USING CLIMATE FORECASTS FOR WATER MANAGEMENT: ARIZONA AND THE 1997–1998 EL NIÑO1

ABSTRACT: Unrelenting pressure on limited surface water supplies requires increasingly sophisticated water management approaches. Climate forecasts of seasonal precipitation and temperature are potentially useful, but the operational water management community currently underutilizes them. However, some agencies in Arizona took unprecedented advantage of forecasts for a potentially wet winter during the 1997–1998 El Niño event. This study investigates use of this information through a series of semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with key personnel from agencies responsible for emergency management and water supply; their jurisdictions ranged from urban to rural and local to regional. Interviews investigated information acquisition, interpretation, and incorporation into specific decisions and actions. While unprecedented actions were taken by some water management agencies and no agencies implemented inappropriate measures, some missed opportunities for more effective response, primarily through inaction. This study reveals a variety of technical factors and institutional characteristics affecting forecast use. Study findings emphasize the need for: (a) closer ongoing relationships between forecast producers and users, (b) increased institutional flexibility to exploit the increasing skill of seasonal climate forecasts, (c) demonstration projects of effective forecast use, and (d) a regional forum to facilitate information transfer between the hydro‐climatic research community and operational water managers.     

Viability Analysis of Reef Fish Populations Based on Limited Demographic Information

Abstract:  Marine protected areas (MPAs) that allow some degree of artisanal fishing have been proposed to control the overexploitation of marine resources while allowing extraction by local communities. Nevertheless, the management of MPAs is often impaired by the absence of data on the status of their resources. We devised a method to estimate population growth rates with the type of data that are usually available for reef fishes. We used 7 years of spatially explicit abundance data on the leopard grouper ( Mycteroperca rosacea ) in an MPA in the Gulf of California, Mexico, to construct a matrix population model that incorporated the effects of El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation on population dynamics. An environmental model that estimated different demographic estimates for El Niño and La Niña periods performed better than a single-environment model, and a single-habitat model performed better than a model that considered different depths as different habitats. Our results suggest that the population of the leopard grouper off the main island of the MPA is not viable under present conditions. Although the impact of fishing on leopard grouper populations in the MPA has not yet been established, fishing should be closed as a precautionary measure at this island if a priority of the MPA is to ensure the sustainability of its fish populations.     

1991／1992年世界气象灾害评述

1991/1992年是厄尔尼诺年,也是全球自然灾害频发、重灾事件突出的异常年份。本文对发生在1991/1992年厄尔尼诺事件期间的全球主要气象灾害进行简介和评述。     

松花江干流洪水预测和影响评估及对策建议

根据历史数据,分析了松花江干流(哈尔滨段)水位变化的历史规律和典型洪水年洪水的成因,计算和分析了其与松花江、嫩江、二松流域面雨量的相关性,统计和分析了其与拉尼娜、厄尔尼诺、太阳黑子等的关系.利用方差周期和均生函数方法,建立了2004-2013年拉尼娜、厄尔尼诺、太阳黑子及松花江、嫩江、二松流域面雨量的预测方法,并进行了预测,建立了松花江干流(哈尔滨段)最高水位趋势的综合预测方法,得出了2004-2013年的预测值.提出了相应治理的对策建议.     

ENSO与云南蒋家沟泥石流灾害发生的关系

通过分析近40年来出现的ENSO事件对云南东川蒋家沟泥石流活动的影响可知,El Ni(~n)o与LaNi(~n)a对其的影响正好相反,且El Ni(~n)o的影响大于La Ni(~n)a的影响.El Ni(~n)o年,泥石流年发生频次、径流量和输沙量偏少的概率均较大,泥石流活动减弱的倾向明显;La Ni(~n)a年,虽有一定的对应关系,但不如El Ni(~n)o年明显,且影响更复杂一些,总的来说,泥石流年发生频次、径流量和输沙量偏多或持平的概率较大.     

