Historical paths to current unrest: Extending the temporal lens in analysing geographies of agrarian change and conflict

The proliferation of soybean monoculture and its expansion into previously marginal territories in Argentina have resulted in land conflicts and attacks on peasant communities that possess land without having secured tenure. However, the rapid and intensive modernisation and industrialisation of agriculture production has had differentiated effect on different territories in Argentina. This article posit that understanding these differences requires an extended temporal analysis. While social research tends to focus on the present or recent past, this paper joins calls for greater attention to historical context and processes when examining current social dynamics and geographies. Focusing on the province of Santiago del Estero in Northwest Argentina, this paper provides a particular temporal-thematic approach for conducting such a historical path analysis, which here focuses on the province’s changing agrarian structures and political shifts that resulted in a complex, irregular and subsequently unstable land tenure system.     

采用弯曲进行道路化简冲突避免的方法

针对道路化简后可能导致要素间空间关系前后不一致的问题,提出了一种采用弯曲进行道路化简冲突避免的方法。首先,以弯曲为单元分析道路化简前后弯曲的形态变化规律,对化简过程产生的要素间空间冲突类型进行了归纳和总结;其次,基于道路弯曲与要素之间的空间关系,提出了相应的冲突判别规则;最后,利用弯曲化简的可控性和弯曲组的间接化简策略实现对化简冲突的避免。试验表明,该方法能有效地识别和避免道路化简产生的空间冲突,确保化简前后道路与其他要素空间关系的一致性。     

Reactive transport impacts on recovered freshwater quality during multiple partially penetrating wells (MPPW-)ASR in a brackish heterogeneous aquifer

The use of multiple partially penetrating wells (MPPW) during aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in brackish aquifers can significantly improve the recovery efficiency (RE) of unmixed injected water. The water quality changes by reactive transport processes in a field MPPW-ASR system and their impact on RE were analyzed. The oxic freshwater injected in the deepest of four wells was continuously enriched with sodium (Na⁺) and other dominant cations from the brackish groundwater due to cation exchange by repeating cycles of ‘freshening’. During recovery periods, the breakthrough of Na⁺ was retarded in the deeper and central parts of the aquifer by ‘salinization’. Cation exchange can therefore either increase or decrease the RE of MPPW-ASR compared to the RE based on conservative Cl⁻, depending on the maximum limits set for Na⁺, the aquifer’s cation exchange capacity, and the native groundwater and injected water composition. Dissolution of Fe and Mn-containing carbonates was stimulated by acidifying oxidation reactions, involving adsorbed Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ and pyrite in the pyrite-rich deeper aquifer sections. Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ remained mobile in anoxic water upon approaching the recovery proximal zone, where Fe²⁺ precipitated via MnO₂ reduction, resulting in a dominating Mn²⁺ contamination. Recovery of Mn²⁺ and Fe²⁺ was counteracted by frequent injections of oxygen-rich water via the recovering well to form Fe and Mn-precipitates and increase sorption. The MPPW-ASR strategy exposes a much larger part of the injected water to the deeper geochemical units first, which may therefore control the mobilization of undesired elements during MPPW-ASR, rather than the average geochemical composition of the target aquifer.     

Missing the boat: Critical threats to coral reefs are neglected at global scale

Coral reefs have experienced a global decline due to overfishing, pollution, and warming oceans that are becoming increasingly acidic. To help halt and reverse this decline, interventions should be aimed at those threats reef experts and managers identify as most severe. The survey included responses from 170 managers, representing organizations from 50 countries and territories, and found that respondents generally agreed on the two major threats: overfishing and coastal development. However, resource allocation did not match this consensus on major threats. In particular, while overfishing receives much attention, coastal development and its attendant pollution are largely neglected and underfunded. These results call for a re-examination of how resources are allocated in coral reef conservation, with more attention given to aligning how money is spent with what are perceived to be the primary threats.     

人为干扰对滨海湿地生态系统的影响

对滨海湿地生态系统的主要人为干扰方式进行了系统辨识,详细阐述了不同人为干扰方式对滨海湿地生态系统结构、功能及服务的影响。综合分析了人为干扰造成的滨海湿地生态系统的结构改变、功能破坏、服务减少,其中,城市化、工业化进程干扰对滨海湿地生态系统的影响最为严重,并提出了滨海湿地保护对策。     

黄河三角洲芦苇湿地生态修复效果评价研究

基于黄河三角洲芦苇湿地退化现状及所实施的生态修复工程,以正负参照系选取了4块不同修复年限的样地,从湿地生态系统的环境质量、结构与功能的角度构建了湿地修复效果评价指标体系,利用层次分析法确定各指标权重,利用模糊综合评价法对黄河三角洲盐渍化芦苇湿地的修复效果进行定量评价。结果表明:黄河三角洲芦苇湿地4年修复期的样地评价得分为4.01,2年修复期的样地评价得分为3.16,对应评价结果分别为"优"和"良"的等级。相比负向对照,修复区的水体指标和土壤指标参数显著改善,而植被生物量和密度与自然样地还有较大差距,说明生物群落的建立需要更长的时间;同时,湿地水资源管理是该区芦苇湿地生态修复工程的关键,应根据芦苇不同生长期的需水量,制定合理的抽灌制度,达到洗碱脱盐和植被建群的双重目的。     

