BOOK REVIEWS

Books reviewed in this article: Boundary Control and Legal Priniciples . Curtis M. Brown , Walter G. Robillard and Donald A. Wilson . Lost Initiatives: Canada's Forest Industries, Forest Policy, and Forest Conservation . R. Peter Gillis and Thomas R. Roach . The Navajo Atlas: Resources, People, and History of the Dine Bikeyah . James M. Goodman . The City and the Sign . M. Gottdiener AND Alexandros Ph . Lagopoulos , EDS. The Comfortable House: North American Suburban Architecture 1890–1930 . Alan Gowans . Arabic-Islamic Cities. Building and Planning Principles . Besim Salim Hakim . Contemporary Climatology . Ann Henderson -Sellers and Peter J. Robinson . A Trace of Desert Waters . Samuel G. Houghton . Geography, Resources and Environment. Vol. 1: Selected Writings of Gilbert F. White. Vol. 2: Themes from the Work of Gilbert F. White . Robert W. Kates AND Ian Burton , ED. Spatial Dimensions of Unemployment and Underemployment (A Case Study of Rural Punjab) . Gopal Krishan . Maps of the Holy Land: Cartobibliography of Printed Maps, 1475–1900 . Compiled by Eran Laor , assisted by Shoshana Klein . The Geography of Third World Cities . Stella Lowder . A Perspective on U.S. Farm Problems and Agricultural Policy . Lance Mc Kinzie , Timothy G. Baker AND Wallace E. Tyner . Soil Erosion and Its Control. R.P.C . Morgan , ED Geopolitics . Patrick O'Sullivan . Landscape, Meanings and Values . Edmund C. Penning -Rowsell AND David Lowenthal , EDS.     

Mitigating Risks From Fracking-Related Earthquakes: Assessing State Regulatory Decisions

Public concern about earthquakes linked to wastewater injection from fracking operations is rising. However, few have examined how “induced seismicity” is acted upon by state officials. For some, an incremental response to smaller quakes can be viewed as an acceptable risk policy orientation because of the sizeable economic benefits that accompany drilling activities while others prefer risk mitigation policies (such as the use of “threshold policies”) as a better way to address quake-related problems. To account for state response to induced seismicity impacts, we examine three factors: the emergence of quakes as focusing events, the economic importance of oil and gas to state jobs and revenue, and selected characteristics of earthquakes as a policy issue, i.e., complexity and categorical precedence. Using information drawn from documentary sources, we consider which factors are most helpful in accounting for agency decisions aimed at reducing seismic risks linked to nearby injection wells.     

The Victorian Bushfires of 2002–03 and the Politics of Blame: a Discourse Analysis

This paper identifies contrasting environmental discourses on bushfire from the public debate that followed the Victorian fires of 2002–03. Submissions to the inquiry into the 2002–03 Victorian bushfires provide a particularly rich source of documentation. It is argued that environmental events such as bushfire only become political issues, or problems, when they are constituted as such through environmental discourse. Through the analysis, three contrasting discourses on bushfire are identified—here labelled the ‘conservationist’, ‘ruralist’ and ‘wise use’ discourses. In examining how different ‘constructions’ of bushfire have led to conflict, each discourse is shown to consist of a range of actors who draw on shared storylines. Having established a better understanding of the different attitudes, beliefs, interests and values that underpin debates about bushfire, the paper concludes with a brief discussion of the prospects for compromise among the discourses and the potential for improved land and fire management outcomes.     

金沙江下游云南小江流域山地灾害综合区划

在分别完成云南小江流域泥石流危险度区划、滑坡危险度区划和土壤侵蚀强度分区的基础上,对小江流域山地灾害进行综合区划。结果为,共分为三个不同等级的山地灾害综合区:(1)一级(高危险度)山地灾害综合区,(2)二级(次高危险度)山地灾害综合区和(3)四级(低危险度)山地灾害综合区;无三级(中危险度)山地灾害综合区。其中一级(高危险度)区面积1 425.34 km2,有泥石流沟84条,占区划区域泥石流沟总数的60.0%,有滑坡137个,占区划区域滑坡总数的77.4%,土壤侵蚀强度以轻、中度为主;二级(次高危险度)区面积756.79 km2,有泥石流沟35条,占区划区域泥石流沟总数的25.0%,有滑坡34个,占区划区域滑坡总数的19.2%,土壤侵蚀以轻、中度为主;四级(低危险度)区面积863.20 km2,有泥石流沟21条,占区划区域泥石流沟总数的15.0%,有滑坡6个,占区划区域滑坡总数的3.4%,土壤侵蚀以轻度为主。     

