Russia's Far East: A Region at Risk

Abstract

In this article I ask to what extent geographers can draw on psychoanalytic theory when examining interview data. I consider Freud's theory of the mind and its unconscious processes to ask how bringing the unconscious to bear on identity studies potentially impacts qualitative research on subjectivity and identification. Existing geographic debate on psychoanalytic theory and methods provides an organizing framework for my argument. Although the article advocates an ontology of the psychoanalytic subject, I suggest that researchers must avoid psychoanalyzing research subjects. This distinction limits the ways in which scholars can “read” personal narratives for unconscious processes.

     

Constraints to effective adoption of innovative livestock production technologies in the Rift Valley (Kenya)

We surveyed small-scale farmers in the Kenyan Rift Valley province (Narok and Nakuru districts) to describe constraints to, and changes in, livestock production and to assess the extent to which farmers have adopted new technologies promoted by extension services. In the arid areas of southern Narok, farmers' main constraints were drought and disease. Farmers in Nakuru district, situated in the fertile highlands of the Rift Valley, were also affected by disease but also lacked markets and capital. Although 83% of the farmers had regular contact with extension services that provided advice on new technologies and livestock production innovations, only about half of the respondents implemented the proposed changes. Many of those who did change (38%) improved pasture/nutrition/manure management and relatively few (16%) improved their animal breeding practices. Results of a multinomial logit model revealed that, apart from the significant differences between the two districts, the nature of the advice and the expected outcomes had the strongest influence on the probability of successfully implementing changes to livestock production. The results further suggest that adoption of new technologies is limited by lack of knowledge, inadequate support and a failure to target local needs and conditions and empower livestock keepers.     

贵州天柱磨山─油麻坳金矿化带地球化学特征及成矿作用

贵州天柱磨山油麻坳金矿化带地球化学特征及成矿作用＊张杰余大龙李明琴张先煜杨勇俊（贵州工业大学资源工程系，贵阳５５０００３）关键词金矿化带金矿地球化学金矿成矿作用黔东天柱本文主要研究了黔东天柱磨山—油麻坳金矿化带内主要类型岩石矿石的地质－地球化学特征，...     

2021年3月中旬东亚中部沙尘天气地面起尘量及源区贡献率估算

2021年3月中旬,东亚中部包括中国北方大部分地区,爆发了持续性的沙尘天气,引发了人们对于沙尘源区、防风固沙生态建设工程效益的高度关注.提出了一个新的地表起尘量估算方法,使用高精度、大范围的气象数据,计算了这次沙尘天气的地面起沙条件、大风过程中的输沙状况,估算了不同时刻的起尘量,获得了14、15日蒙古和中国北方荒漠地区...     

Application of Fourier series in managing the seasonality of convective and monsoon rainfall

ABSTRACT

This study assesses the performance of Fourier series in representing seasonal variations of the tropical rainfall process in Malaysia. Fourier series are incorporated into a spatial-temporal stochastic model in an attempt to make the model parsimonious and, at the same time, capture the annual variation of rainfall distribution. In view of Malaysia’s main rainfall regime, the model is individually fitted for two regions with distinctive rainfall profiles: one being an urban area receiving rainfall from convective activities whilst the other receives rainfall from monsoonal activities. Since both regions are susceptible to floods, the study focuses on the rainfall process at fine resolution. Fourier series equations are developed to represent the model’s parameters to describe their annual periodicity. The number of significant harmonics for each parameter is determined by inspecting the cumulative fraction of total variance explained by the significant harmonics. Results reveal that the number of significant harmonics assigned for the parameters is slightly higher in the region with monsoonal rains. The overall simulation results show that the proposed model is capable of generating tropical rainfall series from convective and monsoonal activities.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis Associate editor K. Hamed     

Effects of land-use/cover change on hydrological processes using a GIS/RS-based integrated hydrological model: case study of the East River,China

Abstract

An integrated model, combining a surface energy balance system, an LAI-based interception model and a distributed monthly water balance model, was developed to predict hydrological impacts of land-use/land-cover change (LUCC) in the East River basin, China, with the aid of GIS/RS. The integrated model is a distributed model that not only accounts for spatial variations in basin terrain, rainfall and soil moisture, but also considers spatial and temporal variation of vegetation cover and evapotranspiration (ET), in particular, thus providing a powerful tool for investigating the hydrological impact of LUCC. The model was constructed using spatial data on topography, soil types and vegetation characteristics together with time series of precipitation from 170 stations in the basin. The model was calibrated and validated based on river discharge data from three stations in the basin for 21 years. The calibration and validation results suggested that the model is suitable for application in the basin. The results show that ET has a positive relationship with LAI (leaf area index), while runoff has a negative relationship with LAI in the same climatic zone that can be described by the surface energy balance and water balance equation. It was found that deforestation would cause an increase in annual runoff and a decrease in annual ET in southern China. Monthly runoff for different land-cover types was found to be inversely related to ET. Also, for most of the scenarios, and particularly for grassland and cropland, the most significant changes occurred in the rainy season, indicating that deforestation would cause a significant increase in monthly runoff in that season in the East River basin. These results are important for water resources management and environmental change monitoring.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz     

