ALBERT

Description: When cumulonimbus clouds aggregate, developing into a single entity with precipitation covering a horizontal scale of hundreds of kilometers, they are called mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). They account for much of Earth’s precipitation, generate severe weather events and flooding, produce prodigious cirriform anvil clouds, and affect the evolution of the larger-scale circulation. Understanding the inner workings of MCSs has resulted from developments in observational technology and modeling. Time–space conversion of ordinary surface and upper-air observations provided early insight into MCSs, but deeper understanding has followed field campaigns using increasingly sophisticated radars, better aircraft instrumentation, and an ever-widening range of satellite instruments, especially satellite-borne radars. High-resolution modeling and theoretical insights have shown that aggregated cumulonimbus clouds induce a mesoscale circulation consisting of air overturning on a scale larger than the scale of individual convective up- and downdrafts. These layers can be kilometers deep and decoupled from the boundary layer in elevated MCSs. Cooling in the lower troposphere and heating aloft characterize the stratiform regions of MCSs. As a result, long-lived MCSs with large stratiform regions have a top-heavy heating profile that generates potential vorticity in midlevels, thus influencing the larger-scale circulation within which the MCSs occur. Global satellite data show MCSs varying in structure, depending on the prevailing large-scale circulation and topography. These patterns are likely to change with global warming. In addition, environmental pollution affects MCS structure and dynamics subtly. Feedbacks of MCSs therefore need to be included or parameterized in climate models.

Description: The central change in understanding of the ocean circulation during the past 100 years has been its emergence as an intensely time-dependent, effectively turbulent and wave-dominated, flow. Early technologies for making the difficult observations were adequate only to depict large-scale, quasi-steady flows. With the electronic revolution of the past 50+ years, the emergence of geophysical fluid dynamics, the strongly inhomogeneous time-dependent nature of oceanic circulation physics finally emerged. Mesoscale (balanced), submesoscale oceanic eddies at 100-km horizontal scales and shorter, and internal waves are now known to be central to much of the behavior of the system. Ocean circulation is now recognized to involve both eddies and larger-scale flows with dominant elements and their interactions varying among the classical gyres, the boundary current regions, the Southern Ocean, and the tropics.

Description: Although atmospheric observing systems were already an important part of meteorology before the American Meteorological Society was established in 1919, the past 100 years have seen a steady increase in their numbers and types. Examples of how observing systems were developed and how they have enabled major scientific discoveries are presented. These examples include observing systems associated with the boundary layer, the upper air, clouds and precipitation, and solar and terrestrial radiation. Widely used specialized observing systems such as radar, lidar, and research aircraft are discussed, and examples of applications to weather forecasting and climate are given. Examples drawn from specific types of chemical measurements, such as ozone and carbon dioxide, are included. Sources of information on observing systems, including other chapters of this monograph, are also discussed. The past 100 years has been characterized by synergism between societal needs for weather observations and the needs of fundamental meteorological research into atmospheric processes. In the latter half of the period, observing system improvements have been driven by the increasing demands for higher-resolution data for numerical models, the need for long-term measurements, and for more global coverage. This has resulted in a growing demand for data access and for integrating data from an increasingly wide variety of observing system types and networks. These trends will likely continue.

Description: The polar regions present several unique challenges to meteorology, including remoteness and a harsh environment. We summarize the evolution of polar meteorology in both hemispheres, beginning with measurements made during early expeditions and concluding with the recent decades in which polar meteorology has been central to global challenges such as the ozone hole, weather prediction, and climate change. Whereas the 1800s and early 1900s provided data from expeditions and only a few subarctic stations, the past 100 years have seen great advances in the observational network and corresponding understanding of the meteorology of the polar regions. For example, a persistent view in the early twentieth century was of an Arctic Ocean dominated by a permanent high pressure cell, a glacial anticyclone. With increased observations, by the 1950s it became apparent that, while anticyclones are a common feature of the Arctic circulation, cyclones are frequent and may be found anywhere in the Arctic. Technology has benefited polar meteorology through advances in instrumentation, especially autonomously operated instruments. Moreover, satellite remote sensing and computer models revolutionized polar meteorology. We highlight the four International Polar Years and several high-latitude field programs of recent decades. We also note outstanding challenges, which include understanding of the role of the Arctic in variations of midlatitude weather and climate, the ability to model surface energy exchanges over a changing Arctic Ocean, assessments of ongoing and future trends in extreme events in polar regions, and the role of internal variability in multiyear-to-decadal variations of polar climate.

Description: No Abstract available.

Description: The field of atmospheric science has been enhanced by its long-standing collaboration with entities with specific needs. This chapter and the two subsequent ones describe how applications have worked to advance the science at the same time that the science has served the needs of society. This chapter briefly reviews the synergy between the applications and advancing the science. It specifically describes progress in weather modification, aviation weather, and applications for security. Each of these applications has resulted in enhanced understanding of the physics and dynamics of the atmosphere, new and improved observing equipment, better models, and a push for greater computing power.

Description: Over the past century, the atmospheric and related sciences have seen incredible advances in our understanding of Earth’s environment and our ability to monitor and predict its behavior. These advances have had a profound impact on society and have been integrated into every aspect of daily life. The American Meteorological Society (AMS) has been instrumental in supporting these advances throughout its first 100 years of existence as a scientific and professional society serving the community of professionals in the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences. AMS has provided opportunities for researchers and practitioners to share their scientific findings and build fruitful collaborations to further the science and its application. Through strategic initiatives at key points in its history, AMS has pushed the science forward—highlighting areas ripe for development, creating frameworks for interdisciplinary interactions, and providing innovative approaches to the dissemination of research results. As a society made up of the scientific community and led by many of the most prominent scientists of their time, AMS has been able to respond to, and often anticipate, the needs of its community.

Description: A century ago, meteorologists regarded tropical cyclones as shallow vortices, extending upward only a few kilometers into the troposphere, and nothing was known about their physics save that convection was somehow involved. As recently as 1938, a major hurricane struck the densely populated northeastern United States with no warning whatsoever, killing hundreds. In the time since the American Meteorological Society was founded, however, tropical cyclone research blossomed into an endeavor of great breadth and depth, encompassing fields ranging from atmospheric and oceanic dynamics to biogeochemistry, and the precision and scope of forecasts and warnings have achieved a level of success that would have been regarded as impossible only a few decades ago. This chapter attempts to document the extraordinary progress in tropical cyclone research over the last century and to suggest some avenues for productive research over the next one.

Description: This paper provides a brief overview of recent developments and debates concerned with suburbanisation in continental Europe. While current discourses in urban research and practice still focus on processes of reurbanisation and the gentrification of inner-city areas, suburbia continues to exist and thrive. Depending on the definition applied, suburban areas still attract a large share of in-migration and employment growth in cities of the developed countries. Given that popular meta-narratives on suburbia and suburbanisation are often spurred by, or refer to, North American suburban studies, we take a different perspective here, one based on continental European trajectories of development in and across city-regional areas that are considered to be suburban, and on social processes that are associated with suburbanisation (suburbanisms). Thus, we aim to avoid a biased understanding of suburbia as a spatial category, which is often considered mono-functional, non-sustainable, or in generic decline. Instead, we observe that suburban variety is huge, and the distinction between urban core and fringe seems to be as ambiguous as ever. The paper, which also introduces the theme of this special issue of “Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning”, bundles our findings along four themes: on suburbia as a place of economic development, on the shifting dynamics of housing between core and fringe locales, on the life-cyclic nature of suburbanisation, and on strategies for redevelopment. Finally, we discuss certain topics that may deserve to be addressed by future research, particularly on the European variant of suburbanisation and suburbs.

Description: Zusammenfassung Ein Schlagwort der Energiewende ist „Dezentralisierung“, schon allein weil die zugrunde liegenden Primärenergiequellen (z. B. Solarstrahlung und Wind) – bei räumlich differenzierten Nutzungspotenzialen – prinzipiell ubiquitär sind. Dadurch haben sich insbesondere im ländlichen Raum neuartige Infrastrukturen entwickelt. Ziel des Beitrags ist es, diese mit dem institutionellen und strukturellen Wandel des Large Technical Systems der Energieversorgung verbundenen dezentralen Wirkungen der Energiewende im ländlichen Raum darzustellen und die dortigen skalaren Handlungsmöglichkeiten im Umgang mit den Herausforderungen und Chancen der Energiewende aufzuzeigen. Dazu werden in einem ersten Schritt die neuen Energieinfrastrukturen im ländlichen Raum im Spannungsfeld zwischen Zentralität und Dezentralität sowie die dezentralen Wirkungen des Ausbaus erneuerbarer Energien erörtert. Weil die Funktionen erneuerbarer Energien sich nicht nur auf eine regionale Daseinsvorsorge erstrecken, ist mit der Dezentralität der Anlagen nicht per se die Dezentralität des daraus erwachsenden Nutzens verbunden. Die Bereitstellung von Flächen für Windkraft-, Photovoltaik- und Biogasanlagen wird in einem Landschaftswandel sichtbar, der mit Konflikten verbunden ist. Der ländliche Raum ist oftmals lediglich ein ,Installationsraum', der sich auf der Basis von außerhalb des jeweiligen räumlichen Kontextes getroffenen Investitionsentscheidungen entwickelt. Auf dieser analytischen Grundlage werden in einem zweiten Schritt die dezentralen Handlungsmöglichkeiten und die von den Akteuren verfolgten Gemeinwohlziele untersucht sowie Kriterien für kollektives Handeln abgeleitet. Demnach erscheint ein Engagement von Akteuren kommunaler und regionaler Handlungsräume erforderlich, um mit erneuerbaren Energien Gemeinwohlziele ökonomischer und sozialer Teilhabe zu erschließen. Indem kollektive Akteure Handlungsräume konstituieren, kann sich eine neue skalare Ebene der Erzeugung erneuerbarer Energien in regionalen ,Gestaltungsräumen' herausbilden.

