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• Spatial analysis reveals marked disparities in drinking water flavor across China. • Regional flavor varies due to specific inorganic and organic indicators. • Spatial analysis reveals key drivers of regional drinking water flavor. • DOC, THMs, and Φ IV,n emerge as complementary flavor-related integrated indicators. • South-to-North diversion project improves water flavor in the recipient areas. Drinking water flavor, a critical water quality metric, exhibits substantial regional variations across China, influenced by local geology and chemistry. Despite growing consumer concerns about water flavor, a spatial assessment of the determinants of water flavor in China has been notably lacking. This study bridges this gap by conducting a spatially comprehensive analysis of 78 tap water samples throughout China. A reliable flavor evaluation method, alongside advanced statistical techniques, including correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and spatial autocorrelation analysis, were applied to identify the drivers behind regional flavor differences. The findings reveal four predominant types of flavor variations attributed to distinct organic and inorganic factors. The spatial distribution patterns of key parameters impacting flavor were clarified by Moran's I statistic. Notably, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is highlighted for its role in enhancing water flavor by modifying the chemical composition of water in recipient regions. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), trihalomethanes (THMs), and the fluorescence index (Φ IV,n) are identified as non-negligible supplementary indicators of water flavor. The research highlights the need for region-specific strategies to enhance the flavor of drinking water nationwide. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The regional characteristics of dust storm events including dust storm, blowing dust and floating dust in China have been studied by using the data from 701 meteorological observation stations during 1954–2000. The results are as follows: in China, there are two main areas (the South Xinjiang Region and the Hexi Region) where dust storm events happen the most frequently. The spatial distributions of the three types of dust storm events are different. Dust storms mainly occur in the arid and semiarid areas in Northern China. Blowing dust and floating dust not only occur in those areas, but also in neighboring areas. Compared with dust storm and blowing dust, the floating dust very seldom occurs in high-latitude areas. The frequencies of dust storm events decreased generally during 1954–2000. However, they have gradually increased since 1998. The interannual variations of dust storm events showed some characters including two cycles of 3–4 and 11–12 years. The annual changes of the dust storm events were characterized by a strong unimodal distribution with spring maximum. The daily variation of the dust storm occurrence was remarkable, most of dust storms happened in the afternoon, especially between 18:01–21:00LST. The areas of dust storms could be divided into seven sub-regions. The most frequent areas of dust storms and floating dust were in the South Xinjiang Region, but that of blowing dust was in the Hexi Region. Their maximum interannual variance also happened in both areas. Dust storm events generally occurred most frequently in April in most parts of China, but it happened a little earlier in the Qinghai-Xizang Region and a little later in the Xinjiang Region. The months in which dust storm events occurred more frequently were relatively concentrated in the Northeastern Region and Hetao Region, but were relatively dispersed in the Xinjiang Region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In order to evaluate the reduction effect of electric vehicles (EVs) on various atmospheric environmental loads, we have performed a life-cycle inventory analysis (LCI), including the installation of charging stations and regional, seasonal and temporal difference of the energy mix of electricity generation. For an EV converted from a small gasoline vehicle, a regional LCI analysis was carried out in the following steps: (1) location of the charging stations, (2) modeling of charging characteristics of station users, (3) calculation of temporal life-cycle emission intensities of CO2, NOx and SOx by region, season and day. Assuming that total traveling distance is 100,000 km, the electricity consumption rate is 0.119 kWh/km and the charging/discharging efficiency is 70%, the average life-cycle emission of CO2 for that EV was 3.6 t-C throughout Japan. However, if we took regional difference into account, the emission ranged over 70–160% of the average amount. It was revealed that the regional difference of the primary energy mix significantly affected the emissions of EVs during the operation phase. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

L'étude du Paléolithique supérieur ou période Précéramique de la région de Tokyo a commencé très tôt, concomitamment avec celle du Paléolithique du Japon, au travers de plusieurs fouilles. Elle a débuté en 1949 par la découverte d'une pièce en obsidienne trouvée dans le limon de Kantô, dans le site d'Iwajyuku. Dans cet article, nous allons aborder la stratigraphie, la chronologie, la localisation et l'évolution des sites aux environs de Tokyo. C'est une région de l'archipel du Japon où la densité des sites du Paléolithique supérieur est la plus importante et où la fouille systématique en suivant la stratigraphie du limon a été effectuée pour la première fois. La chronologie a été proposée dans les années 1960. Elle se base sur les industries découvertes sur les plateaux de Sagamino et de Musashino. Cette chronologie est utilisée depuis longtemps et est la référence pour tout le pays. L'ensemble des recherches menées jusqu'à présent permettent de comprendre et d'appréhender les différentes activités périodiques qui se faisaient entre les hauteurs de Tama, le plateau de Musashino, le plateau de Sagamino, le Nord de Kantô et le plateau de Simôssa. Bien entendu, l'apparition et la disparition de chaque type d'outil sont différentes et complexes, et chaque outil typique ne sont pas universaux autour de Tokyo (région de Kantô). Le Paléolithique supérieur final de l'archipel du Japon se divise en deux grandes parties Est et Ouest. Alors que l'Est du Japon se caractérise par une industrie microlithique bien organisée, l'Ouest est caractérisé par des microlithes, des trapèzes et des outils sur lame transversale. La région de Kantô, située au centre de l'archipel du Japon, montre par conséquent des ensembles réunissant chaque époque différente. The Upper Paleolithic at the region of Tokyo that itself called also the Japanese Preceramic age that possesses a large number of excavations and those studies during the dawn of Paleolithic study in this country. The Preceramic age or the Upper Paleolithic has been raised the curtain by the discovery of a piece in obsidian, in 1949, in the loam of Kantô, at Iwajyuku site. We explain above, on the stratigraphy, the chronology and the situation and the evolution of site around Tokyo. It is a region to the highest density of the Upper Paleolithic sites in the archipelago of Japan and the systematic excavation according to the stratigraphy of loam formation has been done for the first time in the country. The authentic chronology has been proposed to the years 60s that based on the discovered lithic industries on the plateau of Sagamino and Musashino. This chronology was used for a long time that it made a role like a norm for the whole country. Not only, after again an accumulation of the research until the present, we understand the different periodic activities between the Tama hills, the plateau of Musashino, the plateau of Sagamino, the North of Kantô district and the plateau of Simôssa. Of course, there is a complex circumstance that the apparition and the disappearance of various types of lithic instruments are different, and every type tools are not universal around Tokyo area, in the district of Kantô. The final of Upper Paleolithic on the archipelago of Japan divides extensively in two parts East-west that the East of Japan is characterized by the well-organized aspect microlithic tendency and the west is characterized by the trend of microlite, trapeze and tool on transverse blade. In such general tendency, the region of Kantô is located therefore in the center on the archipelago of Japan that it showed sets of every different time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]