Mountainous Country Research Articles

A field investigation on indoor thermal environment and its associated energy use in three climatic regions in Nepal

Nepal is a mountainous country with low energy use so far and its climatic patterns remarkably differ from one place to another due to its geographical variation. In the north, summer is cool and winter is severe, while in the south, summer is tropical and winter is mild. Each year, harsh thermal environment creates serious health problems ranging from discomfort to illness and even to death. Household energy availability is one of the important ingredients required to provide the occupants with adequate indoor thermal environments, with which they can minimize thermal dissatisfaction. In order to get quantitative information on this issue, a series of survey on household energy-use patterns and the indoor thermal environmental characteristics in three different climatic regions was carried out in winter season of 2018. The survey results showed that most of the indoor air temperature of investigated houses in three climatic regions were lower than the values given as adaptive comfort standard. Average measured indoor air temperature was 8.0 °C, 13.9 °C and 12.8 °C, respectively, and per-capita daily energy use was 37, 30 and 20 MJ/(person · day) in cold, temperate and sub-tropical regions, respectively. Firewood, electricity and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) were found as the major energy carriers used in the studied households. The present finding suggests that a substantial improvements of the indoor thermal environment by improving thermal insulation of building envelopes together with rationally small energy use must be required for the well-being of the people in all three regions. This survey results are hopefully useful to understand the current energy-use situation and thermal environment of existing residential buildings in Nepal and thereby to assist the policy formulation for better indoor thermal environment of existing buildings with low energy use.

Land use change affects water erosion in the Nepal Himalayas.

Soil erosion is a global environmental threat, and Land Use Land Cover Changes (LUCC) have significant impacts on it. Nepal, being a mountainous country, has significant soil erosion issues. To examine the effects of LUCC on water erosion, we studied the LUCC in Sarada, Rapti and Thuli Bheri river basins of Nepal during the 1995–2015 period using the Remote Sensing. We calculated the average annual soil loss using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation and Geographical Information System. Our results suggest that an increase in the agricultural lands at the expense of bare lands and forests escalated the soil erosion through the years; rates being 5.35, 5.47 and 6.03 t/ha/year in 1995, 2007 and 2015, respectively. Of the different land uses, agricultural land experienced the most erosion, whereas the forests experienced the least erosion. Agricultural lands, particularly those on the steeper slopes, were severely degraded and needed urgent soil and water conservation measures. Our study confirms that the long term LUCC has considerable impacts on soil loss, and these results can be implemented in similar river basins in other parts of the country.

Evaluation of Geological and Ecological Bearing Capacity and Spatial Pattern along Du-Wen Road Based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) Method

As China is a mountainous country, a large quantity of the population has to live in mountainous areas due to limited living space. Most of them cluster along roads in areas with relatively poor traffic conditions. In view of the spatial-temporal change of complex geological and ecological environment along the roads in the mountains, this paper takes the Dujiangyan- Wenchuan (Du-Wen) Road as the research object, and puts forward a method to evaluate the bearing capacity of regional geological and ecological environment based on the evaluation of quality and spatial coupling of bearing capacity. For the needs of the current research, a total number of 20 indicators from three aspects of geological, ecological, and social attributes were selected to carry out the assessment. Based on the GIS platform and evaluation index system, the weight of each evaluation index factor is determined by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The comprehensive quality of bearing capacity is calculated by the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) algorithm through weighted superposition, which comes to result in the evaluation of geological, ecological, and social environment. Afterward, the bearing capacity of the study area is classified, combining the results of hot spot analysis. The study shows that the spatial distribution of geological, ecological, and socio-economic bearing capacity in this area is highly aggregated, with 31.12% of the area to be classified as suitable construction area, 31.98% as backup reserve area, and 36.79% as unsuitable construction area. The studied triangle area, composed of Yingxiu Town, Xuankou Town, and Dujiangyan City, presents a large area of a high-valued aggregation area, with comprehensive high quality bearing capacity and spatial aggregation, which is better for planning and construction.

