uTshani BuyaKhuluma––The Grass Speaks: the political space and capacity of the South African Homeless People’s Federation

The point of departure for this article is the contemporary tendency towards localisation of politics in the context of neo-liberal globalisation. Mediated through institutional reforms, political discourses and localised struggles, this localisation of politics produce new and transformed local political spaces. The purpose of the article is to examine the capacity of popular movements to use and transform such political spaces within the South African housing sector. This analysis is done through a combination of conceptual examination of political space and actor capacity and a concrete case study of the political strategies and capacities of The South African Homeless People’s Federation. The article argues that the Federation has utilised political relations at different scales to mobilise resources such as land and subsidies for housing for its members. It has also influenced the formulation of housing policies through its discourses and practical experiences with people-driven housing processes. In consequence the Federation’s ability to function as a civil/political movement has granted them a certain capacity to participate in the complicated process of turning de jure rights to adequate shelter into de facto rights for the urban poor as citizens of a democratic South Africa.     

Implications of 21st century climate change for the hydrology of Washington State

Pacific Northwest (PNW) hydrology is particularly sensitive to changes in climate because snowmelt dominates seasonal runoff, and temperature changes impact the rain/snow balance. Based on results from the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR4), we updated previous studies of implications of climate change on PNW hydrology. PNW 21st century hydrology was simulated using 20 Global Climate Models (GCMs) and 2 greenhouse gas emissions scenarios over Washington and the greater Columbia River watershed, with additional focus on the Yakima River watershed and the Puget Sound which are particularly sensitive to climate change. We evaluated projected changes in snow water equivalent (SWE), soil moisture, runoff, and streamflow for A1B and B1 emissions scenarios for the 2020s, 2040s, and 2080s. April 1 SWE is projected to decrease by approximately 38–46% by the 2040s (compared with the mean over water years 1917–2006), based on composite scenarios of B1 and A1B, respectively, which represent average effects of all climate models. In three relatively warm transient watersheds west of the Cascade crest, April 1 SWE is projected to almost completely disappear by the 2080s. By the 2080s, seasonal streamflow timing will shift significantly in both snowmelt dominant and rain–snow mixed watersheds. Annual runoff across the State is projected to increase by 2–3% by the 2040s; these changes are mainly driven by projected increases in winter precipitation.     

Palaeoenvironment in northern Norway between 22.2 and 14.5 cal. ka BP

The stratigraphy of lake Endletvatn on northern Andøya, northern Norway, has been revisited to improve the understanding of the palaeoenvironment in the region during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Four high‐quality cores were analysed with respect to various lithological parameters and macrofossil content, supplemented by 47 AMS radiocarbon dates. The sediments indicate a low‐energy environment with a mean sedimentation rate of 0.5 mm a^?1. We infer perennially frozen ground in the surroundings during the LGM. Climate proxies indicate a high arctic climate (i.e. July mean temperatures between 0 and 3°C) throughout most of the LGM. The warmest periods are marked by a rise in seed, moss and animal fossils, and often also by higher organic production in the lake. These periods took place from 21.4 to 20.1, from 18.8 to 18.1, around 17 and from 16.4 cal. ka BP onwards. The shifts between the different climatic regimes occurred rapidly – probably during one or two decades. The present data do not support recently published conclusions stating that Picea, Pinus and Betula pubescens grew on Andøya during parts of the LGM. The highest relative sea level after the final deglaciation on northern Andøya is bracketed between 36 and 38 m a.s.l. It occurred between 21.0 and 20.3 cal. ka BP, peaking around 20.7 cal. ka BP. The final deglaciation of the northern tip of Andøya occurred 22.2 cal. ka BP. Then the western margin of the Andfjorden ice stream receded to the Kjølhaugen Moraine and shortly thereafter to the Endleten Moraine. Our research confirms that northern Andøya is a key location for understanding the natural environment in northwestern Europe during the LGM.     

High-Resolution Measurement and Analysis of Visitor Experiences in Time and Space: The Case of Aalborg Zoo in Denmark

The notion of consumer and user experience has become dominant in our society in recent years, especially in relation to leisure activities. In this study we used the experience sampling method (ESM) data collection technique in Aalborg Zoo, Denmark, to understand the distribution of subjective experiences within this site. Visitors to the zoo were asked to send phone messages (SMS) about their subjective feelings in real time and to carry with them Global Positioning System (GPS) devices that recorded their movement. This method allowed us to geotag experiences of visitors throughout the zoo compound. The results indicate that the quality of experience of visitors varies both in time and in space. We conclude that there is a need to further explore the effect of place on experiences using repeat, high-resolution measurements. In this regard we believe that geographers, who have a long tradition of studying human–environment relations, have the tools to lead this type of exploration.     

