The anatomy of a disaster, an overview of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina created the one of the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States, resulting in over 1600 fatalities and $30B in direct economic losses in southern Louisiana. The Louisiana and Mississippi coastlines experienced the highest surge level recorded in North America and Katrina-generated waves in the Gulf of Mexico that equaled the highest previously measured by NOAA buoys. What happened in New Orleans epitomizes the risk of living below sea level in a coastal city, depending on structures that were the result of considerable compromise and piecemeal funding and construction. The Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force was established to examine the performance of the New Orleans and southeast Louisiana hurricane protection system and provide real-time input to the repairs and rebuilding of the system. In addition to this atypical just-in-time forensic analysis, the task force examined the risk of living in New Orleans prior to and following the repairs to the hurricane protection system. Much of the forensic analysis depended on modeling and simulation of hurricane surge and waves. With virtually all measurement instruments swept away by Katrina, only models and high-water marks were available to recreate the conditions that the structures experienced during the storm. Because of the complexities of the region and the processes involved, simulation of hurricane surge and waves required many fresh ideas and new approaches and these topics, along with new concepts for future planning and design, are the focus of this special issue. Yet, the need to influence the repair and rebuilding of the damaged structures prior to the next hurricane season (roughly 9 months) dictated using existing computational tools that were ready to go. The same modeling and simulation approach was put to work to define the surge and wave hazard New Orleans faces for the future. To put this important body of work in context, this paper provides a broad overview of the entire scope of work of the task force and summarizes its principal findings.     

Risk identification and perception in the fisheries sector: Comparisons between the Faroes,Greece, Iceland and UK

This paper presents the findings of risk identification and risk perception research conducted in relation to the fisheries systems of four distinct and diverse European countries: Faroes, Iceland, Greece and the UK. Risk research traditionally attempts to quantify the potential threat or consequences from a range of risk events or hazards. This research, however, adopted a social sciences perspective and so assumed that a risk event or hazard can mean different things to different people and that these perceptions are also context and culturally dependent. Risk perceptions were examined and risk registers developed in each country for a range of stakeholder groups. A ‘mental modelling’ approach was adopted in a series of qualitative interviews. Findings were examined in terms of a wide range of psychological, social and cultural risk theories. Differences in risk perceptions were noted between stakeholder groups and countries and contextual influences were examined such as the widely differing fisheries management systems used in each country. This research provides one of the first attempts to systematically evaluate risks and perceptions across a range of fisheries-systems. The findings support social science theories which argue that risk is a subjective, as opposed to objective, concept and that this subjectivity will therefore affect our attempts to assess and manage those hazards we think we can potentially influence or control.     

Reconstructing tsunami run-up from the characteristics of tsunami deposits on the Thai Andaman Coast

Tsunamis can leave deposits on the land surface they inundate. The characteristics of tsunami deposits can be used to calculate tsunami run-up height and velocity. This paper presents a reconstruction of tsunami run-up from tsunami deposit characteristics in a simple mathematical model. The model is modified and applied to reconstruct tsunami run-ups at Ao Kheuy beach and Khuk Khak beach, Phangnga province, Thailand. The input parameters are grain-size and maximum run-up distance of the sediment. The reconstructed run-up heights are 4.16–4.91 m at Ao Kheuy beach and 5.43–9.46 m at Khuk Khak beach. The estimated run-up velocities (maximum velocity) at the still water level are 12.78–19.21 m/s. In the area located 70–140 m inland to the end of run-up inundation, estimated mean run-up velocities decrease from approximately 1.93 m/s to 0 m/s. Reasonably good agreements are found between reconstructed and observed run-up heights. The tsunami run-up height and velocity can be used for risk assessment and coastal development programs in the tsunami affected area. The results show that the area from 0 to 140 m inland was flooded by high velocity run-ups and those run-up energies were dissipated mainly in this area. The area should be designated as either an area where settlement is not permitted or an area where effective protection is provided, for example with flood barriers or forest.     

