Weather as a Chronic Hazard for Road Transportation in Canadian Cities

Inclement weather creates a chronic hazard for Canadian travellers. Past studies indicate that road collision rates increase during precipitation, although the magnitude of theincrease varies from study to study, partly as a result of variations in weather and driving conditions,but also because of differences in methods. The goal of the current study is to improve ourunderstanding of the links between weather and travel risk in mid-sized Canadian cities by using astandardized method for analyzing data from six cities with different climates: Halifax-Dartmouth,Ottawa, Québec, Hamilton, Waterloo Region, and Regina. The study has four interrelated objectives: (1) Toconduct a sensitivity analysis to determine the extent to which risk estimates vary depending onthe criteria used to define precipitation events and `normal' conditions; (2) To compare therelative risk of collision and injury during precipitation relative to `normal' conditions; (3) Todetermine the extent to which weather-related risks vary fordifferent Canadian cities; and (4) To explore any differences in collision characteristics between events and controls, especially as theyvary from city to city. Results are based on a matched-pair analysis, using six-hour time blocks over afour-year period, 1995 to 1998. Results indicate only modest sensitivity to the criteria used to define precipitation events and `normal' conditions. On average, precipitation is associated with a 75 percentincrease in traffic collisions and a 45 percent increase in related injuries, as compared to `normal'seasonal conditions, but risk levels vary depending on the characteristics of the weather event.Both sensitivity to specific weather conditions and weather-related accident profiles vary from city tocity in ways that are not easily explained.     

Hazard Zoning for Landslides Connected to Torrential Floods in the Jerte Valley (Spain) by using GIS Techniques

The Jerte Valley is anortheast-southwest tending graben located in the mountainous region of west central Spain (Spanish Central System). Mass movements have been a predominant shaping process on the Valley slopes during the Quaternary. Present day activity is characterized as either `first-time failure' (shallow debris slides and debris flows) or `reactivations' of pre-existing landslides deposits.A delineation of landslide hazard zoningwithin the Valley has been carried out by using the detailed documentation of a particular event (a debris slide and a sequel torrential flood, which occurred on the Jubaguerra stream gorge), and GIS techniques. The procedure has had four stages, which are: (1) the elaboration of a susceptibility map (spatial prediction) of landslides; (2) the elaboration of a map of `restricted susceptibility' in the particular case of slopes that are connected to streams and torrents (gorges); (3) the elaboration of a digital model which relates the altitude to the occurrence probability of those particular precipitation conditions which characterized the Jubaguerra event and (4) the combination of the probability model with the `restricted susceptibility map', to establish `critical zones' or areas which are more prone to the occurrence of phenomena that have same typology as this one.     

Paleoclimate reconstruction based on the timing of speleothem growth and oxygen and carbon isotope composition in a cave located in the rain shadow in Israel

High-resolution ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U ages and δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C compositions of speleothems in Ma’ale Efrayim Cave located to the east of the central mountain ridge of Israel enable us to examine the nature of the rain shadow aridity during glacial and interglacial intervals. Speleothem growth occurred during marine glacial isotopic periods, with no growth during the two last marine isotope interglacial intervals and during the peak of the Last Glacial Maximum. This contrasts with speleothem growth in caves located on the western flank of the central mountain ridge, in the Eastern Mediterranean semiarid climatic zone, which continued throughout the last 240,000 yr. Thus, during glacial periods water reached both sides of the central mountain ridge. A comparison of the present-day rain and cave water isotopic compositions and amounts at the Ma’ale Efrayim Cave site with those on the western flank shows that evaporation and higher temperatures on the eastern flank are major influences on isotopic composition and the lack of rainfall. The δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C profiles of the speleothems deposited between 67,000 and 25,000 yr B.P. match the general trends of the isotopic profiles of Soreq Cave speleothems, suggesting a similar source (eastern Mediterranean Sea) and similar climatic conditions. Thus, during glacial periods the desert boundary effectively migrated further south or east from its present-day location on the eastern flank, whereas interglacial periods appear to have been similar to the present, with the desert boundary at the same position. The decrease in overall temperature and a consequent reduction in the evaporation to precipitation ratios on the eastern flank are viewed as the major factors controlling the decay of the rain shadow effect during glacial periods.     

