Factors influencing physical structure and lower trophic levels of the eastern Bering Sea shelf in 2005: Sea ice,tides and winds

In spring and fall 2005, cross- and along-shelf transects were sampled to evaluate the influence of physical forcing, including sea ice, tides, and winds, on the lower trophic levels of the Bering Sea ecosystem. The hydrography, nutrients, chlorophyll, and zooplankton abundance and species composition were all affected by the presence or absence of sea ice on a north–south transect along the 70-m isobath. In May, shelf waters between ～59°N and 62°N were cold and relatively fresh, and benthic invertebrate larvae and chaetognaths were a significant fraction of the zooplankton community, while to the south the water was warmer, saltier, and the zooplankton community was dominated by copepods. The position of the transition between ice-affected and ice-free portions of the shelf was consistent among temperature, salinity, nutrients, and oxygen. This transition in the hydrographic variables persisted through the summer, but it shifted ～150 km northward as the season progressed. While a transition also occurred in zooplankton species composition, it was farther north than the physical/chemical transition and did not persist through the summer. Mooring data demonstrated that the change in the position of the transition in physical and chemical properties was due to northward or eastward advection of water onto and across the shelf. From south to north along the 70-m isobath, tidal energy decreased, resulting in a less sharply stratified water column on the northern portion of the middle shelf, as opposed to a well-defined, two-layered system in the southern portion. This more gradual stratification in the north permitted a greater response to mixing from winds, which were homogeneous from north to south. Thus the physical and biological structure at any one location over the middle shelf is dynamic over the course of a year, and results from a combination of in situ processes and climate-mediated regional forcing which is dominated in most years by sea ice.     

Sulfur Hexafluoride and Potassium Bromide as Groundwater Tracers for Managed Aquifer Recharge

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is an established tracer for use in managed aquifer recharge projects. SF₆ exsolves from groundwater when it encounters trapped air according to Henry's law. This results in its retardation relative to groundwater flow, which can help determine porous media saturation and flow dynamics. SF₆ and the conservative, nonpartitioning tracer, bromide (Br⁻ added as KBr), were introduced to recharge water infiltrated into stacked glacial aquifers in Thurston County, Washington, providing the opportunity to observe SF₆ partitioning. Br⁻, which is assumed to travel at the same velocity as the groundwater, precedes SF₆ at most monitoring wells (MWs). Average groundwater velocity in the unconfined aquifer in the study area ranges from 3.9 to 40 m/d, except in the southwestern corner where it is slower. SF₆ in the shallow aquifer exhibits an average retardation factor of 2.5 ± 3.8, suggesting an air-to-water ratio on the order of 10⁻³ to 10⁻² in the pore space. Notable differences in tracer arrival times at adjacent wells indicate very heterogeneous conductivity. One MW exhibits double peaks in concentrations of both tracers with different degrees of retardation for the first and second peaks. This suggests multiple flowpaths to the well with variable saturation. The confining layer between the upper two aquifers appears to allow intermittent connection between aquifers but serves as an aquitard in most areas. This study demonstrates the utility of SF₆ partitioning for evaluating hydrologic conditions at prospective recharge sites.     

Seismic performance of chevron-configured special concentrically braced frames with yielding beams

Current seismic design requirements for special concentrically braced frames (SCBFs) in chevron configurations require that the beams supporting the braces be designed to resist the demands resulting from the simultaneous yielding of the tension brace and degraded, post-buckling strength of the compression brace. Recent research, including large-scale experiments and detailed finite-element analyses, has demonstrated that limited beam yielding is not detrimental to chevron braced frame behavior and actually increases the story drift at which the braces fracture. These findings have resulted in new expressions for computing beam demands in chevron SCBFs that reduce the demand in the tension brace to be equal to the expected compressive capacity at buckling of the compression brace. In turn, the resultant force on the beam is reduced as is the required size of the beam. Further study was undertaken to investigate the seismic performance of buildings with SCBFs, including chevron SCBFs with and without yielding beams and X-braced frames. Prototype three- and nine-story braced frames were designed using all three framing systems, that is, chevron, chevron with yielding beams, and X SCBFs, resulting in six building frames. The nonlinear dynamic response was studied for ground motions simulating two different seismic hazard levels. The results were used to characterize the seismic performance in terms of the probability of salient damage states including brace fracture, beam vertical deformation, and collapse. The results demonstrate that the seismic performance of chevron SCBFs with limited beam yielding performs as well as or better than the conventionally designed chevron and X SCBFs.     

