Indonesia’s Accidental Island: Composing the Environment in the Echo of Disaster

By presenting stakeholders’ competing representations of an extraordinary geological formation, an island with a surface that is comprised of runoff from an infamous mud volcano in East Java, this article explores the communicative openings and closures that arise during an environmental disaster. A particular concern is attuning communicative practices to the diverse human and nonhuman actors that not only produce disasters but also shape our understandings and responses to disasters. Drawing on the work of Bruno Latour, this article suggests that non-anthropocentric modes of inquiry present new communicative and political possibilities for pursuing both social justice and safe environments. While this article focuses on a specific set of incidents in Indonesia, this project develops tools and perspectives that can be applied to environmental conflicts at other places.     

1950s中期以来东北地区盐碱地时空变化及成因分析

论文以1950s中期1:100000地形图和2000年Landsat/TM影像为数据源,基于地学知识重塑1950s中期盐碱地分布状况,通过人机交互解译方式获取2000年盐碱地分布状况,然后采用GIS空间分析方法对近50年盐碱地时空变化特征进行分析。结果表明：①东北盐碱地主要分布在松嫩平原(占90%以上)和呼伦贝尔草原,盐碱地由58.51×10⁴hm²增至219.31×10⁴hm²,吉林省盐碱地扩展最显著,盐碱地面积最大;②盐碱化程度从以轻度盐碱化为主发展为以中重度盐碱化为主;③气候变化、水利灌溉设施和道路网建设、过牧和滥垦、油田开采等多种因素导致东北盐碱地扩大,但在局部地区由于生态恢复和改良利用措施、过量抽取地下水导致水位大幅度下降,使得盐碱地也有缩减。     

Military humanitarian and disaster governance networks in Southeast Asia: framework and analysis

Behind humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) efforts are governance networks of actors working together to facilitate, coordinate, and deliver joint aid and response initiatives. Militaries are key stakeholders in these networks because of their unique capabilities, particularly in Southeast Asia. This paper explores the role of military governance networks in shaping HADR affairs. It presents a framework for examining military-to-military relational structures in humanitarian and disaster contexts using network theory and social network analysis. It also assesses the nature of military ties and their influence on two capability areas essential to humanitarian activities in the region: (i) the distribution of military assets and equipment used in HADR; and (ii) the coordination of HADR exercises and training. This paper seeks to provide insights into how governance network features and properties affect the capacity of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) militaries to use available resources efficiently and to achieve shared objectives in regional disaster response.     

中亚地区气溶胶时空分布及其对云和降水的影响

中亚地区属干旱半干旱气候区,是水资源缺乏最严重的地区之一,也是全球沙尘气溶胶贡献度较大的区域.利用MODIS气溶胶和云资料以及校准后的TRMM降水数据,可从宏观角度分析中亚地区气溶胶、云、降水的时空分布特征,研究气溶胶与云和降水之间的相互影响关系.结果表明:1中亚地区年平均气溶胶光学厚度表现为春季(0~1)夏季(0~0.8)冬季(0~0.42)秋季(0~0.38),2002—2013年间整体呈现增加趋势;冬季COD量值明显高于其他3个季节,12年间整体表现出下降趋势,夏季变化较小,增幅为-0.876%,冬季最大,增幅为-1.713%;云水路径的区域性和季节性变化较为明显,整体处于降低趋势,其中秋季的新疆塔里木盆地变化最为显著,年变化为-6.607%;利用实测降水数据对TRMM月降水数据进行校准处理,可有效提升数据精度,新疆境内夏季降水占年降水量的比重较大,春、秋次之,咸海地区降水量年内分配相对较均匀,季节性差异不明显,中亚干旱区作为一个整体,降水呈现出增加趋势,其中,冬季降水的增加趋势最明显.2气溶胶光学厚度与云光学厚度呈负相关;与云滴粒子有效半径关系复杂,受水汽影响较大,在云层含水量较低的情况下,云滴粒子与气溶胶光学厚度呈负相关,而在云层含水量较高的情况下,二者呈正相关;云水路径随着气溶胶光学厚度的增加而减小,随AOD的变化的敏感程度在秋季最高,冬季最低.3气溶胶和降水关系复杂,整体来看,中亚地区气溶胶抑制降水.     

Impact of anthropogenic emissions and open biomass burning on regional carbonaceous aerosols in South China

Carbonaceous aerosols were studied at three background sites in south and southwest China. Hok Tsui in Hong Kong had the highest concentrations of carbonaceous aerosols (OC = 8.7 ± 4.5 μg/m³, EC = 2.5 ± 1.9 μg/m³) among the three sites, and Jianfeng Mountains in Hainan Island (OC = 5.8 ± 2.6 μg/m³, EC = 0.8 ± 0.4 μg/m³) and Tengchong mountain over the east edge of the Tibetan Plateau (OC = 4.8 ± 4.0 μg/m³, EC = 0.5 ± 0.4 μg/m³) showed similar concentration levels. Distinct seasonal patterns with higher concentrations during the winter, and lower concentrations during the summertime were observed, which may be caused by the changes of the regional emissions, and monsoon effects. The industrial and vehicular emissions in East, Southeast and South China, and the regional open biomass burning in the Indo-Myanmar region of Asia were probably the two major potential sources for carbonaceous matters in this region.     

