Modelling sediment transport as a moving wave — The transfer and deposition of mining waste

The movement of slugs of bedload from a discrete input point down a river has proved difficult to model using conventional finite-difference formulations of equations of motion. A model is proposed which makes explicit allowance for the mean sediment velocity and, through a dispersion coefficient, the distribution of sediment velocity about the mean. A second comparative model uses the normal mass conservation or sediment transport continuity approach. The models have been tested over a 43-month period using data from seven monitored cross-sections of the Kawerong River on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea, a system which receives waste from a large copper mine. The dispersion model performs considerably better than the mass-conservation model.     

A one-person,one-instrument method for precision barometric altimetry

This paper describes an adaptation of the ‘leap-frog’ method of barometric altimetry which enables altimetric surveys to be undertaken by a single operator using a single barometer with no requirement for base stations. The method involves two readings at each station, the first bracketed by readings at the previous station, and the second bracketed by readings at the subsequent station. Linear interpolation is used to estimate what the readings would have been at each station at the time that readings were taken at the adjacent stations. Under suitable meteorological conditions errors are generally less than ±1 m, which is sufficiently accurate for a wide variety of geomorphological applications. The method has significant advantages in terms of cost and/or time over more accurate methods such as electronic distance measurement surveys or survey quality global positioning systems. The paper is accompanied by a Microsoft Excel template spreadsheet, BAROSURV.XLT, which converts temperature and pressure readings to relative elevations, and graphs the results. Notes on the use of BAROSURV.XLT are included in the ASCII text file BAROSURV.NOT.     

A Comparison of Two-Phase Dynamic Upscaling Methods Based on Fluid Potentials

Although a number of methods for calculating dynamic pseudo-functions have been developed over the years, there is still a lack of understanding as to why a certain method will succeed in some cases but fail in others. In this paper, we describe the results of an assessment of several upscaling methods, namely the Kyte and Berry (KB) method, the Stone method, the Hewett and Archer (HA) method and the Transmissibility-Weighted (TW) method. We have analyzed the equations for deriving the methods and investigated the results of numerical simulations of gas displacing oil, in a variety of models to enable us to gain new insights into these, and related, upscaling methods. In particular, some novel observations on methods based on fluid potential are presented and the issue of using predicted fluid mobilities as a criterion of accuracy of an upscaling method is clarified.     

Multifunctional intervention and market rationality in agricultural governance: a comparative study of England and South Australia

Critiques of the neoliberal governance of agricultural systems have led to a number of political responses which attempt to address the socio-environmental consequences of the dominant regime. In this paper two case study regions (South Australia and England) have been chosen to represent variations in agricultural policy and to highlight subsequent outcomes on the sustainability of agriculture. Interviewed governance stakeholders highlighted issues in regard to the agricultural governance of each area, from social and environmental consequences of minimal policy intervention in South Australia, to issues created by greater economic support in England. As such, the distinct variations in agricultural regimes will continue to demand scholarly attention, in order for the value of diversity within the sector to be more widely understood. The study concludes that it is likely agricultural support will continue to decline in both case study regions. Importantly, however, innovative policy mechanisms that aim to reduce local risks and value local agricultural priorities, without requiring significant financial support, might be the most promising way forward in regard to agricultural system sustainability.