Stay or leave? Potential climate change adaptation strategies among Aboriginal people in coastal communities in northern Australia

Coastal northern Australia is largely owned and occupied by Aboriginal people who are strongly connected to their traditional country. We assess the views of Aboriginal people in Arnhem Land on the impacts of climate change and their possible precautionary responses to both sea level rise and a potential increase in the intensity of tropical cyclones in coastal communities. All respondents had heard about climate change, and 48 % had already seen environmental changes, particularly sea level rise, which they attributed to climate change. Fifty-eight percent of respondents would consider relocating in the future for safety reasons, although most respondents perceived living close to the sea as highly important for their future well-being, emphasising their strong connection to their traditional sea country. Many of those willing to relocate would consider moving inland, either temporarily or permanently, provided that community facilities could also be moved. Other respondents who said they would be unlikely to relocate in the future because of climate change impacts, and would prefer to adapt in situ with government support (e.g. building more shelters for severe cyclones, building sea walls and better roads for quick evacuation if necessary). We recommend that the diversity of adaptation preferences among Aboriginal people should be accommodated in policy to minimise social impacts of climate change and to take advantage of potential opportunities that could arise from moving.     

Geomorphological surfaces of different age and origin in granite landscapes: an evaluation of the Schmidt hammer test

Granite landforms in Sierra Nevada, California, and the southern part of Sweden were used to test whether a Schmidt hammer can be used to distinguish surfaces of different age and origin. Based on 3260 readings, statistically signi?cant differences were obtained from surfaces formed and/or affected by different geomorphological processes. Aeolian, ?uvial or glacially polished surfaces yield higher values than surfaces exposed to surface weathering, which are distinguishable from surfaces at a weathering front caused by deep weathering. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ocean iron fertilization: Why further research is needed

Despite large uncertainties in the fertilization efficiency, natural iron fertilization studies and some of the purposeful iron enrichment studies have demonstrated that Southern Ocean iron fertilization can lead to a significant export of carbon from the sea surface to the ocean interior. From an economic perspective the potential of ocean iron fertilization (OIF) is far from negligible in relation to other abatement options. Comparing the range of cost estimates to the range of estimates for forestation projects they are in the same order of magnitude, but OIF could provide more carbon credits even if high discount rates are used to account for potential leakage and non-permanence. However, the uncertainty about undesired adverse effects of purposeful iron fertilization on marine ecosystems and biogeochemistry has led to attempts to ban commercial and, to some extent, scientific experiments aimed at a better understanding of the processes involved, effectively precluding further consideration of this mitigation option. As regards the perspective of public international law, the pertinent agreements dealing with the protection of the marine environment indicate that OIF is to be considered as lawful if and to the extent to which it represents legitimate scientific research. In this respect, the precautionary principle can be used to balance the risks arising out of scientific OIF activities for the marine environment with the potential advantages relevant to the objectives of the climate change regime. As scientific OIF experiments involve only comparatively small negative impacts within a limited marine area, further scientific research must be permitted to explore the carbon sequestration potential of OIF in order to either reject this concept or integrate it into the flexible mechanisms contained in the Kyoto Protocol.     

Geochemistry of salt marsh sediments deposited during simulated sea-level rise and consequences for recent and Holocene coastal development of NW Germany

De-embankment in the salt marshes of the island of Langeoog was carried out in 2004, thereby inducing an artificial transgression within an area of 2.2 km². Material from three suspended matter traps (SMTs) located along a N–S transect was collected monthly between January 2006 and February 2007. Besides geochemical (major and trace elements) and grain-size analyses, the duration and height of water cover were continuously measured by pressure gauges during the sampling period at two sites, thus revealing inundation frequency (max. 280 year⁻¹) and level (max. 2.4 m). Generally, the silt-dominated SMT material exhibits a geochemical composition similar to that of suspended particulate matter from the adjacent Wadden Sea. However, distinctly increasing enrichments of TOC, P, Mn and Mo from the shoreline towards the higher salt marsh clearly indicate fractionation processes during material transport. Geochemical comparison with older Holocene coastal deposits reveals a mixture of brackish and tidal flat sediments, thus reflecting an early stage of sea-level rise and the development from a terrestrial towards a marine-dominated system. Sedimentation rates are higher than the local sea-level rise, as revealed by vertical salt marsh growth. Storm surges deliver the highest amounts of sediment and play an important role in salt marsh accumulation within the study area. Average accumulation rates of TOC (780 t year⁻¹), P (54 t year⁻¹) and Mn (5.2 t year⁻¹) in the de-embanked area suggest that the former sand-dominated sediments currently receive significant amounts of reactive organic-rich material, thus fostering biogeochemical cycling.     

