On the Question of Diverting part of the Unused Runoff of Northern and Siberian Rivers into Regions Suffering from a Shortage of Water Resources

An advocate of the diversion of Siberian water to Central Asia presents the latest thinking on such a project and recommends a combination of the diversion of water from the upper Ob' for irrigation of Northern Kazakhstan and the diversion of water from a small lower Ob' reservoir southward across the Turgay divide into the Aral Sea basin.     

The Water Problem in the Deserts of the USSR

A regional review of existing and planned irrigation projects in the desert zone of the Soviet Union envisages the use of water from the Siberian streams in the northern section of the desert zone. For increased water supplies in the south, the author looks to other potential sources such as artificial increases of precipitation in the mountains of Central Asia, elimination of wild growths of water-loving plants, and technological advances that will make possible the economical desalting of water from salt lakes and of mineralized subsurface waters.     

The Ob' will enter the Caspian: the Yenisey-Ob'-Aral-Caspian Water Connection and the Energy Problem

An early 1949 version of Davydov's grandiose scheme for diverting water from the Yenisey and Ob' Rivers to Kazakhstan and Central Asia via the Turgay Gates and the Aral and Caspian Seas in order to stabilize the level of the Caspian, expand the irrigated acreage of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, generate abundant hydro-electric power, provide a cheap water transport route between Siberia and Central Asia, eliminate sukhovei (dry winds) at their source, and ameliorate the continental climate of Western Siberia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia. The plan reflects the anthropocentric “transformation of nature” and the large-scale “great projects of communism” drives of the late Stalinist period. The translation was prepared by James R. Gibson of York University, Toronto.     

Roman mining on Exmoor: a geomorphological approach at Anstey's Combe,Dulverton

Abstract

A survey of valley fills in south-facing combes (headwater valleys) along the south side of the Exmoor massif revealed an anomalously deep infill in one valley. This infill of up to 5 m depth had been gullied revealing a complex stratigraphy. Studies of the stratigraphy, clast orientation and shape suggested several accumulation episodes under different environmental conditions commencing in a periglacial climatic regime. Later units included sandy silts which can be dated using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) of quartz grains. The OSL dates, indicate that the inter-gravel silts accumulated in two periods, the Romano-British period and the 16th–17th centuries AD. A survey of the very small valley catchment revealed a linear trench of a type associated with early iron mining. Given the anomalously high volume of accumulated sediment from such a small catchment and evidence of mining on the slope above the site, the geomorphic mechanism is almost certainly the downslope transport of mining debris from the slope to the valley floor. This study suggests that the systematic survey of headwater valleys in metalliferous uplands may be one way of locating areas of early mining activity and that such deposits could provide a chronology of working and abandonment.     

Hydraulic Analysis of a Self-Cleaning Drainage Outlet at the Hellenistic City of Priene

At the distal western end of a main drainage canal running along West Gate Street in the Hellenistic city of Priene, an unusual masonry outlet structure has been found. The housed structure contains a doubly curvilinear, contracting rectangular cross-section flow passageway that allows drainage water flow through the city perimeter wall. A computer model of the complexly-shaped drainage structure has been hydraulically analysed in order to determine the function of the curvilinear passageway. Results indicate that the internal shaping of the structure hydraulically conditions the flow to create multiple circulatory mixing flows that agitate and entrain debris in the outflow stream sufficient to “self-clean” the outlet, thus preventing clogging. Further calculations of flow free surface shapes at different flow rates indicate the maximum flow capacity that can be processed by the drainage system without overspillage to provide a lower-bound estimate of the steady-state water supply to the city. The design of a self-cleaning, continuous flow urban wastewater system implies that Greek city planners maintained a high level of awareness about the hygienic conditions needed to maintain the health of the populace. The Greek attitude toward technical refinements necessary to improve the quality of urban life could therefore not be better represented than in attention to detail related to water supply and waste water drainage systems as a key to improved life standards.     

The Impact of Large Water Engineering Projects on Geomorphic Processes in Stream Valleys

Large storage reservoirs have a significant effect on the landscape of river valleys. A rise of the base level, caused by dam construction, together with the resulting changes in the stream regime set off a sequence of interrelated geomorphic processes. Upstream from the edge of the backwater produced by the dam, regressive aggradation gradually spreads upriver, resulting both in a rise in the valley floor and a rise in water level. Within the reservoir itself, waves, longshore currents, seasonal changes in water level and gravitational processes on shoreline slopes combine to produce a distinctive shoreline relief, characterized by large areas of recurrent inundation, lagoon closed off by baymouth bars, and high cliffs retreating under the impact of wave abrasion. Downstream from the dam, heavy downcutting of the river channel gives rise to a stream terrace, whose relative height declines from the vicinity of the dam toward the mouth. Downcutting of the channel in the main stream in turn tends to lower the base level in the lower reaches of tributaries.     

