Principles Of Geomorphic Regionalization

The author proposes a scheme of regional units to be used in geomorphic regionalization. Each rank in the regional scheme is defined in terms of geomorphic processes, with endogenous processes predominating in the case of the higher ranks and exogenous factors prevailing in the lower units.     

Biogeographical Regionalization,its Stages and Criteria

A historical approach to biogeographical regionalization is proposed. The approach is based on the assumption that the highest ranking hierarchical units in such a regionalization represent the oldest biogeographical regions, with the more detailed taxonomic units formed in subsequent historical periods. The regionalization process involves three stages: (a) faunistic-floristic investigation of the study area; (b) the identification of habitats of species that more or less coincide; (c) a determination whether the distribution of these characteristic species displays a cause-and-effect relationship with the geographical environment. The historical criterion is emphasized throughout, the regions are viewed as the product of the historical differentiation of a physical-geographic territory.     

Probabilistic Regionalization via Evidence Accumulation with Random Spanning Trees as Weak Spatial Representations

Spatial clusters contain biases and artifacts, whether they are defined via statistical algorithms or via expert judgment. Graph-based partitioning of spatial data and associated heuristics gained popularity due to their scalability but can define suboptimal regions due to algorithmic biases such as chaining. Despite the broad literature on deterministic regionalization methods, approaches that quantify regionalization probability are sparse. In this article, we propose a local method to quantify regionalization probabilities for regions defined via graph-based cuts and expert-defined regions. We conceptualize spatial regions as consisting of two types of spatial elements: core and swing. We define three distinct types of regionalization biases that occur in graph-based methods and showcase the use of the proposed method to capture these types of biases. Additionally, we propose an efficient solution to the probabilistic graph-based regionalization problem via performing optimal tree cuts along random spanning trees within an evidence accumulation framework. We perform statistical tests on synthetic data to assess resulting probability maps for varying distinctness of underlying regions and regionalization parameters. Lastly, we showcase the application of our method to define probabilistic ecoregions using climatic and remotely sensed vegetation indicators and apply our method to assign probabilities to the expert-defined Bailey's ecoregions.     

Reconstruction of local environments of ancient population in a changeable river valley landscape (The Middle Vychegda River,Northern Russia)

In river valleys, both human occupation and subsequent preservation of archaeological sites are affected by active landscape transformation caused by river lateral migration, incision/aggradation cycles and changes of river hydrological regime. In the middle Vychegda River valley (Northern Russia), there are numerous traces of human presence since the Mesolithic. We exploit multi-disciplinary archaeological, geomorphological and geochronological approach to elucidate the environmental preferences of settlements positioning during different epochs of the Holocene. High resolution space image supplemented with data on alluvial stratigraphy derived from bank exposures and hand cores, as well as 51 radiocarbon dates were used to make the geomorphic map showing ages of floodplain/terrace segments and palaeochannels. Using this map together with sediment facial interpretation, position of archaeological sites was analysed in the context of local geomorphic and hydrologic situation. The majority of archaeological sites and modern settlements are found on terraces at river banks or at oxbow lakes which were well connected to the river. Few exceptions from this rule may be explained by seasonal character of dwelling functioning, ritual burial practice or specialization of settlements. Geomorphic situation was used as a background for planning further prospection of different-age archaeological objects.     

Editorial I

Communication strategies emphasize concerns for content (what is said) and process (the way things are said). Scientists have a responsibility to communicate the findings of their research, enhancing prospects that their insights can meaningfully inform management practice. When used effectively, principles from geomorphology provide critical guidance for environmental management. Three key geomorphic messages are outlined here: Respect diversity through communicating spatial and temporal controls upon landscape character and behaviour; Work with nature in conveying the range of behaviour of any given system; and Be proactive by determining the trajectory of landscape change. Uptake of geomorphic understanding reflects, among many factors, our ability to communicate findings clearly. In communicating these messages, different approaches are likely to prove more effective when addressing differing audiences, whether school/university classes, stakeholders, managers, politicians, or the broader community. Collective approaches to learning through dialogue are encouraged as they promote deeper learning, prospectively enhancing the uptake of geomorphic understanding, thereby promoting healthier environmental futures.     

