When seed fails: The contested nature of neoliberalism in South Korea

In recent years, many geographers have examined the ways that the production of nature has changed as a result of neoliberal practices. In this paper we examine a conflict in South Korea that started when some Chinese-cabbage seeds were affected by a virus, causing crop failure. This failure came shortly after liberalization in the Korean seed industry led to foreign ownership of the firm that sold the seed. We focus in particular on the farmers’ creative political responses - and their subsequent defeat in court. Drawing on Antonio Gramsci’s insights on politics, science, and law, we examine how the seed failure came to be evaluated through scientific and legal practices. We argue that the adjudication of the truth of the seed failure through science and law reveals how socionatures are contested under prevailing hegemonic conditions. These conditions are both general and specific: although law and science are relatively hegemonic spheres of truth-production in all capitalist societies, the ways that the seeds were disputed and evaluated were distinctly Korean.     

Propagation of vertical and horizontal source data errors into a TIN with linear interpolation

Digital elevation models (DEMs) have been widely used for a range of applications and form the basis of many GIS-related tasks. An essential aspect of a DEM is its accuracy, which depends on a variety of factors, such as source data quality, interpolation methods, data sampling density and the surface topographical characteristics. In recent years, point measurements acquired directly from land surveying such as differential global positioning system and light detection and ranging have become increasingly popular. These topographical data points can be used as the source data for the creation of DEMs at a local or regional scale. The errors in point measurements can be estimated in some cases. The focus of this article is on how the errors in the source data propagate into DEMs. The interpolation method considered is a triangulated irregular network (TIN) with linear interpolation. Both horizontal and vertical errors in source data points are considered in this study. An analytical method is derived for the error propagation into any particular point of interest within a TIN model. The solution is validated using Monte Carlo simulations and survey data obtained from a terrestrial laser scanner.     

Phase transitions and path dependence in urban evolution

There is a long history of recognising and interpreting discontinuous change—phase transitions—in urban systems. In this paper, we use the aggregate retail model as an archetype to explore some new ideas. For example, we argue that the dependence of paths of development on initial conditions has been understudied, and we offer a new graphical analysis that demonstrates explicitly their influence on discrete change. We introduce an order parameter, and we plot this on a ‘results grid’ to facilitate the discovery of possible phase transitions. We illustrate the use of these new developments with an application to London. We show how retail developers can change the ‘initial conditions’ at a point in time and possibly bring about phase transitions by their actions. This also shows that it should be possible to account for the history of urban development as a sequence of initial conditions, illustrating path dependence. Secondly, the model could be deployed in relation to a new shopping zone, and the tools developed here used to calculate the minimum size of a new development in order for it to compete. We explore the ‘minimum size’ idea in relation to a new shopping zone in London.     

Improvement of distributed snowmelt energy balance modeling with MODIS‐based NDSI‐derived fractional snow‐covered area data

Describing the spatial variability of heterogeneous snowpacks at a watershed or mountain‐front scale is important for improvements in large‐scale snowmelt modelling. Snowmelt depletion curves, which relate fractional decreases in snow‐covered area (SCA) against normalized decreases in snow water equivalent (SWE), are a common approach to scale‐up snowmelt models. Unfortunately, the kinds of ground‐based observations that are used to develop depletion curves are expensive to gather and impractical for large areas. We describe an approach incorporating remotely sensed fractional SCA (FSCA) data with coinciding daily snowmelt SWE outputs during ablation to quantify the shape of a depletion curve. We joined melt estimates from the Utah Energy Balance Snow Accumulation and Melt Model (UEB) with FSCA data calculated from a normalized difference snow index snow algorithm using NASA's moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) visible (0·545–0·565 µm) and shortwave infrared (1·628–1·652 µm) reflectance data. We tested the approach at three 500 m² study sites, one in central Idaho and the other two on the North Slope in the Alaskan arctic. The UEB‐MODIS‐derived depletion curves were evaluated against depletion curves derived from ground‐based snow surveys. Comparisons showed strong agreement between the independent estimates. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ultraviolet light curves of V535 Arae

Observations of V535 Ara obtained with IUE define the light curve of this long-period W UMa binary in the ultraviolet and let us estimate its gravity darkening. This star was chosen as a contact binary near the high-T _eff limit for convection. The ultraviolet colours and spectral type correspond to (B–V)₀=0.24, or A8V, and imply the star should have very little residual convection in its envelope. The gravity darkening thus ought to be large, as in a radiative star, unless it is modified by circulation in the common envelope, or unless all stars this warm are convective. The light-curve analysis is complicated by a long-term wave that depresses the orbital phases before and after secondary eclipse. We have obtained four solutions to a combination of optical and ultraviolet light curves, two for high, radiative gravity darkening and two for low, convective gravity darkening. For each value of the gravity-darkening exponent, we let the larger, more massive binary component either (a) have a dark spot in its back side or (b) have an excessively hot side facing its companion. The light curves were fitted equally well in all four cases; however, in all but the one with low-gravity darkening and a hot inner face there was a rather large global temperature difference between the two stars. The primary component of this system appears to be significantly undermassive for its spectral type, more so than the primary in AW UMa, but this probably results simply from systematic errors in a radial-velocity solution by Schöffel. It is suggested that the W UMa binaries are found only at spectral types later than about A8 because their outer envelopes must be convective to transfer luminosity.     

