The influence of marine inflows on the chemical composition of groundwater in small islands: the example of the Cyclades (Greece)

 Marine contamination of groundwater may be caused by seawater intrusion and by salt spray. The role of both processes was studied in the Cyclades archipelago on four small islands (45–195 km²) whose aquifers consist essentially of fractured, weathered metamorphic rocks. Annual rainfall ranges from 400 to 650 mm and precipitation has high total dissolved solids contents of 45–223 mg l^–1. The chemical characteristics of the groundwater, whose salinity is from 0.4 to 22 g l^–1, are strongly influenced by seawater intrusion. However, the effect of atmospheric input is shown in certain water sampling locations on high ground elevation where the dissolved chloride contents may attain 200 mg l^–1. Received: 14 November 1995 · Accepted: 9 September 1996     

Barotropic local instability and severe storm process

By means of barotropic model, the characteristic and initial value problems are investigated to reveal the local two-dimensional barotropic instability of the nonuniform current to the dynamic mechanism of the formation of the Yangtze-Huaihe River severe storm in July 1991. Analytical theory and numerical experiment show that (i) the unstable developing modes are chiefly the two periods of about 44 d and 10 d, which are fundamentally consistent with that of the precipitation change of the Yangtze-Huaihe River. (ii) The growth rate of the local perturbation is dominated by the meridional wave numbern = 1–5 and zonal wave numberk = 1–12, i.e. the severe storm over the Yangtze-Huaihe River results from the interaction of the systems at different latitudes and waves of different scales, (iii) The perturbation over the Yangtze-Huaihe River possesses the property of local intensification, which slowly migrates westward over the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze-Huaihe River. (iv) The growth rate of the instability, especially the propagation velocity of the perturbation, is sensitive to the external parameters ū and α. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

黄河上游径流预报的灰色拓扑方法

以龙羊峡水库年平均入库流量预报为例，根据灰色系统理论的建模方法，利用龙羊峡水库入库水量代表站唐乃亥水文站的实测径流资料，建立了一个ＧＭ（１，１）拓扑预测模型，用于黄河上游径流的长期预报，并取得了较为满意的结果。     

提高地方地震台网地震速报水平初探

总结了西昌遥测地震台网地震速报处理技术经验，针对地方台网地震速报中常出现的地震参数误差提出了改进思路。     

Heat influx and exhumation of the Shimanto accretionary complex: Miocene fission track ages from the Kii Peninsula, southwest Japan

Abstract   To determine how local geological events contributed to the evolution of accretionary complexes and eventual exposure of rocks with different structural levels, geochronological mapping was carried out using fission track (FT) analysis at the Kii Peninsula, southwest Japan. At this site, the original zonal structure of Cretaceous accretionary complexes parallel to the subduction zone is disturbed by the northward projection of the Shimanto accretionary complex. Twenty-six zircon FT ages were obtained from an area of ∼12 km in an east–west direction and ∼15 km in a north–south direction, and classified into three groups: (i) ages ∼15 Ma (range ∼10–20 Ma), which are distributed along the northwest–southeast valley; (ii) ages of ∼50 Ma in the northwest of the study area; and (iii) ages older than those in Groups 1 and 2. Based on results from eight zircon FT length distributions, the Miocene ages appear to be the result of spatial variations in heat influx and cooling after the regional exhumation of the area, as recorded by FT ages of ∼50 Ma.     

GPS水汽遥感中的大气干延迟局地订正模型研究

在GPS遥感水汽过程中,大气干延迟模型的精度直接影响水汽遥感的精度。根据广东清远站1995～2001年的气象探空资料,计算了GPS水汽测量中的实际大气干延迟。在此资料基础上,利用地面气象要素建立了大气干延迟的年和分月局地订正模型。分析结果表明,年模型的精度优于目前广泛使用的普适模型;月模型与年模型相比,效果不是很明显,建立局地分月订正模型意义不大;在对高度角的敏感程度上,局地模型略大些;当高度角小于75时,大气干延迟弯曲路径与直线路径之差ΔS随天顶角增大而迅速增大。     

Researching the South African tourism and development nexus

Under apartheid, tourism was essentially anti-developmental in focus and tourism research largely centred on the recreation of white South Africans. Since the 1994 democratic transition tourism has become recognised as an increasingly important sector for South Africa's economy and for achieving the government's goals for reconstruction and development. In this paper a review and critical analysis is presented of the changing directions and foci of tourism scholarship in South Africa. It is shown that South African scholars are beginning to respond to the challenges posed by tourism as a developmental focus. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The influence of floodplain geohydrology on the distribution of Sarcocornia pillansii in the Olifants Estuary on the West Coast, South Africa

The distribution of Sarcocornia pillansii (Moss) A.J. Scott was determined by water-table depth and electrical conductivity (EC) of the groundwater. Where the groundwater was accessible (<1.5 m) and had a low EC (<80 mS cm⁻¹), S. pillansii extended its roots down to the water-table where a suitable water potential gradient was shown to exist between the soil and roots. In areas where the groundwater was too deep and/or hypersaline, the plants grew on hummocks. The unconfined aquifer below the floodplain is linked to the estuary and although diurnal tidal waves were dampened, water-table level fluctuations were recorded between tidal events. The complex geomorphology of the floodplain influences groundwater flow, in turn affecting the distribution of the salt marsh vegetation.     

Gender and agrobiodiversity: a case study from Bangladesh

Local geography and gender are two major factors determining which crop varieties are cultivated in a case study of two rural villages in Bangladesh. This paper explores the interrelationships between gender, agrobiodiversity, and the use of, and preferences for, improved and local crop varieties. These are examined in relation to rice, minor field crops, and home garden fruits and vegetables. Reasons for both the displacement and the persistence of local varieties (LVs) are analysed in comparison to improved variety (IV) diffusion. The research evaluates agrobiodiversity through the number, types, and varieties of crops grown in fields and home gardens. The desired agroecological, economic, and cultural characteristics of crops grown document how respondents rank their variety preferences. Variety preferences and the perceived importance of LV preservation are compared with what is actually grown. The study indicates that there was little variation between villages in their approach towards the use of IV and LV rice; IVs were cultivated for their high yields and LV rice for taste and culinary uses. However, there were significant differences in relative agricultural dependence between the two villages which led to unique variety preferences. In both villages, women's preferences for IVs or LVs play a major role in crop choices, particularly as they manifest themselves in gendered domains of authority.