The decay of coastal forts in southeast Brazil and its implications for the conservation of colonial built heritage

The 500th anniversary of European arrival in Brazil was celebrated in 2000 and highlighted the need to review the condition of the countrys remaining colonial built heritage. This revision is particularly apposite in the adjacent cities of Rio de Janeiro and Niterói, where the heritage that survived twentieth century reconstruction has done so largely because of ownership by the church or military. However, whilst this may have protected buildings from demolition, detailed fabric can be neglected or abused. This paper investigates this possibility through an examination of two forts, built primarily of local augen gneiss, that guard the entrance to Guanabara Bay. Natural outcrops exposed to the same humid sub-tropical maritime environment show that this rock is susceptible to slow disaggregation through salt weathering. Surveys suggest that stonework in the forts that is sheltered from rainwash is heavily loaded with salt and has passed a threshold, wherein stresses accumulated over centuries of apparent stability, combined with the effects of a more recent increase in atmospheric pollution and apparently inappropriate intervention (re-pointing), have triggered rapid breakdown that requires immediate intervention.     

Exploring fog as a supplementary water source in Namibia

Namibia is an arid country where many rural and urban centres depend on ephemeral rivers for their water supply. These water sources are, however, limited and display seasonal salinisation. Fog occurs along the coast and extends for some distance inland, and it could be used as a source of drinking water. Data on groundwater salinisation and fog deposition were collected at villages of the indigenous communities and at the Gobabeb Training and Research Centre (GTRC) in the Central Namib Desert. Fog collection experiments were done with Standard Fog Collectors (SFCs) and 1-m² fog collectors made from the Raschel mesh that is used in SFCs from 1996 onwards. The results indicate that fog occurs throughout the year and that it has low major ion concentrations (chemical composition). The period of high fog deposition coincides with that of high groundwater salinity and would suit mixing of the two waters to provide water of good drinking quality to people in these areas. In conclusion, fog is a viable source of water in the Namib and could supplement traditional sources in rural settlements and perhaps also in urban water supply schemes in this region as in other parts of the world where it is used as a source of drinking water.

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Six years of dew observations in the Negev Desert, Israel

Dew measurements taken at the desert site of Sede Boker for nearly 6 years are analysed. The instrument used is a Hiltner-type dew balance. Several parameters describing various aspects of dew formation are discussed. The total monthly amount of dew and the distribution of the number of dew nights per month shows two maxima (in September and in December–January) and two minima (in April and November). The average dew deposit per dew night behaves differently: the most striking feature of this quantity is the appearance of distinct summer and winter regimes, with the winter having more dew per dew night. With respect to the total monthly dew hours, the year appears to be divided in half: first, the 6 months from August to January, with an average of 145 h per month, and second, the 6 months from February to June, with 80 h per month. The average duration of dew per dew night appears to follow very closely the length of the night: there is a clear maximum of dew duration in December (9·7 h) and a clear minimum in July (5·5 h). Finally, the rate of dew accumulation is found to have a distinct dry season regime and a winter, rainy season regime.     

盆地气象学及其一些概念

就盆地气象学的某些问题进行了讨论。     

Scale and the other: Levinas and geography

This paper seeks to contribute to Geography's recent conversation of identity, landscape, scale and difference. It brings into dialogue previously divergent discussions about space, place and difference and proposes an approach that treats time, space, place and scale as co-equal conceptual and/or analytical elements of cultural landscapes. It argues that many philosophical debates about embodiment, emplacement and difference abstract a universalized notion of `place', `body' and `self' which confounds and conflates scale issues and consequently confuses the dialectical interplay of `time', `space', `being' and `culture' across scales. The paper takes the work of Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995) and the discursive communities around it as a philosophical entry point into these debates.     

Atmosphere,Weather, and Baseball: How Much Farther Do Baseballs Really Fly at Denver's Coors Field?

