Eastern Route Research Articles

Multi-Time-Scale Climatic Variations over Eastern China and Implications for the South–North Water Diversion Project

Abstract Middle and eastern routes of the South–North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) of China, which are approximately located within the area 28°–42°N and 110°–122°E, are being constructed. This paper investigates the past climatic variations on various time scales using instrumental and proxy data. It is found that annual mean surface air temperature has increased significantly during the past 50–100 years, and winter and spring temperatures in the northern part of the region have undergone the most significant changes. A much more significant increase occurs for annual mean minimum temperature and extreme low temperature than for annual mean maximum temperature and extreme high temperature. No significant trend in annual precipitation is found for the region as a whole for the last 50 and 100 years, although obvious decadal and spatial variation is detectable. A seesaw pattern of annual and summer precipitation variability between the north and the south of the region is evident. Over the last 100 years, the Haihe River basin has witnessed a significant negative trend of annual precipitation, but no similar trend is detected for the Yangtze and Huaihe River basins. Pan evaporation has significantly decreased since the mid-1960s in the region in spite of the fact that the trend appears to have ended in the early 1990s. The negative trend of pan evaporation is very significant in the plain area between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. There was a notable series of dry intervals lasting decades in the north of the region. The northern drought of the past 30 years is not the most severe in view of the past 500 years; however, the southern drought during the period from the 1960s to the 1980s may have been unprecedented. The dryness–wetness index (DWI) shows significant oscillations with periodicities of 9.5 and 20 years in the south and 10.5 and 25 years in the north. Longer periodicities in the DWI series include 160–170- and 70–80-yr oscillations in the north, and 100–150-yr oscillations in the south. The observed climate change could have implications for the construction and management of the SNWDP. The official approval and start of the hydro project was catalyzed by the severe multiyear drought of 1997–2003 in the north, and the operation and management of the project in the future will also be influenced by climate change—in particular by precipitation variability. This paper provides a preliminary discussion of the potential implications of observed climate change for the SNWDP.

Transport of Babesia venatorum-infected Ixodes ricinus to Norway by northward migrating passerine birds

BackgroundBovine babesiosis is regarded as a limited health problem for Norwegian cows, and the incidence has decreased markedly since the 1930s. Rare cases of babesiosis in splenectomised humans from infection with Babesia divergens and B.venatorum have been described. The objective of this study was to determine whether birds can introduce Babesia-infected ticks. There are between 30 and 85 million passerine birds that migrate to Norway every spring.MethodsPasserine birds were examined for ticks at four bird observatories along the southern Norwegian coast during the spring migrations of 2003, 2004 and 2005. The presence of Babesia was detected in the nymphs of Ixodes ricinus by real-time PCR. Positive samples were confirmed using PCR, cloning and phylogenetic analyses.ResultsOf 512 ticks examined, real-time PCR revealed five to be positive (1.0%). Of these, four generated products that indicated the presence of Babesia spp.; each of these were confirmed to be from Babesia venatorum (EU1). Two of the four B. venatorum-positive ticks were caught from birds having an eastern migratory route (P< 0.001).ConclusionsBirds transport millions of ticks across the North Sea, the Skagerrak and the Kattegat every year. Thus, even with the low prevalence of Babesia-infected ticks, a substantial number of infected ticks will be transported into Norway each year. Therefore, there is a continuous risk for introduction of new Babesia spp. into areas where I. ricinus can survive.

The Ritualization of Emotions in Quetzalcoatl and The Plumed Serpent

As D. H. Lawrence’s writings show, the much romanticized prospect of travelling to America derived from the love/hate relationship between the author and his homeland. However, his urge to leave his native country and take the eastern route to America was also fuelled by a nagging preconception of a primeval world that foreign lands were thought to harbour. His letters and poems give ample evidence of this pursuit, and so does a novel such as Aaron’s Rod (1922), in which Lilly, Aaron’s mentor...

