Evaluating climate change adaptation efforts on the US 50 states’ hazard mitigation plans

Climate change brings uncertain risks of climate-related natural hazards. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA in Climate change: long-term trends and their implications for emergency management, 2011. https://www.fema.gov/pdf/about/programs/oppa/climate_change_paper.pdf) has issued a policy directive to integrate climate change adaptation actions into hazard mitigation programs, policies, and plans. However, to date there has been no comprehensive empirical study to examine the extent to which climate change issues are integrated into state hazard mitigation plans (SHMPs). This study develops 18 indicators to examine the extent of climate change considerations in the 50 SHMPs. The results demonstrate that these SHMPs treat climate change issues in an uneven fashion, with large variations present among the 50 states. The overall plan quality for climate change considerations was sustained at an intermediate level with regard to climate change-related awareness, analysis, and actions. The findings confirm that climate change concepts and historic extreme events have been well recognized by the majority of SHMPs. Even though they are not specific to climate change, mitigation and adaptation strategies that can help reduce climate change risks have been adopted in these plans. However, the plans still lack a detailed assessment of climate change and more incentives for collaboration strategies beyond working with emergency management agencies.     

Study on Dynamic Transformation,Application and Comparison of Aviation Carbon Emission Environmental Damage Assessment Methods

The contradiction between the rapid development of aviation market and supply of airspace resources has increased the environmental damages of aviation carbon emission. The conversion and application of environmental damage assessment method of aviation carbon emission were summarized, and the characteristics of the assessment methods for air and ground transportation were compared. We found out the followings: \mathrm{①} The evaluation method has been transformed from static assessment to dynamic evaluation, and focused on four key problems, average and total carbon emissions, airspace resource utilization, LTO stage emission, and reduction practice; \mathrm{②} Airport terminal area as well as LTO are becoming the focus in the study of aviation carbon emission assessment method, while the former is the main area and the latter is the main stage of aviation carbon emission. The practice of emission reduction is mainly reflected in the optimization of emission reduction measures in economic field; \mathrm{③} Based on the situation and total assessment methods, environmental damage assessment and comparative advantage of aviation carbon emission and ground transportation carbon emission are reflected in the distance by using distance factor and energy consumption; \mathrm{④} Improving the smoothness of airspace resource traffic network, optimizing flight schedule structure and airspace resource allocation are more conducive to promoting aviation emission reduction.     

Tracking volcanic sulfur dioxide clouds for aviation hazard mitigation

Satellite measurements of volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions can provide critical information for aviation hazard mitigation, particularly when ash detection techniques fail. Recent developments in space-based SO₂ monitoring are discussed, focusing on daily, global ultraviolet (UV) measurements by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite. OMI’s high sensitivity to SO₂ permits long-range tracking of volcanic clouds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) and accurate mapping of their perimeters to facilitate avoidance. Examples from 2006 to 2007 include eruptions of Soufriere Hills (Montserrat), Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), Nyamuragira (DR Congo), and Jebel at Tair (Yemen). A tendency for some volcanic clouds to occupy the jet stream suggests an increased threat to aircraft that exploit this phenomenon. Synergy between NASA A-Train sensors such as OMI and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the Aqua satellite can provide critical information on volcanic cloud altitude. OMI and AIRS SO₂ data products are being produced in near real-time for distribution to Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAACs) via a NOAA website. Operational issues arising from these improved SO₂ measurements include the reliability of SO₂ as proxy for co-erupted ash, the duration of VAAC advisories for long-lived volcanic clouds, and the potential effects of elevated concentrations of SO₂ and sulfate aerosol in ash-poor clouds on aircraft and avionics (including cumulative effects after multiple inadvertent transits through dilute clouds). Further research is required in these areas. Aviation community assistance is sought through continued reporting of sulfurous odors or other indications of diffuse volcanic cloud encounters, in order to validate the satellite retrievals.     

