资的拉苏瓦加迪电站...     

Some expanding and shearing viscous fluid cosmological models in general relativity

Two cylindrically-symmetric cosmological models representing viscous fluid distributions when free-gravitational field of typeD where coefficient of shear viscosity is assumed to be proportional to the rate of expansion, are obtained. The behaviour of the models in the absence of viscosity and other physical properties are also discussed.     

Clashing interpretations of REDD+ “results” in the Amazon Fund

Results-based funding (RBF) is a governance concept that is rapidly becoming the mainstream paradigm for international collaborations in the environmental sector. While portrayed as a compromise solution between market-based mechanisms and unconditional donations, the implementation of RBF is revealing new conflicts and contradictions of its own. This paper explores the application of RBF for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) by describing the discursive conflicts between recipient (i.e., Brazil) and donor (i.e., Norway and Germany) countries of the Amazon Fund about what constitutes “results” or “performance.” Although all parties agree that the financial transfers to RBF should be based on past emission reductions in relation to a historical baseline, they hold clashing interpretations about temporal (i.e., past or future) and epistemological (i.e., how to measure) aspects of the results these payments are intended for. Firstly, while Brazil emphasizes that it deserves a reward of USD 21 billion for results achieved between 2006 and 2016, donor countries have indicated an interest in paying only for most recent results as a way to incentivize further reductions. Secondly, while all parties believe that Amazon Fund should support policies to reduce deforestation, donor countries have revealed concerns that the performance of the Amazon Fund projects in generating further reductions has not been measured in a rigorous manner. This suggests that donor countries may consider making changes to current RBF mechanisms or getting involved in new forms of finance.     

Lidar observation of aerosol stratification in the lower troposphere over Pune during pre-monsoon season of 2006

Lidar observations of aerosol vertical distributions in the lower troposphere along with observations of horizontal and vertical winds from collocated UHF radar (Wind Profiler) over a tropical Indian station, Pune during the pre-monsoon season (March–May) of 2006 as part of an ISRO-GBP national campaign (ICARB) have been examined. Lidar vertical profiles showed high aerosol concentrations in the surface layers and a subsequent gradual decrease with height. Results showed the presence of an elevated stratified aerosol layer around 2000–3500m height which persisted throughout the months of March and April. Observed strong vertical gradients in both horizontal and vertical winds in the lower troposphere seem to be a possible cause for the formation of elevated aerosol layers. Further, high daytime temperatures accompanied by dry conditions at the surface help to enhance the aerosol loading in the lower layers over this location.     

Landslide susceptibility assessment of the region affected by the 25 April 2015 Gorkha earthquake of Nepal

Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25^th April, 2015. The main shock and many large aftershocks generated a large number of coseismic landslips in central Nepal. We have developed a landslide susceptibility map of the affected region based on the coseismic landslides collected from remotely sensed data and fieldwork, using bivariate statistical model with different landslide causative factors. From the investigation, it is observed that most of the coseismic landslides are independent of previous landslides. Out of 3,716 mapped landslides, we used 80% of them to develop a susceptibility map and the remaining 20% were taken for validating the model. A total of 11 different landslide-influencing parameters were considered. These include slope gradient, slope aspect, plan curvature, elevation, relative relief, Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA), distance from epicenters of the mainshock and major aftershocks, lithology, distance of the landslide from the fault, fold, and drainage line. The success rate of 87.66% and the prediction rate of 86.87% indicate that the model is in good agreement between the developed susceptibility map and the existing landslides data. PGA, lithology, slope angle and elevation have played a major role in triggering the coseismic mass movements. This susceptibility map can be used for relocating the people in the affected regions as well as for future land development.     

Landslide detection in the Himalayas using machine learning algorithms and U-Net

Landslides - Event-based landslide inventories are essential sources to broaden our understanding of the causal relationship between triggering events and the occurring landslides. Moreover,...