Impacts of Holocene climatic variations on alluvial fan activity below snowpatches in subarctic Québec

In the Lake Guillaume-Delisle area of subarctic Québec, storm-generated alluvial fans have been active sporadically throughout the Holocene. In this study, we propose that the persistence of late-lying snowpatches in fan catchments during Holocene cold episodes promoted alluvial fan activity by lowering the precipitation threshold required to trigger a torrential event. This hypothesis was tested by characterizing the depositional processes responsible for alluvial fan formation below snowpatches, and by reconstructing the Holocene alluvial fan activity. Stratigraphic and sedimentary analyses conducted on seven alluvial fans revealed that they were deposited by torrential activity leading to waterlaid, transient, or hyperconcentrated deposition. The chronology of the storm-generated alluvial fans — based on 22 radiocarbon dates — indicates that torrential activity was enhanced during the cooler Late Holocene (i.e., after ca. 3500 cal. yr BP). Snowier winters and cooler summers were beneficial to nival activity, allowing the persistence of larger snowpatches throughout the summer and fall seasons. Rainfall-induced thaw of such snowpatches during rainstorm events is inferred to have contributed to alluvial fan activity by increasing water availability. Three peaks of alluvial activity occurred during the Late Holocene (2950–2750, 1900–1400, and 800–300 cal. yr BP) and are indicative of increased storminess resulting in higher fan activity. Increased fan activity during cooler episodes was concurrent with increased runoff activity in the immediate pronival area. This stresses the importance of nivation below snowpatches and pinpoints the role of nivation in enhancing geomorphological activity during period of cooler and more humid climate in subarctic environments.     

Space-Time Intelligence Systems: Technology, applications and methods

Geographic Information System (GIS) software is constrained, to a greater or lesser extent, by a static world view that is not well-suited to the representation of time (Goodchild 2000). Space Time Intelligence System (STIS) software holds the promise of relaxing some of the technological constraints of spatial only GIS, making possible visualization approaches and analysis methods that are appropriate for temporally dynamic geospatial data. This special issue of the Journal of Geographical Systems describes some recent advances in STIS technology and methods, with an emphasis on applications in public health and spatial epidemiology.The STIS expert workshops were funded in part by grants R01CA092669 and R01CA096002 from the National Cancer Institute, and by grants R43-ES010220 and R44-ES010220 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Gillian AvRuskin provided cheerful editorial assistance. We thank the participants at the workshops for providing invaluable expertise and critical insights.     

长江三角洲地区水和热通量的时空变化特征及影响因子

文中利用改进的K B模式和牛顿扩散方法及 196 1年以来的长江三角洲 (2 8～ 33°N ,118～ 12 3°E)地区的 4 8个测站的常规气象资料 ,估计了该地区近 4 0a来的蒸散量和感热通量。结合该地区的气温、太阳辐射等气候资料和 196 0年以来该区域土地资源利用变化等有关信息对该地区的潜热通量和感热通量的时 空间变化特征及其可能成因进行了综合分析。结果认为该地区自 2 0世纪 70年代开始平均蒸散量有逐渐减小的趋势 ,与 1980年相比 ,1998年区域年平均蒸散量减小了 2 4mm。区域平均感热通量与蒸散量相比在此期间变化并不明显。通过对该地区的云量、太阳辐射及土地利用变化资料分析认为 ,造成该地区平均蒸散量减少趋势的的原因之一是用于蒸发的能量即太阳辐射的减少 ,而造成太阳辐射减少的可能原因为云量及大气透明度的变化所至 ;原因之二是该地区地表覆盖条件的改变。近 2 0a来 ,该地区的水田、旱地及水域面积占总面积的比率分别减少 1.35 3% ,4 .4 4 2 %和2 .5 97% ,而城镇建设、工矿及其它建设用地面积则增加 3.345 %。耕地及水面的减小和城镇及建设用地面积的增加从整体上使区域平均蒸发量减少。     

西藏地区旱涝等级划分及时空分布特征

利用西藏22个站点1969-1998年逐日降水资料，采用d指数旱涝等级方法。按夏季（5-9月），初夏（5-6月），盛夏（7-8月）时段进行了旱涝等级划分。采用EOF分析方法对全区22个站点旱涝等级展开分解，得出西藏地区的旱涝时空分布特征，主要类型和周期，而且对西藏地区夏季（5-9月）的旱涝做了预测。     

香港海域叶绿素-a浓度的时空分布规律

选取香港海域7个水环境控制区在1988－1999年期间每月或每半月定位边疆聚样的37个水质测站，每个测站选用17个水质参数，研究香港海域海岸带水体叶绿素－a浓度及其相关因子的时空分布规律。对37个测站17个参数作聚类分析，结果表明，香港海域东部由半封闭海湾组成的水域控制区，其赤潮发生频率较高；西部水域属于河口环境。多变量分析结果表明，BOD5对叶绿素－a浓度普遍存在显著性影响，氮和光照条件在东部地叶绿素－a浓度的影响比西部海域更显著，而磷以及包括盐度，温度，溶解氧和pH在内的海洋物理化学条件在西部海域有更显著的影响。在整个香港海域，年内平均最高叶绿素－a浓度主要出现在冬末春初和夏末秋初，东部海域的年平均叶绿素－a浓度一般高于西部海域。香港海域的叶绿素－a浓度普遍存在一个8－10年的周期性变化规律。     

