Radio profile instability in the millisecond pulsar PSR J0437−4715 resulting from spiky emission

We report the discovery of a 40 arcsec long X-ray filament in the core of the cluster of galaxies Abell 1795. The feature coincides with an H α +N  ii filament found by Cowie et al. in the early 1980s and resolved into at least two U -band filaments by McNamara et al. in the mid-1990s. The (emission-weighted) temperature of the X-ray emitting gas along the filament is 2.5–3 keV, as revealed by X-ray colour ratios. The deprojected temperature will be less. A detailed temperature map of the core of the cluster presented. The cD galaxy at the head of the filament is probably moving through or oscillating in the cluster core. The radiative cooling time of the X-ray emitting gas in the filament is about     which is similar to the age of the filament obtained from its length and velocity. This suggests that the filament is produced by cooling of the gas from the intracluster medium. The filament, much of which is well separated from the body of the cD galaxy and its radio source, is potentially of great importance in helping to understand the energy and ionization source of the optical nebulosity common in cooling flows.     

国内外泥石流活动关键指标估算方法之比较

泥石流流体容重、流速、冲击力是表征泥石流活动特征众多指标中的三个关键指标.本文在分析国内外对这些指标评估现状的基础上,总结了应用较普遍的估算公式,对比了不同公式的特点及其适用性.比较结果认为:由于泥石流组成和运动状态的复杂性以及影响因素的多样性,对于这三个指标,目前的估算公式都不具有普适性.在当前的认知水平下,建立基于各个地区泥石流特点的指标估算经验公式是最为实用的途径.在各个指标经验公式的建立方法上,考虑各个粒组的多变量容重统计分析方法相对较为合理;泥石流流速估算公式的建立途径在我国、前苏联和欧美国家之间有显著差异,前二者基于曼宁公式,后者基于强迫涡流公式、以弯道超高为主要参数;泥石流冲击力的估算方法国内外都以动量理论为基础,区别主要体现在经验系数取值上,巨石冲击力的计算则都考虑了拦挡建筑物的特点.     

基于聚落考古信息的中国北方农牧交错带东段历史耕地覆盖格网化重建*

中国北方农牧交错带是半农半牧、时农时牧的地带,此类区域因其独特自然环境和社会经济发展过程,准确地重建耕地覆盖难度较大。采用能够指示农业活动时空位置的考古遗址信息重建历史耕地覆盖,是提高此类区域耕地覆盖重建结果可靠性的有效途径之一。本研究选择位于中国北方农牧交错带带宽最大的东段作为研究区,使用聚落考古信息与历史文献重建了辽、金、元、明4个时期5'×5'的耕地覆盖变化。结论如下: (1)从辽代至明代,研究区耕地面积总量减少了98.0%,元明时期的耕地显著少于辽金时期,表明该区发生了从半农半牧到牧业的根本转变。(2)辽代耕地分布范围最大,金代耕地分布范围有所缩小,辽金时期均呈现“插花式”的分布格局,元代耕地分布范围急剧缩减,至明代仅有零星耕地分布。(3)研究区耕地覆盖变化受气候变化和人文因素的双重影响。辽金时期,气候相对温暖湿润,统治者重视农业发展; 元明时期,气候寒冷干燥,民族习惯以牧为主。基于聚落考古信息重建的历史时期耕地覆盖,不仅再现了该区域“插花式”的耕地分布格局,还刻画了该区由农转牧的土地利用变化过程。     

Summer flows in experimental catchments with different forest covers, Chile

Runoff and peak flows in four experimental catchments with different land uses are analyzed for summer periods. The catchments have a rainy temperate climate with annual precipitations between 2000 and 2500 mm, 70% of which is concentrated in the winter period between May and August. The final harvest of the forest plantation in one of these catchments generated increases in summer runoff. Also, differences between the maximum instantaneous discharge and the flow at the beginning of the storm then almost duplicated those registered in rainfall events of similar magnitude when the catchment was fully forested. Runoff analysis in this catchment is difficult because the two post-harvesting summer periods are much wetter than the two pre-harvesting ones but a double mass analysis shows the effect of harvesting clearly. In a paired catchment study, low cover in one of the two neighbour catchments explains higher direct runoff and base flows although lower maximum instantaneous specific discharge occurred in the less vegetated but larger catchment. Low vegetation cover explains increases in summer flows, although the size, topography, rainfall conditions, road density, extent of affected area and runoff generation processes play an important role in the hydrological effects of different land uses.     

Reintroduced large wood modifies fine sediment transport and storage in a lowland river channel

This paper explores changes in suspended sediment transport and fine sediment storage at the reach and patch scale associated with the reintroduction of partial large wood (LW) jams in an artificially over‐widened lowland river. The field site incorporates two adjacent reaches: a downstream section where LW jams were reintroduced in 2010 and a reach immediately upstream where no LW was introduced. LW pieces were organized into ‘partial’ jams incorporating several ‘key pieces’ which were later colonized by substantial stands of aquatic and wetland plants. Reach‐scale suspended sediment transport was investigated using arrays of time‐integrated suspended sediment samplers. Patch‐scale suspended sediment transport was explored experimentally using turbidity sensors to track the magnitude and velocity of artificially generated sediment plumes. Fine sediment storage was quantified at both reach and patch scales by repeat surveys of fine sediment depth. The results show that partial LW jams influence fine sediment dynamics at both the patch and reach scale. At the patch‐scale, introduction of LW led to a reduction in the concentration and increase in the time lag of released sediment plumes within the LW, indicating increased diffusion of plumes. This contrasted with higher concentrations and lower time lags in areas adjacent to the LW; indicating more effective advection processes. This led to increased fine sediment storage within the LW compared with areas adjacent to the LW. At the reach‐scale there was a greater increase in fine sediment storage through time within the restored reach relative to the unrestored reach, although the changes in sediment transport responsible for this were not evident from time‐integrated suspended sediment data. The results of the study have been used to develop a conceptual model which may inform restoration design. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Plastic marine debris on the Portuguese coastline: a matter of size?

