袭港热带气旋持续时间长期频率分析

香港经常受到西北太平洋热带气旋的影响,对该地区热带气旋持续时间的研究有助于经济社会的稳定发展。按照气象和天文台警告信号,热带气旋分为不同的强度等级。建立热带气旋持续时间的Poisson-Weibull复合分布模型,相应获得持续时间重现值的求解公式,分别用于不同热带气旋分类下持续时间多年一遇重现值的计算中。基于1987-2016年袭港热带气旋数据的分析结果表明,Poisson-Weibull分布适用于不同的持续时间分类样本;强的热带气旋经常会伴随较长的持续时间,这将会对该地区造成更为严重的破坏,这可为防灾减灾提供参考。     

稳定同位素示踪东北地区晚更新世真猛犸象的摄食行为

真猛犸象（Mammuthus primigenius）是晚更新世古北界最典型的动物之一,曾广泛分布于欧亚大陆和北美地区。了解真猛犸象的食物结构对探讨其演化乃至灭绝极具科学意义。目前,通过真猛犸象化石及伴生动物群的C、N稳定同位素分析揭示真猛犸象的食物结构,国际上已有不少报道,却缺少东亚地区的研究案例。为此,本文以黑龙江省大庆博物馆馆藏的东北地区晚更新世真猛犸象及伴生动物群的骨骼化石为研究对象,开展了包括真猛犸象、披毛犀、马科、牛科等9种33个个体的C、N稳定同位素分析。研究结果显示：在所有动物中,真猛犸象具有最高的δ¹⁵N值,高于植食和肉食动物。显然,与其他动物相比,真猛犸象具有独特的摄食行为,可能受到生态环境、生理特点、食粪行为等多个因素的影响。结合国际上已发表的关于真猛犸象化石的同位素数据,笔者发现：真猛犸象的食物来源较为稳定,食物专门化程度较高。由此可见,真猛犸象具有的独特摄食行为,可能是其不能很好适应更新世晚期环境和气候变化而造成灭绝的动因之一。

     

Evaluation of risk concepts in partial duration series

Conventional design practice aims at obtaining optimal estimates of floods with specified exceedance probabilities. Such estimates are, however, known on the average to be exceeded more frequently than expected. Alternatively, methods focusing on the expected exceedance probability can be used. Two different methods are considered here; the first is based on the sample distribution of true exceedance probabilities. The second is a Bayesian analogue using the likelihood function and a noninformative prior to describe the variability of exceedance probabilities. Appropriate analytical solutions are presented in both cases using the partial duration series approach.     

Assessing basin storage: Comparison of hydrometric- and tracer-based indices of dynamic and total storage

Storage is a fundamental but elusive component of drainage basin function, influencing synchronization between precipitation input and streamflow output and mediating basin sensitivity to climate and land use/land cover (LULC) change. We compare hydrometric and isotopic approaches to estimate indices of dynamic and total basin storage, respectively, and assess inter-basin differences in these indices across the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) region of southern Ontario, Canada. Dynamic storage indices for the 20 study basins included the ratio of baseflow to total streamflow (baseflow index BFI), Q ₉₉ flow and flow duration curve (FDC) slope. Ratios of the standard deviation of the streamflow stable isotope signal relative to that of precipitation were determined for each basin from a 1 year bi-weekly sampling program and used as indicators of total storage. Smaller ratios imply longer water travel times, smaller young water fractions (F _yw, < ~2–3 months in age) in streamflow and greater basin storage. Ratios were inversely related to BFI and Q ₉₉, and positively related to FDC slope, suggesting longer travel times and smaller F _yw for basins with stable baseflow-dominated streamflow regimes. Inter-basin differences in all indices reflected topographic, hydrogeologic and LULC controls on storage, which was greatest in steep, forest-covered headwaters underlain by permeable deposits with thick and relatively uniform unsaturated zones. Nevertheless, differential sensitivity of indices to controls on storage indicates the value of using several indices to capture more completely how basin characteristics influence storage. Regression relationships between storage indices and basin characteristics provided reasonable predictions of aspects of the streamflow regime of test basins in the ORM region. Such relationships and the underlying knowledge of controls on basin storage in this landscape provide the foundation for initial predictions of relative differences in streamflow response to regional changes in climate and LULC.     

Analysis of the impact of conservation measures on stream flow regime in catchments of the Loess Plateau,China

Catchments in the Loess Plateau have been under the influence of human activities for centuries. In the last four decades, soil conservation measures have accelerated and intensified. These measures were designed to reduce soil erosion, improve agricultural productivity, and enhance environmental quality. It is important to evaluate the effects of these measures on hydrology in order to develop sustainable catchment management plans in the region. This study evaluated changes in stream flow data for four selected catchments in the Loess Plateau following large‐scale soil conservation measures. The non‐parametric Mann–Kendall test was used to identify trends in annual stream flow and the results showed significant downward trends in three of the four catchments. The Pettitt test indicated that a change point occurred in 1978 in these three catchments. Annual precipitation in all the catchments showed no significant trend during the period of record. Comparison of daily flow duration curves for two 20‐year periods (1957–1978) and (1979–2003) showed significant changes in stream flow regime. Reduction in most percentile flows varied between 20 and 45%, and the reduction in low flows was greatest. Overall, the reductions in daily flow were increasing with time, with significant changes occurring in the 1990s. However, it is not clear whether these catchments have seen the full effects of the soil conservation measures, so the results of this study might underestimate the final impact of soil conservation on stream flow regime. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

