OBSERVATIONS ON THE HINTEREIS AND VERNAGTFERNER

Abstract

Adequate water resources management at the basin level needs quality downscaling of climate change scenarios for application to impact assessment and adaptation work. This study evaluates the ability of a regional climate model (RegCM3) to simulate the present-day climate and regional water balance over the Niger River Basin (NRB). RegCM3 gives a good simulation of the NRB hydroclimatic features. The mean bias error for monthly temperature is 1.5°C, 0.3 mm d^-1 for rainfall, and 0.4 mm d^-1 for runoff. Moderate to high correlations (0.66–0.95) were found between the modelled and the observed variables. RegCM3-based water cycling indices were not statistically different from the observation. Seasonal moistening efficiency (m) ranges between 19% and 37%; 66% of the available atmospheric moisture over NRB precipitates between June and September, of which 21% originates from local evaporation. The result suggests that the moisture sink period is July to October with very high precipitation efficiency over the basin. The model reproduces the hydroclimatology of the NRB and hence is a suitable tool for further studies relating to the assessment of climate change impacts on river basin water systems.

Editor Z. W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor D. Hughes     

Assessment of extreme drought and human interference on baseflow of the Yangtze River

Attention has been given to baseflow in large rivers, but up to now, no study on baseflow for the Yangtze River in combination with extreme drought and extensive human activities has been carried out. Discharge data in 2000–2005 and in the extreme drought years, 1978 and 2006, at stations along the main stream, lakes and distributaries of the Yangtze River were collected to analyse the features of baseflow in 2006 by using baseflow separation technique, HYSEP. It can be seen that the baseflow relative to the streamflow in 2006 was greater than those in other years. The variation of baseflow discharge in the Upper Yangtze River Stream (UYRS) was larger than that in the Mid‐Lower Yangtze River Stream (MLYRS). Human activities in MLYRS are more intensive than that in the UYRS and the baseflow discharge was greater. The baseflow is influenced by the extreme climate and human activities along the Yangtze River with the former being the dominant factor in 2006. The contribution of human interference to baseflow discharge was about 10% in 2006. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamics of a fringe mangrove forest detected by Landsat images in the Mekong River Delta,Vietnam

Mangrove forests dominate many tropical coastlines and are one of the most bio‐diverse and productive environments on Earth. However, little is known of the large‐scale dynamics of mangrove canopies and how they colonize intertidal areas. Here we focus on a fringe mangrove forest located in the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam; a fast prograding shoreline where mangroves are encroaching tidal flats. The spatial and temporal evolution of the mangrove canopy is studied using a time series of Landsat images spanning two decades as well as Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) elevation data. Our results show that fast mangrove expansion is followed by an increase in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in the newly established canopy. We observe three different dynamics of the mangrove fringe: in the southwest part of the fringe, near a deltaic distributary where the fringe boundary is linear, the canopy expands uniformly on the tidal flats with a high colonization rate and high NDVI values. In the northeast part of the fringe, near another distributary, the canopy expands at a much lower rate with low NDVI values. In the fringe center, far from the river mouths, the fringe boundary is highly irregular and mangroves expansion in characterized by sparse vegetated patches displaying low NDVI values. We ascribe these different dynamics to wave action and southwest longshore transport triggered by energetic northeasterly monsoons during winter. We further link the large‐scale dynamics of the fringe to small‐scale physical disturbances (waves, erosion and deposition) that might prevent the establishment of mangrove seedlings. Based on these results, we include mangrove encroachment in an already published conceptual model of progradation of the Mekong River Delta. We conclude that high NDVI values and a constantly linear vegetation–water interface are indicative of stable mangrove canopies undergoing fast expansion, probably triggered by sediment availability at the shore. Our results can be applied more generally to mangrove forests growing in minerogenic and high tidal range environments with high sediment inputs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

