Comparative analysis of relationships between NLDAS‐2 forcings and model outputs

This study reports results from an analysis of the relationship between atmospheric forcing and model‐simulated water and energy fluxes for the North American Land Data Assimilation System Project Phase 2 (NLDAS‐2). The relationships between mean monthly precipitation and total runoff are stronger in the Sacramento (SAC) and variable infiltration capacity (VIC) models, which grew out of the hydrological community, than in the Noah and Mosaic models, which grew out of the soil‐vegetation‐atmosphere transfer (SVAT) community. The reverse is true for the relationship between mean monthly precipitation and evapotranspiration. In addition, surface energy fluxes in VIC are less sensitive to model forcing (except for air temperature) than those in the Noah and Mosaic model. Notwithstanding these general conclusions, the relationships between forcings and model‐simulated water and energy fluxes for all models vary for different seasons, variables, and regions. These findings will ultimately inspire a combination of SVAT‐type model energy components with hydrological model water components to develop a SVAT‐hydrology model to improve both evapotranspiration and total runoff simulations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vesicular komatiites, 3.5-Ga Komati Formation, Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa: inflation of submarine lavas and origin of spinifex zones

Komatiites of the 3.5-Ga Komati Formation are ultramafic lavas (>23% MgO) erupted in a submarine, lava plain environment. Newly discovered vesicular komatiites have vesicular upper crusts disrupted by synvolcanic structures that are similar to inflation-related structures of modern lava flows. Detailed outcrop maps reveal flows with upper vesicular zones, 2-15 m thick, which were (1) rotated by differential inflation, (2) intruded by dikes from the interior of the flow, (3) extended, forming a flooded graben, and/or (4) entirely engulfed. The largest inflated structure is a tumulus with 20 m of surface relief, which was covered by a compound flow unit of spinifex flow lobes. The lava that inflated and rotated the upper vesicular crust did not vesiculate, but crystallized as a thick spinifex zone with fist-size skeletal olivine. Instead of representing rapidly cooled lava, the spinifex zone cooled slowly beneath an insulating upper crust during inflation. Overpressure of the inflating lava may have inhibited vesiculation. This work describes the oldest vesicular komatiites known, illustrates the first field evidence for inflated structures in komatiite flows, proposes a new factor in the development of spinifex zones, and concludes that the inflation model is useful for understanding the evolution of komatiite submarine flow fields.     

Creating and sustaining Islamic financial centers: Bahrain in the wake of financial and political crises

Although primarily concentrated in countries with Muslim majorities, Islamic finance has become a global industry representing both a decentering of the global financial architecture and the emergence of an urban network that resides beyond the confines of traditional world city literature. While geographers have identified the “Mecca’s” of the Islamic finance industry – one of which is Bahrain – there remains a need to identify the factors necessary to create and sustain centers of Islamic finance. This paper examines these factors through a firm-level survey of foreign and local Islamic financial institutions in Bahrain, in conjunction with key informant interviews with representatives of these firms. We find that while Bahrain’s entrenched institutional advantages have preserved its role as a center in the Islamic financial landscape, ongoing political instability and the increasing attractiveness of new and emerging centers are threatening this role. As the country navigates the current social and political unrest, questions are raised as to what it takes to be an Islamic financial center.     

X‐ray fluorescence measurements of the surface elemental composition of asteroid 433 Eros

Abstract— We report major element ratios determined for the S‐class asteroid 433 Eros using remote‐sensing x‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy with the near‐Earth asteroid rendezvous Shoemaker x‐ray spectrometer (XRS). Data analysis techniques and systematic errors are described in detail. Data acquired during five solar flares and during two extended “quiet Sun” periods are presented; these results sample a representative portion of the asteroid's surface. Although systematic uncertainties are potentially large, the most internally consistent and plausible interpretation of the data is that Eros has primitive Mg/Si, Al/Si, Ca/Si and Fe/Si ratios, closely similar to H or R chondrites. Global differentiation of the asteroid is ruled out. The S/Si ratio is much lower than that of chondrites, probably reflecting impact‐induced volatilization and/or photo‐ or ion‐induced sputtering of sulfur at the surface of the asteroid. An alternative explanation for the low S/Si ratio is that it reflects a limited degree of melting with loss of an FeS‐rich partial melt. Size‐sorting processes could lead to segregation of Fe‐Ni metal from silicates within the regolith of Eros; this could indicate that the Fe/Si ratios determined by the x‐ray spectrometer are not representative of the bulk Eros composition.     

Re‐evaluation of late Holocene fire histories of three boreal bogs suggest a link between bog fire and climate

We re‐evaluated mid‐ and late Holocene fire records at three bog sites in southern Finland and Estonia through quantitative and qualitative analysis of sedimentary charcoal records. Our analysis suggests synchrony amongst the Kontolanrahka, Männikjärve and Lakkasuo bog records. Over the last 5000 years, three episodes of elevated fire occurrence were evident in these bog records, taking place from 4500 to 4000, 3500 to 2000 and 1000 to 500 cal. a BP. These episodes were probably influenced primarily by climate, but also possibly by expansion/retreat of (pre)historic human populations. Although previous studies have proposed that during the late Holocene only weak fire?climate linkages exist, the presented analysis suggests millennial‐ and centennial‐scale synchronous burning episodes.     

