A discontinuous finite element suspended sediment transport model for water quality assessments in river networks

Suspended sediment plays an important role in the distribution and transport of many pollutants (such as radionuclides) in rivers. Pollutants may adsorb on fine suspended particles (e.g. clay) and spread according to the suspended sediment movement. Hence, the simulation of the suspended sediment mechanism is indispensable for realistic transport modelling. This paper presents and tests a simple mathematical model for predicting the suspended sediment transport in river networks. The model is based on the van Rijn suspended load formula and the advection–diffusion equation with a source or sink term that represents the erosion or deposition fluxes. The transport equation is solved numerically with the discontinuous finite element method. The model evaluation was performed in two steps, first by comparing model simulations with the measured suspended sediment concentrations in the Grote Nete–Molse Nete River in Belgium, and second by a model intercomparison with the sediment transport model NST MIKE 11. The simulations reflect the measurements with a Nash‐Sutcliffe model efficiency of 0.6, while the efficiency between the proposed model and the NST MIKE 11 simulations is 0.96. Both evaluations indicate that the proposed sediment transport model, that is sufficiently simple to be practical, is providing realistic results.     

Transition in place: Dynamics,possibilities, and constraints

The Transition Movement is a translocal phenomenon circulated through transnational grassroots networks. This study explores the geographies of the Transition Movement with a theoretical framework that perceives it as both a social movement and a grassroots innovation. Participant-observation of Transition Salt Lake (TSL), located in the suburban metropolis of Salt Lake City, Utah, was conducted, as the United States remains a largely understudied country in regards to this particular movement. In this pursuit, we asked: (i) how and what this transition initiative draws from geographically extensive and intensive relations, (ii) how it combines place-specific elements and generalized models (embeddedness), and (iii) how this impacts the success of the transition initiative and how these impacts (positive or negative) are generated. Place, space, and scale played a large role in defining the nature, dynamics, possibilities, and constraints of this transition initiative. Specifically, geographically intensive and extensive relations were critical for the mobilization of complementary resources. The Transition model was found to be flexible, allowing for the initiative to adopt those elements that worked in place and to focus on locally relevant topics. TSL faced many challenges identified by previous researchers regarding finances, participation, diversity, and intragroup competition. While networking with other similar groups, TSL demonstrated that fertile environments of activism are incubatory pools for grassroots innovations and social movements, and a trade-off was found with competition for resources between local groups.     

斜列构造型式空间定位研究及其对隐伏矿脉预测的意义

斜列状的断裂、裂隙的排列组合,其中往往充填岩脉或矿脉,被称之为雁列或斜列构造。在内生脉状多金属矿床平面或剖面上,矿脉常出现斜列状排列的组合特征,关于它们的组合型式,特别是从空间上及定位分布规律方面,尚缺乏深入的研究。本文依据构成斜列型式的几个主要几何要素之间的关系将其划分为三种类型,进行了斜列构造型式空间定位分布特征的研究及其对隐伏矿脉预测意义的探讨。     

印度区域地质矿产概况

印度共和国是印度板块的主体,也是冈瓦纳大陆的重要组成部分,主要由七个古老克拉通（陆块群）、分隔克拉通的活动带与盆地等构成。自北向南依次为：①喜马拉雅活动带,主要为具有元古代基底的古近纪-新进纪活动带;②印度河-恒河平原过渡带（山前坳陷带）,主要由为第四系、古近系-新进系和第四系冲积物构成;③印度半岛克拉通,主要由西塔尔瓦尔、东塔尔瓦尔、巴斯塔、辛本,本德尔坎德、阿拉瓦利和印度南部麻粒岩地体等7个太古宙陆块（或次级克拉通）群构成;④萨德布尔活动带;⑤东高止山活动带;⑥德干高原玄武岩省（LIP）（图1）。     

Ensemble simulation of land evapotranspiration in China based on a multi-forcing and multi-model approach

In order to reduce the uncertainty of offline land surface model(LSM) simulations of land evapotranspiration(ET), we used ensemble simulations based on three meteorological forcing datasets [Princeton, ITPCAS(Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Qian] and four LSMs(BATS, VIC, CLM3.0 and CLM3.5), to explore the trends and spatiotemporal characteristics of ET, as well as the spatiotemporal pattern of ET in response to climate factors over mainland China during 1982–2007. The results showed that various simulations of each member and their arithmetic mean(Ens Mean) could capture the spatial distribution and seasonal pattern of ET sufficiently well, where they exhibited more significant spatial and seasonal variation in the ET compared with observation-based ET estimates(Obs MTE). For the mean annual ET, we found that the BATS forced by Princeton forcing overestimated the annual mean ET compared with Obs MTE for most of the basins in China, whereas the VIC forced by Princeton forcing showed underestimations. By contrast, the Ens Mean was closer to Obs MTE, although the results were underestimated over Southeast China. Furthermore, both the Obs MTE and Ens Mean exhibited a significant increasing trend during 1982–98; whereas after 1998, when the last big EI Ni ?no event occurred, the Ens Mean tended to decrease significantly between 1999 and 2007, although the change was not significant for Obs MTE. Changes in air temperature and shortwave radiation played key roles in the long-term variation in ET over the humid area of China, but precipitation mainly controlled the long-term variation in ET in arid and semi-arid areas of China.     

