Biomass strategies for climate policies?

Abstract

This paper discusses the results of the BEAP linear programming model that has been developed to study the optimal use of biomass and land for greenhouse gas emission reduction, notably the competition between food production, biomass production for energy and materials and afforestation. The model results suggest up to 100 EJ biomass use in case of global policies (about 20% of global primary energy use). The biomass is used for industrial and residential heating, transportation fuels and as a feedstock for plastics. In the electricity markets competing emission reduction options are more cost-effective than biomass. In case the Kyoto protocol is continued beyond 2010 the developed countries can rely in 2020–2030 on afforestation and land use change credits from developing countries, without any major use of other emission reduction strategies. However, in case of a planning perspective of more than half a century bioenergy is preferred instead of afforestation. The results indicate a limited impact on global agricultural trade, but food demand may be affected by CO₂ policies.     

The design of California's cap-and-trade and its impact on electricity markets

California is considering the adoption of a cap-and-trade regulatory mechanism for regulating the greenhouse gas emissions from electricity and perhaps other industries. Two options have been widely discussed for implementing cap-and-trade in the electricity industry. The first is to regulate the emissions from electricity at the load-serving entity (LSE) level. The second option for implementation of cap-and-trade has been called the ‘first-seller’ approach. Conceptually, under first-seller, individual sources (i.e. power plants) within California would be responsible for their emissions, as with traditional cap-and-trade systems. Emissions from imports would be assigned to the ‘importing firm’. An option that has not been as widely discussed is to implement a pure source-based system within California, effectively excluding imports from the cap-and-trade system altogether. This article examines these three approaches to implementing cap-and-trade for California's electricity sector. The article discusses many of the issues relating to measurement and the impacts on bidding and scheduling incentives that are created by the various regulatory regimes.     

Historic versus output-based allocation of GHG tradable allowances: a comparison

Two ways of allocating greenhouse gas (GHG) allowances are compared: historic allocation (HA) based solely on past information, and output-based allocation (OBA) based on an allocation proportional to the current output level. The advantages and problems of each allocation method are considered and compared. It is essential to distinguish the sectors sheltered from international competition (e.g. power generation) from the exposed sectors. In the sheltered sectors, OBA entails a much higher overall cost because it provides too little incentive to reduce the production of the polluting goods. HA does not suffer from this drawback but its distributional impact is highly unfair. Hence in these sectors neither of these two ways of freely allocating allowances can be supported, and auctioning should be favoured. However, in the exposed sectors, OBA is an option worth considering because it reduces carbon leakage, although it also suffers from some drawbacks compared with auctioning.     

不同参数化方案对风预报效果影响个例研究

中尺度气象模式对风场的预报效果与参数化方案的适应性紧密相关.以内蒙古高原丘陵地形、江苏平缓的海陆交界地形2种典型下垫面试验风电场为模拟区域,分别用WRFV3.2 （Weather Research and Forecast Model）模式自带的6种物理过程参数化组合方案预报了2010年1月和7月两个风电场区域的风速和风向,对比分析了参数化组合方案差异对风场预报的影响.结果表明：①内蒙古试验区,边界层MRF方案描述的边界层结构较MYJ方案合理;微物理方案WSM3在夏季的风速预报能力优于WSM6,而冬季相反;复杂地形区域的风场预报需考虑陆面过程参数化方案,尤其是夏季降水发生后,陆面过程对于边界层结构的影响增大,选用Noah优于无陆面过程.②江苏试验区,边界层MRF方案描述的边界层结构较MYJ方案合理;1月陆面过程RUC方案优于陆面热量扩散和Noah;7月陆面热量扩散方案优于RUC和Noah.③风向预报6个方案的预报风向统计与实际记录风向统计有较好的一致性,风向概率分布相似,盛行风向一致且稳定.     

用前期海温预报四川夏季气温的EOF迭代方案

应用ＥＯＦ（经验正交函数）迭代方案，考虑多时次历史资料，在全球海区海温与四川盆地气温非同步联系的基础上，以海温为预报因子进行了夏季气温的长期预报。结果表明：西太平洋高温区等关键海区海温的异常对未来四川盆地夏季气温变化有重要影响，由此建立的引入多时次海温的ＥＯＦ迭代长期温度预报方法，具有较强的预报能力     

劳动争议案件时效制度的法律思考

针对我国劳动争议案件处理的时效制度和仲裁前置程序的规定直接影响劳动争议的解决,提出取消仲裁前置程序,由当事人自愿选择仲裁或诉讼;或者,可以保留劳动争议仲裁的前置程序,但应将仲裁时效与诉讼时效严格区分。     

IMPACT OF DIABATIC PROCESSES IN AGCM ON 4-DIMENSIONAL VARIATIONAL DATA ASSIMILATION*

The impact of diabatic processes on 4-dimensional variational data assimilation (4D-Var) was studied using the 1995 version of NCEP's global spectral model with and without full physics.The adjoint was coded manually.A cost function measuring spectral errors of 6-hour forecasts to "observation" (the NCEP reanalysis data) was minimized using the L-BFGS (the limited memory quasi-Newton algorithm developed by Broyden,Fletcher,Goldfard and Shanno) for optimizing parameters and initial conditions.Minimization of the cost function constrained by an adiabatic version of the NCEP global model converged to a minimum with a significant amount of decrease in the value of the cost function.Minimization of the cost function using the diabatic model, however,failed after a few iterations due to discontinuities introduced by physical parameterizations.Examination of the convergence of the cost function in different spectral domains reveals that the large-scale flow is adjusted during the first 10 iterations,in which discontinuous diabatic parameterizations play very little role.The adjustment produced by the minimization gradually moves to relatively smaller scales between 10-20th iterations.During this transition period,discontinuities in the cost function produced by "on-off" switches in the physical parameterizations caused the cost function to stay in a shallow local minimum instead of continuously decreasing toward a deeper minimum. Next,a mixed 4D-Var scheme is tested in which large-scale flows are first adiabatically adjusted to a sufficient level,followed by a diabatic adjustment introduced after 10 to 20 iterations. The mixed 4D-Var produced a closer fit of analysis to observations,with 38% and 41% more decrease in the values of the cost function and the norm of gradient,respectively,than the standard diabatic 4D-Var,while the CPU time is reduced by 21%.The resulting optimal initial conditions improve the short-range forecast skills of 48-hour statistics.The detrimental effect of parameterization discontinuities on minimization was also reduced.     

卫星重力梯度测量数据的粗差探测

分别讨论了阈值法、Dixon检验法和小波算法应用于卫星重力梯度数据粗差探测的效果。为了克服这3种单一粗差探测方法的不足,提出了卫星重力梯度数据的粗差探测组合方案,即联合Dixon检验和小波算法,以及联合Dixon检验、阈值法和小波算法的组合方案。模拟结果表明,两种组合方案均能有效改善粗差探测的效果。     

上海市水准网复测数据分析与应用

对水准网平差的理论依据、精度评定做了介绍,结合上海市2011年水准网数据,就平差方案、精度评定和成果分析等进行了探讨。通过选取大量的实践数据验证分析,得出了精度较为准确的验证结果,表明采用按照距离定权分等级平差获得的成果可作为此次平差数据处理的最终成果,提出成果的应用方法。