Applied geomorphology and archaeological survey strategy for sites of Pleistocene age: An example from Central Alaska

The development of a survey strategy for archaeological sites of Pleistocene age through the application of historical geomorphology is described. Geomorphic contexts in the northern foothills of the Alaska Range with potential for producing archaeological remains from the 30,000-12,000 bp interval were identified and subjected to exploratory testing. Contexts were selected on the basis of estimated age, palaeotopographic setting and geomorphic history, and included glaciofluvial outwash, side-valley fan alluvium, loessic colluvium and primary frozen loess. Testing was eventually focused on formerly deflated terrace surfaces—a potential source area for artifacts redeposited in the outwash or alluvium. Although the results of the exploratory testing were negative, and archaeological sites in the region remain confined to loess deposits of the later Late Glacial (12,000-10,000 bp), discoveries in other parts of Beringia suggest that sites of earlier Late Glacial age (14,000-12,000 bp) are also likely to be present in the foothills. The application of historical geomorphology in surveys for early prehistoric sites is essential for effective use of available resources and for maximizing the significance of the results (positive or negative).     

BLUEBEARD'S FORBIDDEN ROOM: GENDER IMAGES IN MARGARET ATWOOD'S VISUAL AND LITERARY ART

Regionalization tendencies have often been regarded, in academic and political debates, as a serious challenge for Canadian federalism and the national unity of Canada. This article argues that regionalism—and increased regionalization processes in the context of neoliberal globalization tendencies—is not a contradictory force that threatens federalism and national unity, but that it is and has historically been a decisive feature of Canadian civic nationalism from the beginning of the nation-building project. As a consequence, and for better or worse, processes of devolution under the current politico-economic regime will stabilize Canadian national unity rather than undermine it: regionalization can strengthen civic nationalism in Canada by adding a cultural dimension as a vehicle that negotiates between individual citizens, identity groups, and state institutions. Regionalisms—such as Québécois nationalism—are malleable structures of belonging and provide institutional frameworks (e.g., informal constitutions) and forums of dialogue that enrich the political culture of federalism. We conclude that increased regionalization can help to strengthen Canadian (and other forms of) civic nationalism by preventing them from slipping into monistic unitarism.     

On the Objective and the Subjective Character of Economic Regionalization

The author takes issue with the preceding article on the question of the objective basis for regionalization. Saushkin maintains that the unity of economic regions is not derived from their internal economic relations, as Alampiyev puts it, but from the existence of what Saushkin terms “territorial complexes of productive forces.” Saushkin asserts that a single objective system of regions exists in reality and that it is the task of science to uncover that system. Saushkin says Alampiyev's suggestion that there may be several variants of regionalization smacks of the Western subjective approach to regionalization.     

Urban geoarchaeology and environmental history at the Lost City of the Pyramids,Giza: synthesis and review

Sediment accretion in ancient urban sites and tells records a combination of cultural and geomorphic processes. Urban geoarchaeology is focused on site accumulation, collapse, weathering and erosion, as constrained by architectural plans and structures. These may document settlement growth and decay, as well as environmental history, posing a multidisciplinary challenge of interactive and fluctuating processes.     

On Physical-Geographic Regionalization and the Regionalization of Natural Resources

The author finds conventional physical-geographic regionalization inadequate for economic-geographic purposes, and proposes instead a “natural regionalization” or regionalization of natural resources. Such a regionalization would reflect the economic assessment of the natural environment of a given area and would be more appropriate in economic-geographic research. The principles underlying natural-resource regionalization are illustrated with a regional scheme for the Sudan, an area to which the author has devoted special study.     

