Strengthening conceptual foundations: Analysing frameworks for ecosystem services and poverty alleviation research

A research agenda is currently developing around the linkages between ecosystem services and poverty alleviation. It is therefore timely to consider which conceptual frameworks can best support research at this nexus. Our review of frameworks synthesises existing research on poverty/environment linkages that should not be overlooked with the adoption of the topical language of ecosystem services. A total of nine conceptual frameworks were selected on the basis of relevance. These were reviewed and compared to assess their ability to illuminate the provision of ecosystem services, the condition, determinants and dynamics of poverty, and political economy factors that mediate the relationship between poverty and ecosystem services. The paper synthesises the key contributions of each of these frameworks, and the gaps they expose in one another, drawing out lessons that can inform emerging research. Research on poverty alleviation must recognize social differentiation, and be able to distinguish between constraints of access and constraints of aggregate availability of ecosystem services. Different frameworks also highlight important differences between categories of services, their pathways of production, and their contribution to poverty alleviation. Furthermore, we highlight that it is important to acknowledge the limits of ecosystem services for poverty alleviation, given evidence that ecosystem services tend to be more associated with poverty prevention than reduction. We conclude by reflecting on the relative merits of dynamic Social–Ecological Systems frameworks versus more static checklists, and suggest that research on ecosystem services and poverty alleviation would be well served by a new framework distilling insights from the frameworks we review.     

准噶尔盆地滴西地区石炭系火山岩识别与预测

准噶尔盆地腹部滴西地区石炭系火山岩储层中已获重要的工业气流。然而由于成岩环境复杂,岩性多变,火山机构受后期风化剥蚀和构造作用的影响,保存不完整,使得该区火山岩研究难度大,认识程度较低。本文对滴西地区石炭系巴塔玛依内山组火山岩特征进行了研究,分析了该区典型岩性的岩心、岩石薄片及测井响应特征,提出了一套火山岩测井识别的方法。在此基础上,总结了典型岩性组合的地震反射特征,并对岩性的展布情况进行了预测。最后,对火山岩形成的环境进行了探讨。研究结果显示,滴西地区巴塔玛依内山组顶面的火山岩分布具有一定的分段特征,可以分为东部、中部、西部三段: 从成分上看,东部以酸性岩为主,西部以基性岩为主,中部则酸性岩、中性岩和基性岩皆较发育; 从火山岩产状上看,东部和西部以喷出产状为主,中部则侵入产状和喷出产状皆发育。巴塔玛依内山组火山岩体具有多期次的特点,各火山机构彼此叠置,时间和空间上具有一定的相关性。层状火山机构发育。本文的研究方法对准噶尔盆地内石炭系火山岩研究及火山机构的解剖具有借鉴意义,同时也为该区的油气勘探和开发提供一定的依据。     

Centroid-moment tensor solutions for April–June 1989

Centroid-moment tensor solutions are presented for 226 earthquakes that occurred during the second quarter of 1989. The solutions are obtained using corrections for aspherical Earth structure.     

西秦岭凤太矿集区丝毛岭金矿床地质地球化学特征

西秦岭凤太矿集区丝毛岭金矿床位于八卦庙造山型金矿床西侧5km左右,是一个新探明的剪切带型金矿。其成矿作用过程可分为早期石英-绢云母-硫化物阶段、中期多金属-硫化物阶段和晚期碳酸盐阶段。对早、中期的石英流体包裹体测试结果表明,丝毛岭金矿床成矿流体以富CO2、中温、低盐度为特征,总体上属于中温低盐度CO2-H2O体系,流体包裹体类型的多样性是流体不混溶性的产物。从早阶段到主成矿阶段成矿流体的温度、压力和盐度均有降低,硫逸度增高,有利于金的沉淀富集。H、O、S、C同位素研究结果,以及与八卦庙金矿床的对比分析表明,二者的成矿流体具有相似性和同源性,都是以深部来源为主的多源流体。由于丝毛岭金矿床产出的层位高于八卦庙金矿床,其成矿环境相对开放。     

Reconstructed cool- and warm-season precipitation over the tribal lands of northeastern Arizona

For over a decade, the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation of northeastern Arizona have suffered the effects of persistent drought conditions. Severe dry spells have critically impacted natural ecosystems, water resources, and regional livelihoods including dryland farming and ranching. Drought planning and resource management efforts in the region are based largely on the instrumental climate record, which contains a limited number of severe, sustained droughts. In this study, a new network of moisture-sensitive tree-ring chronologies provides the basis for evaluating the longer-term temporal variability of precipitation in the Four Corners region. By analyzing the earlywood and latewood components within each annual tree ring, we are able to generate separate, centuries-long reconstructions of both cool- (October-April) and warm-season (July-August) precipitation. These proxy records offer new insights into seasonal drought characteristics and indicate that the instrumental record fails to adequately represent precipitation variability over the past 400 years. Through the use of two different analysis techniques, we identify multiyear and decadal-scale drought events more severe than any in the modern era. Furthermore, the reconstructions suggest that many of the historically significant droughts of the past (e.g., 17th century Puebloan drought) were not merely winter phenomena, but persisted through the summer season as well. By comparing these proxy records with historical documents, we are able to independently validate the reconstructions and better understand the socioeconomic and environmental significance of past climate anomalies on the tribal lands of northeastern Arizona.     

Drought 2002 in Colorado: An Unprecedented Drought or a Routine Drought?

The 2002 drought in Colorado was reported by the media and by public figures, and even by a national drought-monitoring agency, as an exceptionally severe drought. In this paper we examine evidence for this claim. Our study shows that, while the impacts of water shortages were exceptional everywhere, the observed precipitation deficit was less than extreme over a good fraction of the state. A likely explanation of this discrepancy is the imbalance between water supply and water demand over time. For a given level of water supply, water shortages become intensified as water demands increase over time. The sobering conclusion is that Colorado is more vulnerable to drought today than under similar precipitation deficits in the past.