A multi-scale study on land use and land cover quality change: The case of the Yellow River Delta in China

This paper presents a case study of the Yellow River Delta in China, to trace land use and land cover changes during the past 20 years, with an emphasis on land quality changes. Three sets of data are used in this case study: remote sensing data derived from satellite images; crop yield data from statistics; and soil data collected by the researchers in the field. Our study reveals that at the regional scale, LUCC has taken place in a positive direction: vegetation cover has been expanding and crop yields per hectare have been on rise. However, while the overall eco-environment has improved, the improvement is uneven across the Delta region. At local levels, some areas show signs of increased salinization and declining organic content. Both natural forces and human activities are responsible for the LUCC, but human activities play a more important role. While some impacts of human activities are positive, the damages are often long-lasting and irreversible. We also conclude that it is necessary to use both macro data (such as remote sensing data) and micro data (data collected in the field) to study land quality change. The former are efficient in examining land quality changes at the regional scale, the latter can serve to verify ground patterns revealed from macro data and help to identify local variations, so as to get a comprehensive understanding of LUCC and promote sustainable land use and land management. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Impact of Kiri dam on the lower reaches of river Gongola, Nigeria

Changes in Geomorphic characteristics in the lower reaches of the Gongola River channel following construction of Kiri dam have been investigated. The study focused on changes in the channel bankfull width and of riverbed width after the control of the river flow, variation in discharge characteristics between pre- and post- dam periods and the impact of discharge variation on post- dam river channel. Results of the analysis revealed that the main effect of the impoundment of the Gongola channel is a drastic decrease in flood peaks below the reservoir by 11.5% (from 1,420 m³/sec to 1,256 m³/sec). The low flows have on the other hand increased by 268% (from 5.7 m³/sec to 21 m³/sec). The resultant effect of decrease in the discharge was reduction in the channel bankfull and riverbed widths by 38.3% and 72.2% respectively. Also, the post- dam channel became less sinuous and braided in some of the reaches downstream. Discharges of high peaks were found during the period of maximum precipitation (June to September) whereas low discharges were recorded during the period of minimum or no precipitation (December to May). Some of the observed implications of the flow control on the geometric variables were reduction in the overall channel width, concave bank erosion and emergence of vegetation in some of the reaches.     

An Early Cretaceous extinct spreading center in the northern Natal valley

We have identified an extinct E–W spreading center in the northern Natal valley on the basis of magnetic anomalies which was active from chron M11 (133 Ma) to 125.3 Ma, just before chron M2 (124 Ma) in the Early Cretaceous. Seafloor spreading in the northern Natal valley accounts for approximately 170 km of north–south motion between the Mozambique Ridge and Africa. This extension resolves the predicted overlap of the continental (central and southern) Mozambique Ridge and Antarctica in the chron M2 to M11 reconstructions from Mesozoic finite rotation parameters for Africa and Antarctica. In addition, the magnetic data reveal that the Mozambique Ridge was an independent microplate from at least 133 to 125 Ma. The northern Natal valley extinct spreading center connects to the spreading center separating the Mozambique Basin and the Riiser-Larsen Sea to the east. It follows that the northern Mozambique Ridge was either formed after the emplacement of the surrounding oceanic crust or it is the product of a very robust spreading center. To the west the extinct spreading center connects to the spreading center separating the southern Natal valley and Georgia Basin via a transform fault. Prior to chron M11, there is still a problem with the overlap of Mozambique Ridge if it is assumed to be fixed with respect to either the African or Antarctic plates. Some of the overlap can be accounted for by Jurassic deformation of the Mozambique Ridge, Mozambique Basin, and Dronning Maud land. It appears though that the Mozambique Ridge was an independent microplate from the breakup of Gondwana, 160 Ma, until it became part of the African plate, 125 Ma.     

