Developing community-derived indicators of economic status in the coral triangle: A management support tool

Environmental management initiatives commonly fail because of a lack of compliance from local communities, due largely to actual or perceived economic losses. Management should therefore aim to maintain or improve the economic status of local people. Development of economic performance criteria (EPC), as testable parameters through which changes in economic status can be identified, provide a mechanism for assessment of the economic impacts of management. Community perspectives of wealth, and potential applications for the design of locally relevant community-derived EPC were explored in a biodioverse and multicultural region within the coral triangle. A methodology is demonstrated for the development of locally relevant and locally comprehensible indicators. Household interviews and participatory wealth ranking exercises were conducted from which extensive socioeconomic data was generated to identify and test a series of potential EPC. An Economic Score (ES) was calculated and provided a simple mechanism for ‘at a glance’ spatial and temporal comparisons. Household income was used to verify EPC and ES. The participatory identification of EPC represents a novel tool with potential for application in the development of environmental management initiatives that aim to maintain ecological wealth and support sustainable resource utilisation, whilst maintaining or improving local economic status, and hence compliance.     

Food sources of the pearl oyster in coastal ecosystems of Japan: Evidence from diet and stable isotope analysis

We estimated the composition of two food sources for the cultured pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii using stable isotopes and stomach content analysis in the coastal areas of the Uwa Sea, Japan. The δ¹³C values of oysters (−17.5 to −16.8‰) were intermediate between that of particulate organic matter (POM, −20.2 to −19.1‰) and attached microalgae on pearl cages (−13.0‰). An isotope mixing model suggested that oysters were consuming 78% POM (mainly phytoplankton) and 22% attached microalgae. The attached microalgal composition of the stomach content showed a strong resemblance to the composition of that estimated through the isotope mixing model, suggesting preferential utilization of specific components is unlikely in this species. These results indicate that P. fucata martensii feed on a mixture of phytoplankton and attached microalgae, and that the attached microalgae on pearl cages can serve as an important additional food source.     

天津蓟县硼矿床锰方硼石矿物的硼同位素研究

天津蓟县硼矿床是世界上唯一的沉积环境特殊的锰方硼石型硼矿床。矿床呈层状产于震旦系碳酸岩泥灰质岩系中 ,矿石呈鲕粒状或球粒状集合体 ,是成因条件极其特殊的矿床类型。含矿岩系为中元古界高于庄组沉积岩系 ,含矿岩性由下而上依次为含锰白云岩、页岩互层→含锰白云岩、泥硅质岩 ,夹锰方硼石矿层→含锰页岩、白云岩→厚层白云岩→薄层白云岩→厚层白云岩 ,锰方硼石矿体在矿层中呈断续相连的团块状或透镜状分布。硼矿物成分简单 ,只有锰方硼石一种矿物 ,锰方硼石矿体呈透镜状断续成层分布 ,东西延长达 30km。东部矿段以锰方硼石为主 ,向西部渐变为菱锰矿。矿石有块状和斑点状。块状矿石全部由球粒状锰方硼石集合体组成 ,w (B2 O3 ) >2 0 % ,最高可达 4 2 %以上。斑点状矿石中锰方硼石集中呈球粒状集合体分布于泥质白云岩中 ,w (B2 O3 ) <7%。首次研究了该硼矿床锰方硼石的硼同位素组成 ,δ11B值为 +6 7‰～ +14 9‰ ,均为正值 ,并且东部大峪矿段的硼同位素值低于西部柏树沟矿段的硼同位素值 ,表明该硼矿床的成矿元素属于海水来源。由于锰方硼石的微量元素组成难以与蒸发岩比较 ,且富含F、Ba、Sn热液富集的元素和Co、Ni、Cr、Ti基性岩浆岩元素以及与Fe、Mn大洋结核有关的元素组分 ,因此锰方硼石应属于     

Evaluation of210Pb dating in lake sediments using stable Pb,Ambrosia pollen,and137Cs

We used sediment chronology data from fourteen published studies of lake cores across much of North America and Scandinavia in order to make a large scale comparison of the different dating techniques. The uncertainty of²¹⁰Pb derived dates was determined using common sediment event markers: the stable Pb rise, the¹³⁷Cs rise, and theAmbrosia pollen rise. For all data combined, the 95% confidence intervals for the stable Pb rise and theAmbrosia rise, were approximately 30 years. These 95% confidence intervals are slightly higher than those derived by First-Order Error analysis performed by others on²¹⁰Pb derived dates. When comparing the concordance of two²¹⁰Pb models (CRS and CIC) against markers of known history, we found that the CRS model dates (constant rate of supply) had consistently better agreement than the CIC model dates (constant initial concentration). Major discrepancies between¹³⁷Cs and²¹⁰Pb were common, but were consistently more severe in sediments of soft water lakes pointing to an inability of sediments with low mineral content to immobilize Cs.This is the ninth of a series of papers to be published by this journal following the 20 ^th anniversary of the first application of²¹⁰Pb dating of lake sediments, Dr. P. G. Appleby is guest editing this series.     

Geochemical composition of dykes along the Cameroon Line (CL): Petrogenesis and similarities with the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province

We report whole-rock geochemistry and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of mafic dykes intruded in the Precambrian granito-gneissic basement complex, exposed at Nyos, Batibo, Dschang and Foumban on the Cameroon Line. The dykes are alkaline (Batibo), transitional (Foumban), and subalkaline (Nyos, Batibo and Dschang) with SiO₂ of 45–54 wt% and MgO of 2–9 wt%, similar to dykes reported in other areas of the Cameroon Line (CL) and the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). The abundances of rare earth elements (REE) and the Primitive Mantle normalised patterns for the Nyos, Batibo and Dschang dykes are similar to those of MORB, indicating that the dykes formed at shallower depths by a higher degree of partial melting relative to the Foumban dykes and the alkaline lavas of the CL. The transitional basaltic dykes with steeper REE patterns have their sources at deeper levels in the lithospheric mantle, possibly the garnet-spinel transition zone and were generated by a lower degree partial melting of the lithospheric and plume components. The Nyos and Batibo subalkaline dykes show similar isotopic compositions with a spectrum extending from depleted (DMM-like) to enriched (EM1-like) mantle, indicating the similarity in their source components. The Dschang dykes show distinct isotopic characteristics with relatively unradiogenic Nd-Pb isotope compositions compared to the Batibo and Nyos dykes. The Foumban transitional dykes with characteristic wide ranges in Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions reveal varying contributions from enriched mantle components (EM1 and EM2) in addition to its plume signature similar to those of CL lavas. The Nyos and Batibo dykes alongside other dykes on the CL have low TiO₂ abundances (<2 wt%), negative PM-normalised Nb-anomalies, and moderately to strongly enriched REE patterns, and isotopic composition that overlaps with those of CAMP, suggesting a similar lithospheric origin.     

Assessing post-pliocene deformation in a context of slow tectonic deformation: insights from paleoseismology,remote sensing and shallow geophysics in Provence,France

Natural Hazards - The Provence region, located in the south-east of France, has experienced a few destructive earthquakes during the last centuries, such as the 1909 Lambesc earthquake or the 1509...