Пространственно-фенотипическая структура популяций белки обыкновенной (Sciurus vulgaris) на Алтае-Саянском участке ареала

Пространственно-фенотипическая структура популяций белки обыкновенной (Sciurus vulgaris) на Алтае-Саянском участке ареала

СОДЕРЖАНИЕ ХИМИЧЕСКИХ ЭЛЕМЕНТОВ В ПОЧВАХ И ПОВЕРХНОСТНЫХ ВОДАХ ПЛОСКОГОРЬЯ УКОК (ЮГО-ВОСТОЧНЫЙ АЛТАЙ)

Актуальность исследования обусловлена слабой изученностью химического состава почв и поверхностных вод плоскогорья Укок, являющегося объектом всемирного наследия ЮНЕСКО. Цель: изучить уровни содержания химических элементов в почвах и поверхностных водах центральной, южной и юго-восточной части плоскогорья Укок и дать эколого-биогеохимическую оценку этой малоизученной территории. Объекты: основные типы почв (криоаридные и горные лугово-степные, горные луговые, горные тундровые) и поверхностные воды (реки Жумалы, Калгуты, Аргамжи, Ак-Алаха, Тархата и озеро Укок) плоскогорья Укок (Республика Алтай, Российская Федерация). Методы. Содержание металлов в почвах определено методом эмиссионного спектрального анализа в Институте геологии и минералогии СО РАН, общее содержание микроэлементов в природных водах – в химико-аналитическом центре ИВЭП СО РАН спектрометрическим методом с использованием электротермической атомизации. Результаты. Представлен химический состав различных типов почв и поверхностных вод высокогорного плоскогорья Укок. Уровни содержания химических элементов в почвах плоскогорья не превышают их кларков в почвенном покрове и соответствуют их концентрациям в горно-тундровых почвах Алтая. Исключением являются почвы и почвообразующие породы над Калгутинским W-Mo-V-Cu месторождением, где отмечается аномально высокое содержание вольфрама – до 30–60 мг/кг. С ореолами рассеяния и воздействием отвалов штольни и хвостохранилища обогатительной фабрики этого месторождения мы связываем повышенное содержание Cu в водах реки Калгуты – 16 мкг/дм3 и в почвах бассейна. Почвы плоскогорья отличаются невысоким валовым содержанием P и Са, но обогащены калием – его содержание превышает 2 % в большинстве образцов. Концентрация фосфора в почвах плоскогорья Укок возрастает с запада на восток, от выровненной (центральной) части к горным окаймлениям, что обусловлено фосфоритоносностью коренных пород Алтае-Саянской горной страны. Низкие значения элювиально-аккумулятивных коэффициентов большинства металлов в изученных почвах плоскогорья могут служить показателем отсутствия на данный момент здесь выраженного антропогенного загрязнения. Содержание большинства элементов в почвах увеличивается c глубиной. В горно-тундровых торфянистых почвах под ерником обнаружена биогенная аккумуляция Mn. Для степных почв отмечено некоторое накопление в поверхностных горизонтах Zn, Cr, V и Ni. Наиболее равномерным распределением отличается Pb и Zn. Исходная неоднородность моренных и озерно-ледниковых отложений определяет разнообразие внутрипрофильного распределения металлов в почвах, на них сформированных. Не выявлено четкой зависимости содержания большинства макро- и микроэлементов в поверхностных водах от уровня их концентраций в почвах. Тем не менее отмечено повышение интенсивность водной миграции железа в заболоченных ландшафтах Бертекской части бассейна реки Ак-Алаха, в водах которой обнаружено его наиболее высокое содержание.

Lebanon

Lebanon is a small territory of extraordinary complexity. It offers paradoxes, which are exciting to understand. Having a small dimension of 10.452 km², this country occupies a special strategic position. Lebanon is located at the crossroads of the Mediterranean and the Arab Orient and was the cradle of civilizations since the Paleolithic. This mountainous country has seen, throughout the history, successive periods of foreign occupation: the Egyptian civilization, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines,...