Palaeozoic structural development along the Tornquist Zone, Kattegat area, Denmark

The interpretation of newly released commercial 2D reflection seismic data in the Kattegat area, Denmark, has provided us with a better understanding of the Palaeozoic tectonic processes along the Tornquist Fault Zone. A Base Palaeozoic time structure map, a Lower Palaeozoic TWT isopach map, a “true” Lower Palaeozoic TWT isopach map, an Upper Carboniferous/Lower Permian syn-rift TWT isopach map, a Top pre-Zechstein time structure map and a Zechstein combined TWT isopach and Palaeogeography map have been generated. The uniform Lower Palaeozoic sequence thickness in the Kattegat, both inside and outside the Tornquist Zone indicates only minor lateral movements if any, whereas the extensive Upper Silurian sequence, increasing in thickness to the north, indicates a relatively fast regional subsidence. The Base Palaeozoic time structure map and the Late Palaeozoic syn-rift isopach map show a clear Late Palaeozoic extension in the area. The syn-rift isopach map, in combination with the time-equivalent opening of the Skagerrak graben at right angles to the Tornquist Zone in the Kattegat, indicates that this extensional tectonic event had a dextral slip component. Measurements on internal extensional faults in the Tornquist Zone, give a minimum right-lateral displacement of 10.4 km. The footwall blocks were deeply eroded during the Early Permian rifting, and at Zechstein times the area became a peneplane. The Tornquist Zone was later exposed to several tectonic phases, where dextral slip played a role, indicated by the “push up” and “pull down” structures caused by restraining and releasing bends of the Børglum Fault. The dextral displacement along the Børglum Fault since the beginning of the Permian is in the order of 5–7 km based on the displacement of a Lower Palaeozoic local depocentre. Early Permian depocentres and faults, which gives a total amount of right-lateral displacement since the Early Palaeozoic in the order of 15–20 km. The continuously repeated tectonic episodes along the Tornquist Zone throughout most of the Phanerozoic, show that the zone was easily reactivated, implying deep-seated basement faults. The Tornquist Zone can be seen as a “buffer zone”, between continental blocks, whenever changes in the regional stress field are induced.     

PCR‐based techniques to determine diet of the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea): a comparison with morphological analysis

Comprehensive dietary information for the endangered Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) is currently limited by the deficiency and poor quality of identifiable prey remains recovered from regurgitate and faeces and the difficulty of observing feeding in the wild. In this study, we investigated DNA‐based prey detection methods using conventional (end‐point) and quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR) on faeces collected from two captive Australian sea lions fed experimental diets of whole teleost fish, squid and shark tissue. PCR prey detection methods using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S genes combined with clone sequencing were compared with prey identified using traditional hard part analysis. The molecular results indicated that prey DNA was degraded. However, prey amplification was successful by targeting short (71 bp) DNA fragments. Both conventional PCR and qPCR techniques significantly increased prey detection compared with analysis of hard parts. For both sea lions, the hard part analysis was constrained by sporadic and extremely low recovery of fish otoliths (<2%), and cephalopod beaks were not recovered from the 116 squid fed. Comparisons between PCR techniques indicated comparable prey detection frequencies for all species tested; however, the sensitivity and greater resolution of qPCR improved prey detection by ~25% in one sea lion fed the experimental squid and perch. The detection of squid DNA ≤ 6 day post‐ingestion by qPCR further exhibits the ability and potential of this method to detect low concentrations of infrequent or pulse prey. This study highlights the use of DNA‐based analysis to detect prey taxa in the absence of identifiable hard prey remains.     

Glacier‐fed lakes as palaeoenvironmental archives

Glaciers show a sensitive and rapid response to climate shifts. Associated changes in ice extent drive variations in the production of rock flour, the suspended product of glacial erosion. These glacigenic sediments may accumulate in downstream lakes, continuously recording glacier history. Consequently, the lacustrine sediment records of such glacier‐fed lakes represent valuable palaeoenvironmental archives that help constrain past climate variability. In this paper, we discuss the multi‐disciplinary methodological toolbox that is applied to fingerprint a glacier signal from such lake sediments. Special emphasis is placed on dating methods, which transform stratigraphical data into climate time series, allowing us to distinguish leads and lags between archives. We also elaborate on techniques that are used to validate sediment‐based glacier signals and resolve their climate signature. Finally, we conclude with a brief outlook on new research avenues such as proxy data–climate model comparisons.     

Formation of glauconie in foraminiferal shells on the continental shelf off Norway

Glauconie inside shells of foraminifers, assumed to be formed during the timespan from the Last Glaciation to the present, is reported. The process is thought to take place at water temperatures of 6–7°C. The nature of the infilling process is suggested to be neoformation of clay minerals rather than transformation of pre-infilled clay.