This article tests the widely held assumption that batted baseballs travel 10 percent farther in Denver than in major‐league ballparks at sea level. An analysis of (1) National League fly‐ball‐distance data for 1995–1998, (2) the micrometeorology of Coors Field, and (3) weather dynamics along the Colorado front range shows that the assumed elevation enhancement of fly‐ball distance has been greatly overestimated due to prevailing weather conditions in downtown Denver. We conclude that the record number of home runs at Coors Field must be attributed as much to the personnel of the Colorado Rockies team and the effects of mile‐high elevation on the act of pitching a baseball as to the effect of low air density on fly‐ball distance.     

Spatial distribution of tropical cyclone rainfall and its contribution to the climatology of Puerto Rico

This study explores two different tropical cyclone rainfall (TCR) problems: first, the identification of areas where TCR is highly concentrated and, second, the contribution of tropical cyclones (TCs) to the climatology of Puerto Rico for the period 1970–2010. A total of 86 storms within a 500-km radius of Puerto Rico were analyzed. Daily and monthly rainfall data from 32 weather stations were used to generate interpolated surfaces. Two geostatistical interpolation techniques were implemented: ordinary kriging and ordinary cokriging. Results show that rainfall from most TCs tends to be clustered in the eastern, southeastern, and central regions of the island, with a decrease in values toward the west. TCs closer to Puerto Rico (≤230 km) and embedded in high moisture environments (≥44.5 mm) exhibited the highest rainfall values, with most concentrated in the high elevation areas of the southeastern region of the island. Months with the largest TC contributions to rainfall (20–30%) were August and September, while the lowest contributions were found in June and November. For August, stations in the southern and eastern portions of the island had TCR contributions of >20%, with some stations in the southern coastal plains exhibiting 30%.     

科尔沁沙地梯级生态带水热通量变化特征及气候学足迹

荒漠化地区水热通量变化特征和气候学足迹对理解干旱、半干旱区气候变化及水分循环具有重要意义。以科尔沁沙地一条梯级生态带为研究区,运用2017年3-12月大孔径闪烁仪和自动气象站数据对研究区不同时间尺度水热通量和通量源区的动态变化特征进行分析。结果表明：水热通量日变化特征明显,各分支能量占比不同。晴天近地表能量各项分支曲线均呈显著单峰状,多云天水热通量变化无显著规律;水热通量季节变化显著,夏季显热通量值小于春季、秋季和冬季,潜热通量夏季最大,其次为春季和秋季,冬季最小;小时尺度和日尺度上源区变化较大;季节尺度上,源区面积春季 > 秋季 > 夏季,季节尺度间源区差异较小时尺度和日尺度降低;结合梯级生态带内下垫面类型看,生长季源区以光径中段的玉米农田占比最大,沙丘和草甸下垫面次之,光径内小型湖泊所占源区比例较小。不同月份各下垫面类型占比略有不同。     

1960-2018年佛冈县前汛期极端降水的变化特征

利用1960-2018年佛冈县国家观测站4-6月的逐日降水量资料,对前汛期极端降水进行年际和年代际变化分析,结果表明:近59年佛冈县前汛期极端降水量、强度和日数均呈弱的下降趋势.近59年佛冈县前汛期共出现30次连续性极端降水,最长持续时间为3 d.前汛期极端降水强度和日数分别在1988和1969年发生减少突变,极端降水...     

An ecosystem-based framework for governance and management of maritime cultural heritage in the USA

A new federal administration, alongside initiatives proposed by the President's US Commission on Ocean Policy, provides a timely and critical opportunity for maritime archaeologists and cultural resource managers to re-consider management frameworks for maritime cultural heritage in the USA. Policy is urgently needed that defines governments’ roles and responsibilities in protecting and managing maritime cultural heritage in federal waters. Implementation of a regional governance structure based on the tenets of ecosystem-based management is proposed in this paper to manage and develop these resources effectively. Through regional governance, the maritime heritage of the USA can be conserved for future generations, keeping its citizens connected to deep-rooted maritime traditions and contribute to the well-being, economic growth and development of coastal communities.