Carbon costs and benefits of France’s biomass energy production targets

Background

Concern about climate change has motivated France to reduce its reliance on fossil fuel by setting targets for increased biomass-based renewable energy production. This study quantifies the carbon costs and benefits for the French forestry sector in meeting these targets. A forest growth and harvest simulator was developed for French forests using recent forest inventory data, and the wood-use chain was reconstructed from national wood product statistics. We then projected wood production, bioenergy production, and carbon balance for three realistic intensification scenarios and a business-as-usual scenario. These intensification scenarios targeted either overstocked, harvest-delayed or currently actively managed stands.

Results

All three intensification strategies produced 11.6–12.4 million tonnes of oil equivalent per year of wood-based energy by 2026, which corresponds to the target assigned to French wood-energy to meet the EU 2020 renewable energy target. Sustaining this level past 2026 will be challenging, let alone further increasing it. Although energy production targets can be reached, the management intensification required will degrade the near-term carbon balance of the forestry sector, compared to continuing present-day management. Even for the best-performing intensification strategy, i.e., reducing the harvest diameter of actively managed stands, the carbon benefits would only become apparent after 2040. The carbon balance of a strategy putting abandoned forests back into production would only break even by 2055; the carbon balance from increasing thinning in managed but untended stands would not break even within the studied time periods, i.e. 2015–2045 and 2046–2100. Owing to the temporal dynamics in the components of the carbon balance, i.e., the biomass stock in the forest, the carbon stock in wood products, and substitution benefits, the merit order of the examined strategies varies over time.

Conclusions

No single solution was found to improve the carbon balance of the forestry sector by 2040 in a way that also met energy targets. We therefore searched for the intensification scenario that produces energy at the lowest carbon cost. Reducing rotation time of actively managed stands is slightly more efficient than targeting harvest-delayed stands, but in both cases, each unit of energy produced has a carbon cost that only turns into a benefit between 2060 and 2080.

     

卫星重力与地球重力场的文献计量分析

卫星重力与地球重力场研究是国际大地测量学的重要研究领域,不仅带动了大地测量学本身的发展,也在其他相关研究领域取得了重要的科学应用.以2000年1月至2020年9月的20年Web of Science核心合集数据库中关于该领域的科学论文为研究对象,使用文献计量的方法,应用CiteSpace软件对当前研究现状、近年来发展脉络以及研究热点进行分析.结果 表明,关于卫星重力和地球重力场的文献数量总体上逐年上升,2016年以来维持较高的水平,其中美国、德国以及中国的发文量位居前三位;发文量排名前三的研究机构分别为中国科学院、加州理工学院和美国国家航空航天局;我国在卫星重力及地球重力场领域的研究力量相对集中,中国科学院、武汉大学以及中国科学院大学发文数占中国总数的75.36％;利用GRACE数据和球谐函数构建高精度地球重力场模型,反演局部质量变化是当前国际研究热点.得益于卫星重力观测数据,全球重力场模型得到了实质性改进.     

山东滨州市冰雹天气分型和预报方法研究

利用山东滨州市7个国家气象站与61个人影作业站点观测资料,结合高空观测及探空、ECMWF再分析等资料,对2001—2011年滨州降雹时空分布特征、天气系统和物理量特征、降雹形势分型和预报方法进行研究。得出:(1)降雹日数年均8.6次,总体呈现明显下降的年际变化特征;4—10月可降雹,6—7月降雹最多;降雹主要出现在14时—翌日02时;北部沿海相对较多。(2)降雹形势主要有5种类型:冷涡型降雹、低槽型降雹、横槽型降雹、西北气流型降雹、其他小范围降雹。根据冷涡中心位置冷涡型划分为两个关键区;低槽型可分为前倾槽、阶梯槽、较深低槽、与中低纬度共同作用的槽;横槽型降雹范围广、破坏性大;西北气流型存在连续性。(3)4类13种物理量具有不同分布特征和变异系数,均具有较好的代表性。不同月份、不同降雹影响程度和影响系统,物理量具有较明显差别。(4)0℃层高度在1370~5331m时,7种物理量可用于预报冰雹,K≥17℃、T850-500≥25℃、LI≤2℃、SRH≥0.1m^2·s^-2、SSI≥240、SWEAT≥100、Cape≥2J·kg^-1时可能降雹。6月、7—8月和其它月分别有3种、1种、3种物理量指标组合可用于预报冰雹,物理量的组合和数值有差异。     

Impact of different sampling rates on precise point positioning performance using online processing service

In this study, the effect of different sampling rates (i.e. observation recording interval) on the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) solutions in terms of accurac...     

Evidence for the 8,200 a <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">b</Emphasis>.<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">p</Emphasis>. cooling event in the middle Okinawa Trough

Based on new and existing data on oxygen isotopes, alkenone-surface seawater temperature trends, planktonic foraminifers, lithology, and clay mineral composition of piston cores, a distinct cooling event has been identified around 8,200 cal a b.p. in the middle Okinawa Trough, northwest Pacific. This corresponds to the 8,200 a b.p. cooling event recorded in many places of the Northern Hemisphere. During this event, the local temperature decreased by 1°C, and the δ¹⁸O value increased by 0.6‰. A strengthened Asian winter monsoon is the most probable cause for this event, which thus adds further credibility to the contention that we are dealing here with a global phenomenon.     

