Community Recovery Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Toward a Theory of Cultural Resilience

Culture plays an important role in communities’ abilities to adapt to environmental change and crises. The emerging field of resilience thinking has made several efforts to better integrate social and cultural factors into the systems-level approach to understanding social–ecological resilience. However, attempts to integrate culture into structural models often fail to account for the agentic processes that influence recovery at the individual and community levels, overshadowing the potential for agency and variation in community response. Using empirical data on the 2010 BP oil spill’s impact on a small, natural-resource-dependent community, we propose an alternative approach emphasizing culture’s ability to operate as a resource that contributes to social, or community, resilience. We refer to this more explicit articulation of culture’s role in resilience as cultural resilience. Our findings reveal that not all cultural resources that define resilience in reference to certain disasters provided successful mitigation, adaptation, or recovery from the BP spill.     

An Assessment of HOx Chemistry in the Tropical Pacific Boundary Layer: Comparison of Model Simulations with Observations Recorded during PEM Tropics A

Reported are the results from a comparison of OH,H₂O₂CH₃OOH, and O₃ observationswithmodel predictions based on current HO_x–CH₄reaction mechanisms. The field observations are thoserecorded during the NASA GTE field program, PEM-Tropics A. The major focus ofthis paper is on thosedata generated on the NASA P-3B aircraft during a mission flown in the marineboundary layer (MBL) nearChristmas Island, a site located in the central equatorial Pacific (i.e.,2° N, 157° W). Taking advantage of thestability of the southeastern trade-winds, an air parcel was sampled in aLagrangian mode over a significantfraction of a solar day. Analyses of these data revealed excellent agreementbetween model simulated andobserved OH. In addition, the model simulations reproduced the major featuresin the observed diurnalprofiles of H₂O₂ and CH₃OOH. In the case ofO₃, the model captured the key observational feature whichinvolved an early morning maximum. An examination of the MBL HO_xbudget indicated that the O(¹D) + H₂Oreaction is the major source of HO_x while the major sinks involveboth physical and chemical processes involving the peroxide species,H₂O₂ and CH₃OOH. Overall, the generally goodagreement between modeland observations suggests that our current understanding ofHO_x–CH₄ chemistry in the tropical MBL isquite good; however, there remains a need to critically examine this chemistrywhen both CH₂O and HO₂are added to the species measured.     

Atmospheric nuclei in the remote free-troposphere

During May-June of 1990 an extensive flight series to survey aerosol present in the upper-troposphere was undertaken aboard the NASA DC-8 as part of the CLObal Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE). About 50,000 km were characterized between 8–12 km altitude and between 70°N and 58°S. Aerosol with diameters greater than 3nm were counted and sized with a combination of condensation nuclei counters and optical particle counters. Aerosol number and mass concentrations were separately identified with regard to both refractory and volatile components. Regions of the free-troposphere with the lowest mass concentrations were generally found to have the highest number concentrations and appeared to be effective regions for new particle production. These new particle concentrations appear inversely related to available aerosol surface area and their volatility suggests a sulfuric acid composition. The long lifetime of these new particles aloft can result in their growth to sizes effective as CN and CCN that can be mixed throughout the troposphere.     

THE USE OF OPTICAL TRIANGULATION FOR HIGH SPEED ACQUISITION OF CROSS SECTIONS OR PROFILES OF STRUCTURES

Optical triangulation is used in the human visual system and surveying tacheometers to estimate distance. This method is now used in systems with solid state sensors which enable fast measurement of distance with sufficiently high accuracy for many applications. City University has built on past experience to develop the optical triangulation technique to gather data appertaining to cross sections or profiles of structures in the range 0.2 m to 20 m radius from the measurement axis. Results obtained using three prototypes are given.     