三峡水库枯水期补水调度对洞庭湖越冬白鹤(Grus leucogeranus)摄食栖息地的影响

摄食栖息地面积是反映越冬水鸟生存空间的直接指标,三峡水库运行后洞庭湖枯水期水文节律出现新的变化,给越冬水鸟摄食栖息地造成的影响尚不明确.为定量描述三峡水库枯水期不同出库流量对洞庭湖越冬水鸟摄食栖息地的影响,以洞庭湖典型的珍稀越冬水鸟——白鹤(Grus leucogeranus)为指示性候鸟,以白鹤摄食对栖息地水深需求作为关键生态因子,建立白鹤摄食对水深需求的栖息地适宜度模型.构建涵盖长江干流、三口河系、洞庭湖及其四水尾闾河段的江湖一体化耦合水动力模型,实现栖息地水动力分布特征的精确模拟.在此基础上耦合栖息地适宜度模型和水动力模型,建立了面向白鹤摄食对三峡水库出库流量需求的物理栖息地模型,量化不同出库流量对应的白鹤摄食栖息地加权可利用面积,定量分析水库运行对白鹤摄食栖息地面积的影响.结果表明:1月中旬三峡水库不同出库流量下洞庭湖白鹤潜在摄食栖息地面积保持稳定并随出库流量的增加呈增大趋势,维持在101.40~121.84 km²之间,其中东洞庭湖摄食栖息地面积在7.49~9.86 km²之间,南洞庭湖(含横岭湖)摄食栖息地面积在47.37~60.34 km²之间,西洞庭湖摄食栖息地面积在46.54~51.64 km²之间.不同湖区摄食栖息地面积随着三峡水库出库流量的增加均呈增大的趋势,说明三峡水库枯水期补水调度对于维持栖息地面积具有重要作用.较三峡水库运行前相比,白鹤摄食栖息地面积最大增加20.44 km²,对应的增幅为20.16%.成果明晰了三峡水库运行对洞庭湖白鹤摄食栖息地面积的影响规律,可为通过三峡水库补水调度改善洞庭湖越冬水鸟摄食栖息地生境提供理论基础.     

Impact of the sampling duration on the uncertainty of averaged velocity measurements with acoustic instruments

Average velocity in streams is a key variable for the analysis and modelling of hydrological and hydraulic processes underpinning water resources science and practice. The present study evaluates the impact of the sampling duration on the quality of average velocity measurements acquired with contemporary instruments such as Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters (ADV) an Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP). The evaluation combines considerations on turbulent flows and principles and configurations of acoustic instruments with practical experience in conducting customized analysis for uncertainty analysis purposes. The study sheds new insights on the spatial and temporal variability of the uncertainty in the measurement of average velocities due to variable sampling durations acting in isolation from other sources of uncertainties. Sampling durations of 90 and 150 s are found sufficient for ADV and ADCP, respectively, to obtain reliable average velocities in a flow affected only by natural turbulence and instrument noise. Larger sampling durations are needed for measurements in most of the natural streams exposed to additional sources of data variability.     

Intermediate school's trip to India: Preparing for competence

In November 2010, students from a Palmerston North intermediate school embarked on a 2‐week excursion to India. Qualitative research was carried out before, during and after the trip. Results discussed in this article focus primarily on the students' account of their trip, especially their perceived cultural competence and their explanation for it. Accounts of their competence are also offered by the parents and teachers, for example, they especially valued the students' extensive school‐based preparation. Insights gained from the experiences of this trip may be applied to other, including older, cohorts of students embarking on overseas school field trips.     

Depiction of Wild Food Foraging Practices in the Media: Impact of the Great Recession

The practice of gathering and harvesting wild foods has seen renewed interest in recent decades. In addition to contributing to food security and food sovereignty, foraging plays a role in promoting socioecological resilience and creating communities of belonging. However, foraging is generally prohibited by regulations governing public lands in the United States and elsewhere. The growth in food forests suggests public policymakers and land managers’ may be interested in reconsidering this broad prohibition of foraging but require an information base to do so. While a body of research on foraging exists, news media coverage of foraging represents an additional, readily available source of input. As a consequence, framings of foraging in media coverage likely influence managers’ deliberations on this practice. The current paper uses automated content analysis to understand how the practice of gathering and consuming wild foods is framed in print and digital news media, and how these depictions have varied in a 15-year period that includes the Great Recession. Our results show that prevalent framings of foraging represent it variously as a self-provisioning practice or a source of luxury commodities and experiences, with economic uncertainty appearing to affect the frequency of each framing by news media sources. Given managers’ ease of access to them, these distinct framings may influence future regulatory landscapes of foraging.     

Relationships between climatic factors and flower and boll production in Egyptian cotton (Gossypium barbadense)

Fruiting of cotton plant is determined and influenced by cultivar, climatic conditions, management practices and pests. An understanding of the flowering and boll retention patterns of cotton cultivars can contribute to more efficient and economical crop management. The objective of this investigation was to study the effect of various climatic factors on flower and boll production of Egyptian cotton. This could be used in formulating advanced predictions of the effect of certain climatic conditions on the production of Egyptian cotton. Two uniform field trials, using cotton Gossypium barbadense cv. Giza 75 were carried out in 1992 and 1993 at the Agricultural Research Station, Agricultural Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Giza, Egypt, to investigate the relationships between climatic factors, flower and boll production. Climatic factors included maximum and minimum air temperatures along with their difference, evaporation, surface soil temperature (grass temperature or green cover temperature) at 0600 and 1800 h°C⁻¹, sunshine duration, maximum and minimum humidity and wind speed. The effects of climatic factors on flower and boll production were quantified in the absence of water and nutritional deficits and damage effects of insects. Results obtained indicate that evaporation, sunshine duration, humidity, surface soil temperature at 1800 h, and maximum air temperature, were the important climatic factors that significantly affect flower and boll production of Egyptian cotton. Consequently, applying appropriate specific cultural practices that minimize the deleterious effect of these factors will lead to an improvement in cotton yield.