Description: Zusammenfassung Die Bewertung der wirtschaftlichen Bedeutung von Universitäten steht zunehmend im politischen Interesse, wenn es um die Rechtfertigung des öffentlichen Mitteleinsatzes für Forschung und Bildung geht. Während regionale Wirkungsanalysen bisher meist auf der lokalen Ebene und für einzelne Einrichtungen durchgeführt wurden, bewertet dieser Beitrag erstmalig den monetären Effekt einer ganzen Hochschullandschaft auf die Wertschöpfung und den Arbeitsmarkt eines großen Flächenlandes in Deutschland. Einige der methodischen Schwächen der Wirkungsanalyse werden hierbei verbessert. Aufgrund einer erweiterten Multiplikatoranalyse, die sowohl produktions- als auch einkommensseitige Effekte integriert, einer differenziellen Analyse der Überschusswirkung von Universitäten gegenüber alternativen Verwendungen der staatlichen Grundmittel sowie der Modellerweiterung um Ausgabenströme im System der Sozialversicherungen trägt diese Untersuchung zu einer Weiterentwicklung der ökonomischen Wirkungsanalyse von Bildungseinrichtungen auf Länderebene bei. Mithilfe einer präzise regionalisierten Primärerhebung der Ausgaben aller neun Landesuniversitäten in Baden-Württemberg zeigt die Analyse, dass die Universitäten in ihrer Gesamtwirkung einen Beitrag zu Wertschöpfung und Beschäftigung leisten, der die eingesetzten Mittel der Grundfinanzierung des Landes nahezu verdoppelt. Die differenzielle Analyse ergibt ferner, dass alternative Verwendungen der Grundmittel kaum vergleichbare Wirkungen erzielen. Schließlich diskutiert der Beitrag wesentliche Faktoren, die die Hebelwirkung universitärer Ausgaben bestimmen.

Description: Zusammenfassung Der Wohnungsmarkt in Deutschland ist derzeit von gegensätzlichen Tendenzen geprägt: Angespannten Märkten mit zum Teil ausgeprägter Wohnungsknappheit stehen entspannte Märkte mit hohen, zum Teil sogar sehr hohen Wohnungsleerständen gegenüber. Für beide Situationen ist die Leerstandsquote eine maßgebliche Bezugs- und Messgröße, sie fungiert als Indikator für die Bewertung. Jedoch ist die Leerstandsquote bislang kein systematisch untersuchter bzw. elaborierter Indikator, sie wird in den unterschiedlichen wissenschaftlichen und politischen Diskursen unterschiedlich quantifiziert und qualifiziert. Hier setzt der Artikel an, indem er auf der Basis einschlägiger Literatur eine systematische Kategorisierung von Leerständen vorschlägt und eine Heuristik für die differenzierte Bewertung von Wohnungsleerständen aus verschiedenen Perspektiven entwickelt. Diese Heuristik wird anschließend mit den Daten der Gebäude- und Wohnungszählung (GWZ) 2011 empirisch veranschaulicht. Anhand dessen kann gezeigt werden, dass zwar der Großteil deutscher Kommunen eine angemessene Leerstandsquote zwischen 3 und 5 % aufweist, jedoch erhebliche regionale und raumstrukturelle Unterschiede auftreten. Aus der Analyse der Leerstandsquoten können insofern keine flächenhaften Generalisierungen bzw. vereinfachende Aussagen für dieWohnungs- bzw. Stadterneuerungspolitik abgeleitet werden. Dies macht deutlich, dass die Leerstandsquote der Qualifizierung bedarf, wenn sie für planerische und politische Entscheidungen genutzt werden soll.

Description: ZusammenfassungInnerhalb der kürzlich belebten Peripherisierungsdebatte und basierend auf qualitativen Forschungen zu Lebenswirklichkeiten in peripheren Räumen entstanden Forderungen, nicht nur sozialstrukturelle Aspekte zur Analyse des Zustandekommens räumlicher Ungleichheiten heranzuziehen, sondern auch die Wirkungen von Prozessen diskursiver Zuschreibungen in Betracht zu ziehen. Anhand erster empirischer Forschungsergebnisse des Projekts „Diskurs und Praktiken in schrumpfenden Regionen – Eine Untersuchung zur subjektiven Relevanz von Schrumpfungsdiskursen am Beispiel des Landkreises Altenburger Land" aus einer Auswahl von Interviews im Altenburger Land (Thüringen) verdeutlichen wir, inwieweit Konzepten wie „Kulturförderung" und „Infrastrukturförderung" von Akteuren der Politik, Verwaltung und des sozialen Bereiches hinsichtlich der Wanderungsentscheidungen von Bürgern kausale Wirkungen zugeschrieben werden. Darüber hinaus beleuchten wir deren Rationalisierungen, aber auch die explizit subjektiven Aspekte von Wanderungen, die diesen Rationalisierungen empirisch widersprechen. Wir schließen mit einer Zusammenfassung von Unsicherheiten, die in der Beforschung von Migration ebenso auftreten wie im politisch-praktischen Umgang mit Migrationsentscheidungen.

Description: ZusammenfassungDie im Zuge der Modernisierung („Urbanisierung") ländlicher Räume seit Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts erfolgten staatlichen Interventionen und Investitionen sind wesentlich mitverantwortlich dafür, dass Daseinsvorsorge heute in hohem Maße mit der Vorstellung eines ,von oben', also vor allem durch die öffentliche Hand, bereitgestellten Gutes verbunden wird. Doch zum einen stimmte diese Wahrnehmung nie für alle Bereiche (denkt man etwa an die Freiwilligen Feuerwehren), zum anderen verwischt sich unter den Bedingungen kommunaler Haushaltsnot und des soziodemographischen Wandels die Arbeitsteilung zwischen anbietenden, nutzenden und moderierenden Akteuren. Zugleich befinden sich die Aufgabenbereiche und die Qualität dessen, was unter Daseinsvorsorge verstanden wird, in beständigem Wandel. In diesem Beitrag wird erstens argumentiert, dass es in der Bereitstellung von Daseinsvorsorge eine Verantwortungsverlagerung an ganz unterschiedliche Akteure gibt, woraus eine neue Unübersichtlichkeit und in der Bevölkerung ein Nichtwissen über die genauen Verantwortlichkeiten entstehen. In diesem neuen Akteursgeflecht werden zweitens die Bürger in einer neuen Rolle gesehen. Diese lässt sich als Responsibilisierung bezeichnen. Bezogen auf ländliche Räume knüpfen solche Zuschreibungen zwar an vorhandene Akteursrollen an und treffen auf eine gewisse Akzeptanz, doch resultieren aus der neuen Unübersichtlichkeit steigende Anforderungen an die Steuerungs- und Moderationsrolle staatlicher Verwaltungen. Empirisch wird dies an drei Bereichen der Daseinsvorsorge dargestellt: allgemeinbildende Schulen, Breitbandinternet und Freiwillige Feuerwehren. Die Analyse zeigt, dass in diesen Bereichen vor allem Prozesse der Selbstresponsibilisierung von Bedeutung sind – nicht aber, um den Staat als Akteur zu ersetzen, sondern um Daseinsvorsorge an neue Standards anzupassen oder weitere Verschlechterungen zu verhindern.

Description: This paper takes a spatially differentiated and temporally variegated perspective on suburban areas. It proposes a conceptual framework for studying the temporal variation and related trajectories of the subject matter, with suburban lifecycles being the key to our analysis. In empirical terms, the paper summarises the findings of research undertaken in 12 selected locales of four major metropolitan regions in Germany. Against the background of assessing the broader socioeconomic development of these regions, detailed local case studies have been conducted in order to reconstruct past and current development trajectories. Our analyses detected particular life cycles (and related segments) in the study areas, based on age and social composition, the physical conditions of the built environment and broader developments in the real-estate market. The different cycles include, in most cases, growth, maturity, transition and resilience, and they are also discussed in terms of their relevance for strategies responding to recent changes.

Description: Zusammenfassung Staatliche Steuerungsinstrumente sind für die Diffusion von erneuerbaren Stromerzeugungstechnologien von zentraler Bedeutung. Mit ihnen können politisch erwünschte und vom Markt unzureichend berücksichtigte Effekte (z. B. Emissionsreduzierung) gefördert werden. Dieser Zusammenhang lässt sich am Beispiel des Ausbaus der Offshore-Windenergie in Deutschland zeigen: Mit der Implementierung des Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetzes (EEG) im Jahr 2000 sollten durch finanzielle Anreize und planerische Freiheiten für Projektentwickler geeignete Rahmenbedingungen für einen Ausbau der Offshore-Windenergie geschaffen werden. Allerdings – so die grundlegende These dieses Beitrags – waren die in der Anfangsphase des Ausbaus implementierten Steuerungsinstrumente nicht nur ungeeignet, um zentrale Hindernisse zu beseitigen, sondern sie verhinderten darüber hinaus vielmehr eine zügige Entwicklung: Insbesondere die fehlende räumliche Steuerung in der Anfangsphase des Ausbaus förderte Nutzungs- und Naturschutzkonflikte und begünstigte einen ,Wildwuchs‘ der Offshore-Windparks, der einer effizienten Netzanbindung entgegenstand. Durch Modifikation bestehender und der Implementierung neuer Steuerungsinstrumente versuchten die staatlichen Akteure, die Rahmenbedingungen für den Ausbau zu verbessern. Diese Steuerungsversuche werden aus einer Innovationsperspektive mit Hilfe der Konstellationsanalyse analysiert. Hierbei wird – basierend auf einer Dokumentenanalyse und Expertengesprächen – gezielt das Wirkungsgefüge von staatlichen Steuerungsversuchen und sozioökonomischen, technischen und natürlichen Einflussfaktoren untersucht. So kann gezeigt werden, dass erst durch langwierige Lern- und Aushandlungsprozesse Steuerungsinstrumente implementiert wurden, mit denen geeignete Rahmenbedingungen für den Ausbau der Offshore-Windenergie in Deutschland geschaffen werden konnten.

