The Spatiotemporal Pattern of Fires in Northern Taiga Larch Forests of Central Siberia

The periodicity of fires in larch forests of Evenkia and their relationship with landscape elements have been studied. Cross-sections with “burns” in them caused by past fires have been analyzed in 72 test plots; the fire chronology encompassed the period from the 15th to the 20th century. The between-fire intervals (BFIs) have been calculated by two methods: (I) on the basis of burns alone and (II) on the basis of burns and the start of growth of the new generation of larch after the earliest fire. The BFI depends on local orographic features; it is 86 ± 11 (105 ± 12), 61 ± 8 (73 ± 8), 139 ± 17 (138 ± 18), and 68 ± 14 (70 ± 13) years for northeastern slopes, southwestern slopes, bogs, and flatlands, respectively. The mean BFIs calculated by methods I and II are 82 ± 7 and 95 ± 7 years, respectively. The permafrost horizon rises at a mean rate of 0.3 cm per year after a forest fire. It has been shown that the number of fires regularly peaks at periods of 36 and 82 years. There is also a temporal trend in fire frequency: the mean BFI was approximately 100 years in the 19th century and 65 years in the 20th century.     

Food aid and food crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa: Statistical trends and implications*

This paper documents the rapid expansion and changes in food aid flows to Sub-Saharan Africa up to mid-1985. Trends for Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole and for the more seriously affected countries are examined, as are the comparative experiences of food aid of individual countries in the region. Table 11 lists the Sub-Saharan African countries and indicates the most seriously affected food-short countries, as defined by the WFP/FAO task force. It should be borne in mind that some practical problems exist in compiling data on food aid. These include lack of availability of reliable data, especially of most recent data; lack of common terminology and definitions; and different accounting systems. These data problems are sometimes a source of confusion. However, the basic facts are clear: food aid gradually emerged during the early 1980s as a resource too often of considerable significance to many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. These trends were only accelerated with the crisis of 1984-1985. These facts provide a point of reference for further analysis of the sources of the crisis, its actual dimensions and consequences.     

太湖水质氮素质量浓度时空差异特征及影响因素分析

通过对2014—2016年湖体水质中氮素质量浓度分析,结合出入湖总氮浓度、水量、湖体水生生态等影响因素,发现太湖水体中总氮浓度呈现逐年下降的趋势,各监测点位总氮为0.530 mg/L～5.51 mg/L,时空分布不均,差异明显。时间上,总氮浓度表现为春季最高,夏季和秋季最低,且月均值变化曲线呈现出规律的正弦函数波形。空间上,总氮浓度大致表现出由西部湖区向东部湖区递减的趋势,呈现西部湖区﹥北部湖区﹥南部湖区﹥湖心区﹥东部湖区。要改善湖体水质,不仅要切断污染源,而且要加强水生生态功能修复。     

板材成形新技术及其发展趋势(Ⅱ)

介绍了多点成形技术、激光成形技术、冲压智能化技术、成形过程的计算机仿真技术等几种柔性化程度高的板材成形新技术及其发展趋势     

从第31届国际地质大会命题看：地球科学研究的热点和趋势

本文论述了第 31届国际地质大会学科和专题命题情况 ,统计了大会收到的论文和摘要数并将各命题重新排序。将位于前 12位的学科和前 5位的专题命题进一步列出重点讨论题目和摘要数。通过与第 30届国际地质大会命题的比较 ,试图大致了解国际地球科学研究的热点和趋势 ;通过上述分析和了解 ,就地球科学与可持续发展阐述了笔者的认识 ,提出了地球科学基础性研究和应用基础研究的重点领域     