Characteristic Features of Electric Fields Radiated by Cloud Flashes in Himalayan Region

Electric fields radiated by cloud flashes that occurred over the rugged terrain of mountainous country Nepal were recorded, analysed, and compared with those from different geographical regions. The total duration of the flash varies from 80 to 469.5 ms. The majority of the cloud flashes were of two stages: the first stage of the majority of the flashes was found to consist of large microsecond scale bipolar pulses having negative initial polarity and the late stage consists of submicrosecond scale pulses having both positive and negative initial polarities. The average durations of the first and second stages are 11.23 and 66.79 ms, respectively, and the time gap between them is 53.57 ms. The cloud pulses led by the negative initial polarity pulses are more compactly distributed and are higher in mountainous countries as compared to those of flashes lead by positive initial polarity pulses, with the average values of interpulse interval being 211.42 and 309.79 μs, respectively.

Analysis of the Earth's Surface Influence On the Accuracy of ADF Alignment

The article analyzes the interaction of electromagnetic waves of a radio navigation signal with the relief of the earth’s surface and its electrical properties. As a result of this interaction, such physical phenomena are created that have a significant negative effect on the accuracy of the ADF’s alignment of the NDB signal. One of the two objectives of the article is to acquaint the aviation public with the physical nature of this natural phenomenon in terms of flight safety, which occurs to a large extent especially in mountainous countries, including Slovakia. The second goal of the article is to inform the professionals in the field about this phenomenon in terms of its nature as a physical law, in order to find ways to increase the accuracy of measurement of this navigation system.

ГОРНЫЕ ЛЕДНИКИ СЕВЕРА РОССИИ: ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ ЗА ПОСЛЕДНИЕ ДЕСЯТИЛЕТИЯ ПОД ВОЗДЕЙСТВИЕМ ВАРИАЦИЙ КЛИМАТА

The purpose of the paper is to review the changes in the mountain glaciers of the Russia North, in its continental part under changing climate, the reaction of glaciers onto fluctuations, primarily air temperature and precipitation over recent decades. The review covers the reaction of climatic systems of the Russian North (Russian Subarctic and North of Baikal region) to climate changes of the late 20th century and the last decades of the 21st century. These are systems located in mountainous countries: the Polar and Subpolar Urals, Byrranga, the Putorana Plateau, the Orulgan, Suntar-Khayata, Chersky ranges, and the highlands of Chukotka, Kolyma and Koryakia. Judging by the obtained trend maps of the main climatic characteristics important for glaciation, the temperature increase from S to N in 1966- 2019 and a decrease in precipitation in approximately this direction contribute to a reduction in the area and mass of glaciers in Russian North. Methods for assessing the size of glaciation and their dynamics were based on a comparison of data from the Catalog of Glaciers of the USSR and later catalog issues (these are the Chukotka and Kolyma glacial systems) with the results of decoding satellite images (Landsat, ASTER, Sentinel-2) and expeditionary information. Most of the studied glacial systems are represented by small forms of glaciation, which are defined. Since estimates of glacier reduction are given for different systems for different periods of time, it was not the task of the review to compile an accurate single picture. The glacier reaction of varying size, morphological type, bedding, aspect is not the same even for approximately similar climate conditions. For each region, variations in mean summer air temperature and cold season precipitation of key (nearest) weather stations for the period from the onset of a positive trend in summer temperatures are given. Under conditions of prolonged climate change towards warming, the climate factor has become the most importrant, which is confirmed by the data presented in this work.

Возможный механизм формирования макрорельефа Верхояно-Колымской орогенной области (на основе анализа геофизических полей)

