Management and conservation at the International Whaling Commission: A dichotomy sandwiched within a shifting baseline

The International Whaling Commission's (IWC) Scientific Committee provides important advice to the IWC on a large variety of cetacean species, sub-species and populations and the issues affecting them. Cetaceans are facing increasing, non-whaling-related threats, and the Scientific Committee (SC), in accordance with the Commission's requests, has strengthened its conservation-oriented research work. A selection of the reports of the Scientific Committee from between 1986 and 2012 was assessed for its: (i) fundamental research; (ii) management; (iii) conservation; and (iv) administrative content, and to identify potential trends over time. Recommendations and their urgency were also examined, as implied from the language used by the SC in its reports. The analysis showed that the work of the Scientific Committee has increasingly been oriented towards conservation issues over the period reviewed, but at the same time this conservation work has received little funding. Increased support for conservation-related research projects is warranted to promote the long-term survival of cetaceans. Based on this review of the content and focus of the Committee reports, the analysis suggested that its issued advice be made clearer, whenever possible, and governments are urged to give due consideration to this science-based advice particularly when urgent conservation actions are needed. In addition, more consistent funding of the IWC's conservation-related research should be pursued to improve international conservation outputs regarding cetacean populations.     

King Canute muses in the South Seas: Why aren’t Pacific Islands transitioning to low carbon sea transport futures?

Transition to low carbon sea transport is a logical response to the extreme dependency of the Pacific Islands region on imported fossil fuel, its significant vulnerability to the effects of climate change and the critical shipping needs of Pacific Island countries (PICs). Building on previous work in low carbon sea transport in the Pacific, this paper further considers the barriers to achieving such transition by assessing, through a ‘post-Paris Agreement’ lens, the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted by PICs and contrasting these to the near total lack of investment and planning for low carbon transition in the transport sector with the parallel occurrence in the electricity sector where ~USD 2 billion of donor investment is deployed or queued despite electricity using only ~20% of fossil fuel across the region. Consistent with recent international studies, inadequate and inappropriate financing and policy have been identified as dominant transition barriers for low carbon sea transport development in PICs. This paper further examines the regional level barriers to policy development, and finds them inhibited by the silo nature of the major regional actors. The implications that the Paris Agreement has for climate financing to support the essential research and capacity development needed to underpin a successful low carbon sea transport transition strategy at any useful scale and speed are also considered in this paper.     

皖南国际文化旅游示范区旅游经济差异分析研究

利用极差、标准差、变异系数、基尼系数、赫芬达尔系数、首位度等方法,以2000~2013年皖南国际文化旅游示范区各地市的国内旅游收入、国际旅游收入以及旅游总收入为分析对象,揭示皖南国际文化旅游示范区区域旅游经济差异的时空特征。结果表明：① 皖南国际文化旅游示范区旅游发展规模呈现不平衡态势,各地市间绝对差异较大,相对差异逐渐减小;② 示范区内各地市的国内旅游收入差异和旅游总收入差异小于国际旅游收入差异;③ 2000~2013年皖南国际文化旅游示范区国内旅游收入和旅游总收入的基尼系数介于0.30~0.41之间,处于相对合理区间,国际旅游收入的基尼系数介于0.50~0.67之间,差距较大,甚至很悬殊;④ 国内旅游收入和旅游总收入城市首位度指数始终介于1.2~2.2之间,相对较大,第1位城市对第2位城市形成稳定的规模优势,而国际旅游收入城市首位度指数大部分时间介于3.0~9.5之间,第1位城市对第2位城市形成绝对的压倒性的规模优势。通过对皖南国际文化旅游示范区旅游经济差异成因进行分析,表明区域旅游经济规模与旅游资源禀赋、旅游基础设施建设、交通区位条件好坏、政府政策支持以及经济发展水平高低之间的关系密不可分。     

丝绸之路经济带资源、环境和经济格局与可持续发展模式（英文）

本文分析了丝绸之路经济带的资源、环境和经济格局,认为该格局有利于丝绸之路经济带沿线国家之间开展多领域、多层次的经济合作;在此基础上,论文提出了丝绸之路经济带主要经济合作模式和可持续发展道路,包括生态文明模式,区域经济一体化模式,交通经济带模式,国际旅游带合作模式;最后,论文总结了丝绸之路经济带实现可持续发展需要解决的关键科学问题,并提出了几个优先行动计划:建立丝绸之路经济带国际科学家联盟和思想库,建立丝绸之路经济带生态环境与可持续发展国际信息共享中心和科学决策支持系统,启动丝绸之路跨国科技交流合作与人才计划,建立丝绸之路经济带可持续发展国际合作委员会,建立应对气候变化和生态环境跨国共建、合作共赢机制。     

