GIS课程双语教学研究

通过测绘工程专业开设"GIS"课程双语教学,在对该课程实施双语教学的必要性、可行性进行分析的基础上,提出了GIS课程实施双语教学的内容、方法.     

北京师范大学“世界地理”活动课教学改革与实践

高等教育教学改革的重点之一是探索以学生为主体的教学改革。作者在“世界地理”教学中,有机地组织了活动课的教学改革与实践,调动学生参与教学的积极性。以学生小组活动的自主性、合作性、探究式等学习方式,设计一系列知识竞赛、课堂讨论、模拟区域经济合作论坛、模拟考题等教学环节,旨在锻炼学生的群体学习意识、分析和解决问题的能力和表达能力等,也在很大程度上协调了“世界地理”教学内容多但学时少的矛盾。     

匈牙利高等地理教育的创新及对我国的借鉴意义

从20世纪八九十年代开始，匈牙利高等地理教育也开始着手课程改革，因为它的大学也面临着课程的现代化和毕业生满足市场变化需要的问题，本文首先介绍了匈牙利高等地理教育的现状，然后，详细地分析了匈牙利高等地理教育的改革，最后对我国高等地理教育改革提出了若干建议。     

我国高校世界地理课程改革与发展再认识

本文简要回顾与反思我国高校世界地理课程发展历程以及全球化，信息化形势下课程改革与发展态势。从教育理念创新，课程结构创新，教材内容创新，教学方法创新等不同维度，探讨世界地理课程改革策略与方法，以其科学教育与人文教育的融合，以及自身丰富的科学。文化，生活内涵和个性化特色，推进课程教学创新与可持续发展。     

土地测量学课程改革的探讨

介绍土地管理专业测量学教学改革的研究与实践,从改革教材结构入手,调整教学内容和改革教学方法,提出“地形－地籍－房产”图于一体的测量教学方法。并对２１世纪土地测量学的知识结构和组成部分作了有益的展望。     

Observed precipitation trends in the Yangtze river catchment from 1951 to 2002

The monthly, seasonal, and annual precipitation trends in the Yangtze river catchment have been detected through analysis of 51 meteorological stations' data between 1950-2002 provided by National Meteorological Administration. Results reveal that: 1) Summer precipitation in the Yangtze river catchment shows significant increasing tendency. The Poyanghu lake basin, Dongtinghu lake basin and Taihu lake basin in the middle and lower reaches are the places showing significant positive trends. Summer precipitation in the middle and lower reaches experienced an abrupt change in the year 1992; 2) The monthly precipitation in months just adjoining to summer shows decreasing tendency in the Yangtze river catchment. The upper and middle reaches in Jialingjiang river basin and Hanshui river basin are the places showing significant negative trends; 3) Extreme precipitation events show an increasing tendency in most places, especially in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze river catchment.     

A multi-disciplinary study of the 2002–03 Etna eruption: insights into a complex plumbing system

The 2002–03 Mt Etna flank eruption began on 26 October 2002 and finished on 28 January 2003, after three months of continuous explosive activity and discontinuous lava flow output. The eruption involved the opening of eruptive fissures on the NE and S flanks of the volcano, with lava flow output and fire fountaining until 5 November. After this date, the eruption continued exclusively on the S flank, with continuous explosive activity and lava flows active between 13 November and 28 January 2003. Multi-disciplinary data collected during the eruption (petrology, analyses of ash components, gas geochemistry, field surveys, thermal mapping and structural surveys) allowed us to analyse the dynamics of the eruption. The eruption was triggered either by (i) accumulation and eventual ascent of magma from depth or (ii) depressurisation of the edifice due to spreading of the eastern flank of the volcano. The extraordinary explosivity makes the 2002–03 eruption a unique event in the last 300 years, comparable only with La Montagnola 1763 and the 2001 Lower Vents eruptions. A notable feature of the eruption was also the simultaneous effusion of lavas with different composition and emplacement features. Magma erupted from the NE fissure represented the partially degassed magma fraction normally residing within the central conduits and the shallow plumbing system. The magma that erupted from the S fissure was the relatively undegassed, volatile-rich, buoyant fraction which drained the deep feeding system, bypassing the central conduits. This is typical of most Etnean eccentric eruptions. We believe that there is a high probability that Mount Etna has entered a new eruptive phase, with magma being supplied to a deep reservoir independent from the central conduit, that could periodically produce sufficient overpressure to propagate a dyke to the surface and generate further flank eruptions.Editorial responsibility: J. Donnelly-Nolan     

The landslides and tsunamis of the 30th of December 2002 in Stromboli analysed through numerical simulations

