Marine conservation challenges in an era of economic crisis and geopolitical instability: The case of the Mediterranean Sea

In the Mediterranean Sea, socio-economic drivers may accelerate the process of exclusive economic zone (EEZ) declarations. Despite the challenges, the EEZ declarations may provide important opportunities for leveraging change to national policy towards the development of large-scale conservation of marine ecosystems and biodiversity in this zone. Using the Mediterranean Sea as a case study, we aim to highlight a set of best practices that will maximize the potential for the development of large-scale marine conservation initiatives. These include a range of approaches, such as using surrogates to fill the many biodiversity data gaps in the region, further the development of consistent and open access databases, and the utilization of technological developments to improve monitoring, research and surveillance of less accessible and under-explored marine areas. The integration of Mediterranean-wide and local conservation efforts, the facilitation of transboundary collaboration, and the establishment of regional funds for conservation will further enhance opportunities for marine conservation in this region.     

An Experimental Study on A Trapezoidal Pendulum Wave Energy Converter in Regular Waves

Experimental studies were conducted on a trapezoidal pendulum wave energy converter in regular waves. To obtain the incident wave height, the analytical method (AM) was used to separate the incident and reflected waves propagating in a wave flume by analysing wave records measured at two locations. The response amplitude operator (RAO), primary conversion efficiency and the total conversion efficiency of the wave energy converter were studied; furthermore, the power take-off damping coefficients corresponding to the load resistances in the experiment were also obtained. The findings demonstrate that the natural period for a pendulum wave energy converter is relatively large. A lower load resistance gives rise to a larger damping coefficient. The model shows relatively higher wave energy conversion efficiency in the range of 1.0?1.2 s for the incident wave period. The maximum primary conversion efficiency achieved was 55.5%, and the maximum overall conversion efficiency was 39.4%.     

黑龙江省耕地非农化的空间格局与重心曲线分析

为了揭示耕地非农化的空间格局与重心曲线,为耕地资源保护和利用政策制定提供决策支撑,该文以黑龙江省1980、1990、2000、2010、2015年土地利用数据为基础,运用GIS空间分析方法,引入重心模型分析黑龙江省耕地非农化的空间格局及重心曲线。研究结果表明:1980—2015年黑龙江省耕地非农化发展不平衡,4个时期耕地非农化面积呈波动增长的趋势;耕地非农化等级空间分布特征明显,等级较高的城市集中分布在西部地区;耕地非农化速度等级的重心曲线在空间分布上,具有从中心向边缘延伸的特点;耕地非农化围绕中心地区进行,其空间扩散路径在图形上呈现出一个回旋状。     

基于GIS的人防工程管理信息系统的设计与实现

以长沙市为例,结合人防工程特点及人防管理需要,以全面提升对人防工程平时的管理能力和战时的效能发挥为目标,设计了基于GIS的人防工程管理信息系统,建立了系统总体架构,实现了系统功能。实践表明,该系统实现了人防工程在规划布局、建设管理、平战转换、维护使用等方面的支撑保障作用。     

虚拟天文台数据访问系统(VO-DAS)任务调度设计与实现

为解决异地、异构、海量天文数据无缝透明地统一访问,中国虚拟天文台(China-VO)研究小组自主设计并开发了一套解决方案——虚拟天文台数据访问系统(VO-DAS)。着重从执行流程、设计模式、Session机制、生命周期、资源销毁、异常处理等模块详细阐述了该系统的任务调度设计。为了验证该系统的可行性和性能,最后描述了多个天文科学范例。     

Pencil-beam surveys for trans-neptunian objects: Limits on distant populations

Two populations of minor bodies in the outer Solar System remain particularly elusive: Scattered Disk Objects and Sedna-like objects. These populations are important dynamical tracers, and understanding the details of their spatial- and size-distributions will enhance our understanding of the formation and on-going evolution of the Solar System. By using newly-derived limits on the maximum heliocentric distances that recent pencil-beam surveys for trans-neptunian objects were sensitive to, we determine new upper limits on the total numbers of distant SDOs and Sedna-like objects. While generally consistent with populations estimated from wide-area surveys, we show that for magnitude-distribution slopes of α ? 0.7-1.0, these pencil-beam surveys provide stronger upper limits than current estimates in literature.     

