香港能见度、大气悬浮粒子浓度与气象条件的关系

利用2005年赤角能见度及东涌悬浮粒子(PM2.5)浓度的每小时数据,发现PM2.5 浓度与能见度(撇除雨雾及相对湿度≥95%的个例)呈倒数关系,相关系数约为0.8.此外,出现低能见度(能见度低于8 km,而雨雾及相对湿度≥95%的个例不计)的每月总时数与月平均PM2.5浓度都呈现相类似的季节趋势,即冬季较高,夏季较低.利用HYSPLIT作反轨迹图分析显示这现象跟影响香港的空气来源有关.来自内陆的轨迹中,出现低能见度的日平均时数及日平均PM2.5的浓度,分别远高于来自海洋的轨迹.文中还分析了一个有热带气旋接近本港的个例,论证气象条件对能见度及PM2.5浓度的重要性.     

Landscape analysis: Theoretical considerations and practical needs

Numerous systems of land classification have been proposed. Most have led directly to or have been driven by an author's philosophy of earth-forming processes. However, the practical need of classifying land for planning and management purposes requires that a system lead to predictions of the results of management activities.We propose a landscape classification system composed of 11 units, from realm (a continental mass) to feature (a splash impression). The classification concerns physical aspects rather than economic or social factors; and aims to merge land inventory with dynamic processes.Landscape units are organized using a hierarchical system so that information may be assembled and communicated at different levels of scale and abstraction. Our classification uses a geomorphic systems approach that emphasizes the geologic-geomorphic attributes of the units.Realm, major division, province, and section are formulated by subdividing large units into smaller ones. For the larger units we have followed Fenneman's delineations, which are well established in the North American literature. Areas and districts are aggregated into regions and regions into sections. Units smaller than areas have, in practice, been subdivided into zones and smaller units if required.We developed the theoretical framework embodied in this classification from practical applications aimed at land use planning and land management in Maryland (eastern Piedmont Province near Baltimore) and Utah (eastern Uinta Mountains).     

The spatial prediction of tree species diversity in savanna woodlands of Southern Africa

In this study, we tested the utility of remotely sensed data in predicting tree species diversity in savanna woodlands. Specifically, we developed linear regression functions based on a combination of the coefficient of variation of near infrared (NIR) radiance and the soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), both derived from advanced space-borne thermal emission and reflection radiometer satellite imagery. Using the regression functions in a Geographic Information System (GIS), we predicted the spatial variations in tree species diversity. Our results showed that tree species diversity can be predicted using a combination of the coefficient of variation of NIR radiance and SAVI. We conclude that remotely sensed data can be used to spatially predict tree species diversity in savanna woodlands.     

Co-management of sea turtle fisheries: Biogeography versus geopolitics

Co-management between local communities and government agencies is promoted as a strategy to improve fisheries management. This paper considers the potential for co-management of sea turtle fisheries within four UK Overseas Territories (OTs) in the Caribbean, and for co-ordinated management among those territories. We focus on fisher incentives for engaging in co-management and on the potential to scale up co-management to a regional level. This paper presents data from Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, and Turks and Caicos Islands, where 110 turtle fishers participated in a socio-economic survey undertaken as part of the ‘Turtles in the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean’ project. Based on three established criteria for co-management (perceived crisis in stock, willingness to participate and community cohesion), results suggest that fisher support for co-management exists within each OT, but the extent of support for and views of specific management interventions varies among OTs. The implications of results for co-management in each territory, and for establishing co-ordinated management regimes in the region, are discussed in the context of current debates about the nature of resources and scalar (mis)matches between resource and management regimes.     

Wind erosion of Mancos Shale badland ridges by sudden drops in pressure

One process of erosion of Mancos Shale badlands near Hanksville, Utah, appears to be caused by nearly instantaneous drops in air pressure accompanying gusts of wind. A series of sharp-crested bedrock ridges trend nearly perpendicular to the strong, gusty southwesterly winds that precede cold fronts passing through the area. The Bernoulli effect, resulting from the explosive onset of wind gusts in which the wind over the ridges can accelerate from 7 to 14 m s⁻¹, can cause nearly instantaneous pressure drops of 1·27 mmHg. This provides a unit lifting force of 0·01697 N. Since the average gravitational force acting on a unit area of the crust is only 0·00883 N, this force is sufficient to lift the crust, exposing the underlying weathered shale chips to further wind erosion. Soils susceptible to this type of erosion consist of polygonally cracked surface crust averaging 1·2 cm thick overlying a porous subsoil of silt-sized shale chips. The arid environment permits complete soil drying between weather fronts, greatly reducing the cohesion that would occur if the soil were moist. The pressure drops, and the erosion caused by them, were observed on the lee side of bedrock ridges about 10 m high, within 1 m of the ridge crest. Landforms resulting from this process are micro-cirque forms located near the ridge crests. Continued development of micro-cirques eventually forms cliffs on the lee sides of the ridges. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Precambrian metamorphic conditions and crustal evolution,northeastern Alberta,Canada

A complex of Precambrian polymetamorphic gneisses and granitoids of the Churchill structural province, northeastern Alberta, Canada has been examined structurally, petrographically, chemically and geochronologically. An Archean basement gneiss complex is indicated by Rb-Sr dating of pegmatites which cut both gneisses and granitoids (2470 ± 26 Ma with an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.7030 ± 0.0008). A high-pressure granulite facies (M₁) mineral assemblage and older structures (D₁) are assigned to the Archean. A moderate-pressure granulite facies (M_2.1), a low-pressure amphibolite facies (M_2.2), a greenschist facies (M_2.3), and younger structures (D₂) are of Aphebian age. Formation of granitoids by anatexis of the pre-existing Archean basement complex during M_2.1 is indicated by their Aphebian ages (ca. 1900 Ma) and high initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7100 ± 0.0018). The path of retrograde metamorphism is linked with relatively slow rates of uplift and cooling. Late Aphebian sediments attained low-grade greenschist facies metamorphism only and are younger than the other metamorphic rocks. The tectonic evolution of this Precambrian mobile belt during the Aphebian contrasts with the stable Archean cratonic block in the Slave province to the north.     

The Red Rain Phenomenon of Kerala and its Possible Extraterrestrial Origin

A red rain phenomenon occurred in Kerala, India starting from 25th July 2001, in which the rainwater appeared coloured in various localized places that are spread over a few hundred kilometers in Kerala. Maximum cases were reported during the first 10 days and isolated cases were found to occur for about 2 months. The striking red colouration of the rainwater was found to be due to the suspension of microscopic red particles having the appearance of biological cells. These particles have no similarity with usual desert dust. An estimated minimum quantity of 50,000 kg of red particles has fallen from the sky through red rain. An analysis of this strange phenomenon further shows that the conventional atmospheric transport processes like dust storms etc. cannot explain this phenomenon. The electron microscopic study of the red particles shows fine cell structure indicating their biological cell like nature. EDAX analysis shows that the major elements present in these cell like particles are carbon and oxygen. Strangely, a test for DNA using Ethidium Bromide dye fluorescence technique indicates absence of DNA in these cells. In the context of a suspected link between a meteor airburst event and the red rain, the possibility for the extraterrestrial origin of these particles from cometary fragments is discussed.     

A new interstellar polyatomic molecule: detection of propynal in the cold cloud TMC-1

We report the detection of the acetylene derivative propynal (HC triple bond CCHO) in the cold cloud TMC-1, with an abundance that is very close to that for the related species tricarbon monoxide (C3O). Propadienone, an isomer of propynal with the formula H2C=C=C=O, was not detected and is hence less abundant than either C3O or HC2CHO.