REDD+ Readiness progress across countries: time for reconsideration

Efforts towards Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+) have grown in importance in developing countries following negotiations within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This has favoured investments in processes to prepare countries for REDD+ at the national level (a process referred to as REDD+ Readiness). Yet, little attention has been given to how Readiness can be assessed and potentially improved. This article presents a framework for Readiness assessment and compares progress in REDD+ Readiness across four countries, namely Cameroon, Indonesia, Peru, and Vietnam. The Readiness assessment framework comprises six functions, namely planning and coordination; policy, laws, and institutions; measurement, reporting, verification (MRV), and audits; benefit sharing; financing; and demonstrations and pilots. We found the framework credible and consistent in measuring progress and eliciting insight into Readiness processes at the country level. Country performance for various functions was mixed. Progress was evident on planning and coordination, and demonstration and pilots. However, MRV and audits; financing; benefit sharing; and policies, laws and institutions face major challenges. The results suggest that the way national forest governance has been shaped by historical circumstances (showing path dependency) is a critical factor for progress in Readiness processes. There is need for a rethink of the current REDD+ Readiness infrastructure given the serious gaps observed in addressing drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, linking REDD+ to broader national strategies and systematic capacity building.     

Phase-equilibrium geobarometers for silicic rocks based on rhyolite-MELTS. Part 2: application to Taupo Volcanic Zone rhyolites

Constraining the pressure of crystallisation of large silicic magma bodies gives important insight into the depth and vertical extent of magmatic plumbing systems; however, it is notably difficult to constrain pressure at the level of detail necessary to understand shallow magmatic systems. In this study, we use the recently developed rhyolite-MELTS geobarometer to constrain the crystallisation pressures of rhyolites from the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ). As sanidine is absent from the studied deposits, we calculate the pressures at which quartz and feldspar are found to be in equilibrium with melt now preserved as glass (the quartz +1 feldspar constraint of Gualda and Ghiorso, Contrib Mineral Petrol 168:1033. doi: 10.1007/s00410-014-1033-3. 2014). We use glass compositions (matrix glass and melt inclusions) from seven eruptive deposits dated between ~320 and 0.7 ka from four distinct calderas in the central TVZ, and we discuss advantages and limitations of the rhyolite-MELTS geobarometer in comparison with other geobarometers applied to the same eruptive deposits. Overall, there is good agreement with other pressure estimates from the literature (amphibole geobarometry and H₂O–CO₂ solubility models). One of the main advantages of this new geobarometer is that it can be applied to both matrix glass and melt inclusions—regardless of volatile saturation. The examples presented also emphasise the utility of this method to filter out spurious glass compositions. Pressure estimates obtained with the new rhyolite-MELTS geobarometer range between ~250 to ~50 MPa, with a large majority at ~100 MPa. These results confirm that the TVZ hosts some of the shallowest rhyolitic magma bodies on the planet, resulting from the extensional tectonic regime and thinning of the crust. Distinct populations with different equilibration pressures are also recognised, which is consistent with the idea that multiple batches of eruptible magma can be present in the crust at the same time and can be tapped simultaneously by large eruptive events.     

Residual circulation and stratification in the Liverpool Bay region of freshwater influence

Wind and tidal straining are proposed as key mechanisms influencing the magnitude and timing of the horizontal flux of freshwater across regions of freshwater influence (ROFIs). Evidence for this hypothesis is presented in estimates of the tidally averaged residual current profile, obtained from 5 years of continuous acoustic doppler current profiler measurements in the Liverpool Bay ROFI. The modified horizontal Richardson number (R_x^wtR_{x}^{wt}), which includes both the tidal and the wind forcing, was assessed as a measure of stratification. R_x^wtR_{x}^{wt} was found to be a good indicator of the timing of the evolution and destruction of stratification, but was not as successful as an indicator of the magnitude of stratification, both enduring and periodic. The observed mean residual velocities are compared to those predicted by a classical solution, and the eddy viscosity (N _z ) is shown to be a control on differences between the observed and predicted circulation. Principal component analysis is used to show that the strongest residual currents occur when the water column periodically alternates between a well-mixed and stratified state, a consequence of straining, rather than simply related to the density gradient. Evidence of wind straining was found in the correspondence between the wind direction and the near surface and near bed residual current direction.     