Description: Zusammenfassung In der Diskussion über die aktuellen Tendenzen der Binnenmigration der älteren Generation gibt es eine Kontroverse über einen möglichen Trendwechsel. Für frühere Generationen von Personen im Ruhestand ist in vielen Untersuchungen (in verschiedenen Ländern) nachgewiesen worden, dass ihre Umzüge eine Art counterurbanisation waren. Im Saldo zog die ältere Bevölkerung aus den Kernen der Agglomerationen an die Peripherie oder generell aus den Städten in die ländlichen Regionen. Strittig ist nun, ob es dieses Muster der Ruhestandsmigration weiterhin gibt, oder ob es neuerdings auch die Älteren zurück in die Städte zieht. Obwohl dieser neue Trend in den Medien, in der Politik und in der Immobilienwirtschaft häufig als Tatsache hingestellt wird, gibt es wenig empirische Belege dafür. In der hier vorgestellten Untersuchung wird der Frage nach dem Trendwechsel zur Reurbanisierung mit einer Aggregatdaten-Analyse nachgegangen. Basis ist eine Auswertung der Indikatoren und Karten zur Raum- und Stadtentwicklung (INKAR) für die Periode 1995-2012. Ergebnis der Analysen ist, dass es in Deutschland in der Tat einen bemerkenswerten Strukturwandel der Ruhestandsmigration gibt. Die ,Stadtflucht‘ der Senioren ist deutlich zurückgegangen und es gibt immer mehr Großstädte (insbesondere in Ostdeutschland), die für diese Bevölkerungsgruppe positive Migrationssalden aufweisen.

Description: Zusammenfassung Einwohnermeldedaten können einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Unterstützung der raumbezogenen Planung in ländlichen Gemeinden leisten. Das zeigen mehrere Studien, die sich in den vergangenen Jahren mit demographischen Veränderungsprozessen und Versorgungsbedarfen in Deutschlands ländlichem Raum auseinandergesetzt haben. Gemeinsam ist diesen, meist einzelfallbezogenen Untersuchungen, die Geokodierung kommunaler Melderegister und ihre analytische Verarbeitung mittels Geographischen Informationssystemen. Auf diese Weise lassen sich Bevölkerungsstrukturen und ihre Veränderungen auch unterhalb der Gemeindeebene auflösen und in Analysen nutzen, während Bevölkerungsdaten der überkommunalen statistischen Stellen dies in der Regel nicht vermögen. Dieser Beitrag greift Erkenntnisse aus diesen Studien auf. Er verbindet sie zu einem Argumentationsstrang, der Mehrwerte des Ansatzes sowohl für die kommunale als auch die regionale Ebene aufzeigt und anhand von Beispielen aus Bayern und Sachsen-Anhalt entwickelt wird. Neben allgemeinen demographischen Aspekten werden dabei auch „Erreichbarkeiten“ und „Immobilien“ – als mit demographischen Prozessen in Zusammenhang stehende Themenfelder – behandelt. Die Darstellung der Mehrwerte, die zu einer stärkeren Nutzung von Melderegistern in Wissenschaft und planerischer Praxis motivieren möchte, wird ergänzt um eine Diskussion über die Grenzen des verfolgten Ansatzes im Hinblick auf zukünftige Bevölkerungsentwicklungen. Durch das Aufzeigen sowohl von Mehrwerten als auch von Grenzen der Nutzung geokodierter kommunaler Bevölkerungsdaten möchte der Beitrag zudem die Umsetzung von Digitalisierungsstrategien in der Planung ländlicher Räume unterstützen.

Description: Zusammenfassung Der langjährige Trend zum wachsenden Wohnflächenkonsum pro Kopf hält in der Schweiz an. Neben strukturellen Treibern ist auch der Überkonsum von Wohnraum für diese Entwicklung verantwortlich. Nach einer theoretischen Einführung wird in diesem Beitrag in einem ersten Schritt ein empirisches Modell zur Erklärung des subjektiven Überkonsums von Wohnfläche vorgestellt. Dabei werden haushalts-, wohnobjekt- sowie wohnortspezifische Bestimmungsfaktoren als erklärende Variablen in die Analyse einbezogen. Die Stichprobe basiert auf dem Schweizer Haushaltspanel, welches direkte Informationen zum subjektiven Überkonsum enthält. Fast 10 Prozent der Schweizer Haushalte betrachten ihr Wohnobjekt als zu groß. Diese Haushalte unterscheiden sich signifikant in Bezug auf die Mehrzahl der betrachteten Bestimmungsfaktoren von jenen Haushalten, welche ihr Wohnobjekt als nicht zu groß ansehen. Neben anderen Bestimmungsfaktoren geht aus den Logit-Schätzungen hervor, dass der subjektive Überkonsum insbesondere bei älteren Haushalten sowie bei Einpersonenhaushalten ausgeprägt ist. In einem zweiten Schritt wird im Rahmen einer Fallstudie für die Stadt Luzern ein Ansatz basierend auf bedingten Wahrscheinlichkeiten vorgeschlagen, um den subjektiven Überkonsum auf Quartiersebene zu schätzen, wenn im Datensatz keine direkten Angaben dazu vorliegen. Aus den Analysen geht hervor, dass 6 Prozent der Luzerner Haushalte ihr Wohnobjekt als zu groß betrachten. Weiter weisen die einzelnen Quartiere in Bezug auf den Überkonsum eine relativ hohe Heterogenität auf. Allfällige wirksame Maßnahmen zur Reduktion des subjektiven Überkonsums müssen daher lokal verankert sein.

Description: Publication date: September 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 4, Part B Author(s): Alberto Pistocchi, Costanza Calzolari, Francesco Malucelli, Fabrizio Ungaro Study region The plains of Emilia Romagna, Italy. Study focus Urban expansion is among the main causes of increase in flood frequency and intensity in small rural catchments in Europe, and our study region is paradigmatic in this respect. We present here a regional screening-level assessment of soil sealing impacts in terms of increased flood peak discharges and flooding volumes on the secondary drainage network of the plains. We estimate flood peak discharges and flooding volumes through a simple kinematic model with runoff coefficients for the land use of 2008 and 1976. Additionally, we calculate an equivalent compensatory flood detention volume that would enable preserving flood peak discharges as prior to soil sealing (principle of “hydraulic invariance”). The proposed approach is simple and readily applicable to any region facing similar issues, for screening-level assessment of flood hazards over an extended stream network. New hydrological insights for the region The analysis highlights a significant increase in flood hazards throughout the secondary stream network. The impact. Widespread and relatively uniform, is more apparent in smaller catchments and in the case of more permeable soils. This demands retrofitting of the majority of the drainage network and/or significantly higher costs from flooding damages. The analysis suggests that costs of additional flooding after soil sealing may be higher than those of soil sealing impacts compensation through flood detention (hydraulic invariance).

Description: Publication date: September 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 4, Part B Author(s): M.A. Sarr, O. Seidou, Y. Tramblay, S. El Adlouni Study region The study considers six precipitation stations located in Senegal, West Africa. Senegal is located in the Sahel, an area that is threatened by climate variability and change. Both droughts and extreme rainfall have been an issue in recent years. Study focus Two different statistical downscaling techniques were applied to the outputs of four regional climate models at six selected precipitation stations in Senegal. First, the delta-change method was applied to the mean annual precipitation as well as the 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100-year return period daily precipitation events. Second, a quantile–quantile transformation (QQ) was used to downscale the monthly distributions of precipitation simulated by regional climate models (RCMs). The 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100-year daily precipitation events were afterward calculated. All extreme events were calculated assuming that maximum annual daily precipitations follow the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. The two-sided Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) test was finally used to assess the performance of the quantile–quantile transformation as well as the GEV distribution fit for the annual maximum daily precipitation. New hydrological insights for the region Results show that the two downscaling techniques generally agree on the direction of the change when applied to the outputs of same RCM, but some cases lead to very different projections of the direction and magnitude of the change. Projected changes indicate a decline in mean precipitation except for one RCM over one region in Senegal. Projected changes in extreme precipitations are not consistent across stations and return periods. The choice of the downscaling technique has more effect on the estimation of extreme daily precipitations of return period equal or greater than ten years than the choice of the climate models.

Description: Publication date: September 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 4, Part B Author(s): J.S. Lessels, T.F.A. Bishop Study region South eastern Australia. Study focus This region is characterised with rainfall events that are associated with large exports of nutrients and sediments. Many water quality monitoring schemes use a form of event-based sampling to quantify these exports. Previous water quality studies that have evaluated different sampling schemes often rely on continuously monitored water quality data. However, many catchment authorities only have access to limited historical data which consists of event-based and monthly routine samples. Therefore there is a need to develop a method that assesses the importance of sampling events using information from limited historical data. This work presents a simulation based approach using unconditional simulation based on historical stream discharge. Such an approach offers site-specific information on optimal sampling schemes. A linear mixed model is used to model the relationship between total phosphorus and stream discharge and the auto-correlation of total phosphorus. New hydrological insights for the region The inclusion of event-based sampling improved annual load estimates of all sites with a maximum RMSE difference of 16.11 tonnes between event-based and routine sampling. Based on the accuracy of annual loads, event-based sampling was found to be more important in catchments with a large relief and high annual rainfall in this region. Using this approach, different sampling schemes can be compared based on limited historical data.

Description: Publication date: September 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 4, Part B Author(s): Hayet Chihi, Ghislain de Marsily, Habib Belayouni, Houcine Yahyaoui Study region “Jeffara de Medenine” aquifer system in south-eastern Tunisia. Study focus This study investigates the role of fault structures in the distribution of hydrogeochemical facies and groundwater compartmentalization for the aquifer system. New hydrological insights for the region The proposed methodology, including seismic structural study, hierarchical cluster analysis and geostatistical methods, allowed an efficient multi-element characterization of the spatial patterns of the structural elements in the aquifers and of the hydrogeological parameters used in a spatial cross-correlation to explore the dependence of the geochemical properties in each “geochemical population” on the hosting structural compartment to delineate the different geochemical compartments. The tectonic studies showed that the lateral extent of the aquifers is controlled by normal faults. The multivariate statistical analysis revealed a strong spatial coherence between hydrogeochemical facies clustering and the reservoir compartments at both large and small scales. The kriged maps of major-ion concentrations and of total dissolved solids in the aquifers were then analyzed and compared with the reservoir facies distribution for each compartment, the geometric characteristics of the aquifer, and the piezometric level trends. This allowed to characterize the hydraulic behavior of the Medenine fault and to understand the underlying physical and chemical processes having led to the spatial distribution of the geochemical properties, and thus, the hydrogeochemical functioning of the aquifers.