On the 30th of December 2002 two tsunamis were generated only 7 min apart in Stromboli, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy. They represented the peak of a volcanic crisis that started 2 days before with a large emission of lava flows from a lateral vent that opened some hundreds of meters below the summit craters. Both tsunamis were produced by landslides that detached from the Sciara del Fuoco. This is a morphological scar and is the result of the last collapse of the northwestern flank of the volcanic edifice, that occurred less than 5 ka b.p. The first tsunami was due to a submarine mass movement that started very close to the coastline and that involved about 20×10⁶ m³ of material. The second tsunami was engendered by a subaerial landslide that detached at about 500 m above sea level and that involved a volume estimated at 4–9×10⁶ m³. The latter landslide can be seen as the retrogressive continuation of the first failure. The tsunamis were not perceived as distinct events by most people. They attacked all the coasts of Stromboli within a few minutes and arrived at the neighbouring island of Panarea, 20 km SSW of Stromboli, in less than 5 min. The tsunamis caused severe damage at Stromboli.In this work, the two tsunamis are studied by means of numerical simulations that use two distinct models, one for the landslides and one for the water waves. The motion of the sliding bodies is computed by means of a Lagrangian approach that partitions the mass into a set of blocks: we use both one-dimensional and two-dimensional schemes. The landslide model calculates the instantaneous rate of the vertical displacement of the sea surface caused by the motion of the underwater slide. This is included in the governing equations of the tsunami, which are solved by means of a finite-element (FE) technique. The tsunami is computed on two different grids formed by triangular elements, one covering the near-field around Stromboli and the other also including the island of Panarea.The simulations show that the main tsunamigenic potential of the slides is restricted to the first tens of seconds of their motion when they interact with the shallow-water coastal area, and that it diminishes drastically in deep water. The simulations explain how the tsunamis that are generated in the Sciara del Fuoco area, are able to attack the entire coastline of Stromboli with larger effects on the northern coast than on the southern. Strong refraction and bending of the tsunami fronts is due to the large near-shore bathymetric gradient, which is also responsible for the trapping of the waves and for the persistence of the oscillations. Further, the first tsunami produces large waves and runup heights comparable with the observations. The simulated second tsunami is only slightly smaller, though it was induced by a mass that is approximately one third of the first. The arrival of the first tsunami is negative, in accordance with most eyewitness reports. Conversely, the leading wave of the second tsunami is positive.     

Resilient geographies: land, boundaries and the consolidation of the former bantustans in post-1994 South Africa

This paper focuses on the spatial impact of land reform and the redrawing of internal boundaries on South Africa's former bantustans. It argues that, in contrast to the democratic government's intention to use land reform and boundary demarcation to effectively change the spatial legacy of apartheid, these processes tend to cement the geography of the former bantustans. Though earlier research correctly projected that post-apartheid policies could result in the enlargement of the areas of the former bantustans, the ways in which this could happen were still unclear. This paper draws on experiences of land reform and boundary demarcation to demonstrate how and why the areas of the former bantustans have been enlarged over the 12 years of democracy in South Africa.     

A synthesis of sociological and biological perspectives on sustainable land use in Namaqualand

A transdisciplinary synthesis, grouped into four main themes, of the key papers in this Special Issue on Namaqualand is provided. Perspectives on current environmental, economic and social issues in the region are interpreted in the context of the past and are used to inform future trajectories of change and development needs within the region. Firstly, in terms of the climatic and biophysical environment, Namaqualand's rich biodiversity is not uniformly distributed and is explained in terms of the spatially heterogeneous geological, pedological and topographical gradients that characterize the region. Spatial and temporal variation in rainfall over long time frames would also have promoted speciation within isolated, poorly-dispersed, leaf succulent populations. Future climate models propose a decrease in rainfall across the region with an associated reduction in livestock production. The second theme provides an historical perspective on changing land use practices in Namaqualand over the last 2000 years. It suggests that they have frequently been influenced by events originating far from the region such as colonial expansion, apartheid legislation and globalization. Local people, particularly marginalised communal farmers have had to adapt to these outside influences within an increasingly confined landscape that has progressively eroded their mobility and restricted their ability to utilise the spatial and temporal variability inherent in semi-arid environments. The third theme shows how livelihood diversification has been one of the key ways in which local people from communal areas have adapted to change. While farming makes up a relatively small part of the income of most households it enhances the resilience of livelihoods in the region. The fourth theme is concerned with land reform, conservation and restoration in Namaqualand. While a significant amount of land has been transferred to previously-marginalised groups, equitable access to these resources is lacking. An exclusively commercial orientation within the extension and development programmes of the Department of Agriculture further hampers the effectiveness of land reform as a tool for reducing levels of poverty in the majority of households in the region. Conservation initiatives could enhance livelihood options in Namaqualand but are viewed by some as being in competition with the state's land reform programme and are too recent to reflect significant regional benefits at this stage. While restoration is possible in severely degraded lands, the costs and operational difficulties in these event-driven, semi-arid systems are emphasised. Finally, this synthesis suggests that the important exogenous drivers of change in the 21st century are likely to be climate, biodiversity conservation initiatives, land redistribution and continued processes of de-agrarianisation as a result of macro-economic change. A focus on building institutions, encouraging livestock mobility within a significantly expanded commons and supporting livelihood diversification are some of the approaches necessary to address the development needs of Namaqualand.