Regional flood frequency analysis (RFFA) is often used in hydrology to estimate flood quantiles when there is a limitation
of at-site recorded flood data. One of the commonly used RFFA methods is the index flood method, which is based on the assumptions
that a region satisfies criterion of simple scaling and it can be treated homogeneous. Another RFFA method is quantile regression
technique where prediction equations are developed for flood quantiles of interest as function of catchment characteristics.
In this paper, the scaling property of regional floods in New South Wales (NSW) State in Australia is investigated. The results
indicate that the annual maximum floods in NSW satisfy a simple scaling assumption. The application of a heterogeneity test,
however, reveals that NSW flood data set does not satisfy the criteria for a homogeneous region. Finally, a set of prediction
equations are developed for NSW using quantile regression technique; an independent test shows that these equations can provide
reasonably accurate design flood estimates with a median relative error of about 27%. 相似文献
The relicts of large meandering palaeochannels are found throughout the territory of the periglacial zone of the Last (Valdai=Weichselian) Glaciation on the Russian Plain. Channel widths of macromeanders can be 15 times larger than the recent meanders of the same rivers. Palaeolandscape and palaeohydrological reconstructions show that these periglacial river channels were formed under conditions of high spring water flow, up to eight times greater than the modern discharges, when the flow coefficient was close to 0.9-1.0 due to presence of permafrost, summers were dry and streams lacked ground water supply. Permafrost degradation increased soil permeability in spring and increased ground water flow in summer, causing a decrease of annual flow (due mainly to the flood flow decrease in spring). As a result, large periglacial channels were abandoned and transformed into lakes and bogs. Late Holocene channels have much smaller channel widths and meander lengths. These were formed under conditions of lower annual flows and much steadier flow regime. 相似文献
The study of Quarternary insect fossils has shown their value as paleoenvironmental indicators, especially during times of rapid climatic change, and this method is now being introduced into North America archeological studies. Abundant insect fossils have been recovered from 13,000 year old detrital organic materials from silty clays at the Lamb Spring site, south of Denver, Colorado. The spring deposits also contain bones of extinct camel and mammoth, thought to have been modified by human hunters. The late Pleistocene insect fauna from Lamb Spring comprises 71 identified taxa from 6 orders and 14 families, principally beetles, providing substantial paleoenvironmental data. The beetle fauna is a mixture of grassland and mountain elements, and they appear to represent an environment similar to that found today in high mountain valleys, such as South Park, Colorado. Based on this fauna, mean summer temperatures at 13,140 B.P. were probably 10°C cooler than present. 相似文献
This paper describes the design, expectations, and prototyping of a new allsky survey, called 2MASS (Two Micron All Sky Survey) to be carried out with the new generation of infrared array detectors. 相似文献
Although the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is widely commendable in several ways, access to the Fund has been very challenging for many African countries. Using GCF published statistics, we identify possible challenges likely to be responsible for this. First, we present an assessment of the GCF’s Readiness Support Programme with respect to how the programme’s performance may have affected achievement of African countries’ readiness outcomes. Second, a critical evaluation of the status of African GCF portfolio (pipeline and approved projects) provides a means by which to assess how well Africa’s current portfolio aligns with GCF strategic impact areas, results areas and investment priorities. We then discuss GCF access modalities and the implications of relying on International Accredited Entities (IAEs) to indirectly access the Fund. The readiness support assessment indicates that the distribution of support requests and funding approvals is nearly equal across the regions of Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean. However, when the regions are considered individually, Africa demonstrates lower approvals with respect to requests and securing funding. Results from the GCF portfolio evaluation reveal that little or no attention has been devoted to GCF critical result areas such as forests and land use or transport, where great potentials for low-carbon development transitions exist. With respect to access modalities, the IAE financing mechanism currently provides access to the Fund for the majority of projects in both the global and African GCF portfolios. The implications of these findings are extensively discussed.
Key policy insights
For Africa, limited readiness support and a reliance on International Accredited Entities constrains capacity building, thereby reinforcing a lack of both readiness and direct access to the GCF.
There are opportunities for Africa to diversify its GCF portfolios, adhere to international commitments, and address its adaptation and development needs by identifying and capitalizing on linkages between GCF funding priorities, mitigation, and adaptation.
There are leverage points within existing climate finance and governance systems that could catalyse a shift in Africa’s engagement with the GCF and generate positive, cascading effects on institutional strengthening, direct access accreditation and securing funding.
Core samples were collected in Lagoa Vermelha, a hypersaline lagoon located about 100 km east of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The sediment composition is predominantly carbonate in amounts up to 93%. Analysis of δ13C of the total organic matter in the sediments showed that marine organic matter predominates throughout the core (δ13C ranges from −15.84 to −22.64‰ vs. PDB). Organic carbon contents (TOC) ranged from 0.81 to 13.28%. A series of cadinane-type sesquiterpenoids can be recognized in the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry data. Essentially the same components are present in all the samples, with variations only in their relative abundances. The most abundant compounds are α- and β-cubebene, α- and β-cedrene, cadinenes (different isomers), α-curcumene and calamenene, with minor amounts of calarene, humulene, calacorene and cadalene. Since this lagoon is surrounded by dunes with only minor vegetation typical of this environment (grasses, small non-resinous shrubs and no forest) with no potential source for sesquiterpenoids, a terrestrial origin for these compounds is excluded and an algal origin is more consistent with the locale and the recognition of sesquiterpenoids (including cadinol) in microbial mats from the lagoon. Only the natural product precursor sesquiterpenoids are present in the microbial mats with no detectable diagenetic derivatives (e.g. calamenene and cadalene). This indicates that the compounds in the mats are from recent input and those found in the sediments are most likely derived from former algal biomass in this lagoon, a fact confirmed by the recognition of a series of diagenetic aromatic components in the sediments. Surface sediments contain n-alkanes with no even-to-odd predominance indicating that microbial activity is higher in shallower sediments. Moreover, mass fragmentograms (m/z 191) of biomarkers revealed the presence of 17α(H),21β(H)-hopanes, the mature isomers, together with their ββ precursors and low amounts of the intermediates with the βα configuration (moretanes). This indicates a contribution of mature organic matter to these immature sediments. 相似文献
Lofer cyclothems of the Alpine Upper Triassic have many features in common with Holocene sediments of Florida Bay. The modal ‘complete’ Lofer cycle is essentially symmetrical, having a deepening and shoaling phase, as does the cycle-in-progress in Florida Bay. Lateral discontinuity and thickness variations within members of the Lofer cyclothems indicate syn-depositional relief, possibly in the form of mud banks, the signature feature of Florida Bay sedimentation. Spatial and temporal dimensions, although poorly constrained, appear comparable. Analogous depositional textures, biota and sedimentary structures, while not unique to either environment, strengthen the inferences that can be made about the Triassic depositional environment and regarding future evolution of the modern environment. The striking similarities between the Holocene icehouse sediments and the Late Triassic greenhouse deposits suggest that sedimentation patterns at the scale of individual cycles or parasequences may be largely independent of the global climate regime. 相似文献