Mountain building and exhumation processes through time: inferences from nature and models

Orogenic belts involving initially hot lithospheres, as exemplified by accretionary-type orogens, commonly show distributed deformation and retrograde PT paths with a concomitant decrease in pressure and temperature. Paths may track geotherms, indicating thermal equilibrium, consistent with slow strain and exhumation rates, limited strain localization, and consequently limited topographical gradients and distributed erosion. Such patterns are more common in Precambrian times than in younger periods of the Earth history. In contrast, orogens involving initially stiff lithospheres show exhumation PT paths that track isothermal decompression reflecting high strain rates along major shear zones, a feature typical of Phanerozoic collision belts. Field evidence, analogue and numerical models emphasize that strain localization has first-order consequences for the tectonic evolution of orogenic zones including structure, metamorphism, exhumation processes, topography, erosion and sedimentation modes.     

Estimating boundary currents from satellite altimetry: A case study for the east coast of India

We present a methodology to derive surface geostrophic current from a newly released altimetric sea-level data set. TOPEX/Poseidon data were first completely reprocessed from Geophysical Data Records using new algorithms accommodating marginal seas and coastal conditions. The methodology applied to the reprocessed data essentially consists of a smoothing of the raw along-track coastal altimetric data at scales at which the geostrophic equilibrium holds. This was reduced to a computational procedure using a set of objective criteria. We have applied the method to the East India Coastal Current (EICC) at the western boundary of the Bay of Bengal. This paper first examines the quality of the new data set, which compares well with tide-gauge data; the current we derived is consistent with independent estimates. Our methodology reveals the full spectrum of the along-shore current, ranging from intra-seasonal to inter-annual time scales, from the deep ocean to the shelf-break area where the EICC exists. The algorithm can be applied to any coastal region where an order of the Rossby radius can be defined, and it therefore opens up bright prospects for mapping the variability of other boundary-current systems in the world ocean from altimetry.     

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a Late Quaternary lagoon system in southern Brazil (Jaguaruna region,Santa Catarina state) based on multi‐proxy analysis

This paper provides a paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a Late Quaternary lagoon system in the Jaguaruna region of Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. Integrated results of bulk sedimentary organic matter characterization (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and C/N), microfossil (pollen and diatom) and grain‐size analysis from three shallow cores (～2.5 m depth) allowed us to propose an evolving paleogeographic scenario in this coastal region for the last ca. 5500 cal a BP. The lagoonal system in this area was more extensive during the mid‐Holocene than today, with a gradual and continuous lagoon–sea disconnection until the present. We add to the debate regarding relative sea‐level (RSL) variations for the Brazilian coast during the Holocene and discuss the importance of sedimentary dynamics for interpreting changes in coastal ecosystems. The multi‐proxy analysis suggests that changes in coastal ecosystems could be directly related to local sedimentary processes, which are not necessarily linked to RSL fluctuations and/or to climatic variations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diffusion-driven transport in clayrock formations

Clay mineral-rich sedimentary formations are currently under investigation to evaluate their potential use as host formations for installation of deep underground disposal facilities for radioactive waste (e.g. Boom Clay (BE), Opalinus Clay (CH), Callovo–Oxfordian argillite (FR)). The ultimate safety of the corresponding repository concepts depends largely on the capacity of the host formation to limit the flux towards the biosphere of radionuclides (RN) contained in the waste to acceptably low levels. Data for diffusion-driven transfer in these formations shows extreme differences in the measured or modelled behaviour for various radionuclides, e.g. between halogen RN (³⁶Cl, ¹²⁹I) and actinides (^238,235U, ²³⁷Np, ²³²Th, etc.), which result from major differences between RN of the effects on transport of two phenomena: diffusion and sorption. This paper describes recent research aimed at improving understanding of these two phenomena, focusing on the results of studies carried out during the EC Funmig IP on clayrocks from the above three formations and from the Boda formation (HU).     

