THEORIES, PARADIGMS, MAPPING, AND GEOMORPHOLOGY

A past-president's address is a unique opportunity to reflect on one's experience in a discipline or to examine that discipline with a critical eye. This is best done during the brashness of youth or from the comfortable position of maturity. Obviously it is from the latter vantage point that I wish to probe this branch of science, geomorphology, which for twenty years has given me renewed intellectual challenges, beauty that only a field scientist has the privilege to behold, physical difficulties which result in a minimum of middle-age bulge, and lessons in humility which keep proposed explanations honest.     

SOME THEORETICAL PROBLEMS IN GEOMORPHOLOGY

The author takes issue with a number of theoretical issues discussed in a recent book by Yu. G. Simonov, fellow Moscow University geomorphologist. A definition of the central problem in geomorphology as encompassing the interaction between endogenic and exogenic forces is said to leave out the role played by the landforms themselves in exerting an impact on those outside agents and, through them, on surface relief itself. Spiridonov favors a systems approach to geomorphology, but questions the suitability of the term “morphosystem” proposed by Simonov as a substitute for morphosculpture, signifying the impact of exogenic processes on landforms. Surface relief should be investigated as an open system, although some simplified situations, such as an enclosed drainage system, might be studied in terms of closed systems, making possible the use of mathematical techniques. The importance of the application of formal logic in geomorphic classification is stressed, and the use of synthetic parameters is favored for purposes of landform classification.     

SMALLHOLDERS,ORGANIC FARMERS,AND AGRICULTURAL POLICY

An increasing number of consumers find it important that food is produced locally and in an environmentally friendly way. This development is beneficial for small‐scale and organic farmers. It might also give them new opportunities to influence policy‐making. Agriculture is however a policy sector where conventional and large‐scale farming interests have had a strong position for a long time. This paper examines the possibilities for Scandinavian smallholders' and organic farmers' organizations to exert influence on agricultural policy. In Sweden, the main focus of investigation, the smallholders are marginalized. The organic farmers on the other hand have been successful and during the 1990s they managed to establish themselves in the policy network.     

ON UNDERESTIMATION OF THE CLIMATIC FACTOR IN GEOMORPHOLOGY

A plea for greater consideration of the climatic factor in Soviet geomorphology, which, in the view of the dean of Moscow University geomorphologists, tends to place undue emphasis on the engodenic factors of relief formation. The author would not go so far as to favor a separate climatically oriented discipline in geomorphology, but he urges greater emphasis on the climatic factor in the training of geomorphologists in the Soviet Union. The author cites examples of recent Soviet work in which the climatic factor was neglected and an example in which it was properly considered.     

‘ORGANIC TEMPER’ AND THE EARLY NEOLITHIC POTTERY PRODUCTION: INTERPRETATIONAL CHALLENGES

Well-preserved plant remains found in clay bodies of Early Neolithic pottery of Southeastern Europe have been largely understudied. The characteristics and provenance of this ‘organic temper’ remain mostly unknown, making interpretations obscure. Based on a range of research methods, this article explores the macro and micro plant remains within the pottery clays, considering such aspects as the use of domesticated versus wild plants and actual functional temper versus organic inclusions as background noise. This innovative approach is applied to explore three different Early Neolithic Balkan sites, demonstrating the importance in distinguishing between (a) deliberate addition of selected temper as a technological prerequisite; (b) sporadic occurrence of plant parts in (domestic) areas where pottery was made, (c) natural characteristics of the local clays containing organics and used as raw materials, and (d) plant use pointing towards more specific pottery-making techniques. Possible misinterpretations and pitfalls are discussed in using the applied integrated methodology, thus revealing crucial details on the variability of the technological approaches applied during the Early Neolithic of Southeastern Europe.     

基于数字高程模型的城市地貌与地名相关性分析——以兰州市为例

以兰州市为例,使用ASTER 30米分辨率的数字高程模型DEM并提取了兰州市周边所有地名信息;通过收集、整理地名,主要地名类型有:滩、坪、台、山、沟、湾、屲(洼)、岭、岘、梁、岗、咀等;通过地名与地貌分析,发现兰州地名命名及分布在很大程度上能够反映兰州市的地形地貌,且兰州地名类型的分布随高程呈现出一定规律;每一高程面上的地名数量与该高程面上兰州市的面积变化并没形成对应关系,在1800-1900 m、2100-2800 m高程,地名数量与面积对应较好;通过分析进一步证明了我国地名命名系统和地貌之间的关系,说明在我国文化地理及自然地理等学科的发展中具有融合现象。     

城市犯罪风险区位因子与风险地形分析——以武汉市主城区为例

从犯罪背景空间、场所空间、联接空间和聚集空间四个层次,构建城市犯罪风险区位因子体系。以武汉市主城区为研究区域,以立案判决的“两抢一盗”犯罪为数据源,综合运用空间句法、犯罪近重复分析和地理加权回归模型方法进行犯罪风险地形建模实证研究。结果表明,犯罪风险区位因子对犯罪空间分布的影响具有显著的空间异质性;依据多层次的犯罪风险区位因子体系及其对犯罪行为的影响机制,城市犯罪高风险区域可分为城市商业中心、火车站交通枢纽、城中村和城乡结合部等几大类型。基于犯罪地理学理论构建的犯罪风险区位因子体系模拟的犯罪风险地形对实际犯罪空间分布有良好的解释度,可为城市犯罪分布环境形成机制的研究提供相关借鉴。     

QUANTIFICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF LIPID IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CERAMICS: IMPLICATIONS FOR SAMPLING POTSHERDS FOR ORGANIC RESIDUE ANALYSIS AND THE CLASSIFICATION OF VESSEL USE

Organic residue analysis has been performed on 62 reconstructed vessels from a single archaeological site (Rounds, Northamptonshire, U.K.). In order to establish regions of lipid accumulation within a vessel, sherds were sampled from different parts of a vessel, for example base, body and rim, and submitted to lipid extraction procedures. The techniques of high-temperature gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were then used to analyse the sherd lipid extracts. The quantitative results obtained show differential accumulation and preservation of lipid in various parts of the same vessel. This latter observation has serious implications for the sampling of potsherds for organic residue analysis. Furthermore, the amount of absorbed lipid varies quite considerably between vessel types. On this basis, a new method is proposed for classifying vessel use by comparing the concentration of lipid present in different parts of individual vessels.