Heavy metals in freshly deposited sediments of the river Subernarekha, India: an example of lithogenic and anthropogenic effects

Heavy metal distribution patterns in river sediments aid in understanding the exogenic cycling of elements as well as in assessing the effect of anthropogenic influences. In India, the Subernarekha river flows over the Precambrian terrain of the Singhbhum craton in eastern India. The rocks are of an iron ore series and the primary rock types are schist and quartzite. One main tributary, the Kharkhai, flows through granite rocks and subsequently flows through the schist and quartzite layers. The Subernarekha flows through the East Singhbhum district, which is one of India’s industrialised areas known for ore mining, steel production, power generation, cement production and other related activities. Freshly deposited river sediments were collected upstream and downstream the industrial zone. Samples were collected from four locations and analysed in <63-μm sediment fraction for heavy metals including Zn, Pb, Cd and Cu by anodic stripping voltammetry. Enrichment of these elements over and above the local natural concentration level has been calculated and reported. Sediments of the present study are classified by Muller’s geo-accumulation index (I _geo) and vary from element to element and with climatic seasons. During pre-monsoon period the maximum I _geo value for Zn is moderately to highly polluted and for Cu and Pb is moderately polluted, respectively, based on the Muller’s standard. Anthropogenic, lithogenic or cumulative effects of both components are the main reasons for such variations in I _geo values. The basic igneous rock layer through which the river flows or a seasonal rivulet that joins with the main river may be the primary source for lithogenic components.     

Research progress on international rivers in Asia

With the regional population growth, socioeconomic development, more and more attention has been paid to issues on the shared water allocation and the transboundary eco-security conservation during the development of water resources in the international rivers. In this paper, the existing major problems on transboundary waters in different sub-regions of Asia, such as water shortage, transboundary waters pollution, fragile eco-environment are discussed. Then, the key scientific issues to be concerned in the next study progress on the basis of the analyses of the new research directions and focus fields are raised: (1) unpredicted changes of the hydrologic and water system, and their impacts on the allocation of the sharing waters by global changes; (2) models of the international cooperation on the international rivers on the studies of international and national water laws or regulations, policies, the relative experiences and the case studies; (3) quantificational assessment on environmental flow, available water, and the comprehensive functions and values of the international watercourse system; (4) studies on transboundary aquatic bio-diversity maintenance, transboundary pollution supervision and treatment under the rules and principles accepted by the riparian states; (5) issues on transboundary compensation at the rules of “payments for using”, “payments for harm” and “compensation for benefit”; (6) using advanced 3S techniques to promote the integrated watershed development and management; and so on.     

Early Holocene water budget of the Nakuru-Elmenteita basin, Central Kenya Rift

The Nakuru-Elmenteita basin in the Central Kenya Rift, contains two shallow, alkaline lakes, Lake Nakuru (1770 m above sea level) and Lake Elmenteita (1786 m). Ancient shorelines and lake sediments at 1940 m suggest that these two lakes formed a single large and deep lake as a result of a wetter climate during the early Holocene. Here, we used a hydrological model to compare the precipitation–evaporation balance during the early Holocene to today. Assuming that the Nakuru-Elmenteita basin was hydrologically closed, as it is today, the most likely climate scenario includes a 45% increase in mean-annual precipitation, a 0.5°C decrease in air temperature, and an increase of 9% in cloud coverage from the modern values. Compared to the modeling results from other East African lake basins, this dramatic increase in precipitation seems to be unrealistic. Therefore, we propose a significant flow of water from the early Holocene Lake Naivasha in the south towards the Nakuru-Elmenteita basin to compensate the extremely negative hydrological budget of this basin. Since we did not find any field evidence for a surface connection, as often proposed during the last 70 years, the hydrological deficit of the Nakuru-Elmenteita basin could have also been compensated by a subsurface water exchange.     

Transparency: aid or obstacle to effective defence of vulnerable environments from reservoir construction? Dam decisions and democracy in North East England

Public participation in transparent decisionmaking has been proposed as a panacea for environmental protection. Bargaining theory suggests drawbacks to transparency such as hardening of attitudes and intransigence. Yet achievement of consensus on environmental values for integrated water resource management demands public involvement. Historical study of attempts to prevent reservoir construction in upland valleys designated for protection of nature suggests that 'closed-door' bargaining proved more effective for environmentalists than open, public debate. Records now open for analysis of disputes over Teesdale and Farndale, 1950–1970, allow comparisons to be made between behind-the-scenes deliberations and 'open-door' public discussion. The ambition of progressing from public participation to devolution of environmental decisionmaking and responsibility to the local scale demands more conceptualization of the process of decisionmaking on water resource development.     