The Evolution of Peat‐Swamp Channels and Organic Floodplains,Barrington Tops,New South Wales,Australia

Geomorphology, geochronology and palynology are used to assess the development and stability of two channelled swamps on the Barrington Tops plateau. While both swamps commenced peat accumulation prior to about 4000 cal BP, new stratigraphic data indicate incision between 700 and 1000 cal BP, in response to regional climate change. Two broad stratigraphic units are identified in each swamp: the upper floodplain, comprised entirely of peat, and the inset floodplain, underlain by interbedded peat and fluvial sediments. Following incision, rapid vertical growth of the inset floodplain occurred on the Barrington River between 690 and 620 cal BP, and palynological data indicate a change from more saturated pre‐incision swamp flora to less saturated post‐incision swamp flora. Bankfull stage‐height, achieved many times in a year, is remarkably consistent along the length of each swamp channel. Its elevation controls the overall elevation of the swamps by controlling the height of the water‐table and hence the growth of swamp vegetation and formation of peat. In particular, contemporary channel dimensions control the growth and height of the inset floodplain, a process that results in the formation of an organic floodplain not previously described in the geomorphic literature.     

Regionalizing global trade patterns, 1981–2001: application of a new method

This paper investigates the establishment of trading regions in the global economy at the national level using a measure of trade intensity and a regional assignment algorithm that generates economically meaningful trading regions. Although there is definite regionalization in the global economy with regard to international trade, there is no evidence of an increase in the concentration of that regionalization over time. The geography of international trade is incredibly dynamic, with change related to political, historical and economic forces. Overall, trading regions have relatively few members and are increasingly a set of geographically close countries.     

A Natural-Resource Regionalization of the USSR

A regionalization of natural resources is treated as a particular case of economic regionalization, in the sense that it makes an economic interpretation of the physical base of an area from the point of view of its capacity to generate an economic region of appropriate rank. The resource regionalization is based on two particular regionalizations of bioclimatic and mineral resources, yielding a set of 86 regions that combine both types of resources. A typology of resource regions distinguishes seven basic types of regions in which bioclimatic resources are dominant and four basic types in which mineral resources are dominant. Combinations of bioclimatic and mineral resources yield 24 groups of integral resource regions.     

Cartographic Techniques of Agricultural Regionalization

The use of a series of correlated maps is proposed as an approach to agricultural regionalization. Because of the dynamic character of farm production, two stages in the regionalization process are distinguished: a delimitation of existing agricultural regions and a delimitation of future regions. The basic principle underlying the compilation of agricultural regionalization maps IS to combine the resource base of agriculture with the actual types of farming. Maps of existing regions would also show the volume and structure of farm production, population and farm employment. In the delimitation of long-term future agricultural regions, the emphasis is on determining the potential biological productivity (climate and soils) of regions and the expected volume of production, based on food needs, industrial processing of farm products and the prospects of interregional trade in farm products.     

The Palaeo‐Environmental Contexts of Three Possible Phoenician Anchorages in Portugal

The 2002 Joint Expedition of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and the Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática examined Phoenician maritime involvement in Portugal, combining archaeological, geological and geophysical surveys of former coastal sites—Santa Olaia, Abul and Castro Marim—where previous excavations have uncovered Phoenician remains. Significant geomorphic evolution of bay‐head delta and estuarine settings masks the fact that Phoenician sites were situated at the head of marine embayments or on estuary margins, had easy access to the sea, and immediate access to at least one natural anchorage. All sites exhibited topographical criteria familiar from Phoenician trading‐stations and merchant outposts in the Mediterranean. © 2009 The Authors     

A Role for Geomorphology in Integrated Catchment Management

Catchments (watersheds) are integrated through water movements. Water moves sediments; and the translocation of materials has geomorphic and pedological responses. Fertiliser and pesticide residues and other toxic substances are also transported by water, in solution and attached to sediment particles, affecting various ecological components of catchments. The insertion of pollutants is directly caused by land‐use practices. In turn, land uses are influenced by the pedo‐geomorphology of the catchments (uplands, valley sides, flood plains and terraces, spurs and hollows, convexities and concavities; position in the upper, middle or lower catchment; and by catenary relationships). Therefore catchment management must deal with interrelationships amongst human activities and various geomorphic elements. Several case study examples from southwestern Australia demonstrate the importance of geomorphology in catchment management. They include: rates of hillslope erosion and translocation of P in micro‐catchments within a drainage basin context; stream salinisation; accumulation of heavy metals in stream sediments; geomorphic elements influencing the spread of weeds and the erosion of access tracks; and some relationships between valley‐side land uses and stream morphology. The incorporation of these and other issues in a management strategy is then illustrated. Complex skills are involved in producing and implementing a management strategy, including but extending well beyond those of the geomorphologist.     

