Deconstructing the best case scenario: lessons from water politics in La Paz-El Alto, Bolivia

For nearly a decade the La Paz-El Alto concession in Bolivia was heralded by donor organizations, the state and the commercial water industry alike as an emblematic ‘pro-poor’ water concession under the private sector model. Managed by one of the largest water multinationals in the world (the French company Suez), the network was extended beyond the new connections required by the original ‘pro-poor’ contract, acclaimed as a pioneer of new pro-poor technologies and frequently disseminated internationally as an example of best practice. This paper analyses the La Paz-El Alto concession’s pro-poor image focusing on issues of social exclusion and network extension, contract negotiation, participation and transparency. It documents the rise of social protest about the concession and critiques the failure of neoliberal regulatory systems to promote accountability to the poor. In the context of the continued transnationalisation of the water industry the paper highlights the need for new mechanisms and delivery models to ensure greater national control over private companies and the development of a framework for international water governance.     

不同气候带的河道与沙丘分布格局及其类型划分

风水交互作用是干旱区常见的地貌现象和重要的地表过程,干旱区河流通过提供物源和场所控制沙漠分布的格局,沙漠分布与风沙活动制约河道发育和泥沙输移,在不同时空尺度表现不一,但关于二者交互作用的分类处于探索阶段,尚未形成分类体系,尤其在地貌格局分类上多为定性描述。因此,自西向东选择位于3个气候带的中国西部克里雅河、中部毛不拉格孔兑以及东部西拉木伦河,利用遥感影像解译获取河道与沙丘信息,探讨近源沙丘的分布与河型之间的组合关系。结果表明：河型、河流流向与风向之间的关系、水文以及距离河道的远近影响河道与沙丘组合的地貌格局;在河道-沙丘尺度上,划分为弯曲河道-对称式边滩沙丘、顺直河道-边滩沙丘、分汊河道-心滩式沙丘、网状河道-格状镶嵌式沙丘4种类型。     

东亚地区水汽输送与重庆夏季旱涝的联系

利用NCEP/NCAR(1960—2006年)的全球再分析格点资料,研究了东亚地区水汽输送异常与重庆夏季旱涝的关系。结果表明:当重庆夏季(7~8月)降水偏多(涝)时,欧亚地区中高纬维持"两脊一槽"的"双阻"型:乌拉尔山和鄂霍茨克海地区分别存在阻高,贝加尔湖地区为一槽区。冷空气沿着贝加尔湖槽后偏北风和乌拉尔山阻塞高压的南支西风南下进入中国。热带太平洋地区为显著的高度距平正异常区。副热带地区是高度距平负异常区,西太平洋副热带高压脊线位置偏南、强度偏强。来自热带海洋地区的暖湿气流分别沿西太平洋副热带高压西南侧和经印度、孟加拉湾两条主要路径进入中国。当来自高、低纬地区的冷、暖空气在长江流域中上游相遇,就会造成重庆等长江中上游地区降水异常偏多,发生洪涝。反之,降水偏少(旱)年,在欧亚中高纬地区存在"一槽一脊"的环流形势:乌拉尔山附近为一深厚的槽区;鄂霍茨克海阻塞高压异常发展,一直延伸到贝加尔湖附近;西欧地区维持着深厚的高压脊。西太平洋副热带高压位置偏北、偏东,主体基本退出中国大陆地区。整个热带为高度距平负异常区。这样环流形势致使东亚地区中高纬地区受乌拉尔山大槽影响盛行偏南风,不利于冷空气南下。低纬地区的暖湿气流沿着西太平洋副热带高压南面的东南气流从华南进入中国。这样的环流配置易造成南下的冷空气偏弱,同时使来自热带地区的暖空气向北推进到中国华北和东北地区,致使冷、暖空气无法在长江中上游地区交汇,该区域降水显著减少,形成干旱。     

Variability of Raindrop Size Distribution during a Regional Freezing Rain Event in the Jianghan Plain of Central China

The characteristics of the raindrop size distribution(DSD) during regional freezing rain(FR) events that occur throughout the phase change(from liquid to solid) are poorly understood due to limited observations. We investigate the evolution of microphysical parameters and the key formation mechanisms of regional FR using the DSDs from five disdrometer sites in January 2018 in the Jianghan Plain(JHP) of Central China. FR is identified via the size and velocity distribution measured from a disdrom...     

青岛冷水团的消亡机理研究

本文基于多年月平均水温资料,分析了青岛冷水团的长消过程,并利用气候态月平均大气数据和数值模拟结果,探讨了青岛冷水团的消亡机理。结果表明,青岛冷水团3月出现,4月成型,5月最盛,6月减弱,7月消失;南黄海6-7月间偏南风的增强和温跃层以下反气旋涡的减弱是青岛冷水团消亡的动力机制,而海面净热通量的下传和水平热量的输入则是青岛冷水团消亡的热力机制。     

初夏西北太平洋副高东西变动对中国南部降水东西差异的影响

西北太平洋副热带高压（以下简称副高）是影响中国气候的大尺度环流系统,为了进一步了解副高对中国气候的影响,本文利用站点观测资料和大气环流再分析资料,通过资料诊断分析和数值模拟方法,探讨了6月副高东西变动对中国南部降水的影响,以及影响副高东西变动的前期海洋因子.结果表明副高东西变动对中国西南和华南地区降水的影响明显不同：副高偏东有利于降水西南偏多而华南偏少,偏西则降水变化刚好相反.其原因与副高东西变化引起的环流差异有关,华南降水与副高东（西）变动时西太平洋地区副高西北侧的东北（西南）风异常以及东亚中低纬度地区异常经向波列的变化直接有关,而西南降水异常不仅与副高东西变动在东南亚地区引起的纬向风异常有关,与青藏高原大地形动力作用对副高北侧异常纬向风的变化也有十分密切的联系.此外,副高东西变动时影响西南和华南地区的水汽来源不同,影响西南的水汽主要来源于赤道印度洋80°E附近越赤道气流,而影响华南的水汽主要来源于副高南侧偏东气流从西北太平洋地区输送的水汽.进一步分析发现前期冬春季热带西北太平洋和赤道西太平洋海温变化的偶极差异与后期初夏副高东西变动有密切联系,冬春季西北太平洋暖海温和赤道西太平洋冷海温变化有利于后期初夏副高偏西,相反则有利于副高偏东,数值模拟结果在一定程度证实了资料诊断分析结果.

