Temporal and spatial variation of soil erosion in wooded rangelands of southwest Spain

Changes in land use are common in Mediterranean areas and are reported as having produced changes in the intensity of soil erosion. Dehesas are rangelands with a disperse tree cover, widespread in the south-western part of the Iberian Peninsula and similar ecosystems are also common in other areas with a Mediterranean climate. The aim of the present study is to analyse temporal and spatial variations of soil erosion rates estimated along three hillsides, located in two farms (Buitrera and Parapuños) in southwest Spain. To understand the temporal variation, soil erosion rates were studied in light of land use-management changes that took place during the last few centuries. Results indicate very low erosion rates prior to the 18^th century in both farms. In Buitrera, a first increase of soil loss rates was identified during the period 1831-1897, amounting to 7.4 t ha^-1 y^-1. A further increase took place during the 20^th century, reaching a mean erosion rate of 29.1 t ha^-1 y^-1. In Parapuños, data points to a significant increase from 1881 onwards, with an estimated mean erosion rate of 18.5 t ha^-1 y^-1. Those increases were presumably connected with an intensification of land use, such as cultivation and excessive livestock populations. Regarding spatial variation, the bare surface and the erosive power of run-off along the hillsides accounts for 76% of the soil erosion rates dispersion. At a local scale, the variability of erosion rates could not be explained, because of (i) uncertainty related to the micromorphology of the past soil surface and (ii) the role of tillage erosion in the past. However, the results obtained offer valuable data on the temporal and spatial variation of erosion rates in dehesas at the hillslope scale and a similar approach could be used for other rangelands with a disperse tree cover. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SOM拓扑保序机理的模拟弹性力分析

针对SOM内在原理和基本特性中一些未解决的重要问题,定义了输出阵列上神经元i承受的、正比于模式向量及权向量之间距离的2种模拟弹性力：输入模式向量对胜者i的拉力,以及阵列中胜者j对邻近i的牵动力;分析了弹性力的9个性质,对SOM学习过程中神经元权向量的演变过程及拓扑映射保序的机理给出了易于理解的、形象的解释。     

Geochemical and radioactivity mapping in Poland

In 1990 the Polish Geological Institute initiated geochemical mapping of the country aimed at determining the actual conditions of chemistry in the Earth's surficial environments (soils, water sediments, and surficial waters as well) and sea-floor deposits in the Polish economic sector of the Baltic Sea. The geochemical mapping on different scales covered the entire area of the country and selected more important urban agglomerations and industrial districts. Approximately 15,100 samples of soils, 16,200 samples of fresh water sediments, 14,600 samples of surface waters and 467 samples of marine deposits were collected and analysed. A list of geochemical atlases published by the Polish Geological Institute is presented. Investigation of the distribution of radionuclides (natural and artificial) has been done since 1992. Concentrations of U, Th, K, post-Chernobyl Cs and γ dose rate were measured. Approximately 20,000 points covering the whole country were measured. More detailed mappings were executed in the areas polluted by Cs.     

Quantifying temporal changes in Tornionjoki river ice breakup dates and spring temperatures in Lapland since 1802

Cryophenological records （i.e. observational series of freeze and breakup dates of ice） are of great importance when assessing the environmental variations in cold regions. Here we employed the extraordinarily long observational records of river ice breakup dates and air temperatures in northern Fennoscandia to examine their interrelations since 1802. Historical observations, along with modern data, comprise the informational setting for this analysis carried out using t-test. Temperature history of April-May season was used as cli- matic counterpart for the breakup timings. Both records （temperature and breakup） showed seven sub-periods during which their local means were distinctly different relative to preced- ing and subsequent sub-periods. The starting and ending years of these sub-periods oc- curred in temporal agreement. The main findings of this study are summarized as follows： （1） the synchrony between the temperature and river ice breakup records ruled out the possibility that the changes would have occurred due to quality of the historical series （i.e. inhomoge- neity problems often linked to historical time-series）; （2） the studied records agreed to show lower spring temperatures and later river ice breakups during the 19th century, in comparison to the 20th century conditions, evidencing the prevalence of cooler spring temperatures in the study region, in agreement with the concept of the Little Ice Age （1570-1900） climate in North-West Europe; （3） the most recent sub-period demonstrate the highest spring tem- peratures with concomitantly earliest river ice breakups, showing the relative warmth of the current springtime climate in the study region in the context of the past two centuries; （4） the effects of anthropogenic changes in the river environment （e.g. construction and demolition of dams） during the 20th century should be considered for non-climatic variations in the breakup records; （5） this study emphasizes the importance of multi-centurial （i.e. historical） cryo- phenological information for highly interesting viewpoints of climate and environmental his- tory.     

Reconstruction of cropland spatial patterns and its spatiotemporal changes over the 20th century on the Songnen Plain,Northeast China

We initially estimated the cropland area at county level using local historical documents for the Songnen Plain (SNP) in the 1910s and 1930s. We then allocated this cropland area to grid cells with a size of 1 km × 1 km, using a range of cultivation possibilities from high to low; this was based on topography and minimum distances to rivers, settlements, and traffic lines. Cropland areas for the 1950s were obtained from the Land Use Map of Northeast China, and map vectorization was performed with ArcGIS technology. Cropland areas for the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s were retrieved from Landsat images. We found that the cropland areas were 4.92 × 10⁴ km² and 7.60 × 10⁴ km², accounting for 22.8% and 35.2% of the total area of the SNP in the 1910s and 1930s, respectively, which increased to 13.14 × 10⁴ km², accounting for 60.9% in the 2010s. The cropland increased at a rate of 1.18 × 10⁴ km² per decade from the 1910s to 1970s while it was merely 0.285 × 10⁴ km² per decade from the 1970s to 2010s. From the 1910s to 1930s, new cultivation mainly occurred in the central SNP while, from the 1930s to 1970s, it was mainly over the western and northern parts. This spatially explicit reconstruction could be offered as primary data for studying the effects of changes in human-induced land cover based on climate change over the last century.     