用非线性多因子动态组合方法作降水概率预报

将逐时段定点降水预报这个以往一般作为非连续量处理的预报问题转化为对一个连续的降水可能函数的预报问题。降水可能函数为一由实况值确定的函数。因为现在模式变化较快，且许多因子和降水可能函数为非线性关系，文章采用一种新的非线性多因子动态组合方法，通过对降水可能函数的预报，作客观分站降水概率预报。     

用非线性映象法作钦州市月降水量预报的研究

选取反映大气环流作用的500hPa的三个因子场:1956～2001年环流特征量、振幅和位相资料作为预报因子与钦州市1957～2002年5月降水量求相关比,将求得的高相关比因子用非线性映象法制作钦州市1995～2002年5月的降水量预报,试报效果明显。     

奇异值分解和奇异交叉谱分析方法在华北夏季降水诊断中的应用

利用1965~2000年华北5省市及相邻省73个地面观测站逐月平均降水场及北半球500 hPa高度场、北太平洋海温场资料, 采用奇异值分解 (SVD)、奇异交叉谱 (SCSA) 分析方法, 将华北夏季降水场分别与1月北半球500 hPa高度场、冬季北太平洋海温场进行了诊断分析, 得出奇异向量分布型及相互作用的耦合周期信号。在对前4对奇异向量的分析中发现, 华北夏季降水全区域为正距平时与1月北半球500 hPa高度场PNA遥相关型关系非常密切。ENSO对华北夏季降水的影响确实存在, 但华北夏季降水全区域为正距平时与冬季北太平洋ENSO关系并不明显。同时还找出了华北降水与北半球500 hPa高度、北太平洋海温场相互作用的关键区。在华北各型降水与高度场、海温场关键区相互作用的耦合周期中, 前者以准2~7年振荡为主; 后者则周期较长, 最短周期仍为准2年振荡, 最长周期为准10~11年振荡。以上结论为进一步研究华北夏季降水短期气候预测方法, 提供了参考依据。     

The Influence of Vegetation Cover on Summer Precipitation in China： a Statistical Analysis of NDVI and Climate Data

This study provides new evidence for the feedback effects of vegetation cover on summer precipitation in different regions of China by calculating immediate (same season), and one-and two-season lagged correlations between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and summer precipitation. The results show that the correlation coefficients between NDVI in spring and the previous winter and precipitation in summer are positive in most regions of China, and they show significant difference between regions. The stronger one-and two-season lagged correlations occur in the eastern arid/semi-arid region, Central China,and Southwest China out of the eight climatic regions of China, and this implies that vegetation cover change has more sensitive feedback effects on summer precipitation in the three regions. The three regions are defined as sensitive regions. Spatial analyses of correlations between spring NDVI averaged over each sensitive region and summer precipitation of 160 stations suggest that the vegetation cover strongly affects summer precipitation not only over the sensitive region itself but also over other regions, especially the downstream region.     

河南降水及最长连续无降水日数时空特征

利用河南省均匀分布的50个台站自建站至1997年近50年的定时降水资料，分析了河南省日小雨、日中雨、日大雨降水过程出现次数和最长连续无降水日数，结果显示，河南省日小雨、日中雨降水过程一年四季均可出现，日大而过程主要出现在3～11月份，冬季仅在豫南一些台站出现，各级降水过程出现次数季节性变化明显，冬季出现最少，夏季出现最多，其地理分布随测站纬度、拔海高度、地形地貌不同有较大差异；最长连续无降水日数也有明显的季节性变化特点，其最大值多出现在冬季，春秋次之，夏季最小，地理位置差异也较明显。     

影响高空探测高度的若干因素及提高探测高度的对策

通过对高空探测高度的分析可知:降水、净举力和空气阻力、球炸率是影响探测高度的主要因素。针对各个影响因素,找出提高探测高度的方法。     

北太平洋海温异常对中国东北地区旱涝的影响

文中利用 196 1～ 2 0 0 0年中国东北地区 80个测站 4 0a的月降水和同一时期的北太平洋海温资料以及奇异值分解 (SVD)技术 ,分析了北太平洋海温异常对中国东北地区夏季旱涝的影响。结果表明 :东北地区夏季降水与北太平洋海温异常之间存在着较为密切的联系 ,当前期冬季和春季甚至是前一年夏季赤道中东太平洋海温如果处于异常偏暖 (或偏冷 )状态 ,并且西风漂流区具有较明显的SST负 (或正 )距平分布时 ,则东北大部分地区夏季降水具有整体偏多 (或偏少 )的倾向。当然 ,东北地区降水与北太平洋海温异常之间的这种联系也并非是简单的一一对应的关系