Description: Publication date: September 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 4, Part B Author(s): Marnie L. Atkins, Isaac R. Santos, Damien T. Maher Study region This study investigates dissolved methane distribution in groundwater from the Richmond River Catchment (New South Wales, Australia) before proposed coal seam gas (CSG, or coal bed methane) development. Study focus Unconventional gas exploration has rapidly expanded in recent years. However, the impact of these operations on groundwater systems is poorly understood. A total of 91 groundwater samples were analyzed from 6 geological units. Our observations act as regional baseline research prior to CSG extraction and may assist with long term impact assessment. New hydrological insights for the region Methane was found in all geological units ranging between 0.26 and 4427 μg L −1 (median 10.68 μg L −1 ). Median methane concentrations were highest in chloride-type groundwater (13.26 μg L −1 , n = 58) while bicarbonate-type groundwater had lower concentrations (3.71 μg L −1 ). Groundwater from alluvial sediments had significantly higher median methane concentrations (91.46 μg L −1 ) than groundwater from both the basalt aquifers (0.7 μg L −1 ) and bedrock aquifers (4.63 μg L −1 ); indicating geology was a major driver of methane distribution. Methane carbon stable isotope ratios ranged from –90.9‰ to –29.5‰, suggesting a biogenic origin with some methane oxidation. No significant correlations were observed between methane concentrations and redox indicators (nitrate, manganese, iron and sulphate) except between iron and methane in the Lismore Basalt ( r 2 = 0.66, p 〈 0.001), implying redox conditions were not the main predictor of methane distribution.

Description: Publication date: September 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 4, Part B Author(s): Z. Zomlot, B. Verbeiren, M. Huysmans, O. Batelaan Study focus Groundwater is of strategic importance. The accurate estimation of groundwater recharge and assessing the fundamental controlling factors are therefore of utmost importance to protect groundwater systems. We used the spatially-distributed water-balance model WetSpass to estimate long-term average recharge in Flanders. We validated recharge rates with base flow estimates of 67 daily stream flow records using the hydrograph analyses. To this end we performed principal component analysis, multiple linear regression analysis and relative importance analysis to assess the controlling factors of the spatial variation of recharge and base flow with the influencing watershed characteristics. New hydrological insights for the region The average resulting recharge is 235 mm/year and occurs mainly in winter. The overall moderate correlation between base flow estimates and modeled recharge rates indicates that base flow is a reasonable proxy of recharge. Groundwater recharge variation was explained in order of importance by precipitation, soil texture and vegetation cover; while base flow variation was strongly controlled by vegetation cover and groundwater depth. The results of this study highlight the important role of spatial variables in estimation of recharge and base flow. In addition, the prominent role of vegetation makes clear the potential importance of land-use changes on recharge and hence the need to include a proper strategy for land-use change in sustainable management of groundwater resources.

Description: Publication date: September 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 4, Part B Author(s): B. Ibrahim, D. Wisser, B. Barry, T. Fowe, A. Aduna Study region Hydrological observation networks in the West African region are not dense and reliable. Furthermore, the few available discharge data often present significant gaps. The Volta basin, the second largest transboundary basin in the region, is a typical example of a basin with inadequate hydrological networks. Study focus In this study, a prediction approach to determine monthly discharge in ungauged watersheds is developed. The approach is based on the calibration of two conceptual models for gauged watersheds and an estimation of models’ parameters from the physical and climatic characteristics of the watersheds. The models’ parameters were determined for each ungauged watershed through two different methods: the multiple linear regressions and the kriging method. The two methods were first validated on five gauged watersheds and then applied to the three ungauged watersheds. New hydrological insights for the region The application of the two hydrological models on the eight watersheds helped to produce relevant monthly runoff and to establish the annual hydrological balances from 1970 to 2000 for both gauged and ungauged watersheds. The developed method in this study could therefore help estimate runoff time series, which are of crucial importance when it comes to design hydraulic structures such as small reservoirs.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 August 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Author(s): Mayank Shekhar, Amalava Bhattacharyya Study region Zemu Chuu (river), Lachen, North Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya India. Study focus Using tree-ring data of fir ( Abies densa ) the temporal variation of 222 years January–April mean discharge of Zemu Chuu, upper reaches of the Teesta River at Lachen, North Sikkim Eastern Himalaya was investigated. This was based on linear regression reconstruction model which explained variance of 50.1% during calibration period (AD 1976–1996). The model was verified by reduction of error (RE), sign test (ST), product mean test (Pmt), root mean square error (RMSE) and Durbin–Watson test (DW). The RE never falls below zero suggesting the model had explanatory power over the entire period of reconstruction. New hydrological insights for the region The explored strong relationship between tree ring records and instrumental data enable to develop mean January–April months (premonsoon) river discharge of Zemu Chuu from remote area of Sikkim. Reconstructed data reveals high stream-flow when it is more than the mean plus one standard deviation and as low when flow is less than the mean minus one standard deviation. There were such 23 high discharge and 21 extremely low years over the past AD 1775–1996. This premonsoon reconstruction of river flow would be of great significance when scarcity of water is acute in the North East Himalaya.

Description: Publication date: September 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 4, Part B Author(s): Jonathan A. Warrick, John M. Melack, Blair M. Goodridge Study region Coastal watersheds of southern California, United States. Study focus We sought to better understand the rates and variability of suspended-sediment discharge from small coastal watersheds (〈100 km 2 ) of California. Suspended-sediment concentrations and stream discharge were measured with automated samplers near the mouths of four small watersheds (10–56 km 2 ). New hydrological insights for the region The watersheds were found to have suspended-sediment concentrations that extended over five orders of magnitude (1 to over 100,000 mg L −1 ). Sediment concentrations were weakly correlated with discharge ( r 2 = 0.10–0.25), and four types of hysteresis patterns were observed during high flow events (clockwise, counterclockwise, no hysteresis, and complex). Annual sediment yields varied by 400-fold across the four watersheds (e.g., 5–2100 t km −2 yr −1 during the 2003–2006 water years), and sediment discharge was measurably elevated in one watershed that was partially burned by a late summer wildfire. Dozens of high flow events provided evidence that suspended-sediment yields were generally related to peak stream discharge and event-based precipitation, although these relationships were not consistent across the watersheds. This suggests that watersheds smaller than 100 km 2 can provide large – and therefore important – fluxes of sediment to the coast, but that simple techniques to estimate sediment loads, such as sediment rating curves, hydrologic regressions, and extrapolation using global sediment yield relationships that include watershed area as a primary factor, may provide poor results. Graphical abstract

Description: Publication date: September 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 4, Part B Author(s): Chris C. Gianfagna, Chris E. Johnson, David G. Chandler, Charlie Hofmann Study region The Catskills region of New York State is largely forested and dominated hydrologically by stream watersheds with few natural lakes. The area experiences intensive water resources management and ecosystem monitoring due to its strategic role as the principal water supply for New York City. Study focus We analyzed average daily flows in nested and non-nested pairs of gaged watersheds in the Catskills to assess whether daily flow in ungaged watersheds can be calculated based on watershed area ratios. New hydrological insights for the region Watershed area ratio was the most important basin parameter for estimating flow at upstream sites based on downstream flow. The area ratio alone explained 93% of the variance in the slopes of relationships between upstream and downstream flows. Regression analysis indicated that flow at any upstream point can be estimated by multiplying the flow at a downstream reference gage by the watershed area ratio. This method accurately predicted upstream flows at area ratios as low as 0.005. We also observed a very strong relationship ( R 2 = 0.79) between area ratio and flow–flow slopes in non-nested catchments. Our results indicate that a simple flow estimation method based on watershed area ratios is justifiable, and indeed preferred, for the estimation of daily streamflow in ungaged watersheds in the Catskills region.

Description: Journal Name: Miscellanea Geographica Issue: Ahead of print

Description: Journal Name: Miscellanea Geographica Issue: Ahead of print

Description: Journal Name: Miscellanea Geographica Issue: Ahead of print

Description: Publication date: September 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 4, Part B Author(s): Alfonso Rivera Study region Canada–USA border. Study focus Since 2005, Canada has followed international developments in transboundary groundwater issues in cooperation with its southern neighbor the United States (USA) within the Internationally Shared Aquifer Resources Management Initiative (ISARM) of UNESCO. As a result, 10 Transboundary Aquifer Systems (TAS) were identified along the border between Canada and the USA. This study is an extensive review of the current state of the 10 TAS. Documentation of scientifically-based knowledge on TAS is an important step in identifying potential issues in policies that might be adopted to address shared water-resource issues. New hydrological insights for the region This analysis emphasizes the need for more scientific data, widespread education and training, and a more clearly defined governments’ role to manage groundwater at the international level. The study reviews the current legal framework and summarises the current scientific knowledge for the TAS with respect to the hydrologic and geologic framework as well as some of the major drivers for supply and demand. It also describes the links, approach and relevance of studies on the TAS to the UN Law of Transboundary Aquifers and on how these might fit in the regional strategy for the assessment and management of the TAS. Clear communication, shared knowledge and common objectives in the management of TAS will prepare the countries for future negotiations and cooperative binational programs.

Description: Publication date: September 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 4, Part B Author(s): Brioch Hemmings, Daren Gooddy, Fiona Whitaker, W. George Darling, Alia Jasim, Joachim Gottsmann Study region Montserrat, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean. Study focus Analysis of δ 2 H and δ 18 O isotopes, and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) anthropogenic tracers in Montserrat groundwater provides insights into the age and provenance of the spring waters. New hydrological insights δ 2 H and δ 18 O analysis indicates uniform recharge elevations for groundwaters on Montserrat. CFC-11 and CFC-12 analysis reveals age differences between isotopically similar, high elevation springs and low elevation aquifer waters. Low CFC concentrations within a confined low elevation aquifer suggest water ages of ∼45 years. High CFC concentrations in the northern and western springs are explained by rapid infiltration of cool (high CFC concentration) rainfall into saturated compartments, with flow through the vadose zone to the phreatic zone dominated by compartment flow. Lower CFC concentrations in a number of aligned warmer springs suggest a contribution from older, warmer waters from depth. Temperatures and CFC concentrations indicate older component supply rates of up to 8 L/s to the highest yielding spring on Centre Hills, with contributions of up to 75% in the warmest spring waters.