The Verkhoyansk-Kolyma orogenic region is the main element of the morphostructure of the Western part of the Verkhoyano-Chukotka mountain country. The territory of the orogenic region covers the Verkhoyansk system of mountain ranges in the West, the system of Chersky and Momsky ridges in the North-East and Suntar-Khayata ridge in the South. The results of spectral-statistical analysis of the Verkhoyansk-Kolyma orogenic region relief digital models in the various radiuses averaging and separation of the gravitational field at different frequency components, corresponding to different depth levels of the lithosphere, is made to identify the spatial changes in geomorphological and geophysical parameters of the orogenic region, and also conditions of its mountain facilities formation. It is shown that the mountain systems correspond to linear gravitational minima, and the Verkhoyano-Kolyma positive regional anomaly of the low-frequency component of the relief-Verkhoyansk regional gravitational minimum with an amplitude of up to 100 mGal and a diameter of 1100–1200 km. The morphostructure of the Verkhoyansk-Kolyma orogenic region is characterized by a straight relief, which allows the deep structure of mountain structures and their formation to be considered within the framework of their corresponding folded structures. On the example of the Verkhoyansky meganticlinory deep structure, the model of the Verkhoyansky ridge formation is substantiated. Orogenesis of the Verkhoyansk-Kolyma orogenic region is considered on the basis of the proposed model of the deep structure, namely as a result of granitization of the crystalline basement and lower sedimentary layer under the influence of mantle fluids actinolite at depths of 45–120 km. Rheomorphic processes of the crystalline basement resulted in the formation granite-gneiss domes and the rise of mountain ranges.

Молекулярно-генетические исследования популяций Pinus sylvestris L. на примере Восточно-Европейской равнины и южной окраины Уральской горной страны

Молекулярно-генетические исследования популяций Pinus sylvestris L. на примере Восточно-Европейской равнины и южной окраины Уральской горной страны

Динамика каспийских берегов в концепции “АТласа культурного и природного наследия Дагестана”

Atlas of the cultural and natural heritage of Dagestan is a comprehensive cartographic work, which displays objects of archeology, history, ethnography, socio-economic sphere and nature, cultural, historical and natural heritage. The development of the Atlas is based on previously acquired experience in creating the Geographic and other atlases of Dagestan and involves the use of a number of methodological innovations, one of which is the use of typical contour maps with different physical and geographical outlines of coastal territories in specific historical eras. We are talking primarily about the coastline of the Caspian Sea, which has noticeably changed in the historical timescale. This approach allows to map the main historical milestones of the interaction of resettlement systems and households of the inhabitants of the Mountain Country with a very dynamic natural environment of this region. So, archaeological maps revealing the sites of pre-historic humans within the modern borders of the Republic of Dagestan include the lines of the Caspian coast in the ancient periods of sea transgressions and regressions. The atlas includes maps showing information on the dynamics and evolution of the Caspian coast for different historical eras as a result of sea level fluctuations and the variability of the Dagestan hydrographic network and the dynamics of the Terek delta and the mouth of Sulak. The history of the Caspian Sea level fluctuations was reconstructed starting from the regressive phase of sea level stand during pre-Bakinian time, when sufficiently reliable geological and geomorphological data were available to estimate, the amplitude and age of level changes. The Bakinian transgression, which consisted of two stages: Early Bakinian and Late Bakinian took place in the beginning of the Brunnes Era. Even more data is available for reconstruction of Early and Late Khazarian, and subsequent transgressions and regressions of the Caspian Sea, the boundaries of which are reflected on the map of the Paleolithic Era. The Atlas is divided into two parts, the first is represented by historical and cultural maps, the second – by the maps on natural and economic heritage of the Mountain Country. The introductory section includes basic maps on physical geography, the modern administrative-territorial division of Dagestan and its position in the North Caucasus Federal District. In total and in accordance with the work plan, the Atlas includes 100 major maps and more than 30 inset maps. A total of about 50 scientists and practitioners with different scientific profiles from the Dagestan Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences institutes, Makhachkala universities, and Lomonosov Moscow State University took part in this work.

Peculiarities of microevolution processes in Trollius asiaticus in South Siberia Mountains

In the paper, we analyse the distribution of species and forms closely-related to Trollius asiaticus L. growing in the mountains of South Siberia between the Altai Mountain Country and Baikalia. The interrelationship between the endemic species and forms of high-mountains and parental lowland forms are adjacent-sympatric. We suppose the ways of disruptive selection to be of the same type, thus resulting in T. sajanensis and T. altaicus speciation, which are twin-species to each other. Between the parental and daughter species, there are interlayers of morphological forms being introgressive to both species. Key words: characters, populations, disruptive selection, introgression, speciation.

