Future ozone in a changing climate

The stratospheric ozone layer is expected to recover as a result of the regulations of the Montreal Protocol on chlorine and bromine containing ozone-depleting substances (ODSs). Model simulations project a return of global annually averaged total column ozone to 1980 levels before the middle of the 21^st century, well before the ODSs will return to 1980 levels. This earlier ozone return date is due to the effects of rising greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations. GHGs influence ozone directly by chemical reactions, but also indirectly by changing stratospheric temperature and the Brewer–Dobson circulation. Based on projections of chemistry–climate models, this article summarizes the effects of GHGs on stratospheric and total column ozone in the mid-latitude upper stratosphere, Arctic and Antarctic spring, and the tropics. The sensitivity of future ozone change to the GHG scenario is discussed, as well as the specific role of a future increase in nitrous oxide and methane.     

Surge-type glaciers in Karakoram Mountain and possible catastrophes alongside a portion of the Karakoram Highway

Natural Hazards - Along the Karakoram Highway (KKH) region, glacier surge, avalanche and debris flow play a dominant role in these disasters. The data of surge-type glaciers along the KKH are...     

Alpine climate during the Holocene: a comparison between records of glaciers,lake sediments and solar activity

The European Alps are very sensitive and vulnerable to climate change. Recent improvements in Alpine glacier length records and climate reconstructions from annually laminated sediments of Alpine Lake Silvaplana give the opportunity to investigate the relationship between these two data sets of Alpine climate. Two different time frames are considered: the last 500–1000 years as well as the last 7400 years. First, we found good agreement between the two different climate archives during the past millennium: mass accumulation rates and biogenic silica concentration are largely in phase with the glacier length changes of Mer de Glace and Unterer Grindelwaldgletscher, and with the records of glacier length of Grosser Aletschgletscher and Gornergletscher. Secondly, the records are compared with temporally highly resolved data of solar activity. The Sun has had a major impact on the Alpine climate variations in the long term, i.e. several centuries to millennia. Solar activity varies with the Hallstatt periodicity of about 2000 years. Hallstatt minima are identified around 500, 2500 and 5000 a. Around these times grand solar minima (such as the Maunder Minimum) occurred in clusters coinciding with colder Alpine climate expressed by glacier advances. During the Hallstatt maxima around 0, 2000 and 4500 a, the Alpine glaciers generally retreated, indicating a warmer climate. This is supported by archaeological findings at Schnidejoch, a transalpine pass in Switzerland that was only accessible when glaciers had retreated. On shorter timescales, however, the influence of the Sun cannot be as easily detected in Alpine climate change, indicating that in addition to solar forcing, volcanic influence and internal climate variations have played an important role. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

1959-2013年中国境内萨吾尔山冰川变化特征

萨吾尔山冰川条数少,中国冰川编目将萨吾尔山南北坡的冰川分别附入了天山和阿尔泰山区的冰川,不便于冰川变化研究,因此应给予其特殊考虑.鉴于前人工作中鲜有涉及该区的冰川研究,以萨吾尔山区冰川为研究对象,利用地形图、冰川编目数据以及Landsat遥感影像数据结合实测探地雷达数据,分析萨吾尔山地区冰川变化特征.通过目视解译结合野外实地观测的方法,得到1959-2013年该区的冰川变化特征.结果表明:总体上,萨吾尔山冰川持续退缩明显,1959-2013年中国境内的冰川面积由17.69 km²退缩为10.13 km²,退缩率42.74%,平均每年退缩0.14 km²;萨吾尔山北坡的冰川退缩率为37.57%,南坡退缩率为72.69%,南坡冰川退缩率基本为北坡的两倍.分析认为,南坡冰川退缩率较高的原因除了与坡向因素有关外,单条冰川面积大小是该差异的主要影响因素;基于木斯岛冰川探地雷达测厚结果,对该冰川体积进行了初步估算并与1959年地形图估算出的体积进行对比,发现该冰川体积减少约44.6%.     

Snowmelt runoff prediction under changing climate in the Himalayan cryosphere: A case of Gilgit River Basin

There are serious concerns of rise in temperatures over snowy and glacierized Himalayan region that may eventually affect future river flows of Indus river system. It is therefore necessary to predict snow and glacier melt runoff to manage future water resource of Upper Indus Basin(UIB). The snowmelt runoff model(SRM) coupled with MODIS remote sensing data was employed in this study to predict daily discharges of Gilgit River in the Karakoram Range. The SRM was calibrated successfully and then simulation was made over four years i.e. 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 achieving coefficient of model efficiency of 0.96, 0.86, 0.9 and 0.94 respectively. The scenarios of precipitation and mean temperature developed from regional climate model PRECIS were used in SRM model to predict future flows of Gilgit River. The increase of 3 C in mean annual temperature by the end of 21 th century may result in increase of 35-40% in Gilgit River flows. The expected increase in the surface runoff from the snow and glacier melt demands better water conservation and management for irrigation and hydel-power generation in the Indus basin in future.     

