A furrow runs through it: An example of sustainable traditional irrigation in Western Cape Province,South Africa

Water and water related matters are important issues in water scarce countries like the Republic of South Africa. This is especially true for the agricultural sector that relies heavily on the availability of water for irrigation to ensure a secure food supply. In South Africa, present day irrigation projects rely on government subsidies and are usually large undertakings beyond the reach of individuals or small communities. The sustainability of such large irrigation projects is still a matter of debate. A 100 years ago a different set of rules applied. Irrigation could only be achieved by hand-dug furrows that supplied water in relatively small quantities to small farming communities. This paper investigated such a small community, the Leeukloof farming community in the Western Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. For the past 93 years this community has maintained a furrow that supplies water not only to farms bordering the Perdeberg River, which supplies the furrow with water, but also to farms not bordering the river. The authors try to reconstruct the changes in agricultural practices brought about by the furrow, methods of water extraction during each phase, as well as the development and role of the furrow system. The perception by the community of the necessity of this method of water extraction from the river system is also investigated. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The causes and environmental effects of land use conversion during agricultural restructuring in Northeast China

During the last decade of the 20th century, extensive conversion in agricultural land use took place in Northeast China. The goal of this study is to ascertain its spatial distribution and regional differentiation, determine its causes, and analyze its environmental impact. Especially we attempt to elucidate how institutional constraints have facilitated the change at a time of agrarian restructuring when newly emerging free market was hybridized with the former planned economy. Information on six categories of land use was mapped from interpretation of Landsat TM images recorded in 1990, 1995 and 2000. Most of land use changes took place during the first half of the decade, coinciding with abrupt and chaotic changes in government directives. Farmland was changed mainly to woodland, water body and built-up areas while woodland and grassland were converted chiefly to farmland. Spatially, the change from farmland to woodland was restricted to the west of the study area. The change from grassland to farmland took place in the grazing and farming interlocked west. These chaotic and occasionally conflicting changes were largely caused by lack of stability and consistency in agricultural land use policies promulgated. They have exerted adverse impacts on the local environment, including land degradation, increased flooding, and modified climate regime.     

What is the source of baseflow in agriculturally fragmented catchments? Complex groundwater/surface‐water interactions in three tributary catchments of the Wabash River,Indiana, USA

Some conceptual models suggest that baseflow in agriculturally fragmented watersheds may contain little, if any, groundwater. This has critical implications for stream quality and ecosystem functioning. Here, we (a) identify the sources and flowpaths contributing to baseflow using ²²²Rn and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and (b) quantify mean apparent ages of groundwater and baseflow using multiple isotopic tracers (CFC, SF₆, ³⁶Cl, and ³H) in 4 small (0.08 to 0.64 km²) tributary catchments to the Wabash River in Indiana, USA. ²²²Rn activities and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios indicate that baseflow in 3 catchments is sourced primarily from groundwater; baseflow in the fourth is dominated by a source similar to agricultural run‐off. CFC‐12 data indicate that springs in 1 catchment are discharging significant proportions of water that recharged between 1974 (42 ± 2 years) and 1961 (55 ± 2 years). Those same springs have ³⁶Cl/Cl ratios between 1,381.08 ± 29.37 (×10^?15) and 1,530.64 ± 27.65 (×10^?15) indicating that a substantial proportion of the discharge likely recharged between 1975 (41 years) and 1950 (66 years). Groundwater samples collected from streambed mini‐piezometers in a separate catchment have CFC‐12 concentrations indicating that a large proportion of the recharge occurred between 1948 (68 ± 2 years) and 1950 (66 ± 2 years). Repeat sampling conducted in September 2015 after above‐average summer rainfall did not show significant decreases in mean apparent age. The relatively old ages observed in 3 of the catchments can be explained by geological complexities that are likely present in all 4 catchments, but overwhelmed by flow from the shallow phreatic aquifer in the fourth catchment.     

