A furrow runs through it: An example of sustainable traditional irrigation in Western Cape Province,South Africa

Water and water related matters are important issues in water scarce countries like the Republic of South Africa. This is especially true for the agricultural sector that relies heavily on the availability of water for irrigation to ensure a secure food supply. In South Africa, present day irrigation projects rely on government subsidies and are usually large undertakings beyond the reach of individuals or small communities. The sustainability of such large irrigation projects is still a matter of debate. A 100 years ago a different set of rules applied. Irrigation could only be achieved by hand-dug furrows that supplied water in relatively small quantities to small farming communities. This paper investigated such a small community, the Leeukloof farming community in the Western Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. For the past 93 years this community has maintained a furrow that supplies water not only to farms bordering the Perdeberg River, which supplies the furrow with water, but also to farms not bordering the river. The authors try to reconstruct the changes in agricultural practices brought about by the furrow, methods of water extraction during each phase, as well as the development and role of the furrow system. The perception by the community of the necessity of this method of water extraction from the river system is also investigated. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Weathering: Toward a Fractal Quantifying

Weathering occurs over a wide range of scales. To link features through these scales is a major challenge for interdisciplinary weathering studies. Fractal approach seems to be specially useful for this purpose. We introduce a multistep fractal weathering assessment scheme devoted to extract fractal weathering classifiers from texture analysis of the mineral's image. Our scheme enables to quantitatively estimate the global and local information about the geometry of the weathering pattern. This information is basic to develop geometrical indices of weathering, which can significantly enrich the common qualitative and semiquantitative weathering assessment schemes. To justify the fractal approach, a strong statistical self-similarity has been documented for both the weathering and fresh features of two common silica minerals: quartz and biogenic A-opal (phytolith) over four orders of length scales. The procedure is fast, drastically reduces thresholding bias, promises to be universal, it is valid for genetically different minerals and rock types, scale independent, and specially useful for monitoring the changes in the mineral's roughness during the alteration. Two of the proposed classifiers seem to be potentially useful for direct application in the field and be used by nonspecialist.     

Local Modeling模式及其在月径流预测中的应用

Local Modeling方法是一种动力系统预测方法，将其应用于河西内陆区黑河干流出山口莺落峡水文站月平均流量的中长期预测预报，取得了较为理想的成果。预测试验的结果表明，该预测模型有较高计算精度，尤其适用于非主汛期各月的月平均流量的预测；对于主汛期6～9月的月平均流量的预测，在考虑前期来水与预见期内降水的影响后，亦可获到较为理想的预测结果。可以认为，该方法的预报精度达到了水文情报预报规范的要求，Local Modeling方法的应用，将为西北干旱地区河川径流的中长期预报提供了一个新的途径。     

利用现有重力场模型求定CHAMP卫星加速度计修正参数

CHAMP卫星加速度计数据的标定是通过确定其尺度因子和偏差参数来完成的.本文基于能量守恒方程,给出利用现有重力场模型标定CHAMP卫星加速度数据的基本原理和数学模型;提出相邻历元间差分算法,大大简化了观测方程,同时避免积分常量的计算.该算法既能同时解算尺度因子和偏差参数,也可任意求解其中之一.基于实测的CHAMP卫星加速度数据,利用EGM96模型和最新公布的EIGEN-2模型进行计算与比较,验证该方法的有效性.     

中国大陆地区中强地震前加卸载响应比异常时间尺度的统计研究

加卸载响应比理论是近年来提出的地震预测方法。本文进行了加卸载响应比异常时间尺度的统计研究，其中包括中国大陆地区5．0～8．1级的部分中强地震共30个震例，并得出加卸载响应比异常的时间尺度与未来地震震级之间的拟合函数。结果表明，地震前加卸载响应比异常的时间尺度与未来地震的震级具有正变关系，即震级越高，地震前加卸载响应比异常的时间尺度越长。根据加卸载响应比异常的时间尺度与震级之间的关系可以估计未来地震的发震时间，同时，可以确定加卸载响应比时空扫描过程中时问长度的大小。     

Photosynthesis-transpiration coupling model at canopy scale in terrestrial ecosystem