气候变化下长江中下游水稻灌溉需水量时空变化特征

选择长江中下游单季中稻为研究对象,结合45个气象站1961~2010年逐日气象资料,基于统计降尺度模型(SDSM),生成HadCM3气候模式A2和B2两种情景下各站点参考作物腾发量和降水数据。基于联合国粮食及农业组织(FAO)推荐的作物系数法,并考虑有效性降雨和不同地区深层渗漏量,分析历史和未来的水稻灌溉需水时空变化特征。结果表明:过去50年,除了太湖流域以外的长江中下游大部分区域的参考作物腾发量和水稻需水量都呈显著下降趋势,而显著下降的水稻灌溉需水量主要位于鄱阳湖流域;未来两种情景下,参考作物腾发量、水稻需水量和水稻灌溉需水量均值都呈下降趋势,但水稻灌溉需水量降幅最小;水稻需水量和水稻灌溉需水量在长江中下游地区的变化趋势具有明显的空间异质性,水稻需水量大幅减少的区域由太湖流域向汉江和洞庭湖流域扩展。未来水稻灌溉需水量减少的区域主要分布在太湖流域、汉江流域东部和洞庭湖流域北部,并随时间推移呈扩大趋势。     

Ecology of active rock glaciers and surrounding landforms: climate,soil, plants and arthropods

Active rock glaciers are periglacial landforms consisting of coarse debris with interstitial ice or ice‐core. Recent studies showed that such landforms are able to support plant and arthropod life and could act as warm‐stage refugia for cold‐adapted species due to their microclimate features and thermal inertia. However, integrated research comparing active rock glaciers with surrounding landforms to outline their ecological peculiarities is still scarce. We analysed the abiotic (ground surface temperature and humidity, soil physical and chemical parameters) and biotic (plant and arthropod communities) features of two Alpine active rock glaciers with contrasting lithology (silicate and carbonate), and compared them with the surrounding iceless landforms as reference sites (stable slopes and active scree slopes). Our data show remarkable differences between stable slopes and unstable landforms as a whole, while few differences occur between active scree slopes and active rock glaciers: such landforms show similar soil features but different ground surface temperatures (lower on active rock glaciers) and different occurrence of cold‐adapted species (more frequent/abundant on active rock glaciers). Both plant and arthropod species distributions depend mainly on the geographical context as a function of soil pH and on the contrast between stable slopes and unstable landforms as a function of the coarse debris fraction and organic matter content, while the few differences between active scree slopes and active rock glaciers can probably be attributed to microclimate. The role of active rock glaciers as potential warm‐stage refugia for cold‐adapted species is supported by our data; however, at least in the European Alps, their role in this may be less important than that of debris‐covered glaciers, which are able to host cold‐adapted species even below the climatic tree line.     

Thermophysics of glaciers

Book reviewed in this article:
Thermophysics of glaciers: Zolikov, I. A. 1986: The Thermophysics of Glaciers.
Matti Seppala, Department of Geography, Uniuersity of Helsinki     

Thrifty, green or frugal: Reflections on sustainable consumption in a changing economic climate

In the context of a string of economic crises that have affected major world economies between 2007 and 2009, there seems to be a certain amount of overlap between debates around these issues and debates around long term environmental problems such as climate change. One of the interesting points of overlap is a renewed interest in notions of austerity with optimistic commentators offering up hope that a (re)turn to frugality represents a unique opportunity for the pursuit of sustainable consumption. Against this backdrop the analysis sets out an approach to frugality as a social practice and drawing on a qualitative study of persons who identified themselves as attempting to reduce their environmental impacts, it considers the links between frugality and sustainable consumption. Crucially, a distinction is drawn between thrift and frugality in relation to: (1) the scale at which they exercise care and compassion; (2) their relationship to the normative expectations of consumer cultures, and; (3) their consequences in terms of environmental impacts. Taking these distinctions alongside historical analyses of changing consumption patterns, a note of caution is offered that the passage from the economic downturn to sustainable consumption may not be as clear as might be hoped.     

Social vulnerability index for coastal communities at risk to hurricane hazard and a changing climate

This paper presents the development of the Coastal Community Social Vulnerability Index (CCSVI) in order to quantify the social vulnerability of hurricane-prone areas under various scenarios of climate change. The 2004–2005 Atlantic hurricane seasons is estimated to have caused 150 billion dollars in damages, and in recent years, the annual hurricane damage in the United States is estimated at around150 billion dollars in damages, and in recent years, the annual hurricane damage in the United States is estimated at around 6 billion. Hurricane intensity or/and frequency may change due to the increase in sea surface temperature as a result of climate change. Climate change is also predicted to cause a rise in sea levels, potentially resulting in higher storm surges. The CCSVI combines the intensity of hurricanes and hurricane-induced surge to create a comprehensive index that considers the effects of a changing climate. The main contributing factors of social vulnerability (such as race, age, gender, and socioeconomic status) in hurricane-prone areas are identified through a principal components analysis. The impact of social characteristics on the potential hurricane damage under various scenarios of climate change are evaluated using Miami-Dade County, Florida, as a case study location. This study finds that climate change may have a significant impact on the CCSVI.     

