Collapse of riparian poplar forests downstream from dams in western prairies: Probable causes and prospects for mitigation

Although historically abundant, the riparian poplar forests of the western prairies are now endangered as a result of the damming and diversion of rivers in this region. Recent reports have described substantial declines of riparian poplar forests downstream from dams in Alberta, Canada; Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arizona, USA. The present report analyzes the forest and hydrological conditions reported previously in order to clarify the causes of the downstream forest decline. Dams were found to contribute to forest failure by (1) reducing downstream flows and/or (2) altering flow patterns to attenuate spring flooding and/or stabilize summer flows. Reduced flows are reported to induce drought stress, which is particularly lethal to seedlings and very old poplars. The artificial moderation of spring flooding may inhibit the formation of seedbeds essential for seedling replenishment. Increased river valley development involving cattle grazing, agricultural clearing, and direct harvesting of trees also contributes to forest failure. Potential methods for mitigating the impacts of dams on downstream forests include downstream flow schedules that (1) retain occasional spring flooding, (2) taper off rather than abruptly drop downstream flow, and (3) provide adequate flows throughout the summer. Poplar forest stabilization and recovery can be further promoted by fencing to protect trees from livestock grazing and trampling, or artificial site preparation such as cultivation or scarification to encourage poplar regeneration.     

0513号台风"泰利"灾害成因及特征分析

2005年8月31日到9月4日,福建、浙江、江西、安徽、湖北、河南6省遭受0513号台风“泰利”影响,造成1 962.4万人不同程度受灾,死亡失踪159人,直接经济损失154.6亿元.台风带来的特大暴雨造成的洪涝灾害和诱发的气象次生灾害是该台风灾害形成的根本原因.针对台风灾害的特征,提出了相应的减灾措施.     

中国地震灾害现状及地震灾害系统工程研究

本文在对中国地震灾害现状分析的基础之上，依据地震工作三大体系的要求和建设首都圈防震减灾系统工程的经验，提出了在我国建立地震灾害系统工程的设想，并对该系统进行了初步的设计和论证。分析研究表明，地震灾害系统工程可以涵盖地震工作的各个方面，并且具有系统化、法制化及高科技等特点，对我国实现减轻地震灾害的目标具有积极的推进作用。     

Computer-aided modeling of the protective effect of explosion relief vents in tunnel structures

This paper aims at contributing to the efficient design of explosion protection systems against confined explosions. The issue addressed concerns the quantitative estimation of the protective effect of explosion relief vents in the case of confined explosions inside tunnels. A series of virtual experiments performed by computer simulation, revealed how the number of vents, their diameter, as well as the angle between the vents and the tunnel, influences the blast wave attenuation. The computational study was performed considering a complicated large-scale tunnel configuration with branches on its half portion. The purpose was the calculation of the attenuation effect due to the presence of vents by comparing the total explosion-specific impulse developing at antidiametric positions inside the tunnel. Simulations were carried out via a three-dimensional numerical model built in the computational fluid dynamics code CFX 5.7.1, which has been validated in previous papers against experimental overpressure histories data demonstrating reasonable performance. Computer results showed that the use of branch vents provides an effective method for shock wave attenuation following an explosion, whereas their statistical elaboration revealed that the attenuation is mainly affected by the number of vents and their diameter. In contrast, the angle between the side vents and the main tunnel appeared to slightly affect the pressure wave weakening. Eventually, the quantitative influence of the above parameters was effectively illustrated in functional diagrams, so that the total attenuation effect may be promptly estimated, if the design variables are known. In addition, two statistical models with reasonable fitting to the calculated data are proposed, which express the attenuation effect as a dependent variable of the design variables including their interactions.     

河北省农村地区防震减灾意识调查及对策研究

通过问卷调查和深度访谈,发现河北省农村地区防震减灾意识现状不客乐观,突出表现为:对地震预报存在认识误区、震害防御意识淡薄、应急救援能力欠缺、防震减灾宣传有待深化、地震灾害中信息获取能力不足.究其原因:农村地区经济发展水平、农村社会人员结构和基层地震部门软硬件条件制约了防震减灾意识的提升.因此,相关部门应该因时、因地制宜...     