长江三角洲碳排放与植被覆盖耦合协调时空格局及影响因素分析

通过构建评价指标体系和分析框架,利用综合指数法、耦合协调度模型和灰色关联度模型分析2005―2017年长江三角洲（长三角）碳排放与植被固碳耦合协调时空变化特征及驱动因素,并模拟政府决策优先级对耦合协调度趋势的影响。结果表明：长三角碳排放空间集聚特征显著,基本形成了以长江沿线和长三角东南沿海区域为核心的沿江沿海高排放带;长三角碳排放与植被固碳耦合协调度具有明显的空间分异特征,呈现出南京-上海沿线一般失调区域为核心的圈层结构特征;植被覆盖综合评价值高于碳排放综合评价值的地区耦合协调度普遍较高,人口的集聚和变化、城市建设和能源消耗对耦合协调度影响最大;同时,政府决策的优先级会显著影响耦合协调趋势。     

汉江上游3200-2800aBP特大古洪水重建研究(英文)

Palaeoflood hydrology study is a leading subject in global change study. Through field investigation in the upper reaches of Hanjiang River, palaeoflood slackwater deposits(SWD) were found in the bedrock gorges of the Yunxi reach. The results of field observation, laboratory analysis including particle-size distribution and magnetic susceptibility, and comparison with modern flood deposits, the SWD were identified as the most typical Holocene palaeoflood deposits of the Hanjiang River. By using stratigraphic correlation and OSL dating method, the palaeoflood event was dated to be 3200–2800 a BP at the turn from the middle to late Holocene. According to the palaeoflood peak stage and hydraulic parameters, the peak discharges of the palaeoflood were reconstructed as 48,830–51,710 m3/s by using the slope-area method. At same time, the flood peak discharges of 1983, 2005 and 2010 severe floods were reconstructed with the same method and hydraulic parameters in the same cross section. The error between the reconstructed and gauged discharges was 1.99%–4.21%. This showed that the reconstructed palaeoflood peak discharges were reliable. The flood peak discharge-frequency relationship at 10,000-year time scale was established by a combination of the gauged flood, historical flood and palaeoflood hydrological data. These results are very important for hydraulic engineering and flood mitigation on the Hanjiang River.     

河南省黄河中游水土流失区林业重点治理工程可行性研究

从项目建设的必要性和紧迫性、建设内容、效益分析等方面论证了项目的可行性。项目规划营造林３８．９万ｈｍ２,总投资１２．７７亿元。经测算,项目实施后,生态、社会、经济效益分别为４４．１７,１８．９５,１０３．７５亿元,综合效益达１６６．８７亿元,而且使项目区的水土流失基本得到控制,生态环境得到根本改善,抗御自然灾害的能力提高     

Long-term drainage evolution in the shoalhaven catchment,southeast highlands,Australia

The long-term evolution of streams in the Shoalhaven catchment of southeast New South Wales has been a contentious issue for decades. Several authors have suggested that the Shoalhaven River was captured at the sharp eastward bend near Tallong: this has been used as evidence for the westward migration of the east Australian divide in this area. Other workers, however, have argued that capture did not occur and that the location of the divide has been stable throughout the Tertiary. A vast sheet of sediments which spread across and infill a palaeovalley network cut into a broad undulating plain in the middle Shoalhaven catchment provides a record of stream behaviour since at least the start of the Tertiary. This record shows that the Shoalhaven River and many of its tributaries have maintained almost the same courses since at least the very Early Tertiary. This provides strong evidence against the capture hypothesis. The record further suggests that during the Paleogene these streams were graded to a level within the southeast Australian highlands; their depths of incision thus cannot be used as evidence for the extent of uplift of the southeast Australian highlands during this time.     