圆弧状沉积盆地与软土单覆盖层出平面地表运动对比

采用解析方法，通过圆弧状沉积盆地与同样参数的软土均匀单覆盖层的对比，研究沉积盆地对平面SH波二维散射效应和其出平面地表运动。数值对比结果表明：（1）波垂直入射时盆地中央地表位移幅值反应，其随频率变化形式与软土单覆盖层的地表运动有较强的对应性，且此时单覆盖层地表位移幅值为其下降；（2）盆地的二维散射效应特点显著波的汇聚作用使盆地中的地表运动显著放大，总体上较软土单覆盖层的地表位移幅值要大，其频域内的最大反应则明显大于单覆盖层情况，但最大反应在盆地表面出现的位置依赖于入射波角度、盆地深宽比和盆地的软硬程度；（3）沉积盆地中地表位移运动有强烈扭转效应，且随盆地变软和入射波频率增高而增强。     

MODELING THE FATE AND TRANSPORT OF HYDROPHOBIC ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN AN UNSTEADY RIVER-ESTUARINE SYSTEM

1 INTRODUCTION Extensive literature (Brown et al., 1985; Sawhney et al., 1981; Bierman and Swain, 1982; Connolly, 1980; Lopez-Avila and Hites, 1980; O扖onnor, 1988) described lots of sorbed pollutants or toxic substances in bed sediments of rivers, even after the effluent was halted for a long time. This is particularly true for hydrophobic organic compounds that can be sorbed on the particles and accumulated in the river bed sediments (Karickhoff et al., 1979). Pollution events of…     

Verification of the dualism ordering method by the canonical correspondence analysis: fish community samples

Two ordination techniques (Romaniszyn diagram, RD, and Canonical correspondence analysis, CCA) were applied to the same data set (fish assemblage composition along two Paraná river tributaries and associated environmental variables), to identify spatial community patterns and further to evaluate the performance of RD. The major patterns in these Brazilian streams were successfully revealed by both methods (i.e. clear separation of both tributaries on the basis of fish assemblage composition and environmental factors), but more complex situations may limit the application of RD in comparison with CCA.     

利用卫星云图估算黄河中游地区平均面雨量

介绍了利用卫星云图资料估算黄河中游面雨量的基本方法：将GMS卫星1h间隔的可风和红外云图作为判别的两个特性进行分类，确定红外光线资料的所有最小值点作为对流核；多参照Negri-Adler的方法，应用斜率参数消除卷云；应用－维云模式确定红外线图上对流核的降水率，层状云降水通过一个温度阈值给出。另外，通过2001年7月26日至28日黄河流域出现的一次较强降雨过程进行应用分析，得出结论－－利用卫星云图估算黄河中游地区平均雨量的方法具有很好的实用价值。     

近几十年来西北江三角洲网河区顶点的河相关系

据西北江三角洲网河区顶点马口、三水两水文站1959－1988年的实测大断面、流量、流速和水位资料，采用Leopold的水力几何形态关系建立断面河相关系，探讨两水文观测断面的河相关系特征、年际变化及河相关系的差异。河相关系表明，西北江三角洲的断面水力几何形态指数β1值相对较小，而β3值相对较大，代表了珠江特有的丰水少沙河流的河相关系。     

金沙江干热河谷土地荒漠化评价方法研究

什么样的退化土地才是荒漠化土地，土地荒漠化的发生发展以及程度和区别等问题的定量确定，至今有关报道甚少。干热河谷是我国西南地区特殊的生态环境类型，自然资源丰富，但土地荒漠化问题十分突出，这一现象的定量认识尤为重要。针对土地景观生态系统的复杂和模糊性，在建立评价指标的基础上，采用模糊综合评判的方法，对土地荒漠化程度进行定量评价，为荒漠化土地的预防和防治提供科学依据和决策支持。     

人类活动对黄河中游高含沙水流的影响

以黄河中游干流和渭河、无定河的资料研究了人类活动对黄土高原河流高含沙水流的发生频率的影响。人类破坏森林植被，大量拦截黄河上游清水来源区的清水基流，使得高含沙水流发生频率增大，大规模水土保持措施的实施则使高含沙水流发生频率迅速减小。近50年来黄河干流和一些支流的高含沙水流随时间的变化可以用一个三阶段模式来概括，即20世纪50-60年代，由于人类破坏植被，使高含水流频率增大；20世纪60年代末至80年代中期，大规模水土保持措施的实施使高含沙水流发生的频率减小；20世纪80年代末期以来，人类大量拦截利用清水资源，使高含沙水流的发生频率又复增大。