Linking corporate climate adaptation strategies with resilience thinking

Within modern society, business organizations have a co-evolutionary relationship with society and ecosystems. Business organizations face highly diverse risks which they have to recognize, reflect on and handle. Climate change and its impacts clarify the need for managing overall system risk. Research has shown that climate vulnerability of business organizations in the German food industry is characterized by impacts that, in particular, affect business organizations indirectly. Indirect climate change caused impacts are complex, uncertain and characterized by a high degree of unpredictability. They focus on the derived social, ecological, economic and cultural consequences of the direct physical impacts from a worldwide perspective. This paper shows that introducing resilience thinking helps to identify strategic risks and opportunities coping with climate change caused impacts in sense of corporate climate adaptation strategies. Furthermore, it is shown from a strategic management perspective that mitigation is a profound element of long term adaptation strategies.     

The interaction between emissions trading and renewable electricity support schemes. An overview of the literature

The public promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources coexists in many countries with the recent implementation of emissions trading schemes. As shown by several papers, this coexistence may lead to significant interactions between both instruments, in the form of synergies and conflicts. This paper provides an overview and analysis of the literature on such coexistence and interactions. A major conclusion is that policy measures aiming at exploiting the synergies between both instruments should be implemented. The greatest synergy effects from the use of both instruments take place through appropriate coordination of their targets. Another key finding is that, although some stylised facts can be inferred from the studies, some results from those complex interactions are context-specific since they depend on the design of the instruments in particular countries. In spite of the significant policy implications of such interactions for the effective and cost-effective functioning of both instruments, this is a surprisingly under searched field. It is so concerning, both, theoretical and empirical analysis.

基于GIS城市管网生命线的防灾减灾方法研究

为了有效制定城市管网生命线系统的非工程性防灾减灾措施,利用GIS的空间分析功能评估管网生命线的脆弱性和风险性.通过顶层设计结合工程性防护措施与非工程性保护措施可以降低防灾减灾的盲目性,进而形成统一规划的动态防护保障框架.根据Johansson构建整个管网生命线网络的准则,考虑到不同节点的差异,以管线流的供给与需求确定节点介数来判断节点的权重,得到管件接口处节点的脆弱性指标.在灾险理论的基础上,利用定性与定量相结合的方法,建立了管网生命线系统的风险性评价指标.最后,在获得单元区域内管网风险指数后,利用ARCGIS导入属性图层展现不同区域的风险状况,得到城市不同等级管网生命线的危险区域图.结果表明,城市管网生命线需建立一个整体的联防管理非工程性防灾减灾体系,进行专业化与精细化管理,并在单元区域控制下降低灾险发生的频率.     

铁路电化改造项目环境影响评价研究——以神木北至大保当铁路扩能改造建设项目为例

分析了铁路电化改造项目环境影响评价中存在的诸多问题.结合实际工作经验,以神木北至大保当铁路扩能改造建设项目为例,通过调查分析指出铁路电化改造项目污染特性,并提出铁路电化改造过程的施工期和运营期中的生态环境影响及废气、废水、固体废弃物、铁路运行产生噪声、振动及牵引变电站产生的工频电磁场等对周围环境的影响,并提出了公众参与在铁路电化改造项目的重要性,为环境影响评价工作者正确评价铁路电化改造项目的环境影响提供参考.     

How structural mitigation shapes risk perception and affects decision‐making

This paper reviews the relationships between risk perception and structural measures in an Australian context in three respects: (i) opinions about authorities’ ability to mitigate flood risks; (ii) the role of flood experience in shaping views on risk; and (iii) perspectives on the ways in which structural measures shape decision‐making pertaining to protective action. The main finding of this analysis is that the study participants do not suffer from the ‘levee paradox'. Most take precautionary steps to guard against residual flood risk. Such actions, however, do not mean that there is a lack of trust in structural measures to reduce significant flood risk. The majority of the respondents agreed about the necessity of engineering structures to mitigate inherent flood risk. This support, though, does not extend to their management. Losses during major flooding in southeast Queensland, Australia, in 2010–11 were attributed primarily by residents to operational decisions concerning dam water releases.