Social psychology of people affected by hazards is different from normal psychology. For example, severe bank erosion in the lower reach of the Bhagirathi River in West Bengal has resulted in significant land loss (-...Social psychology of people affected by hazards is different from normal psychology. For example, severe bank erosion in the lower reach of the Bhagirathi River in West Bengal has resulted in significant land loss (-60% of all households lost land over last 20 years) and affected the livelihoods of the people in the study villages along the river. Per capita income has almost halved from 1970-2012 due to land loss. This stark nature of land erosion and vulnerability of livelihood has had far-reaching repercussions on the fabric of society and the psychology of the people in this region. Results showed that erosion-affected villages have registered compara- tively larger average family sizes (-4.1 as compared to -3.9 in non-affected villages), lower literacy levels (〈 50% compared to 〉 65% for the non-affected villages), and poor health. Reports of poor health as a result of land erosion include -60% of the respondents having reported physical ailments such as headache and abdominal discomfort, as well as 3%-5% reporting loss of emotional and psychological balance. Villages suffering from erosion showed higher positive loadings in average-coefficient of variation (CV) differential (25%-40%) depicting objectivity in their opinions for select variables of social processes. Principal component analysis (PCA) por- trayed maximum eigenvalues in the first principal component for interpersonal processes (-98%) and a minimum for intergroup proc- esses (-80%). Categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA) depicted a cluster between interpersonal and intergroup processes and another between intra-individual and group categories. The positive loadings in female-male differences in CV of perceptions portrayed relative consistency of males over the females concerning fear/phobia and physical stress while negative loadings exhibited higher consistency for females regarding psychological stress and shock. Lastly, the Taj fel matrix portrayed a distinction between hazard psychology characterized by maximum joint profit as found in Rukunpur, and normal psychology characterized by in-group favoritism as found in Matiari.展开更多
Studies on land loss in Tuvalu reveal the following findings. Although both sea level rise and coastal erosion can cause land loss in the tropic Pacific oceanic islands, their mechanisms are different. When sea level ...Studies on land loss in Tuvalu reveal the following findings. Although both sea level rise and coastal erosion can cause land loss in the tropic Pacific oceanic islands, their mechanisms are different. When sea level rises, the low elevation coastal zone submerges and the erosion datum plane rises, the beach process progresses normally as always, resulting in no beach sediment coarsening. When the sea level is stable, coastal erosion removes finer sediment from reef flat, beach and land, resulting in beach sediment coarsening. The human-induced coastal erosion in the tropic Pacific oceanic islands has the following features. 1) Erosion occurs or intensifies immediately after inappropriate human activities. 2) It occurs near the places having human activities and places related to the above places in sediment supply. 3) It often occurs on original prograding or stable coasts (on lagoon coasts for atolls) because there are more coastal engineering projects and other human activities on such coasts. 4) It is chronic, covering a long period of time. The coastal geological events in Tuvalu islands do not accord with the features resulted from sea level rise but do accord with the features resulted from coastal erosion, particularly from human-induced erosion. The land loss in Tuvalu is mainly caused by inappropriate human activities including coastal engineering and aggregate mining, and partly caused by cyclones. Moreover, all recent measurements (satellite altimetry,thermosteric sea level data and tide observations) so far have not been able to verify any sea level rise around Tuvalu islands.展开更多
Land degradation is one of the serious environmental problems that can lead to poverty, and is especially prominent in eco-fragile areas in developing countries and increases the risk of environmental safety. North He...Land degradation is one of the serious environmental problems that can lead to poverty, and is especially prominent in eco-fragile areas in developing countries and increases the risk of environmental safety. North Hebei Province belongs to an ecologically fragile region in North China, which has great impact on the eco-safety of Beijing and Tianjin. Using Landsat TM data and GIS, this paper evaluates land degradation in North Hebei province of China from the the 1960′s to 1987 and 2000. Land use/cover change pattern from 1987 to 2000, its regional difference and forest change characteristics will also be analyzed; soil erosion intensity and arable land suitability were also evaluated. Results revealed that land use/cover pattern in this study area did not change greatly from 1987 to 2000. The structure and function of regional land ecosystem was at a level of local improvement and integral deterioration. Land above medium soil erosion intensity reached 21 percent, which was also the area with a serious soil erosion and land degradation problem. Soil erosion and land degradation intensity of grassland was the biggest. For the present arable land, the proportion of high suitability was 13 percent.展开更多
