Altitudinal Distribution of Meltwater and Its Effects on Glacio‐Hydrology in Glacierized Catchments,Central Asia

In glacierized catchments, elevation is correlated with meltwater through its association with temperature, precipitation, and glacier hypsometry. The revelation of the altitudinal distribution of meltwater, unattended and not fully understood in previous work, might provide a better understanding of climate change impacts on glacio‐hydrology. Here, critical zone approach was defined and applied in 12 glacierized catchments of the Tien Shan–Pamir–Karakorum Mountains, Central Asia using manually calibrated glacier‐enhanced Soil and Water Assessment Tool model over 1966–2005. The critical zone, a sequence of elevation bands with above‐average snow and glacier melt, contributes maximum meltwater to total runoff. The critical zone shared 37%–95% (average = 80%) of meltwater contributions to total runoff, although its size was only 13%–30% of the total elevational relief. The critical zone controlled 76% and 82% variability in relative changes of glacier area and total runoff at the catchment scale, respectively. The increase in temperature was identified as the dominant driver for variations in total runoff in all catchments except Vakhsh and Yurungkash, where precipitation change remained dominant. Overall, glacier hypsometry limited the first‐order control of meltwater distributions on glacio‐hydrology. It is concluded that critical zone approach can interpret the proxy role of elevation to affect water availability under climate and glacier area change in glacierized catchments.     

关于长江水资源保护问题

通过具体的数据资料说明了目前长江水资源已遭受污染的情况,分析了长江主要被污染的河段及其污染的特性,提出了治理长江污染的原则,在此基础上提出了保护长江的策略:建立、健全水资源保护法规,加强监督管理;紧密结合流域规划和经济发展规划,制订和实施流域及重点地区的水资源保护和污染防治规划;控制岸边污染;预测污染负荷并制订预防对策;加强监测以及时发现问题;开展水资源保护重大课题的科研工作。     

Ninety five percent: an evaluation of law, policy, and programs to promote seat belt use in Washington state

Seat belt use in Washington state was 83% in 2001. In 2002, a series of law, policy, and program initiatives coalesced to produce a dramatic increase in seat belt use. Washington enacted a primary enforcement seat belt, the Chief of the Washington State Patrol made safety belt enforcement one of the core missions of that agency, and Washington participated in the national Memorial Day Click It or Ticket program during May 2002 and continued the program into 2003. Evaluation of these initiatives was accomplished through observation surveys of seat belt use, analysis of seat belt violation data, and analysis of data on traffic deaths of motor vehicle occupants. The major findings were that there was a two- to three-fold increase in enforcement of the seat belt law, belt use rates increased to 93% in 2002 and again to 95% in 2003, and motor-vehicle occupant fatalities decreased by 13%. IMPACT ON PRACTICE AND POLICY: The primary seat belt law and Click It or Ticket program activities were critical factors in increasing belt use in Washington state. Media and enforcement programs targeting seat belt use can be very effective in raising the belt use rate, but a long-term commitment to continuation of these program activities is essential. Other states implementing new primary seat belt laws should consider delivering a Click It or Ticket campaign prior to the effective date of the primary law and continuing these activities during subsequent months and years.     

津巴布韦绿岩带中构造型铁矿成矿特征

津巴布韦铁矿层分布普遍,是组成太古界津巴布韦克拉通绿岩带地层常见岩性单元,其岩石特征类似于"硫化物相"含铁建造层,实际上是一种伴有硅化和硫化物矿化的剪切带.过去这种构造成因的铁矿层被认为是一种原始沉积岩层,但从野外露头上可明显辨别出呈交织状分布的片理化带、褶皱变形带、石香肠构造和糜棱岩带;区域上铁矿层与层理或片理相交切,岩层呈交织状分布,同一岩层单元会重复出现.在花岗岩底辟上升作用导致岩石发生变形之前,一系列逆推断层使得原始火山沉积岩单元层产生水平伸展、叠瓦状构造推覆以及岩层重复出现.因此绿岩带地层中这种包含有构造型铁矿层的"馅饼状"岩层模式,愈来愈成为地质工作者研究的焦点.     

Assessing alpine plant vulnerability to climate change: a modeling perspective

The potential ecological impact of ongoing climate change has been much discussed. High mountain ecosystems were identified early on as potentially very sensitive areas. Scenarios of upward species movement and vegetation shift are commonly discussed in the literature. Mountains being characteristically conic in shape, impact scenarios usually assume that a smaller surface area will be available as species move up. However, as the frequency distribution of additional physiographic factors (e.g., slope angle) changes with increasing elevation (e.g., with few gentle slopes available at higher elevation), species migrating upslope may encounter increasingly unsuitable conditions. As a result, many species could suffer severe reduction of their habitat surface, which could in turn affect patterns of biodiversity. In this paper, results from static plant distribution modeling are used to derive climate change impact scenarios in a high mountain environment. Models are adjusted with presence/absence of species. Environmental predictors used are: annual mean air temperature, slope, indices of topographic position, geology, rock cover, modeled permafrost and several indices of solar radiation and snow cover duration. Potential Habitat Distribution maps were drawn for 62 higher plant species, from which three separate climate change impact scenarios were derived. These scenarios show a great range of response, depending on the species and the degree of warming. Alpine species would be at greatest risk of local extinction, whereas species with a large elevation range would run the lowest risk. Limitations of the models and scenarios are further discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

