International economic institutions: Formal mechanisms for dealing with resource conflict

States employ international economic institutions as formal mechanisms in resource related conflict management. It is little known that states incorporate water resource management treaties in regional trade agreements (REIs) to jointly manage (1) the multifaceted use of rivers and (2) the territorial implications of rivers as borders. Both can lead to political tensions. I evaluate institutional effectiveness, through REI institutional design, in militarized interstate conflict. The role of trade institutions in geo-politics is a broad theme addressed. African dyads, REIs and conflict from 1950 to 1996 are the focus. I test the liberal hypothesis that institutions diminish the likelihood of militarized interstate conflict. Findings suggest allies that share memberships in REI water treaties with provisions for territorial boundary issues are more likely to fight than are other states. This relationship is weak, however, lending support to realist claims.     

Petrography and geochemistry of eclogites from the Mir kimberlite,Yakutia, Russia

 Diamond-bearing eclogites are an important component of the xenoliths that occur in the Mir kimberlite, Siberian platform, Russia. We have studied 16 of these eclogite xenoliths, which are characterized by coarse-grained, equigranular garnet and omphacite. On the basis of compositional variations in garnet and clinopyroxene, this suite of eclogites can be divided into at least two groups: a high-Ca group and a low-Ca group. The high-Ca group consists of high-Ca garnets in equilibrium with pyroxenes that have high Ca-ratios [Ca/(Ca+Fe+Mg)] and high jadeite contents. These high-Ca group samples have high modal% garnet, and garnet grains often are zoned. Garnet patches along rims and along amphibole- and phlogopite-filled veins have higher Mg and lower Ca contents compared to homogeneous cores. The low-Ca group consists of eclogites with low-Ca garnets in equilibrium with pyroxenes with a low Ca-ratio, but variable jadeite contents. These low-Ca group samples typically have low modal% of garnet, and garnets are rarely compositionally zoned. Three samples have mineralogic compositions and modes transitional to the high- and low-Ca groups. We have arbitrarily designated these samples as the intermediate-Ca group. The rare-earth-element (REE) contents of garnet and clinopyroxene have been determined by ion microprobe. Garnets from the low-Ca group have low LREE contents and typically have [Dy/Yb]_n < 1. The high-Ca group garnets have higher LREE contents and typically have [Dy/Yb]_n > 1. Garnets from the intermediate-Ca group have REE contents between the high- and low-Ca groups. Clinopyroxenes from the low-Ca group have convex-upward REE patterns with relatively high REE contents (ten times chondrite), whereas those from the high-Ca group have similar convex-upward shapes, but lower REE contents, approximately chondritic. Reconstructed bulk-rock REE patterns for the low-Ca group eclogites are relatively flat at approximately ten times chondrite. In contrast, the high-Ca group samples typically have LREE-depleted patterns and lower REE contents. The δ¹⁸O values measured for garnet separates range from 7.2 to 3.1‰. Although there is a broad overlap of δ¹⁸O between the low-Ca and high-Ca groups, the low-Ca group samples range from mantle-like to high δ¹⁸O values (4.9 to 7.2‰), and the high-Ca group garnets range from mantle-like to low δ¹⁸O values (5.3 to 3.1‰). The oxygen isotopic compositions of two of the five high-Ca group samples and four of the eight low-Ca group eclogites are consistent with seawater alteration of basaltic crust, with the low-Ca group eclogites representative of low-temperature alteration, and the high-Ca group samples representative of high-temperature hydrothermal seawater alteration. We interpret the differences between the low- and high-Ca group samples to be primarily a result of differences in the protoliths of these samples. The high-Ca group eclogites are interpreted to have protoliths similar to the mid to lower sections of an ophiolite complex. This section of oceanic crust would be dominated by rocks which have a significant cumulate component and would have experienced high-temperature seawater alteration. Such cumulate rocks probably would be LREE-depleted, and can be Ca-rich because of plagioclase or clinopyroxene accumulation. The protoliths of the low-Ca group eclogites are interpreted to be the upper section of an ophiolite complex. This section of oceanic crust would consist mainly of extrusive basalts that would have been altered by seawater at low temperatures. These basaltic lavas would probably have relatively flat REE patterns, as seen for the low-Ca group eclogites. Received: 10 July 1995 / Accepted: 17 May 1996     