Recultivation of abandoned agricultural lands in Ukraine: Patterns and drivers

The recent rise in agricultural commodity prices and the expectation that high price will persist have triggered a wave of farmland expansion in regions where land resources are still available. One such region is the former Soviet Union, where the collapse of socialism caused massive agricultural abandonment and where some of these lands are now being brought back into production. Yet, the extent and spatial patterns of recultivation, and what determines these patterns, remains unclear. We examined the extent of recultivation of abandoned agricultural land in Ukraine since 2007 using a new, satellite-based recultivation map and assessed the effect of biophysical and socioeconomic determinants on recultivation patterns using boosted regression trees. We found key predictors of recultivation to be related to the suitability of land for agriculture (i.e., soil quality, temperature). Accessibility to major cities was also important, with most recultivation happening closer to settlements, but this influence varied across Ukraine. Variables related to agricultural management (fertilizer input, mechanization) and demography were negligible in explaining recultivation in our analyses. These factors suggest that recultivation patterns were primarily driven by factors related to land productivity, with recultivation focusing on the most promising areas. Given the remaining large amount of unused agricultural land in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and considering that much abandonment occurred in areas only marginally suited to agriculture, our findings provide important insights into where recultivation can be expected to happen and thus for assessing the potential socioeconomic and environmental impacts of recultivation.     

甘肃永靖黑方台4·29罗家坡黄土滑坡的特征

2015年4月29日上午,甘肃省永靖县盐锅峡镇黑方台滑坡高频发区的党川村罗家坡同一斜坡处连续发生了2次大规模黄土滑坡,总体积约65×10~4m~3,最大滑距630 m,摧毁14户居民房屋和3家工厂.通过现场详细调查、取样试验、1∶500地形测量、滑坡影像、视频等资料分析,对灌溉引发的罗家坡黄土滑坡的特征、滑动过程、形成机理进行了探讨.结果表明:第1次滑坡经过近2 a变形过程,整体突然失稳,高速远程滑动;第2次滑坡变形时间仅3 h,分块逐步滑动,滑动历时长而过程复杂,总体为低速远程滑动.高陡的地形和强度低、水敏感性强的土体是滑坡发生的基础,黄土台塬区长期农业灌溉是引发因素,大量水体入渗形成了20余米厚的饱和软弱基座,使抗剪强度降低,导致斜坡失稳滑动.黄土滑坡高速远程滑动的主要原因是滑坡剪出口位置高,滑动势能大,释放条件好,剪出口下部陡坡段为主要加速段;前方有开阔的滑动空间且有一定坡度、平缓的滑道;滑体底部饱和软弱黏性土在滑道上持续产生超孔隙水压力、液化等低摩阻效应,是远程滑动的润滑剂.同时,两次滑体间还存在冲击加速和能量传递作用.     

基于地理格网分级法提取的中国传统村落空间分布

中国传统村落真实地记录了建筑、民俗民风和较原始的民居空间形态,是千百年来人类与自然和谐共存的生活基础。随着城市化进程加快,传统村落的存续受到了很大的挑战,为了更好地保护利用传统村落,对其进行多视角的研究尤为重要,除了微观层面的具体保护措施外,还应加强宏观层面的空间分布研究。地理格网是表达复杂地理现象、综合分析自然与人文数据、模拟地理系统功能与行为的基本方法。本文从百度影像地图提取村落坐标,并截取遥感影像作为村落点数据的判断补充,在此基础上,运用地理格网的分级法,对国家公布的三批中国传统村落(2555个)数据进行空间格局分析,结果表明：这些村落主要分布在中国东南部,如落在一级格网Ⅰ18、Ⅰ19就分别有586、781个村落,占三批传统村落总数的96.6%。通过对二级和三级格网的村落分布离散性进行分析,使传统村落的空间分布数据结构更加系统和清晰有序,为合理构建其数据库提供了框架基础。     

基于高效生态农业布局导向性的资源环境承载力评价—以黄河三角洲高效生态经济区为例

该文在对研究区资源环境本底基本了解的基础上,建立了包括耕地资源、水资源、社会经济资源、土壤环境、极端气候发生率和地质环境6个二级指标的资源环境承载力评价指标体系,采用定性和定量相结合的方法,利用层次分析法确定相关指标权重,分别对6个要素进行承载力评价。在各单元要素评价基础上,结合黄河三角洲高效生态经济区农业发展要求,划分出了沿海湿地生态系统保护带、北部盐渍化土质特色种植区、南部优质粮食生产区和果蔬集中种植区4个生态农业布局适宜区,并提出发展建议。     

云南省乡镇农村地震灾害直接经济损失研究

根据1993-2003年30余次云南省地震的损失评估调查资料,建立了云南省农村乡镇各烈度区房屋建筑物损失与受灾人口的定量关系,初步建立了各烈度区水利设施损失、生命线工程损失与房屋建筑物损失的关系。以云南地区2004年-2005年4次地震为实例,用以上计算方法估算了4次地震的直接经济损失,并与地震现场评估的结果作比较,结果表明,该计算模型实用性强,对一般性地震的模拟误差平均值在30％左右。