Evaluation of landscape changes and ecological degradation by GIS in arid regions: a case study of the terminal oasis of the Shiyang River,northwest China

The development and utilization of water and land resources in the Shiyang River basin are the highest among the inland rivers in northwestern China. Using GIS and the landscape structure analysis program FRAGSTATS, landscape metrics of a study area in the lake-district in Minqin Oasis in the lower reaches of Shiyang River basin were calculated and analyzed based on TM images from 1987 to 2001 at class level and landscape level, respectively. Transformation matrix of the landscape mosaics was also examined. The driving forces of landscape changes were analyzed, including the dynamics of runoff and groundwater resources and their exploitation, and influences of policies and market economy. The results showed that: (1) Patch number of farmland and desert decreased, but their mean patch area increased, indicating that reclamation and desertification was very serious in the study area. Contagion index for oasis increased and edge density and landscape diversity were reduced. (2) Farmland and desert areas have enlarged by 1,520.46 and 4,941.27 hm², respectively. This increase was at the cost of woodland and grassland, which shrank by 1,520.46 and 4,941.27 hm², respectively. (3) The net utilization of surface water decreased by 50% in the last 10 years, and dropped to 22.3 × 10⁶ m³ in the later 1990s. Exploitation of groundwater increased remarkably, up to 80 × 10⁶ m³ per year in the last 5 years. (4) The capability of the economic structure to withstand pressures of the market economy has depressed distinctly because of the simplified planting pattern, which is dominated by salinity-enduring cash crops, such as cotton. Based on the above analysis, strategies of ecological reconstruction in the lake-district were suggested.     

3S集成技术在城镇土地利用变更调查中的应用研究

城镇地区由于建筑物密集、土地利用类型变化快、土地利用现状图比例尺较大等特点,土地利用变更调查主要依靠专业部门利用全站仪完成,但全站仪需要通视的特点限制了其工作效率。而采用3S集成技术进行城镇地区土地利用变更调查的技术方法,则可以相应提高工作效率。基于3S集成技术城镇地区土地利用变更调查的应用模式为:通过GPS接收机与笔记本电脑(已配置GIS软件系统)通讯,实现GPS与GIS的集成,并调用RS影像作为底图,既可实现实时的数据采集、存储和编辑。对于城镇地区部分GPS信号弱的地区,采用测边交会的方法则可以完成这些点的数据采集,克服了GPS使用盲区的限制。     

0.8MaB.P.以来西藏雅鲁藏布江中游地区沙地演化和气候变化

根据地表沉积相特征及其对气候变化的反映,着重讨论了西藏雅鲁藏布江中游沙地形成时代、演化过程和气候变化。沙地早在中更新世中期的０．８ＭａＢ．Ｐ．就已出现,经历了强烈发展、缓慢发展槿相对稳定和缩小与固定的多次迭覆更替,并呈不断扩大趋势。与此同时,气候也经历了冷干和暖湿的多次变化,并表现出不断向干冷化方向发展的趋势。     

Women's status, environmental changes and child health in the riverine area of Ondo State, Nigeria

The viewpoint that most health problems are environmentally related has always been promoted by medical geography. In recent times, concern about environmental degradation has been of high priority for many national and international organizations as ‘we human beings become a threat to our planet’. There is also a need to specifically focus attention on the impact of so-called development efforts on the health of women and children, in particular those living in highly marginalized regions which often contribute substantially to the overall development of their countries. This paper uses the concept of vulnerability as a departure point from which to map the health risks to children in Igbekun area of Ondo State, the ‘transgressive muddy’ oil-rich coastal area of Nigeria. The paper attempts to highlight the poor quality of life and health of children in particular, and how it is becoming much more difficult to practice health intervention programmes, especially oral rehydration therapy (ORT) in the area. The Igbekun area is an unhealthy and harsh environment, complicated by the devastating effects of oil drilling in recent years. The siltation and sedimentation of the creeks and lagoons have serious health dimensions as human faeces float in and around villages because the ‘bush toilets’ can no longer be reached. The on-going environmental crisis has also deprived women of their traditional means of livelihood; fishing. There is a relatively high level of ignorance (compared with other women living in the same local government area (LGA) of causes of the commonest diseases such as diarrhoea, acute respiratory infection (ARI) and measles. A majority of the women have never heard of family planning, immunization against diseases and interventions such as ORT. Promotive health care services, especially those that strive to reduce the high mortality of children have passed the mothers by. It is also becoming impracticable to promote ORT because of the widespread ‘salty and oily’ water supply in the area. The greatest concern of the women now is that oil drilling activities have further amplified their stressful conditions especially their health and that of their children. Unfortunately, their plight is not acknowledged by the Nigerian authorities and the oil companies are least concerned about alleviating the poor health status of the community, in particular the most vulnerable groups, children under the age of five. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Microclimatic characterization of a karstic cave: human impact on microenvironmental parameters of a prehistoric rock art cave (Candamo Cave, northern Spain)

