Problems of ratifying international environmental agreements: Overcoming initial obstacles in the post-agreement negotiation process

The post-agreement period typically is characterized by negotiations between various stakeholders to reach mutually beneficial and acceptable means to achieve national implementation of, and compliance with, treaty provisions. National ratification of international environmental agreements is often the first subprocess of these ‘postagreement negotiations’. This article places ratification negotiations within the larger conceptual context of postagreement negotiations, with the goal of understanding and explaining problems of treaty Implementation. An empirical analysis reveals that delay in national ratification of environmental agreements is a chronic problem, but is worse for complex, multi-issue treaties. Strong public concern over local environmental issues, low quality of life, low national wealth, and low public research and development expenditures for environmental protection contribute to ratification delay. Ultimately, the authors are interested in identifying ways of improving the international negotiation process that initiated these later problems in implementation. Recommendations are offered in this regard.     

Quaternary evolution of Cedar Creek alluvial fan, montana

Cedar Creek alluvial fan is a textbook example of an alluvial fan because of its fan shape with smooth, concentric contours and excellent symmetry. Similar planimetric shapes have been used to infer uniform fan deposition; however, Cedar Creek alluvial fan is composed of four fan deposits of Quaternary age, Qf1 (oldest) to Qf4 (youngest), indicating that fan deposition was nonuniform in both time and space. Field studies indicate that deposition of Cedar Creek alluvial fan is related to glaciofluvial outwash activity during the Pleistocene and upper-fan entrenchment and lower-fan deposition during the Holocene.Qf1 and Qf2 deposits are sub-horizontally bedded, clast-supported sandy gravels uniformly imbricated upfan. Comparison of soil profiles developed in these deposits to radiogenically-dated chronosequences within the region indicates that Qf1 and Qf2 are correlative with Bull Lake and Pinedale-age deposits, respectively. These relationships are substantiated by physical correlation of Qf1 and Qf2 with Bull Lake and Pinedale moraines, respectively, in the Cedar Creek drainage basin. The sedimentology and timing of Qf1 and Qf2 indicate deposition in high-energy, proglacial, braided streams. Furthermore, the present morphology of Cedar Creek alluvial fan was established largely during aggradation of Qf1 and Qf2 when sediment supply to the fan was sufficient to activate 60% to greater than 90% of the total fan area. During Bull Lake glaciation, the apex of Qf1 deposition formed the apex of Cedar Creek alluvial fan as Qf1 covered more than 90% of the present fan area. During Pinedale glaciation, Qf2 deposition shifted downfan; Qf2 is inset into Qf1 above the intersection point, but below the intersection point it eroded and/or buried Qf1 as it activated as much as 60% of the fan area.Qf3 and Qf4, comprising 21% of the fan area, are inset into Qf2 in the lower fan area. Soil development in Qf3 and Qf4 deposits indicate episodic deposition and entrenchment beginning in early Holocene and continuing to present. A post-glacial decrease in sediment supply to Cedar Creek alluvial fan is indicated by sediment storage within the Cedar Creek drainage basin. Decreased sediment supply to the fan resulted in upper-fan entrenchment of Qf2 and deposition of Qf3 and Qf4 in the lower-fan area.     

Consolidation behaviour of finely laminated clays

Thin highly permeable laminations have a significant influence on the rate of consolidation of many natural clays. Horne [1] presented analytical solutions for a particular type of problem. The range of solutions has been extended by the authors, who have used the more general finite element technique to solve consolidation problems of finely laminated clays under various geometry, load, and boundary conditions. Solutions are presented in graphical form to enable engineers to predict the rate of settlement for strip loads imposed on the surface of laminated clays. The effect of the laminations on the pore water pressure distribution, and the significant difference between a laminated (composite) material and an anisotropic material, are examined.     

Diagenetic alunite in clastic sequences, Kuwait, Arabian Gulf

Diagenetic alunite occurs with calcrete, gypcrete and silcrete deposits in a Mio-Pleistocene clastic sequence at several locations in southern Kuwait, Arabian Gulf. Based on their physical properties and textural characteristics the alunite deposits were divided into (1) chalky quartzitic alunite, (2) chalky quartz-free alunite, (3) hard pink alunitic sandstone. The chalky alunite is composed mainly of hydronium-alunite (H₃O)Al₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆, while the hard pink alunite is composed solely of well developed potassium alunite KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆. These minerals resulted from the action of sulphuric acid on clays and K-feldspars in the muddy sandstone and mudstone host sediments. The sulphuric acid is most probably produced by the oxidation of hydrogen sulphide that might have seeped in from the oil fields of this area. Four diagenetic stages are suggested for the genesis of the studied alunites: gypsification, sulphuratization, silicification and alunitization. In oil field areas, the occurrences of alunite would serve as an indicator for the presence at depth of hydrocarbons.     

Magnetic interpretation of pairs of sheets and their equivalence to dykes

Magnetic anomaly profiles over two thin sheets separated by a small distance resemble those of dykes andvice versa. Interpretation of anomalies over a pair of sheets based on the magnetic properties of dykes predicts a dyke whose centre lies midway between the positions of the sheets. The dyke, on the other hand, is magnetically equivalent to a pair of sheets, both lying at the same depth and having the same magnetization.The magnetic anomalies due to a pair of sheets can be interpreted by framing linear equations between the anomalies and their distances measured from an arbitrary reference. Application of this method to anomalies of dipping sheets with a finite depth extent is indicated.     

Effect of organic matter on splash detachment and the processes involved

The influence of organic matter on splash detachment was investigated using soils with grass and peat treatments. The relationship between organic matter and aggregate stability to water disruption was positive for soils with grass treatment while it was negative for those with peat treatment. Organic matter from both treatments, however, reduced splash detachment by rainfall. Soils with grass did this by increasing aggregate stability while peat acted as a mulch on the soil surface. This implies that though organic matter always reduces splash detachment, different processes may be involved, depending on the form of the organic material. Because of the different processes involved, both negative and positive relationships between splash detachment and aggregate stability as reported in literature were obtained for the soils with grass and peat respectively.     

Response of multi-degree-of-freedom structures with sliding supports

The response of multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) structures with sliding supports is studied. The problem of sliding structures is a discontinuous one in that different numbers of equations of motion with varying forcing functions are required for the sliding and non-sliding phases. The numerical difficulties involved in this regard in an incremental finite element analysis can be circumvented through the introduction of a fictitious spring for the sliding support. Such a treatment enables one to study the higher mode effects on MDOF sliding structures under the excitation of harmonic or earthquake motions. The dynamic characteristics of MDOF sliding structures will be highlighted in the analysis of a four-storey shear building with sliding support.