CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURE OF EVAPORATION IN THE ARAL SEA BASIN

An analysis of evaporation changes in the Central Asian plain in connection with the drop of the Aral Sea level beginning in 1961 shows that there has been a reduction in evaporation from stream valleys and deltas and an increase in evaporation from irrigated land and newly formed evaporating surfaces. These new entities are primarily the Arnasay depression (west of the Golodnaya Steppe irrigation district) and the Sarykamysh depression (west of the lower reaches of the Amudarya), which have become filled with spent irrigation water draining from the irrigated land. Another new source of evaporation associated with human activity are the lakes and wetlands formed along the Kara Kum Canal as a result of the filtration of canal water. It turns out, furthermore, that irrigation on sloping piedomon plains, such as those watered by the Kara Kum Canal, requires more water than in old irrigated alluvial plains because of the additional water needed to flush salt out of the soil and to fill subsoil cavities and raise the watertable.     

THE CAUSES OF WATERLEVEL CHANGES OF THE ARAL SEA IN THE HOLOCENE

A specialist in loess geomorphology and arid-zone hydrology distinguishes three categories of factors accounting for waterlevel changes in the Aral Sea. She judges the most significant to be changes in inflow resulting from changes in the course of the Amudarya, the more important of the two tributary streams. The Amudarya at various times emptied into the Sarykamysh depression, southwest of the Aral Sea, giving rise to a flow of water through the now dry Uzboy channel to the Caspian Sea. Climatic change, involving alternations of wet and dry cycles, is said to have accounted for only minor water level fluctuations, of the order of 4 to 6 m, against the background of the major fluctuations produced by the Amudarya course migrations. Human activity, notably irrigation, is regarded as having become significant only in modern times as a result of an expansion of irrigation works. The present abrupt decline in the Aral waterlevel (6 m from 1960 to 1977, including 2 m in the last three years) is attributed to the combination of a dry climatic cycle and greatly increased use of water for irrigation.     

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.     

Problems of Transport Development of the West Siberian Plain in Conjunction with the Formation of a new Economic Complex in its Territory

A transportation model of the West Siberian plain is based on a division of the region into subregions, and estimates of expected traffic requirements among these subregions. Arguments for and against the construction of railroads, as opposed to waterways and highways, as the basic means of transport are presented. The Tyumen'-Surgut railroad, now under construction, is viewed as the optimal initial approach to the region's transport development. Future alternative rail lines are outlined.     

The Water-Balance Components of the Aral Sea and their Impact on Long-Term Level Fluctuations

An analysis of water-balance components over the 45-year period 1926–1970 seeks to establish their relative significance in the marked decline of the Aral Sea level since 1961. Long-term fluctuations in the sea level are found to reflect both natural fluctuations in the water resources available to the drainage basin and the steady growth of human activity in the watershed area. An increase in water withdrawals for irrigation in the 1950s did not appreciably affect the Aral Sea level because of generally large water resources during those years. The intensive decline of the water level since 1961 is attributed mainly to a growth of consumptive withdrawals from the Syrdarya and Amudarya, the two main tributaries of the Aral Sea. The position of the sea level also depends on the annual fluctuations of evaporation from the sea surface, which tends to be more variable than the annual streamflow to the sea. The subsurface component of Aral Sea inflow, contrary to previous studies, is found to be a negligible factor.     

The Role of River Transport in the Development and Location of Productive Forces in the Eastern Regions of the USSR

A basin-by-basin survey of water-borne freight movements in Siberia. The Ob'-Irtysh basin has gained in significance with the development of its oil and gas resources, and further expansion of water transport depends mainly on construction of additional cargo-handling facilities. In the Yenisey basin, the construction of large hydroelectric dams tends to provide an important deep-water route between Lake Baykal and the sea, but no ship locks are being provided in most of the dams. The importance of the Lena basin has been enhanced since 1951 by the construction of the Tayshet-Lena railroad, providing direct access to the upper Lena from the Trans-Siberian main line. Cargo destined for the north coast of Siberia now moves increasingly through the Lena basin instead of over the Northern Sea Route. The Amur River continues to play an important transport role (especially for lumber and coal movements) even though large segments of the stream are paralleled by the railroad.     

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.     

Problems in the Geography of Economic-Transport Links of the World Socialist System

The formation of the world socialist system required the reorientation of existing transport links and the provision of new routes. Differences in the level of technical equipment and in rail gauges present problems for the railroads, which handle 85 per cent of all international freight traffic within the socialist system. The predominance of railroads in expected to persist for the immediate future; steps are suggested for strengthening this sector of the transport system.     