Possible sources of forecast errors generated by the global/regional assimilation and prediction system for landfalling tropical cyclones. Part I: Initial uncertainties

This paper investigates the possible sources of errors associated with tropical cyclone (TC) tracks forecasted using the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System (GRAPES). The GRAPES forecasts were made for 16 landfalling TCs in the western North Pacific basin during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, with a forecast length of 72 hours, and using the default initial conditions (“initials”, hereafter), which are from the NCEP-FNL dataset, as well as ECMWF initials. The forecasts are compared with ECMWF forecasts. The results show that in most TCs, the GRAPES forecasts are improved when using the ECMWF initials compared with the default initials. Compared with the ECMWF initials, the default initials produce lower intensity TCs and a lower intensity subtropical high, but a higher intensity South Asia high and monsoon trough, as well as a higher temperature but lower specific humidity at the TC center. Replacement of the geopotential height and wind fields with the ECMWF initials in and around the TC center at the initial time was found to be the most efficient way to improve the forecasts. In addition, TCs that showed the greatest improvement in forecast accuracy usually had the largest initial uncertainties in TC intensity and were usually in the intensifying phase. The results demonstrate the importance of the initial intensity for TC track forecasts made using GRAPES, and indicate the model is better in describing the intensifying phase than the decaying phase of TCs. Finally, the limit of the improvement indicates that the model error associated with GRAPES forecasts may be the main cause of poor forecasts of landfalling TCs. Thus, further examinations of the model errors are required.     

Recultivation of abandoned agricultural lands in Ukraine: Patterns and drivers

The recent rise in agricultural commodity prices and the expectation that high price will persist have triggered a wave of farmland expansion in regions where land resources are still available. One such region is the former Soviet Union, where the collapse of socialism caused massive agricultural abandonment and where some of these lands are now being brought back into production. Yet, the extent and spatial patterns of recultivation, and what determines these patterns, remains unclear. We examined the extent of recultivation of abandoned agricultural land in Ukraine since 2007 using a new, satellite-based recultivation map and assessed the effect of biophysical and socioeconomic determinants on recultivation patterns using boosted regression trees. We found key predictors of recultivation to be related to the suitability of land for agriculture (i.e., soil quality, temperature). Accessibility to major cities was also important, with most recultivation happening closer to settlements, but this influence varied across Ukraine. Variables related to agricultural management (fertilizer input, mechanization) and demography were negligible in explaining recultivation in our analyses. These factors suggest that recultivation patterns were primarily driven by factors related to land productivity, with recultivation focusing on the most promising areas. Given the remaining large amount of unused agricultural land in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and considering that much abandonment occurred in areas only marginally suited to agriculture, our findings provide important insights into where recultivation can be expected to happen and thus for assessing the potential socioeconomic and environmental impacts of recultivation.     

天山山区水汽和云水含量的空间分布特征

利用欧洲数值预报中心(ECMWF)发布的第一代全球分辨率ERA-Interim再分析数据,分析了1979～2014年天山山区水汽含量和云水含量的空间分布特征。结果显示：(1)水汽含量的高值中心出现在伊犁河谷地区,中心值域在10—11kg m-2之间,低值区位于天山中部的巴音布鲁克附近,中心值域在5—6kg m-2之间;夏季水汽含量最丰富,在8—11kg m-2之间。(2)云液水含量的高值区出现在博格达山北坡,而云冰水含量的高值区在西天山海拔较高的托木尔峰地区,低值区均在伊犁河谷等海拔低的地区;夏季云液水含量、云冰水含量均呈减少趋势,云冰水含量较云液水减少的更为明显,下降速率为0.28kg kg-1/10a;(3)垂直分布上,云液水含量在600hpa左右的高空出现高值区,中心最大值为10kg kg-1;云冰水含量的高值区则出现在500hpa左右的高空,为11kg kg-1;在对流层大气中云冰水含量值远大于云液水,且云冰水发展的高度较云液水更高。     

1960-2014年湖南省极端气温事件变化特征分析

利用1960-2014年湖南省88个地面气象站日最高和最低气温的均一化资料,运用百分位阈值法统计暖日、暖夜、冷日和冷夜数,采用线性回归、M-K突变检验、Morlet小波分析等方法,研究湖南省55a以来极端气温事件的时空变化特征。结果表明：(1)湖南省暖日和暖夜数呈上升趋势,其年际变化倾向率分别为0.68d.(10a)-1、2.73 d.(10a)-1,冷日和冷夜数呈下降趋势,其年际变化倾向率分别为-0.45d.(10a)-1、-2.46d.(10a)-1,夜间增暖幅度大于白天增暖幅度;(2)湖南省大部分地区的暖日、暖夜数呈上升趋势,冷日数、冷夜数呈下降趋势,其中湘北、湘南部分地区变化趋势明显;(3)暖日、暖夜、冷夜数有明显的阶段性变化,其突变检验特征较明显,暖日、暖夜分别在2008、2003年突变增加,冷夜在1986年突变减少;(4)湖南省极端气温日数在不同的时间段存在着长短不同的振荡周期。     

强度尺度分解方法在气候温度场检验中的应用

本文首次将Casati等提出的强度尺度分解方法应用到气候地表温度场的检验中,探讨此方法用于评估气候模拟场误差的详细空间信息的适用性。以新一代气候系统模式模拟的月平均地表温度为例,传统的统计分析方法（较为常用的是空间相关系数和均方根误差、EOF分析等）不能完全反映模拟场误差的空间信息;强度尺度分解方法可计算不同阈值和空间尺度上的均方误差和模拟技巧,评估对应的模拟能力,定量给出模拟场主要误差的空间信息（误差范围即温度阈值及对应的空间尺度）,例如,亚洲东部地区1月单年及多年平均的模拟场在230 K阈值1600 km模拟技巧非常低。本研究表明强度尺度分解方法适用于气候温度场的检验评估,能定量给出误差的空间信息。