The formation and evolution of the barrier islands of Inhaca and Bazaruto, Mozambique

The barrier islands of Inhaca and Bazaruto are related to the extensive coastal dune system of the Mozambican coastal plain, south-east Africa. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of key stratigraphic units indicates that accretion of sediment within these systems is episodic. Both islands appear to have been initiated as spits extending from structural offsets in the coastline. Superposition of significant quantities of sediment upon these spits during subsequent sea-level highstands formed the core of the islands, which were anchored and protected by beachrock and aeolianite formation. At least two distinct dune-building phases occurred during Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 5, tentatively attributed to marine transgressions during sub-stages 5e and 5c. Although some localized reactivation of dune surfaces occurred prior to the Holocene, large quantities of sediment were not deposited on either island during the low sea-levels associated with MIS 2. Significant dune-building and sediment reworking occurred immediately prior to and during the Holocene, though it is not clear whether these processes were continuous or episodic. Significant erosion of the eastern shoreline of Bazaruto suggests that it is far less stable than Inhaca and may suffer further large-scale erosion. A model is presented for the formation of barrier islands along the Mozambican coastal plain.     

The origin of the Pedra Furada sandstone tubular structures (South of Lisbon, Portugal)

The Pedra Furada is a 12 m wide, 18 m high outcrop feature showing hundreds of ferruginised sandy tubes and looking in part like a giant organ. In this paper the origin of the tubes is explained on the basis of geochemical, petrographic and microscopic (optical and electronic) analytical data. The tubes are considered to represent vertical escape channels for overpressured water, exhibiting inward decreasing grain size due to water velocity gradients inside the escape channels. The ferruginisation is due to iron oxides associated with colloidal/clayey fine sediments and to goethite formed from solution. The overpressure of water may be due to seismically fluidised beds below the Pedra Furada outcrop or to artesian water ascent. In both cases, fault rupturing may have played a major role in the focussing of the ascending flow.     

Effect of supplemental feeding on spatial distribution and browse utilization by white-tailed deer in semi-arid rangeland

We investigate the risk that supplemental feeding of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to improve trophy quality may degrade rangeland through overutilization of forage plants near the feeders. We divided a South Texas ranch into 6 areas (each 1100 ha). Supplemental feed was provided year-round in a centrally placed feeder in 3 areas, no supplement was provided in the 3 control areas. Radio-telemetry collars were fitted on 2 bucks and 2 does in each area. Spatial distribution of these deer was assessed using the CALHOME program. Feed supplementation did not alter home range size of does but did reduce their 50% core area. Bucks without supplemental feed showed 2 spatial strategies; sedentary bucks had home range distributions similar to supplemented bucks, while commuter bucks moved to supplemented areas during the breeding season. Browsing pressure near feeders and control sites was assessed by measuring consumption of seedlings set in arrays radiating from feeders and control points. Deer browsing was heavier near feeders than at the control sites, and the probability of a seedling being browsed increased with proximity to the feeder. We caution against long-term supplemental feeding in fixed locations because of the potential for localized range degradation around the feeders.     

The Geography of Certified Trade‐Induced Manufacturing Job Loss in New England*

The article analyzes patterns in the distribution of manufacturing job losses that have been certified as trade‐induced by the U.S. Department of Labor. Spatial patterns in the likelihood of job loss are examined in the United States for the period from 1994 to 2002, with particular emphasis on county‐level patterns in New England. The findings demonstrate that the pattern of losses was correlated with measures of economic vitality and competitiveness including per capita income, educational attainment, occupational structure, and inventiveness. These results suggest that trade‐induced deindustrialization is borne most heavily by places ill‐equipped to compete in a more open, integrated international economy.     

Reconstructing hydrological variability from testate amoebae analysis in Carpathian peatlands

Peatlands offer the potential for high resolution records of water balance over Holocene timescales, yet this potential is under-exploited in many areas of the world. Within Europe, peatlands are mostly confined to areas north of 55° N, but several areas of southern and eastern Europe contain small peatlands which may be suitable for palaeoclimatic reconstruction. In this paper we test the potential of peatlands in the Carpathian region for deriving quantified estimates of water table changes using testate amoebae analysis. A training set for palaeohydrological reconstruction from testate amoebae assemblages was obtained by collecting surface samples from 13 peatlands, including 9 from Hungary and 4 from Transylvania (Romania). Using a simple measure of mean annual water tables estimated from staining of PVC tape, we found that some peatlands were heavily influenced by runoff and groundwater, and were therefore not suitable as modern analogues of ombrotrophic climatically sensitive sites. The relationship between the testate amoebae assemblages in the modern samples and the environmental variables was explored using CCA. The CCA biplot showed that the most important variables are depth to water table and moisture content, confirming that hydrology is a key control on taxon distribution. pH was a secondary gradient. A transfer function for % moisture and depth to water table was established and applied to fossil assemblages from a sequence from Fenyves-tető, Transylvania, Romania. The reconstructed water table shows a number of variations which have parallels with other palaeoclimatic records from Europe and the North Atlantic prominent phases of higher water tables are associated with the periods 8000–8300 cal BP, 3000–2500 cal BP and after 600 cal BP. We suggest that these were periods of particular intensification of westerly airflow which affected eastern Europe as well as western and central Europe.     

