EVALUATION OF EROSION PRODUCTIVITY IMPACT CALCULATOR （EPIC） MODEL FOR MIDDLE MOUNTAIN REGION OF NEPAL

This study verifies the applicability of EPIC model for an erosion plot (61 .2 m~2) and an uplandterraced watershed (72 ha) using a total of 94 rainfall events over a study period of two years. Inorder to analyze the effect of storm size on runoff and soil loss processes, rainfall events aredivided into three groups: small (<25mm), moderate (25--50mm) and large (>50mm). Resultsindicate that the model could predict reasonably well the runoff and soil loss from the erosion plotand the watershed for the moderate and large rainfall events. However, the runoff and soil lossprediction for the small rainfall events is found to be poor. On annual basis, both surface runoff andsoil loss predictions match well the observations. In ligh of the importance of the moderate andlarge rainfall events in producing most of the annual runoff and soil loss in the study area, the EPICmodel is applied to assess the impacts of erosion on agricultural productivity and to evaluatemanagement practices to protect watersheds in the     

Effect of best management practice implementation on sediment and phosphorus load reductions at subwatershed and watershed scale using SWAT model

Identification of areas contributing disproportionately high amount of pollutants (i.e., critical source areas (CSAs)) to streams is important to efficiently and effectively target best management practices (BMPs). Process-based models are commonly used to identify CSAs and evaluate the impact of alternative management practices on pollutant load reductions. The objective of this study was to use the Soil and Watershed Assessment Tool (SWAT) to identify CSAs at the subwatershed level and evaluate the impact of alternative BMPs on sediment and total phosphorus (TP) load reductions in the Pleasant Valley watershed (50 km2) in South Central Wisconsin (USA). The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency, percent bias, and coefficient of determination ranged from 0.58 to 0.71, ? 12.87 to 38.33, and 0.67 to 0.79, respectively, indicating that SWAT was able to predict stream flow, sediment and TP loadings at a monthly time-step with sufficient accuracy. Based on the SWAT simulation results, annual average (2006–2012) sub-watershed yield for sediment and TP ranged from 0.06 to 3.14 tons ha?1 yr?1 and 0.04 to 1.9 kg ha ? 1 yr ? 1, respectively. The croplands were the major source of sediment and TP in this watershed ( Z 84%). Reduction in sediment and TP loading ranged from 66%to 99%at the subwatershed level after conversion of croplands to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands in subwatersheds identified as CSAs. On the other hand, reduction in sediment and TP loading with implementation of no-till practices ranged from only 14%to 25%. At the watershed outlet, sediment and TP loading reduction was r 15% after conversion of croplands to CRP grasslands and implementation of no-till practices because only about 8%of the watershed area was targeted for BMPs and/or resuspension of sediment deposited on the stream bed masked the downstream improvements in water quality.     

Possible climate change evidence in ten Mexican watersheds

This paper suggests possible evidence of climate change in Mexico at the watershed level, based solely on historical data. The official Mexican climate dataset was used to find the best set of stations for each watershed. Maximum and minimum temperatures and rainfall in ten watersheds are analyzed from 1970 to 2009. Maximum temperature trends show a significant increment in most of these watersheds. Furthermore, Daily Temperature Range (DTR) exhibits a positive trend (increments), thus implying an increase in temperature extremes. This study also shows that the difference between maximum and minimum monthly temperature trends is negatively correlated with monthly precipitation trends. As a result, land-use and land-cover changes could be the main drivers of climate change in the region.     

Ecological–economic modeling as a tool for watershed management: A case study of Lake Qionghai watershed, China

This paper presents an ecological–economic model for a lake and its watershed systems. We describe the linkage between the watershed system and the lake aquatic ecosystem and the modeling process. The lake–watershed system was divided into six subsystems: social system, economic system, terrestrial ecosystem, lake water system, pollutant system, and lake aquatic ecosystem. The model equations were constructed based on five main assumptions. The Lake Qionghai watershed in southwestern China, which is undergoing rapid eutrophication, was used as a case study. The targeted goals for total phosphorus (TP) and chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations in the lake in 2015 are 0.025 and 10.0 mg m⁻³, respectively. We present two scenarios from 2004 to 2015 based on the ecological–economic model. In both scenarios, the TP and Chl a concentrations in the lake are predicted to increase under the effects of watershed pressures and the targeted goals cannot be met. The application of techniques to reduce pollutants loading and the corresponding pollutants reductions are reflected again in the constructed model. The model predicts that TP and Chl a concentrations will decrease to 0.024 and 7.71 mg m⁻³, respectively, which meet the targeted thresholds. The model results provide directions for local government management of watersheds and lake aquatic ecosystem restoration.     

The REE Characteristics of Oil Shales in the Lower Eocene Celtek Formation (Yozgat,Turkey) and their Relation to Tectonic Provenance

The Lower Eocene Celtek Formation is located in the Sorgun district of thecity of Yozgat in Turkey.In the study area,Paleozoic,Campanian-Maastrichtian,Eocene,Miocene and Quaternary units are exposed.The Celtek Formation is noteworthy with its coal and oil shale deposits.Samples were collected from one exposure(YCOSK)and two boreholes(SJ and C boreholes)at the facility operated by the Yeni Celtek Coal Management.Concentrations of REE in oil shales from these localities were determined using the ICP-MS technique.REE and total organic carbon(TOC)values of a total of 32 samples were compared with normalized REE contents of various environments.TOC contents of the samples ranged from 1.37wt%to 11.8wt%(mean 4.96wt%).The averages of all samples for the all normalized values show similar patterns.Normalized REE patterns are represented by the enrichment in the order of LREE>MREE>HREE and display negative Ce and positive Eu anomalies.ΣREE vs.TOC were compared.ΣREE vs.TOC showed a weak positive correlation,whereasΣLREE vs.(M+HREE)andΣLREE vs.ΣREE were positively correlated.Regarding tectonic provenance characteristics,the Celtek Formation oil shales were formed in microenvironments with physicochemical conditions changing in character from oxic to euxinic,representing a transitional terrestrial–marine environment.     

