Managing the rural–urban transformation in East Asia in the 21st century

This article explores the special features of the rural–urban transformation in East Asia in the last 30 years within the broader context of the development strategies of Asian governments. Despite an ongoing commitment to the rhetoric of concern with rural development, food security and the alleviation of rural poverty, these policies have emphasised the important role of urbanisation as the prime process influencing economic growth. This is supported by the economic argument that the economies of scale, the creation of mass urban markets and the higher productivity that occur in urban places make them crucial to development. This paper argues that this approach creates a false dichotomy between rural and urban areas, whereas development should aim to increase the linkages between rural and urban areas aimed at producing societal transformations rather than separate rural and urban transitions. The paper then explores the empirical evidence of rural–urban transitions in East Asia with a more detailed case study of China, which is considered to be a crucial example because of the size of its population, the special conditions of market socialism and its institutional capacity to manage the rural–urban transformation. The final section focusses on the importance of developing spatial sensitivity to the management of the rural–urban transformation in the 21st century. Old divisions between rural and urban sectors must be replaced by planning that integrates urban and rural activities so that they adopt sustainable management strategies which utilise concepts of eco-systems in which rural and urban activities are linked, so as to create sustainable urban regions, cities and societies.

东亚地区沙尘气溶胶的源和汇

从沙尘气溶胶的源地、输送及清除等几方面 ,讨论了沙尘天气发生的基本条件 ,即强风、大尺度环流形势和中尺度天气系统。论述了东亚沙尘气溶胶的源和汇及其输送过程 ,并初步探讨了沙尘气溶胶沉降入海及其对海洋生态系统的可能影响。东亚沙尘气溶胶的源地主要集中在新疆、甘肃和内蒙的沙漠地带 ,中国北部每年输入大气的沙尘气溶胶总量约为 43× 1 0 6 T。中国西北地区每年向海洋的黄沙输送量约为 1 0 6～ 1 0 7T,通过干、湿沉降入海的沙尘气溶胶对海洋的初级生产有促进作用或与藻类的爆发性繁殖有关 ,入海的气溶胶还含有多种污染成分 ,从而可能对海洋生物和生态系统产生损害。     

利用源示踪技术计算日本和韩国低层大气SO2和PSO4来源

利用区域空气质量模式CAMx中的PAST(源示踪技术)对2010年东亚地区的总硫(SO₂₊PSO₄)的源-受体关系进行了模拟计算. 模拟区域内共设定43个源区,其中在中国领土范围内设定了33个源区. 在源-受体关系计算中,将日本本岛分为北部、中部和南部三部分,分别设为受体区域,同时还将远离陆地的海洋背景点冲绳和韩国济州岛设为受体点.模拟结果表明,日本本岛北部、中部和南部的总硫来源存在一定的差异:日本本国的贡献率分别为73.8%、77.1%和65.9%,中国的贡献率分别为23.5%、20.2%和25.8%. 韩国本土总硫的本国贡献率为67.8%,中国的贡献率为27.2%. 对韩国济州岛和日本冲绳而言,二者总硫的本国贡献率均为26.0%,远低于日、韩两国的其他地区,不能代表国家间跨界输送的总体状况. 受体区域跨界输送的总硫季节变化明显,而且各区域的变化趋势也并不一致,其中日本南部地区和韩国本土1月最强,7月最弱;日本北部和中部地区在4月最强,1月最弱. 跨界传输的总硫对日本和韩国总硫贡献量小于2.5 μg/m3.对于日、韩两国影响较大的中国源区主要为山东、河北、江苏、辽宁等地,各源区对于日、韩总硫贡献量的季节变化明显. 东亚地区低空总硫的传输通量空间分布与利用CAMx模拟的2010年日本和韩国总硫的源-受体关系结果相一致.      