Research on Operational Risk Management of the Eastern Route of South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China

The South-to-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) in China is a considerable trans-basin water transfer project which can relieve the serious water resources shortage in northern of China and optimize water resources allocation. The construction of SNWTP has strategic importance to transfer the water from south to north and realize the target of water resources allocation. The operational management risks of SNWTP are discussed in this paper and the eastern route of SNWTP is studied as a case. The definition and connotation is given on the risk of operational management of SNWTP and the operational risk factors of SNWTP are distinguished. The index system of operational management risks is established. Considering the uncertainty of the risks of SNWTP, the risk evaluation model based on evidence theory is put forward. The countermeasures for the operational management risks of eastern route of SNWTP is brought up from the aspects of establishing risks management organization, risks management platform and emergency mechanism, technical methods and so on.

Early to Middle Pleistocene Homo dispersals from Africa to Eurasia: Geological, climatic and environmental constraints

Although the Pleistocene human dispersal is one of the most intriguing issues of paleoanthropology, large sectors along possible migratory pathways are ill-defined or poorly documented. This paper examines the geological, geomorphological, climatic and environmental conditions that could have determined hominin transit from their motherland in the East Africa Rift Valley toward the circummediterranean regions or Arabian Peninsula. For their choice between these two alternatives, the Danakil Depression (Afar Rift) immediately north of the Ethiopian Rift Valley was a strategic area. They could reach the Mediterranean Sea through a northern route along the Nile River valley, the trans-Sahara megalake or riverine belts, or else navigate an eastern route into the Arabian Peninsula after crossing the Bab el Mandeb Straits. It is assumed all of these pathways were possible during convenient geological, climatic and/or sea-level conditions. Hominins had three additional choices once they arrived at the Mediterranean Sea shores with Eurasia as their final destination. The Levant corridor was the easiest because walkable and almost always under favorable conditions. Two other possibilities were the Sicily Channel and the Strait of Gibraltar. These sea arms are located in two extremely active settings of the Mediterranean Sea and were at their embryonic stage during the Early Pleistocene. Because large-scale deformations of the sea floor were associated to prolonged sea-level lowstands, these two sea arms could have been passable. Similar considerations apply to the Bab el Mandeb Straits region. For the trans-Mediterranean and the trans-Red Sea routes of dispersal, the environmental conditions and the submarine and terrestrial topographical features that could have made sea transit possible even without land bridges are underscored. To track the dispersal relations between Northern Africa and Eurasia, three schematic maps are presented to show the distribution of the archeological and paleoanthropological sites currently regarded as reliably dated. They document three groups of dates: between 2.0 and 1.5 Ma, 1.4 and 0.7 Ma, and 0.6 and 0.1 Ma. Their distribution is matched with coeval paleoclimatic proxies such as marine oxygen isotope stages, aeolian dust in the Atlantic Ocean, and sapropels levels and dust fluxes in the Eastern Mediterranean. Dispersal was temporally arranged into cycles of four major exodus waves (2.0–1.6 Ma, 1.4–1.2 Ma, 1.0–0.8 Ma, and 0.6–0.1 Ma) controlled by climatic and environmental changes.

Multi-Agent System Computing And Simulation Of Inter-Basin Water Transfer

Abstract The South-to-North Water Diversion Eastern Route Project (SNWDERP) of China is a large inter-basin water transfer project. It is an extremely complex process management of water resources allocation and scheduling for such amulti-basin, multi-source, multi-objective complex engineering systems. The SNWDERP is difficult to accurately construct the mathematical model because this kind of complex system has natural and artificial quality in the same time. This paper proposes a model for the SNWDERP based on multi-Agent calculation and complex adaptive system (CAS). Experiments aze conducted on the SWARM simulation platform. Simulation results show that the interaction within all kinds of objects and the behaviour of system evolvement in the course of water resources allocation and scheduling is effective.