     

Spatial–temporal variability in water quality and macro-invertebrate assemblages in the Upper Mara River basin,Kenya

Tropical rivers display profound temporal and spatial heterogeneity in terms of environmental conditions. This aspect needs to be considered when designing a monitoring program for water quality in rivers. Therefore, the physico-chemical composition and the nutrient loading of the Upper Mara River and its two main tributaries, the Amala and Nyangores were monitored. Initial daily, and later a weekly monitoring schedule for 4 months spanning through the wet and dry seasons was adopted. Benthic macro-invertebrates were also collected during the initial sampling to be used as indicators of water quality. The aim of the current study was to investigate the physico-chemical status and biological integrity of the Upper Mara River basin. This was achieved by examining trends in nutrient concentrations and analyzing the structure, diversity and abundance of benthic macro-invertebrates in relation to varying land use patterns. Sampling sites were selected based on catchment land use and the level of human disturbance, and using historical records of previous water quality studies. River water pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity (EC), temperature, and turbidity were determined in situ. All investigated parameters except iron and manganese had concentration values within allowable limits according to Kenyan and international standards for drinking water. The Amala tributary is more mineralized and also shows higher levels of pH and EC than water from the Nyangores tributary. The latter, however, has a higher variability in both the total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations. The variability in TP and TN concentrations increases downstream for both tributaries and is more pronounced for TN than for TP. Macro-invertebrate assemblages responded to the changes in land use and water quality in terms of community composition and diversity. The study recommends detailed continuous monitoring of the water quality at shorter time intervals and to identify key macro-invertebrate taxa that can be used to monitor changes of the water quality in rivers of the Mara basin as a result of anthropogenic changes.     

登州浅滩海域表层沉积物分布特征

依据2010年在登州浅滩海域采集的沉积物样品资料,划分了研究区表层沉积物的分布类型,分析了登州浅滩海域沉积物的分布特征和粒度参数变化规律,在此基础上初步探讨了沉积物分布的影响因素。研究结果表明,登州浅滩海域表层沉积物主要包括砾石、砾砂、粗砂、中粗砂、中砂、细砂、粉砂质砂、砂质粉砂、粉砂、黏土质粉砂、粉砂质黏土等11种类型;浅滩沉积物以中粗砂为主,水道东侧以砾砂为主,西侧主要成分为黏土质粉砂;沉积物粒径具有自南向北由细变粗再变细,自东向西由粗变细的趋势;区域表层沉积物的分布格局与水动力环境相适应。     

Community structure changes of macrobenthos in the South Yellow Sea

The ecological environment in the Yellow Sea has changed greatly from the 1950s to 1990s and this has had significant impact on marine organisms. In this study, data on soft-sediment macrobenthos occurring in depths from 25 m to 81 m in the South Yellow Sea were used to compare changes in community structure. The agglomerative classification (CLUSTER) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) methods were applied. Five communities were recognized by cluster analysis: 1. The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass community dominated by cold water species, which changed slightly in species composition since the 1950s; 2. The mixed community with the coexistence of cold water species and warm water species, as had been reported previously; 3. The polychaete-dominated eurythermal community in which the composition changed considerably as some dominant species disappeared or decreased; 4. The Changjiang (Yangtze) River Estuarine community, with some typical estuarine species; 5. The community affected by the Yellow Sea Warm Current. The greatest change occurred in the coastal area, which indicated that the change may be caused by human activities. Macrobenthos in the central region remained almost unchanged, particularly the cold water species shielded by the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass. The depth, temperature and median grain size of sediments were important factors affecting the distributions of macrobenthos in the South Yellow Sea.     

Geochemistry and potential use of groundwater in the Rocca Busambra area (Sicily, Italy)

In the Rocca Busambra area (mid-west Sicily, Italy), from November 1999 to July 2002, 23 water points including wells and springs were sampled and studied for their chemical and isotopic compositions. Two rain gauges were also installed at different altitudes, and rainwater was collected monthly to determine the isotopic composition. The obtained results revealed the Rocca Busambra carbonate complex as being the main recharge area on account of its high permeability value. From a chemical view point, two main groups of water can be distinguished: calcium–magnesium–bicarbonate-type and calcium–magnesium–chloride–sulphate-type waters. The first group reflects the dissolution of the carbonate rocks; the second group probably originates from circulation within flyschoid sediments. Three water wells differ from the other samples due to their relatively high Na and K content, which probably is to be referred to a marked interaction with the “Calcareniti di Corleone” formation, which is rich in glauconite [(K, Na)(Fe³⁺, Al, Mg)₂(Si, Al)₄O₁₀(OH)₂]. In accordance with WHO guidelines for drinking water (2004), almost all the samples collected can be considered drinkable, with the exception of four of them, whose NO₃ ⁻, F⁻ and Na⁺ contents exceed the limits. On the contrary, the sampled groundwater studied is basically suitable for irrigation.