Hydrology of hillslope‐wetland streams,Polar Bear Pass,Nunavut, Canada

Polar Bear Pass is a large High Arctic low‐gradient wetland (100 km²) bordered by low‐lying hills which are notched by a series of v‐shaped valleys. The spring and summer hydrology of two High Arctic hillslope‐wetland catchments, a first‐order stream, 0·2 km² Landing Strip Creek (LSC) and a larger second‐order basin, 4·2 km² Windy Creek (WC), is described here. A water balance framework was employed in 2008 to examine the movement of water from upland reaches into the low‐lying wetland. Snowcover was low in both basins (<50 mm in water equivalent units), but they both exhibited nival‐type regimes. After the main snowmelt season ended, runoff ceased in the smaller catchment (LSC), but not at the larger basin (WC) which continued to flow throughout the summer. Both basins responded to summer rains in different ways. At LSC, late‐summer continuous streamflow occurred only when rainfall satisfied the large soil moisture deficit in the upper bowl‐shaped zone of the basin. At WC, the presence of thinly thawed, ice‐rich polygonal terrain within the stream channel and in the upper reaches of the catchment likely limited infiltration in these near‐stream zones and enhanced runoff in response to both moderate and high rainfall. Subsequently, seasonal runoff ratios differed between the two sites (0·19 vs 0·68) as did the seasonal storage + residual (+16 vs ?50 mm). This suggests that the post‐snowmelt season runoff response to summer precipitation is very much modified by the unique basin characteristics (soil‐type, vegetation, ground ice) and their location within each stream order type. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intensification of decadal and multi-decadal sea level variability in the western tropical Pacific during recent decades

Previous studies have linked the rapid sea level rise (SLR) in the western tropical Pacific (WTP) since the early 1990s to the Pacific decadal climate modes, notably the Pacific Decadal Oscillation in the north Pacific or Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) considering its basin wide signature. Here, the authors investigate the changing patterns of decadal (10–20 years) and multidecadal (>20 years) sea level variability (global mean SLR removed) in the Pacific associated with the IPO, by analyzing satellite and in situ observations, together with reconstructed and reanalysis products, and performing ocean and atmosphere model experiments. Robust intensification is detected for both decadal and multidecadal sea level variability in the WTP since the early 1990s. The IPO intensity, however, did not increase and thus cannot explain the faster SLR. The observed, accelerated WTP SLR results from the combined effects of Indian Ocean and WTP warming and central-eastern tropical Pacific cooling associated with the IPO cold transition. The warm Indian Ocean acts in concert with the warm WTP and cold central-eastern tropical Pacific to drive intensified easterlies and negative Ekman pumping velocity in western-central tropical Pacific, thereby enhancing the western tropical Pacific SLR. On decadal timescales, the intensified sea level variability since the late 1980s or early 1990s results from the “out of phase” relationship of sea surface temperature anomalies between the Indian and central-eastern tropical Pacific since 1985, which produces “in phase” effects on the WTP sea level variability.     

The representative concentration pathways: an overview

This paper summarizes the development process and main characteristics of the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), a set of four new pathways developed for the climate modeling community as a basis for long-term and near-term modeling experiments. The four RCPs together span the range of year 2100 radiative forcing values found in the open literature, i.e. from 2.6 to 8.5 W/m². The RCPs are the product of an innovative collaboration between integrated assessment modelers, climate modelers, terrestrial ecosystem modelers and emission inventory experts. The resulting product forms a comprehensive data set with high spatial and sectoral resolutions for the period extending to 2100. Land use and emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases are reported mostly at a 0.5?×?0.5 degree spatial resolution, with air pollutants also provided per sector (for well-mixed gases, a coarser resolution is used). The underlying integrated assessment model outputs for land use, atmospheric emissions and concentration data were harmonized across models and scenarios to ensure consistency with historical observations while preserving individual scenario trends. For most variables, the RCPs cover a wide range of the existing literature. The RCPs are supplemented with extensions (Extended Concentration Pathways, ECPs), which allow climate modeling experiments through the year 2300. The RCPs are an important development in climate research and provide a potential foundation for further research and assessment, including emissions mitigation and impact analysis.     