Post-depositional 137Cs Mobility in the Sediments of Three Shallow Coastal Lagoons, SW England

We present ¹³⁷Cs profiles for three low lying coastal lagoons in Southwest England that show a decline in activity with sediment depth. ¹³⁷Cs inventories are lower than expected by comparison with local reference inventories despite the fact that sampling was undertaken in the deep-water zone of each lake where sediment and ¹³⁷Cs focusing would be expected. At all three locations, lake sediment ⁷Be and unsupported ²¹⁰Pb (²¹⁰Pb_un) inventories are not significantly lower than the local reference inventory. ¹³⁷Cs inventories in the study cores range from 38 to 95% of local reference inventories. The standing water level and mud: water interface at two sites are below maximum tide level and, at all three sites, salinity increases significantly in the water columns between low and high tide and in the pore waters of the underlying sediments. We suggest that the difference in hydrostatic pressure between sea level and standing water levels in the lagoons forces salt water up through the sediment column and that monovalent cations (especially Na⁺ and K⁺) replace ¹³⁷Cs on exchange sites leading to the upward migration and loss of ¹³⁷Cs. Rising sea levels may therefore contribute to remobilisation and release of ¹³⁷Cs to the aquatic environment from the sediments of coastal lagoons.     

Sediment-Based Study of the Effects of Decreasing Mine Water Pollutionon a Heavily Modified, Nutrient Enriched Lake

Ni and Cu mining and ore processing in Hitura, Western Finland, have resulted in emissions of metal-rich wastewaters into the nearby Kalajoki River since 1970. The wastewaters are discharged into the river 3 km upstream from the eutrophic Lake Pidisjärvi, which is a widening of the river by the town of Nivala. The water level of the lake was elevated by 1.5 m and the extensive macrophyte stands were cut in 1979, profoundly changing the environmental conditions. The effects of the decreasing metal emissions and nutrient concentrations since 1979 on the now open 3.9 km² lake were studied with paleolimnological techniques. A 2-m sediment core was taken from the lake in February 2004 and analysed for sediment chemistry and diatom assemblages. At the coring site, 13 cm of sediment had been deposited since 1979, on top of a bed of undecomposed macrophyte remains. When the sediment chemistry was compared with records of decreasing metal loading since 1979, no correlation was found because post-depositional mobility and changes in sediment characteristics affect the sediment metal profiles. Thus, the reduced emissions from the mine and the lower lake water phosphorus levels have not caused a corresponding decrease in sediment metal and P concentrations. However, both of these environmental variables accounted for a statistically significant percentage of variation in the sedimentary diatom assemblages in a redundancy analysis constrained to a single variable. This relationship persisted for Ni loading even in a partial analysis, while the importance of nutrients was confirmed by the good correlation between diatom-inferred and measured P concentrations. The results suggest that reductions in metal and nutrient loading have had an effect on the algal assemblages even though the sediment concentrations of Ni, Cu or P have not decreased.     

A rationale for beach selection by the public on the coast of Wales, UK

Questionnaires were completed by 2306 beach users at 19 Welsh beaches with respect to beach selection parameters. The modal group of respondents was female aged 30–39. Beach choice was primarily determined by clean litter-free sand and seawater, followed by safety. Refreshment facilities and beach awards were deemed minor considerations by the public when choosing a beach to visit. Approximately 58 per cent of respondents were aware of beach award and rating schemes. Of coastal visitors interviewed for this paper, 67 per cent rated a beach as 'important' or 'very important' to their holiday, with just 2 per cent replying that they were unimportant.     

Interpretation of subhorizontal crustal reflections by metamorphic and rheologic effects in the eastern part of the Pannonian Basin

The geologic origin of subhorizontal reflections, often observed in crustal seismic sections, was investigated by establishing metamorphic facies and strength of rocks in depth, and correlating these properties to seismic reflection sections from eastern Hungary. Estimation of the depths of metamorphic mineral stability zones utilized the principles developed by Fyfe et al. and known geothermal data of the area. The strength versus depth profile was derived by relating local seismic P -wave interval velocities to Meissner et al. 's activation energy. The results show that the series of subhorizontal reflections, observed in the Pannonian Basin, are a consequence of combined metamorphic and rheologic changes in depths. The synthesis of the integrated data set suggests that the retrograde alteration of the pre-Tertiary basement above the percolation threshold was made possible by the softening effect of shear zones and their water-conducting capacity. The subhorizontal reflections of highest energy, of the consolidated crust below the percolation threshold, originate in the depths of greenschist, amphibolite and granulite metamorphic mineral facies, which were formed in geothermal and pressure conditions similar to those existing today. These results imply the overprint of earlier (Variscan) metamorphic sequences of the crust by more recent retrograde metamorphic processes.