THE IMPACT-FLOOD CONNECTION: DOES IT EXIST?*

In a recent article in Terra Nova, Kristan-Tollmann and Tollmann (1994) suggested that the Biblical Flood can be explained by seven fragments of a comet that impacted the ocean at seven locations on Earth at 03.00h (C.E.T.) on 23 September, 9545 yr BP. We demonstrate that all the ‘geological proofs’ that allegedly support their conclusions are not supported by the available data on impact cratering. Their hypothesis is based on insufficient and ambiguous data, selective citation, and incomplete comprehension of previous research.     

Are estimated costs of stringent mitigation biased?

We take issue with the claim by Tavoni and Tol (Clim Chang 100:769–778, 2010) that reviews of the macroeconomic costs of achieving the 2 °C climate target have been affected by selection bias and have underestimated the costs. Although many more cost estimates are available in the literature, they have restricted their survey to the data in the EMF22 study, with a limited set of model solutions for the 2 °C target. They have applied the methodology of observational meta-analysis inappropriately to policy meta-analysis, where the number of results is often very small and the basis for imputing a statistical distribution does not usually exist. They have mixed direct costs with net costs in terms of %GDP. Their method of “correcting” for missing data with (high) costs of stringent mitigation could equally be applied to correcting the data for omission of mitigation options such as biomass energy with carbon capture so reducing the cost estimates. And finally they implicitly assume that the same policy combinations and mitigation options are applied for all climate scenarios, when more stringent scenarios may require more stringent policies and options, such as regulation or BECCS. The conclusion from the literature is more appropriately that the costs are highly uncertain, that they can equally be positive or negative (gains) and that models which fail to solve for stringent mitigations are not fit for purpose.     

A major element,PGE and Re–Os isotope study of Middle Atlas (Morocco) peridotite xenoliths: Evidence for coupled introduction of metasomatic sulphides and clinopyroxene

We present major element and PGE (platinum-group-element) abundances in addition to Re–Os isotope data for 11 spinel-facies whole rock peridotites from a single maar from the Middle Atlas Mountains, Morocco.Major element systematics of these xenoliths are generally correlated with indices of depletion. FeO–MgO systematics appear to suggest spinel-facies melting in the range of 5 to 25%. However, Al₂O₃ abundances in these xenoliths appear elevated relative to primitive mantle (Prima). The Al₂O₃ abundances in conjunction with other major elements require distinct re-enrichment of the Middle Atlas continental mantle root due to melt/rock reaction and precipitation of amphibole and/or clinopyroxene from passing silicate melts akin to MORB or OIB that evolved in reverse direction along the melting curves in e.g. FeO–MgO space. Sc and V confirm the range of apparent depletion and also indicate that the currently preserved fO₂ in these peridotites is distinctly different from fO₂ conditions observed in subduction zones.The majority of these xenoliths have low Os and Ir (I-PGEs) concentrations relative to Prima and modelled sulphide- and clinopyroxene-depleted residues of mantle melting under low fO₂, mid-ocean ridge-like conditions. Moreover, Pt and Pd (P-PGE) abundances are elevated when compared to their expected abundances after substantial melt extraction. Importantly, the systematically low Ir abundances in the majority of samples show well-correlated trends with Al₂O₃, MgO and Cu that are inconsistent with established melting trends. Os isotopes in the Middle Atlas xenoliths range from ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 0.11604 to 0.12664 although most samples are close to chondritic. The Os isotope ratios are decoupled from ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os but, together with Re abundances, also exhibit a good correlation with Al₂O₃, MgO and Cu.The major element, I-PGE and Os isotope correlations suggest that the initial melt depletion led to the exhaustion of sulphide and clinopyroxene (20 to 30%) without significant stabilization of I-PGE-rich alloys. During later modal metasomatism of the refractory Middle Atlas continental mantle root with silicate melts akin to MORB or OIB the introduction of clinopyroxene/amphibole reduced the volume of the melt inducing sulphur saturation in these melts causing precipitation of secondary sulphides. This coupled crystallization of pyroxenes and sulphides (chalcopyrite) resulted in the two-component mixing systematics exhibited by I-PGEs, Os isotopes with major elements and Cu preserved in the Middle Atlas continental mantle root.