Statistical characteristics of chlorophyll-a concentration in Hong Kong′s coastal waters

In this paper seven of the ten Water Control Zones (WCZs) in Hong Kong′s coastal waters with monthly or bi-weekly sampling data of 17 parameters collected at 37 monitoring stations from 1988 to 1999 were selected to analyze the spatial and temporal variations of chlorophyll-a and its influencing factors. Cluster analysis was employed to group the monitoring stations based on the structure of the data set. Multiple step regression was employed to determine the significant influencing factors of chlorophyll-a level. The results suggest that all the monitoring stations could be grouped into two clusters. Cluster I with frequent red tide incidents comprises two WCZs which aresemi-enclosed bays. Cluster II with less red tide occurrence comprises the other five WCZs in an estuarine environment in the west. For both clusters, the organic contents indicator, BOD5, was a common significant influencing factor of the chlorophyll-a level. Nitrogen and light penetration condition related to turbidity, total volatile solids and suspended solids had more influence on the cholophyll-a level in Cluster I than in Cluster II, while phosphorus and oceanographic conditions associated with salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH were more important in Cluster II than in Cluster 1. Generally, there was a higher average chlorophyll-a level in winter and autumn in a year.The chlorophyll-a level was much higher in Cluster I than in Cluster II among all seasons. Although the chlorophyll-a concentration had great variations from place to place in Hong Kong′s coastal waters, it seemed to have a common long term fluctuation period of 8-10 years with a high-low-high variation in the period in the whole region, which might be influenced by other factors of global scale.     

Risk analysis of landslides – A case study

The effects of uncertainty due to the variability of soil parameters on the risk of landsliding in the Himalayan region are investigated using a random field model combined with slope stability analyses. Effects of spatial variability both in horizontal and vertical directions, number of test samples, variations in piezometric level and the influence of earthquake on the reliability of a typical slope in a slide area are investigated. The results show that the reliability of slopes in the slide area is significantly affected by the coefficients of variation of soil parameters, spatial variations of soil parameters, number of test samples and piezometric variations. The results also show that the assumption of isotropic variations to assess slope reliability isconservative. The results of the study are useful in providing guidelines and pointing to remedial measures in the form of sub-surface drainage to improve slope reliability in the area.     

Shear-wave anisotropy: spatial and temporal variations in time delays at Parkfield, Central California

Shear-wave splitting is analysed on data recorded by the High Resolution Seismic Network (HRSN) at Parkfield on the San Andreas fault, Central California, during the three-year period 1988-1990. Shear-wave polarizations either side of the fault are generally aligned in directions consistent with the regional horizontal maximum compressive stress, at some 70° to the fault strike, whereas at station MM in the immediate fault zone, shear-wave polarizations are aligned approximately parallel to the fault. Normalized time delays at this station are found to be about twice as large as those in the rock mass either side. This suggests that fluid-filled cracks and fractures within the fault zone are elastically or seismically different from those in the surrounding rocks, and that the alignment of fault-parallel shear-wave polarizations are associated with some fault-specific phenomenon.
Temporal variations in time delays between the two split shear-waves before and after a M_L = 4 earthquake can be identified at two stations with sufficient data: MM within the fault zone and VC outside the immediate fault zone. Time delays between faster and slower split shear waves increase before the M_L = 4 earthquake and decrease near the time of the event. The temporal variations are statistically significant at 68 per cent confidence levels. Earthquake doublets and multiplets also show similar temporal variations, consistent with those predicted by anisotropic poroelasticity theory for stress modifications to the microcrack geometry pervading the rock mass. This study is broadly consistent with the behaviour observed before three other earthquakes, suggesting that the build-up of stress before earthquakes may be monitored and interpreted by the analysis of shear-wave splitting.     

Toxic Cyanobacteria in Greek Freshwaters, 1987—2000: Occurrence,Toxicity, and Impacts in the Mediterranean Region

In a survey in Greece from 1987 to 2000 hepatotoxic cyanobacterial blooms were observed in 9 out of 33 freshwaters. Microcystins (MCYSTs) were detected by HPLC in 7 of these lakes, and the total MCYST concentration per scum dry weight ranged from 50.3 to 1638 ± 464 μg g^—1. Cyanobacterial genera (Microcystis, Anabaena, Anabaenopsis, Aphanizomenon, Cylindrospermopsis) with known toxin producing taxa were present in 31 freshwaters. From our data and a review of the literature, it would appear that Mediterranean countries are more likely 1) to have toxic cyanobacterial blooms consisting of Microcystis spp. and 2) to have higher intracellular MCYST concentrations. A case study in Lake Kastoria is used to highlight seasonal patterns of cyanobacterial and MCYST‐LR occurrence and to assess cyanotoxin risk. Cyanobacterial biovolume was high (> 11 μL L^—1) throughout the year and was in excess of Guidance Level 2 (10 μL L^—1) proposed by WHO for recreational waters and Alert Level 2 for drinking water. Further, surface water samples from April to November exceeded Guidance Level 3, with the potential for acute cyanobacterial poisoning. Intracellular MCYST‐LR concentrations (max 3186 μg L^—1) exceeded the WHO guideline for drinking water (1 μg L^—1) from September to November with a high risk of adverse health effects. Preliminary evidence indicates that in 3 lakes microcystins are accumulated in some aquatic organisms. Generally, a high risk level can be deduced from the data for the Mediterranean region.