Tracking climate change in Central Asia through temperature and precipitation extremes

Journal of Geographical Sciences - Under the impacts of climate change and human activities, great uncertainties still exist in the response of climate extremes, especially in Central Asia (CA). In...     

Decline of Pseudodiaptomus hessei (Copepoda, Calanoida) in two water bodies located in the Senegal River hydrosystem (West Africa): Hypotheses and perspectives

Pseudodiaptomus hessei is a key species in many water bodies in the Senegal River hydrosystem but it became rare or completely disappeared from two ecosystems (Lake Guiers and Dakar Bango Reservoir; Senegal, West Africa) after major hydrological changes caused by human action, mainly impoundments on the river in 1985, and the opening of a new estuary mouth in 2003. Kâ et al. [Kâ, S., Pagano, M., Ba, N., Bouvy, M., Leboulanger, C., Arfi, R., Thiaw, O.T., Ndour, E.H.M., Corbin, D., Defaye, D., Cuoc, C., Kouassi, E., 2006. Zooplankton distribution related to environmental factors and phytoplankton in a shallow tropical lake (Lake Guiers, Senegal, West Africa). International Review of Hydrobiology 91(5), 389–405] put forward several hypotheses to explain the reasons for this decline: salinity and chemical changes in the water, predation by a cyclopid predator Mesocyclops ogunnus and/or the inhibiting effects of cyanobacteria and/or diatoms (allelopathy). This study assessed these hypotheses by studying the distribution of P. hessei in 13 stations (including the Dakar Bango reservoir and Lake Guiers) in relation to physical, chemical and biological (phyto- and zooplanktons) factors at each station. We produced a distribution pattern for this species in the Senegal River hydrosystem. Rank correlations and principal component analysis showed that P. hessei was not correlated with conductivity but was positively correlated with pH and alkalinity, suggesting chemical effects. The clear association with two filamentous cyanobacteria (Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and Anabaena sp.) did not appear to support the hypothesis of cyanobacteria inhibition but blooming conditions were never encountered during the study. Negative correlation with diatoms (especially with Fragilaria sp.) suggested that aldehyde producing diatoms had a negative effect. Negative correlations with cyclopids such as Mesocyclops supported the hypothesis of cyclopid predation to explain the decline of P. hessei. This study proposes several lines of research for future studies to test these hypotheses.     

Comparison of long-, medium- and short-term variations of beach profiles with and without submerged geological control

Victoria Beach (Cadiz, Spain) comprises a rocky flat outcrop in its northern zone and a sand-rich southern zone. These natural features allowed for a 5-year monitoring period and subsequent analysis of two different profiles (one in each zone) based on differences in bottom contours. Topo-bathymetric data were analysed using empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) to determine changes over the short-, medium- and long-term. Several morphologic phenomena were identified (generalised erosion, seasonal or summer–winter tilting of the profile around different hinge points, berm development and its posterior destruction, etc.) in terms of their importance in explaining the variability of the collected data for both profiles. It is worth mentioning that both profiles undergo parallel regression in the medium-term. Thus, the 1st eigenfunction enabled us to identify the true regression of the beach shoreline, independent of seasonal or summer–winter slope changes. Reconstruction of profiles using EOF components demonstrated that though accretion periods in the medium-term were similar for both types of profiles, the accretion speed was much faster in the sand-rich profile than in the reef-protected profile (1.01 m³/day versus 0.33 m³/day). Moreover, the seasonal erosion rate and the subsequent shoreline retreat for the sand-rich profile were much larger than for the reef-protected profile (121 m³/year versus 29 m³/year). Analysis in the short-term (changes induced by a single day's storm) showed an instantaneous tilting of the profile, with the mobilised sand volume being much greater for the sand-rich than for the reef-protected profile (68 m³/m versus 12 m³/m).     

Climate impacts of environmental degradation in Sudan

There exists an impressive amount of work for Sudan showing the anthropogenic degradation of natural vegetation cover. However, there are few examples of consequent climatic changes in literature. This work, thus, seeks to assess such effects of environmental forcing on various climatic patterns over the past few decades. Within the frame of the present analysis, the results are quite striking and are in concordance with scientific contentions that such land degradation could result in climatic modification. Higher temperature and less rainfall, sunshine duration and global radiation have been noticed. Evapotranspiration has responded more to the warming and drying conditions, thus showed signs of increasing rates, especially during the wet season. However, the extent of increase seems to have been suppressed by the decrease in sunshine duration and solar radiation as well as the inconsistent behaviour of wind speed. Changes in the variability of the within-year monthly observations have also occurred, thus suggesting an increase in the occurrence of extremes. The observed climatic modification in the country has exaggerated the insidious drought conditions. The present findings are hoped to contribute to our understanding of the effects of environmental problem and assist in considering policy responses. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

