Environmental and Economic Factors Can Increase the Risk of Exotic Species Introductions to the Arctic Region Through Increased Ballast Water Discharge

The effects of global warming can increase the risk of exotic species introductions in eastern Canadian Arctic waters by reducing surface ice cover and allow increased access to commercial vessels. Ballast water discharged by incoming overseas vessels is an important means for introducing species on a global scale. Analyses of air temperatures at Churchill, Manitoba between 1943 and 2002 indicated an increase in mean temperature within the past decade. Churchill is the only major northern port in this region where grain has been exported on a limited basis due to the short navigation season. Economic analyses of grain exported from Canadian and U.S. ports indicated some cost advantages for using northern ports. The Hudson Bay region is vulnerable to increased exotic species introductions because of its southerly location. Current ballast water exchange measures to reduce the risk of introductions may not be effective because most vessels enter the region with ballast, and the ballast exchange zone is located relatively close to coastal areas where the habitat could be favorable for an introduced species to become established. The probability of a large crab species introduced to this region from northern European waters is discussed. The risk of ballast water–related exotic species introduction to this region may be reduced by expanding the types of cargo handled and developing a strong import market. This approach would accommodate an increase in the number of vessels with cargo, and substantially reduce the volume of ballast carried to this region.     

从印度洋地震海啸看中国的巨灾风险

2004年12月26日印度洋海啸给沿岸国家造成了严重灾难,其主要原因是缺乏必要的防范。中国历史上巨灾频发,今后仍存在比较严重的巨灾威胁。预测我国有11个巨灾高风险区,巨灾种类主要为特大洪水、大地震、强台风和特大风暴潮以及大区域持续性严重干旱。建立巨灾防御体系是今后我国减灾工作的重心。     

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.     

A Call for Urgent Monitoring of Food and Water Security Based on Relevant Indicators for the Arctic

This perspective paper argues for an urgent need to monitor a set of 12 concrete, measurable indicators of food and water security in the Arctic over time. Such a quantitative indicator approach may be viewed as representing a reductionist rather than a holistic perspective, but is nevertheless necessary for actually knowing what reality aspects to monitor in order to accurately understand, quantify, and be able to project critical changes to food and water security of both indigenous and non-indigenous people in the Arctic. More relevant indicators may be developed in the future, taking us further toward reconciliation between reductionist and holistic approaches to change assessment and understanding. However, the potential of such further development to improved holistic change assessment is not an argument not to urgently start to monitor and quantify the changes in food and water security indicators that are immediately available and adequate for the Arctic context.     

Environmental Damage,Abandoned Treaties,and Fossil-Fuel Dependence: The Coming Costs of Oil-and-Gas Exploration in the “1002 Area” of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Contrary to claims from American politicians, lobbyists, and oil and gas executives, allowing energy development in the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) will harm the environment, compromise international law, erode the social significance of wilderness protection, and ultimately fail to␣increase the energy security of the United States. After exploring a brief history of the ANWR controversy, this piece argues that the operation of oil and gas refineries in ANWR will release discharged solids, drilling waste, and dirty diesel fuel into the ecosystem’s food-chain, as they have from oil operations in Prudhoe Bay. Less obvious but equally important, oil and gas exploration in ANWR will violate a number of international treaties on biodiversity protection. In the end, development in ANWR will threaten the concept of wilderness protection, and will do little to end US dependence on foreign sources of energy. About the Author: Benjamin K. Sovacool is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. He works as a research analyst for the Consortium on Energy Restructuring and is a Senior Research Fellow for the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research. He also just completed a Graduate Fellowship in Energy Policy at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