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3, Supplement 1

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3, Supplement 1

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3, Supplement 1

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3, Supplement 1

Description: Publication date: Available online 3 April 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Author(s): A. Shahul Hameed , T.R. Resmi , S. Suraj , C. Unnikrishnan Warrier , M. Sudheesh , R.D. Deshpande Study region The Chaliyar river basin, Kerala State, India. Study focus Detailed understanding about spatio-temporal variation in the interaction and exchange of water between surface and sub-surface reservoirs is important for effective watershed management. Spatio-temporal variations in the oxygen isotopic composition ( δ 18 O) were used to understand the interaction between groundwater and river water, and to estimate the groundwater recharge from river water in the Chaliyar river basin. New hydrological insights for the region Based on the spatio-temporal variation in δ 18 O values of river and groundwater and fluctuation in ground water levels, following important inferences are made: (1) estimated river water contribution to post-monsoon groundwater recharge is ∼16% in the lowland coastal area of the Chaliyar river basin and 29% in midland region; (2) northeast winter monsoon rains contribute to the groundwater of Chaliyar river basin only in an insignificant manner, and with a delayed response; (3) unlike river water samples which exhibit both seasonal and spatial variation of more than 3‰, the groundwater samples vary only marginally (∼1‰) between the seasons and across the physiographic zones; (4) groundwater samples exhibit inverse altitude gradient in δ 18 O values in the highland zone, in all the three seasons. This may be due to flow of the isotopically depleted groundwater down the gradient and evaporation of residual water in the upper reaches of the basin.

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3, Supplement 1 Author(s): Ashish Sharma

Description: Publication date: Available online 16 May 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Author(s): E.H. Elias , A. Rango , C.M. Steele , J.F. Mejia , R. Smith Study region Upper Rio Grande, Colorado and New Mexico, USA. Study focus Climate change is predicted to further limit the water availability of the arid southwestern U.S. We use the snowmelt runoff model to evaluate impacts of climate change on snow covered area (SCA), streamflow timing and runoff volume. Simulations investigate four future conditions using models downscaled to existing climate stations. Twenty-four subbasins of the Upper Rio Grande containing appreciable snowmelt and a long-term gauging station are simulated. New hydrological insights for the region Future annual volume is 193–204 million m 3 more to 448–476 million m 3 less than the pre-climate change value of 2688 million m 3 . There is disparity between increased volume in wetter simulations (+7%) and decreased volume (−18%) in drier simulations. SCA on 1 April reduced by approximately 50% in all but the warmer/wetter climate. Peak flow is 14–24 days early in the future climates. Among the 24 subbasins there is considerable range in mean melt season SCA (−40% to −100%), total volume change (−30% to +57%) and runoff timing advancement indicating that climate change is best evaluated at the subbasin scale. Daily hydrographs show higher streamflow in March and April, but less from mid-May until the end of the water year. The large decrease in volume in May, June and July will compound water management challenges in the region.

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3, Supplement 1 Author(s): Mohammad Kamruzzaman

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3, Supplement 1

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3, Supplement 1

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3 Author(s): Jean-Michel Lemieux , Jalil Hassaoui , John Molson , René Therrien , Pierre Therrien , Michel Chouteau , Michel Ouellet Study region This study is conducted in the Magdalen Islands (Québec, Canada), a small archipelago located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Study focus This work was undertaken to support the design of a long-term groundwater monitoring network and for the sustainable management of groundwater resources. This study relies mostly on the compilation of existing data, but additional field work has also been carried out, allowing for the first time in the Magdalen Islands, direct observation of the depth and shape of the transition zone between freshwater and seawater under natural conditions. Simulations were conducted along a 2D cross-section on Grande Entrée Island in order to assess the individual and combined impacts of sea-level rise, coastal erosion and decreased groundwater recharge on the position of the saltwater–freshwater interface. The simulations were performed considering variable-density flow and solute transport under saturated-unsaturated conditions. The model was driven by observed and projected climate change scenarios to 2040 for the Magdalen Islands. New hydrological insights for the region The simulation results show that among the three impacts considered, the most important is sea-level rise, followed by decreasing groundwater recharge and coastal erosion. When combined, these impacts cause the saltwater–freshwater interface to migrate inland over a distance of 37 m and to rise by 6.5 m near the coast to 3.1 m further inland, over a 28-year period.

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3 Author(s): M.A. Pascolini-Campbell , Richard Seager , David S. Gutzler , Benjamin I. Cook , Daniel Griffin Study region The Gila River, New Mexico, is characterized by two peaks in streamflow: one in the winter–spring (December–May), and summer (August–September). The region is influenced both by Pacific SST variability as well as the North American Monsoon. Study focus The mechanisms responsible for the variability of the winter–spring and summer streamflow peaks are investigated by correlation of streamflow with precipitation and sea surface temperature for 1928–2012. Decadal variability in the flow record is examined for a longer term perspective on Gila River streamflow using tree ring-based reconstructions of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). New hydrological insights for the region Results indicate a strong influence of winter–spring precipitation and Pacific SST anomalies on the winter–spring streamflow, with El Niño conditions in the Pacific causing increased precipitation and streamflow. Decadal Pacific variability helps explain the transition from high winter flow in the late 20th century to lower flows in the most recent decade. The summer streamflow has a somewhat weaker correlation with precipitation and Pacific SST than the winter–spring streamflow. Its variability is more likely influenced by local North American Monsoon precipitation variability. PDSI and SPI reconstructions indicate much more severe and extended periods of droughts and pluvials in past centuries as well as periods of concurrent winter and summer drought.

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3 Author(s): Tsou Jaw , Jialun Li , Kuo-lin Hsu , Soroosh Sorooshian , Fatima Driouech Study region Morocco (excluding Western Sahara). Study focus This study evaluated Moroccan precipitation, dynamically downscaled (0.18-degree) from three runs of the studied GCM ECHAM5/MPI-OM, under the present-day (1971–2000/20C3M) and future (2036–2065/A1B) climate scenarios. The spatial and quantitative properties of the downscaled precipitation were evaluated by a verified, fine-resolution reference. The effectiveness of the hydrologic responses, driven by the downscaled precipitation, was further evaluated for the study region over the upstream watershed of Oum er Rbia River located in Central Morocco. New hydrological insights for the region The raw downscaling runs reasonably featured the spatial properties but quantitatively misrepresented the mean and extreme intensities of present-day precipitation. Two proposed bias correction approaches, namely stationary Quantile-Mapping (QM) and non-stationary Equidistant CDF Matching model (EDCDFm), successfully reduced the system biases existing in the raw downscaling runs. However, both raw and corrected runs projected great diversity in terms of the quantity of future precipitation. Hydrologic simulations performed by a well-calibrated Variable Infiltration Capacity model successfully reproduced the present-day streamflow. The driven flows were identified highly correlated with the effectiveness of the downscaled precipitation. The future flows were projected to be markedly diverse, mainly due to the varied precipitation projections. Two of the three flow simulation runs projected slight to severe drying scenarios, while another projected an opposite trend for the evaluated future period.

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3 Author(s): Megersa Olumana Dinka , Willibald Loiskandl , Julius Musyoka Ndambuki Study region The Matahara region is located in the East Showa zone of Oromiya regional state (Ethiopia). Matahra Sugar Estate and Lake Basaka (highly saline, alkaline and sodic lake) are situated within the flat plains of Matahara region. The area is vulnerable to the occurrences of various tectonic and volcanic activities due to its location in the upper most part of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley region. Study focus In this study, the hydrochemical properties of different surface water and groundwater bodies available at Matahara region have been characterized for quality compositions. Water samples were collected from different water sources and analyzed for important major quality parameters following standard test procedures. Other chemical indices were derived from the measured quality parameters. The potential sources of minerals were suggested for each of the considered water sources based on their quality characteristics. New hydrological insights for the region Overall, the study result elucidates that the chemical composition of different water bodies are due to natural processes and/or anthropogenic activities within the region. The local anthropogenic processes could be discharges from factory, domestic sewage and farming activities. Some of the water types are found to have relatively higher concentration of dissolved constituents. Irrigation waters have almost equal chemical compositions, indicating their hydrochemical sources are almost the same. Most of the concentrations are relatively high in Lake Basaka, groundwater and hot springs. It is easy to imagine the potential damaging effects of such quality waters on crop production, soil properties and environment of the region.

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3 Author(s): Julianne Hagarty , David Azanu , Bernadette Atosona , Ray Voegborlo , Erica A.H. Smithwick , Kamini Singha Study region Buruli ulcer, an emerging disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans , largely affects poor rural populations in tropical countries. The environmental niche that supports this necrotizing bacterium is unclear. Here, water samples were collected from five communities within Ghana in the rainy season in 2011: four in the southern part of Ghana (three disease-endemic communities: Pokukrom, Betenase, and Ayanfuri, and one control: Kedadwen) and one non-endemic community (Nangruma) in the north. Study focus Past studies of Buruli ulcer conclude that water quality is, in some way, closely related to the transmission of this disease. This work serves as a first step to explore links between Buruli ulcer incidence and water quality. More broadly, this research works toward identifying the environmental niche for M. ulcerans , providing characterization of water bodies hazardous to human health in at-risk communities. New hydrological insights Trace metals, thought to aid in the preferential growth of M. ulcerans , are present in higher concentrations in mining pits and stagnant pools than in other tested water bodies. Arsenic in particular could serve as a double threat for BU incidence: it could support the growth of M. ulcerans while suppressing immune systems, making the population more susceptible to disease. Few other differences between endemic and non-endemic communities exist, implying other variables such as human behavior may also control the onset of Buruli ulcer.

Description: Publication date: Available online 18 April 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Author(s): Fabrice Papa , Frédéric Frappart , Yoann Malbeteau , Mohammad Shamsudduha , Venugopal Vuruputur , Muddu Sekhar , Guillaume Ramillien , Catherine Prigent , Filipe Aires , Rajesh Kumar Pandey , Sujit Bala , Stephane Calmant Study region The Ganges–Brahmaputra (GB), a major river basin of the Indian Sub-Continent (ISC), is the host of more than 700 millions people. Study focus In addition to monsoons and strong climate variability, GB is facing growing demands for freshwater availability by a continually growing population and rapidly developing of agricultural and industrial sectors. The management of water resources is thus of highest priority and, in the context of current over-abstraction of groundwater, accurate estimates of terrestrial freshwater storage are essential. We propose a multi-satellite approach to estimate surface freshwater storage (SWS) and subsurface water storage (SSWS, groundwater + soil moisture) variations over GB. New hydrological insights Basin-scale monthly SWS variations for the period 2003–2007 show a mean annual amplitude of ∼410 km 3 , contributing to about 45% of the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE)-derived total water storage variations (TWS). During the drought-like conditions in 2006, we estimate that the SWS deficit over the entire GB basin in July–August–September was about 30% as compared to other years. The SWS variations are then used to decompose the GB GRACE-derived TWS and isolate the variations of SSWS whose mean annual amplitude is estimated to be ∼550 km 3 . This new dataset of water storage variations represent an unprecedented source of information for hydrological and climate modeling studies of the ISC.