Verification of the motion fields over Southeast Asia by the Florida State University (FSU) superensemble forecast

The Florida State University (FSU) multimodel superensemble forecast is evaluated against several other operational weather models for the Southeast Asia region. The superensemble technique has demonstrated its exceptional skills in forecasting precipitation, motion and mass fields compared to either individual global operational or ensemble mean forecasts. The motion field investigation for the season of 2001 reveals that the superensemble forecasts are closer to the observed data compared to the other global member operational models through its low systematic errors at the 850 hPa level. The FSU multimodel superensemble forecasts exhibit the lowest root mean square errors (RSMEs), the highest correlation against the best observed data and the lowest systematic errors compared to the other operational model members. These forecasts have the potential to provide better daily weather predictions over the Southeast Asia region, particularly during the early northeast monsoon that often causes heavy rainfall in the equatorial part of the Southeast Asia region.     

东亚冬季风异常与广东前汛期旱涝关系的初步分析

利用500hPa北半球格点资料,参照历史平均东亚大槽位置,定义了东亚冬季风强度指数(I₅₀₀)。分析发现,近50年东亚冬季风强度有减弱趋势,特别是1987年以来冬季风明显减弱。根据广东48个站1954～2004年前汛期(4～6月)降水资料,用区域旱涝指数W对广东前汛期旱涝等级进行划分。51年内广东有9年前汛期出现大涝(或特涝),11年出现大旱(或特旱),旱涝发生频繁。冬季风异常对广东前汛期降水的影响比较大,强冬季风年后广东前汛期出现大旱的可能性较大,而出现大涝的可能性很小。     

热带地区100 hPa东风气流的气候效应(Ⅱ): 与华北夏季降水的关系

利用1954-1998年NCAR／NCEP再分析资料及同期我国160个测站月降水资料，分析了热带地区100hPa东风与华北夏季降水之间的关系。结果表明：（1）从春季到夏季，东风强度与华北夏季降水具有显著而稳定的正相关关系。（2）弱东风年夏季，印度洋及印度次大陆表面温度均为正异常，然而赤道印度洋地区的正异常明显强于其南北两侧。海温异常的这一分布特征，一方面使得100hPa东风减弱；另一方面使得南亚地区海陆热力对比减弱，导致南亚夏季风偏弱，进而造成由该季风区向华北地区的水汽输送减少，华北地区干旱。     

亚洲赤道地区大气动能的纬向传播

基于 1980～ 1997年 85 0hPa逐日NCEP/NCAR再分析资料讨论了亚洲赤道地区 (0°～ 5°N)大气动能的纬向传播特征。结果表明 ,在亚洲季风区内 ,赤道地区大气动能 (K)的最强中心位于 75°～ 90°E ,次强中心在索马里急流区 (5 0°E附近 )。在 0°～ 5°N ,90°E以东 ,平均的大气动能扰动和赤道上经向风扰动主要起源于西太平洋 ,并向西经南海传播到孟加拉湾。而在孟加拉湾动能中心与索马里急流区之间 ,动能传播方向比较复杂。以上事实说明赤道地区东亚季风系统确实是存在的 ,与印度季风系统中扰动的传播方向不同 ,东亚季风系统中动能和经向风扰动在东西方向上主要受西太平洋的影响。在亚洲赤道季风区 ,这两个系统的交界处约在 95°～ 10 0°E附近 ,比过去界定的偏西 5～ 10个经度。     

湿位涡守恒条件下西南涡的发展

运用高分辨率数值预报模式 (HIRLAM)模拟了一次中国西南地区在多种活跃天气系统影响下 ,西南涡的发展过程。分析了东亚季风、青藏高压、地形等多种尺度与不同高低空环流形势配合以及在湿位涡守恒条件下对流发展时 ,潜热及不稳定能量的释放 ,对中尺度涡旋和强对流发生发展的作用 ,探讨了西南涡和局地降水增强与消亡的成因与理论 ,并具有实用意义     

西北区东部一次暴雨的数值模拟试验

运用双向嵌套的中尺度数值预报模式MM5，对1998年7月上旬西北区东部一次暴雨过程进行了高分辨率数值模拟和敏感性试验。结果表明，该模式能较好地模拟这次暴雨过程，对这次暴雨过程相关的中尺度系统的发生发展也作出了较成功的模拟；大尺度及积云对流尺度的凝结潜热在降水过程中是一个主要因子，潜热释放将加热中高层大气，促使高层大气辐散，低层辐合，垂直运动加强，导致较大的降水；初始时刻不同地区低层大气水汽含量的多寡直接对本次暴雨产生影响，并为这次暴雨提供了水汽源；地面水汽和感热的垂直输送为暴雨的发生发展补充了能量。