沉积学研究热点与进展:第19届国际沉积学大会综述

基于第19届国际沉积学大会资料,分析了当前国际沉积学研究热点和研究进展,指出除了资源沉积学研究持续走热外,全球气候变化沉积记录、深水沉积与事件沉积和碳酸盐与微生物沉积成为当前沉积学3大热门研究领域。全球气候沉积记录领域的进展表现在气候的沉积记录载体研究,特殊地质时期或地域气候效应及早期气候宏观变化规律研究;深水沉积与事件沉积领域的进展包括水力跳跃、深水实地监测等重力流沉积过程研究,地震、海啸、洪水、火山等事件沉积学及重力流沉积预测及油气勘探;碳酸盐与微生物沉积领域的进展包含冷水碳酸盐沉积和微生物对碳酸盐沉积的控制。对比表明,中国沉积学研究在环境上关注河湖等陆相多,风成、冰川和海岸等研究较薄弱;性质上以资源沉积学等应用研究为主导,沉积动力过程等基础研究薄弱;热点领域上对深水沉积和非常规油气领域关注多,但多局限于沉积现象描述与油气勘探开发实践。笔者指出,注重碎屑物沉积动力过程和源—渠—汇系统分析,及时引进深水和冷水碳酸盐沉积理论、发展生物地质学,充分利用大量科探和油田钻孔资料开展全球气候研究,是近期中国沉积学突破的可能方向。     

第二届国际地球岩石圈活动的地球物理监测研讨会在俄罗斯举行

简要介绍第二届国际地球岩石圈活动的地球物理监测研讨会的情况。会议于2005年9月12～16日在俄罗斯新西伯利亚市鄂毕河畔的科学城举行,来自6个国家的90多名代表参加了此次国际会议。会议的报告丰富多彩,科学家就地球岩石圈的地球物理活动监测研究进行了多方面的讨论,出版了6个专题的89篇研究论文。俄罗斯、中国、蒙古和哈萨克四国交界区的代表还就研究2003年9月27日发生的7．9级地震草拟了国际合作协议。     

台湾地震观测系统的发展与现状

台湾地处环太平洋地震带,在欧亚板块与菲律宾海板块相互碰撞作用下,地震活动强烈。为加强对台湾地区地震活动的监测工作,深入了解台湾地区的地震活动特性,减轻地震灾害,经过十几年的不断整合与建设,台湾地区已拥有“实时地震观测网”、“实时强地动观测网”、“自由场强震观测网”、“全球卫星定位系统GPS观测网”和“宽频地震网”,以及“强震预警系统”和“强震速报系统”等多套地震观测处理系统。为促进海峡两岸地震学界的深入认识和了解,增进两岸交流与合作,本文对台湾地区地震观测系统发展和现状做了较为详细的介绍。     

尚未完成的地质年代表--第四纪悬而未决的前程

第四纪是以气候变化、人类出现和现生生物物种占优势为特征的最新地质时期。第四纪的地层多以松散沉积物为主,是人类赖以生存居住的主要场所。鉴于第四纪研究对地质学,地球系统科学和全球变化科学的贡献,近几十年来学术界和公众对其产生极大兴趣和更加重视。为了回应2 0 0 4年春国际地层委员会提出的“国际地层表”( 2 0 0 4 ) ,详细地介绍了国际第四纪联合会为争取第四纪在地质年表中的合理地位所作的努力以及目前争论的结果:今年比利时最终定论。呼吁我国广大的第四纪工作者积极加入到支持国际第四纪联合会保留第四系作为独立地层单元的行列中。同时简略地介绍了第四纪(系)术语的来由,国内外关于第四纪下限研究的历史和现状     

京津冀地区地磁场球冠谐分析

2002年在京津冀地区进行了45个测点的地磁三分量测量,对测量资料进行通化处理,通化时间为2002年5月5日16～18时（世界时）. 通化后的观测均方差分别优于1.5nT（地磁场总强度F）,0.5′(磁偏角D和磁倾角I). 将国际参考地磁场（IGRF2000）作为地磁正常场,建立了京津冀地区地磁异常场的球冠谐模型（BTHASCH）. 球冠极的空间位置坐标为39.5°N和117.0°E,球冠半角为4°. 在模型计算过程中,球冠谐函数的截断阶数分别取为1～10. 经综合比较, 最终采用的截断阶数为5. 建立了京津冀地区参考地磁场的球冠谐模型（BTHGRF）.根据模型,绘制了京津冀地区地磁异常场图(ΔX、ΔY、ΔZ、ΔF、ΔD、ΔI)和京津冀地区地磁图(X、Y、Z、F、D、I).     

Comparison of seismic actions and structural design requirements in Chinese code GB 50011 and international standard ISO 3010

This paper presents a comparison between the Chinese Code GB50011-2001 and the International Standard ISO3010: 2001(E), emphasizing the similarities and differences related to design requirements, seismic actions and analytical approaches. Similarities include: earthquake return period, conceptual design, site classification, structural strength and ductility requirements, deformation limits, response spectra, seismic analysis procedures, isolation and energy dissipation, and nonstructural elements. Differences exist in the following areas: seismic levels, earthquake loading, mode damping factors and structural control.