From insight to action in reservoir management—lessons from Asia

The World Commission on Dams (WCD) has now presented its final report on the problems with large dams. Many dam projects were found to be underperforming, especially those built for irrigation purposes. WCD also reports that many projects fail to meet current standards of social equity. A reallocation of costs and benefits is needed, but entrenched interests make this a difficult task. This article identifies shortcomings in large Asian irrigation projects: why the problems emerged, and what could be done to improve the performance of existing projects. The article argues that Asian irrigation agencies take mainly an engineering perspective, focusing on the dam itself. In a large number of cases, it takes over 10 years for the infrastructure to be installed and for the water to be delivered to the fields of the command area. Agencies need to improve their competence in dealing with social and environmental issues. This article argues that social and economic infrastructure is often inadequate; there is a need for an integrated view of the role of agriculture in development. Furthermore, adaptive management practices and water user participation can often be critical elements. To be successful, participation needs to be gender sensitive, and stakeholders at all income levels need to be consulted. To bridge the gulf between rhetoric and action, there is also a need for independent evaluation of dam projects.     

洪灾风险评估在规划环评中的应用

在规划环评中开展洪灾风险评价,应统筹考虑社会、经济的综合影响。就经济损失方面,需要根据洪灾风险评价的基本理论,结合规划区的实际情况,并基于AcView和MapInfo地理信息系统,合理确定洪水风险区、洪水淹没范围、损失率,进行风险损失和风险值计算,选择洪灾风险值较小的防洪规划方案。案例研究结果表明,博鳌规划区50 a一遇的防洪规划方案比20 a一遇的防洪规划方案的风险值要小近50%。因此,在博鳌规划区洪水设防上应按50 a一遇的标准设防为宜。     

An overview of emissions of SO2 and NOx and the long-range transport of oxidized sulfur and nitrogen pollutants in East Asia

The long-range transport of oxidized sulfur(sulfur dioxide(SO_2) and sulfate) and oxidized nitrogen(nitrogen oxides(NO_x ) and nitrate) in East Asia is an area of increasing scientific interest and political concern. This paper reviews various published papers, including ground- and satellite-based observations and numerical simulations. The aim is to assess the status of the anthropogenic emissions of SO_2 and NO_x and the long-range transport of oxidized S and N pollutants over source and downwind region. China has dominated the emissions of SO_2 and NO_x in East Asia and urgently needs to strengthen the control of their emissions, especially NO_x emissions. Oxidized S and N pollutants emitted from China are transported to Korea and Japan, due to persistent westerly winds, in winter and spring.However, the total contributions of China to S and N pollutants across Korea and Japan were not found to be dominant over longer time scales(e.g., a year). The source–receptor relationships for oxidized S and N pollutants in East Asia varied widely among the different studies. This is because:(1) the nonlinear effects of atmospheric chemistry and deposition processes were not well considered, when calculating the source–receptor relationships;(2) different meteorological and emission data inputs and solution schemes for key physical and chemical processes were used; and(3) different temporal and spatial scales were employed. Therefore, simulations using the same input fields and similar model configurations would be of benefit, to further evaluate the source–receptor relationships of the oxidized S and N pollutants.     

13.5~2.5 Ma索尔库里盆地沉积物碳氧同位素对古气候演化的记录

索尔库里盆地位于青藏高原东北缘,柴达木盆地的北部,气候恶劣、交通不便,研究资料匮乏。通过对索尔库里北盆地彩虹沟剖面新近纪中后期沉积物的古地磁测年和碳酸盐碳氧同位素质谱分析,揭示了索尔库里盆地13.5~2.5 Ma长序列气候演变过程。13.5~9.2 Ma时期相对冷干,9.2~5.3 Ma时期相对温湿,5.3~3.9 Ma时期相对暖湿,3.9~2.5 Ma时期再次转为冷干。11 Ma左右,青藏高原东北缘隆升到阻止印度洋暖湿气流向北方运输的高度,地处走滑盆地的索尔库里地区逐渐变得极其干旱,标志着亚洲内陆干旱化在此背景下开始。红粘土磁化率和碳氧同位素变化等证据显示,西风在本区贯穿始终,而季风的出现加剧了亚洲内陆古气候的干湿更迭,对区域及全球古气候重建具有重要意义。