Study of the Climatic Resources of the USSR and their Economic Utilization

A combination of cheap natural gas and hydroelectric power resources makes Central Asia a promising site for the development of energy- oriented industries such as chemicals and light metals. The author shows that it is more economical to produce power-consuming products in Central Asia than to transmit cheap gas and electricity to other parts of the USSR.     

Dealing with globalisation at the regional and local level: the case of contemporary containerization

This paper considers the challenges that ocean container companies face in developing global operations in the ocean and land realms. The recent horizontal and vertical integration of the ocean carriers and the subsequent formation of global networks have taken place for the transport of goods at sea. Conformity in operations is to be expected in the globalisation process; however, there is less conformity of operations on land. The cooperation strategies at sea appear to break down when the goods reach the port. Each shipping company has its own network of agents and agreements with shippers, freight forwarders or land transportation companies to handle goods on land. Each also has varying logistics provision abilities. Moreover, the land areas vary according to simple geography, economic development, transport infrastructure and institutional constraints. Of these differences, we suggest that institutional constraints create the greatest challenge to the ocean carriers adopting a universal land strategy to service their customers. The paper focuses on three major areas for containerisation—East Asia, Northwest Europe and North America—and draws on interviews conducted with shipping industry executives in Norfolk (Va.), Rotterdam, Le Havre, Hong Kong and Singapore. The paper ends with a look at the land operations of Maersk Sealand as an example of a company with varying capabilities and strategies for the landward transport of containers.     

近代长江流域行轮内港时空变迁研究(1898—1929年)——基于《<内河行轮章程>项下华洋轮船行驶 内港名录》的复原

1898年清廷颁布《内港行船章程》后,长江内河轮运骤兴,开放轮船行驶的内港日渐增多,截至1929年全流域有超过418处内港开放行轮,内河航运格局为之一变。长江流域开放行轮的内港在空间上集中于下游地区,中游也有较多分布,上游地区则十分稀少。行轮内港的开放在时间上则呈现出下游到上游、干流到支流两种趋势。近代行轮内港的时空变迁趋势反映了轮运这一新式交通在长江流域的发展情况。     

Transport Problems of the Volga Region in Connection with Development of its Productive Forces

The Volga region, which owes its economic development in considerable measure to its favorable transport situation, is expected to continue as a major transit region, as fuels and energy [oil, gas, electric power] are transmitted from newly developed Siberian areas to the manufacturing centers of European Russia. Because of the importance of the east-west routes, railroads will continue to play a key role in the regional transport picture, but pipelines and waterways are planned to become more important.     

The ripple effects of large-scale transport infrastructure investment

We analyze the general equilibrium effects of an asymmetric decrease in transport costs, combining a large-scale spatial dynamic general equilibrium model for 267 European NUTS-2 regions with a detailed transport model at the level of individual road segments. As a case study, we consider the impact of the road infrastructure investments in Central and Eastern Europe of the European Cohesion Policy. Our analysis suggests that the decrease in transportation costs benefits the targeted regions via substantial increases in gross domestic product (GDP) and welfare compared to the baseline, and a small increase in population. The geographic information embedded in the transport model leads to relatively large predicted benefits in peripheral countries such as Greece and Finland, which hardly receive funds, but whose trade links cross Central and Eastern Europe, generating profit from the investments there. The richer, Western European nontargeted regions also enjoy a higher GDP after the investment in the East, but these effects are smaller. Thus, the policy reduces interregional disparities. There are rippled patterns in the predicted policy spillovers. In nontargeted countries, regions trading more intensely with regions where the investment is taking place on average benefit more compared to other regions within the same country, but also compared to neighboring regions across an international border. We uncover that regions importing goods from Central and Eastern Europe enjoy the largest spillovers. These regions become more competitive and expand exports, to the detriment of other regions in the same country.     

