Global-Scale Relationships between Climate and the Dengue Fever Vector, Aedes Aegypti

Considerable interest exists inthe potential role climate may play in human healthissues, especially regarding the effect of climatechange on vector-borne disease. The Aedesaegypti mosquito, the principal vector for dengue,considered the most important vector-borne viraldisease in the world, is particularly susceptible toclimate variability and climatic change. Here wepresent a modeling analysis focusing on global-scaleassociations between climate and the development,potential distribution, and population dynamics ofAe. aegypti. We evaluate the model by comparingand contrasting model data with observed mosquitodensities. There is good agreement between theobserved and modeled global distribution of themosquito; however, the model results suggest thepotential for increased latitudinal distributionsduring warmer months. Seasonal fluctuations inmosquito abundance also compare well to observed data. Discrepancies possibly reflect the relatively lowresolution of the climate data and model output andthe inability of the model to account for localmicroclimate effects, especially in coastal areas.Future modeling efforts will involve study ofinterannual variability in mosquito dynamics.     

Microhydrodynamics of flotation processes in the sea surface layer

The uppermost surface of the ocean forms a peculiarly important ecosystem, the sea surface microlayer (SML). Comprising the top 1–1000 μm of the ocean surface, the SML concentrates many chemical substances, particularly those that are surface active. Important economically as a nursery for fish eggs and larvae, the SML unfortunately is also especially vulnerable to pollution. Contaminants that settle out from the air, have low solubility, or attach to floatable matter tend to accumulate in the SML.Bubbles contribute prominently to the dynamics of air–sea exchanges, playing an important role in geochemical cycling of material in the upper ocean and SML. In addition to the movement of bubbles, the development of a bubble cloud interrelates with the single particle dynamics of all other bubbles and particles. In the early sixties, several in situ oceanographic techniques revealed an “unbelievably immense” number of coastal bubbles of radius 15–300 μm. The spatial and temporal variation of bubble numbers were studied; acoustical oceanographers now use bubbles as tracers to determine ocean processes near the ocean surface. Sea state and rain noises have both been definitively ascribed to the radiation from huge numbers of infant micro bubbles [The Acoustic Bubble. Academic Press, San Diego].Our research programme aims at constructing a hydrodynamic model for particle transport processes occurring at the microscale, in multi-phase flotation suspensions. Current research addresses bubble and floc microhydrodynamics as building blocks for a microscale transport model. This paper reviews sea surface transport processes in the microlayer and the lower atmosphere, and identifies those amenable to microhydrodynamic modelling and simulation. It presents preliminary simulation results including the multi-body hydrodynamic mobility functions for the modelling of “dynamic bubble filters” and floc suspensions. Hydrodynamic interactions versus spatial anisotropy and size of particle clouds are investigated.     

Benthic primary producers--a neglected environmental problem in Mediterranean maricultures?

Marine fish farming is increasing rapidly in the Mediterranean and in contrast to the Atlantic the coastal zone in the Mediterranean is characterized by clear waters with high transparency. This allows benthic primary producers such as the slow-growing seagrass Posidonia oceanica to grow at large depths at locations suitable for fish farming and generating a conflict between the conservation of these meadows and the growth of aquaculture operations in the Mediterranean. In this paper we review the current knowledge on environmental interactions between fish farming and benthic primary producers with particular focus on P. oceanica, as this seagrass is a key component along Mediterranean coasts. The recovery times of P. oceanica are very long, in the order of centuries, and losses of this species are thus considered to be irreversible at managerial time scales.     

The clean development mechanism’s contribution to sustainable development: a review of the literature

The challenges of how to respond to climate change and ensure sustainable development are currently high on the political agenda among the world’s leading nations. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is part of the global carbon market developing rapidly as part of the Kyoto response towards the mitigation of global warming. One of the aims of the CDM is to achieve sustainable development in developing countries, but uncertainty prevails as to whether the CDM is doing what it promises to do. Close to 200 studies on the CDM have been carried out since its birth in 1997 including peer-reviewed articles and reports from the grey literature. This review of the literature serves to assess the state of knowledge on how the CDM contributes to sustainable development (SD) including poverty alleviation. The main finding of the review is that, left to market forces, the CDM does not significantly contribute to sustainable development.     