Evidence of hyperpycnal flows at the head of the meandering Kaoping Canyon off SW Taiwan

Using seismic and Chirp sonar profiles, this paper tests the hypothesis that hyperpycnal flows are the main factor controlling the formation and maintenance of the meandering Kaoping submarine canyon off SW Taiwan. Cross-section geometries, and erosional as well as depositional features vary along the canyon course. In the proximal, sinuous part of the canyon, down-cutting into the shelf strata has created a relief of 340 m. The cause of this intense erosion of the seafloor is suggested to be the frequent development of hyperpycnal flows. A seismic section across a meander in the distal part of the canyon shows levees formed by overspilled sediments at the outer bend, and a terrace characterized by relatively flat stratified facies at the inner bend. The geological setting and climatic conditions in SW Taiwan (e.g. earthquakes, typhoons, floods), as well as major river–canyon connections (for example, direct input of highly concentrated suspended sediment) would all promote hyperpycnal flow generation. This causes axial incision, canyon wall slumping, and the formation of levees by spill-over deposition in the upper reach of the Kaoping Canyon.     

Sediment resuspension events induced by the wake wash of deep-draft vessels

Hydrodynamics and sediment resuspension events, induced at the shoreline by a deep-draft vessel passing nearby, are described. Measurements (pressure, currents and turbidity) were obtained at 4 Hz, on a lower beach ~50 m from a channel where large car ferries operate in Wootton Creek, Isle of Wight. The study focuses on a representative 8-min 32-s-long record, during which two large vessels passed the channel section. At the shore, the passage of each vessel induced a long-period water-level drawdown, followed by a water-level oscillation (seiche) of similar period, and the short-period waves of the wake. Both drawdowns were the main constituents of the prevailing wave pattern. The second drawdown was the largest in amplitude, in response to a higher speed of the ferry, and the influence of the seiche which had been activated during the preceding event. Two successive peaks of turbidity were observed shortly after this drawdown. Analyses of current velocity and direction indicate that the sediments resuspended originated from the shallower upper beach. Anthropogenically induced erosion of the foreshore is predicted at Wootton Creek.     

Simulation of urban expansion via integrating artificial neural network with Markov chain – cellular automata

Accurate simulations and predictions of urban expansion are critical to manage urbanization and explicitly address the spatiotemporal trends and distributions of urban expansion. Cellular Automata integrated Markov Chain (CA-MC) is one of the most frequently used models for this purpose. However, the urban suitability index (USI) map produced from the conventional CA-MC is either affected by human bias or cannot accurately reflect the possible nonlinear relations between driving factors and urban expansion. To overcome these limitations, a machine learning model (Artificial Neural Network, ANN) was integrated with CA-MC instead of the commonly used Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Logistic Regression (LR) CA-MC models. The ANN was optimized to create the USI map and then integrated with CA-MC to spatially allocate urban expansion cells. The validated results of kappa and fuzzy kappa simulation indicate that ANN-CA-MC outperformed other variously coupled CA-MC modelling approaches. Based on the ANN-CA-MC model, the urban area in South Auckland is predicted to expand to 1340.55 ha in 2026 at the expense of non-urban areas, mostly grassland and open-bare land. Most of the future expansion will take place within the planned new urban growth zone.     

车载移动测量系统在大比例尺地形图数学精度检测中的应用

研究了车载移动测量系统在大比例尺地形图数学精度检测中的应用。首先在小范围内对其进行了相关试验,得到其有效性后,对某市全市域的地形图进行了抽样检测;对车载移动测量检验与常规方法检验在外业数据采集、内业数据处理及存储量等几方面进行了比较,分析了车载移动测量检验方法的优劣性,为提高测绘质检效率提供了一种新方案。     

Assessing conservation practices in Amalacaxco Gorge (Izta-Popo National Park,Central Mexico) using fallout ~(137)Cs and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL)

This study aims to assess conservation practices in Izta-Popo National Park(Central Mexico) by evaluating the mechanisms of sediment transfer. We applied a methodology based on fallout ~(137)Cs and optically stimulated luminescence(OSL) analysis. This was tested in the upper catchment of Amalacaxco Gorge, selected for being one of the sectors of the park in which man-made actions have been implemented in last decades to favor forest growth in the alpine grassland and to reduce the effect of water runoff. We quantified the ~(137)Cs activity using gamma and beta spectrometry of fine sediment grains extracted from the surface of parcels of 0.4 m2 in areas of natural forest, natural alpine grassland, alpine grassland with conservation practices, ravines and trails. In general, ~(137)Cs values increases as local slope decreases as it was expected. The natural forest is the most stable area in terms of soil erosion and sediment accumulation and, mean ~(137)Cs activity was taken as reference to assess cumulative zones, with higher ~(137)Cs values and erosive, with lower. We found that trails are accumulative surfaces but in other areas, erosion predominates. Man-made ditches, trenches and afforestation in the alpine grassland have higher ~(137)Cs values than thenatural grassland, which indicates that conservation practices are limiting the sediment transfer from hillslopes to channels, however, soil retention is less than in the natural grassland. Additionally, we evaluated the luminescence(OSL) values obtained from samples extracted from the sediment transported in ravines that are cutting into different sectors of the study area to assess the grade of resetting of fluvial materials. These luminescence results indicated that the sediment transported in ravines that are cutting into the natural forest and alpine grassland is bleached more efficiently than the sediment transported in the alpine grassland with conservation practices. Results of fallout ~(137)Cs and luminescence strongly suggest that man-made actions in this part of the Izta-Popo National Park are dramatically modifying the natural mechanisms of sediment transfer and favoring soil erosion. We conclude that made ditches, trenches and afforestation are not an effective conservation practice in Amalacaxco Gorge because they are promoting soil erosion instead of reducing it.