Socio-economic changes,social capital and implications for climate change in a changing rural Nepal

We investigate the use of social capital in the form of social ties in the face of commercialization, urbanization and climate change. While discussions of social capital often focus on whether people possess certain social ties or not our study shows that it is also necessary to consider under what circumstances people can make use of their ties. The use of different kinds of ties varies with context and is not as clear cut as suggested in the literature. For example families closer to the city are in a better position to take advantage of new opportunities. Using a combination of ties people have engaged in high-input agriculture, business and paid employment. Diversification of livelihoods has made many people less sensitive to climate change, but this does not translate into decreased vulnerability for the community. Intensive agriculture and lower community cohesion seems unsustainable in the long run. Thus, decreased vulnerability at the household level may come at the price of increased vulnerability at higher levels and negative consequences for the wider social–ecological system. Evaluating vulnerability and the role of social ties depends on the unit and sector of analysis, and the temporal and spatial scale.     

喀喇昆仑山厦呈、吕莫慕士塔格山段现代冰川分布及变化特征

在全球气候普遍变暖、冰川大面积退缩的大背景下,为揭示山岳冰川十分发育的喀喇昆仑山脉现代冰川分布及变化特征,以中等空间分辨率(ETM和Landsat 8)卫星数据为主要数据源,采用人机交互式解译方法完成了厦呈慕士塔格山、吕莫慕士塔格山段冰川变化遥感调查,基本查明了区内冰川面积、分布特征和变化状况,共调查1 373处冰川,其中中国境内有554处,境外克什米尔印控区有819处; 同时对区内典型冰川变化进行了2期对比分析,得出冰舌退缩、前进或稳定现象同时存在的结论,为喀喇昆仑山脉冰川变化研究提供了参考依据,为我国西部边海防地区水资源的开发利用和冰雪灾害的防治等提供了科学依据。     

气候变化下中国主要流域气象水文干旱潜在风险传播

全球气候变化影响了气象水文要素的时空分布特性,气象水文干旱事件的转化关系及风险传播特征亟待研究。基于站点、栅格观测资料和CMIP5（Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase5）的19个气候模式输出数据,采用新安江等4个水文模型模拟了中国135个流域历史（1961—2005年）和未来时期（2011—2055年,2056—2100年）的水文过程,计算了SPI（Standard Precipitation Index）和SRI（Standard Runoff Index）干旱指标,通过游程理论识别了气象干旱与水文干旱事件,利用Copula函数与最大可能权函数度量二维干旱风险特征,定量评估了气象干旱至水文干旱的潜在风险传播特性。结果表明:①气象-水文干旱对气候变化响应强烈,华北和东北地区的干旱联合重现期增大,干旱潜在风险减小,华中和华南地区的干旱联合重现期减少60%~80%,干旱潜在风险增加;②气象干旱与水文干旱风险在历史和未来时段均存在显著的正相关关系,相关系数超过0.99;③各流域水文干旱风险变化对气象干旱风险变化的敏感程度不会随气候变暖发生较大变化,但未来北方地区水文干旱同气象干旱同时发生的概率将会小幅度增加。     

变化环境下澜沧江-湄公河流域干旱趋势

为提升变化环境下澜沧江-湄公河(简称澜湄)流经国对干旱的抵御能力,亟需对流域未来干旱趋势进行科学研判。本研究选取了CMIP6的5个GCM模式,使用3种共享社会经济路径-典型浓度路径组合情景下的驱动数据,采用分布式水文模型CREST-Snow,预估了2020—2050年澜湄径流演变和气象、水文干旱发展趋势,量化了澜沧江梯级水库调度对未来径流的调节作用。结果表明：2020—2050年,澜湄流域整体呈湿润趋势,但极端干湿事件发生频率增加,其中2020—2029年干旱频发,2030—2050年更偏湿润,老挝、泰国2020—2050年干旱发生的频率和强度比流域内其他国家更高;澜沧江梯级水库可有效提升下游干季径流量,增幅从上游(99%)至下游(68%)递减,在缓解湄公河干季旱情方面具有重要作用。未来有待进一步加强澜湄水资源合作,优化水库调度方式,促进澜湄流经国水旱灾害防治。     

Knowledge mapping analysis of research progress and frontiers in integrated disaster risk management in a changing climate

Natural Hazards - Integrated disaster risk management in a changing climate is a key concern for disaster reduction and global sustainable development now and in the future. This study conducted...     

考虑地下水入侵导致土壤强度变化的沿海建筑地基韧性模型

海平面上升导致的地下水入侵沿海地区的建筑地基造成显著风险。提出了一个考虑地下水侵入导致土壤强度退化的沿海建筑地基韧性模型。该模型由地基的性能函数在服役期内的积分得到。考虑条形基础的韧性,其极限承载力由Terzaghi公式描述。韧性模型考虑气候变化背景下地下水位的上升对土壤强度的影响。通过一个算例,展示了所提出的韧性模型的适用性。结果表明,如果不考虑气候变化影响下地下水位的上升,则会得到不保守的结构韧性评估结果。结构全寿命周期内的韧性也取决于所采用的维护措施（即,修复受损的结构性能）。未来的研究中,还应考虑其他因素（如锈蚀）对沿海建筑地基性能退化的联合影响。