唐代“登州海行入高丽道”的变迁与赤山法华院的形成

“登州海行入高丽道”是唐代重要的海上航道。但在不同时期,其主要航线也不尽相同。大致说来,前期主要从登州北部的蓬莱、黄县境内的出海口出发,沿着贾耽所记述的“登州海行入高丽道”的航线航行;后期则主要从登州南部的牟平、文登县境内的出海口出发,横渡黄海,直抵韩半岛。正是在登州通往朝鲜半岛主要航线变迁南移的形势下,赤山浦以其优越的地理位置和交通条件,成为新罗商人张保皋首选的在唐贸易最重要的联络地和中转站,并在这里修建了一座法华寺院。     

Aggregate Rent and Surplus Measurement in a von Thünen Model

While theoreticians continue to debate the appropriateness of surplus measurement in a von Thünen crop model, examples of practitioners appealing to such measures can be found. This paper shows that the well known equivalence between aggregate location rent and producers' surplus, extends to the case of a nonhomogeneous transportation system. Specifically a transportation route running through the region improves access to the town and encourages an extension of the production region. Results in the paper show the equilibrium price for the crop (as a function of the quality of the improved route); an equivalence between aggregate rent and the surplus accruing to crop producers; and the existence of an area within which crop production is cut back after the transport route is opened.     

客家毛村水运经济际遇的变迁

经济生产方式的变化在一定程度上折射出社会变迁的信息与轨迹。通过阐述一个客家村落——广西桂林毛村的水运经济的兴衰变迁,看到素以水运为命脉的毛村,一旦失去旧有的生产方式,他们的命运又将如何呢。     

Division of the waters: changing concepts of the continental divide, 1804–1844

One of the major features of the continental geography of North America that was still misunderstood at the beginning of the nineteenth century was the drainage system between the Mississippi River and the Pacific. At the beginning of the century, Americans thought of the drainage system as symmetrical, with all major streams heading in a common source region and flowing in several directions to the Mississippi, the Arctic, the Pacific and the Gulf of California. The desired water route across the continent was based upon this view. During the first half of the nineteenth century the concept of the common source region and the water route underwent revision. Geographical information from early explorers like Lewis and Clark and Pike reinforced the older theories but gradually gave way before more accurate data acquired by the men of the Rocky Mountain fur trade. The fur trade lore was tested by John Charles Frémont in the 1840's and a new image was developed, one of a continental divide rather than a common source region. Although the idea of a commercial route across the continent still persisted after Frémont, it was viewed as a land route, crossing the Continental Divide at South Pass, rather than one by water.     

Environmental Risk and Uncertainty: Insights from Yucca Mountain

Abstract This study examines the effects of the risk from transporting high–level radioactive waste to the proposed Yucca Mountain repository on housing location decisions in Southern Nevada. Using data from a survey of southern Nevada households, we develop a model–based subjective risk estimate for each household. We then explore different factors that may influence the household's location decisions if the proposed transportation route is ultimately chosen for nuclear waste transport. We extend the conventional expected utility model to allow for uncertainty surrounding the actual risks borne by the household. Finally, we examine the impact of federal government compensation on households' location decisions. The findings indicate that residents currently living near the proposed transportation route express subjective risk estimates much larger than those reported by the Department of Energy. In general, households that are uncertain about the future risks are more likely to relocate than those expressing certainty. When everything is considered, the model predicts that between one and three percent of households living near the transportation route are likely to relocate. Compensation can influence some households to remain at their present location and bear the transport risk.     

20世纪七八十年代引滦工程决策历程

水资源短缺一直制约着京津唐地区经济和社会的发展。20世纪70年代,因缺水引发的经济、社会问题逐渐凸显,促使中央和地方政府开始考虑实施跨流域调水工程。引滦工程作为北方最大的跨流域调水工程,其决策经历了曲折的过程。1958年,北京和唐山曾分别提出引滦河水的设想,唐山还实施了引滦入还和引还入陡工程。1972年,海河流域大旱促使中央做出加快实施引滦工程的决定,但由于地质情况复杂等原因,引滦工程设计方案被反复修改。1981年,天津提出了单独引滦济津路线并得到了中央的支持。引滦工程对缓解京津唐用水紧张发挥了重要作用,天津是引滦工程受益最大的地区。     

宋代安南使节广西段所经路线考

宋代是中越双边关系的草创期,各种外交制度和模式都处在摸索和调适之中,其中就包涵了安南使节使宋路线的选择。廉州道是北宋前期安南使节优先选择的路线,但钦州道后来居上,取而代之,成为宋代安南使节使宋的主要线路,邕州道凭借其全程陆路的优点,地位亦有日益增重的趋势。路线选择背后蕴含着深刻的历史和自然背景,如历史的惯性,交通干线和贸易中心的变迁,接待花费与交通成本,以及气候、地形和路线距离等自然因素。