空间光滑活动模型在东部海域地震危险性评价中的应用

以中国东部近海海域(25～41°N,117～126°E)为研究区域,基于区域地震构造背景和地震活跃水平等资料划分地震构造单元,依次采用基于地震目录的圆形高斯光滑模型和断层导向性的椭圆光滑模型的地震活动参数评价方法,计算各网格点的地震发生率.并利用网格源的地震危险性概率评价方法,由不同输入地震目录得到该区域50年超越概率10％的加速度峰值区划结果.     

Residues,sources and tissue distributions of organochlorine pesticides in dog sharks (Mustelus griseus) from Zhoushan Fishing Ground,China

Ten dog sharks (Mustelus griseus) collected from Zhoushan Fishing Ground, China, were analysed for organochlorine pesticides in various tissues, including muscle, liver, skin, gill and fin, with the aim to study the residues, sources and tissue distributions of these chemicals in high trophic level marine fishes. The concentrations of DDTs, HCHs, and chlordanes varied from 7.27–26.62, 2.67–3.35, and 0.54–0.61 ng/g wet weight, respectively, with the estimated daily intake far below the acceptable daily intake and Chinese edible hygienic criteria. Data from the tissue distribution suggested a tendency of DDTs and chlordanes to accumulate in the liver, but for HCHs, direct gill penetration may be an important means of entrance. In addition, the compositional profiles indicated that the residues of HCHs and chlordanes mainly originated from the historical usage of these chemicals. However, the predominant maternal compounds and the o,p′-DDT/p,p′-DDT ratios reflected a recent use of dicofol.     

Response of the hydrological regime of the Yellow River to the changing monsoon intensity and human activity

Abstract

In the past 50 years, influenced by global climate change, the East Asian summer monsoon intensity (SMI) changed significantly, leading to a response by the water cycle of the Yellow River basin. The variation in SMI has three stages: (1) 1951–1963, SMI increased; (2) 1963–1965, SMI declined sharply, a feature that may be regarded as an abrupt change; and (3) 1965–2000, SMI remained at low levels and showed a tendency to decline slowly. The decreased SMI led to a reduction in water vapour transfer from the ocean to the Yellow River basin, and thus precipitation decreased and the natural river runoff of the Yellow River also decreased. Due to the increase in population and therefore in irrigated land area, the ratio of net water diversion to natural river runoff increased continuously. Comparison of the ratio of net water diversion to natural river runoff before and after the abrupt change in SMI indicates some discontinuity in the response of the man-induced lateral branch of the water cycle to the abrupt change in SMI. The frequently occurring flow desiccation in the lower Yellow River can be regarded as a response of the water cycle system to the decreasing summer monsoon intensity and increasing population. When the ratio of net water diversion exceeded the ratio of natural runoff of the low-flow season to the annual total natural runoff, flow desiccation in the lower Yellow River would occur. When the ratio of net water diversion is 0.3 larger than the ratio of the natural runoff of the low-flow season to the annual total natural runoff, an abrupt increase in the number of flow desiccation events is likely to occur.     

DISCHARGE AND SEDIMENT-LOAD CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HILDA ROCK-GLACIER STREAM,CANADIAN ROCKY MOUNTAINS,ALBERTA

Water discharge and sediment load characteristics of the Hilda rock-glacier stream are described for portions of the 1985 and 1986 ablation seasons. Covering an area of 1.5 km², the Hilda rock glacier yields a relatively consistent flow, generally low in suspended sediments and relatively high in total dissolved solids during the ablation season. The seasonal hydrograph shows decreasing discharge and suspended sediment load and increasing dissolved loads through the ablation season as snowmelt water sources are depleted. Superimposed on this is a diurnal hydrograph showing that daily peaks in discharge lag several hours behind daily temperature maxima. Rain events produce hydrograph anomalies and act to flush sediment, elevating suspended loads, while diluting dissolved loads. These data suggest that rock-glacier hydrological systems are more responsive to short-term and transient meteorological conditions than previously suggested in the literature. Nonetheless, the data indicate that the Hilda rock glacier is more conservative in both water and sediment yield than glacier systems of comparable size and in the same environment.