Vegetation-based bioindication of humus forms in coniferous mountain forests

Humus forms, especially the occurrence and the thickness of the horizon of humified residues(OH), provide valuable information on site conditions.In mountain forest soils, humus forms show a high spatial variability and data on their spatial patterns is often scarce. Our aim was to test the applicability of various vegetation features as proxy for OH thickness.Subalpine coniferous forests dominated by Picea abies(L.) H. Karst. and Larix decidua Mill. were studied in the Province of Trento, Italian Alps,between ca. 900 and 2200 m a.s.l. Braun-Blanquet vegetation relevés and OH thickness were recorded at152 plots. The vegetation parameters, tested for their suitability as indicators of OH thickness,encompassed mean Landolt indicator values of the herb layer(both unweighted and cover-weighted means) as well as parameters of vegetation structure(cover values of plant species groups) calculated from the relevés. To our knowledge, the predictive power of Landolt indicator values(LIVs) for humus forms had not been tested before. Correlations between OH thickness and mean LIVs were strongest for the soil reaction value, but indicator values for humus,nutrients, temperature and light were also significantly correlated with OH thickness. Generally,weighting with species cover reduced the indicator quality of mean LIVs for OH thickness. The strongest relationships between OH thickness and vegetation structure existed in the following indicators: the cover of forbs(excluding graminoids and ferns) and the cover of Ericaceae in the herb layer. Regression models predicting OH thickness based on vegetation structure had almost as much predictive power as models based on LIVs. We conclude that LIVs analysis can produce fairly reliable information regarding the thickness of the OH horizon and, thus,the humus form. If no relevé data are readily available,a field estimation of the cover values of certain easily distinguishable herb layer species groups is much faster than a vegetation survey with consecutive indicator value analysis, and might be a feasible way of quickly indicating the humus form.     

Paleolimnology of three Jackman Sound Lakes,Southern Baffin Island,based on down-core diatom analyses

Three lakes, informally named Lakes Inqua, Instaar and Mercer, from the Jackman Sound area in Southern Baffin Island were cored. The elevation of the three lakes are 36 m above high tide (aht), 10 m aht and 1 m aht. The cores from Lakes Inqua and Mercer penetrated the marine/lacustrine boundary; the core from Lake Instaar is estimated to have come within ca. 5 cm of this boundary. In addition, grab samples and water samples were retrieved from the lakes. The cores have been ¹⁴C dated (AMS). Emergence of the three lake basins from the sea occurred approximately 8650 BP (Lake Inqua), 8630 BP (Lake Instaar) and 7900 BP (Lake Mercer, averaged date). This suggests a very rapid rate (>5 m/100 yrs) of glacio-isostatic rebound for this area. Down-core analyses of diatom assemblages indicate that the paleolimnology in the three lakes was similar. The diatom analyses suggest a change in climate between approximately 8000 and 6000 BP, which is also reflected in the marine record from the same area, and the onset of the neoglacial period around 4500 to 3800 BP. A decrease in diatom-inferred pH is evident in the lakes' development and can probably be related to the general change of the watershed vegetation with time.     

Historical ecology of a central California estuary: 150 years of habitat change

We investigated the historical ecology of Elkhorn Slough, a 1,200 ha tidal wetland system in central California. The goal of this study was to identify patterns of change in the extent and distribution of wetland habitats during a 150-yr period and to investigate the causes of these changes. Using a geographic information system (GIS), we interpreted historic maps, charts, and aerial photographs. We created a series of summary maps to illustrate and quantify changes in tidal flow and habitat types at six representative historical periods. With the aid of custom software tools, we performed semi-automated spatial analysis of historic aerial photographs to quantify changes in marsh cover at fixed quadrats and tidal creek width at fixed cross sections. Our multiscale analysis documents dramatic shifts in the distribution of habitat types resulting from anthropogenic modifications to the hydrology of the slough. More than half of the marshlands were diked, and more than two thirds have either degraded or been converted to other habitat types. The construction of an artificial mouth abruptly transformed the wetland system from depositional to highly erosional, enlarging channels, widening creeks, and converting marsh to intertidal mudflat or open water. Increased tidal amplitude and velocity are the likely causes. In recent decades, levee failure and intentional breaching have restored the acreage under tidal influence to nearly historic levels, but recolonization of former wetlands by salt marsh vegetation has been minimal. Degraded former marshland and unvegetated mudflat are now the dominant habitat types at Elkhorn Slough. The rate of habitat change remains high, suggesting that a new equilibrium may not be reached for many decades. This study can help tidal wetland managers identify patterns and mechanisms of habitat change and set appropriate conservation and restoration goals.     