Modelling of natural sources of magnetospheric origin in the interpretation of regional induction studies: A review

Traditional interpretation of regional induction studies relies on the assumption that the external inducing field is quasi-form. My review is devoted to as clear as possible a definition of the limitations of this assumption, which is not always justified. Therefore, I will first systematically describe the actual current systems responsible for induction at high, middle or low-latitudes, and then review the means presently available for taking their localised nature into consideration when interpretating surface electromagnetic data. Realistic source models will be presented for all latitudes.

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Résumé Les méthodes géophysiques traditionnelles basées sur l'induction électromagnétique régionale utilisent toutes l'hypothèse de base suivant laquelle le champ externe inducteur est quasi-uniforme. Puisque cette hypothèse n'est pas toujours justifiable, ma revue a pour but de définir ses limites aussi clairement que possible. Pour ce faire, je décrirai d'abord systématiquement les véritables systèmes de courants responsables de l'induction à hautes, moyennes ou basses latitudes, pour passer ensuite aux méthodes permettant de prendre en considération leur étendue limitée lors de l'interprétation d'observations de surface. Des modèles réalistes de sources seront présentés pour toutes latitudes.

     

Atmospheric Circulation Changes in Response to an Observed Stratospheric Zonal Ozone Anomaly

Abstract

In a sensitivity study, the influence of an observed stratospheric zonal ozone anomaly on the atmospheric circulation was investigated using the Fifth Generation European Centre Hamburg Model (ECHAM5) which is a general circulation model. The model was run from 1960 to 1999 (40 years) with a mean seasonal cycle of zonally symmetric ozone. In order to isolate the induced dynamical influence of the observed zonally asymmetric part of the three-dimensional stratospheric ozone, a second run was performed for the boreal extratropics using prescribed monthly means from the 40-year reanalysis dataset from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ERA-40). The main findings are the interdecadal westward shift of the polar vortex at about 65°N and a significant increase in the number of stratospheric sudden warmings during the 1980–99 period. Under the action of zonally asymmetric ozone a decrease in the Arctic Oscillation was identified between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s. The lag correlation between the mean Arctic Oscillation at the surface and the daily stratospheric northern annular mode increased in mid-winter. Furthermore, we examined the influence of the stratospheric zonal ozone anomaly on Rossby wave breaking in the upper troposphere and found a significant westward shift of poleward Rossby wave breaking events over western Europe in the winter. By this we show that the stratospheric zonal ozone anomaly has a strong influence on the tropospheric circulation as a result of enhanced dynamical coupling processes.     

Phosphorus Speciation in Stream Bed Sediments from an Agricultural Watershed: Solid-Phase Associations and Sorption Behavior

