Overview of the Greater Lyon weather radar advances from 90's to 2008

The local weather radar of Lyon, part of the Aramis network of Meteo-France, is currently located 40 km from the urban community. The measurement quality of this tool is subjected to constant improvements from Meteo-France. Indeed, its hydrological measurement quality has steadily evolved from the early 90's until today. This article, therefore, proposes a return on these innovations, assessing measurement quality over the territory of Greater Lyon. This study is based on two successive radar locations, and also on raw reflectivity data and on rain accumulation over the past 15 min (<i>Hydram</i>) or 5 min (<i>Panthere</i>). The measurement performed on the site Satolas was unsatisfactory because of too many ground clutters; and therefore the radar was moved to Saint-Nizier. This new location associated with radar <i>Hydram</i> rain accumulation has reduced the problem of ground clutters. These rain accumulation data have given correct results in comparison with local data of the raingauge network of Greater Lyon, after a global and spatially uniform correction, based on these gauges. The latest generation of radar rain accumulation (<i>Panthere</i>) has, nearly completely, eliminated the problem of ground clutter in the urban area and provides very satisfactory measurements, especially during intense rain events

Habiter les îles fluviales : géographie d'un eau-delà

In imaginative worlds, fluvial islands belong to the groups of fear and danger images, but also of tranquillity and refuge images. Their dwelling modes are characterized through the articulation of the imaginary and practices in a changing place. In order to highlight the insular tropism and the public perceptions of these islands, this article shows how the French state and riverine communities tried to control, maintain and develop the fluvial islands. Nowadays, fluvial islands arouse pleasure and nostalgia: even being near, it evokes the past and its affective sense may influence the attitudes towards a multifunctional environment and its management. Based on discontinuities and periphericity, this place consists in both an interface and a barrier between different temporal and spatial realities.L'île fluviale appartient dans l'imaginaire collectif au groupe des images de la peur, du danger mais aussi de l'esthétique de la quiétude et du refuge. L'habiter est ici pensé au prisme de la géographicité, à l'articulation de la vie imaginée et vécue dans un espace mouvant. Afin de souligner la capacité de l'environnement insulaire et des sociétés à créer des représentations, cet article montre comment l'Etat et les communautés riveraines se sont efforcés de contrôler, d'entretenir et de valoriser les îles fluviales. Aujourd'hui, l'île évoque le plaisir, mais aussi la nostalgie : cet ailleurs proche rappelle un passé dont la charge affective positive peut influencer les attitudes et les comportements en matière de gestion d'un espace multifonctionnel. Cet espace fondé sur la discontinuité et la périphéricité est à la fois interface et barrière entre des réalités spatiales et temporelles distinctes

Scénographie perceptive entre la vie et la mort : aller et retour autour du bois en rivière

This article deals with the dialectic between trees and rivers, in particular with (public) perceptions of wood in rivers. Considering three corpora - the first one of paintings, the second one of French-speaking literature and poetry, the last one of creations during an event of land art -, the emotional content and sense of wood is studied, working on wood along the river and in the river. Through a perceptive approach of scenography, we show how social imaginary fluctuates between only an object and a despicable feature, and how scientific literature and artistic creation try to shape a new life to what seems to be dead. If riverside trees stand for the axis mundi, their presence in rivers seems to be perceived as threat, fall or garbage that we need to destruct. This image of death must be counterbalanced with a vision of life: Dead wood in an artistic way may become a tree of life, whereas scientists explain its positive role to entail some complexity and diversity in fluvial geomorphology and aquatic habitats, a great source of biomass and biodiversity.Cette contribution porte sur la dialectique entre l'arbre et l'eau et plus particulièrement sur les perceptions et les représentations du bois en rivière. Sur la base de trois corpus - l'un comprenant des huiles sur toile, l'autre des textes poético-littéraires francophones (XIXe-XXe siècles) et le dernier des œuvres créées lors d'un événement d'art environnemental -, la charge affective du bois au bord de l'eau et dans l'eau est appréhendée. Adoptant une démarche de scénographie perceptive (depuis l'arbre de la rive jusqu'au bois flottant), il s'agit de montrer comment l'imaginaire collectif passe de l'objet à l'abject et comment le savoir-penser scientifique et la création artistique s'efforcent de redonner forme et vie à ce qui ne semble plus en avoir. Si l'arbre de la rive incarne l'axis mundi, sa présence dans l'eau semble perçue comme une menace, une déchéance, voire un déchet à détruire et à supprimer. Cette représentation de la mort doit être contrebalancée par une vision de la vie : le bois mort dans les mains de l'artiste peut devenir arbre de vie, quand les scientifiques ont révélé son rôle positif pour la diversification de la géomorphologie fluviale et des habitats aquatiques, source de biomasse et de biodiversité