Evaluation of water quality and management of Hongze Lake and Gaoyou Lake along the Grand Canal in Eastern China

Hongze Lake and Gaoyou Lake are the source of water for the Grand Canal and the eastern route of the South-to-North Water Transfer (SNWT) project. With the accelerating pace of construction of the SNWT and the initiative to achieve "World Heritage " status for the canal, the water quality and management of the lakes have gained attention in China. Based on analysis of water samples, monitoring data, and the content of heavy metal elements in surface sediments, the water quality of Gaoyou Lake and Hongze Lake have been examined. According to the analysis of the water samples taken in 2003, the content of the heavy metals met the water demands for Hongze Lake and Gaoyou Lake. However, monitoring data of 2004 indicate that the water quality of Hongze Lake and Gaoyou Lake both were worse than grade III which cannot meet the required standard. The heavy metal elements of sediment samples also were above the acceptable environmental standard values. Some projects were launched to promote the lake environment by controlling wastewater emissions, standardizing the types of boats and introducing regulations to protect the lakes. However, problems of vertical and horizontal fragmentation and insufficient public participation in the current management system still exist in the area. Considering the problems confronting the lakes, Integrated Water Resource Management is discussed as an effective approach to overcome the problems.

Polar outflow from the Arctic Ocean: A high resolution model study

Arctic fresh water plays a large role in both the global ocean circulation and the hydrological cycle. To identify sources and pathways of the Arctic outflow into the North Atlantic, results of a high resolution global model and observations have been examined. It is shown that continental runoff and snowmelt are the dominant sources of Arctic fresh water. The simulations demonstrated that the oceanic transports account for the majority of the fresh water export from the Arctic into the North Atlantic. The oceanic outflow from the Arctic is split between the western route through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and the eastern route through the Nordic Seas. Two thirds of total oceanic fresh water comes via the western route. Arctic halocline waters are present on both the western and eastern routes with the western route providing most of the Arctic upper halocline water. Sea ice export contributes more than half the total freshwater flux east of Greenland and less than one fifth of the freshwater flux west of it. Pacific water constitutes about third of the outflow of the Arctic upper halocline water into the North Atlantic.

The long haul

In 1952, Mao Zedong visited the great rushing rivers of China's south and suggested that the thirsty north "borrow" some. Thus was born the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Nearly 60 years later, construction is under way on the biggest water redirection scheme in history. When complete, the US $62 billion project will transport 44.8 million megaliters of water per year from the lush river valleys of the south to the parched industrial north-enough to flood Beijing to a height of almost 3 meters. The three-pronged project, which consists of an eastern route, a western route, and a central route, includes the construction of more than 1800 kilometers of pipelines and reinforced canals, at least 23 pumping stations, up to 7 dams, and 2 massive tunnels under the Yellow River. Some parts won't be fi nished until midcentury.

Simulated and observed circulation in the Indonesian Seas: 1/12° global HYCOM and the INSTANT observations

A 1/12° global version of the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) using 3-hourly atmospheric forcing is analyzed and directly compared against observations from the International Nusantara STratification ANd Transport (INSTANT) program that provides the first long-term (2004–2006) comprehensive view of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) inflow/outflow and establishes an important benchmark for inter-basin exchange, including the net throughflow transport. The simulated total ITF transport (−13.4 Sv) is similar to the observational estimate (−15.0 Sv) and correctly distributed among the three outflow passages (Lombok Strait, Ombai Strait and Timor Passage). Makassar Strait carries ∼75% of the observed total ITF inflow and while the temporal variability of the simulated transport has high correlation with the observations, the simulated mean volume transport is ∼37% too low. This points to an incorrect partitioning between the western and eastern inflow routes in the model and is the largest shortcoming of this simulation. HYCOM simulates the very deep (>1250 m) overflow at Lifamatola Passage (−2.0 Sv simulated vs. −2.5 Sv observed) and indicates overflow contributions originating from the North (South) Equatorial Current in boreal winter–spring (summer–autumn). A new finding of INSTANT is the mean eastward flow from the Indian Ocean toward the interior Indonesian Seas on the north side of Ombai Strait. This flow is not robustly simulated at 1/12° resolution, but is found in a 1/25° version of global HYCOM using climatological forcing, indicating the importance of horizontal resolution. However, the 1/25° model also indicates that the mean eastward flow retroflects, turning back into the main southwestward Ombai Strait outflow, and in the mean does not enter the interior seas to become part of the water mass transformation process. The 1/12° global HYCOM is also used to fill in the gaps not measured as part of the INSTANT observational network. It indicates the wide and shallow Java and Arafura Seas carry −0.8 Sv of inflow and that the three major outflow passages capture nearly all the total Pacific to Indian Ocean throughflow.