Women’s perceptions of health,quality of life,and malaria management in Kakamega County,Western Province,Kenya

We assess women’s perceptions of health risks in relation to quality of life concerns, with attention to variables viewed as central to maintaining or improving health and well-being. In this paper, we specifically underscore how a life-threatening disease—malaria—is experienced and bio-cyclically understood and managed in relation to seasonal hunger, food insecurities, and livelihood vulnerabilities. The study, conducted June–July 2013, draws on field data and interviews with 60 women farmers of the Luhya community along the Yala River in Kakamega County, Western Province, Kenya. Major findings suggest the following: (1) women’s perceived desired quality of life is shaped by priorities for children’s education, nutrition, food security, and economic security in their rural communities; (2) malaria emerged as a challenging household health problem that curtails livelihood opportunities for most study participants; and (3) local understandings of malaria transmission, particularly how and when female mosquitoes become infected with malaria-causing protozoans, was low, but malaria symptoms were relatively well-understood. The interest and motivation to institute new malaria risk reduction practices at the community level are explored, including attention to building upon the Luhya tradition of oral storytelling in order to promote actions to eliminate malaria. This analysis of local narratives of health risks illustrates these points and demonstrates how women’s constructions of health risks and well-being provide a basis for developing interventions targeting income generation and microloan opportunities that could support Kenyan women in their intersecting approaches to malaria, securing nutritious diets, and enhancing the local health environment.     

Satellite-Derived ERS scatterometer sea-surface wind-stress curl in the southwestern Indian Ocean

Surface marine wind data base from ERS-1 scatterometer has been processed to define the characteristic seasonal distribution of wind-stress curl throughout the southwestern Indian Ocean between January and December 1994. A compact model to obtain satellite-derived wind-stress curl fields on smaller scales than previously available is proposed and evaluated. The results indicate the strong capability of the ERS-1 scatterometer to monitor wind-driven variations in the mesoscale ocean patterns. To cite this article: M. Petit et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

Moderate pressure metamorphism and anatexis due to anorthosite intrusion,western Adirondack Highlands,New York

 Garnet-sillimanite-biotite gneiss near Port Leyden, in the western Adirondack Highlands, New York, contains mineral assemblages and textures that formed during high temperature metamorphism and anatexis at mid-crustal pressures. Evidence for melting includes thin, plagioclase-rich veins, sieve textures in biotite, and the presence of small, euhedral garnet neoblasts. Hercynite-silicate equilibria in combination with the solidus for biotite dehydration melting indicate metamorphic pressure was between 4 and 6.4 kbar at the temperature of melting (ca. 735° C). The gneiss is intruded by a small, discordant Fe-Ti oxide-apatite (nelsonite) dike. Reported field occurrences of nelsonite demonstrate its common association with anorthosite plutons. Although no anorthosite bodies are exposed in the Port Leyden region, the presence of nelsonite is evidence of anorthositic magmatism in the western Adirondacks. Post-intrusion metamorphism has caused partial apatite recrystallization and produced a weak foliated texture in the dike. U-Pb ages from zircon and monazite from both the gneiss and the nelsonite dike indicate that these rocks experienced a complex, polymetamorphic history that we interpret to reflect two thermal episodes. An older event is recorded by discordant zircons in the gneiss, which indicate a minimum age of 1129±6 Ma. A linear best fit to the data yields an upper intercept at 1166±53 Ma. This range of ages coincides with anorthosite-suite magmatism in the Adirondacks. A minimum zircon age of 1104±3 Ma was obtained from the nelsonite dike. Lead-loss or late zircon crystallization at about 1020 Ma affected the U-Pb systematics of zircon in the dike. Monazite ages from both rocks also indicate high temperature metamorphism (>700° C) between 1040 and 960 Ma. The older zircon ages and textural relations in the metapelite are viewed as evidence for anatexis at ca. 1150 Ma, and the presence of nelsonite suggests that the intrusion of anorthosite was coincident with partial melting in the gneiss. P-T estimates of metamorphism, therefore, imply that anorthosite was emplaced to about 15 km depth in the western Adirondack Highlands. Received: 13 September 1994 / Accepted: 10 May 1995