Les inondations sous presse dans le bassin versant de la Drôme (Rhône-Alpes, France)

Les figures ne sont pas présentes.The first Water resources development and management plan (Schéma d'aménagement et de gestion des eaux) approved in France (1997) and the Riverprize award (2005) have presented the Drôme River basin as a model of integrative and participatory river management. Locally, floods regularly provoke damages and give rise to riverine landowners' worries. Two local newspapers published between 1981 and 2008 were gone through to consider the attitudes toward the river, the hydrological extremes and the crisis management. A statistical analysis of textual data was performed on the corpus. The results highlight the spatial and temporal discrepancies that exist between the positive (inter)national influence of watershed management and the mosaic of public perceptions and expectations related to local specificities Despite well-known biases, newspapers appear as an efficient source for studying the local stakeholders in their daily surroundings.Le premier Schéma d'aménagement et de gestion des eaux approuvé en France (1997) et la remise du Riverprize (2005) ont fait du bassin versant de la Drôme un modèle (inter)national pour la gestion de la rivière. Des inquiétudes persistent néanmoins localement du fait des dommages récurrents que les crues et débordements suscitent sur les propriétés riveraines. Deux titres de la presse locale ont été dépouillés entre 1981 et 2008 pour appréhender les attitudes tenues à l'égard du cours d'eau, des paroxysmes hydrologiques et de la gestion des crises. Au terme d'une analyse de données textuelles, les résultats soulignent les décalages spatiaux et temporels qui existent entre le rayonnement de la gestion par bassin versant et la mosaïque des représentations et des attentes liées aux spécificités locales. Bien qu'elle propose des informations partielles et partiales, la presse apparaît comme une source pertinente pour étudier le jeu des acteurs locaux au sein de leur " territoire de l'eau " et de leurs " territoires du risque "

Communiquer sur le patrimoine naturel. Discours de presse locale dans les Ramières de la Drôme, Rhône-Alpes (1981-2008)

In Drôme basin, public perceptions towards natural heritage changed from 1981 to 2008. 85 articles and 56 pictures published in a local weekly were analysed to show how the images of a particular place and of management and planning policies are modelled. Animals and plants were used, corresponding to a marketing strategy. The choice of emblems reveals the transformation of a protected area focused on endangered species into a place of a local development. What lay people consider as heritage may be different of what researchers may expect. The definitions of natural heritage depend on an environmental context, a political approach (the local community adapt a top down protection), economical (with tourism) and socio-cultural issues.Les représentations drômoises envers un espace patrimonialisé ont connu d'importantes mutations entre 1981 et 2008. 85 articles et 56 images d'un hebdomadaire local montrent comment se forment les images d'un espace singulier et celles de politiques d'aménagement et de gestion. Des figures animales et végétales sont utilisées tour à tour, dans une optique de marketing territorial. Ce choix d'emblèmes témoigne du passage d'un espace protégé valorisant l'espèce menacée à un vecteur du développement local. Les attentes du public à l'égard de leur patrimoine peuvent alors se distinguer de ce que les scientifiques considèrent comme patrimonial. Les définitions du patrimoine naturel dépendent certes du contexte environnemental, mais aussi politique (avec l'appropriation d'une protection de type top down), économique (avec la mise en tourisme) ou socioculturel

Raconter la crise : les extrêmes hydrologiques au prisme de la presse locale (Drôme)