中国东部6区域近1000年干湿序列的重建和气候跃变分析

本文利用我国的历史气候记载，为东部6区域重建了最近1033年的时间分辨率为1年的区域于湿气候序列，讨论其可靠性，并分析其变化的准周期性和跃变特征。跃变分析采用移动t检验方法，分析各区域干湿气候的世纪尺度和10～20年尺度的跃变现象，辨识跃变信号的参考年代，指出北方各区域的跃变趋势相同，但有时与长江下游地区相反，以及跃变信号在寒冷气候背景下较多出现等特点。     

湖相沉积物与全球变化的研究

为预测未来全球的气候变化，必须了解在过去水圈、气圈与生物圈的各自作用以及它们是如何相互影响的。为此，ＩＧＢＰ（国际地圈－生物圈计划）组织了过去全球变化项目（ＰＡＧＥＳ）。湖相沉积物保存着与ＰＡＧＥＳ有关的不同时空尺度的丰富的地球系统历史信息，特别是湖相沉积物包含着可以说明全球气候变化的水圈与生物圈的陆源组分的反应。这种信息对了解影响气候变化的流域是如何发展的至关重要。笔者应用西伯利亚贝加尔湖与中国西北部青海湖作为两个实例，叙述了多学科研究湖相沉积物物理与化学参数，并利用这些参数测定了晚更新世湖区及其流域对过去气圈的变化以及日幅射分布的影响     

设计变更统计分析为质量改进指出方向

持续提高设计质量,是工程设计企业永恒的目标。设计变更是工程建设过程中的客观存在,是设计的延伸,也是保证工程实体质量的一个重要环节。本文介绍如何利用数理统计方法,对设计变更进行统计和分析,为设计质量改进指出方向。     

新世纪上海地区相对海平面变化影响因素及预测方法

针对传统相对海平面变化分析方法均将理论海平面变化和地面沉降进行的叠加分析,本文讨论和分析了近20年来全球理论海平面上升速率加快背景下的区域海平面变化速率,利用灰色线性回归组合模型预测上海地区海平面变化趋势。考虑了上海地面沉降发展的新特点,以及长江流域来沙显著减少和河口大型工程建设对上海地区相对海平面变化的影响。在流域来沙量显著减少但来水量变化不大情况下,流域大坝的坝下冲刷使得河槽刷深,河口水位降低,同时长江口深水航道整治工程和促淤围垦工程束狭入海口,使得潮位站水位发生变化,两者的综合效应是目前研究长江口相对海平面变化时必须考虑的重要因素。     

Tectonic and seismic conditions for changes in spring discharge along the Garni right lateral strike slip fault (Armenian Upland)

Abstract

This study presents the relationship between local seismicity and springs discharge, in which the microseismicity modifies the state of stress of the aquifer matrix and these modifications of the local stress control the aquifer behaviour from an example of a basaltic reservoir crossed by a seismic fault.

Along the right-lateral Garni seismic wrench fault, the distribution in space and time of more than 500 micro-earthquakes has been studied providing a pattern of stress distribution. Together with this tectonic survey, the hydrographs of springs issuing from an aquifer located in basaltic lava flows and crossed by the fault have been gauged for 4 years. According to its tectonic, geologic and hydrodynamic properties, the reservoir has been divided in to several parts. The hydrological behaviour of the reservoir and of each of its parts has been modelled, based on the rainfall and hydrodynamic properties of the basaltic reservoir and of nearby reservoirs.

The model allows us to define the ‘normal behaviour’ of the springs, when their discharge is not affected by an earthquake. Anomalies to the normal hydrometric curves are defined, and correlated to small (M < 3.5) earthquakes along the Garni fault. We propose that the circulation of underground water in the area around the fault depends largely on the fracture pattern of the basalts and the aquifer basement, as pointed out from field observations. Changes in spring discharges are explained by variations in the state of stress around the Garni fault, induced by the alternation of elastic strain and stick-slip movement on the fault, and by creep far from the fault. A model of stress distribution is proposed which explains changes in fracture charateristics before and after earthquakes. © Elsevier, Paris     

运用层序不对称性分析海平面变化特征

目前研究海平面变化的方法尚不能精确确定海平面变化，对记录海平面变化的沉积体或层序物质组成及结构特点的研究尚显薄弱。在分析层序不对称性与海平面变化的关系基础，提出层序不对称系数S0，认为海平面的升降变化对浅水沉积区影响显著，其结果必然造成层序S0的增加；海平面的升降变化对沉水沉积区影响不大，层序S0较为恒定。对进行详细研究中扬子区S0分布特点，运用S0曲线计算了中扬子区海平面变化特点，并与其他方法进行对比，认为可以用S0判断水体相对深浅，分析海平面变化。