The reserves of extracted resources: Historical data

The available data on known reserves of extracted resources have not previously been tabulated and graphed. In this article we compile the reserves data in one place for the first time. This serves to (1) show the trends in the reserves series, (2) make the series available to others, and (3) place the reserves data in the context of price data for which longer series have been available, and with which they can now be seen to be consistent in both showing increasing availability rather than increasing scarcity.     

Equatorial Indian Ocean evaporation estimates from operational meteorological satellites and some inferences in the context of monsoon onset and activity

The estimation of evaporation from the sea surface is not yet achieved adequately by remote sensing techniques, in general. However, for approximate averaged estimates over moderate space and time scales over a specific tropical region, e.g., weekly values over the Indian Ocean as needed in monsoon moisture diagnosis, it may be possible to extrapolate satellite wind and humidity data to the ocean surface and then use bulk aerodynamic parameterization for estimating evaporation. In the present investigation, GOES low-level cloud winds and TIROS-N moisture profiles over the Indian Ocean are extrapolated to the ocean surface. The planetary boundary layer (PBL) wind shear is obtained over different sub-regions and periods during the monsoon season, by reference to objectively analysed fields. These shear values are applied to GOES satellite winds to obtain sea-surface winds. The humidity extrapolation was based on (i) an exponential fit for water vapour density and (ii) a vertical distribution of relative humidity approximately proportional to atmospheric pressure. The exchange coefficient is varied slightly depending on wind speed and boundary-layer stability inferred approximately from TIROS-N sea surface temperatures and temperature profiles. The evaporation estimate as based on these satellite parameters is assessed by comparison with ships' surface observations. Sensible heat exchange is also estimated and assessed. Some inferences based on these estimates are also presented, in relation to monsoon onset and activity.     

Geochemical studies in the drainage basin of the Rio Vouga,Portugal. IV. Impact of land use on the hydrogeochemistry of natural waters in the Vouzela region

A hydrogeochemical study of the impact of land use on the composition of natural waters in the Vouzela region in northern Portugal was carried out during the summer of 1983. Water samples were collected from spring and major streams in the area and analyzed for major constituents and some trace elements. Analysis of variance and subsequent pairwise contrast tests demonstrated that waters from agricultural areas are significantly enriched in constiluents such as Na, K, Ca, Mg, Sr, Cl, SO₄, and NO₃. High concentrations of these ions in agricultural areas are the result of both the application of fertilizers and enhanced evaporation by the intensive irrigation of agricultural lands. Constitutents such as H₄SiO₄, HCO₃, F, and probably Li, which are typically related to mineral weathering, were not affected by land use. In waters from forested areas the concentration of most constituents was about 20% higher than in waters from uncultivated areas with mainly a grass cover. This reflects the difference in the evapotranspiration of these two vegetation types. The chemistry of the Rio Zela clearly reflects differences in land use in the Rio Zela valley.     

Thermodynamics of plagioclase II: Temperature evolution of the spontaneous strain at the I\bar 1 \leftrightarrow P\bar 1 phase transition in anorthite

The temperature dependence of the lattice parameters of pure anorthite with high Al/Si order reveals the predicted tricritical behaviour of the \(I\bar 1 \leftrightarrow P\bar 1\) phase transition at T _c ^* =510 K. The spontaneous strain couples to the order parameter Q° as x _i∝S _xQ ⁱ Q°² with S _xQ ¹ =4.166×10^?3, S _xQ ² =0.771×10^?3, S _xQ ³ =?7.223×10^?3 for the diagonal elements. The temperature dependence of Q° is $$Q^{\text{o}} = \left( {1 - \frac{T}{{510}}} \right)^\beta ,{\text{ }}\beta = \tfrac{{\text{1}}}{{\text{4}}}$$ A strong dependence of T _c ^* , S _xQ ⁱ and β is predicted for Al/Si disordered anorthite.     