A catalog of star-forming regions in the galaxy

This Catalog of Star-Forming Regions in the Galaxy contains coordinates and fluxes of young objects in the radio and infrared, as well as data on the radial velocities of recombination and molecular lines, for more than three thousand star-forming regions. In addition to photometric and kinematic data, we present information on diffuse and reflecting nebulae, dark and molecular clouds, and other objects related to young stars. The catalog consists of two parts. The main catalog lists star-forming regions in order of Galactic longitude and is supplemented by analogous information for star-forming regions in complexes of dark clouds with large angular sizes that are closest to the Sun. The main catalog is located at http://www.strasbg.-u.fr/pub/cats. In our preliminary study of the catalog data using a formal classification of the star-forming regions, we subdivided these objects into several classes and characterized them as being populated primarily by massive or low-mass stars at early or late stages of the star-formation process. We also distinguish between relatively nearby and distant complexes.     

Bibliometric Analysis of Research Progress on Coastal Surface Water and Groundwater Interaction

The interactions among surface water, groundwater and seawater are closely related in the coastal area with complex hydrological conditions. A series of impacts from human activities and climate change are also more significant in this region. In order to understand the key knowledge and research status of surface water and groundwater interaction in coastal area, it is a useful method to analyze literatures in this research scope in the core database of Web of Science by using CiteSpace. The research achievements in this field were systematically sorted and potential research hotspots were explored, which may provide references for subsequent researches. The results show the following. \mathrm{①} The number of highly cited articles and highly burst articles in this research field has increased significantly since 2010. At present, this field is still in the development stage and has a broad research prospect. \mathrm{②} The United States, Australia, China and Germany have done plenty of researches on this issue and achieved a lot. At present, the number of research achievements supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China is in the lead over the world. \mathrm{③} Seawater intrusion, submarine groundwater discharge, the relationship between tide and hydrological conditions are the main research direction in this field. Hydrochemistry and isotopic analysis, and numerical simulation are the most important research methods in this field. \mathrm{④} The potential development directions and breakthroughs in this field include submarine groundwater discharge, the evolution of coastal mangrove wetlands, the migration and transformation of nutrients, the influences of different hydrological factors on coastal areas, and the impact of climate change on coastal areas. Overall, the future development of surface water and groundwater research in coastal areas is inseparable from the cross-integration of various disciplines, mutual verification of multiple methods and the introduction of new technical means.     

An examination of rip current fatalities in the United States

This study analyzes fatalities caused by rip currents in the conterminous United States for the period 1994–2007. Results include the frequency of fatalities from rip currents, their cause, and their unique spatial distributions. An analysis of historical hazard event data illustrate that, on average, 35 people reportedly die from rip currents each year in the United States. Also, similar to other hazard events where unique differences in gender vulnerability have been found, men are over six times more likely to fall victim to a deadly rip current than females. Rip current fatalities are most common in the southeastern United States, with a nonuniform spatial distribution along other Atlantic, Pacific, and Great Lakes coastlines. Physical vulnerabilities are suggested as the primary cause for the unique fatality distribution found. Temporally, summer season weekends are shown to have the more fatalities than any other time of the year. A classification scheme was developed to categorize synoptic-scale weather conditions present during deadly rip current events. More than 70% of all rip current fatalities are associated with onshore winds. Specifically, a rip current fatality is most likely when a surface high pressure system creates these onshore winds. The quality of the fatality reporting database available for researchers is also assessed.     

Avalanche fatalities in the western United States: a comparison of three databases

Reported avalanche fatalities in the United States increased markedly through the latter half of the twentieth century, a result of the increasing popularity of winter sports. Despite this increase, the literature concerning US avalanche fatalities is sparse. This paper presents a comparison of three US databases containing avalanche fatality information: Storm Data, the West Wide Avalanche Network (WWAN) dataset, and the National Avalanche Database (NAD). The frequency of avalanche fatalities, their temporal trends, spatial distributions, and the demographic characteristics of the victims were analyzed in each database for the years 1998–2009 for the US mountainous west. The data were then pooled to arrive at an estimate of avalanche fatality frequency in the United States for the study period. While the results indicate a considerable amount of overlap between the datasets, Storm Data reports fewer avalanche fatalities than both the WWAN and NAD datasets. All three datasets report a maximum of fatalities in January and display three spatial maxima: the Rocky Mountains of west-central Colorado, the intermountain region from central Utah through Idaho to west-central Montana, and the northern Cascade Ranges of Washington; however, a large void appears in the Storm Data records in the vicinity of the Montana maximum. These maxima result from a juxtaposition of avalanche hazard in these mountainous environments with a high concentration of winter sports activities.     