The Candamo Cave contains an important group of paleolithic paintings which have been seriously deteriorated due to mass tourism. In this work, an analysis was carried out of different climatic parameters (CO₂, temperature, humidity, ²²²Rn) during annual cycles with the cave closed to the public and during an experimental period of controlled visits. The effect of visits on the geochemical characteristics of karstic water was also analyzed together with the cave ventilation. The natural variations in the cave air CO₂ were above 3000 ppm, the increase produced through visits was only 100–110 ppm and since the humidity is almost permanently at saturation point, the critical parameter which limits the visitor capacity becomes air temperature. The temperature changes during the annual cycle are of the order of 1  °C in the external part and less than 0.5  °C in the internal part of the cave and a maximum increase of 0.13  °C was observed during the period of the visits. The ²²²Rn and CO₂ concentration minimums in the summer period (July–October) show that this is the most propitious time for visits, since the greatest ventilation is produced in the cave at this time and, therefore, the greatest capacity for recovery. The geochemistry of the water, on the other hand, indicated that this is the period of the year in which processes of wall corrosion can be most easily introduced, although this would be of limited magnitude. The visitor capacity calculated was 29 visitors/day. Received: 29 August 1996 · Accepted: 23 June 1997     

Further assessment of flood‐ and drought‐dominated regimes in south‐eastern Australia

Kirkup et al. (1998) [Australian Geographer 29, pp. 241–55] criticise our theory of alternating flood regimes and question its application to river management. A brief but critical appraisal of their work shows many errors and misrepresentations. When these are corrected, their challenge is found deficient.     

四川石棉田湾矿区晚震旦世露头层序地层研究

应用露头层序地层的原理和方法,对四川石棉田湾矿区以碳酸盐岩为主的上震旦统进行了研究,识别出４个３级层序,描述了各层序的特征,探讨了该区晚震旦世海平面的变化规律和层序地层中体系域与金等贵金属矿床的关系。     

地史重大转折期的环境变化学术讨论会综述

概述了地史重大转折期的环境变化学术讨论会４个方面的主要科学内容：古生代与中生代之交的全球环境变化,泥贫纪弗拉期与法门期之交的全球环境变化,元古宙与显生宙之交扔全球环境变化和地史重大转折期环境变化的研究方法。围绕上述内容,评述了发言人和专题发言人的主要科学资料和科学思想以及本次会议形成的共识。     

华北地台中寒武统张夏组上部高频层序研究

根据华北地台东部寒武系露头层序地层研究,将张夏组划分为两个正层序,其中上部正层序（５３０－５２５ＭａＢ．Ｐ．,三叶虫带Ａｍｐｈｏｔｏｎ－Ｔａｉｔｚｕｉａ带至Ｄａｍｅｓｅｌａ带）由４个亚层序和１７－２３个小层序组成,其中正层序和亚层序具有高分辨率区域地层对比意义。每一级层序均表现为向上变浅和变粗进积型序列,底部常以间断－加深面或洪泛面为界。该时期的海平面变化具有高频振荡特点,构成一个三级复合海平面变化旋回。由不同级别层序所反映的海平面变化旋回可以分别与天文周期的奥特周期（２—５Ｍａ）、米兰科维奇长周期（０．１—０．４Ｍａ）和米兰科维奇短周期（０．０２—０．０４Ｍａ）相对比。据层序地层和相序及相模式的研究,识别出６种类型的小层序,陆棚盆地至上缓坡显示出由Ａ—Ｆ类型的规律性变化。     

新疆玛纳斯湖沉积物氧同位素记录的古气候信息探讨──与青海湖和色林错比较

内陆封闭湖泊自生碳酸盐氧同位素组成与大气降水同位素组成、空气相对湿度和地面气温这三个参数相关。我国季风带的青海湖与色林错的δ~(18)O曲线非常相似,说明古气候变化受相同因素驱动。在10500～9500aB．P．的末次冰期向全新世的过渡期,这两个湖泊的δ~(18)O值大幅度下降,这是夏季风雨水的低δ~(18)O值的缘故。属于西风带的玛纳斯湖和季风带的青海湖的δ~(18)O曲线基本上是对称的。大约9500～4000aB．P,图形由对称转变为相似,据此推论当时夏季风的影响范围可能达到新疆北部。