Sustainable agricultural intensification or Jevons paradox? The role of public governance in tropical South America     

M.G. Ceddia  S. Sedlacek  N.O. Bardsley  S. Gomez-y-Paloma 《Global Environmental Change》2013,23(5):1052-1063

The process of global deforestation calls for urgent attention, particularly in South America where deforestation rates have failed to decline over the past 20 years. The main direct cause of deforestation is land conversion to agriculture. We combine data from the FAO and the World Bank for six tropical Southern American countries over the period 1970–2006, estimate a panel data model accounting for various determinants of agricultural land expansion and derive elasticities to quantify the effect of the different independent variables. We investigate whether agricultural intensification, in conjunction with governance factors, has been promoting agricultural expansion, leading to a “Jevons paradox”. The paradox occurs if an increase in the productivity of one factor (here agricultural land) leads to its increased, rather than decreased, utilization. We find that for high values of our governance indicators a Jevons paradox exists even for moderate levels of agricultural productivity, leading to an overall expansion of agricultural area. Agricultural expansion is also positively related to the level of service on external debt and population growth, while its association with agricultural exports is only moderate. Finally, we find no evidence of an environmental Kuznets curve, as agricultural area is ultimately positively correlated to per-capita income levels.  相似文献   

EFFECTS OF SST, VWS, AND DCC UPON RAPID INTENSIFICATION OF OFF-SHORE TYPHOONS IN CHINA SEAS     

郑峰  岳彩军  陈佩燕  曾智华  雷小途  陈联寿  张灵杰 《热带气象学报(英文版)》2019,25(1):11-23

In this study, we employed National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)/National Center for Atmospheric Research(NCAR) reanalysis data and records from the China Meteorological Administration(CMA)Yearbook of Tropical Cyclones to investigate three factors: sea-surface temperature(SST), vertical wind shear(VWS),and the density of the core convection(DCC), which are responsible for the rapid intensification(RI) of 1949-2013 offshore typhoons. Our analysis results of these composite factors show that in the environmental wind field the typhoons are far away from the outer strong VWS; in the SST field they are in the high SST area; and the core convective activity is robust and takes a bimodal pattern. The difference in RI between typhoons over the East China Sea(ECS) and the South China Sea(SCS) is a smaller VWS for the ECS typhoons, which may be one of the reasons why typhoons in the ECS are more intense than those in the SCS. Our study results indicate that SST, VWS, and DCC can result in an RI after a certain time interval of 36 h, 24 h to 30 h, and 24 h, respectively. The RI indicates a lag in the atmospheric response to oceanic conditions. This lag characteristic makes it possible to predict RI events. In summary, where the SST is high(≥28 ℃), the VWS is small, and the DCC is high, an RI will occur. Where mid-range SSTs occur(26 ℃≤SST≤28 ℃), with small VWS, and high DCC, the RI of typhoons is also likely to occur.  相似文献   

HIGH-RESOLUTION NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF TYPHOON LONGWANG (2005) WITH THE SPECTRUM NUDGING TECHNIQUE     

李静  汤剑平  方娟 《热带气象学报(英文版)》2015,21(4):311-325

With the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRFV3.2.1), the application of spectrum nudging techniques in numerical simulation of the genesis and development of typhoon Longwang (2005) is evaluated in this work via four numerical experiments with different nudging techniques. It is found that, due to the ability to capture the large-scale fields and to keep the meso-to small-scale features derived from the model dynamics, the experiment with spectrum nudging technique can simulate the formation, intensification and motion of Longwang properly. The improvement on the numerical simulation of Longwang induced by the spectrum nudging depends on the nudging coefficients. A weak spectrum nudging does not make significant improvement on the simulation of Longwang. Although the experiment with four-dimensional data assimilation, i.e., FDDA, also derives the genesis and movement of Longwang appropriately, it fails to simulate the intensifying process of Longwang properly. The reason is that, as the large-scale features derived from the model are nudged to the observational data, the meso- to small-processes produced by the model dynamics important to the intensification of typhoon are nearly smoothed by FDDA.  相似文献   