At the hypothesis of big leaf, an ecosystem photosynthesis-transpiration coupling cycle model was established by the scaled SMPT-SB model from single leaf to canopy, and model parameterization methods were discussed. Through simulating the canopy light distribution, canopy internal conductance to CO2 can be scaled from single leaf to canopy by integrating to canopy using the relationship between single internal conductance and photosynthetic photon flux density. Using the data observed by eddy covariance method from the Changbai Mountains site of ChinaFLUX, the application of the model at the canopy scale was examined. Under no water stress, the simulated net ecosystem photosynthesis rate fitted with the observed data very well, the slope and R2 of the line regression equation of the observed and simulated values were 0.7977 and 0.8892, respectively (n = 752), and average absolute error was 3.78 μmol CO2 m-2s-1; the slope, R2 and average absolute error of transpiration rate were 0.7314, 0.4355 and 1.60mmol H2O m-2 s-1, respectively (n = 752). The relationship between canopy photosynthesis,transpiration and external environmental conditions was discussed by treating the canopy as a whole and neglecting the comprehensive feedback mechanism within canopy, and it was noted that the precipitation course affected the transpiration rate simulation badly. Compared to the models based on eco-physiological processes, the SMPT-SB model was simple and easy to be used. And it can be used as a basic carbon and water coupling model of soil-plant-atmosphere continuum.     

Changes in the spatial scale of Beijing UHI and urban development

The seasonal and interannual variations of Beijing urban heat island (UHI) are investigated in this paper using the temperature data from 1960 to 2000 at 20 meteorological stations in the Beijing region, and then the relationship between the intensity and spatial scale of UHI and Beijing urbanization indices is analyzed and discussed. Main conclusions are the followings. First, Beijing UHI shows obvious seasonal variations, and it is strongest in winter, next in spring and autumn, and least in summer. The seasonal variation of the UHI mainly occurs in the urban area. The UHI intensity at the center of Beijing is more than 0.8℃ in winter, and only 0.5℃ in summer. Second, the intensity of Beijing HUI exhibits a clear interannual warming trend with its mean growth rate (MGR) being 0.3088℃/10 a. The MGR of HUI is largest in winter, next in spring and autumn, and least in summer, and the urban temperature increase makes a major contribution to the growth of HUI intensity. Third, since the Reform and Opening, the urbanization indices have grown several ten times or even one hundred times, the intensity of HUI has increased dramatically, and its spatial scale also expanded distinctively along with the expansion of urban architectural complexes. Fourth, the interannual variation of urbanization indices is very similar with that of HUI intensity, and their linear correlation coefficients are significant at a more than 0.001 confidence level.     

森林沼泽景观区中大比例尺化探找矿工作方法的研究--记大梁金矿的发现

大梁金矿是通过森林沼泽景观区开展1：50000和1：25000地球化学测量及综合地质工作而发现的,证明采用的森林沼泽景观中大比例尺化探方法是行之有效的.     

Entropy Analysis of Multiple Scale Causality and Qualitative Causal Shifts in Spatial Systems*

Spatial systems are typically characterized by multiple controlling factors and processes operating at different spatial and temporal scales (multiple scale causality [MSC]). An entropy decomposition‐based approach to MSC is presented here in two contexts. First, given maps or distributions of an observed phenomenon at two or more scales, the contribution at more local or global (relative to the primary scale of observation) controls to the observed entropy can be estimated. Second, a theoretical treatment of the entropy decomposition equations shows that as the range of scale is increased by broadening or narrowing resolutions or by incorporating more controls, the influence of larger or smaller‐scale influences not only changes, but may change qualitatively, e.g., in terms of having positive (entropy‐increasing) or negative (information‐increasing) effects. Such qualitative causal shifts have implications for efforts to use any single causal explanation across the molecular to planetary spatial and instantaneous to geological range of scales relevant to physical geography. The entropy decomposition method is illustrated with an application to soil landscapes in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas.     

Mechanism of loading on plates due to explosive detonation

This paper investigates the various mechanisms and parameters that are responsible for delivering impulse to a vehicle that is unfortunate enough to detonate a buried mine. Small scale tests are used to examine the effects of air blast or ejected sand in imparting impulse to a plate that is located above the surface of the saturated soil that contains the explosive. Parameters such as confinement, stand off distance, depth of burial of the explosive, density of the soil, and saturation level of the soil are also examined.