Targeting vulnerability after the 2005 earthquake: Pakistan's Livelihood Support Cash Grants programme

The 7.6 magnitude (Richter scale) earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on 8 October 2005 was devastating. This paper gauges success in targeting vulnerable families during the transition from relief to reconstruction through cash assistance provided by the Livelihood Support Cash Grants (LSCG) programme. Families without a male member, with a disabled male member aged between 18 and 60 years or with more than five children, defined as vulnerable, were provided with USD 50 per month for six months via a bank transfer. The LSCG scheme enrolled around 750,000 families and selected 267,402 vulnerable families to whom it disbursed a total of USD 86.95 million. Using a community‐based survey, this paper assesses leakage and under‐coverage (exclusion). Approximately 30 per cent of families received the cash grant. However, only one in two was eligible for the benefit, and one in two deserving families was excluded. This is a matter of grave concern.     

Inverse modeling of Asian Rn flux using surface air Rn concentration

When used with an atmospheric transport model, the ²²²Rn flux distribution estimated in our previous study using soil transport theory caused underestimation of atmospheric ²²²Rn concentrations as compared with measurements in East Asia. In this study, we applied a Bayesian synthesis inverse method to produce revised estimates of the annual ²²²Rn flux density in Asia by using atmospheric ²²²Rn concentrations measured at seven sites in East Asia. The Bayesian synthesis inverse method requires a prior estimate of the flux distribution and its uncertainties. The atmospheric transport model MM5/HIRAT and our previous estimate of the ²²²Rn flux distribution as the prior value were used to generate new flux estimates for the eastern half of the Eurasian continent dividing into 10 regions.The ²²²Rn flux densities estimated using the Bayesian inversion technique were generally higher than the prior flux densities. The area-weighted average ²²²Rn flux density for Asia was estimated to be 33.0 mBq m⁻² s⁻¹, which is substantially higher than the prior value (16.7 mBq m⁻² s⁻¹). The estimated ²²²Rn flux densities decrease with increasing latitude as follows: Southeast Asia (36.7 mBq m⁻² s⁻¹); East Asia (28.6 mBq m⁻² s⁻¹) including China, Korean Peninsula and Japan; and Siberia (14.1 mBq m⁻² s⁻¹). Increase of the newly estimated fluxes in Southeast Asia, China, Japan, and the southern part of Eastern Siberia from the prior ones contributed most significantly to improved agreement of the model-calculated concentrations with the atmospheric measurements. The sensitivity analysis of prior flux errors and effects of locally exhaled ²²²Rn showed that the estimated fluxes in Northern and Central China, Korea, Japan, and the southern part of Eastern Siberia were robust, but that in Central Asia had a large uncertainty.     

Distribution of nutrients and AOU in the Mediterranean Water (North Atlantic Ocean)

Water samples were collected in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean (33-37^° N and 11-16^° W) in May 1983, and vertical profiles of chemical and physical parameters allowed us to identify the different water masses. A significant difference in salinity and its maximum can be found at different places and depths, as a consequence of the spreading of the Mediterranean Water (MW) from the Strait of Gibraltar. The apparent oxygen utilization shows a correlation with nutrients in North Atlantic Central Water. The relative percentages of water masses were assessed in order to examine the depth of maximum influence of MW as a function of latitude and to apply this knowledge to the black scabbard fish long-line strategy. The long-line fishing depth location was adapted to the specific MW distribution of the different banks with improvements in the mean catch efficiency. The thickness of the MW prevalence layer has a pronounced decrease to the south. MW influence clearly sinks and decrease to south-west. The highest percentage of the MW was found in the Gorringe Bank area and the lowest in the Madeira area.     

东南亚地区中国海外耕地投资项目的空间分布及影响因素分析

为探究中国在东南亚地区的海外耕地投资活动规律,利用文献资料法、空间分析法和灰色关联分析法,从空间分布和影响因素两方面进行分析。结果表明：（1）中国海外耕地投资项目多位于中南半岛,且有沿边分布特点;（2）中国在东南亚海外耕地投资意向项目、合同项目的空间分布相似性较高,而生产项目与前两者存在差异;（3）中国海外耕地投资受地缘经济、地缘文化、资源基础和地缘政治的影响且受影响程度依次减弱,其中年均进出口总值、年均中国对外直接投资存量等指标对中国企业的投资选择具有显著影响。东南亚地区作为当前中国海外耕地投资的重要区域,强化同东南亚国家间的经济、文化交流,对中国企业顺利开展海外耕地投资活动具有重要促进作用。