In situ and laboratory treatment tests for lowering of excess manganese and iron in drinking water sourced from river–groundwater interaction

Manganese and iron are essential nutrients at low doses. However, long-term exposure in high doses may be harmful. Human activities and natural sources are responsible for manganese and iron contamination in water. This study aimed to investigate the source of high manganese and iron contents in shallow groundwater, where the groundwater is used for drinking purpose, and to decrease the excess manganese and iron from shallow groundwater. Based on the on-site analytical results taken from the wells in the study area, iron contents in water samples varied between 30 and 200 μg/L, which were under the allowable limits of Turkish Drinking Water Standards (TDWS) (Water intended for human consumption, http://rega.basbakanlik.gov.tr/eskiler/2005/02/20050217-3.htm, 2005). However, manganese levels varied from 30 to 248 μg/L, which some of them are higher than the allowable limits of TDWS (Water intended for human consumption, http://rega.basbakanlik.gov.tr/eskiler/2005/02/20050217-3.htm, 2005) (50 μg/L), and EPA (http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm, 2006) (50 μg/L). The source of excess manganese is originated mainly from geogenic source besides Porsuk River interaction in shallow aquifer in the specific section of the study area. To decrease high manganese content from the well water and reservoir water, laboratory and in situ treatment tests were applied. Among these tests, chlorination, associated with filtration (by fine sand, active carbon and zeolite) and the use of different filtration procedures by cation exchange resin were determined as the most effective methods, which was not previously applied on-site as a combinative approaches to reduce the excess manganese in water.     

Sedimentology in metamorphic rocks,the Willyama Supergroup,Broken Hill,Australia

In the upper greenschist to granulite grade rocks of the Willyama Supergroup at Broken Hill, Australia, earlier recognition of metamorphosed graded bedding in siliciclastic metasedimentary rocks led to interpretations of these rocks as deep-water turbidites. However, graded beds can also be deposited in shelfal environments below storm wave base. This study identified other tempestite features including wave oscillation ripples, hummocky cross-stratification and swaley cross-stratification indicating that deposition took place above the wave base of the larger storms.

Albitised metasedimentary rocks of the upper Thackaringa Group show structures such as swaley cross-stratification typical of shallow-water conditions above fair-weather wave base. Deposition of the Broken Hill Group commenced with muddy Allendale Metasediments conformable on the Thackaringa Group. The Ettlewood Calc-Silicate Member, originally a dolomitic, siliceous sediment, is interpreted as coastal sabkha indicating onset of a marine transgression. The Parnell Gneiss represents a volcanic or volcaniclastic interruption, heralding gradually increasing input of sand in the Freyers Metasediments reaching a maximum in middle Freyers Metasediments, followed by an abrupt reversion to mud, still influenced by wave action. An open marine shelf is interpreted, possibly 30 m deep (no more than 100 m) in the final stage of a developing rift. The Broken Hill Group terminated with the massive Hores Gneiss volcanic unit.

Sedimentation of the siliciclastic Sundown Group took place in similar conditions, commencing with a muddy interval overlying the Hores Gneiss. The shallowing produced by ～90 m thickness of volcanic/volcaniclastic Hores Gneiss was compensated by subsidence.

Paragon Group deposition commenced with substantial black mud, resulting from isolation from the sand supply and probably isolation from the sea. A fresh connection to the sea led first to the deposition of dolomitic carbonate (King Gunnia Calc-Silicate Member), then to deposition of parallel-laminated fine sand below wave base (upper Cartwrights Creek Metasediments), followed by ripple cross-laminated sand above wave base (Bijerkerno Metasediments). The Dalnit Bore Metasediments show abundant very thin graded silt–mud units possibly deposited below storm wave base, and thicker units of stacked wave oscillation ripples deposited above the wave base of larger storms.

The Broken Hill orebody is hosted by altered Broken Hill Group metasedimentary rocks deposited at water depths of ～30 m. Unless the ore fluid temperature was less than 150°C, it is likely that the orebody formed below the seafloor: at such shallow-water depths, the confining pressure would be inadequate to suppress boiling of hotter rising hydrothermal fluids.     

