Search

The intricately fluctuating onset of respiratory and circulatory diseases displays rhythms of multi-scaled meteorological conditions due to their sensitivity to weather changes. The intrinsic meteorological rhythms of these diseases are revealed in this bio-meteorological study via Fourier decomposition and harmonic analysis. Daily emergency room (ER) visit data for respiratory and circulatory diseases from three comprehensive hospitals in Haidian district of Beijing, China were used in the analysis. Meteorological data included three temperature metrics, relative humidity, sunshine duration, daily mean air pressure, and wind speed. The Fourier decomposition and harmonic analysis on ER visits and meteorological variables involve frequency, period, and power of all harmonics. The results indicated that: i) for respiratory morbidity, a strong climatic annual rhythm responding to annual temperature change was firstly revealed; its ratio of spectral density was 16–33%. Moreover, significant correlations existed between the high-frequency fluctuations (, Harmonic spectrum; Fourier decomposition; Chronic disease; Climatic cycle; Short-term weather; Meteorology; Climatology; Environmental health; Epidemiology; Circulatory system; Respiratory system, Environmental science.

In the Mediterranean-climate zone, recurrent drought events and increasing water demand generally lead to a decrease in freshwater input to estuaries. This water scarcity may alter the proper function of estuaries as nursery areas for marine species and as permanent habitat for estuarine species. A 12-year data set of the aquatic macrofauna (fish, decapod and mysid crustaceans) in a Mediterranean estuary (Guadalquivir estuary, South Spain) was analysed to test if water scarcity favours the nursery function of regional estuaries to the detriment of permanent estuarine inhabitants. Target species typically displayed a salinity-related distribution and estuarine salinisation in dry years resulted in a general upstream community displacement. However, annual densities of marine species were neither consistently higher in dry years nor estuarine species during wet years. Exceptions included the estuarine mysid Neomysis integer and the marine shrimp Crangon crangon, which were more abundant in wet and dry years, respectively. High and persistent turbidity, a collateral effect of water scarcity, altered both the structural (salinity-related pattern) and functional (key prey species and predator density) community characteristics, chiefly after the second drought period of the analysis. The observed high inter-year environmental variability, as well as species-specific effects of water scarcity, suggests that exhaustive and long-term sampling programmes will be required for rigorously monitoring the estuarine communities of the Mediterranean-climate region., This study was co-funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the projects REN2000-0822 MAR and SCARCE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065), and European Funds for Sustainable Fisheries through Consejería Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo Rural - Junta de Andalucía (CAD10-29).

Terrace covers from the lower Var valley show multiple cut- and- fill features that reach headwaters. These features are ascribed to eustatic oscillations. The sequence analysis carried out on the latest sequence, taking into account biostratigraphical data, led us to reconstruct filling processes and to integrate them into the eustatic framework of stage 5 (Tyrrhenian). The filling began downstream during interglacial sea-level highstand and was amplified by the climatic deterioration which succeeded the optimum. Soil erosion and colluvial processes conduced finally led to the entire infilling of the cut. Equivalent processes, with karstic specificity, are found in the filling of Lazaret Cave. According to the eustatic and climatic scheme of the Tyrrhenian, the strong morpho-sedimentary determinism of interglacial-glacial transition periods seems to operate in different orders of time and intensity. The problem of the main morphogenic period (long term) is posed about the multiple successive cut- and- fill structures described on the high terrace levels., Sur les terrasses de la basse vallée côtière du Var, des systèmes d'incisions et de remblaiements emboîtés, atteignant la tête du réseau hydrographique littoral, sont imputés aux mouvements eustatiques quaternaires. L'analyse séquentielle menée dans le plus récent de ces systèmes, prenant en compte les données biostratigraphiques, permet la restitution des processus de remblaiement et leur intégration dans le canevas eustatique du stade isotopique 5 (Tyrrhénien). Lors de l'optimum climatique, en période de haut-niveau marin, il y a tendance au colmatage du réseau d'aval. Au cours de la détérioration modulée du climat qui suit, les phénomènes d'érosion des sols, de colluvionnement et la persistance du niveau haut de la mer conduisent au remblaiement complet des incisions. Un scénario équivalent peut être retenu en milieu karstique littoral pour le remplissage de la grotte du Lazaret. Selon le canevas eustatique et climatique du Tyrrhénien, le fort déterminisme morpho-sédimentaire des périodes de transition interglaciaire-glaciaire semble opérer à diverses échelles de temps et à divers degrés. Le problème de la périodicité morphogénique principale (long terme) est posé à propos des emboîtements multiples existant sur les hautes terrasses (Pléistocène inférieur)., Dubar Michel. Séquences de transition climatique en domaines fluviatile et karstique dans la région de Nice (A.-M., France), en rapport avec l'eustatisme . [ Eustasy-related climatic transition sequences in fluviatile and karstic terrains in the Nice area (Southern France).]. In: Quaternaire, vol. 6, n°2, 1995. pp. 99-105.