遂宁市城区大气中二氧化硫、二氧化氮和总悬浮颗粒物的污染现状及其成因分析

依据近5年的环境空气监测基础数据，分析评价了遂宁市城区大气中周报监测项目(二氧化硫、二氧化氮、总悬浮颗粒物)的污染现状，并对其变化趋势及其成因进行了系统分析。     

Analysis of Roadside Inhalable Particulate Matter (PM10) in Major Korean Cities

A data analysis of three major Korean cities was conducted to assess roadside inhalable particulate matter 10 μm or smaller in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀), including temporal and meteorological variations, over a recent period of 4 to 6 years. The yearly roadside PM₁₀ concentrations presented a well-defined increasing trend or no trend depending on the roadside monitoring station. Most mean values exceeded or approximated the Korean standard of 70 μg/m³ per year for PM₁₀. A representative roadside diurnal trend was characterized by a distinct morning maximum. In most cases, the Sunday roadside concentrations were similar to or somewhat lower than the weekday concentrations, and the PM₁₀ concentrations presented a well-defined seasonal variation, with the maximum concentration in March. The monthly maximum concentrations observed in March were most likely attributable to Asian dust storms. In two metropolitan cities (Seoul and Busan), the frequency of days with roadside PM₁₀ concentrations exceeding the standard of 150μg/m³ per 24 h was much lower for the roadside monitoring stations than for the residential monitoring station, whereas in the third city (Daegu), this result was reversed. Interestingly, the average maximum concentrations observed for the roadside sites in Seoul and Busan during March were higher than those for the residential sites, suggesting that the roadside concentrations responded more to the dust storms than the residential areas. The relationship between the pollutant concentrations and five important meteorological parameters (solar radiation, wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation) showed that the number and type of meteorological variables included in the equations varied according to the monitoring station or season. Finally, the current results confirmed that attention should be given to the PM₁₀ exposure of residents living near roadways.     

Life cycle energy impacts of automotive liftgate inner

This paper compares the life cycle energy use of a cast-aluminum, rear liftgate inner and a conventional, stamped steel liftgate inner used in a minivan. Using the best available aggregate life cycle inventory data and a simple spreadsheet-level analysis, energy comparisons were made at both the single-vehicle and vehicle-fleet levels. Since the product manufacture and use are distributed over long periods of time that, in a fleet, are not simple linear combinations of single product life cycles. Thus, it is all the products in use over a period of time, rather than a single product, that are more appropriate for the life cycle analysis. Using a set of consistent data, analyses also examine sensitivity to the level of analysis and the assumptions to determine the most favorable materials with respect to life cycle energy benefits.As expected, life cycle energy impacts of aluminum are lower than steel at a single-vehicle level – energy savings are determined to be 1.8 GJ/vehicle. Most energy savings occur at the vehicle operation phase due to improved fuel economy from lightweighting. The energy benefits are realized only very close to the average vehicle life of 14 years. With the incremental growth of the vehicle fleet, it takes longer – about 21 years – for aluminum to achieve life cycle equivalence with steel. The number of years aluminum needs to achieve equivalence with steel was found to be quite sensitive to aluminum manufacturing energy and fuel economy. As the steel industry races to compete with other materials for automotive lightweighting, a systems approach, instead of part-to-part comparison, is more appropriate in the determination of viability of aluminum substitution from an energy perspective.     

SUMMER LOW FLOWS IN NEW ENGLAND DURING THE 20TH CENTURY1

ABSTRACT: High springtime river flows came earlier by one to two weeks in large parts of northern New England during the 20th Century. In this study it was hypothesized that late spring/early summer recessional flows and late summer/early fall low flows could also be occurring earlier. This could result in a longer period of low flow recession and a decrease in the magnitude of low flows. To test this hypothesis, variations over time in the magnitude and timing of low flows were analyzed. To help understand the relation between low flows and climatic variables in New England, low flows were correlated with air temperatures and precipitation. Analysis of data from 23 rural, unregulated rivers across New England indicated little evidence of consistent changes in the timing or magnitude of late summer/early fall low flows during the 20th Century. The interannual variability in the timing and magnitude of the low flows in northern New England was explained much more by the interannual variability in precipitation than by the interannual variability of air temperatures. The highest correlation between the magnitude of the low flows and air temperatures was with May through November temperatures (r =?0.37, p= 0.0017), while the highest correlation with precipitation was with July through August precipitation (r = 0.67, p > 0.0001).     

2016—2020年全国化工和危险化学品事故分析研究*

为分析“十三五”期间（2016—2020年）我国化工和危险化学品事故发生情况，统计“十三五”期间化工和危险化学品事故数量及死亡人数，从发生月份、发生区域、行业分布等方面分析事故特征，从事故类别、事故环节、关键作业等方面分析事故原因，总结2011—2020年我国化工和危险化学品事故发展趋势，按照全国4大经济区域研究2013—2020年事故特征。结果表明:“十三五”期间我国化工和危险化学品事故数量呈下降趋势，死亡人数出现波动，总体形势较为平稳。2011—2020年化工和危险化学品事故风险向中西部转移趋势明显，东北、西部地区事故死亡率普遍高于东部地区。研究结果可为相关行业从业者及监管部门提供决策参考。