Description: Publication date: Available online 7 April 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Author(s): Swati Verma , Abhijit Mukherjee , Runti Choudhury , Chandan Mahanta Study region Brahmaputra River basin, India. Study focus The present study deciphers the groundwater solute chemistry and arsenic (As) enrichment in the shallow aquifers of the study region. Four different geomorphologic units, e.g. piedmont (PD), older alluvium of river Brahmaputra and its tributaries (OA), active alluvium of river Brahmaputra and its tributaries (YA) and river channel deposits (RCD) were identified. More than 62% of all groundwater samples collected have dissolved As >0.01 mg/L, whereas about 87% of groundwater samples in OA terrain are enriched with As, which draws a distinct difference from the adjoining Gangetic aquifers. New hydrological insights for the region Most groundwater solutes of RCD and YA terrains were derived from both silicate weathering and carbonate dissolution, while silicate weathering process dominates the solute contribution in OA groundwater. Groundwater samples from all terrains are postoxic with mean pe values between Fe(III) and As(V)–As(III) reductive transition. While, reductive dissolution of (Fe–Mn)OOH is the dominant mechanism of As mobilization in RCD and YA aquifers, As in OA and PD aquifers could be mobilized by combined effect of pH dependent sorption and competitive ion exchange. The present study focuses on the major ion chemistry as well as the chemistry of the redox sensitive solutes of the groundwater in different geomorphic settings and their links to arsenic mobilization in groundwater.

Description: Publication date: Available online 11 March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Author(s): B.M. Hallett , H.A. Dharmagunawardhane , S. Atal , E. Valsami-Jones , S. Ahmed , W.G. Burgess Study region The Maheshwaram and Waipally catchments of Andhra Pradesh, India, and the Plonnaruwa catchment of north-central Sri Lanka. Study focus The distribution of F across eight crystalline phases and between the bedrock and the regolith at eleven sites in three catchments is documented. Mineral contributions to F release during weathering and regolith development are quantified. New hydrological insights for the region An estimate of weathering duration for the in situ regolith in Andhra Pradesh, 250–380 Ka, is close to a previous estimate for southern India. Partial or total destruction of the primary F-bearing bedrock minerals and consistent depletion of F in the remnant minerals result in a much reduced total F content in the regolith. Leaching experiments and field relationships, however, indicate a greater potential for F mobilisation to groundwater from the regolith than the bedrock. Schemes for managed aquifer recharge should beware the risk of mobilising additional F to groundwater.

Description: Publication date: March 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 3, Supplement 1 Author(s): Salah Er-Raki

Description: Journal Name: Miscellanea Geographica Issue: Ahead of print

Description: Publication date: Available online 10 December 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Author(s): Tatsuya Utsunomiya, Masaki Hata, Ryo Sugimoto, Hisami Honda, Shiho Kobayashi, Yoji Miyata, Makoto Yamada, Osamu Tominaga, Jun Shoji, Makoto Taniguchi Study focus There have been far more studies on how the variability in surface water discharge affects production of animal communities in aquatic ecosystems while less information has been accumulated on the mechanisms of how the groundwater supply works. Study region Physical and biological surveys were conducted to test the hypothesis that high level of submarine ground water discharge enhances species richness, abundance and biomass of fishes and invertebrates in coastal waters of Obama Bay, Japan, where a high contribution of nutrients (ca. 65% of phosphorus) to total provided through all freshwater has been reported. Survey for horizontal distribution of radon-222 ( 222 Rn) concentration showed high levels of submarine groundwater discharge in the west part of survey area. Fish and invertebrate communities were compared within a relatively small spatial scale (ca. 100 m) in relation to level of submarine groundwater discharge. New hydrological insights Species richness, abundance and biomass of fishes and abundance and biomass of turban snail and hermit crab were significantly higher in the area with high 222 Rn concentration. Abundance of gammarids, the most major prey item of the fishes, was 18 times higher in the area with high 222 Rn concentration. Since the turban snail, hermit crab and gammarids feed on producers (phytoplankton and benthic microalgae), submarine groundwater are concluded to increase species richness and production of fishes and invertebrates through providing nutrients and enhancing primary production.

Description: Publication date: March 2016 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 5 Author(s): A.C. de la Casa, G.G. Ovando Study region Changes in reference evapotranspiration (ET o ) may have important consequences for agricultural suitability in the central region of Argentina. Annual ET o variation was assessed, in terms of both territory and time, for the 7 decades between 1941 and 2010, analyzing the behavior of the 4 atmospheric variables which determine it: temperature, vapor pressure, wind speed and cloud cover. Study focus The influence of each variable on ET o was evaluated from a multiple regression model and a simple correlation analysis, using climate data from the observation network, and repeating this analysis using interpolated variables. In this grid scheme, linear relationships were determined between ET o and the different key atmospheric variables, plus precipitation (PP), and the t test was applied to establish the statistically significant sectors ( P 〈 0.1). Then, those areas with a significant trend change ( P 〈 0.1) were determined by the Mann–Kendall test. Finally, the interception of the grids was performed to establish their joint occurrence. New hydrological insights for the region Most of the region analyzed (>91%) presents a non-significant variation of ET o over time, with a mostly non-significant change of each driving variable, regarding both its relationship with ET o and its own trend of change. The beneficial change in agricultural suitability reported for this water-limited region was found to be produced almost exclusively by increasing PP. Graphical abstract

Description: Publication date: Available online 11 December 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Author(s): Makoto Taniguchi, Naoki Masuhara, Kimberly Burnett Security measures of three resources; water, energy and food are analyzed for thirty two countries in the Asia Pacific region which are faced to Pacific Ocean, in terms of amounts of the resource, self-production, and diversity of sources of each resource. Diversity for all the three resources is also analyzed using surface water and groundwater for water sources; hydro power, geothermal power, solar, and biomass for energy; and cereals, vegetable, fruit, meat, and fish for food. We see high diversity of sources of water in the US and the Philippines, and a low diversity of sources of food in the US, Canada, and Indonesia. These security measures including water security show new hydrological insight for Asia-Pacific region.

Description: Publication date: Available online 10 December 2015 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Author(s): Aiko Endo, Izumi Tsurita, Kimberly Burnett, Pedcris M. Orencio Study region Asia, Europe, Oceania, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. Study focus The purpose of this paper is to review and analyze the water, energy, and food nexus and regions of study, nexus keywords and stakeholders in order to understand the current state of nexus research. New hydrological insights Through selected 37 projects, four types of nexus research were identified including water–food, water–energy–food, water–energy, and climate related. Among them, six projects (16%) had a close linkage with water–food, 11 (30%) with water–energy–food, 12 (32%) with water–energy, and eight (22%) with climate. The regions were divided into Asia, Europe, Oceania, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. North America and Oceania had a tendency to focus on a specific nexus type, water–energy (46%) and climate (43%), while Africa had less focus on water–energy (7%). Regarding keywords, out of 37 nexus projects, 16 projects listed keywords in their articles. There were 84 keywords in total, which were categorized by the author team depending on its relevance to water, food, energy, climate, and combination of water–food–energy–climate, and 40 out of 84 keywords were linked with water and only 4 were linked with climate. As for stakeholders, 77 out of 137 organizations were related to research and only two organizations had a role in media.

Description: Publication date: March 2016 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 5 Author(s): Shilpa M. Asokan, Peter Rogberg, Arvid Bring, Jerker Jarsjö, Georgia Destouni Study region The large semi-arid Aral Region in Central Asia and the smaller tropical Mahanadi River Basin (MRB) in India. Study focus Few studies have so far evaluated the performance of the latest generation of global climate models on hydrological basin scales. We here investigate the performance and projections of the global climate models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Phase 5 (CMIP5) for freshwater fluxes and their changes in two regional hydrological basins, which are both irrigated but of different scale and with different climate. New hydrological insights for the region For precipitation in both regions, model accuracy relative to observations has remained the same or decreased in successive climate model generations until and including CMIP5. No single climate model out-performs other models across all key freshwater variables in any of the investigated basins. Scale effects are not evident from global model application directly to freshwater assessment for the two basins of widely different size. Overall, model results are less accurate and more uncertain for freshwater fluxes than for temperature, and particularly so for model-implied water storage changes. Also, the monsoon-driven runoff seasonality in MRB is not accurately reproduced. Model projections agree on evapotranspiration increase in both regions until the climatic period 2070–2099. This increase is fed by precipitation increase in MRB and by runoff water (thereby decreasing runoff) in the Aral Region.

Description: Publication date: March 2016 Source: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 5 Author(s): Justin A. Schulte, Raymond G. Najjar, Ming Li Study region The Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Study focus An understanding of past streamflow variability is necessary for developing future management practices that will help mitigate the impacts of extreme events such as drought or floods on agriculture and other human activities. To better understand mechanisms driving streamflow variability at all timescales, annual to multi-decadal streamflow variability of three major rivers in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States (the Susquehanna, Delaware, and Hudson Rivers) was studied in the context of climate modes using correlation and wavelet analyses. New hydrological insights for the region Results from the correlation analysis detected statistically significant relationships between climate indices and streamflow that were similar for the three rivers. The results from the wavelet analysis showed that 18- and 26-year periodicities were embedded in the streamflow time series. Decadal variability of streamflow was coherent with the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (SO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). The time series for the PDO and SO indices and precipitation were found to be synchronized to the decadal variability of a global circulation pattern consisting of a Rossby wave train emanating from the North Pacific. The SO explained 37–54% of the 1960s drought, 33–49% of the 1970s pluvial, and 19–50% of the 2000s pluvial in the three river basins.

