Multi-stakeholder collaboration yields valuable data for cetacean conservation in Gamba,Gabon

Private industry, the Government of Gabon and two international NGOs collaborated to conduct marine surveys off the coast of Gabon, Central Africa. Surveys addressed multiple objectives of surveillance and monitoring, the documentation of the distribution of and threats to the marine megafauna, and capacity-building among government agents and local early-career scientists. During 22 days of survey effort over a two-year period, observers documented humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae, bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, Atlantic humpback dolphins Sousa teuszii and common dolphins Delphinus delphis. Humpback whale presence was limited to the months of July to November. Bottlenose dolphins were present year-round and photo-identification of individuals indicated a closed, resident population, with an abundance estimate of 118 (CV = 21.6%, 95% CI 78–180). Small open-decked fishing vessels with gillnets were observed concentrated around river mouths within 2 km of shore, while commercial trawlers were at least 10 km offshore; all were confirmed to be registered and legal. Observations of marine turtles, flocks of marine birds, and floating logs and other debris were sparse. This multi-stakeholder collaboration to conduct a marine survey can serve as an effective model by which funding and logistic support from private industry paired with technical expertise from NGOs and academic institutions can benefit marine and coastal conservation.     

Assessment of Terrestrial Ecosystem Sensitivity and Vulnerability in Tibet

The Tibetan Plateau serves an important shelter function for the ecological security of Asia, and especially China. Here, we proposed and improved indicators and methods for assessing the ecological sensitivity and vulnerability of the terrestrial alpine Plateau ecosystems and assessed the freeze-thaw erosion, land desertification, water-caused soil loss, and land salinization sensitivity, together with ecological vulnerability, from the overall ecological sensitivity, ecological pressure, and elasticity aspects in Tibet. The results indicate that the terrestrial ecosystem of Tibet is quite sensitive to freeze-thaw erosion, land desertification and water-caused soil loss. Extremely and highly sensitive regions account for 9.62% and 83.69%, respectively, of the total area of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Extremely and highly vulnerable areas account for 0.09% and 52.61%, respectively, primarily distributed in the Himalayan and Gangdise mountain regions in west Tibet; the Nyainqentanglha, Tanggula, Hoh Xil, and Kunlun mountain regions; and the northwest and northern regions of the Changtang Plateau. The results will aid the development of customized protection schedules according to different ecological issues in each region.     

藏南色如朗金红石矿床地质特征及控矿条件

藏南色如朗金红石矿床位于米拉山口断裂带东段北缘,矿床的赋矿岩石主要为绿片岩。由北向南圈定了3个矿体,矿体沿北东方向延伸,呈层状、似层状产出。矿石矿物以金红石为主,其他金属矿物有磁铁矿、赤铁矿、黄铁矿、黄铜矿、磁黄铁矿等。金红石主要为红褐色,少数为暗红褐色,呈自形-半自形柱状和他形粒状,粒径多为0.01~0.2mm,大者可达1~2mm。该矿床的形成主要受地层和变质作用控制,后期构造对矿床形态有一定的破坏作用。通过与中国典型金红石矿床地质特征对比,初步认为色如朗金红石矿床的成因类型为中低压变质型。     

鄂尔多斯盆地东南部山西组泥岩封盖性能评价

为弥补鄂尔多斯盆地东南部盖层的研究空白,借鉴已有研究成果与盖层基本特征,选取泥岩孔隙度、渗透率、厚度以及排替压力4个参数,结合灰色理论分析方法,对鄂尔多斯盆地东南部山西组泥岩盖层封盖性能进行了综合定量评价。结果表明:盆地东南部泥岩北东部较厚,整体呈从北向南减薄的趋势,南部孔隙度及渗透率均偏高;泥岩盖层排替压力较大,大于8 MPa的平面面积占70%以上;由灰色理论打分评价可知,山西组整体盖层封盖性能较好,封盖能力特强(Ⅰ类盖层)、封盖能力强(Ⅱ类盖层)的盖层分布区域广泛,Ⅰ类和Ⅱ类盖层主要发育于盆地北部、北东部,中部延长、延安、志丹等周边地区,盖层封盖性好,Ⅲ类盖层(封盖能力中等)、Ⅳ类盖层(封盖能力差)主要发育于南部。盖层发育较好的地区,经勘探开发与试气,单井日产量可达上万方,证明评价结果与勘探实践匹配。     

Experimental study of Tunis soft soil improved by vacuum consolidation associated with geodrains

An experimental investigation was carried out on the reconstituted Tunis soft soil (TSS) that was extracted from the centre of Tunis City at 35-m depth. Three series of consolidation tests were performed on TSS specimens. The first series included consolidation tests by preload. In the second series, vacuum consolidation tests were performed. The third series comprised a vacuum consolidation test combined with the preload. Excess pore water pressure and settlement were measured during the consolidation tests. Experimental results showed that for the same magnitude of preload and the vacuum pressure of 4, 8, 16 and 30 kPa, the settlement caused by the vacuum pressure is lower than that generated by the preload, while the settlements generated by preloads of 60 and 100 kPa are slightly lower than those caused by vacuum pressure of 60 and 100 kPa. A rapid dissipation of recorded excess pore water pressure around the geodrain was observed compared to that measured close to the cell border.     