A Diachronic Study of Networks of Ceramic Assemblage Similarity in Neolithic Western Anatolia,the Aegean and the Balkans (c.6600–5500 bc)

This study compares the results of Jaccard and Kulczynski‐2 similarity measures on a sample of ceramic assemblages to reveal spatio‐temporal patterns in the relationship between Neolithic sites in western Anatolia and south‐eastern Europe (c.6600–5500 bc ). The results show that the relationship between spatial distance and ceramic assemblage similarity has increased through time, which supports previous interpretations of leapfrog migrations and subsequent regionalization in ceramic assemblages during the Neolithic. A diachronic network analysis demonstrates the continuation of Aegean networking after the spread of farming.     

Lichenometric constraints on the age of the Huashan Grottoes, East China

Lichenometry is a method of dating that has been widely used in glaciated areas for determining the minimum age of exposure of a geomorphic landform during the late Holocene. This paper presents a regional calibration data set of lichen thallus sizes versus rock surface ages for the Huashan area, East China, based on measurements of yellow-green Rhizocarpon lichens on the known-age substrates at eight sites. An empirical relationship between thallus sizes and rock surface ages was established using both the traditional regression and the Bayesian approaches. Using the Bayesian calibration, the minimum age of the Huashan Grottoes was dated from 450 ± 60 to 330 ± 60 years ago, corresponding to the late Ming Dynasty (AD 1477–1632). These dates are generally consistent with those predicted from the regression-based linear growth curve. Our results suggest that applications of this technique can be safely extended to the non-glaciated areas.     

Back to the Future? Regionalism in South‐East Asia Under Unilateral Pressure

This article assesses the prospects for regionalization in South-East Asia. It takes as its point of departure the contradiction between a regionalized and a unilateral world order as typically pursued by the EU and US respectively. It acknowledges the commonly accepted thesis that since September 11, 2001, the US has increasingly exercised a unilateral world order and that this poses a challenge to global regionalization. South-East Asia, a conflict-ridden, previously 'peripheral', region with a'successful' regionalization has been depicted as a 'second front' in the war against terrorism and is thus eligible for considerable US pressure. In this context, the 'ASEAN way', commonly benignly viewed, has been criticized for being shallow, 'allowing' terrorism to operate regionally. However, since 2001, and especially after the Bali bombings in 2003, ASEAN, as well as its member states, have devoted themselves to the war against terrorism. To some extent this has allowed the US a great influence in individual countries and altered regionalization. However, at the same time, the US 'needs' South-East Asian regional organization for combating international terrorism. Moreover, the US offensive in South-East Asia has caused both Japan and China to respond and strike deals on regional cooperation with ASEAN/South-East Asia, achieving long-awaited progress. Thus, the unilateral approach to global order does not, de facto, counteract regionalization, but rather operates through it, and to some extent triggers it. The counterintuitive conclusion is thus that an increasing unilateral pressure may not preclude a continued global regionalization, and that these two orders are not necessarily incompatible.     

p‐Functional Clusters Location Problem for Detecting Spatial Clusters with Covering Approach

Regionalization or districting problems commonly require each individual spatial unit to participate exclusively in a single region or district. Although this assumption is appropriate for some regionalization problems, it is less realistic for delineating functional clusters, such as metropolitan areas and trade areas where a region does not necessarily have exclusive coverage with other regions. This paper develops a spatial optimization model for detecting functional spatial clusters, named the p‐functional clusters location problem (p‐FCLP), which has been developed based on the Covering Location Problem. By relaxing the complete and exhaustive assignment requirement, a functional cluster is delineated with the selective spatial units that have substantial spatial interaction. This model is demonstrated with applications for a functional regionalization problem using three journey‐to‐work flow datasets: (1) among the 46 counties in South Carolina, (2) the counties in the East North Central division of the US Census, and (3) all counties in the US. The computational efficiency of p‐FCLP is compared with other regionalization problems. The computational results show that detecting functional spatial clusters with contiguity constraints effectively solves problems with optimality in a mixed integer programming (MIP) approach, suggesting the ability to solve large instance applications of regionalization problems.