Sand harm in Taklimakan Desert highway and sand control

Reputed as a wonderful achievement of the world's highway construction history, the Taklimakan Desert highway is now facing serious sand drift encroachment problems due to its 447- km-long passage of sand sea consisting of crescent dunes, barchan chains, compound transverse dune ridges and complex megadunes. To solve some technical problems in the protection of the highway from sand drift encroachment, desert experts have been conducting the theoretical and applied studies on sand movement laws; causes, severities and time-space differentiation of sand drift damages; and control ways including mechanical, chemical and biological measures. In this paper the authors give an overall summary on the research contents and recent progress in the control of sand drift damages in China and hold that the theoretical research results and practices in the prevention of sand drift encroachment on the cross-desert highway represent a breakthrough and has an epoch-making significance. Since the construction of protective forest along the cross-desert highway requires large amount of ground water, what will be its environmental consequence and whether it can effectively halt sand drift encroachment on the highway forever are the questions to be studied urgently.     

GEOGRAPHY AND THE LESSONS FROM EL NIÑO∗

Recognized for years as a major environmental disruption, El Niño generated intense public interest in 1982–1983. During its last occurrence, this phenomenon, which develops in the tropical Pacific and usually affects rimlands of the Pacific basin, exceeded its boundaries and its effects were transmitted to continental North America, Europe, Africa and East Asia. Notwithstanding its vast areal extent, the interest of geographers in El Niño events, past and recent, has been comparatively less than that demonstrated by natural scientists and ecologists: little has been accomplished to place these climatic-ecological crises within global perspective. Lessons from El Niño include the acknowledgement of new concepts of climatic transitivity, ocean dynamics and energy exchanges that must find a place within the conceptual wealth of geography if this science intends to keep up with the rapid progress of other geosciences.     

井巷揭煤地面预抽辅助消突技术

井巷如何安全、高效揭穿突出煤层是防突工作不断探索的课题,地面预抽煤层瓦斯辅助消突不失为一种有效的解决途径。基于井巷揭煤突出机理和防突核心任务分析,研究了地面预抽辅助消突技术特点和适应性。工程应用表明,采用洞穴完井和水力压裂强化预抽,可有效降低井巷揭煤区煤层瓦斯含量和瓦斯压力,使揭煤区应力释放或泄压,破坏煤与瓦斯突出的物质基础和动力来源,从而变突出区域（煤层）为非突出区域（煤层）。地面预抽煤层瓦斯能够有效降低井巷揭煤防突工作难度,提高揭煤效率,适合复杂地质条件下石门、井筒揭煤防突工作。     

红山煤矿石门揭突出煤层综合防突技术

煤矿井下石门揭煤诱发的煤与瓦斯突出是一种十分复杂的矿井地质动力灾害,严重威胁着煤矿安全高效生产。选取辽宁红山煤矿为工程背景,运用FLAC^3D模拟分析矿井南翼瓦斯突出危险区石门揭12煤过程中围岩力学响应特征,揭示石门揭煤突出机理,提出瓦斯预抽措施配以改进金属骨架的综合防突技术方案。研究结果表明：石门揭12煤期间,工作面超前支承压力随石门掘进动态前移,距煤层6 m范围内,工作面前方围岩掘进扰动强烈,煤体出现明显应力集中现象,垂直应力为15~19 MPa,已超过煤体强度。同时,石门工作面围岩变形量急剧增大,顶板下沉位移为15~92.22 cm,煤体弹性变形能积聚;工作面围岩塑性区范围也迅速扩展,在石门中线垂直剖面上的面积为10~50 m²,裂纹贯通形成碎煤射流通道。综合模拟结果可知,石门揭12煤过程中煤体承载较高集中应力和瓦斯压力,且储存大量弹性变形能,极易诱发突出。基于此,在传统瓦斯预抽防突措施的基础上,对现有金属骨架防突技术进行改进,使其同时具备瓦斯预抽、煤体固化和超前支护的综合防突作用,并通过现场应用取得了良好效果,为类似条件石门揭煤防突研究提供重要借鉴和参考。     

A temporal model for landslide risk based on historical precipitation

Of the recognized nonsteady-state factors that influence slope stability, probably most critical in many field situations is the character of precipitation and infiltration activity. A groundwater response model used in conjunction with precipitation records can provide a historical catalog of estimated maximum groundwater levels in a particular study area. An extreme-value statistical analysis of this catalog is linked with geotechnical slope stability analyses to provide a landslide hazard model for estimating the probability of slope failure within a given time. This modeling approach can provide meaningful input to risk assessments for landslide mitigation programs and to decision analyses and cost-benefit studies important for land-use planning and resource management.This paper was presented at Emerging Concepts, MGUS 87 Conference, Redwood City, California, 13–15 April 1987.