Adventures in Data Analysis: The TAO Array and the 1997–1998 El Ni?o

Traditional undergraduate education in earth sciences does not emphasize data acquisition, analysis, or assessment. However, arrival of the information age dictates that earth sciences graduates be imbued with fundamental skills to organize, evaluate and process large data sets. Fortunately, the proliferation of remotely sensed data and its availability via the Internet provides many opportunities for earth science educators to meet these needs. Exercises to introduce students to data analysis have been designed utilizing data from the Tropical Atmosphere–Ocean (TAO) Array and the 1997–1998 El Niño episode in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The TAO Array is a grid of 69 buoys moored across the equatorial Pacific Ocean (8°N to 8°S and 95°W to 143°E) recording environmental data relevant to El Niño—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) processes. Data from the TAO Array is available in near-real-time (http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/toga-tao/realtime.html) or as archived ASCII files (http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/toga-tao/data-delivery.html) providing daily (sometimes hourly) records of environmental parameters for each buoy in the grid. Student exercises in data analysis begin with downloading data from buoy locations, parsing the data into spreadsheets, and organizing data by environmental parameter into yearly and monthly data sets. Analyses of reconstructed data include calculations of long-term averages of environmental parameters, seasonal climatologies, monthly climatologies and calculation of long-term, seasonal, and monthly anomalies. Finally, monthly anomaly maps produced by students are loaded sequentially into GIF-animation software to create time-series images illustrating the progress and development of the 1997–1998 El Niño event.     

Adventures in Data Analysis: The TAO Array and the 1997–1998 El Niño

Traditional undergraduate education in earth sciences does not emphasize data acquisition, analysis, or assessment. However, arrival of the information age dictates that earth sciences graduates be imbued with fundamental skills to organize, evaluate and process large data sets. Fortunately, the proliferation of remotely sensed data and its availability via the Internet provides many opportunities for earth science educators to meet these needs. Exercises to introduce students to data analysis have been designed utilizing data from the Tropical Atmosphere–Ocean (TAO) Array and the 1997–1998 El Niño episode in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The TAO Array is a grid of 69 buoys moored across the equatorial Pacific Ocean (8°N to 8°S and 95°W to 143°E) recording environmental data relevant to El Niño—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) processes. Data from the TAO Array is available in near-real-time (http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/toga-tao/realtime.html) or as archived ASCII files (http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/toga-tao/data-delivery.html) providing daily (sometimes hourly) records of environmental parameters for each buoy in the grid. Student exercises in data analysis begin with downloading data from buoy locations, parsing the data into spreadsheets, and organizing data by environmental parameter into yearly and monthly data sets. Analyses of reconstructed data include calculations of long-term averages of environmental parameters, seasonal climatologies, monthly climatologies and calculation of long-term, seasonal, and monthly anomalies. Finally, monthly anomaly maps produced by students are loaded sequentially into GIF-animation software to create time-series images illustrating the progress and development of the 1997–1998 El Niño event.

     

美国长期生态学研究网络的战略规划——走向综合科学的未来

从2004年11月起至今,美国长期生态学研究网络在美国国家科学基金会的资助下,为未来(几)十年的综合和网络层面研究进行了战略规划.规划的最终目标是形成一个新的长期生态学研究(LTER)网络层面科学计划,并通过1个科学课题组、7个网络科学工作组和一系列研讨会来进行.在制定和完善科学计划的过程中,规划行动获得了LTER网络层面科学的跨学科问题、概念框架、基本科学问题、社会与环境综合科学动议、网络计算机基础设施的战略规划、教育与宣传战略规划等重大科学产出.规划的意义在于它告诉了怎样走向LTER的未来--网络层面综合科学,因而有利于LTER及长期生态研究的发展,并可为CERN等其他长期生态学研究网络的规划与发展提供启示.     

The National Geodetic Survey project “POLARIS”

The National Geodetic Survey (N.G.S.) of the National Ocean Survey has undertaken a new project called POLar-motion Analysis by Radio Interferometric Surveying (POLA-RIS). The premier goal of the project is to establish a fully operational polar motion monitoring network, with a spatial resolution and accuracy of 10 cm and a temporal resolution of 24 hours. The new network will utilize radio interferometric techniques. The fixed POLARIS observatories may also serve as base stations to be used in conjunction with small-aperture, 3–10-m, mobile units for positional surveys for geodetic and geo-dynamic applications. The N.G.S. plans to cooperate fully with other governmental organizations having related responsibilities and interest in polar motion, earth rotation and geodynamics [e.g., National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.), United States Naval Observatory (U.S.N.O.)] as well as academic and private researchers.     