西北太平洋热带气旋快速加强过程中的水汽特征分析     

尹浩  王咏青  钟玮 《气候与环境研究》2015,20(4):433-442

利用NCEP的1°(纬度)×1°(经度)全球最终分析资料和JTWC(Joint Typhoon Warning Center)最佳路径资料,对2002~2011年西北太平洋热带气旋(TC)非减弱阶段快速加强(Rapid Intensification,RI)和缓慢加强及强度稳定(Non-RI)过程中,TC环境场及其内部各区域水汽分布和输送特征进行统计分析,揭示水汽因子对TC随后24 h强度变化的影响,为TC强度突变的趋势预报提供依据。结果表明:对流层低层900 h Pa层半径3~10纬距区域平均相对湿度(RH_3-10)能明显区分RI与Non-RI过程,说明西北太平洋TC强度变化对水汽的敏感高度较大西洋更接近洋面;RI初始时刻的RH_3-10显著大于Non-RI,而水平水汽通量(F_all)则弱于Non-RI,说明RI开始时刻TC环境表现为高水汽含量和较小的水汽输送,而随着RI过程TC内强对流发展对水汽的消耗,水汽含量明显减小故水汽通量则出现增强;RI和Non-RI过程水汽因子的分布和输送在TC内核区和外雨带差异明显,初始时刻RI过程净水汽获得区域大于Non-RI。相关性分析同样表明,适宜的相对湿度和水汽通量是非减弱阶段RI的有效潜势预报因子。  相似文献   

共和地震前兆起伏加剧的层次性与大震的跟踪预报   总被引：1，自引：2，他引：1       下载免费PDF全文

秦保燕  李佐唐 《地震工程学报》1995,17(3):1-9

基于大震前前兆起伏加剧具有普适性的特征，本文研究了１９９０年共和Ｍｓ７．０地震前地震频次、小震调制比、地下水中氧含量及泉水流量等异常起伏加剧的多层次性。结果表明，各台大多数前兆异常可分出３个层次。综合分析各台前兆异常的起伏加剧现象，可以发现，该次地震前异常群体的演变过程可分为４个层次，本文结合孕震过程对４个层次进行了分析。根据大震前兆起伏加剧的多层次性可以对大震进行跟踪预报。  相似文献   

Incipient vortex size-dependent evolution of tropical disturbances Part I — Results from a numerical experiment     

P. Goswami  R. Koteswar Rao 《Journal of Earth System Science》1993,102(3):439-463

The present work is concerned with the study of intensification of tropical disturbances with a view to improve prediction and early warning. The tropical disturbances are known to come in sizes (radii) ranging from 100–400 kms. Since the vortices of different sizes give rise to different initial convergence fields and since the subsequent development of the tropical depressions is very sensitive to the initial convergence fields, we argue that the size of the incipient vortex is likely to be an important factor in determining the subsequent development of a tropical disturbance. We have examined the above hypothesis using an axisymmetric model of tropical cyclone. The incipient vortex is introduced by prescribing an initial temperature perturbation with wind in gradient balance. The results show a fairly sharp selection of scale at about 250 km radius. This implies that out of a number of initial disturbances of varying sizes and embedded in the same large scale environment, it is the vortex with about 250 km radius size that will develop to the most severe system. The sensitivity of this selective intensification at this incipient vortex radius to initial perturbation field and the mean thermodynamic state is investigated. Finally, the importance of such a selective scale of intensification for prediction, tracking and early warning of tropical cyclones is emphasized.  相似文献   

Sensitivity of tropical cyclone intensification to boundary layer and convective processes   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：1  

D. V. Bhaskar Rao  Dasari Hari Prasad 《Natural Hazards》2007,41(3):429-445

This study examines the role of the parameterization of convection, planetary boundary layer (PBL) and explicit moisture processes on tropical cyclone intensification. A high-resolution mesoscale model, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) model MM5, with two interactive nested domains at resolutions 90 km and 30 km was used to simulate the Orissa Super cyclone, the most intense Indian cyclone of the past century. The initial fields and time-varying boundary variables and sea surface temperatures were taken from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) (FNL) one-degree data set. Three categories of sensitivity experiments were conducted to examine the various schemes of PBL, convection and explicit moisture processes. The results show that the PBL processes play crucial roles in determining the intensity of the cyclone and that the scheme of Mellor-Yamada (MY) produces the strongest cyclone. The combination of the parameterization schemes of MY for planetary boundary layer, Kain-Fritsch2 for convection and Mixed-Phase for explicit moisture produced the best simulation in terms of intensity and track. The simulated cyclone produced a minimum sea level pressure of 930 hPa and a maximum wind of 65 m s⁻¹ as well as all of the characteristics of a mature tropical cyclone with an eye and eye-wall along with a warm core structure. The model-simulated precipitation intensity and distribution were in good agreement with the observations. The ensemble mean of all 12 experiments produced reasonable intensity and the best track.  相似文献   

Assessing the optimal preprocessing steps of MODIS time series to map cropping systems in Mato Grosso,Brazil     