The Location of the Cement Industry of Eastern Siberia Within the Long-Term Future

The present location of the East Siberian cement industry is irrational because it does not correspond to the location of its markets, depends heavily on raw-material hauls from other parts of the country, and does not supply the cement types needed within the East Siberian region. Because of a shortage of natural cement materials within the region, it is proposed that cement production be based on the utilization of by-products of other industries, such as alumina production.     

洛阳汉河南县城陶排水管道发掘简报

2001年 7月, 洛阳市文物工作队在洛阳汉河南县城南墙外发现一段陶水管, 根据其结构特点, 认定为汉代的排水管道, 这为研究汉代建筑的排水系统提供了十分珍贵的资料。     

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.     

Constraints on the precision of SAR in equivalent dose estimations close to saturation in quartz

Difficulties in evaluating accurate equivalent doses for Late Quaternary sediments from the south coasts of Greece arose in the course of SAR measurements. Large scatter among apparent equivalent doses perplexed the evaluation of accurate mean estimates in circumstances where very large doses were involved. Besides, dose recovery experiments revealed that when intersection of the natural signal occurs onto the saturating segment of the growth curve, a distinct relationship between D_e and growth curve shape occurs. At very low slope angles, SAR tends to overestimate the recovered dose. The mechanism which controls the spread in equivalent dose estimation is investigated.     

Engineering-Geomorphology Characteristics and Regionalization of the Main River Valleys of Siberia in Connection with Hydroelectric Power Development

A geomorphic regionalization of the main river valleys of Siberia is proposed for purposes of selecting potential sites for hydroelectric power stations. The regionalization is based on geomorphic features that relate to the stability of dams and to construction conditions: valley morphology; composition and thickness of sediments; geological structure and properties of dam-foundation rocks; permafrost and slope processes; seismic activity; local availability of building materials. Six basic regions are distinguished: mountains, plains, the intermediate piedmont, trap plateau, stratified plateau, tableland. Potential dam sites are listed for each major region together with projects that have been completed or are in progress.     

Transport Development of the Middle Ob'oil District

Two basic alternative transport systems are analyzed for the new oil-producing district along the Middle Ob'valley in West Siberia. One is the construction of a railroad parallel to the Ob' River; the other is the use of the waterway itself. Comparative cost analysis suggests that the railroad would be economical only for very large traffic volumes, not expectable in the foreseeable future. By 1980–1985, expected freight flows may justify construction of the western section of the proposed railroad in the oil district itself. Instead of an eastward extension, the author advocates a continuation toward the rich gas and possibly oil prospects in the northern part of the West Siberian plain, and ultimately to Noril'sk. The paper was published before the Soviet Union announced, in early 1970, that the accelerated development of the oil district required construction of the western section of the Ob'valley railroad in the 1970s.     

The Upper Paleolithic of northern Asia: Achievements,problems, and perspectives. I. Western Siberia

The beginning of the Upper Paleolithic in Western Siberia is now dated to almost 35,000 B.P. The earliest sites reveal a well-developed blade technology and very sophisticated mobiliary art. The evidence suggests that the early Upper Paleolithic developed within Siberia out of the local Mousterian and that there is no need to regard it as an intrusive phenomenon out of the west, as has been traditionally done. The florescence of the Western Siberian Upper Paleolithic began at about the glacial maximum and two major cultural groups can be identified. However, they share many features in common and seem not to have existed in isolation from each other; instead, it is possible to trace numerous complex and interwoven connections between them. Together, they form a Western Siberian Upper Paleolithic technocomplex, which was essentially local but fully as sophisticated and as technologically advanced as was that of Europe.     

The Water Resources of the Ob' River Basin

The original author of the great Siberian diversion scheme defends his views at a 1965 conference on multipurpose use of the water resources of the Ob' basin. Noting the development of West Siberia's oil and gas resources, which was just beginning to get under way, Davydov says it would be a mistake to base the local use of water resources solely on the interests of the oil and gas industry. He also rejects objections of the fishery industry to the construction of hydroelectric stations, and contends that the diversion of Siberian waters to the heavily populated and developed southern regions of the USSR will be essential to insure adequate water supply by the year 2000.     

Evolution of the Palaeolithic landscape at the westernmost tip of continental Europe: The shoreline seen by the Menez Dregan dwellers

The successive dwellers of the Palaeolithic Menez Dregan site (Finistère, France) experienced a different landscape because of the relative sea level transgressions and regressions which affected Audierne Bay between 465 and 369?Ka. We computed a series of bathymetric measurements and then produced a series of 3D images between Penmarc'h Bill, the Sein Ridge and the –120?m isobath to reconstruct these landscapes. Due to the lack of flint in the onshore and offshore Brittany basement, the –40 and –80?m regressive stages have been particularly well studied as they correspond to two well-developed flint-rich boulder bars. The other topographic features which probably attracted the attention of pre-Neanderthals were: (1) the vertical granite cliffs of Sein, Audierne and Penmarc'h; (2) the mid-Bay granitic pinnacles and cascade; (3) the Raz pass, which was the only communication route between the Audierne and Douarnenez Bays; (4) the Goayen and Pouldreuzic Rivers; (5) the Ar Palinier plateau made up of shelly limestone characterised by small caves and dolinas; (6) the Bigorne marsh, infilled by continental mud, which received drainage from all the rivers and the cascade; (7) the gentle south-facing slope located south of Sein island and (8) the N130° 2?m linear step cutting across all of their territory. Some of these data suggest that other Palaeolithic sites may have occurred at a deeper depth than the present sea level.     