国际生态系统研究发展态势文献计量分析

生态系统研究是地球系统科学的重要组成部分,近年来,各国和各相关研究机构对生态系统的研究力度不断加大.利用Thomson Data Analyzer、NetDraw和Aureka等文献计量工具,结合Pathfinder算法对SCIE和SSCI数据库中国际生态系统研究相关文献进行了分析.在对主要国家和机构的发文进行统计分析后发现:美国、德国和英国等国的生态系统研究论文的综合影响力较高,其中美国是国际生态系统研究合作的中心;加州大学伯克利分校、美国国家海洋与大气管理局和法国农业科学研究院等机构的论文影响力较大;美国农业部、德国马普学会、华盛顿大学和瑞典隆德大学是国际生态系统研究的中心;中国生态系统研究论文在总量上优势明显,但整体论文质量不高;国际生态系统研究的主要研究热点集中在珊瑚礁生态系统研究、气候变化研究和生态系统管理等方面.     

Prediction for national catastrophe fund

United States of America (US) Congress is considering a bill ‘H.R. 2555: Homeowners’ Defense Act of 2010’ to form National Catastrophe Risk Consortium, one of whose functions is to fund a National Catastrophe Fund to help public and insurance companies meet the liability claims from hurricane, fire, and blizzard. However, before the act is enacted into law by US Congress, the bill has to pass through House Financial Services Committee which takes into account the projected costs, disbursements, and the amount required to be appropriated for the task and its source. Using data for three catastrophes for the last 100 years, the 2011 claims for hurricane, fire, and blizzard in United States of America are estimated. For predicting acres burned and economic damage due to blizzards, a trend analysis and linear regression were carried out using Excel and GraphPad Prism. Poisson distribution was used to model hurricanes. The estimates for the different catastrophes are based on a 95% confidence interval. The cost to the National Catastrophe Fund for the liabilities of fire, blizzard, and hurricane comes to over 2 billion. Of this, the bulk cost arises from fire damage, followed by hurricane damage and blizzard damage.     

唐古拉山中西段冰川槽谷形态及其影响因素分析

冰川槽谷作为典型的冰川侵蚀地貌,研究其形态特征和影响因素有助于更全面地认识冰川发育模式和侵蚀特征。本文以唐古拉山中西段为研究区,运用V指数模型和地理探测器模型,分析探讨了区内冰川槽谷形态发育特征,并对其影响因素进行了研究。结果表明：冰川槽谷横剖面的V指数与幂函数b值在槽谷对称的情况下可以相互替代,且典型冰川槽谷横剖面的V指数介于0.20~0.43之间。研究区保存着“箱形”形态的冰川槽谷,其V指数具有接近于1的特征。区内冰川槽谷横剖面V指数<0.20的占比19%,V指数介于0.20~0.43之间的占比48%,V指数>0.43的占比33%,表明研究区内呈典型“U”形的槽谷数量最多。此外,北坡主要发育典型“U”形的冰川槽谷,占比高达60%,而南坡各种形态的槽谷数量相当。研究区内山谷冰川发育区、过渡区槽谷呈典型“U”形的占比最多,而冰帽发育区槽谷近似“箱形”的占比最多。应用地理探测器对影响冰川槽谷形态特征的因素进行评价,最主要的影响因素有冰川作用区面积因素和冰川作用正差因素,其次是岩性因素,再次是坡度和地形起伏度因素,最后是冰川性质和槽谷朝向因素。冰川作用区面积因素和坡度因素的交互作用对冰川槽谷形态特征的影响最为显著。     

Connotation and Evaluation Index System of Beautiful China for SDGs

The construction of Beautiful China is the vital way to realize ecological civilization and build a well-off society in an all-round way. It is also a new goal and a good vision for building a community with a shared future for mankind. This work deeply analyzed the historical evolution of the "Beautiful China" thought, its relationship with sustainable development and ecological civilization, and expounded the scientific connotation and key evaluation dimension of "Beautiful China". At the same time, the evaluation index system based on the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and supported by multi-source data such as Big Earth Data, network data and statistical data was constructed to provide reference for the evaluation of “Beautiful China”. The research showed that: \mathrm{①} The essence of Beautiful China is a complex “areal system of man-land relationship” composed of natural ecosystems and socio-economic systems; \mathrm{②} “Blue sky, green land, clean water, man-land harmony” are the perfect interpretations of the construction of Beautiful China; \mathrm{③} The work builds a comprehensive index system of “Beautiful China” from the aspects of “blue sky, green land, clean water, man-land harmony”. The index system consists of 13 specific targets and 43 specific evaluation indicators.     