Petrological cannibalism: the chemical and textural consequences of incremental magma body growth

The textures of minerals in volcanic and plutonic rocks testify to a complexity of processes in their formation that is at odds with simple geochemical models of igneous differentiation. Zoning in plagioclase feldspar is a case in point. Very slow diffusion of the major components in plagioclase means that textural evidence for complex magmatic evolution is preserved, almost without modification. Consequently, plagioclase affords considerable insight into the processes by which magmas accumulate in the crust prior to their eventual eruption or solidification. Here, we use the example of the 1980–1986 eruptions of Mount St. Helens to explore the causes of textural complexity in plagioclase and associated trapped melt inclusions. Textures of individual crystals are consistent with multiple heating and cooling events; changes in total pressure (P) or volatile pressure ( $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O ) are less easy to assess from textures alone. We show that by allying textural and chemical analyses of plagioclase and melt inclusions, including volatiles (H₂O, CO₂) and slow-diffusing trace elements (Sr, Ba), to published experimental studies of Mount St. Helens magmas, it is possible to disambiguate the roles of pressure and temperature to reconstruct magmatic evolutionary pathways through temperature–pressure–melt fraction (T– $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O –F) space. Our modeled crystals indicate that (1) crystallization starts at $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O  > 300 MPa, consistent with prior estimates from melt inclusion volatile contents, (2) crystal cores grow at $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O  = 200–280 MPa at F = 0.65–0.7, (3) crystals are transferred to $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O  = 100–130 MPa (often accompanied by 10–20 °C of heating), where they grow albitic rims of varying thicknesses, and (4) the last stage of crystallization occurs after minor heating at $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O  ~ 100 MPa to produce characteristic rim compositions of An₅₀. We hypothesize that modeled $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O decreases in excess of ~50 MPa most likely represent upward transport through the magmatic system. Small variations in modeled $P_{{{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}}}$ P H 2 O , in contrast, can be effected by fluxing the reservoir with CO₂-rich vapors that are either released from deeper in the system or transported with the recharge magma. Temperature fluctuations of 20–40 °C, on the other hand, are an inevitable consequence of incremental, or pulsed, assembly of crustal magma bodies wherein each pulse interacts with ancestral, stored magmas. We venture that this “petrological cannibalism” accounts for much of the plagioclase zoning and textural complexity seen not only at Mount St. Helens but also at arc magmas generally. More broadly we suggest that the magma reservoir below Mount St. Helens is dominated by crystal mush and fed by frequent inputs of hotter, but compositionally similar, magma, coupled with episodes of magma ascent from one storage region to another. This view both accords with other independent constraints on the subvolcanic system at Mount St. Helens and supports an emerging view of many active magmatic systems as dominantly super-solidus, rather than subliquidus, bodies.     

Geometallurgical Modeling at Olympic Dam Mine, South Australia

Modeling of geometallurgical variables is becoming increasingly important for improved management of mineral resources. Mineral processing circuits are complex and depend on the interaction of a large number of properties of the ore feed. At the Olympic Dam mine in South Australia, plant performance variables of interest include the recovery of Cu and U₃O₈, acid consumption, net recovery, drop weight index, and bond mill work index. There are an insufficient number of pilot plant trials (841) to consider direct three-dimensional spatial modeling for the entire deposit. The more extensively sampled head grades, mineral associations, grain sizes, and mineralogy variables are modeled and used to predict plant performance. A two-stage linear regression model of the available data is developed and provides a predictive model with correlations to the plant performance variables ranging from 0.65–0.90. There are a total of 204 variables that have sufficient sampling to be considered in this regression model. After developing the relationships between the 204 input variables and the six performance variables, the input variables are simulated with sequential Gaussian simulation and used to generate models of recovery of Cu and U₃O₈, acid consumption, net recovery, drop weight index, and bond mill work index. These final models are suitable for mine and plant optimization.     

Beach Litter Sampling Strategies: is there a ‘Best’ Method?

Ten methods for sampling beach litter were tested on 16 beaches located around the Firth of Forth, Scotland in order to ascertain the effectiveness of the various methods. Both fresh and/or accumulated litter were sampled. Some methods were more effective for recording gross amounts of litter. Maximum litter counts could be obtained by surveying the top boundary of the beach (e.g. vegetation line, retaining wall, rocks). Lowest amounts were obtained by surveying one five metre wide belt transect from the vegetation line to the shore. Some bias towards highlighting particular litter types was shown by specific methods. It was concluded that there were advantages and disadvantages for each method and that the aims of the study would in the end determine the method.     

Electronic Publishing: The issues and ways forward

On 10 April 1995, during the EUG 8 meeting in Strasbourg, about 100 people gathered to participate in a Forum on Electronic Publishing, organized by Dominic Vaughan (Elsevier Science) and Kathy Whaler (University of Edinburgh and Royal Astronomical Society). In what follows, I have tried to convey a flavour of the style of the various presentations, as well as their content. Many points were reiterated by more than one speaker; in general, I have not repeated them.