Marine protected areas: a tool for integrated coastal management in Belize

Management of the Belize Barrier Reef was originally envisioned through the creation of marine protected areas. However, the influence of land-based activities was not accounted for in Marine Protected Area (MPA) programs. Therefore focus was shifted to an integrated approach via Integrated Coastal Management (ICM). The Belize ICM process has evolved into a system of coordination through the fostering of multi-sectoral linkages for integrated management of coastal resources. Marine protected areas were included in the ICM program as tools for achieving biodiversity protection and management of sensitive habitats. The ICM process has resulted in greater coordination and consultation in decision making for coastal resource issues, the MPA program however has not evolved with the trend of greater community involvement in MPA management. The greatest challenges to MPA and ICM programs in the next 10 years are: improved linkages between the two, fostering of community participation in management, broadening of the scope of ICM to watersheds and ocean governance, and sustainable financing for both programs.     

The evolution and resolution of conflicts on Saemangeum Reclamation Project

The Saemanguem Reclamation Project proposed building a 33 km dike, to reclaim 28,300 ha of wetlands and estuary for rice production. In addition, the project would store 530 million tons of freshwater in the estuary for agriculture. The time frame for this construction was 21 years from 1991 to 2011 with a budget of US $2.1 billion. During the project, another reclamation project, called the “Shiwha Reclamation Project,” which was established between 1987 and 1994, was written off as a failure and an environmental disaster. The public started to recognize the value of wetlands and coastal waters and has strongly opposed the Saemanguem Reclamation Project. However, the voices of supporters for the project were also strong, so its resolution was controversial. This article analyzes the evolution and solution of conflicts among stakeholders and discusses some lessons applicable to large reclamation projects.     

Propagation and run-up of nearshore tsunamis with HLLC approximate Riemann solver

A numerical model describing the propagation and run-up process of nearshore tsunamis in the vicinity of shorelines is developed based on an approximate Riemann solver. The governing equations of the model are the nonlinear shallow-water equations. The governing equations are discretized explicitly by using a finite volume method. The nonlinear terms in the momentum equations are solved with the Harten-Lax-van Leer-Contact (HLLC) approximate Riemann solver. The developed model is first applied to prediction of water motions in a parabolic basin, and propagation and subsequent run-up process of nearshore tsunamis around a circular island. Computed results are then compared with available analytical solutions and laboratory measurements. Very reasonable agreements are observed.     

Image processing for video images of buoy motion

In this paper, image processing technique that reduces video images of buoy motion to yield time series of image coordinates of buoy objects will be investigated. The buoy motion images are noisy due to time-varying brightness as well as non-uniform background illumination. The occurrence of boats, wakes, and wind-induced white caps interferes significantly in recognition of buoy objects. Thus, semiautomated procedures consisting of object recognition and image measurement aspects will be conducted. These offer more satisfactory results than a manual process. Spectral analysis shows that the image coordinates of buoy objects represent wave motion well, indicating its usefulness in the analysis of wave characteristics.     

Petrology,phase equilibria modelling and zircon U–Pb geochronology of Paleoproterozoic mafic granulites from the Fuping Complex,North China Craton

The Fuping Complex is one of the important basement terranes within the central segment of the Trans‐North China Orogen (TNCO) where mafic granulites are exposed as boudins within tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) gneisses. Garnet in these granulites shows compositional zoning with homogeneous cores formed in the peak metamorphic stage, surrounded by thin rims with an increase in almandine and decrease in grossular contents suggesting retrograde decompression and cooling. Petrological and phase equilibria studies including pseudosection calculation using thermocalc define a clockwise P–T path. The peak mineral assemblages comprise garnet+clinopyroxene+amphibole+quartz+plagioclase+K‐feldspar+ilmenite±orthopyroxene±magnetite, with metamorphic P–T conditions estimated at 8.2–9.2 kbar, 870–882 °C (15FP‐02), 9.6–11.3 kbar, 855–870 °C (15FP‐03) and 9.7–10.5 kbar, 880–900 °C (15FP‐06) respectively. The pseudosections for the subsequent retrograde stages based on relatively higher H₂O contents from P/T–M(H₂O) diagrams define the retrograde P–T conditions of <6.1 kbar, <795 °C (15FP‐02), 5.6–5.8 kbar, <795 °C (15FP‐03), and <9 kbar, <865 °C (15FP‐06) respectively. Data from LA‐ICP‐MS zircon U–Pb dating show that the mafic dyke protoliths of the granulite were emplaced at c. 2327 Ma. The metamorphic zircon shows two groups of ages at 1.96–1.90 Ga (peak at 1.93–1.92 Ga) and 1.89–1.80 Ga (peak at 1.86–1.83 Ga), consistent with the two metamorphic events widely reported from different segments of the TNCO. The 1.93–1.92 Ga ages are considered to date the peak granulite facies metamorphism, whereas the 1.86–1.83 Ga ages are correlated with the retrograde event. Thus, the collisional assembly of the major crustal blocks in the North China Craton (NCC) might have occurred during 1.93–1.90 Ga, marking the final cratonization of the NCC.     

