A Proposal for Assessment in Geography Education

Abstract

The geographic skills, as outlined in Geography for Life, provide an avenue for assessing students' work in geography. If used across the scope and sequence of the curriculum, a common scoring guide based on these skills offers opportunities for students to demonstrate their ability to use inquiry approaches to study geography and to improve those abilities over time and over different geographic questions. If used consistently, a geographic skills scoring guide can also help to communicate to a broader audience of parents, administration, and the public as to what the discipline of geography encompasses.     

Agricultural land use dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon based on remote sensing and census data

The potential impact of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon on greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere calls for policies that take account of changes in forest cover. Although much research has focused on the location and effects of deforestation, little is known about the distribution and reasons for the agricultural uses that replace forest cover. We used Landsat TM-based deforestation and agricultural census data to generate maps of the distribution and proportion of four major agricultural land uses throughout the Brazilian Amazon in 1997 and 2007. We built linear and spatial regression models to assess the determinant factors of deforestation and those major agricultural land uses - pasture, temporary agriculture and permanent agriculture - for the states of Pará, Rondônia, and Mato Grosso. The data include 30 determinant factors that were grouped into two years (1996 and 2006) and in four categories: accessibility to markets, public policies, agrarian structure, and environment. We found an overall expansion of the total agricultural area between 1997 and 2007, and notable differences between the states of Pará, Rondônia, and Mato Grosso in land use changes during this period. Regression models for deforestation and pasture indicated that determinant factors such as distance to roads were more influential in 1997 than in 2007. The number of settled families played an important role in the deforestation and pasture, the effect was stronger in 2007 than 1997. Indigenous lands were significant in preventing deforestation in high-pressure areas in 2007. For temporary and permanent agricultures, our results show that in 1997 the effect of small farms was stronger than in 2007. The mapped land use time series and the models explain empirically the effects of land use changes across the region over one decade.     

2007年梅汛期异常降水的大尺度环流成因分析

为深入理解江淮梅雨持续性强降水的大气演变过程,探讨中期预报技术途径,利用NCEP/NCAR逐日再分析数据和历史梅雨特征指数等资料,系统地分析了2007年梅汛期异常降水的大尺度环流成因.结果表明:梅汛期,西北太平洋副热带高压稳定和7月中下旬持续偏南,决定了2007年梅汛期降水的时间和地域分布特征.阻塞高压的频繁出现和副热带季风涌的异常强盛为梅雨锋维持和加强提供了有利的动力、热力以及水汽条件;"伊朗型"南亚高压的活动以及东亚上空副热带急流通过高低空耦合动力作用,不仅为持续性暴雨创造了良好的垂直环流结构,也间接抑制了副高北抬.在此研究基础上,归纳出中期预报着眼点,供实际业务预报参考使用.     

全球变化的生态系统适应性

全球变化的适应性研究已经成为全球变化研究的重点,亦是制定全球变化适应对策的关键。基于全球变化的定义,从生态系统对全球变化适应的4个方面：①对大气CO2浓度变化的适应性;②对气候变化的适应性;③对CO2浓度与气候变化协同作用的适应性;④对人为干扰的适应性,综述了当前的研究成果,进而提出了未来关于全球变化的生态系统适应性研究需要重视的方面,尤其是关于生态系统对全球变化响应的阈值研究应引起高度重视。     

An Integrated Moral Obligation Model for Landowner Conservation Norms

This study applies an integrated moral obligation model to examine the role of environmental and cultural values, and beliefs in the activation of landowner conservation norms. Data for this study were collected through a self-administered survey of riparian landowners in two Minnesota watersheds: Sand Creek and Vermillion River watersheds. Study findings suggest that collectivistic and biospheric–altruistic values form the bases for the activation of personal norms. Further, beliefs about local responsibility and ability to act influence personal norms to protect water resources. Findings suggest that landowners’ personal norms of water conservation are more likely to be activated by conservation strategies that appeal to biospheric–altruistic and collectivistic values, emphasize adverse consequences of water pollution, highlight water resource protection as a local responsibility, and provide the resources needed to protect water resources.     

传承和发扬人文与经济地理学前辈的精神和知识体系——人文与经济地理学青年论坛综述

2018年1月27-28日,人文与经济地理学青年论坛暨第二届中国科学院区域可持续发展分析与模拟重点实验室青年论坛在北京国家会议中心成功举办。论坛以“人文与经济地理学的传承与创新：青年学者的责任与行动”为主题,来自全国100余家高校和研究机构从事人文与经济地理学相关研究的青年学者370余人参会。这说明人文与经济地理学青年学者很活跃、有热情、有担当意识。青年学者要加强学习、传承和发扬人文与经济地理学前辈的精神和知识体系,迎接人文与经济地理学繁荣发展的新时代。     

科尔沁沙地东南缘近3000年来植被演化与人类活动

在科尔沁沙地东南部,以蒙古栎为代表的乔木花粉从３１００ａＢ．Ｐ．开始显著下降,蒿属和藜科等草本植物花粉逐渐上升,藜科花粉开始上升时间又迟于蒿属花粉。这说明,原业的固定沙丘有一部分首先转化为半固定沙丘,半固定沙丘后来又转变成半流动和流动沙丘。     

全球变化与浙江洪水大势

根据历史和实测资料分析,对于全球变化下浙江近期洪水的运作大势,可得如下几点认识：（１）在未来的十几年之内,浙江省将处在枯水年占优势的阶段,但全球变化将使浙江洪水的时空变化更为剧烈,使沿海地区的洪水灾害更为严重。（２）由于浙江省的大中洪水一般都集中在太阳黑子活动的峰谷年前后,而近期的２００４年和２００９年分别是黑子活动第２３周期的峰年和谷年,因此这两年前后必须予以足够的重视。（３）浙江洪水对厄尔尼诺现象具有较好的响应,因此厄尔尼诺同年或次年也必须引起足够的重视。（４）根据浙江历史上的台风重灾年资料,利用灰色灾变预测分析,可得浙江未来第一、第二和第三个台风重灾年分别为２００１、２００４和２００８年,其中后两个台风重灾年与太阳黑子活动第２３周期的峰年和谷年是大致吻合的。（５）植被破坏、河道设障等人类活动会产生一定的增灾效应,从而使浙江未来的洪水灾害更为严重。     

区域可持续发展的若干理论问题研究

区域可持续发展是一项涉及到自然、经济、社会三个子系统组成的动态、开放复杂系统, 其研究内容涉及到地理学、资源管理、生态学、环境科学、人口学、系统工程、经济学、社会学等许多相关领域。本文以人地关系地域系统理论为基础, 从区域与区域之间不同时空尺度的PRED相互联系、相互影响的制约关系出发, 分析了人地系统的特点、结构和功能,并探讨了人地关系优化的核心、区域可持续发展的理论模式以及可持续发展的系统调控等问题。     

中国南方地区土地退化动态变化及人类活动影响

中国南方典型研究区50 年代和80 年代土地退化的对比分析表明, 近几十年来, 不同人类活动地区土地退化变化呈现出各自不同的特点, 土地退化发展最严重的地区既不是人口密度较小和经济较落后的基岩山区,也不是人口密度大、经济发达和土地开垦程度高的低丘岗地区, 而是人口增长速度较快, 经济不够发达的低山丘陵地区。