Beijing Water Crisis: 1949 - 2008 Olympics

Beijing's policy of draining surrounding regions to ease water shortages in the ancient capital is akin to "quenching thirst by drinking poison," according to a new report by Probe International's Beijing-based researchers. To keep water flowing to Beijing's "green" Olympics this August, the water-strapped city is pumping water from four newly-built reservoirs in nearby Hebei province, depriving poor farmers of water for their crops. City officials insist the water is needed for supplying Olympic venues and providing the Olympic Village with drinkable tapwater. And they say more water transfers will be needed from the Yangtze River by 2010 and beyond, to meet Beijing's rapidly growing demand for water. But large-scale water transfers won't solve the fundamental problems facing Beijing, says the report, Beijing's Water Crisis: 1949 to 2008 Olympics. Nine consecutive years of below-average rainfall combined with rapid urban expansion, dumping of wastewater and sewage into Beijing's waterways, and overpumping of groundwater mean the city of 17 million people is fast exhausting its water supply. Rather than endless expansion of the city's water supply by expropriating water from other jurisdictions, the report recommends better governance of water resources and the water industry -- including restrictions on urban development and water-guzzling industries, enforcement of anti-pollution laws, tradable water rights, and UK-style regulation of water utilities

In Memoriam: Br. Dietrich Reinhart, OSB (1949-2008)

Photograph by Michael Crouse

The Distribution of Value-Added in France, 1949-2008: Methodological Aspects

The publication by INSEE of very long time series of national accounts makes it possible to have a look on the distribution of value-added and its evolution in France for nearly sixty years. Apart from updating the conclusions, the first part of this article studies to which extent conceptual and methodological innovations introduced by successive bases of national accounts may have an impact on the measurement of the distribution of value-added. In a second part, we revisit the theoretical determinants of the distribution of value-added, notably the influence of real interest rates. From an econometric point of view, this influence could be better understood (1) by distinguishing between the short-term and long-term effects of the cost of capital, as well as of the labour cost, on the distribution of value-added, and (2) by simultaneously analysing the distribution of value-added and the capital-labour substitution.National Income Accounting, Factor Income, Income Distribution, Labour Share, Capital Labour Ratio

Droughts in the Sudano-Sahelian Ecological Zone of Nigeria: Implications for Agriculture and Water Resources Development

This study evaluates the extent and degree of severity of droughts in the Sudano- Sahelian Ecological Zone of Nigeria using rainfall data spanning a period of 60 years 1949- 2008 for eight meteorological stations in the zone The Normalized Rainfall Index was used in depicting periods of different drought intensities in the region The results revealed that the zone was characterized by larger extent of severe drought since the beginning of 1968 through the early 1970s and then the 1980s in which the drought was so severe than any other decade in the study period The late 1990s and the 2000s on the other hand have been witnessing a decrease in the number of drought occurrences in the zone The mean absolute probability of mild moderate and severe droughts for the zone was 0 13 recurrence interval of 7 7 years 0 11 recurrence interval of 9 1 years and 0 08 recurrence interval of 12 5 years respectivel

BADAN METEOROLOGI DAN GEOFISIKA: SEJARAH DAN PERKEMBANGANNYA (1949-2008)

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menarasikan Sejarah dan Perkembangan dari Badan Meteorologi dan Geofisika (sekarang Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika) dari pembentukannya pada tahun 1949 hingga pergantian alih fungsi Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika pada tahun 2008 dibawah Pimpinan Sri Woro Budiarti. Penelitian ini berusaha merangkai sejarah Badan Meteorologi dan Geofisika secara kronologis dari tahun 1949 hingga 2008. This research aims to narrate the history of Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysical Agency (current Indonesian Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency) from its founding in 1949 until realignment Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysical Agency in 2008 under leaded by Sri Woro Budiarti. This research seeks to compile the history of the Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysical Agency chronologically from 1949 until 2008

Impact of global warming on the energetics of lower tropospheric ultra-long waves and the Indian summer monsoon

Analyses of 60 years (1949–2008) of monthly energetics of the zonal waves derived from NCEP/NCAR data indicate that ultra-long waves (waves 1 and 2) dominate the spectrum of lower tropospheric zonal waves during monsoon season (June–September). Westerlies over the Indian subcontinent are a source of energy to wave 1. Two oceanic anticyclones, one over Pacific and the other over Atlantic are sources of energy to wave 2. These two waves are inversely correlated. Climatology of the energetics of ultralong waves for the two epochs 1949–1978 (CLP1) and 1979–2008 (CLP2) of 30 years indicates that the intensity of wave 1 has decreased by about 33% whereas the intensity of wave 2 has increased by about 27%. Northward transport of sensible heat during CLP1 changes to southward during CLP2. Larger generation of zonal mean Available Potential Energy (APE) during CLP2 indicates more heating. A larger conversion of kinetic energy (KE) of wave 1 into APE of wave 1 leads to weakening of wave 1 during CLP2. In case of wave 2, lower rate of conversion of KE to APE leads to stronger wave 2 during CLP2

CAVIAR: Climate variability of the Baltic Sea area and the response of the general circulation of the Baltic Sea to climate variability

The warming trend for the entire globe (1850-2005) is 0.04°C per decade. A specific warming period started around 1980 and continues at least until 2005, with a temperature increase of about 0.17°C per decade. This trend is equally well evident for many areas on the globe, especially on the northern hemisphere in observations and climate simulations. For the Baltic Sea catchment, which lies between maritime temperate and continental sub-Arctic climate zones, an even stronger warming of about 0.4°C per decade appeared since 1980. The annual mean air temperature increased by about 1°C until 2004. A similar warming trend could be observed for the sea surface temperature of the Baltic Sea. Even the annual mean water temperatures averaged spatially and vertically for the deep basins of the Baltic Sea show similar trends. We provide a detailed analysis of the climate variability and associated changes in the Baltic Sea catchment area as well as in the Baltic Sea itself for the period 1958-2009, in which the recent acceleration of the climate warming happened. Changes in the atmospheric conditions causes corresponding changes in the Baltic Sea, not only for temperature and salinity but also for currents and circulation. These changes in the physical conditions have strong impact on the marine ecosystem structure and processes

Jean-Claude Charles, Baskets, Récits de voyage

Jean-Claude Charles (1949-2008) fut un écrivain prolifique. Cela veut dire écrivain de tous les instants. Ses archives contiennent quantité de papiers, carnets mais aussi feuilles éparses voire tickets du métro parisien qui contiennent des annotations, des bouts de phrases, des amorces de textes. Jean-Claude Charles était habité par l’écriture autant qu’il habitait l’acte de dérouler des mots sur tous les supports qu’il avait sous la main. Il avait laissé son pays Haïti en 1970, avait commenc..