全新世青藏高原东部西南季风的演变

本研究报道一组新的西南季风代用指标,即泥炭中单一种属植物———木里苔草残体纤维素和泥炭混合植物残体纤维素的δ13C时间序列,所记录的青藏高原东部全新世气候变化。两记录表明,该区全新世的下限年龄约11200aBP(14C年龄约9900aBP);从约11200aBP起该区迅速进入湿暖的全新世阶段,季风活动迅速增强;在约10800～5500aBP期间,季风总体保持在强盛状态,但其间有4次突然减弱,气候变干冷;约从5500aBP起季风活动在波动中逐渐减弱,其中有4次减弱最明显。所有这8次气候的突然变化都与北大西洋浮冰事件一一对应。这种密切的相关关系表明,西南季风强度的波动可能是对全球变化,特别是对海洋热盐环流引起的地球南北方气候波动的所谓"跷跷板效应"的响应。     

近48a宁夏寒潮的变化特征及可能影响的成因初步分析

利用1961—2008年宁夏日温度及逐月北半球500 hPa环流特征量、北极涛动指数(AOI)和NCAR/NCEP再分析资料,对宁夏寒潮频次变化的气候特征进行了分析,并对影响其变化的可能原因进行了讨论,结果表明:宁夏寒潮活动各地差异较大,主要出现在春季;近48年,春秋季寒潮频次呈弱增加趋势,冬季呈弱减少趋势;寒潮频次与AOI、气温呈负相关,与西伯利亚高压、东亚冬季风强度及入侵中国的冷空气活动频次呈正相关,相关关系在秋冬季明显,春季不明显;在气候变暖的大背景下,从20世纪80年代末开始,随着AOI从负位相转为正位相,冬季西伯利亚高压和东亚冬季风强度的减弱使得宁夏地表温度持续升高,是宁夏冬季寒潮频次减少的可能原因;春季也有类似的变化,不同的是:20世纪80年代中期以前,西伯利亚高压对寒潮活动作用更显著,之后,随气温持续增暖,冷空气活动对寒潮频次的影响更明显;秋季,西伯利亚高压和冷空气活动对寒潮的影响更直接明显。研究还发现,进入21世纪后,随着全球持续增暖,北极涛动对西伯利亚高压和东亚冬季风的影响有所减弱。因此,北极涛动、西伯利亚高压、冷空气活动频次、东亚冬季风、气温这几者之间的相互反馈作用是宁夏寒潮频次变化的可能原因。     

西北冰洋海域表层沉积物中厌氧菌分布特征

用逐步稀释法在4℃和25℃培养条件下测定了西北冰洋海域24个表层沉积物样品中厌氧菌(Anaerobic bacteria,AAB) 的检出率和含量.同时,分析了这两项指标的水平分布（纬度间、经度间）差异,以及在不同水深的变化特征.结果表明,在4℃和25℃培养条件下厌氧菌检出率高达100%,AAB含量范围分别为9.00×102~2.40×107cell·g-1和2.90×104~2.40×107cell·g-1,平均含量分别为4.54×106cell·g-1和3.99×106cell·g-1.AAB含量存在水平分布差异,随着纬度升高,或经度自西向东,或水深的加大,AAB的含量均呈现逐渐降低的趋势.     

川渝地区夏季降水与赤道印度洋海温的诊断分析

利用川渝地区1960-2006年逐月降水量资料和美国NOAA Research/ESRL逐月再分析海表温度(SST)资料,采用经验正交函数分解(EOF)、点相关、合成分析和奇异值分解(SVD)等方法,详细探讨了川渝地区夏季降水量与赤道印度洋海温的关系。结果表明:川渝夏季降水量EOF分解得出的第一模态占总方差的27.8%,降水量的空间分布为全区一致型;川渝地区夏季降水量与赤道印度洋海温区域(10°N~16°S,57~77°E)(下称关键区)存在显著相关。合成分析指出关键区海温异常偏暖(冷),对应川渝地区夏季降水量比常年同期偏多(少)。通过SVD分解发现,川渝地区夏季降水量与关键区海温呈显著相关,具体表现为印度洋关键区海温与川西高原和盆地东部夏季降水量呈同位相变化,与盆地中部降水量呈反位相变化。