基于长时间序列遥感数据的阿伯德尔国家公园 生态环境质量评价

阿伯德尔国家公园位于号称肯尼亚“水塔”的阿伯德尔山脉上,是肯尼亚重要的旅游景区和珍稀动植物保护区,开展该地生态环境质量评价对肯尼亚水资源保护与可持续发展具有重要的意义。本研究基于1987-2018年的Landsat系列遥感数据,通过计算综合遥感生态指数RSEI,结合趋势线分析法对阿伯德尔国家公园近32年间生态环境质量变化进行客观定量分析。研究结果显示：① 1987-2018年研究区RSEI均值从0.62下降到0.51,生态环境质量退化的区域面积为551.52 km ²,占总面积的71.85%,表明在气候变化和人类活动影响下,1987-2018年研究区的环境状况呈恶化趋势;②环境质量显著恶化的区域主要分布于亚高山植被区和东部低海拔森林覆盖区,亚高山地区植被生态系统结构单一,稳定性差,对气候变化和人类活动更为敏感;而东部区域存在过度开发,非法砍伐森林等现象,且旅游开发强度大,环境恶化与人类活动密切相关。     

太湖和洪泽湖大银鱼(Protosalanx hyalocranius)体内元素的积累特征及产地判别

应用电感耦合等离子质谱仪分析技术分别研究了江苏太湖和洪泽湖水域大银鱼体内12种元素的生物积累特征.结果表明,两水域大银鱼体内元素含量的总体范围为:钙(Ca)9443-22150、钠(Na)1107-2418、镁(Mg)876.8-1231、钾(K)4662-9472、锌(Zn)74-135.8、锰(Mn)6.80-21.08、硒(Se)2.082-6.261、铜(Cu)0.489-2.704、铁(Fe)未检出-24.19、钻(Co)未检出-4.84、砷(As)0.123-0.587 mg,kg干重;镉(cd)未检出;必需元素丰富.太湖水域大银鱼中的Na、K、Cu、As、Se 的含量显著地高于洪泽湖水域大银鱼.而后者体内Ca、Mg、Zn的含量显著地高于前者.主成分分析显示出两水域鱼体多元素生物积累的整体"指纹"地理差异非常明显.在此基础上推导出了通过元素"指纹"来区分两地大银鱼个体的判别函数,正确率达100%.两水域大银鱼中毒性元素As和Cd的含量都远低于国家相应的限量标准.     

The restoration of fishing services and the conveyance of risk information in the Southern California Bight

Southern California's marine areas are heavily contaminated with dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated-biphenyls (PCBs), and fish consumption advisories (FCAs) have been issued throughout the region. Between 2002 and 2003, the Montrose Angler Survey, a large-scale survey of subsistence anglers, was developed and implemented on site in Orange and Los Angeles counties. This survey was intended to assist natural resource trustees in the development of restoration programs that will address injuries to natural resources and restore lost economic services for anglers, but the data were never fully analyzed. The trustees have shown a clear preference for ecological restoration programs that may take years to improve fishing services. In contrast, this analysis, which includes a random-parameter fishing site choice model, demonstrates that simple, inexpensive programs such as better signage to warn of FCAs and transportation to clean sites have the potential to yield substantial benefits quickly. This paper also focuses on how different ethnic minority groups are affected by FCAs, and determines how best to communicate risk information and change fishing behavior through outreach programs.     

冷岛效应的分析解

本文将冷岛视为一个负的扰动加热源,即冷源,用小扰动方法求出了冷岛效应的分析解,给出了解例,并与热岛效应的结果作了对比分析。     

使用Python函数式编程进行空间回归分析

针对使用传统的编程方式进行空间回归分析过于繁杂的问题,本文提出将Python函数式编程引入空间回归分析方法,分析和探讨脚本语言＋函数式编程方式在GIS数据分析中的推广应用前景。编程实践证明,采用Python函数式编程,结合既有的开源软件包,可以有效提高编程效率,减少代码量,将实践人员的注意力集中在问题本身。     

全站仪水域面积测量及其精度分析

水域面积测量的特殊性,决定了采用传统的面积测量方法很难实时地得到水域的覆盖面积。全站仪提供的面积测量功能很好地弥补了这个缺憾并能够提供较高的成果精度。阐述了全站仪面积测量的原理与方法,对全站仪水域面积测量中误差的计算公式进行了讨论,并分析了水域面积的测量精度,得出了几点有益的结论。     

清咸丰六年长江三角洲地区旱灾气候背景分析

介绍了清咸丰六年(1856年)长江三角洲地区大旱的发生情况,认为此次大旱持续时间长,属夏秋连旱;旱情严重,波及面广,几乎影响到了长江三角洲的所有地区,太湖流域北部、南部,江北淮南地区最严重,太湖东部的苏州、松江二府、太仓直隶州的灾情略轻,江北东部的通州直隶州灾情也较轻,最东边的海门直隶厅甚至没有找到大灾的明确记载。大旱之后继发了大蝗灾。在此基础上,对引发此次严重干旱的气候背景进行了分析。分析结果认为,副热带高压强度偏弱,但脊线位置偏北,造成了季风雨带偏北,长江三角洲地区长时间处在副高控制下,从5月底至8月底没有出现连续性降水,造成了罕见的大旱;而春季降水不足,又加剧了灾情。