Hydrodynamics and sediment-transport in the nearshore of Poverty Bay, New Zealand: Observations of nearshore sediment segregation and oceanic storms

Nearshore regions act as an interface between the terrestrial environment and deeper waters. As such, they play important roles in the dispersal of fluvial sediment and the transport of sand to and from the shoreline. This study focused on the nearshore of Poverty Bay, New Zealand, and the processes controlling the dispersal of sediment from the main source, the Waipaoa River. Hydrodynamics and sediment-transport in water shallower than 15 m were observed from April through mid-September 2006. This deployment afforded observations during 3-4 periods of elevated river discharge and 5 dry storms.Similar wind, river discharge, wave, current, and turbidity patterns were characterized during three of the wet storms. At the beginning of each event, winds blew shoreward, increasing wave heights to 2-3 m within Poverty Bay. As the cyclonic storms moved through the system the winds reversed direction and became seaward, reducing the local wave height and orbital velocity while river discharge remained elevated. At these times, high river discharge and relatively small waves enabled fluvially derived suspended sediment to deposit in shallow water. Altimetry measurements indicated that at least 7 cm was deposited at a 15 m deep site during a single discharge event. Turbidity and seabed observations showed this deposition to be removed, however, as large swell waves from the Southern Ocean triggered resuspension of the material within three weeks of deposition. Consequently, two periods of dispersal were associated with each discharge pulse, one coinciding with fluvial delivery, and a second driven by wave resuspension a few weeks later. These observations of nearfield sediment deposition contradict current hypotheses of very limited sediment deposition in shallow water offshore of small mountainous rivers when floods and high-energy, large wave and fast current, oceanic conditions coincide.Consistently shoreward near-bed currents, observed along the 10 m isobath of Poverty Bay, were attributed to a combination of estuarine circulation, Stokes drift, and wind driven upwelling. Velocities measured at the 15 m isobath, however, were directed more alongshore and diverged from those at the 10 m isobath. The divergence in the currents observed at the 10 and 15 m locations seemed to facilitate segregation of coarse and fine sediment, with sand transported near-bed toward the beach, while suspended silts and clays were exported to deeper water.     

Contraction,fragmentation and expansion dynamics determine nutrient availability in a Mediterranean forest stream

Temporary streams are a dominant surface water type in the Mediterranean region. As a consequence of their hydrologic regime, these ecosystems contract and fragment as they dry, and expand after rewetting. Global change leads to a rapid increase in the extent of temporary streams, and more and more permanent streams are turning temporary. Consequently, there is an urgent need to better understand the effects of flow intermittency on the biogeochemistry and ecology of stream ecosystems. Our aim was to investigate how stream nutrient availability varied in relation to ecosystem contraction, fragmentation and expansion due to hydrologic drying and rewetting. We quantified the temporal and spatial changes in dissolved nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations along a reach of a temporary Mediterranean forest stream during an entire contraction–fragmentation–expansion hydrologic cycle. We observed marked temporal changes in N and P concentrations, in the proportion of organic and inorganic forms as well as in stoichiometric ratios, reflecting shifts in the relative importance of in-stream nutrient processing and external nutrient sources. In addition, the spatial heterogeneity of N and P concentrations and their ratios increased substantially with ecosystem fragmentation, reflecting the high relevance of in-stream processes when advective transport was lost. Overall, changes were more pronounced for N than for P. This study emphasizes the significance of flow intermittency in regulating stream nutrient availability and its implications for temporary stream management. Moreover, our results point to potential biogeochemical responses of these ecosystems in more temperate regions under future water scarcity scenarios.     

Amenity migration: diverse conceptualizations of drivers,socioeconomic dimensions,and emerging challenges

Rural communities throughout the postindustrial world are in the midst of a significant transition, sometimes referred to as rural restructuring, as traditional land uses, economic activities, and social arrangements transition to those associated with “post-productivist” or “multifunctional” landscapes. Amenity migration, the movement of people based on the draw of natural and/or cultural amenities, can be thought of as both driver and implication of this transition, resulting in significant changes in the ownership, use, and governance of rural lands, as well as in the composition and socioeconomic dynamics of rural communities. In concert with other social, economic and political processes, amenity migration is contributing to the fundamental transformation of rural communities throughout the world. This paper presents a review of the social science literature related to the concept of amenity migration, focusing on the ways in which it has been conceptualized, theorized, and documented by different communities of scholars. We then profile and summarize diverse perspectives on drivers and socioeconomic impacts, highlighting emerging challenges and opportunities related to this type of migration occurring at multiple scales and in multiple sites. The paper also identifies and discusses particular areas where further research is needed.