MANAGING PLANET EARTH TO MAKE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT MORE SUSTAINABLE： CLIMATE CHANGE AND HONG KONG

Selected recent findings related to climate change in Hong Kong include： (1)The Hong Kong seafloor has yielded a ca0.5-million year record of climate and sealevel changes.(2)Greenhouse gases produced naturally from subaerially exposed continental shelves and oceanic islands were a probable forcing mechanism in triggering the abrupt termination of past ice ages. (3)An analysis of annual mean temperature records has revealed that the urban heat island effect has contributed ca75％ of the warming. (4)Past volcanic eruptions are found to lower Hong Kongs temperature and to cause extremely dry and wet years. (5)No evidence can be found for an increase in frequency and intensity of typhoons based on the instrumental record since the end of the Second World War. (6)The observed rate of sealevel rise in the South China Sea is much slower than the predictions of the IPCC Fourth Assessment.
For the Earths management, population growth and the depletion of nonrenewable resources must be recognized as unsustainable. The human impact on the natural hydrological cycle is an important forcing mechanism in climate change. In order to delay the demise of the human race, management must include curbing population growth and much more waste recycling than at present.     

全球温度变化的热力学平衡和最新发现

本文提出了一种新的研究全球气候温度变化的思路。为发现全球气候变化的宏观规律,把生物圈系统作为一个整体的物质进行研究,从而把纷繁复杂的全球气候温度变化问题归纳成经典物理学的热量与温度变化问题。给出了广义生物圈的热平衡测量Q值和温度变化的热力学公式,并在实际数据的基础上通过计算发现人类使用矿物燃料和核能所排放的热量理论上可使全球海平面每年升高35 mm或者可使大气对流层温度每年升高011 ℃。该发现表明:能源热量因素已成为影响全球温度变化的重要因素。     

兰州雨量谱的气候变化与极端化趋势

利用兰州站1951-2005年逐日降水观测资料,进行雨量划分级别,分析了55 a来兰州分级降水雨量谱和极端降水的气候变化和发展趋势.研究表明:兰州年降水量逐年波动下降,长期变化趋势为每10 a下降9.0 mm,近20 a达到每10 a下降22.6 mm;年降水日数的长期变化趋势为每10 a下降3.6 d,近20 a为每10 a下降3.7 d.主要是由于小、中雨级的降水减少明显造成.兰州近20 a大雨以上级别的极端降水量增多,变化趋势为每10 a增加9.9 mm,年降水日数的变化趋势为每10 a增加0.4d.兰州年降水强度的长期变化趋势为每10 a上升0.1 mm·d1,其中小雨、中雨级别的贡献并不明显,主要的增加贡献是由大雨以上级别的降水强度增加所导敢的.极端降水的强度在近20 a的变化趋势为每10 a增加5.7 mm·d-1.兰州近20 a的年降水量中极端降水量占的比例由15.9%上升至1 6.2%;极端降水日数增加,其比例从1.8%上升至2.0%,在2000年极端降水所占的比例更是达到雨量的25.4%和雨日的4.0%水半,呈现出向极端降水增强的发展趋势.     

我国喜马拉雅地区适应气候变化能力建设的需求调查与分析

喜马拉雅地区是全球潜在关键区,过去几十年的气候变化已导致该地区冰川消融,与冰川有关的灾害风险与日俱增,随着气候的持续变暖,冰川消融将对该地区水资源供给产生负面影响.基于社会调查和实地考察,分析了我国喜马拉雅山地区冰川消融对灾害的可能影响,对水电发展的现实和潜在影响,并详细分析了气候变化对农业、牧业和林业的影响.根据调查问卷,分析了当地在适应冰川消融方面的迫切需求,社会经济不同部门适应气候变化的需求.以位于珠峰北坡朋曲河流域的定日县为典型区,探讨了在该县增强适应气候变化能力建设问题.当地应首先加强气候防护基础设施建设,以应对目前强降水增加引发的山洪、冰川加速消融导致的冰川洪水和泥石流危害、气候暖干化导致的农牧业干旱;开展以水能为主,多能互补,能源多样化建设,既可加快当地社会经济发展,又可促进当地居民适应气候变化能力的提高;吸引本地人才回流,加强各级岗位人才培训,提高管理水平和技术水平;大力开展科普宣传,提高农牧民对气候变化及其影响的了解和认识,增强其防御和应对能力.     

C_4植物的出现与全球环境变化

C4 光合作用途径 (C4 植物 )的出现和随后的扩展 ,是发生在新生代晚期的重大事件。这一事件是晚新生代全球环境演化的产物。C4 植物在某些生态系统中占据主导地位 ,又通过食物链 ,影响了动物 ,特别是食草动物的演化。以C4 植物为主的干草原环境甚至与人类的起源有着某种成因上的联系。C4 植物的出现对中新世以来全球环境变化和现代环境格局形成过程具有特殊的意义。文中就C4 植物出现和扩展的时间、C4 植物的分布和生态特征、C4 植物出现的环境背景、构造运动 ,特别是印度和欧亚板块碰撞以及由青藏高原强烈隆升引发的侵蚀作用和大气组分变化及其与C4 植物出现的联系等问题作了较为系统的综述。文章还介绍了中国北方现代草本植物的δ13 C值的最新研究结果 ,并就草本植物δ13 C值与环境参数之间可能的关系进行了初步讨论。     