Loop migration in adult marsh harriers Circus aeruginosus, as revealed by satellite telemetry

Loop migration among birds is characterized by the spring route lying consistently west or east of the autumn route. The existence of loops has been explained by general wind conditions or seasonal differences in habitat distribution. Loop migration has predominantly been studied at the population level, for example by analysing ring recoveries. Here we study loop migration of individual marsh harriers Circus aeruginosus tracked by satellite telemetry. We show that despite a generally narrow migration corridor the harriers travelled in a distinct clockwise loop through Africa and southern Europe, following more westerly routes in spring than in autumn. We used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to identify potential feeding habitat in Africa. Suitable habitat seemed always more abundant along the western route, both in spring and autumn, and no important stopover site was found along the eastern route. Observed routes did thus not coincide with seasonal variation in habitat availability. However, favourable habitat might be more important during spring migration, when the crossing of the Sahara seems more challenging, and thus habitat availability might play an indirect role in the harriers’ route choice. Grid‐based wind data were used to reconstruct general wind patterns, and in qualitative agreement with the observed loop marsh harriers predominantly encountered westerly winds in Europe and easterly winds in Africa, both in autumn and in spring. By correlating tail‐ and crosswinds with forward and perpendicular movement rates, respectively, we show that marsh harriers are partially drifted by wind. Thus, we tentatively conclude that wind rather than habitat seems to have an overriding effect on the shape of the migration routes of marsh harriers. General wind conditions seem to play an important role also in the evolution of narrow migratory loops as demonstrated for individual marsh harriers.

Inner Northern Busway: Queen Street to Upper Roma Street

The Inner Northern Busway (INB), Queen Street to Upper Roma Street, project completed the central link in Brisbane’s busway network. It connects the northern, southeastern, eastern and future western bus transit routes, and improves urban connectivity and travel times while removing buses from busy city streets. Design and construction of the project was extremely challenging. The 1.2 km project was very complex; with no single 50 m section the same. The project included a 500 m tunnel, two major bus stations within existing city structures, a cycle centre, and significant road and rail interfaces. The INB project was delivered under budget and six months ahead of schedule over a three-year period. This paper, based on the ACAA award nomination prepared by the INB HUB Alliance partners, focuses on technical and management innovation as evidenced in the INB project. In particular, the paper details six of the most complex and difficult design and construction challenges faced on the project, and details how project leadership and management innovation helped to deliver outstanding project outcomes.

On conservation and development of architecture and environment in the construction of large-scale national infrastructure

The water-diverting route project’s characteristics, natural landscapes, and histories and humanism of the Jiangsu Section of the Eastern Route South-to-North Water Diversion Project were systemically analyzed through proposing and studying the canal culture routes, the water resources heritage corridors, the landscape and recreation corridors, and the town economic corridors. The station areas along the water-diverting route were scientifically zoned and graded through quantitative and qualitative synthetic methods. Both planning compendiums and construction controlling methods were proposed based on the project grades of points, lines, and areas. Conservation and development of architecture and environment in the large-scale national infrastructure construction were explored systemically. Theories and methods of developing harmonious water-supplying functions, ecological functions, landscape effects, and cultural effects of large-scale water resources were examined.

The Finnish population structure. A genetic and genealogical study.

