Dynamic preservation of the coastline in the Netherlands

In 1990, the Government and Parliament of the Netherlands decided on a new national policy for coastal defence. To ensure the enduring safety of the low-lying polders as well as the sustainable preservation of the coastal dunes, it was decided to maintain the coastline in its 1990 position. The main method for coastline preservation in the Netherlands is beach nourishment. Since 1991, approximately 7 million m³ of sand is added to the Dutch beaches annually. From an evaluation study of sand nourishment projects it is concluded that nourishment is an effective and efficient method to preserve the coastline. The evaluation study also proves that nourishment projects should be ‘tailor-made’, taking the local morphological and hydraulic conditions into account. The first results of an experimental shoreface nourishment are discussed. The choice for nourishment as the principal method to combat erosion is well in line with the intention to restore the natural dynamics of the dune-coast in the Netherlands. The key probably is a less strict policy with regard to the maintenance of the foredunes. Plans for the development of typical coastal features such as slufters^*, wash-overs, blow-outs and mobile dunes are currently under discussion. A slufter is a breakthrough in the first dune-ridge whereby the sea invades former dune slacks or beach plains situated behind the duneridge. In this way a tidal marsh is formed within the dune zone.     

Application of a ‘bio-engineering’ technique to protect ghoramara island (Bay of Bengal) from severe erosion

Ghoramara Island is located ca. 150 km south of Kolkata, Bay of Bengal, India, in the Sundarban Delta complex. This sparsely populated island is suffering from severe coastal erosion and areal reduction for the last three decades, which results in the loss of major areas on the northwest coast. Both numerous households and a significant area of agricultural land and coastal stretches for fish drying have been lost. This has rendered thousands of people homeless as ‘environmental refugess’. In the present paper an attempt is made to study the erosion and accretion process through time series analysis using a GIS technique. Also, a study of remedial measures to protect the island using a ‘bio-engineering’ technique is reported in this paper. It has been shown that, in the absence of protection measures, the eastern shore will merge with the Indian mainland during the next 25 years, while the western part will be completely washed off.     

Promoting late-fall establishment of tall fescue with artificial soil covers to minimise soil erosion

Frequently, turfgrass seedings have been sown in the late fall, which usually results in a poor vegetative stand and the possibility of soil erosion the following spring. This study evaluates the effects of a spun-bonded polyester soil cover placed over a late-fall seeding on subsequent seedling growth and overwintering. Clemfine, Mustang, Rebel, and Rebel II cultivars of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) were sown on a silt loam soil in late fall (on 17 October in 1989 and 19 October in 1990) and allowed to grow with and without a soil cover until June. In the spring the temperature under the soil cover was greater than 2°C warmer than the uncovered soil from mid-April through May. Over the winter, leaf and root weights showed no detrimental effects from being under the cover. Individual cultivars grown under the cover produced 2 to 11 times greater leaf yields and 38 to 270% better stand establishment than those sown on the exposed soil. However, plant winter injury was observed under the soil cover in small soil depressions which accumulated water originating from thawing. All cultivars had similar amounts of growth under the cover. However, leaf yields for Rebel were 30-55% less than the other cultivars when grown under the cover and this was probably related to a low seed germination rate. The covers also promoted weed growth, which comprised from 34–65% of total leaf weights and was found to be negatively correlated (r = –0.66) to the yields of the sown grass. The soil cover was found to be beneficial to improving the success of seedling establishment of late seedings of tall fescue in cold areas.     

基于数量化理论Ⅱ的鄂西北山区坡面土壤侵蚀强度评价

水土流失既是资源问题,又是生态环境问题。土壤侵蚀对人类生存和发展构成了严重威胁,成为制约可持续发展的障碍因素。以鄂西北丹江口库区郧西县坡面径流小区为试验点,通过分析小区的实地观测数据,建立坡面土壤侵蚀定性评价指标体系,并将数量化理论II作为有效的数学方法,建立郧西县坡面径流小区土壤侵蚀强度评价模型,对参与建立模型的样本进行回归分析,其准判率达到800%以上,并且利用该模型对其他年份坡面土壤侵蚀强度实测数据进行对比验证,得到土壤侵蚀强度分级的精度较高。研究表明,建立的郧西县坡面径流小区土壤侵蚀强度评价模型有较好的适用性与可靠性,可为郧西县及类似自然地理环境的其他区域水保工作起到一定指导意义     