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Comptes Rendus Geoscience, Volume 350, Issue 7〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ilias Fountoulakis, Christos S. Zerefos, Alkiviadis F. Bais, John Kapsomenakis, Maria-Elissavet Koukouli, Nozomu Ohkawara, Vitali Fioletov, Hugo De Backer, Kaisa Lakkala, Tomi Karppinen, Ann R. Webb〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Spectral UV records of solar irradiance at stations over Europe, Canada, and Japan were used to study long-term trends at 307.5 nm for a 25-year period, from 1992 to 2016. Ground-based measurements of total ozone, as well as satellite measurements of the Aerosol Index, the Total Cloud Cover and the surface reflectivity were also used in order to attribute the estimated changes of the UV to the corresponding changes of these factors. The present study shows that over the Northern Hemisphere, the long-term changes in UV-B radiation reaching the Earth's surface vary significantly over different locations, and that the main drivers of these variations are changes in aerosols and total ozone. At high latitudes, part of the observed changes may also be attributed to changes in the surface reflectivity. Over Japan, the UV-B irradiance at 307.5 nm has increased significantly by ∼3%/decade during the past 25 years, possibly due to the corresponding significant decrease of its absorption by aerosols. It was found that the greatest part of this increase took place before the mid-2000s. The only European station, over which UV radiation increases significantly, is that of Thessaloniki, Greece. Analysis of the clear-sky irradiance for the particular station shows increasing irradiance at 307.5 nm by ∼3.5%/decade during the entire period of study, with an increasing rate of change during the last decade, possibly again due to the decreasing absorption by aerosols.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Volume 138〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jae-Woong Min, Nicholas S. Vonortas, YoungJun Kim〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study explores the factors that contribute to the commercialization of technologies transferred from universities and public research institutes (U&PRIs) to companies. We take a step further than the established literature focusing on technology transfer to examine factors that also affect the chances of the successful commercialization of the transferred technologies through an empirical analysis of 669 technology transfer cases in Korea. The study shows that the intensity of market competition is a key factor in moderating the effects of partnership and absorptive capacity on the successful commercialization of transferred technologies. While collaboration with U&PRIs exerts a positive effect on commercialization success, this effect is weakened by the intensity of market competition. The intensity of market competition boosts the importance of company absorptive capacity for the commercialization success of the transferred technology. We conclude that strategic management of the absorptive capacities of companies and their partnership with U&PRIs are necessary ingredients of the success of technology transfer in concordance with the intensity of competition that the company faces in the market.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Ocean & Coastal Management, Volume 167〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Uxío Labarta, M〈sup〉a〈/sup〉 José Fernández-Reiriz〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉The mussels industry with a production that accounts for more than twenty five percent of the fresh product landings from the sea, and the full-time employment of more than 8000 people, is by far the largest productive activity of the Galician sea.〈/p〉 〈p〉In the 1980s was noticed an increase in productivity related to processes of innovation in the industry of mussel. Together with it, the first organizational forms of the Galician-based production sector was constituted, with a spatial and administrative reordering for mussel rafts and crops. A new reality of the sector was maintained in both the marketing guidelines and the fact of initiating a vertical integration between the mussel industry and the commercialization. Everything was accompanied by changes in markets and strong tensions: derived from red tides that limit the operating cycle and even its profitability and also from the conflicts between the producing and transforming organizations, added to the competition in the markets of other countries, mainly Chile.〈/p〉 〈p〉The reality of mussel culture and markets leads to a reformulation in the industry, with strategies for territorial diversification of suppliers, new technological improvements in production and even organizational, economic, and bioecological innovations.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Transport Geography, Volume 73〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chengxi Liu, Yusak O. Susilo, Dimas B.E. Dharmowijoyo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The activity space of an individual is defined as the activity-travel environment which a traveller is using for his or her activities (Axhausen et al., 2002). It is limited by this individual's ability and resources, such as available time for travel as well as his or her anchor points. However, most existing studies have focused on single individual activity space, ignoring the fact that individuals' activities often interact with that of his or her family members'. In this paper a multivariate model is proposed where the correlation between travel time of fathers and mothers, and the correlation between the activity space and travel time are modelled explicitly. The estimated correlations from these joint distributions provide insights into both the intra-household interactions in daily travel and the intrinsic relationships of the hidden limits in the dimensions of space and time. The travel time limits are modelled using a stochastic frontier model component, which can estimate an unobserved upper or lower limit for travel time expenditure. This limit usually refers to the maximum travel time budget or minimum travel time need, which denotes the maximum or minimum amount of travel time that an individual is willing or able to allocate per day. The concept of the confidence ellipse is used as a measure of activity space constructed from the multi-day travel diary data. It is hypothesised that the unobserved travel time limits and activity space sizes of fathers and mothers are correlated with each other, due to a similar spatial knowledge and accessibility to various facilities. The daily variations in the travel time expenditure of parents are also assumed to be correlated because of daily household task allocation and joint household travel. Data collected from a three-week household travel diary in the Bandung Metropolitan Area in Indonesia are used for estimation in this study. The estimated frontier model component shows that neither parent has reached their maximum travel time budget and/or minimum travel time need that they inherently must spend. Compared with other attributes, the perceived accessibility attributes play the most important role in influencing the activity space limits. For households with fully employed fathers, a trade-off mechanism is found in travel time expenditure between parents, which is likely due to the redistribution of household tasks. On the other hand, for households with fathers who are not fully employed, a complementary effect is found, arising from the joint travel among household members. The travel time budget and activity space limits of fathers are positively correlated with those of mothers. These findings call for the formulation of transport policies that consider the household as a unit, especially in developing countries such as Indonesia, to fulfil the mobility needs of different market segments, e.g., households with fully employed fathers and those with fathers who are not fully employed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Remote Sensing of Environment, Volume 220〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiyu Chen, Lin Liu, Annett Bartsch〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Microwave remote sensing, both active or passive, can provide useful information about the freeze/thaw (F/T) state of soil near the surface. Here we apply an edge detection algorithm on time series of indicators derived from measurements of SMAP L-band radiometer and ASCAT C-band scatterometer to detect the freeze/thaw onsets of surface soil. Comparing these results against the onsets derived from in situ measurements in Alaska, we demonstrate that this algorithm is an effective approach to detect onsets of the soil F/T transition. More specifically, our results show that the thawing onsets estimated from the SMAP data occurred 5 to 13 days earlier than the onsets estimated from the in situ measurements, which is likely due to the influence of snowmelt on the radiometer signal. The thawing onsets estimated from the ASCAT data were about 6 days later than the in situ onsets. Our estimated freezing onsets from each microwave remote sensing dataset were close to the in situ onsets (1–5 days). We also compare our estimated onsets with those from the SMAP Level 3 F/T product and the mean biases for thawing and freezing onsets are 1 ± 2 and 1 ± 3 days, respectively. Furthermore, we illustrate the complementary nature of the SMAP and ASCAT measurements and the potential for combining these two to differentiate snowmelt from soil thawing events.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Remote Sensing of Environment, Volume 220〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mathilde Cancet, David Griffin, Madeleine Cahill, Bertrand Chapron, Johnny Johannessen, Craig Donlon〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Australia's marginal seas include a wide range of ocean current regimes ranging from tide-dominated in the North-West where the continental shelf is wide, to boundary current- and eddy-dominated in the South-East, where the shelf is narrow. Here, we take the opportunity to test the GlobCurrent surface ocean current products against in-situ observations in these two contrasting regimes. Observations by Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) instruments of Australia's Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) and drifting buoys of the Global Drifting Programme (GDP) are used.〈/p〉 〈p〉The monthly-timescale variability of the GlobCurrent alongshore current component is in moderately good agreement with the observations on the continental shelf in the South-East but neither the shorter period variability nor the long-term mean are representative of the ADCP observations. While the observed tidal currents are negligibly small, the wind-driven signals are not. But these are evidently too transient to be adequately sampled by altimetry. The inclusion of an Ekman component does not represent these signals because the interaction of the Ekman transport with the coastal boundary condition is not included. Similarly, the error of the time-mean velocity, which is the dominant error, is because that product is not designed to represent the highly anisotropic nature of the sea level gradients over the continental shelf nor the constraints on the flow field that are imposed by the topography. We thus conclude that the GlobCurrent product needs improvements before it can be described as very suitable for applications on this, and probably other, narrow continental shelf. Off the continental shelf, in contrast, the GlobCurrent products compare quite well with the trajectories of drifting buoys, confirming that the products are quite suitable for blue-water applications.〈/p〉 〈p〉In contrast to the South-East, the tides are very strong in the North-West region of Australia. The sub-tidal variability is weak, in both relative and absolute senses. Consequently, the removal of the tidal signal from the sea level observations needs to be very complete for the residual error to be smaller than the true sub-tidal signal. Transient wind forced signals are also occasionally large so this step of the de-aliasing also needs to be very accurate. Unfortunately, it appears that more work is required before accurate estimates of sub-tidal variability are available from GlobCurrent: the magnitude of the GlobCurrent estimates of sub-tidal current variability far exceed the magnitude of, and are uncorrelated with, the detided ADCP data.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 30 October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Technological Forecasting and Social Change〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sonal Choudhary, Rakesh Nayak, Sushma Kumari, Homagni Choudhury〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Drawing on theories of acculturation and information diffusion, this paper examines whether social media usage, intergroup contacts and information dissemination influence the cultural adaptation of three ethnic groups, and its implications on sustainable consumption behaviour. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews containing multiple dimensions of social media uses, acculturation, food consumption behaviour, and information diffusion were administered to a sample of Indians (living in the home country), British Indians (living in the host country for more than 10 years) and White British (natives of Britain) users of social media. Our findings suggest that there is a clear link between the integrated strategy of acculturation and information diffusion on social media, which influences acculturation to sustainable food consumption behaviour among social media users. Managerial implications of this research finding are that intervention in information diffusion aids acculturation through the social media, which serves to infuse social media and sustainability strategist with knowledge to best influence the consumers in developing sustainable food consumption behaviour. This research also identifies opportunities to expand this academic research and contribute further to the theories of remote acculturation on which limited research has been done.