The impact of land-use on surface runoff and soil erosion is still poorly understood at basin scale. Thus in the Western Jilin Ecosystem (WJE), surface runoff and soil erosion were measured against identified land-use...The impact of land-use on surface runoff and soil erosion is still poorly understood at basin scale. Thus in the Western Jilin Ecosystem (WJE), surface runoff and soil erosion were measured against identified land-use types in the basin. Due to the spatial nature of the analysis, GIS ArcMap version 9.1 and the WetSpass model were used in the simulation process. In the study, the WetSpass model was extended with the Dynamic Sediment Balance Equation (Ziegler et al., 1997), to simulate and quantify soil erosion. A hypothetical natural grassland scenario was developed for the study area and compared with the present land-use management conditions. The results indicate significant differences in runoff and soil erosion across the different land-use types both within and between the two scenarios. Calculated averages of surface runoff and soil erosion for the present land-use management were 48.03 mm/a and 83.43 kg/(m 2·a) respectively. Those for the hypothetical natural grassland scenario were 24.70 mm/a and 78.36 kg/(m 2·a) . Thus an overall decrease in runoff and soil erosion was observed as the conditions changed from the present land-use management to the hypothetical natural grassland state. Under the present land-use management, urban settlements exhibited the highest surface runoff but one of the least soil erosions, while bare-lands showed the highest soil erosion. It was more generally observed that runoff and erosion varies with vegetation type/density. It was concluded based on the research findings that the present land-use management might not be the best scenario for the ecosystem as it showed increased basin runoff and soil erosion in comparison with the natural grassland vegetation. Since no best scenario was simulated for or advanced in the study, further research to develop a more balanced land management system is thus required. The findings of the study can assist in the identification of vulnerable/fragile ecosystems in the basin and to guide sustainable future planning and development of the basin.展开更多
文摘Social psychology of people affected by hazards is different from normal psychology. For example, severe bank erosion in the lower reach of the Bhagirathi River in West Bengal has resulted in significant land loss (-60% of all households lost land over last 20 years) and affected the livelihoods of the people in the study villages along the river. Per capita income has almost halved from 1970-2012 due to land loss. This stark nature of land erosion and vulnerability of livelihood has had far-reaching repercussions on the fabric of society and the psychology of the people in this region. Results showed that erosion-affected villages have registered compara- tively larger average family sizes (-4.1 as compared to -3.9 in non-affected villages), lower literacy levels (〈 50% compared to 〉 65% for the non-affected villages), and poor health. Reports of poor health as a result of land erosion include -60% of the respondents having reported physical ailments such as headache and abdominal discomfort, as well as 3%-5% reporting loss of emotional and psychological balance. Villages suffering from erosion showed higher positive loadings in average-coefficient of variation (CV) differential (25%-40%) depicting objectivity in their opinions for select variables of social processes. Principal component analysis (PCA) por- trayed maximum eigenvalues in the first principal component for interpersonal processes (-98%) and a minimum for intergroup proc- esses (-80%). Categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA) depicted a cluster between interpersonal and intergroup processes and another between intra-individual and group categories. The positive loadings in female-male differences in CV of perceptions portrayed relative consistency of males over the females concerning fear/phobia and physical stress while negative loadings exhibited higher consistency for females regarding psychological stress and shock. Lastly, the Taj fel matrix portrayed a distinction between hazard psychology characterized by maximum joint profit as found in Rukunpur, and normal psychology characterized by in-group favoritism as found in Matiari.
基金projects on coastal erosion and management in Tuvalu are funded by the Ministry of Foreign Economic Co-operation and Trade,China.