1730年夏季黄淮地区暴雨极端事件研究

1730年（清雍正八年）7—8月,我国黄淮地区连续暴雨17 d,引起黄河、大运河和淮河暴涨、决堤的大范围洪涝灾害。这是小冰期中相对温暖时段气候背景下的极端气候事件。本文依据历史文献记载复原了1730年夏季暴雨时段的天气实况,绘制了暴雨区域图显示强降雨中心移动动态和水灾地域分布图,概述当年气候特点,指出暴雨事件与台风活动的关联。1730年是太阳活动周极小年的前3年、有重大火山活动,是极强的厄尔尼诺事件后的第2年。这些天气特点和背景条件与现代罕见的1975年河南“75?8暴雨”相似。     

2℃温升目标下中国排放配额分析

本文以国际社会当前所有主要分配方案为基础,研究了2℃温升目标下中国2011-2050年间排放配额,通过控制变量进一步分析了配额分配对于主要参数设置的敏感性。研究结果表明,在与2℃目标相兼容的RCP2.6路径下,到2050年中国CO₂累计排放配额范围为150～440 Gt CO₂,基于等人均排放的分配方式已经变得最不利于中国。为维护合理的排放权益,在气候谈判中中国必须坚持对历史排放的完整追溯。全球排放路径的设定对中国配额也有着非常显著的影响,当2050年全球配额比2010年排放减少40%～50%时,中国在2℃目标下CO₂累计配额范围为151～474 Gt CO₂,当减少50%～60%时为138～478 Gt CO₂,构成中国配额公平范围下限的方案受排放路径的影响更大。     

根据烈度分布确定华北历史地震破裂区的经验准则及其应用

地震破裂区是地震时沿发震断裂带的同震错动面或破裂面在地表的垂直投影区域,指示了震源断层/破裂的位置与尺度。确定过去长期的强震/大地震破裂区是鉴别地震空区、研究与预测强震危险性的重要基础。对于现代强震,破裂区可运用多种现代技术方法确定,但对于历史强震,破裂区确定的方法需要探索与发展。以华北地区为例,研究利用烈度/等震线资料、结合地震构造与震区地表地质环境等信息确定历史强震破裂区的方法,并开展应用试验。结果表明:研究区现代地震破裂区延伸的烈度区间与极震区烈度、震区环境之间存在密切关系,基于这种关系建立了2条经验准则,可分别用于根据烈度分布确定华北2类震区环境(基岩区和厚层第四纪松散堆积覆盖区)历史强震破裂区的位置与延伸。文中还提出通过综合地震构造、现代小震/余震分布等信息,辅助确定历史强震破裂区横向宽度的思路与途径。作为应用试验,文中确定了5次历史地震的破裂区,结果表明本文发展的经验准则及相应方法适用于华北地区历史强震破裂区的确定。     

Seismic microzonation studies for the city of Ragusa (Italy)

The seismic history of the city of Ragusa (Italy), the geotechnical characterisation of the subsoil and the site response analysis should be correctly evaluated for the definition of the Seismic Geotechnical Hazard of the city of Ragusa, through geo-settled seismic microzoning maps. Basing on the seismic history of the city of Ragusa, the following earthquake scenarios have been considered: the “Val di Noto” earthquake of January 11, 1693 (with intensity X–XI on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=7.41 and epicentral distance of about 53 km); the “Etna” earthquake of February 20, 1818 (with intensity IX on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=6.23 and epicentral distance of about 64 km); the Vizzini earthquake of April 13, 1895 (with intensity I=VII–VIII on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=5.86 and epicentral distance of about 26 km); the “Modica” earthquake of January 23, 1980 (with intensity I=V–VI on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=4.58 and epicentral distance of about 10 km); the “Sicilian” earthquake of December 13, 1990 (with intensity I=VII on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=5.64 and epicentral distance of about 50 km). Geotechnical characterisation has been performed by in situ and laboratory tests, with the definition of shear wave velocity profiles in the upper 30 m of soil. Soil response analyses have been evaluated for about 120 borings location by some non-linear 1-D models. Finally the seismic microzonation of the city of Ragusa has been obtained in terms of maps with different peak ground acceleration at the surface; shaking maps for the central area of the city of Ragusa were generated via GIS for the earthquake scenarios.     

Quantifying the epistemic uncertainty in ground motion models and prediction

The aim of this paper is to compute the ground-motion prediction equation (GMPE)-specific components of epistemic uncertainty, so that they may be better understood and the model standard deviation potentially reduced. The reduced estimate of the model standard deviation may also be more representative of the true aleatory uncertainty in the ground-motion predictions.The epistemic uncertainty due to input variable uncertainty and uncertainty in the estimation of the GMPE coefficients are examined. An enhanced methodology is presented that may be used to analyse their impacts on GMPEs and GMPE predictions. The impacts of accounting for the input variable uncertainty in GMPEs are demonstrated using example values from the literature and by applying the methodology to the GMPE for Arias Intensity. This uncertainty is found to have a significant effect on the estimated coefficients of the model and a small effect on the value of the model standard deviation.The impacts of uncertainty in the GMPE coefficients are demonstrated by quantifying the uncertainty in hazard maps. This paper provides a consistent approach to quantifying the epistemic uncertainty in hazard maps using Monte Carlo simulations and a logic tree framework. The ability to quantify this component of epistemic uncertainty offers significant enhancements over methods currently used in the creation of hazard maps as it is both theoretically consistent and can be used for any magnitude–distance scenario.