Research relevance, 'knowledge transfer' and the geographies of CASE studentship collaboration

The Co-operative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE) studentship programme of the UK Research Councils provide one example of wider efforts internationally to encourage so-called 'knowledge transfer' and thereby harness publicly supported university research more closely to the goals of national competitiveness, regional economic development and local regeneration. In this paper we describe the implications of how the various UK research councils have interpreted the objectives and beneficiaries of 'knowledge transfer', both for the relative opportunities available to human and physical geographers for collaboration through CASE and for the sorts of values that their research must serve. Then, we draw on unpublished data from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to explore the geographies of CASE studentship allocation and participation. The broad regional and institutional patterns of participation we describe have important implications for ongoing debates in the UK about research selectivity and the role of the university as an engine of local development, while the striking disciplinary patterns of CASE participation, and in particular the overwhelming success of geographers in this competitive programme, provide an opportunity to reassess claims about whether and for whom geographical research is relevant.     

Representing and communicating deep uncertainty in climate-change assessments

IPCC reports provide a synthesis of the state of the science in order to inform the international policy process. This task is made difficult by the presence of deep uncertainty in the climate problem that results from long time scales and complexity. This paper focuses on how deep uncertainty can be effectively communicated. We argue that existing schemes do an inadequate job of communicating deep uncertainty and propose a simple approach that distinguishes between various levels of subjective understanding in a systematic manner. We illustrate our approach with two examples. To cite this article: M. Kandlikar et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

近1800年以来内蒙古达里湖浮游植物群落演变及驱动因素

湖泊是地质历史上区域生态环境演变的重要载体,其沉积物中包含了丰富的环境演变信息。达里湖是典型的草原内陆封闭型湖泊,位于东亚夏季风的北部边缘,地理位置关键。本研究基于在达里湖采集的约238 cm沉积物岩芯 (GDL-1),通过²¹⁰Pb和¹³⁷Cs (岩芯上部20 cm)、AMS¹⁴C测年,以及沉积物样品中甾醇等生物标志物含量分析,重建了近1800年以来达里湖硅藻、蓝藻等典型藻类含量的演化历史,并结合总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)、盐度(Sr/Ba)和温度(T)等环境代用指标,分析藻类群落的主要影响因素。结果显示达里湖典型藻类总量平均为2.03 ng/g(最高6.69 ng/g,最小0.53 ng/g),其中蓝藻占比平均为60%,绿藻和硅藻占比平均为20%;环境因子对硅藻、蓝藻和典型藻类生物量的解释率分别为47.7%、55.20%和48.10%,T、TN和Sr/Ba是影响浮游植物群落的主要影响因素;硅藻占比与温度呈显著负相关,小冰期硅藻占比最高,中世纪暖期占比最低;在达里湖的高盐环境下,湖泊营养盐浓度对藻类的影响受到限制,成为藻类等生长的限制因素;Sr/Ba小于0.9时,硅藻含量与典型藻类总量随着Sr/Ba值的升高而增加,Sr/Ba大于0.9时,典型藻类总量与Sr/Ba值呈负相关关系,而硅藻则表现出对盐度具有一定的耐受性;整体上,近1800年以来,区域或全球性气候事件通过改变达里湖盐度、营养元素浓度和温度来影响典型藻类群落结构。在暖期阶段,蒸发作用增强等导致的湖泊盐度增加成为达里湖典型藻类群落结构演变的主要影响因素;在冷期,营养元素浓度和温度的降低成为湖泊水体浮游植物生物量的主要影响因素。     

葛洲坝至胭脂坝长江干流段江豚活动规律

长江江豚是我国一级保护野生动物,也是长江生态系统的指示性物种,其种群数量恢复情况及活动规律一直备受关注。本文选择长江宜昌段江豚活动频繁的葛洲坝下游至胭脂坝江段为研究区域,于2021年6月-2022年5月采用定点目测、水上流动监测与无人机监测相结合的方法分区监测长江江豚的游泳行为,分析长江江豚的活动规律,构建了长江江豚出水头次的零膨胀泊松回归模型,识别影响长江江豚出水头次的关键因素,建立长江江豚出水头次与各因素间的相关关系。结果表明:(1)葛洲坝至胭脂坝长江干流段监测到最大江豚出水头次为19头次,长江江豚集群规模以2~3头最为常见,占比达58.1%;长江江豚主要表现出4种行为特征,各行为占比从大到小依次为:玩耍＞休息＞摄食＞抚幼。(2)长江江豚在葛洲坝下游近坝区(A区,葛洲坝至至喜长江大桥)出水头次最多,且在秋冬季节累计出水头次多于春夏季节,冬季累计出水头次最高,达252头次。(3)长江江豚出水头次与电站下泄流量呈显著负相关;浊度增大,长江江豚出水的概率减小。本文研究结果对长江江豚生态保护策略及长江十年禁渔效果评估具有重要参考价值。     

基于GIS的北京山区优势林分生态位分析

应用生态位理论,以北京山区森林资源为研究对象,分析优势林分的空间分布及其资源利用和环境适应能力的差异。基于GIS方法,建立优势林分空间分布数据库以及资源梯度信息数据库,分别采用Levins公式和Smith公式,在水分、热量、光照和土壤质量4维环境因子梯度上测定了研究区8个优势林分的生态位宽度,采用Pianka公式测定生态位重叠。结果表明:Smith公式考虑资源可利用性,得到的生态位宽度更能客观地反映优势林分资源空间利用程度;研究区各优势林分重叠度普遍较大,反映了对环境要求的相似性及资源共享的趋势性。     

长山群岛港口地域组合空间结构演化定量分析

在国内外相关研究文献综述的基础上,构建了港口联系强度指数和综合基尼系数,对1986~2004 年长山群 岛港口地域组合空间结构的演化特征进行定量分析,认为从1986 年到2004 年,大长山港口组合单元一直是长山 群岛最重要的门户港,长山群岛港口地域组合整体上看是趋向集中。并对长山群岛陆岛连接方案进行论证,对陆岛 连接工程建设后长山群岛港口地域组合空间结构进行情景分析,“大连———长山群岛”之间的连接、联系方式、途径 发生了变化,这将使长山群岛港口地域组合的空间结构大为改观。对长山群岛港口地域组合空间结构的演化趋势 进行预测。     

Composition of plagioclases in volcanic rocks of King George Island, Antarctica with reference to the petrogenetic significance

Plagioclases occur mainly as phenocrysts in volcanic rocks of King George Island, South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica. In basaltic andesites and andesites of Keller Peninsula and Ullman Spur (Admiralty Bay), they are high structure state labradorite-andesines; and in high-A1 basalts and basaltic andesites of Barton and Weaver peninsulas (Maxwell Bay), they are high structure state bytownite-anorthites.∑REE, La/Yb ratios and δEu values of plagioclases from Admiralty Bay are higher than those from Maxwell Bay. All plagioclases have rather identical chondritenormalized transitional element distribution patterns, probably reflecting that crystal structure rather than composition of plagioclase controls their diversity. Compositions of plagioclases depend chiefly on those of their host rocks, compositional differences of plagioclases reveal that basaltic magmas in the Admiralty Bay area are more evolved than in the Maxwell Bay area.