The distribution of both polymorphic and rare marker genes in the Finnish rural population showed evidence of the effect of genetic drift maintained by national and local isolation. The polymorphic genes belonged to nine loci, all representing blood or serum groups. Their distribution was studied from a weighted population sample and this was compared with the distribution at county, community and village level. Great differences were observed both at community and village level, which indicate that the breeding unit has been small up to the present time, consisting of hundreds rather than thousands of individuals. On the other hand, the distribution at county level showed great uniformity compatible with a uniform origin and lack of substantial later gene flow. The distribution of a variety of rare genes was compared with the dynamic population structure characterized by “isolation of population density”. Several examples of enrichment scattered all over the country covered usually an area of several communities which probably represent the very original large breeding units, “superisolates”. The national enrichment of these genes could hardly be explained without a primary enrichment among the first settlers. The distribution of the very rare genes, with an estimated frequency of .003 or less, was limited to the areas first settled during prehistoric times. This forms a piece of evidence showing that all the early Finns used the same route of immigration, i.e., over the Gulf of Finland, rather than a separate eastern and western route. “Finland is like England six hundred years ago” Arthur Mourant (during a visit to Finland in 1958)

Impact of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project on the transmission ofSchistosoma japonicumin China

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) is currently the key, national, water-conservation project in China, designed to optimise the use of water resources and relieve the water shortages in the north of the country. As one of the main water intakes for the project, that of the Eastern Route Scheme (ERS), is a breeding site for Oncomelania hupensis (the intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum), there is concern that the snail may be carried far to the north, in the water passing through the project. To see if they could survive and breed to the north of their current range in China, O. hupensis were collected in marshland near Nanjing City and transferred to cages, on the banks of fish ponds, in the cities of Zhenjiang (in Jiangsu province, at 32 degrees 10'N), Xuzhou (in the same province but at a latitude of 34 degrees 23'N) and Jining (in Shandong province, at 35 degrees 23'N). Except over the first 6 months in Xuzhou, the snails moved north of their natural distribution did not survive and reproduce as well as those in Zhenjiang, and all those transferred to Jining died out within 1 year. Although the snail populations in Xuzhou survived for 7-8 years and retained their infectivity to S. japonicum, histological and histochemical studies revealed abnormalities in the reproductive organs of these snails. It is concluded that, unless global warming significantly increases the minimum winter temperatures in northern China, the SNWDP is unlikely to result in the northward spread of schistosomiasis japonica.

Influence of railway transport in the South-East of Slovakia on formation of adventive flora in Central Europe

The contribution features data on the occurrence of plants introduced mostly by the year 1979 via grain railway transports from the territory of former USSR (mostly south of Ukraine, South-East of the European part of Russia, Central Asia) to the areas of 3 selected railway transhipment stations (Čierna nad Tisou and its wider vicinity) in the “Východoslovenská nížina” (East-Slovakian Plain), in the Slovak Republic. On these localities, approximately 500 species of vascular plants are present, of which around one third is recognized as phytogeographically important (in total, 144 taxa). This new reservoir of diasporas of eastern synanthropic plant species can have a significant impact on the present diversity of Slovak flora as well as flora of neighbouring countries. Almost half of those 144 species, listed in the contribution, have more or less continental distribution. In majority it concerns thermophilous steppe and forest-steppe to semi-desert species (the latter ones only very rarely) of southern territories, which is correlated of the South-East of Slovakia. Moreover, for the first time, two following species, introduced into the transhipment station in Čierna nad Tisou from the East, are published for the flora of Slovakia: Artemisia dniproica Klokov and Centaurea adpressa (Ledeb.) Prodan. Apart from continental species, also Mediterranean species s.l. are frequently present. In addition, the number of North American species is relatively high. They were spreading in a westerly direction, probably from the East, where they have already become occasionally naturalised. All these species gradually enrich the eastern migration route of adventive plants in Central Europe.