The sorption behavior and solid-phase associations of phosphorus (P) in fine-grained sediments (<63 μm) from two upstream tributaries and one downstream main stem site of the Spoon River in west-central Illinois were characterized to better understand phosphorus bioavailability in this agriculturally dominated watershed. The P sorption affinities, as indicated by linear distribution coefficients (K _d), of all sediments were 330–5,150 L/kg, and negatively correlated with equilibrium phosphorus concentration (EPC_o) values, which ranged between 0.2 and 2.2 μM. pH values measured at the conclusion of the sorption experiments varied only slightly (7.45–8.10) but were nonetheless strongly positively correlated to EPC_o values, and negatively correlated to K _d values, suggesting the importance of pH to the observed sorption behavior. K _d values were generally lower and EPC_o values higher at the main stem site than at the upstream tributary sites, suggesting dissolved reactive P (DRP) bioavailability (specifically orthophosphate) increased downstream. The solid phase associations of P were operationally assessed with the streamlined SEDEX (sedimentary extraction) procedure, and most sediment P (≥50%) was released during the step designed to determine iron oxide–associated P. On average, 70–90% of the total sediment P pool was potentially bioavailable, as estimated by the sum of the iron oxide-, authigenic carbonate-, and organic-associated P fractions. Considerable calcium was also extracted from some sediments during the step designed to specifically remove iron oxide–associated P. It is hypothesized that the severe drought conditions that persisted between April and October, 2005 allowed authigenic carbonates (perhaps partly amorphous) to accumulate, and that these carbonates dissolved during the iron oxide extraction step. The extensive benthic algal populations also present may have aided carbonate precipitation, which under more normal hydrologic conditions would be periodically flushed downstream and replaced by fresh sediment. This suggests antecedent hydrologic conditions played a dominant role in the P sorption and solid phase associations identified.     

Multi-zone fusion crust formation and classification of the 2004 Auckland meteorite (L6, S5, and W0)

On June 12, 2004, a meteorite passed through Earth's atmosphere and landed under the television in the living room of a house in Auckland, New Zealand. Textural characteristics, the chemistry of olivine (Fa_23–24) and orthopyroxene (Fs_20.7), and the bulk rock triple oxygen isotopes (δ¹⁷O + 3.1; δ¹⁸O + 4.2‰) from the interior of the completely unweathered (W0) 1.3 kg meteorite, hereafter referred to as Auckland, suggest it to be a strongly metamorphosed fragment from the interior of a low iron ordinary chondrite (L6) parent asteroid. The occurrence of maskelynite but shock fracturing of olivine and pyroxene indicates Auckland experienced extreme shock metamorphism (S5), likely during Ordovician fragmentation of the asteroid parent. The fusion crust consists of three zones: (1) an innermost zone containing narrow Fe-Ni-S-bearing veins that migrated along pre-existing shock fractures in olivine and pyroxene; (2) a middle zone in which the meteorite partially melted to form a silicate glass and immiscible blebs of metal and troilite, and is accompanied by unmelted silicate minerals; and (3) an approximately 0.1 mm wide vesicular-rich outermost layer that largely melted, volatilizing sulfides, before quenching to form glass and olivine. Oxygen isotope values of the bulk rock and/or maskelynite of melted rim and modified substrate are 2–3‰ greater than the meteorite interior and indicate that up to 19% of terrestrial atmospheric O₂ was incorporated into the fusion crust during the formation. The fusion crust migrated inwards as ablation occurred, enabling melting, migration, and re-precipitation ± loss of sulfide and metal components, with the prominent glassy rim therefore forming from an already chemically modified zone.     

Significance of Geological Parameters for Predicting Water Inflow in Hard Rock Tunnels

One of the most challenging aspects of tunnelling is prognostication of water inflows. More reliable prediction of groundwater inflow may give considerable economical saving for future tunnel projects and may also prevent damage of environment and installations on the surface. This paper is discussing the significance of eight hypotheses regarding geological parameters for predicting water inflow in tunnels. The respective hypotheses have been tested as part of a recent research project in Norway. Six Norwegian tunnels with different geological conditions were selected for the research; the Romeriksporten, Frøya, T-baneringen, Lunner, Skaugum, and Storsand tunnels. Based on detailed study of these tunnels, the hypotheses are tested by comparing water inflow with geological parameters and factors such as Q value, faulting, rock stress orientation, rock cover, thickness of permeable soil or depth of lake/sea above the tunnel, rock type, and width of weakness zones. It is found that four out of the eight tested hypotheses are supported, two have low to medium support and two are not supported. One unexpected result is that for the tunnels covered by this study, the water inflow was found to increase with rock cover.     

Blaualgenliteratur aus den Jahren 1969 und 1970 mit ergänzungen aus den Jahren 1960 bis 1968

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