Seasonality change and the third millennium BP rainforest crisis in southern Cameroon (Central Africa)

The third millennium BP crisis of the central African rainforest is not sufficiently understood. The low resolution of most pollen profiles and a large plateau of the calibration curve aggravate the exact dating of the event, and its causal climatic parameters are debated. We present a high-resolution pollen profile from the swamp site Nyabessan in the southern Cameroonian rainforest, covering the period 3100-2300 cal yr BP. Between 3100 and 2500 cal yr BP, the climate was favourable for a regional evergreen forest with Caesalpiniaceae and Lophira and a local Raphia swamp forest. Around 2500/2400 cal yr BP, a significant decrease of mature forest and swamp forest taxa and an increase of pioneers indicate that the rain forest was seriously disturbed and replaced by secondary formations. The dominance of Trema orientalis, a pioneer well adapted to seasonal desiccation, points to a much more accentuated seasonality after 2500 cal yr BP, which seems to be linked to a southwards shift of the ITCZ during the northern hemisphere winter months. We propose that the rain forest crisis between 2500 and 2200 cal BP created favourable conditions for farming and paved the way for a major expansion of Bantu speaking populations.     

近30年巢湖流域土地利用变化及其驱动力研究

土地利用与覆被变化（LUCC）是全球变化的重要内容和主要表现之一,LUCC研究已成为全球变化研究的前沿和热点问题。基于多时相的TM影像数据,从流域尺度研究了巢湖流域的土地利用变化,分析探讨了土地利用变化的社会经济驱动力。研究结果表明,1979～2008年间巢湖流域的土地利用发生了比较明显的变化,主要表现在耕地锐减和建设用地激增;经济发展、城镇化、工业化、人口增加是造成巢湖流域土地利用变化的主要驱动力。     

青藏高原东北部黄河源区大暖期气候特征

本文通过孢粉、有机碳和粘土矿物的分析,探讨了黄河源区全新世的气候变迁,重点论述了大暖期的气候特点。在全新世,黄河源区的气候总体凉干,属于高原的高寒气候。在大暖期,该区的气候较现今高2～3℃,显得湿润些,但波动较频繁,尤其是大暖期的后期波动剧烈,并在5．0kaBP前后发生一次剧烈的降温。记录表明,黄河源区的大暖期始于9．0kaBP,止于2．30kaBP,较我国其他地区开始得早,而结束得晚,其鼎盛时期为6．0kaBP前后。     

西藏札达盆地晚上新世—早更新世孢粉组合及其地质意义

札达盆地位于青藏高原西南隅的阿里地区,是在中新世晚期约9.6 Ma B.P.形成的一个NW—SE向断陷盆地。该盆地在上新世—早更新世发育一套完整的河湖-冲积扇相地层。在札达县香孜乡西北约1 km处精细实测了上上新统—下更新统香孜剖面。根据前人的古地磁及ESR年龄数据确定下更新统香孜组年龄为2.60~1.67 Ma B.P.。根据孢粉学研究把香孜剖面自下而上划分为3个孢粉组合带(8个孢粉组合),并据此将札达盆地2.75 Ma B.P.以来的气候变化划分为3个阶段:(1)孢粉组合带Ⅰ(孢粉组合1~2),植被为温暖偏湿的常绿与落叶针阔叶混交林,2.67 Ma以后气候逐渐向干旱转变,地层对比时代为晚上新世(2.75~2.60 Ma);(2)孢粉组合带Ⅱ(孢粉组合3~5),发育温凉偏湿的亚高山落叶针阔叶混交林,并在约2.38 Ma逐渐变为针叶林,气候趋向变冷,地层对比时代为早更新世(2.54~2.16 Ma);(3)孢粉组合带Ⅲ(孢粉组合6~8),发育寒冷干旱的高山针叶林,并存在高寒灌丛草甸草原,低海拔处零星分布落叶针阔叶混交林,指示较强的地势差异,地层对比时代为早更新世(2.13~1.86 Ma)。     

Late second-early first millennium BC abrupt climate changes in coastal Syria and their possible significance for the history of the Eastern Mediterranean

The alluvial deposits near Gibala-Tell Tweini provide a unique record of environmental history and food availability estimates covering the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. The refined pollen-derived climatic proxy suggests that drier climatic conditions occurred in the Mediterranean belt of Syria from the late 13th/early 12th centuries BC to the 9th century BC. This period corresponds with the time frame of the Late Bronze Age collapse and the subsequent Dark Age. The abrupt climate change at the end of the Late Bronze Age caused region-wide crop failures, leading towards socio-economic crises and unsustainability, forcing regional habitat-tracking. Archaeological data show that the first conflagration of Gibala occurred simultaneously with the destruction of the capital city Ugarit currently dated between 1194 and 1175 BC. Gibala redeveloped shortly after this destruction, with large-scale urbanization visible in two main architectural phases during the Early Iron Age I. The later Iron Age I city was destroyed during a second conflagration, which is radiocarbon-dated at circa 2950 cal yr BP. The data from Gibala-Tell Tweini provide evidence in support of the drought hypothesis as a triggering factor behind the Late Bronze Age collapse in the Eastern Mediterranean.