Plastic debris is a worldwide threat to marine environments and Portugal is not immune to it. Though never quantified, items of all sizes can be found in the Portuguese coastline; therefore the objective of this work is the identification of main size classes in stranded plastic debris. Beaches sediment was sampled and in the laboratory plastic items were sorted in 11 classes from <1 to >10 mm, counted and weighted. Plastic size ranged from 50 μm to 20 cm and microplastics (<5 mm) were the majority (72%). Most plastic fits in the smaller size classes, due to expected high residence time in the sea enhancing degradation processes, which increase surface exposure and potentially persistent organic pollutants (POP) adsorption. These results point out the important contribution of microplastics to marine debris pollution, its risks, and the need to set a higher focus on this size class.     

A methodology for historical assessment of compliance with environmental water allocations: lessons from the Crocodile (East) River,South Africa

Abstract

Environmental flow provisions are a legal obligation under South Africa’s National Water Act (1998) where they are known as the “ecological reserve”, which is now being realized in river operations. This article presents a semi-quantitative method, based on flow–duration curve (FDC) analysis, used to assess the compliance of the Crocodile (East) River with the reserve in an historical context. Using both monthly and daily average flow data, we determine the extent and magnitude of non-compliant flows against environmental water requirements (EWRs) for three periods (1960–1983, 1983–2000, and 2000–2010). The results suggest a high degree of non-compliance, with the reserve increasing with each of these periods (14%, 35%, and 39% of the time), respectively, where effects were most pronounced in the low-flow season. The results also suggest that, whilst the magnitudes of reserve infringements for the latter period are relatively high, there appears to have been some improvement since the implementation of the river’s operating rules.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Guest editor M. Acreman

Citation Riddell, E., Pollard, S., Mallory, S., and Sawunyama, T., 2014. A methodology for historical assessment of compliance with environmental water allocations: lessons from the Crocodile (East) River, South Africa. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (3–4), 831–843.     

粘性泥石流阻力和运动方程验证分析

现有的粘性泥石流阻力方程可以大致归纳为三类：一类是将泥石流视为固液两相流,通过理论分析建立的泥石流阻力运动方程;二类是认为粘性泥石流符合宾汉姆流体阻力方程;三类是依据泥石流体具有基本符合库伦公式的剪切强度,将泥石流视为固体颗粒散体重力流,在理论分析基础上建立的阻力和运动方程。用粘性泥石流动力学实验数据对三类阻力运动方程进行了验证,结果表明第三类阻力和运动方程与实际接近。     

Rapidly varying accretion and AGN feedback

Accretion rates on to active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are likely to be extremely variable on short time-scales; much shorter than the typical cooling time of X-ray emitting gas in elliptical galaxies and galaxy clusters. Using the Langevin approach it is shown that, for a simple feedback system, this can induce variability in the AGN power output that is of much larger amplitude, and persists for longer time-scales, than the initial fluctuations. An implication of this is that rich galaxy clusters are expected to show the largest and longest-lived fluctuations. Stochastic variations in the accretion rate also mean that the AGN injects energy across a wide range of time-scales. This allows the AGN to maintain a much closer balance with its surroundings than if it was periodically activated. The possible non-linear correlation between Bondi accretion rate and jet power, found by Allen et al., can be explained if the instantaneous accretion rate, scaled by jet power, varies log-normally. This explanation also implies that the duty cycle of AGN activity increases with the radiative losses of the surroundings, in qualitative agreement with Best et al.     

浅谈地貌筛分与复原——李四光学术思想的传承与创新

李四光的学术体系博大精深,科学思路独树一帜,研究方法系统全面,十分值得传承和创新。其亮点之一就是构造筛分。构造筛分指的是把各不同时期形成的构造从复合构造中按先后顺序分离出来。该思路在复杂构造区研究显得更为重要。构造筛分的思想在地貌学研究中也有重要的指导意义。地貌学是一门四维科学,它不仅要从三维空间的角度去研究地貌的点、线、面、体等四要素,而且还要从时间的角度,研究地貌的过去、现在和未来。论文以地貌学时间维作主线,以华南沿海地区宏观地貌（水系、夷平面、晚中生代花岗岩穹窿山、晚白垩世-古近纪红层盆地、晚第四纪盆地等）为例,通过对新老嵌合的复合地貌以及地貌形成的内、外动力作用的筛分,恢复不同阶段地形原貌并发展历史,探讨地貌发展规律、机理和大地构造背景。研究表明,尽管华南沿海地貌类型繁多,新老嵌合,成因复杂,但却显示了一幅和谐统一的图像,显示了筛分思路在地貌学研究的指导意义。文章最后讨论地貌学时间维研究以及科学理论的传承与创新等哲学问题,指出,纪念李四光,更重要的是传承他思想方法和科学方法的精髓,而不拘泥于个别问题,从而促进在中国学者原始创新的道路上大步向前迈进。