SWPT:An automated GIS-based tool for prioritization of sub-watersheds based on morphometric and topo-hydrological factors

The sub-watershed prioritization is the ranking of different areas of a river basin according to their need to proper planning and management of soil and water resources.Decision makers should optimally allocate the investments to critical sub-watersheds in an economically effective and technically efficient manner.Hence,this study aimed at developing a user-friendly geographic information system(GIS) tool,Sub-Watershed Prioritization Tool(SWPT),using the Python programming language to decrease any possible uncertainty.It used geospatial-statistical techniques for analyzing morphometric and topohydrological factors and automatically identifying critical and priority sub-watersheds.In order to assess the capability and reliability of the SWPT tool,it was successfully applied in a watershed in the Golestan Province,Northern Iran.Historical records of flood and landslide events indicated that the SWPT correctly recognized critical sub-watersheds.It provided a cost-effective approach for prioritization of sub-watersheds.Therefore,the SWPT is practically applicable and replicable to other regions where gauge data is not available for each sub-watershed.     

New transnational geographies of Islamism, capitalism and subjectivity: the veiling-fashion industry in Turkey

The rise of the transnational veiling-fashion industry in Turkey has taken place within the context of neoliberal economic restructuring, the subjection of the veil to new regulations, and the resurgence of Islamic identities worldwide. Even after almost two decades since its first catwalk appearance, the idea of 'veiling-fashion' continues to be controversial, drawing criticism from secular and devout Muslim segments of society alike. Analysing veiling-fashion as it plays out across economic, political and cultural fields is to enter into a new understanding of the role of Islam in the global arena today. Veiling-fashion crystallises a series of issues about Islamic identity, the transnational linkages of both producers and consumers, and the shifting boundaries between Islamic ethics and the imperatives of neoliberal capitalism. In this paper, our overarching argument is that controversies and practices surrounding veiling-fashion show how Islamic actors are adapting and transforming neoliberal capitalism at the same time as they navigate a complex geopolitical terrain in which Islam – and the iconic Muslim, headscarf-wearing woman – has been cast as a threatening 'Other'. Thus the rise of veiling-fashion as a transnational phenomenon positions women and women's bodies at the centre of political debates and struggles surrounding what it means to be 'modern' and Muslim today. Based on interviews with producers, consumers and salesclerks, and our analysis of newspaper articles, catalogues and web sites, this article traces out how the transnational production, sale and consumption of veiling-fashion works to order spaces of geopolitics, geo-economics and subject formation .     

The occurrence, spatial and temporal distribution, and environmental routes of tetracycline resistance and integrase genes in Crassostrea virginica beds

Rapid spread of antibiotic resistance genes has placed them under consideration as emerging environmental contaminants. The occurrence and distribution of tetracycline resistance genes (TRG) and integrons (INT) have been monitored for 2 years in seven oyster beds located in the Altamaha River (Georgia, USA) estuary. TRG/INT profiles varied both temporally (p < 0.025) and spatially between oysters and their environment (p < 0.005) suggesting shifts in sources of contamination and selection of TRG/INT carriers by oysters. The latter was confirmed via analysis of tet(D) and tet(G) distribution between oysters and their environment. Uncommon class 3 integrons dominated the integrons’ profile in oysters. The frequency of TRG/INT incidents correlated (R² ? 0.9) to (i) dissolved solids, (ii) potential water density, and (iii) turbidity but not to the amount of local precipitation suggesting the watershed as the dominant source of TRG/INT contamination and other than directly rainfall-caused run-offs as its environmental route.     

Study on the Historical Distribution of Metals in Aquatic Sediments

In this study, the historical distribution of metals, phosphorous, and sulfur at four different depths in the sediments of different lakes formed in the course of an urban river (in Londrina, Parana State, Brazil) were determined. The transport of metals along the course of the river was observed mainly for Mn, Cr, and Zn. High concentrations of Pb in the Capivara Bay and Cr in the river were attributed to contamination from a battery plant and a tannery, respectively. The concentrations of heavy metals in the deepest layers of the sediments remain high several years after deposition.     

粤北岩溶山区连江流域植被覆盖度动态变化研究

基于多时相MODIS数据和归一化植被指数的像元二分模型以及GIS技术,分析了2001—2010年连江流域植被覆盖度的时空变化特征。结果表明:连江及其子流域、岩溶区与非岩溶区的植被覆盖度空间分布差异性明显;近10年来连江流域的植被覆盖度总体上呈下降趋势,高植被覆盖度与中度植被覆盖度的面积数量变化剧烈,较高植被覆盖度与较低植被覆盖度的面积相对稳定;岩溶区植被分布以较高植被覆盖度、中植被覆盖度和高植被覆盖度为主,其分布面积分别占整个流域面积的53.84%、25.59%、18.54%,而非岩溶区则以高植被覆盖度、较高植被覆盖度和中植被覆盖度为主,分别占整个流域面积的48.12%、34.10%、15.05%;近10年来流域的植被覆盖度下降明显,且空间分布范围广,植被覆盖度相对稳定的区域占整个流域面积的65%以上,植被覆盖度下降区的面积比上升区增加近20%。