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Hydrology, Volume 568〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): E.A. Zakharova, I.N. Krylenko, A.V. Kouraev〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Due to the rapid decline of 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 observations on river discharge in Arctic regions, evaluation of the continental freshwater input to the Arctic Ocean has become problematic and necessitates the development of alternative approaches based on remote sensing. Radar altimetric satellites have demonstrated high potential for estimation of river water discharge. Compared to polar orbiting altimeters, non-polar orbit satellites have an advantage in temporal sampling. Their greatest drawback, however, is spatial coverage: observations do not cover the low reaches of most parts of Arctic rivers. In this study of the Lena River, we demonstrate a way to overcome this limitation by using a combination of 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 observations from tributaries and satellite observations in the middle river reaches. The water discharge as well as monthly and annual water flow were evaluated using three virtual stations. Direct combination of the water level from these virtual stations was not possible because of the difference in seasonal amplitude. However, the combination of altimetric discharge from the three independently processed tracks significantly improves the flow retrievals. The accuracy of the monthly water flow estimates at the river outlet is 23%. It increases with the integration time giving 7% for annual flow.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Hydrology, Volume 568〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Weihua Wu, Mingzhao Sun, Xiang Ji, Shuyi Qu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To determine the influence of the Mesozoic Yanshanian orogeny in East Asia on contemporaneous Sr isotopic evolution of seawater, we systematically investigated the weathering profile, riverbed sediment and stream water in mono-lithological small granitic watersheds of the Jiuhua Mountains, Anhui, eastern China. Analysis based on 190 samples from 1 to 2 samplings per month during an entire hydrological year, spanning July 2014 to June 2015, shows that the intra-annual change of Sr concentration is 10–70%, but 〈sup〉87〈/sup〉Sr/〈sup〉86〈/sup〉Sr ratios only exhibit a slight change (0.709148–0.710427). This result indicates that using single sampling data to evaluate the influence of chemical weathering on the 〈sup〉87〈/sup〉Sr/〈sup〉86〈/sup〉Sr ratio evolution of seawater may cause some deviations. The 〈sup〉87〈/sup〉Sr/〈sup〉86〈/sup〉Sr ratio in the small granitic watersheds of the Jiuhua Mountains is 0.709148–0.710427 with an average of 0.710021, which is significantly higher than the lowest value (0.7068, ∼160 Ma) of seawater in the Phanerozoic. During and after this period, the East Asian continent experienced a strong tectonic event — Yanshanian orogeny and formed widespread Jurassic–Cretaceous igneous rocks, such as the Jiuhua Mountains granite in the Yangtze Block. The Yanshanian granites in several main tectonic units in China exhibit high radiogenic Sr characteristics. Combined with the evidence of enhanced chemical weathering during Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, the notable increase of the seawater 〈sup〉87〈/sup〉Sr/〈sup〉86〈/sup〉Sr ratio after 160 Ma may be related to the Yanshanian orogeny in East Asia.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0022169418308412-ga1.jpg" width="245" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Geoforum, Volume 97〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rebecca Sandover, Samuel Kinsley, Stephen Hinchliffe〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Geographers and other social scientists have for some time been interested in how scientific and environmental controversies emerge and become public or collective issues. Social media are now key platforms through which these issues are publically raised and through which groups or publics can organise themselves. As media that generate data and traces of networking activity, these platforms also provide an opportunity for scholars to study the character and constitution of those groupings. In this paper we lay out a method for studying these ‘issue publics’: emergent groupings involved in publicising an issue. We focus on the controversy surrounding the state-sanctioned cull of wild badgers in England as a contested means of disease management in cattle. We analyse two overlapping groupings to demonstrate how online issue publics function in a variety of ways – from the ‘echo chambers’ of online sharing of information, to the marshalling of agreements on strategies for action, to more dialogic patterns of debate. We demonstrate the ways in which digital media platforms are themselves performative in the formation of issue publics and that, while this creates issues, we should not retreat into debates around the ‘proper object’ of research but rather engage with the productive complications of mapping social media data into knowledge (Whatmore, 2009). In turn, we argue that online issue publics are not homogeneous and that the lines of heterogeneity are neither simple or to be expected and merit study as a means to understand the suite of processes and novel contexts involved in the emergence of a public.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Volume 60〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jennifer Howcroft, Frank Knoefel, Bruce Wallace, Rafik Goubran, Michelle M. Porter, Shawn Marshall〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Naturalistic in-car driving informatics provides opportunities to identify links between driving behaviours and cognitive and physical health status. The coefficient of variation was used to evaluate deceleration event variability (1) for differences between 171 older adult drivers grouped based on physical and cognitive scores and (2) for changes that aligned with longitudinal health changes in 62 older adult drivers. Differences in older adult physical and cognitive health status were related to deceleration event variability. Greater deceleration event variability was identified in individuals with better cognitive health, with two exceptions. There were also deceleration events subsets where individuals with poorer physical health status exhibited greater variability in deceleration patterns than those with better health status. CoV-measured deceleration event variability did significantly decrease for individuals with longitudinal cognitive health decline and for individuals with longitudinal physical health declines (velocity signal only) for decelerations subsets and CoV increased for individuals with longitudinal physical health decline for acceleration and jerk signals for event deceleration subsets. These findings suggest that worse cognitive health may limit older adult driver’s ability to adapt deceleration patterns when needed, resulting in lower CoV-measured variability. However, particularly in situations that require less adaptation to deceleration patterns, worse physical health may induce unnecessary variability during deceleration events. Further investigation is warranted to determine whether differences in variability relate to successful braking collision avoidance behaviours.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 5 February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chao Chen, Jiaoqi Fu, Shuai Zhang, Xin Zhao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉As a dynamic belt between land and oceans, coastline provides rich information on land-ocean interactions. Sensitive to climate and anthropogenic influences, the changing coastline affects intertidal mudflat resources and the coastal environment. In this study, the greenness and wetness components of the tasseled cap transformation (TCT) were used to extract coastline information. Due to the high total suspended sediment content that leads to the failure of traditional method, sea-waterbody information extraction was initially carried out by TCT. After considering the characteristics of coastline in remote sensing images and coastline morphology in the natural world, the coastline with shorter length was eliminated and the intermittent coastline was connected based on the coordinate geometry description (such as length, distance, and direction). Finally, the results of the coastline information extraction were superimposed on the original images to evaluate accuracy. The experimental results indicated that the proposed method was more effective in clearly delineating the land-ocean boundary. The producer's accuracy and user's accuracy were 0.95 and 0.91, respectively, and the length extraction error was −2.16%. Therefore, the proposed method was more successful for coastline information extraction in the area with high sediment concentration.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Volume 65〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Michel André, Anaïs Pasquier, Marion Carteret〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Low emission zones are frequently envisaged as a means of decreasing air pollution in city centres. In the present study, we used video monitoring to characterize the in-use local vehicle fleet at several points in the Île-de-France region (which includes the city of Paris), enabling accurate description of the type of engine and vehicle age and emission standard, which together determine their pollutant emission levels. Local vehicle fleets differed from French national estimates, as further confirmed by a Regional Mobility Survey. Both approaches (video monitoring and mobility survey) demonstrated geographical differences in the proportions of diesel and of recent vehicles. Economically advantaged areas, with lower rates of polluting and diesel-fuelled vehicles, are thus further advantaged as regards air quality and less affected by driving restrictions. Simulation of pollutant emissions demonstrated the sensitivity of the estimates to local fleet composition. They also raised the important contributions of traffic outside the city centre, of heavy vehicles and cold starts. Knowledge of the local vehicle fleet is thus important for designing low emission zones that will be effective in terms of air pollution and equitable in terms of geographical areas.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, Volume 97〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Alexandros Angelopoulos, Damianos Gavalas, Charalampos Konstantopoulos, Damianos Kypriadis, Grammati Pantziou〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The asymmetric demand-offer problem represents a major challenge for one-way vehicle sharing systems (VSS) affecting their economic viability as it necessitates the engagement of considerable human (and financial) resources in relocating vehicles to satisfy customer demand. In this paper, we propose a novel approach which involves user-based vehicle relocations to address supply-and-demand mismatches; in our approach, VSS users are offered price incentives so as to accept picking up their vehicle from an oversupplied station and/or to drop it off to an under-supplied station. The system incentivizes users based on the priorities of vehicle relocations among stations, taking into account the fluctuating demand for vehicles and parking places at different stations over time. A graph-theoretic approach is employed for modeling the problem of allocating vehicles to users in a way that maximizes the profit of the system taking into account the budget the VSS can afford to spend for rewarding users, as well as the users’ strategic behavior. We present two different schemes for incentivizing users to act in favour of the system. Both schemes consider budget constraints and are truthful and budget-feasible. We have extensively evaluated our approach through simulations which demonstrated significant gain with respect to the number of completed trips and system revenue. We have also validated our approach through pilot trials conducted in a free-floating e-motorbike sharing system in the framework of an EU-funded research project.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: January 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Volume 60〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jing Shi, Meiyu Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Inappropriate lane changing behaviour increases a driver’s risk of being involved in a crash and the injury severity levels. It is hypothesized in this study that differentiated per-lane speed limit freeways could reduce inappropriate lane changing behaviours. A driving simulator experiment was conducted to investigate drivers’ lane changing behaviour and the corresponding workload levels when different speed limit values are assigned to different lanes. Participants (〈em〉N〈/em〉 = 36) experienced three different test scenarios with different speed limit configurations. Lane changing behaviours are compared in regards to five measures describing lane changing behaviour. Meanwhile, task workload indexes were developed to evaluate key aspects of drivers’ subjective experience of the test. The results reveal that the speed limit configurations have a considerable impact on lane changing behaviour as well as on the corresponding driving workload levels. This applies especially to the scenario with both different maximum and minimum speed limits for adjacent lanes, with drivers behaving differently than they did in other situations. Lane changes were found to be less frequent and have shorter durations, and drivers tended to avoid the dangerous behaviour of “rolling on the lane edge”, therefore these compensatory safety-prone driving strategies suggest an enhanced driving safety level in association with the differentiated per-lane speed limit scenarios. The findings could provide important references for traffic management of freeways.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Volume 118〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Qian-Wen Guo, Shumin Chen, Paul Schonfeld, Zhongfei Li〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We address optimal rail transit investment issues considering time-inconsistent preferences and population uncertainty. Instead of adopting the typical real options approach which assumes that authorities possess a constant discount rate over time, we propose an extension of real options analysis by modeling authorities’ intertemporal choices with a quasi-hyperbolic discount function. Depending on the assumption about the strategies guiding the behaviors of future authorities, we consider three types of authorities, namely time-consistent authority, naïve authority and sophisticated authority, of which the latter two are time-inconsistent. First, an optimal transit investment timing model is proposed. Then, solutions for the above three types of authorities are derived and compared. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed model by conducting numerical tests and applying it to Dalian, China. Main findings include: (1) an authority with time-inconsistent preferences makes decisions earlier than a standard, time-consistent authority; (2) the sophisticated authority invests earlier than the naïve authority. Other implications of considering time-inconsistent preferences are also identified.〈/p〉〈/div〉