气候异常与中国小麦白粉病灾害流行关系的研究

分析了厄尔尼诺事件与我国冬小麦白粉病发病面积的相关关系。结果表明：在厄尔尼诺出现的起始年，冬小麦白粉病发病面积相对较小；在厄尔诺起始年至下一个厄尔诺起始年前的前一年，冬小麦白粉病发病面积趋势逐年增大，并在下一个厄尔尼诺起始年前一年达到最大值；在连续出现厄尔尼诺的年份，冬小麦白粉病发生面积逐年降低。厄尔尼诺事件通过引发主要麦区的诱水、温度异常来影响小麦白粉病的流行程度。造成厄尔尼诺年我国小麦白粉病发病面向相对较低的原因，与厄尔尼诺起始年前的冬半年寒潮活动加强造成冬小麦冻害严重，大大降低了小麦白粉菌的越冬基数及春季干旱不利于小麦白粉菌的侵染有关。     

洪泽湖流域洪涝灾害演变趋势及其与El Nio事件关系

为分析洪泽湖流域洪涝灾害在千年尺度序列上的演变趋势,采用统计历史洪涝记录的方法,分析了气候变化背景下洪涝灾害的响应过程,探讨了洪泽湖流域洪涝灾害同El Nio事件的关系。结果表明：近1 000 a来洪泽湖流域洪涝灾害的频度总体是趋于上升的,这种变化趋势同气候变化的趋势是一致的。研究结果显示：公元1000~1400年洪涝记录偏少,同我国东部地区尤其是中世纪暖期出现的一次200 a以上的干旱化过程有较好的对应性。1400~1800年是洪泽湖流域洪涝的多发期,这一事实同我国东部1550~1850年小冰期期间总体偏湿的环境特征相一致。分析洪涝灾害变化同El Nio事件对应性关系表明：在El Nio事件年及其次年是洪泽湖流域洪涝的多发年份。这可能是由于El Nio事件通过改变西太平洋副高的强度与位置,以及大气环流形势而引起的降水异常所致。了解洪泽湖流域洪涝的演变趋势及其同El Nio的关系对于长期防灾减灾策略具有重要的参考意义。     

Climate Change and Climate Variability: Adaptations to Reduce Adverse Health Impacts

Global climate change is likely to have a range of consequences for human health as a result of disturbance or weakening of the biosphere's natural or human-managed life support systems. The full range of potential human health impacts of global climate change is diverse and would be distributed differentially spatially and over time. Changes in the mortality toll of heatwaves and changes in the distribution of vector-borne infectious diseases may occur early. The public health consequences of sea level rise and of regional changes in agricultural productivity may not occur (or become apparent) for several decades. Vulnerability is a measure of both sensitivity to climate change and the ability to adapt in anticipation of, or in response to, its impacts. The basic modes of adaptation to climate-induced health hazards are biological, behavioural and social. Adaptation can be undertaken at the individual, community and whole-population levels. Adaptive strategies should not introduce new health hazards. Enhancement of the acknowledged public health infrastructure and intervention programmes is essential to reduce vulnerability to the health impacts of climate change. In the longer-term, fundamental improvements in the social and material conditions of life and in the reduction of inequalities within and between populations are required for sustained reduction in vulnerability to environmental health hazards.     

Rapid shoreline retreat along the Esmeraldas coast, Ecuador: natural and man-induced processes

Along the coast facing the Pacific Ocean in the province of Esmeraldas (Ecuador) one can observe some stretches where a process of rapid erosion is currently in progress. If it is not prevented, it seriously risks compromising the development of any form of utilization. In this paper, which summarizes the observations carried out in three different periods (1989, 1992 and 1999), we express the opinion that this process is the product of two distinct main causes. Along the Atacames bay, which may be considered as the main seaside resort of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, progressive cliff retreat is not only very dangerous for the existing tourist settlements, but also hinders their further development. The shoreline dynamics that seems to be due only to ‘natural’ causes (sea level rising, or the lastEl Niño event) are so active that defence works are not recommended. At Camarones the erosion of the coast is clearly due to the systematic destruction of mangroves by man. Also as a result of the lastEl Niño event, the situation has become alarming and it could rapidly get worse. By means of the present contribution, the Authors intend to attract the attention of the international scientific community upon the processes, not surveyed so far, affecting the ‘weakest’ stretches of the Ecuadorian coast.