Warsaw Jews Expelled from Switzerland to the General Government

After the defeat in the Polish-German war of 1939, many people made plans to escape from the territories occupied by the Germans. As a rule, people escaped to the East, and among “castaways”, travelling the “Eastern route”, the percentage of Jews was exceptionally high, for quite obvious reasons. Some managed to leave the Soviet Union for Sweden, Palestine or even Japan. This, however, is another story.

African Odyssey project – satellite tracking of black storks Ciconia nigra breeding at a migratory divide

The African Odyssey project focuses on studying the migration of the black stork Ciconia nigra breeding at a migratory divide. In 1995–2001, a total of 18 black storks breeding in the Czech Republic were equipped with satellite (PTT) and VHF transmitters. Of them, 11 birds were tracked during at least one migration season and three birds were tracked repeatedly. The birds migrated either across western or eastern Europe to spend the winter in tropical west or east Africa, respectively. One of the juveniles made an intermediate route through Italy where it was shot during the first autumn migration. The mean distance of autumn migration was 6,227 km. The eastern route was significantly longer than the western one (7,000 km and 5,667 km respectively). Important stopover sites were discovered in Africa and Israel. Wintering areas were found from Mauritania and Sierra Leone in the west to Ethiopia and Central African Republic in the east and south. One of the storks migrating by the eastern migration route surprisingly reached western Africa. Birds that arrived early in the wintering areas stayed longer than those arriving later. On the average, birds migrating via the western route spent 37 d on migration compared to 80 d for birds migrating via the eastern route. The mean migration speed in the autumn was 126 km/d and the fastest stork flew 488 km/d when crossing the Sahara. The repeatedly tracked storks showed high winter site fidelity.

Ecological assessment of lakeshore wetland rehabilitation on eastern route of South-to-North Water Transfer Project

To evaluate the ecological effects of lakeshore wetland rehabilitation on the eastern route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, species composition, coverage, height, and biomass of wetland communities at 22 sites of the study area on the shore of Nansi Lake in April and May 2007 were investigated. The wetlands under investigation were divided into platform fields, transition zones, and shallow water zones according to differences in elevations, water levels, and human activities. The species richness index, Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson index, and Pielou Evenness index were adopted to delineate and discuss the ecological effects of lakeshore wetland rehabilitation in 22 quadrates. Results showed that the species richness of the wetland areas after 2 years’ rehabilitation amounted to 47 of 24 families, higher than 25 of 20 families in areas without rehabilitation. The biodiversity index and abundance index of rehabilitated areas were also higher than those of platform fields and fish ponds where there was no rehabilitation. In addition, the Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson index, and community evenness index of platform fields in rehabilitated wetland areas were 1.619, 0.745, and 0.860, respectively, higher than those of the platform fields before rehabilitating. The results suggested that the constructed lakeshore wetland played an important role in protecting the diversity of species.

Origin of the eastern brownsnake, Pseudonaja textilis (Dumeril, Bibron and Dumeril) (Serpentes: Elapidae: Hydrophiinae) in New Guinea: evidence of multiple dispersals from Australia, and comments on the status of Pseudonaja textilis pughi Hoser 2003

Pseudonaja textilis is a widespread and common snake in eastern parts of Australia, but its distribution in New Guinea is poorly understood, and the origin of the New Guinea populations and its timing have been the subject of much speculation. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences from three New Guinea populations of P. textilis indicates that New Guinea was colonised from two independent eastern and western migration routes most likely in the Pleistocene. One dispersal event from northern Queensland led to the populations in eastern New Guinea (Milne Bay, Oro and Central Provinces, Papua New Guinea), whereas another, from Arnhem Land to central southern New Guinea, led to the populations from the Merauke area, Indonesian Papua. The results are consistent with the effects of Pleistocene sea level changes on the physical geography of Australasia, and are thus suggestive of a natural rather than anthropogenic origin of the New Guinea populations. The taxonomic status of the New Guinean populations is discussed.