Formation and preservation of fresh lawsonite: Geothermobarometry of the North Makran Blueschists,southeast Iran

A low‐grade metamorphic “Coloured Mélange” in North Makran (SE Iran) contains lenses and a large klippe of low temperature, lawsonite‐bearing blueschists formed during the Cretaceous closure of the Tethys Ocean. The largest blueschist outcrop is a >1,000 m thick coherent unit with metagabbros overlain by interlayered metabasalts and metavolcanoclastic rocks. Blueschist metamorphism is only incipient in coarse‐grained rocks, whereas finer grained, foliated samples show thorough metamorphic recrystallization. The low‐variance blueschist peak assemblage is glaucophane, lawsonite, titanite, jadeite±phengitic mica. Investigated phase diagram sections of three blueschists with different protoliths yield peak conditions of ~300–380°C at 9–14 kbar. Magnesio‐hornblende and rutile cores indicate early amphibolite facies metamorphism at >460°C and 2–4 kbar. Later conditions at slightly higher pressures of 6–9 kbar at 350–450°C are recorded by barroisite, omphacite and rutile assemblages before entering into the blueschist facies and finally following a retrograde path through the pumpellyite–actinolite facies across the lawsonite stability field. Assuming that metamorphic pressure is lithostatic pressure, the corresponding counterclockwise P–T path is explained by burial along a warm geothermal gradient (~15°C/km) in a young subduction system, followed by exhumation along a cold gradient (~8°C/km); a specific setting that allows preservation of fresh undecomposed lawsonite in glaucophane‐bearing rocks.     

Volcanic particles in agriculture and gardening

Volcanic pyroclasts of small size, such as lapilli and small pumice stones, are widely used in agriculture, gardening, and for pot plants as natural inorganic mulch. The technique of using pyroclasts to enhance topsoil stems from the eighteenth century, and specifically from the ad 1730–1736 eruption on Lanzarote. Critical observations on plant development during and after the eruption showed that the vegetation died when buried under a thick layer of lapilli, but grew vigorously when covered thinly. While the agriculture of Lanzarote was restricted to cereals before the eruption, it diversified to many kinds of fruit and vegetables afterwards, including the production of the famous Malvasía wines in the Canaries. The population of Lanzarote doubled in the years after the eruption, from about 5000 in 1730 to near 10 000 in 1768, predominantly as a result of the higher agricultural productivity. This outcome led to widespread use of lapilli and pumice fragments throughout the islands and eventually the rest of the globe. Lapilli and pumice provide vesicle space for moisture to be retained longer within the planting soil, which can create an environment for micro‐bacteria to thrive in. Through this route, nutrients from volcanic matter are transported into the surrounding soil where they become available to plant life. The detailed processes that operate within the pyroclasts are less well understood, such as the breakdown of nutrients from the rock matrix and transport into the soil by biological action. Further studies promise significant potential to optimize future agricultural efforts, particularly in otherwise arid areas of the globe.     

Displacement ring load Green's functions for saturated porous transversely isotropic tri‐material full‐space

Based on the Biot's poroelastic theory and using scalar potential functions both the ring load and point load displacement Green's functions for a transversely isotropic saturated porous full‐space composed of an upper half‐space, a finite thickness middle layer and a lower half‐space is analytically presented for the first time. It is assumed that each region consists of a different transversely isotropic material. The equations of poroelastodymanics in terms of the solid displacements and the pore fluid pressure are uncoupled with the help of two scalar potential functions, so that the governing equations for the potential functions are either a second order wave equation or a repeated wave‐heat transfer equation of sixth order. With the aid of Fourier expansion with respect to circumferential direction and Hankel integral transforms with respect to the radial direction in cylindrical coordinate system, the response is determined in the form of line integrals in the real space, followed by theorem of inverse Hankel integral transforms. The solutions degenerate to a single phase elastic material, and the results are compared with previous studies, where an excellent agreement may be observed with the results provided in the literature. Some examples of displacement Green's functions are finally given to illustrate the solution. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of lithology and soil properties on abandoned dryland terraces during the early stages of soil erosion by water in south‐east Spain

Soil erosion by water in abandoned dry terraces is one of the most important environmental problems in semiarid areas, enhancing biological degradation and reducing possible resources that can be obtained. However, little is known about the effects of the types of lithology and soil properties on the early stages of soil erosion. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to assess the effect of different lithologies (marls, limestones, and metamorphic—phyllites, schists, and greywackes—materials) and soil properties on the early stages of soil erosion by water in abandoned dry terraces, compared with similar terraces still in agricultural use. Soil analyses (texture, aggregate stability, and bulk density) and 22 rainfall simulations were carried out under dry conditions. During the experiments, local inclination, vegetation and stone cover, total organic matter, and antecedent soil moisture were also quantified. The results showed that the highest soil loss (41.41 g/m² in cultivated plots and 17.05 g/m² in the abandoned plots) and runoff (3.79 L/m² in the abandoned plot) occurred on marl substrata. Marls also showed the shallowest infiltration front (9 cm) and lowest infiltration rate (4.3 cm/min). Limestones and, especially, metamorphic areas, showed a lower degree of soil erosion, higher infiltration rates, and deeper infiltration fronts.     

Reloca Slide: an ~24 km3 submarine mass‐wasting event in response to over‐steepening and failure of the central Chilean continental slope

Reloca Slide is the relict of an ~24‐km³ submarine slope collapse at the base of the convergent continental margin of central Chile. Bathymetric and seismic data show that directly to the north and south of the slide the lower continental slope is steep (~10°), the deformation front is shifted landwards by 10–15 km, and the frontal accretionary prism is uplifted. In contrast, ~80 km to the north the lower continental margin presents a lower slope angle of about 4° and a wide frontal accretionary prism. We propose that high effective basal friction conditions at the base of the accretionary prism favoured basal accretion of sediment and over‐steepening of the continental slope, producing massive submarine mass wasting in the Reloca region. This area also spatially correlates with a zone of low coseismic slip of the 2010 Maule megathrust earthquake, which is consistent with high basal frictional coefficients.