Sedimentology,structure and age estimate of five continental slope submarine landslides,eastern Australia

Sedimentological and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) ¹⁴C data provide estimates of the structure and age of five submarine landslides (～0.4–3 km³) present on eastern Australia's continental slope between Noosa Heads and Yamba. Dating of the post-slide conformably deposited sediment indicates sediment accumulation rates between 0.017 m ka^–1 and 0.2 m ka^–1, which is consistent with previous estimates reported for this area. Boundary surfaces were identified in five continental slope cores at depths of 0.8 to 2.2 m below the present-day seafloor. Boundary surfaces present as a sharp colour-change across the surface, discernible but small increases in sediment stiffness, a slight increase in sediment bulk density of 0.1 g cm^–3, and distinct gaps in AMS ¹⁴C ages of at least 25 ka. Boundary surfaces are interpreted to represent a slide plane detachment surface but are not necessarily the only ones or even the major ones. Sub-bottom profiler records indicate that: (1) the youngest identifiable sediment reflectors upslope from three submarine landslides terminate on and are truncated by slide rupture surfaces; (2) there is no obvious evidence for a post-slide sediment layer draped over, or burying, slide ruptures or exposed slide detachment surfaces; and (3) the boundary surfaces identified within the cores are unlikely to be near-surface slide surfaces within an overall larger en masse dislocation. These findings suggest that these submarine landslides are geologically recent (<25 ka), and that the boundary surfaces are either: (a) an erosional features that developed after the landslide, in which case the boundary surface age provides a minimum age for the landslide; or (b) detachment surfaces from which slabs of near-surface sediment were removed during landsliding, in which case the age of the sediment above the boundary surface indicates the approximate age of landsliding. While an earthquake-triggering mechanism is favoured for the initiation of submarine landslides on the eastern Australian margin, further evidence is required to confirm this interpretation.     

Implications of uncertain future fossil energy resources on bioenergy use and terrestrial carbon emissions

The magnitude and character of the global resource base of fossil fuels is a key determinant of the evolution of the future global energy system and corresponding fossil fuel carbon emissions. What is less well understood is the potential magnitude of impact of the availability of fossil fuels, due to the interaction with biomass energy, on agriculture, land use, ecosystems and therefore carbon emissions from land-use change. This paper explores these links and implications. We show that if oil resources are limited, then the consequently higher price for liquids induces both the use of coal-to-liquids technology deployment, but also enhanced production of bioenergy crops particularly in a business-as-usual scenario. This in turn implies greater pressure to convert unmanaged ecosystems to produce bioenergy, and higher rates of terrestrial carbon emissions from land use.     

Geomorphology,acoustic backscatter,and processes in Santa Monica Bay from multibeam mapping

Santa Monica Bay was mapped in 1996 using a high-resolution multibeam system, providing the first substantial update of the submarine geomorphology since the initial compilation by Shepard and Emery [(1941) Geol. Soc. Amer. Spec. Paper 31]. The multibeam mapping generated not only high-resolution bathymetry, but also coregistered, calibrated acoustic backscatter at 95 kHz. The geomorphology has been subdivided into six provinces; shelf, marginal plateau, submarine canyon, basin slope, apron, and basin. The dimensions, gradients, and backscatter characteristics of each province is described and related to a combination of tectonics, climate, sea level, and sediment supply. Fluctuations of eustatic sea level have had a profound effect on the area; by periodically eroding the surface of Santa Monica plateau, extending the mouth of the Los Angeles River to various locations along the shelf break, and by connecting submarine canyons to rivers. A wetter glacial climate undoubtedly generated more sediment to the rivers that then transported the increased sediment load to the low-stand coastline and canyon heads. The trends of Santa Monica Canyon and several bathymetric highs suggest a complex tectonic stress field that has controlled the various segments. There is no geomorphic evidence to suggest Redondo Canyon is fault controlled. The San Pedro fault can be extended more than 30 km to the northwest by the alignment of a series of bathymetric highs and abrupt changes in direction of channel thalwegs.     