文摘Studies on land loss in Tuvalu reveal the following findings. Although both sea level rise and coastal erosion can cause land loss in the tropic Pacific oceanic islands, their mechanisms are different. When sea level rises, the low elevation coastal zone submerges and the erosion datum plane rises, the beach process progresses normally as always, resulting in no beach sediment coarsening. When the sea level is stable, coastal erosion removes finer sediment from reef flat, beach and land, resulting in beach sediment coarsening. The human-induced coastal erosion in the tropic Pacific oceanic islands has the following features. 1) Erosion occurs or intensifies immediately after inappropriate human activities. 2) It occurs near the places having human activities and places related to the above places in sediment supply. 3) It often occurs on original prograding or stable coasts (on lagoon coasts for atolls) because there are more coastal engineering projects and other human activities on such coasts. 4) It is chronic, covering a long period of time. The coastal geological events in Tuvalu islands do not accord with the features resulted from sea level rise but do accord with the features resulted from coastal erosion, particularly from human-induced erosion. The land loss in Tuvalu is mainly caused by inappropriate human activities including coastal engineering and aggregate mining, and partly caused by cyclones. Moreover, all recent measurements (satellite altimetry,thermosteric sea level data and tide observations) so far have not been able to verify any sea level rise around Tuvalu islands.
基金The authors would like to greatly thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.40171001 and No.40571117)the grant of the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(approved # KZCX3-SW-338)National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(No:2003AA131170)which founded this research.
文摘Land degradation is one of the serious environmental problems that can lead to poverty, and is especially prominent in eco-fragile areas in developing countries and increases the risk of environmental safety. North Hebei Province belongs to an ecologically fragile region in North China, which has great impact on the eco-safety of Beijing and Tianjin. Using Landsat TM data and GIS, this paper evaluates land degradation in North Hebei province of China from the the 1960′s to 1987 and 2000. Land use/cover change pattern from 1987 to 2000, its regional difference and forest change characteristics will also be analyzed; soil erosion intensity and arable land suitability were also evaluated. Results revealed that land use/cover pattern in this study area did not change greatly from 1987 to 2000. The structure and function of regional land ecosystem was at a level of local improvement and integral deterioration. Land above medium soil erosion intensity reached 21 percent, which was also the area with a serious soil erosion and land degradation problem. Soil erosion and land degradation intensity of grassland was the biggest. For the present arable land, the proportion of high suitability was 13 percent.
文摘The impact of land-use on surface runoff and soil erosion is still poorly understood at basin scale. Thus in the Western Jilin Ecosystem (WJE), surface runoff and soil erosion were measured against identified land-use types in the basin. Due to the spatial nature of the analysis, GIS ArcMap version 9.1 and the WetSpass model were used in the simulation process. In the study, the WetSpass model was extended with the Dynamic Sediment Balance Equation (Ziegler et al., 1997), to simulate and quantify soil erosion. A hypothetical natural grassland scenario was developed for the study area and compared with the present land-use management conditions. The results indicate significant differences in runoff and soil erosion across the different land-use types both within and between the two scenarios. Calculated averages of surface runoff and soil erosion for the present land-use management were 48.03 mm/a and 83.43 kg/(m 2·a) respectively. Those for the hypothetical natural grassland scenario were 24.70 mm/a and 78.36 kg/(m 2·a) . Thus an overall decrease in runoff and soil erosion was observed as the conditions changed from the present land-use management to the hypothetical natural grassland state. Under the present land-use management, urban settlements exhibited the highest surface runoff but one of the least soil erosions, while bare-lands showed the highest soil erosion. It was more generally observed that runoff and erosion varies with vegetation type/density. It was concluded based on the research findings that the present land-use management might not be the best scenario for the ecosystem as it showed increased basin runoff and soil erosion in comparison with the natural grassland vegetation. Since no best scenario was simulated for or advanced in the study, further research to develop a more balanced land management system is thus required. The findings of the study can assist in the identification of vulnerable/fragile ecosystems in the basin and to guide sustainable future planning and development of the basin.