Vulnerability of Kuwait coast to sea level rise

Assessing coastal vulnerability to sea level rise (SLR) at local and regional scales is a fundamental step for designing successful long-term coastal management plans. This study was thus designed to assess Kuwait coastal vulnerability to SLR at four scenarios (.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 m). Potential inundated areas and the number of people at risk were estimated based on these SLR scenarios. A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) map of Kuwait was then computed based on the lowest scenario using eight parameters: elevation, coastal slope, geomorphology, distance to 20-m isobath, population, land use, cultural heritage and transportation. The geographic distribution of inundated areas at an SLR of .5 m revealed that the northern islands of Kuwait and coastal areas along Kuwait Bay would be highly impacted, whereas the coastal area near Shuaibah Port was the most influenced among the southern coasts. Most of the coastal area exhibited a moderate vulnerability to SLR, especially the northern islands. This study presented an initial vulnerability assessment for Kuwait coasts to SLR, which can be extended with more variables. The integrated remote sensing and geographic information system methodology demonstrated in this study can be applied in similar studies elsewhere.     

Transforming local natural resource conflicts to cooperation in a changing climate: Bangladesh and Nepal lessons

ABSTRACT

Since the 1990s, climate change impact discourse has highlighted potential for large scale violent conflicts. However, the role of climate stresses on local conflicts over natural resources, the role of policies and adaptation in these conflicts, and opportunities to enhance cooperation have been neglected. These gaps are addressed in this paper using evidence from participatory action research on 79 cases of local collective action over natural resources that experience conflicts in Bangladesh and Nepal. Climate trends and stresses contributed to just under half of these conflict cases. Nine factors that enable greater cooperation and transformation of conflict are identified. Participatory dialogue and negotiation processes, while not sufficient, changed understanding, attitudes and positions of actors. Many of the communities innovated physical measures to overcome natural resource constraints, underlying conflict, and/or institutional reforms. These changes were informed by improving understanding of resource limitations and indigenous knowledge. Learning networks among community organizations encouraged collective action by sharing successes and creating peer pressure. Incentives for cooperation were important. For example, when community organizations formally permitted excluded traditional resource users to access resources, those actors complied with rules and paid towards management costs. However, elites were able to use policy gaps to capture resources with changed characteristics due to climate change. In most of the cases where conflict persisted, power, policy and institutional barriers prevented community-based organizations from taking up potential adaptations and innovations. Policy frameworks recognizing collective action and supporting flexible innovation in governance and adaptation would enable wider transformation of natural resource conflicts into cooperation.

Key policy insights

• Climate stresses, policy gaps and interventions can all worsen local natural resource conflicts.

• Sectoral knowledge and technical approaches to adaptation are open to elite capture and can foster conflicts.

• Many local natural resource conflicts can be resolved but this requires an enabling environment for participatory dialogue, external facilitation, flexible responses to context, and recognition of disadvantaged stakeholder interests.

• Transforming conflict to greater cooperation mostly involves social and institutional changes, so adaptation policies should focus less on physical works and more on enabling factors such as negotiation, local institutions, knowledge, and incentives.

     

2017年6月一次华南沿海强降水的对流性特征及热动力机制研究

在华南北部或长江流域有锋面雨带活动时,华南沿海常常会出现对流性强降水,突发性很强,给预报造成很大的困惑。文章采用多种观测资料、ERA-Interim 0.125°×0.125°逐6 h再分析资料,对2017年6月15～16日华南北部的锋面雨带及沿海强降雨过程开展分析,对比了二者降水特征与环境条件,重点探讨了该次过程华南沿海强降雨的对流触发与维持,揭示了一种由边界层风切变强迫造成涡度持续发展的动力效应。结果表明:（1）锋面雨带与华南沿海强降雨在降水特征上有显著差异,并各有特点。锋面雨带以大尺度层状云降水和弱对流性降水为主,降水强度东段弱西段强。沿海强降雨以对流性降水为主,局地性强、落区集中、强降雨持续时间长、夜发性明显。（2）水汽方程诊断发现沿海强降雨在边界层水平水汽平流项、垂直水汽输送项比锋面雨带东段具有更大量级,大气层结反映出更深厚的暖层、湿层与对流不稳定,是二者降水强度及性质差异的主要原因。（3）莲花山、峨眉嶂造成气流侧向摩擦与正面阻挡促使漯河河谷内垂直涡度发展,暖湿空气堆积上升并达到自由对流高度,触发了华南沿海最初的降水。夜间建立的西南风急流使边界层垂直风速切变增强,水平涡度倾斜部分转化为垂直涡度发展,与风速水平切变造成的垂直涡度叠加,是强降雨持续时间长的动力机制。海陆边界摩擦差异造成水平、垂直两个方向的风切变增强,共同强迫垂直涡度发展是此次强降雨过程对流维持的动力效应。（4）方程诊断表明华南沿海强降雨由对流潜热释放造成的垂直上升速度占总垂直上升速度的39%～75%,持续、稳定的对流潜热释放是强降雨持续时间长的热力驱动因素。