《International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation》2020

The adoption of new cropping practices such as integrated Crop-Livestock systems (iCL) aims at improving the land use sustainability of the agricultural sector in the Brazilian Amazon. The emergence of such integrated systems, based on crop and pasture rotations over and within years, challenges the remote sensing community who needs to implement accurate and efficient methods to process satellite image time series (SITS) in order to come up with a monitoring protocol. These methods generally include a SITS preprocessing step which can be time consuming. The aim of this study is to assess the importance of preprocessing operations such as temporal smoothing and computation of phenological metrics on the mapping of main cropping systems (i.e. pasture, single cropping, double cropping and iCL), with a special emphasis on the iCL class. The study area is located in the state of Mato Grosso, an important producer of agriculture commodities located in the Southern Brazilian Amazon. SITS were composed of a set of 16-day composites of MODIS Vegetation Indices (MOD13Q1 product) covering a one year period between 2014 and 2015. Two widely used classifiers, i.e. Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Machine (SVM), were tested using five data sets issued from a same SITS but with different preprocessing levels: (i) raw NDVI; (ii) raw NDVI + raw EVI; (iii) smoothed NDVI; (iv) NDVI-derived phenometrics; (v) raw NDVI + phenometrics. Both RF and SVM classification results showed that the “raw NDVI + raw EVI” data set achieved the highest performance (RF OA = 0.96, RF Kappa = 0.94, SVM OA = 0.95, SVM Kappa = 0.93), followed closely by the “raw NDVI” and the “raw NDVI + phenometrics” datasets. The “NDVI-derived phenometrics” alone achieved the lowest accuracies (RF OA = 0.58 and SVM OA = 0.66). Considering that the implementation of preprocessing steps is computationally expensive and does not provide significant gains in terms of classification accuracy, we recommend to use raw vegetation indices for mapping cropping practices in Mato Grosso, including the integrated Crop-Livestock systems.  相似文献   

Land-based adaptation to global change: What drives soil and water conservation in western Africa?     

《Global Environmental Change》2015

Conservation of land resources is a promising strategy for sustainable agricultural intensification in order to adapt dryland farming systems to climate, market and other stresses. At a local level, factors that drive the adoption of conservation measures operate and interact in specific ways. Linking our knowledge of the local specifications of these drivers to regional and global patterns of vulnerability can significantly enhance our understanding of land-based adaptation to global change. However, the factors that influence the adoption of conservation practices remain actively debated. Therefore, this study presents a meta-analysis of case studies that investigate the adoption of soil and water conservation measures, as an important approach to resource conservation. Synthesising 63 adoption cases in the drylands of western Africa, this meta-analysis reveals a multitude of factors that drive the adoption of soil and water conservation practices. The drivers differ strongly between particular practices and methods of analysis used in the case studies. Contributing to the broader debate on resource conservation, the findings highlight the adoption of soil and water conservation measures as an emergent property of farming systems. They demonstrate the need to better understand the socio-ecological foundation of adoption and the pathways along which adoption evolves in space and time. This study concludes with methodological principles to advance future research on the factors that drive the adoption of soil and water conservation measures as a pre-requisite of improving land-based adaptation efforts.  相似文献   

When enough should be enough: Improving the use of current agricultural lands could meet production demands and spare natural habitats in Brazil     

《Global Environmental Change》2014

Providing food and other products to a growing human population while safeguarding natural ecosystems and the provision of their services is a significant scientific, social and political challenge. With food demand likely to double over the next four decades, anthropization is already driving climate change and is the principal force behind species extinction, among other environmental impacts. The sustainable intensification of production on current agricultural lands has been suggested as a key solution to the competition for land between agriculture and natural ecosystems. However, few investigations have shown the extent to which these lands can meet projected demands while considering biophysical constraints. Here we investigate the improved use of existing agricultural lands and present insights into avoiding future competition for land. We focus on Brazil, a country projected to experience the largest increase in agricultural production over the next four decades and the richest nation in terrestrial carbon and biodiversity. Using various models and climatic datasets, we produced the first estimate of the carrying capacity of Brazil's 115 million hectares of cultivated pasturelands. We then investigated if the improved use of cultivated pasturelands would free enough land for the expansion of meat, crops, wood and biofuel, respecting biophysical constraints (i.e., terrain, climate) and including climate change impacts. We found that the current productivity of Brazilian cultivated pasturelands is 32–34% of its potential and that increasing productivity to 49–52% of the potential would suffice to meet demands for meat, crops, wood products and biofuels until at least 2040, without further conversion of natural ecosystems. As a result up to 14.3 Gt CO₂ Eq could be mitigated. The fact that the country poised to undergo the largest expansion of agricultural production over the coming decades can do so without further conversion of natural habitats provokes the question whether the same can be true in other regional contexts and, ultimately, at the global scale.  相似文献