'Driving people crazy': A geography of boy racers in Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract:   So-called 'boy racers' form a subculture, which is subject to ongoing public scrutiny and media attention, usually negative. This study aimed to deconstruct the term 'boy racer' and to explore the subculture in detail, within the context of Christchurch, New Zealand, using a phenomenological ethnographic approach. This included conducting semistructured interviews and observing the activities of participants. Results show the subculture has a relatively diverse membership and a range of associated behaviours, activities and attitudes. Moreover, performances within the subculture are linked to place, and are seen by other members of the community as threats to normative boundaries.     

Morphologies and emplacement mechanisms of the lava flows of the Faroe Islands Basalt Group,Faroe Islands,NE Atlantic Ocean

The Palaeogene Faroe Islands Basalt Group (FIBG) comprises three eruptive sequences or formations, all emplaced into a subaerial environment during the development of the extensive continental flood basalt province that stretches from East Greenland through the Faroe Islands and into the Faroe-Shetland Basin. The Beinisvørð Formation, having a tabular-classic facies architecture, is composed of a sequence of simple flows each comprising a single sheet lobe. The Beinisvørð Formation is overlain by the distinctly contrasting Malinstindur Formation that has a compound-braided facies architecture. The Enni Formation occurs at the top of the sequence and consists of a mixture of simple and compound flows with tabular-classic and compound-braided facies architectures, respectively. Surface and internal characteristics of the sheet lobes of the Beinisvørð and Enni formations indicate emplacement through inflation, which is more obvious for the tube-fed compound flows of the Malinstindur and Enni formations. The difference between the simple and compound flow sequences of the FIBG is, most likely, linked to the manner in which the lava was supplied during the eruption and the eruptive style of the volcanic system. The sheet lobes were erupted over laterally extensive areas from fissure systems which had a continuous supply of lava, which contrasts with the tube-fed compound flows which were erupted in a gradual, piecemeal manner from point-sourced, low shield volcanoes with limited areal extents.     

Wind erosion of blanket peat during a short period of surface desiccation (North Pennines,Northern England)

Strong winds are a characteristic feature of UK upland areas. Despite this, understanding of aeolian processes in upland environments of the UK is limited. This paper presents direct measurements and observations of blanket peat erosion by wind action during a two week period of desiccation in the North Pennines, Northern England. A circular configuration of mass flux sediment samplers was used to collect peat eroded by wind action from 16 cardinal compass directions. Meteorological conditions (wind speed, wind direction, precipitation and temperature) were recorded by an automatic weather station set up adjacent to the site. Surface desiccation led to peat crust erosion and dust deflation. During short (≤1 hour) periods of precipitation, wind‐driven rainfall also caused erosion. Typically, dust flux rates were up to two orders of magnitude lower than recorded during periods of sustained wet weather. Measurements demonstrate the hitherto unreported rapid switch in process regime between wind‐driven rainfall and dry blow deflation in blanket peat environments. Dry blow processes of blanket peat erosion may become more important in UK upland areas if climate change promotes more frequent surface desiccation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vortex shedding behind tapered obstacles in neutral & stratified flow

Results of laboratory and numerical experiments on both homogeneous and density-stratified flow over single, bluff obstacles of various shapes are presented. The obstacle height is in most cases of the same order as the base diameter and the major controlling (flow) parameter is the Froude number, defined here as F_h=U/Nh, where U is the (uniform) upstream velocity, h the obstacle height and N is the buoyancy frequency. Attention is concentrated, firstly, on the case of homogeneous flows over rather weakly tapered obstacles and, secondly, for bodies whose height is similar to their base width, on the case F_h=0.1, representing stratification sufficiently strong that lee-wave motions do not play a significant role in the flow dynamics. For right-circular cones it is shown that the sectional contributions to the total fluctuating side force (lift) show significant phase variations up the height of the obstacle, which are not always reflected in the developed vortex street further downstream. For some obstacle shapes, the vortex lines linking the von Karman eddies at different heights can be significantly tilted, particularly in the upper part of the wake. Vortex convection speeds do not appear generally to vary greatly with height and, as found in previous work, the shedding frequency remains constant with height, despite the strong variation of cross-stream obstacle width. By comparison with the homogeneous results, it is suggested that the stratification enhances the shedding instability, which would otherwise be very weak for squat obstacles, but does not annihilate the ability of the flow at one level to influence that at another.