甘肃疏勒河冲积扇发育特征及其对构造活动的响应

甘肃疏勒河冲积扇是面积达2400km²的一个巨型冲积扇,位于青藏高原北缘阿尔金断裂带东端。区域构造上该扇发育在阿尔金主断裂、三危山断裂和南截山断裂组成的阿尔金断裂带左旋走滑构造域。根据野外调查获得的沉积层序、地貌形态和构造变形等资料,该冲积扇可划分为老冲积扇和新冲积扇。老冲积扇扇顶紧靠阿尔金主断裂,由已显著构造变形的早更新统玉门砾岩组成;新冲积扇是在老冲积扇基础上发育的,扇顶已向下游移动到大坝附近,距阿尔金主断裂4km,主要由中更新统酒泉砾石和晚更新统戈壁砾石组成。疏勒河冲积扇发育对区域构造活动的响应主要表现为:1)在第四纪早期,阿尔金断裂的左旋走滑兼逆冲运动,导致了由玉门砾岩组成的疏勒河老冲积扇扇头被左旋错动约8km,同时扇体,尤其扇头明显褶皱隆升,扇顶向山外移动;2)此后随着阿尔金断裂继续作左旋走滑兼逆冲运动,老冲积扇扇头又被左旋错动了约2km,总共左旋位移了约10km,并且扇顶下移了约4km,形成新的冲积扇;3)在冲积扇内从早更新世至晚更新世沉积中心不断向下游移动,呈现向下游超覆沉积的特征,这也一定程度上反映了祁连山隆升、向外扩展和侵蚀作用显著     

北极海冰对长江流域主汛期降雨的影响

针对极地冰雪显著影响中低纬气候的事实,利用1979-2017年长江流域116站降水资料和美国国家冰雪数据中心海冰资料,通过奇异值分解等统计学方法,研究北极海冰对长江流域主汛期降水的影响及可能的机制,结果表明:冬春季节,巴伦支海和鄂霍次克海海冰面积偏多、波佛特海海冰面积偏少时,主汛期长江上中游干流、汉江上游和雅砻江降水偏多;北极群岛、楚科奇海和拉普捷夫海以北海域海冰面积偏多时,主汛期两湖水系降水偏多,嘉陵江上游、汉江上游降水偏少;反之亦然。可能的机制为冬春季关键区海冰变化通过影响湍流热通量引发大气能量波动,这种波动以大气波列形式向东亚传播,影响东亚地区夏季的大气环流和水汽输送,从而间接影响长江流域主汛期降水。应用多元回归法,以关键区海冰面积作为预测因子建立4个流域内主汛期降水趋势预测模型,模型对预报区降水的定量预测有明显的波动,但对预报区总体的降水趋势有较好的预测效果。     

黄河下游壶穴的研究

黄河下游(泺口以下)发育了大量的壶穴(Pothole),按成因可以分为6种:流水侵蚀、风蚀、圆砾铸模、冰压刻、冰融水滴蚀及泄气侵蚀。流水侵蚀形成的圆形Pothole规模不一,小者直径在十余厘米,深数厘米,大者直径达数米,深1 m余;风蚀形成的圆形Pothole规模一般比较小,直径多在二、三十厘米以下,深10 cm以下,大部分穴壁缓斜,状如盘碟;圆砾铸模形成的Pothole规模一般较小,直径多在一、二十厘米以下、穴壁陡倾,状如锅穴;冰融水滴蚀形成的Pothole形态复杂,规模不一,既有穴壁缓斜的盘碟状者,也有穴壁陡倾近乎直立的近圆柱状者,直径从不足1cm到三、四十厘米,其穴缘、穴壁和穴底常有次级构造;泄气侵蚀形成的Pothole更是十分复杂,平面形态可以圆形到近圆形甚至其他复杂形态,穴壁可以非常平缓,也可以陡倾,直径从数厘米到数十厘米,深数毫米到二、三十厘米,穴缘和穴壁也常有次级伴生构造,既可单独产出,也可成群产出,同时还可以多个密集产出,状如蜂巢,这一类Pothole的成因极为独特,主要与黄河断流河床捕获的空气泄漏有关。