The first Water resources development and management plan (Schéma d'aménagement et de gestion des eaux) approved in France (1997) and the Riverprize award (2005) have presented the Drôme catchment as a model of integrative and participatory river management. However, at a local scale, different stakeholders show their disappointment because of the difficulties of extreme hydrologic event management. Two local weeklies published between 1981 and 2008 were gone through to consider the attitudes toward the river, the hydrological extremes and crisis management. Thanks to a content analysis, 1103 articles reveal how the crisis creates some specific spaces. The results highlight the spatial and temporal discrepancies that exist between the positive (inter)national influence of watershed management and the diversity of public perceptions based on local specificities and different types of stakeholders. Despite well-known biases, newspapers appear as an efficient source to investigate the local stakeholders in their daily surroundings.Le premier Schéma d'aménagement et de gestion des eaux (SAGE) approuvé en France (1997) et la remise du Riverprize (2005) ont fait du bassin versant de la Drôme une référence (inter)nationale pour la qualité de la gestion de sa rivière. En revanche, cette exemplarité vacille à l'échelle du bassin versant où différents types d'acteurs expriment leurs déceptions à l'égard de l'appréhension des crises hydrologiques (pénuries et crues). Deux hebdomadaires locaux ont été dépouillés entre 1981 et 2008 pour étudier les attitudes vis-à-vis du cours d'eau, des paroxysmes hydrologiques et de leur gestion. 1103 articles ont ainsi fait l'objet d'une analyse quantitative pour montrer comment la crise suscite et structure des " territoires de l'eau ". Les résultats soulignent une variabilité temporelle et spatiale des attentes de différents protagonistes du fait de spécificités locales et de la complexité du système d'acteurs. En dépit de la qualité inégale de l'information véhiculée par la presse, elle apparaît comme une source pertinente pour étudier des communautés locales et mieux cerner les enjeux territoriaux

How Chemical Pollution Becomes a Social Problem. Risk Communication and Assessment through Regional Newspapers During the Management of PCB Pollutions of the Rhône River (France)

International audienceThe case study of the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) pollutions of the Rhône River (France) offers the possibility of studying criteria for the construction of social problems that result from chemical pollution (2005-2010). We investigated the dynamics of competition that create and define pollution as a social problem and entail its decline. News outlets are crucial for determining how an environmental issue emerges locally or nationally; this study used newspapers to highlight the potential of new outlets as a data source to analyze discourse variability, science-policy-media connections and the hydrosphere. Media coverage was based on a content analysis and textual data analysis of 75 articles. Analytical frameworks such as the Downs Model and the Public Arena Model (Hilgartner and Bosk, 1988) that consider time and stakeholders were tested to determine how human alteration of the hydrosphere can become a social problem and to analyze different communication strategies held by stakeholders. In terms of management, we described the temporal dynamics of the social problem based on the case study and considered an explanation of the selections. We considered the organization of particular stakeholders who define the social problem from its beginning to end by focusing on their discourses, relationships, decision-making and political choices, and scientific studies. Despite some biases, newspapers are useful for retrospectively evaluating the emergence of a social problem in the public arena by describing it through discourse and then understanding the temporal patterns of information. Despite uncertainties and information flow, decisions are made and science is translated to the public

Personalized feedback based on a drink-pouring exercise may improve knowledge of, and adherence to, government guidelines for alcohol consumption

Background Although most people are aware of government guidelines for alcohol consumption, few have accurate knowledge of these and fewer still use these guidelines to monitor their drinking. Most people also lack accurate knowledge of the alcohol content of the drinks they consume. The aim of the study reported here was to examine whether or not personalized feedback on alcohol consumption based on performance in a drink-pouring task and self-reported alcohol intake would improve university students’ knowledge of alcohol consumption guidelines and reduce their alcohol intake. Methods A quasi-randomized control trial with a 2-month follow-up was conducted with 200 students aged 18 to 37 in the south of England. Participants were allocated to a “pour + feedback” group that completed a drink-pouring task and received personalized feedback, a “pour only” group that completed the drink-pouring task but did not receive feedback, and a control group. Results At follow-up, participants in the “pour + feedback” group had significantly better knowledge of government guidelines, and significantly lower weekly alcohol intake when compared to the “control” and “pour only” groups. Conclusions Further refinement of the drink-pouring intervention and feedback is reported in this paper, and assessment of their impact in various populations may lead to better understanding of which elements of personalized feedback have the greatest influence on young people's alcohol use