青藏公路路堤边坡水土保持措施及效益分析

公路建设加速了区域的原有侵蚀,为了摸清公路边坡的侵蚀特征,寻找有效的防治措施,在青藏公路边坡布设不同水土保持措施的径流观测小区,进行了两年的观测（2003年和2004年）,结果表明：（1）工程措施具有较好的水土保持效益,其减流（减沙）效益在第一年和第二年分别达到3883％（8189％）和48.72％（9581％）,其中截排水措施的水土保持效益一方面说明公路路面来水也是边坡侵蚀的重要动力,有效拦截路面来水将会极大地减少径流和泥沙,另一方面也说明要提高公路边坡土壤侵蚀的预测能力,应该将路面来水作为重要的驱动力之一;（2）植被措施可以起到一定的减流减沙效果,其中人工植被措施有很大的潜力,其减蚀效益都在50％以上;（3）综合措施表现出了极好的水土保持效益（减流在40％以上,减沙在97％以上）,尤其土工格室+植被措施,兼具水土保持与景观双重效益。该研究可以为青藏高原地区的水土保持设计和生态环境保护规划提供数据支持。〖     

Contribution of Pendant Ester Group Hydrolysis to the Erosion of Acrylic Polymers in Binders Aimed at Organotin-Free Antifouling Paints

Specific polymeric material applications as bioactive molecules delivery systems involve a strictly controlled degradation of polymer matrixes. One possibility to obtain a zero-order kinetic for small molecules release consists in a simple hydrolysis of ester groups contained in the macromolecular structure. The chemical degradation can lead to the continuous surface erosion of the formulated resins without loss of their mechanical properties and to a permanent activity of the delivery systems. Hydrolysis is a very well-known reaction in the case of organic molecules containing ester groups. The mechanism seems to be more complicated when ester groups are located in macromolecular structures. With the aim of antifouling applications, acrylic acid polymers bearing lateral ester groups of different chemical structures (hydrophilic, hydrophobic, hydrolyzable) have been prepared, characterized, and immersed in water, at pH 8, and their hydrolysis has been studied. Experimental data display two parameters, at least, which must be taken into account: the reactivity of the ester groups toward hydrolysis and the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance of the polymer. The susceptibility of the acrylic polymers to hydrolysis has been compared to the erosion characteristics of the corresponding films. The results confirm that hydrolysis is necessary to obtain a regular degradation of the films without loss of mechanical properties. A relationship has been observed between the characteristics of hydrolysis and erosion for each studied polymer.     

泥石流坝后侵蚀坑纵剖面形态及最大深度实验研究

泥石流拦砂坝坝后侵蚀坑形态和深度是泥石流冲刷基础研究的薄弱环节。通过室内水槽实验,探讨了泥石流坝后侵蚀坑的形态和不同实验控制条件下侵蚀坑深度的变化规律等。由实验观察可知,侵蚀坑纵剖面整体上呈现两端浅中间深的形态特征,其最深点的位置随水槽坡度增大向下游方向发展;侵蚀坑坑内上游坡度较下游坡度陡,对于具有相同级配的粘性砂和无粘性砂,无粘性砂的侵蚀坑坑内坡度较粘性砂的缓;侵蚀坑的最大深度受沟床纵坡、泥石流的容重、沟床组成物质的性质(特征粒径、粘性)等因素的影响较大;泥砂粘性的存在将大大削弱侵蚀的深度。     

土壤侵蚀信息系统的结构设计

本文介绍了黄土地区土壤侵蚀信息系统的建造原理与方法。分析探讨了土壤侵蚀各因子计算机自动提取的算法，以及土壤侵蚀预测模型的构造方法，并用灰色控制系统的原理确定了模型的参数。并以山西省离石县王家沟流域羊道沟为例进行了试验研究。     

1994年江西省主要自然灾害综述

１９９４年江西省发生了历史上罕见的风雹灾害和洪涝灾害，受灾面积近４４万ｈａ，受灾人口１１４４万人，直接经济损失高达６３亿元，系全国重灾省份之一．本文对其中的三次主要自然灾害的灾因、灾情及减灾中的问题、经验和教训进行总结与分析。     

Carbon neutral Biggar: calculating the community carbon footprint and renewable energy options for footprint reduction

The objective of this research was to develop a community carbon footprint model that could be used to assess the size and major components of a community’s carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. The town of Biggar aims to become Scotland’s first carbon neutral town. As expected for this rural community, car transport accounted for nearly half of the CO₂ emissions, with natural gas and electricity consumption resulting in a further 24% and 12% of total emissions, respectively, and air travel being the last major component at 10% of emissions. An assessment was also made of the wind and solar resources of the town. One large wind turbine would provide the town’s electricity, while three to four turbines would be needed to offset all CO₂ emissions. In contrast, offsetting by tree planting would require in the region of 2,000 ha of trees.