一种地方与区域地震震源机制反演技术:广义极性振幅技术(二)——对实际震例的应用

为了检验广义极性振幅技术(GPAT)的实用性,我们利用GPAT反演确定了49次实际地震的震源机制、矩震级和震源深度.为了检验GPAT对地方地震、区域地震以及远震的实用性,我们选用了震级范围约为ML0.2~MS7.0之间的地震与震中距范围约在5~8000km之间的观测资料.对反演结果的分析表明,利用GPAT获取的震源机制结果在合理误差范围内是正确的,利用GPAT获取的矩震级结果是可靠的,而利用GPAT获取的震源深度总体上似乎比常规定位深度深约0.6km.总体而言,GPAT在震源机制、矩震级和震源深度的反演方面表现出良好的实用性.     

River bed stability versus clogged interstitial: Depth-dependent accumulation of substances in freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera L.) habitats in Austrian streams as a function of hydromorphological parameters

Substrate conditions are considered crucial for the survival of juvenile freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera L.) – and therefore for the recovery of overaged populations in danger of extinction – as fine sediments can clog the interstitial habitat and hamper water and oxygen circulation to the juveniles. Watercourses and their bed sediments must meet two seemingly diametrically opposite requirements in order to offer the freshwater pearl mussel appropriate habitats: stable substrates for all live stages and an unclogged interstitial for the juveniles. As only few scientific publications deal with subsurface conditions in pearl mussel brooks, the present preliminary study tries to contribute to this topic by compiling a variety of chemical and hydromorphological data from several Austrian watercourses with distinctly different characteristics. It was clearly shown that discharge patterns, hydraulic pressure, water depths and flow velocities affect both river bed stability and the perfusion of the hyporheic zone: In an artificial millrace with permanent low flow conditions and a permanently stable substrate a distinct barrier was detected within the first 5 cm substrate depth that totally blocks the interchange between surface and interstitial water, resulting in an accumulation of substances of all kinds, among them potentially toxic substances. Such a barrier was also found to be building up in several natural watercourses, clearly indicating the danger of adverse land-use and of long-term low flow conditions in smaller brooks (given that the local decrease in precipitation, proven in long-term studies, proceeds). Significant differences in substrate concentrations in the interstitial water were detected between watercourses, whereas chemical conditions in the surface water exhibited no differences at all. An accompanying biomonitoring study showed high survival rates all over the study area, indicating the suitability of juvenile freshwater pearl mussels as bioindicators in terms of surface water, but not of interstitial water.     

Effects of sediment pulses on bed relief in bar‐pool channels

To further develop prediction of the range of morphological adjustments associated with sediment pulses in bar‐pool channels, we analyze channel bed topographic data collected prior to and following the removal of two dams in Oregon: Marmot Dam on the Sandy River and Brownsville Dam on the Calapooia River. We hypothesize that, in gravel‐bed, bar‐pool channels, the response of bed relief to sand and gravel sediment pulses is a function of initial relief and pulse magnitude. Modest increases in sediment supply to initially low‐relief, sediment‐poor cross‐sections will increase bed relief and variance of bed relief via bar deposition. Modest increases in sediment supply to initially high‐relief cross‐sections, characteristic of alternate bar morphology, will result in decreased bed relief and variance of relief via deposition in bar‐adjacent pools. These hypothesized adjustments are measured in terms of bed relief, which we define as the difference in elevation between the pool‐bottom and bar‐top. We evaluate how relief varies with sediment thickness, where both relief and mean sediment thickness at a cross‐section are normalized by the 90th percentile of observed relief values within a reach prior to a sediment pulse. Field measurements generally supported the stated hypotheses, demonstrating how introduction of a sediment pulse to low‐relief reaches can increase mean and variance of relief, while introduction to high‐relief reaches can decrease the mean and variance of bed relief, at least temporarily. In general, at both sites, the degree of impact increased with the thickness of sediment delivered to the cross‐section. Results thus suggest that the analysis is a useful step for understanding the morphological effects of sediment pulses introduced to gravel‐bed, bar‐pool channels. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2015年4月25日尼泊尔MW7.9地震的震源机制

<正>据中国地震台网测定,北京时间2015年4月25日14时11分尼泊尔发生MW7.9(MS8.1)强烈地震,震中位置为(28.2°N、84.7°E),震源深度为20km.这次地震位于尼泊尔首都西北部,距加德满都大约80km.截至2015年5月13日,该地震已造成8 219人死亡,17 866人受伤,尼泊尔、印度、孟加拉、不丹和我国西藏等地均有人员伤亡.为增进对尼泊尔MW7.9发震机制的认识,并对震害评估、震后趋势判定     

巨灾保险机制研究——新西兰、土耳其、美国加州、中国台湾、日本案例分析

分析总结了新西兰、土耳其、美国加州、中国台湾地区和日本等国家和地区地震保险制度的特点,依据分析提出:中国需要建立巨灾保险制度,政府要在其中承担主导性职责,同时,巨灾保险需要民营保险公司和政府的分工合作。