《中国地质》地质科学数据专辑征稿启事

《地质科学数据》是由自然资源部主管、全国地质资料馆主办的地质学数据期刊。该刊以“促进科学数据资源共享,推进数据知识产权保护,引领中国地质数据国际化”为办刊宗旨。《地质科学数据》每期出版的数据论文关联的实体数据均在“地质科学数据出版中心”(geodb.cgs.gov.cn)出版,并采取“开放获取”(Open access)运行机制。     

The evolution of a tropical rainforest/grassland mosaic in southeastern Brazil since 28,000 C yr BP based on carbon isotopes and pollen records

The lack of paleoecological records from the montane Atlantic Rainforest of coastal Brazil, a hotspot of biological diversity, has been a major obstacle to our understanding of the vegetational changes since the last glacial cycle. We present carbon isotope and pollen records to assess the impact of the glaciation on the native vegetation of the Serra do Mar rainforest in São Paulo, Brazil. From ca. 28,000 to  22,000 ¹⁴C yr BP, a subtropical forest with conifer trees is indicative of cool and humid conditions. In agreement carbon isotopic data on soil organic matter suggest the presence of C₃ plants and perhaps C₄ plants from  28,000 to  19,000 ¹⁴C yr BP. The significant increase in the sedimentation rate and algal spores from  19,450 to  19,000 ¹⁴C yr BP indicates increasing humidity, associated to an erosion process between  19,000 and  15,600 ¹⁴C yr BP. From  15,600 ¹⁴C yr BP to present there is a substantial increase in arboreal elements and herbs, indicating more humid and warmer climate. From  19,000 to  1000 ¹⁴C yr BP, δ¹³C values indicated the predominance of C₃ plants. These results are in agreement with studies in speleothems of caves, which suggest humid conditions during the last glacial maximum.     

Exploring for heavy minerals on Cape York Peninsula,Queensland, Australia

This paper describes the results of a preliminary study of the heavy mineral (HM) potential of the northwest coast of Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland that was funded by the Queensland Government's Future Resources Program Industry Priorities Initiative. The study found that the northwest coast may have the potential to host world-class HM deposits. All the essential ingredients in a HM mineral system are present: fertile source rocks, effective transport mechanisms and abundant potential trap sites, particularly along the well-preserved Pleistocene coast.

The source rocks are Proterozoic metamorphic and Paleozoic granitic rocks of the Coen Inlier and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the Laura and Carpentaria basins, all of which crop out along the spine of the Peninsula. These rocks were exposed in the early Cenozoic and were vigorously eroded by seasonally active rivers throughout the Quaternary. Most of these rivers are currently carrying HM, and the zircon content in river sediments in the region is comparatively high. It is speculated that in the late Pleistocene HM delivered by rivers to the northwest coast were transported predominantly in a southwesterly direction, and trapped in the swash zone of prograding beaches. It is further speculated that at this time the coastline was deeply embayed with cliffs and headlands formed in bauxite, and that structural trap sites formed on the northeastern side of prominent headlands.

Pleistocene coastal sediments were partially reworked by Holocene coastal processes, and HM liberated by these processes may have been captured by prograding Holocene beach ridges. These Holocene beach ridges are not as extensive as the Pleistocene beach ridges but are more prominent, partly because they are less well vegetated. The Holocene coastline was probably more regular than the Pleistocene coastline, with fewer headlands to create structural traps. The modern coastline is relatively starved of river sediment because the Holocene and Pleistocene coastal sediments act as barriers to river flow.

It is recommended that ongoing exploration for HM in the region should focus on potential trap sites on the Pleistocene coast and that two sites, Vrilya Point and Jackson River, where structural traps may have been formed by coastal promontories, should be priority targets. It is also noted that if the exploration of Cape York Peninsula for HM deposits is to be effective, further research needs to be carried out into the geomorphological evolution of the west coast and, in particular, the role of cyclones in forming HM deposits in tropical climates.