The Influence of Data Aggregation on the Stability of p-Median Location Model Solutions

Location planning often makes use of data in an aggregate form without a clear understanding of the consequences. Although research has been directed toward addressing aggregate data usage in location planning, there have been conflicting findings on the stability of location model solutions obtained using aggregated data. This paper analyzes the question of location model solution stability from a somewhat different perspective than previous researchers in that locational configurations identified for aggregate data are evaluated using the original disaggregate data. Analytical results demonstrate that a high level of solution stability does exist when aggregated data are utilized. Further, this analysis is based upon the use of what can be expected to be worst case aggregation approaches. This suggests that the use of aggregate data is adequate for conducting locational studies.     

Placers of the Urals,Their Formation,Distribution and Elements of Geomorphic Prediction

The gold, platinum and titanium placers are analyzed from the geomorphic point of view to establish future prospects as the Quaternary placers now being worked become depleted. The key to placer prospecting is seen in the historical sequence of deposition and redeposition in which older placers in turn became source areas for younger placers. The main metallogenetic epoch is associated with the Middle and Late Jurassic as well as a substantial part of the Cretaceous when intensive weathering of the regolith yielded rich placer accumulations in Mesozoic erosional-structural depressions that represent segments of the drainage net of the period. These depressions subsequently were the source areas for new placers as the drainage pattern was reoriented. In some areas crustal movements played a role as renewed erosion induced by uplifting resulted in the redeposition of metal in new placers. As the Quaternary placers become depleted, an effort is therefore recommended to focus prospecting and exploration in the source areas associated with the Mesozoic depressions.     

Craniometric characteristics of the Ust-Ishim people (The Southern Taiga part of the Irtysh Basin,late 1st – Early 2nd Millennia AD)

Cranial series from the Ust-Ishim burial grounds represent the medieval population of the southern taiga zone of the Middle Irtysh. Indirect data suggests that in the 5th–8th centuries AD, the area was populated by people akin to the low-faced Mongoloids who had lived in the Western Siberian forest steppe in the Early Iron Age. Apart from that, a very small Southern Siberian Mongoloid admixture is present. Generally, the Ust-Ishim people are similar to the Tobol–Irtysh group of populations belonging to the Ob–Irtysh variety of the Western Siberian race. Among the modern populations, those closest to the Ust-Ishim people are the Tobol-Irtysh Tatars, implying genetic continuity with the medieval groups studied by us.     

Landform Conservation and Flood Control: the Issue of the Chitose Diversion Channel Project in Hokkaido,Japan

Landform conservation is the main task of geomorphology in the 21st Century. Since landforms provide the templates for the development of wildlife habitats, landform change is likely to cause habitat loss, inducing a reduction of biodiversity. From the viewpoint of ‘geomorphic species’, specific landforms such as natural rivers, tidal flats and coral reefs are endangered species in the Japanese islands. To avoid the further destruction of natural rivers, environmentally appropriate flood control plans are necessary. The analysis of the Chitose Diversion Channel project in Hokkaido, Japan, revealed that (1) the construction of this diversion channel has caused not only environmental problems but also serious social conflicts relating to habitats within and beyond the drainage basin; (2) excavation of a deep channel changed the groundwater supply which previously supported a natural river system, and (3) selection of a very high discharge value as the target of flood control was the main reason for planning this project. From a landform conservation perspective, the method adopted in Japan is unsuitable because it does not incorporate the scientific procedure necessary for selecting the ‘best’ peak discharge corresponding to the target rainfall with a certain recurrence period. An alternative flood control plan, combining the selection of a lower peak discharge, construction of retention pools and the restoration of meandering river channels is proposed to avoid the further destruction of natural rivers.     

Streams,Slopes, and Suburban Development

The percent of available relief in the form of free-face slope and the percent of valley width as floodplain change systematically throughout drainage networks in response to changes in network position. The energy level and discharge of streams at the bases of slopes may be assessed by means of a cumulative stream-ordering system wherein the stream order is directly related to discharge. Investigations of several small drainage basins on the rim of the Denver Basin, Colorado, by means of field measurements, interpretation of aerial photography, and operation of a computer model provide data that indicate that the distribution of near-channel slopes responds to changes in land use, and particularly to suburban development. Increasing suburban development causes increases in the size and frequency of both free faces and floodplains.