Retrieval algorithm for atmospheric dust properties from Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer data during global dust storm 2001A

We present a new parameter retrieval algorithm for Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer data. The algorithm uses Newtonian first-order sensitivity functions of the infrared spectrum in response to variations in physical parameters to fit a model spectrum to the data at 499, 1099, and 1301 cm⁻¹. The algorithm iteratively fits the model spectrum to data to simultaneously retrieve dust extinction optical depth, effective radius, and surface temperature. There are several sources of uncertainty in the results. The assumed dust vertical distribution can introduce errors in retrieved optical depth of a few tens of percent. The assumed dust optical constants can introduce errors in both optical depth and effective radius, although the systematic nature of these errors will not affect retrieval of trends in these parameters. The algorithm does not include the spectral signature of water ice, and hence data needs to be filtered against this parameter before the algorithm is applied. The algorithm also needs sufficient dust spectral signature, and hence surface-to-atmosphere temperature contrast, to successfully retrieve the parameters. After the application of data filters the algorithm is both relatively accurate and very fast, successfully retrieving parameters, as well as meaningful parameter variability and trends from tens of thousands of individual spectra on a global scale (Elteto, A., Toon, O.B. [2010]. Icarus, this issue). Our results for optical depth compare well with TES archive values when corrected by the single scattering albedo. Our results are on average 1–4 K higher in surface temperatures from the TES archive values, with greater differences at higher optical depths. Our retrieval of dust effective radii compare well with the retrievals of Wolff and Clancy (Wolff, M.J., Clancy, R.T. [2003]. J. Geophys. Res. 108 (E9), 5097) for the corresponding data selections from the same orbits.     

Analysis of Jupiter’s Oval BA: A streamlined approach

We present a novel method of constructing streamlines to derive wind speeds within jovian vortices and demonstrate its application to Oval BA for 2001 pre-reddened Cassini flyby data, 2007 post-reddened New Horizons flyby data, and 1998 Galileo data of precursor Oval DE. Our method, while automated, attempts to combine the advantages of both automated and manual cloud tracking methods. The southern maximum wind speed of Oval BA does not show significant changes between these data sets to within our measurement uncertainty. The northern maximum does appear to have increased in strength during this time interval, which likely correlates with the oval’s return to a symmetric shape. We demonstrate how the use of closed streamlines can provide measurements of vorticity averaged over the encircled area with no a priori assumptions concerning oval shape. We find increased averaged interior vorticity between pre- and post-reddened Oval BA, with the precursor Oval DE occupying a middle value of vorticity between these two.     

Determination of asteroid masses from their close encounters with Mars

An obstacle to the asteroid mass determination lies in the difficulty in isolating the gravitational perturbation exerted by a single asteroid on the planets, being strongly correlated and mixed up with those of many other asteroids. This hindrance may be avoided by the method of analysis presented here: an asteroid mass is estimated in correspondence with its close encounters with Mars where the acceleration it induces on the planet can be sufficiently disentangled from those generated by the remaining asteroid masses to calculate. We test this technique in the analysis of range observations to Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Express performed from 1999 to 2007. For this purpose, we adopt the dynamical model of the planetary ephemeris INPOP06 (Fienga et al., 2008), which includes the gravitational influences of the 300 most perturbing asteroids of the Martian orbit. We obtain the solutions of 10 asteroid masses that have the largest effects on this orbit over the period examined: they are generally in good agreement with determinations recently published.     

基于GIS的地震安全性评价数据管理的研究

目前的地震安全性评价数据管理方法过于陈旧,不利于数据的查询和再利用。通过对这一问题的深入分析,针对安评数据的多元性特点,结合GIS的优势,提出了利用GIS技术对地震安全性评价数据进行管理的方法,并设计出了数据库管理系统的基本框架。该系统的建立,将为地震安全性评价数据管理、查询和再利用提供便利。