A geomorphological seabed classification for the Weddell Sea,Antarctica

Sea floor morphology plays an important role in many scientific disciplines such as ecology, hydrology and sedimentology since geomorphic features can act as physical controls for e.g. species distribution, oceanographically flow-path estimations or sedimentation processes. In this study, we provide a terrain analysis of the Weddell Sea based on the 500 m × 500 m resolution bathymetry data provided by the mapping project IBCSO. Seventeen seabed classes are recognized at the sea floor based on a fine and broad scale Benthic Positioning Index calculation highlighting the diversity of the glacially carved shelf. Beside the morphology, slope, aspect, terrain rugosity and hillshade were calculated and supplied to the data archive PANGAEA. Applying zonal statistics to the geomorphic features identified unambiguously the shelf edge of the Weddell Sea with a width of 45–70 km and a mean depth of about 1200 m ranging from 270 m to 4300 m. A complex morphology of troughs, flat ridges, pinnacles, steep slopes, seamounts, outcrops, and narrow ridges, structures with approx. 5–7 km width, build an approx. 40–70 km long swath along the shelf edge. The study shows where scarps and depressions control the connection between shelf and abyssal and where high and low declination within the scarps e.g. occur. For evaluation purpose, 428 grain size samples were added to the seabed class map. The mean values of mud, sand and gravel of those samples falling into a single seabed class was calculated, respectively, and assigned to a sediment texture class according to a common sediment classification scheme.     

SPM response to tide and river flow in the hyper-turbid Ems River

In this paper, we analyse the behaviour of fine sediments in the hyper-turbid Lower Ems River, with focus on the river’s upper reaches, a stretch of about 25 km up-estuary of Terborg. Our analysis is based on long records of suspended particulate matter (SPM) from optical backscatter (OBS) measurements close to the bed at seven stations along the river, records of salinity and water level measurements at these stations, acoustic measurements on the vertical mud structure just up-estuary of Terborg and oxygen profiles in the lower 3 m of the water column close to Leerort and Terborg. Further, we use cross-sectionally averaged velocities computed with a calibrated numerical model. Distinction is made between four timescales, i.e. the semi-diurnal tidal timescale, the spring–neap tidal timescale, a timescale around an isolated peak in river flow (i.e. about 3 weeks) and a seasonal timescale. The data suggest that a pool of fluid/soft mud is present in these upper reaches, from up-estuary of Papenburg to a bit down-estuary of Terborg. Between Terborg and Gandersum, SPM values drop rapidly but remain high at a few gram per litre. The pool of fluid/soft mud is entrained/mobilized at the onset of flood, yielding SPM values of many tens gram per litre. This suspension is transported up-estuary with the flood. Around high water slack, part of the suspension settles, being remixed during ebb, while migrating down-estuary, but likely not much further than Terborg. Around low water slack, a large fraction of the sediment settles, reforming the pool of fluid mud. The rapid entrainment from the fluid mud layer after low water slack is only possible when the peak flood velocity exceeds a critical value of around 1 m/s, i.e. when the stratified water column seems to become internally supercritical. If the peak flood velocity does not reach this critical value, f.i. during neap tide, fluid mud is not entrained up to the OBS sensors. Thus, it is not classical tidal asymmetry, but the peak flood velocity itself which governs the hyper-turbid state in the Lower Ems River. The crucial role of river flow and river floods is in reducing these peak flood velocities. During elongated periods of high river flow, in e.g. wintertime, SPM concentrations reduce, and the soft mud deposits consolidate and possibly become locally armoured as well by sand washed in from the river. We have no observations that sediments are washed out of the hyper-turbid zone. Down-estuary of Terborg, where SPM values do not reach hyper-turbid conditions, the SPM dynamics are governed by classical tidal asymmetry and estuarine circulation. Hence, nowhere in the river, sediments are flushed from the upper reaches of the river into the Ems-Dollard estuary during high river flow events. However, exchange of sediment between river and estuary should occur because of tide-induced dispersion.