Non-timber Forest Product and its Impacts on Livelihood in the Middle Hill: A Case of Lamjung district, Nepal

Lamjung is highly rich in its vast and valuable Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) including different kinds of valuable medicinal and aromatic plants. Nepal is a mountainous country, where most of the people are depend on forest resources for their livelihood. Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFPs) plays a crucial role in the rural livelihood. NTFPs serve as a source for their primary health, nutrition, income generation, energy (fuel wood) and material for a social-cultural and religious ceremony. The research was carried out the specific objectives of identification availability NTFPs, Role of NTFP in local livelihood, prospects, and problems to develop NTFP in the study area. The study was carried out in Chiti, Jita and Taksar Village Development Committee (VDC) of Lamjung District. Primary data were collected through Focus Group Discussion, House Hold Survey, Key Informant Interview, use inventory sheet and direct field observation. Secondary data were collected from different DFO office, library, journals, published articles, reports, online reports etc. The quantitative data were analyzed by using appropriate statistical tools. The qualitative data were analyzed by descriptive measure and presented in forms of charts, figure and tables. There were 52 major NTFPs identified in the study area and all respondents have knowledge about NTFPs, but they are not involved to collect NTFP for commercial purpose. They use only household purposes such as firewood for energy, leaf litter for religious purpose, and wild food and fruits are used for domestic use. The main problems of the development of NTFPs people are gradually leaving use traditional knowledge about medicinal plants. Slowly they became dependent at modern product and most of the people are depending on remittance. NTFPs play a safety net role to assist communities in adverse situation such as crop failure under the current change in climate and variability. Most of the people have knowledge about value of NTFPs and traditional knowledge about medicinal herbs, but such a valuable knowledge regarding use value of NTFPs seems to be disappearing into the younger generations.

Hydro-Meteorological Characterization of Major Floods in Spanish Mountain Rivers

Spain, one of the most mountainous countries in Europe, suffers from frequent river flooding due to specific climatic and topographic features. Many headwaters of the largest rivers in Spain are located in mountainous areas of mid-to-high elevation. These include the Pyrenees, the Central System, and the Cantabrian mountains, that have a sustained snowpack during the winter months. Most previous research on flood generation in Spain has focused on intense rainfall events, and the role of snowmelt has been ignored or considered marginal. In this paper we present a regional-scale study to quantify the relative importance of rainfall versus snowmelt in the largest floods recorded in mountain rivers in Spain during the last decades (1980–2014). We further analyzed whether catchments characteristics and weather types may favor the occurrence of rainfall or snowmelt induced floods. Results show that in 53% of the 250 analyzed floods the contribution of rainfall was larger than 90%, and in the rest of events snowmelt contribution was larger than 10%. Floods where snowmelt was the main contributor represented only 5% of the total events. The average contribution of snowmelt represents 18% of total runoff in floods that were analyzed. The role of snowmelt in floods, rather than triggering the event, was usually amplifying the duration of the event, especially after the peak flow was reached. In general, the importance of snowmelt in floods is greater in catchments with characteristics that favor snow accumulation. However, this does not apply to floods where contribution of snowmelt was larger than 90%, which tend to occur at catchments at mid-elevations that accumulate unusual amounts of snow that melt rapidly. Floods were more frequent under both cyclonic and anticyclonic synoptic situations over the Iberian Peninsula, as well as under advection of western and eastern flows. Our results contribute to the ongoing improvement of knowledge about the role of snow in the hydrology of Spanish rivers and on the importance of mountain processes on the hydrology of downstream areas.