An island in transition: governing conservation and development in Seram,Indonesia

Seram is Indonesia's 8th largest island. It is central to the historic spice islands, once a hotbed for international trade of profitable tree-products, primarily clove and nutmeg. Recent increased rates of social and ecological change, including costly conflicts, present Seram with new challenges and opportunities for conservation and development. Using place-based transdisciplinary research methods, we diagnose the problems emerging in Seram. Engaging with actors across multiple scales and sectors, we explore drivers of change, social-ecological impacts, and institutional arrangements that might achieve improved inclusive and sustainable development outcomes. Traditional and formal governance arrangements require harmonizing to optimize the benefits and costs from large-scale investments arriving in Seram. Organizations wishing to achieve positive impact can more strategically engage with the broad range of actors to harmonize divergent visions for the future and confront the reality of incoming investments and infrastructure.     

Assessing the Value of Scholarly Book Reviews among Geographers

According to the latest data available, in 2013 a staggering 68,000 scholarly books reached print in North America alone. Book reviews have long served as an important tool to keep tabs on the content and quality of all of those books. In decades past, perusing book reviews was essential in conducting a literature review and a tool for authors to demonstrate the impact that their book has on a field of study. Most important, though, book reviews play a vital role in academic advancement by calling attention to books that successfully add to new knowledge and warn against books with defects and deficiencies. Despite their overwhelming importance, no one has systematically analyzed the value of scholarly book reviews. Moreover, in our current age of the Internet, e-mail, and social media, it is important to know the worth of book reviews. Drawing on the results of a 2018 survey sent to select members of the American Association of Geographers, this article assesses the value of scholarly book reviews among geographers. It answers these questions: Who writes and reads book reviews? What are the characteristics of a useful book review? Is writing a book review considered a valued scholarly activity? Does writing book reviews help advance a person’s career? Because geography is a microcosm of academia, this study has applicability across the social sciences and humanities. Do scholarly book reviews still matter? Key Words: human geography, monographs, promotion and tenure, scholarly book reviews.     

European glacial relict snails and plants: environmental context of their modern refugial occurrence in southern Siberia

Knowledge of present‐day communities and ecosystems resembling those reconstructed from the fossil record can help improve our understanding of historical distribution patterns and species composition of past communities. Here, we use a unique data set of 570 plots explored for vascular plant and 315 for land‐snail assemblages located along a 650‐km‐long transect running across a steep climatic gradient in the Russian Altai Mountains and their foothills in southern Siberia. We analysed climatic and habitat requirements of modern populations for eight land‐snail and 16 vascular plant species that are considered characteristic of the full‐glacial environment of central Europe based on (i) fossil evidence from loess deposits (snails) or (ii) refugial patterns of their modern distributions (plants). The analysis yielded consistent predictions of the full‐glacial central European climate derived from both snail and plant populations. We found that the distribution of these 24 species was limited to the areas with mean annual temperature varying from ?6.7 to 3.4 °C (median ?2.5 °C) and with total annual precipitation varying from 137 to 593 mm (median 283 mm). In both groups there were species limited to areas with colder and drier macroclimates (e.g. snails Columella columella and Pupilla loessica, and plants Kobresia myosuroides and Krascheninnikovia ceratoides), whereas other species preferred areas with relatively warmer and/or moister macroclimates (e.g. snails Pupilla turcmenica and P. alpicola, and plants Artemisia laciniata and Carex capillaris). Analysis of climatic conditions also indicated that distributional shifts of the studied species during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition were closely related to their climatic tolerances. Our results suggest that the habitat requirements of southern Siberian populations can provide realistic insights into the reconstruction of Eurasian, especially central European, glacial environments. Data obtained from modern populations also highlight the importance of wet habitats as refugia in the generally dry full‐glacial landscape.