87Sr/86Sr and 18O/16O isotopic systematics and geochemistry of granitoid plutons across a steeply-dipping boundary between contrasting lithospheric blocks in western Idaho

A spatially abrupt geochemical boundary is preserved within four plutonic complexes along the western margin of the Cretaceous Idaho Batholith near McCall, Idaho. These intrusives ranging in composition from tonalite to granite were emplaced across a regional boundary between accreted oceanic-arc terranes and the continental margin, and their isotopic, major-element, and trace-element geochemistry provide detailed information about this change in crustal characteristics at depth, indicating that the boundary is nearly vertical and extends deep into the lithosphere. The Hazard Creek complex, emplaced west of the transition in wall-rock lithology, has initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (R_i) less than 0.7045 and ¹⁸O greater than 7.5, indicating little or no continental crust in its source region; however, elevated ¹⁸O requires some incorporation of rocks formed or altered at the earth's surface. A large shift in R_i and ¹⁸O is observed across the 5–8 km wide Little Goose Creek complex, which was emplaced across the wall-rock boundary. This is interpreted as mixing between: (1) a basaltic or andesitic magma with low K₂O and high Na₂O, Al₂O₃, and Sr, similar to that forming the Hazard Creek complex; and (2) materials similar to Precambrian sedimentary sedimentary rocks with low Sr, high ¹⁸O (+15) and high R_i (0.83 at 100 Ma). The Payette River complex, emplaced east of the wall-rock boundary, exhibits at least one additional component with low ¹⁸O (+6), moderate R_i (0.708) and mafic composition. This component is inferred to be old basaltic material in the lower crust or upper mantle similar to that inferred to be a minor part of the Peninsular Ranges Batholith in SE California (Silver et al. 1979; Hill et al. 1986). The easternmost complex in the Idaho transect is made up of granites that may contain a component of granitic cratonal basement. The entire west-to-east geochemical transition from oceanic-arc magmas to cratonal magmas takes place over a lateral distance of less than 20 km. Although the zone of transitional protolith dominated by metasedimentary rocks is unusually narrow and may have been in part tectonically removed, the striking geochemical similarities between this traverse and several other transects across much broader areas of Nevada and California suggest that the craton itself was not rifted apart, but that juxtaposition of the accreted oceanic-arc terranes occurred along the preexisting craton margin. The data confirm that the isotopic geochemistry of granitoid plutons can be used as a probe of deep lithospheric character, and that major lateral variations in the lithosphere on the order of one to two kilometers in width can be recognized in favorable circumstances.     

Chemical and isotopic composition of the lower crust beneath the Meguma Lithotectonic Zone,Nova Scotia: evidence from granulite facies xenoliths

Granulite-facies xenoliths from an Upper Devonian lamprophyre dyke near Tangier, Nova Scotia, provide new information about the lower crust in the Meguma Zone. Two mineralogically and chemically distinet groups of xenoliths occur. Both groups contain quartz+feldspar+biotite+Fe–Ti oxides+sulfides. In addition, group A contains garnet+graphite±[aluminosilicates+spinel±sapphirine (hight Al₂O₃ subgroups A1 and A2)] or [clinopyroxene+sphene+apatite (high CaO sub-group A3)]. Group B has highly variable proportions of orthopyroxene (B1), clinopyroxene (B2), and amphibole (B3). Trace-element contents of the highly aluminous xenoliths compare closely with average to upper crustal model compositions and are similar in many aspects to other undepleted granulite-facies rocks. LowP-T sedimentary assemblages of quartz-chlorite-clay minerals-calcite-albite or paragonite can account for the compositions of group A xenoliths. Within group B, a high-MgO (MgO>13 wt%) subgroup with high transition-metal contents, and low-MgO (MgO<9 wt%) sub-groups with higher LIL (large-ion-lithophile) element contents exist. Although the rare-earth and high-field-strength elements indicate a tholeiitic or low-K calc-alkaline chemistry, the LIL elements are as high as those from high-K calc-alkaline volcanic are rocks. Isotopically, group A ranges from Nd_t=-2.56 to-0.80 and⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr _t =0.7046 to 0.7182 fort=370 Ma. For group B these values are +1.45 to +5.33 and 0.7028 to 0.7048, respectively. Model ages (T_CHUR) are correspondingly low and are tightly constrained (544±52 Ma). These young ages contrast with the middle Proterozoic Nd model ages of the overlying Meguma Zone low-grade flysch. This time-inverted stratigraphy appears to be the product of a tectonic break between a younger autochthonous Tangier lower crust (Avalon), and an older allochthonous Meguma Group upper crust.