Analysis of the Drought Mitigated Mechanism in Terraced Paddy Fields Using CWSI and TVDI Indices and Hydrological Monitoring

Food security is often threatened by droughts during rice production. Although most of the rice is produced in lowland or irrigated “wet” rice fields, terraced paddy fields are important in the rice production system in island or mountainous countries. With the intensifying frequency of El Niño periods in recent decades, there has been a risk of droughts in terraced paddy areas. To mitigate drought, remote sensing data analysis could be an efficient and reliable tool for obtaining scarce ground monitoring data. In this study, crop water stress index (CWSI) and temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI) were applied to evaluate the drought intensity, and hydrological monitoring data was provided as a support for the evaluation. The results indicated that droughts normally occurred during the dry season, and intensified during El Niño periods. CWSI and TVDI were visible to predict drought occurrences in the watershed area. TVDI overestimated the drought inside Keduang watershed compared to CWSI because of the complex condition of the terraced paddy area, including the hydrology in this area. The complex topography, high groundwater table, and continuous plot-to-plot irrigation helped to maintain the water availability and mitigated the drought impact for rice production in the studied terraced paddy field.

Modern computer technologies in Biology: a scientific depository of phytodiversity of the transboundary territory of the Altai highland country

In the modern period of biodiversity development, when studying the territory of the mountainous countries of the world, the active influence of such trends as genomics and digitalization is noted. Within Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China, the Altai highland country (AHC) is the highest uplift of North Asia, its biodiversity level is three times richer than it is in the West Siberian Plain. The collected material in the herbarium collections of the Altai State University (ASU, Barnaul) is more than 450 thousand herbarium leaves (ALTB Herbarium), and it is the biological repository of unique genetic material on AHC, along with other large depositories of the world (herbariums, zoological collections, etc.). The concerted actions of many countries of the world have already allowed to aggregate large data on the biodiversity of many mountain countries in order to ensure the sustainable development of these unique natural complexes. During our project, ASU scientists have developed a scientific depository with the possibility of integrating bio data into the Global Biodiversity Information Fund (GBIF). Today, data from ASU and other GBIF operators allow digital resources to be integrated across the whole spectrum of living organisms in the AHC, from genes to ecosystems. They allow linking them to issues important to science and society using GIS tools. Also, in this study, we produced a modern botanical and geographical zoning of the territory of the AHC, using open GIS systems (GeoJSON).

A Scotch-Irish Clan in Middle Georgia? The Migration and Development of a McCarty Family across Two Centuries

This essay argues that characteristics of the Irish and Scottish kin-based clan systems brought to America by settlers from Ireland and Scotland in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries had lasting effects on American kinship systems. Using a case study to focus on a single family, it suggests that elements of kinship systems originating in Ireland and Scotland could be found in a central Georgia community in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This is significant because the location was far removed from areas often identified with Irish, Scottish, and Scotch-Irish settlers, such as the hill country of the lower Appalachian Mountains. It suggests that cultural folkways could persist across many generations of a family, even outside areas where they were heavily concentrated. The latter portion of the essay focuses on the role of one woman, family matriarch Rhoda Johnson, in shaping identity and transmitting culture across generations.

Demarcation of Groundwater Prospect Zones in Lower Reaches of Daraudi River Basin, Western Nepal

Nepal is mountainous country that has 83% area covered by mountainous and hilly region while 17% area is covered by plain land of Terai.

Flood hazard monitoring and analysis of mountainous riverside country - a case study in Xianfeng, Hubei, China

Riverside towns are the weakness of flood control and disaster reduction system in China. Flood analysis of riverside towns based on hydraulic model is of great significance to the monitoring and early warning of mountain flood disasters. The paper starts with river system distribution and flood source analysis in case study of Xianfeng County, Hubei Province, China. And a flood calculation program is then proposed. On the basis of TUFLOW software, a one-dimensional hydraulics model is constructed, which is applied to calculate river flood evolution and diffuse embankment process under the designed flood conditions of 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 (probability). The comprehensive information of flood range, submerged area and water depth is also retrieved, which is used to calculate flood hazard assessment and mapping. Results reveal that the main parts of Zhongjian River basically meet the flood prevention standard of 0.05 (probability) in Xianfeng County, while the middle-lower section of Taipinggou Valley has lower flood prevention ability. Moreover, this fact proves that the proposed one-dimensional hydraulics flood model is effective.