庐山不同海拔森林土壤中重金属含量分析

为阐明庐山森林土壤重金属含量及沿海拔梯度的分布特征,在庐山的南、北坡按200 m的高差分别选择6个和5个不同海拔采样点,分层(0~10 cm、10~20 cm和20~30 cm)采集土样,测定了土壤Cu、Zn、Cd和Pb含量以及土壤基本理化性质。结果表明:对照我国土壤环境质量一级标准,庐山表层土壤Cu、Pb、Zn和Cd含量普遍超标,且北坡污染程度比南坡更重,其综合污染指数最高达2.54。随着海拔高度的增加,南坡Cu、Pb和Zn污染程度加重,而北坡未表现出这一变化规律。土壤重金属在剖面上的垂直分布是随着土层深度的增加而递减,证实了土壤重金属的污染主要来源于外部,而非成土母质。     

Factors contributing to serious and fatal injuries in belted rear seat occupants in frontal crashes

Abstract

Objectives: Earlier research has shown that the rear row is safer for occupants in crashes than the front row, but there is evidence that improvements in front seat occupant protection in more recent vehicle model years have reduced the safety advantage of the rear seat versus the front seat. The study objective was to identify factors that contribute to serious and fatal injuries in belted rear seat occupants in frontal crashes in newer model year vehicles.

Methods: A case series review of belted rear seat occupants who were seriously injured or killed in frontal crashes was conducted. Occupants in frontal crashes were eligible for inclusion if they were 6 years old or older and belted in the rear of a 2000 or newer model year passenger vehicle within 10 model years of the crash year. Crashes were identified using the 2004–2015 National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) and included all eligible occupants with at least one Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 3 or greater injury. Using these same inclusion criteria but split into younger (6 to 12 years) and older (55+ years) cohorts, fatal crashes were identified in the 2014–2015 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and then local police jurisdictions were contacted for complete crash records.

Results: Detailed case series review was completed for 117 rear seat occupants: 36 with Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (MAIS) 3+ injuries in NASS-CDS and 81 fatalities identified in FARS. More than half of the injured and killed rear occupants were more severely injured than front seat occupants in the same crash. Serious chest injury, primarily caused by seat belt loading, was present in 22 of the injured occupants and 17 of the 37 fatalities with documented injuries. Nine injured occupants and 18 fatalities sustained serious head injury, primarily from contact with the vehicle interior or severe intrusion. For fatal cases, 12 crashes were considered unsurvivable due to a complete loss of occupant space. For cases considered survivable, intrusion was not a large contributor to fatality.

Discussion: Rear seat occupants sustained serious and fatal injuries due to belt loading in crashes in which front seat occupants survived, suggesting a discrepancy in restraint performance between the front and rear rows. Restraint strategies that reduce loading to the chest should be considered, but there may be potential tradeoffs with increased head excursion, particularly in the absence of rear seat airbags. Any new restraint designs should consider the unique needs of the rear seat environment.     

Heavy equipment and truck-related deaths on excavation work sites

PROBLEM: Contact with objects and equipment is the third leading cause of death in construction. This study examines heavy equipment- and truck-related deaths in the excavation work industry in construction. METHODS: The Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries identified 253 heavy equipment related deaths on construction sites in the Excavation Work industry for the years 1992-2002. RESULTS: Heavy equipment operators and construction laborers made up 63% of the heavy equipment- and truck-related deaths. Backhoes and trucks were involved in half the deaths. Rollovers were the main cause of death of heavy equipment operators. For workers on foot and maintenance workers, being struck by heavy equipment or trucks (especially while backing up for workers on foot), and being struck by equipment loads or parts were the major causes of death. DISCUSSION: Ensuring adequate rollover protective structures for heavy equipment, requiring fastening of seat belts, adoption of a lock-out/tagout standard, establishing restricted access zones around heavy equipment, and requiring spotters for workers who must be near heavy equipment or trucks would reduce the risk of heavy equipment- and truck-related deaths in construction. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Safety of heavy equipment operators in particular is a major concern in excavation that needs to be addressed.     

洱海沙坪湾湖滨带不同植被带中细菌分布特征

湖滨带是湖泊保护的重要屏障,其不同植被带中的细菌对入湖污染物降解起重要作用.为研究不同植被带中的细菌分布,以洱海沙坪湾湖滨带为研究对象,采用Illumina HiSeq高通量测序方法,对其中AG(乔草植被带)、EP(挺水植被带)、SP(沉水植被带)和UV(无植被带)的土壤或沉积物中的细菌多样性和群落结构进行研究.结果表明:湖滨带植被带中细菌种类丰富,共有54个门、106个纲、192个目、334个科和503个属被检测到,细菌的OTUs从高到低依次为EP(3 162个)、AG(2 926个)、UV(2 709个)和SP(2 427个),Shannon-Wiener多样性指数从高到低依次为EP(10.14)、AG(9.75)、SP(9.44) 和UV(9.26);湖滨带植被带中主要细菌类群是变形菌门(Proteobacteria)(AG,48.55%;EP,47.83%;SP,40.36%;UV,44.00%)、酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria)(AG,19.30%;EP,5.31%;SP,5.67%;UV,6.30%)、厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)(AG,6.01%;EP,8.24%;SP,3.96%;UV,13.13%)和绿弯菌门(Chloroflexi)(AG,3.98%;EP,8.91%;SP,8.95%;UV,7.59%),主要类群在不同植被带中占比不同;植被带类型对细菌的群落结构特征影响不大,但对细菌种群的多样性影响较大.典型对应分析(CCA)结果显示,w(TP)、pH和w(OM)(OM为有机质)是影响不同植被带细菌种群结构的主要环境因子.      

Indicatory aspect of the geographic analysis of plant communities with respect to floristic composition on mountain slopes differing in exposure (the Polar Urals)

Latitudinal geographic groups of vascular plant, moss, and lichen species included in tundra communities and lower vegetation layers of larch forest and open forest have been analyzed with respect to their distribution according to different altitudinal levels and slopes differing in exposure. Prevailing plant groups have been identified. The results were compared with corresponding data on the composition of plant communities in the neighboring flatland area (Kharp Research Station).