Discard mitigation - what we can learn from waste minimization practices in other natural resources?

Solutions to the problem of discarding in fisheries have been debated for decades. Despite this attention, measures to ameliorate discarding have had limited success. Regulators, researchers, and industry continue to struggle with fisheries management and foregone yield in the face of the continued wastage of valuable resources due to discarding.Waste minimization and by-product utilization are powerful imperatives in other sectors that are also reliant on the harvest of natural resources. This paper considers the performance of these sectors in waste minimization and by-product utilization, with the aim of identifying practices and processes that may be applied to ameliorate discarding in fisheries.This paper describes the handling, utilization, and mitigation of discards and waste in the livestock farming, agriculture, mining, and waste management industries, and in particular, in forestry. In terms of biological impact, economic objectives, and management approaches the harvesting of trees has substantial similarities to industrialized fishing. However, the forestry sector has found ways to utilize almost 100% of the natural product harvest by establishing markets and new products. Analogous developments within the fishing industry could substantially improve sustainability through reduced levels of discarding and wastage. Based on the experiences of these sectors it is suggested that evaluations of potential Management Strategies are developed to specifically examine discard mitigation approaches on a broader scale than previously conducted.     

Using impacts of deep-level mining to research karst hydrology—a Darcy-based approach to predict the future of dried-up dolomitic springs in the Far West Rand goldfield (South Africa). Part 2: predicting inter-compartmental flow and final groundwater tables

Some of the world’s deepest goldmines operate below dolomitic karst aquifers in the Far West Rand (FWR) goldfield, South Africa. Associated impacts include the continuous dewatering of karst aquifers for over six decades and irreversible changes of the hydrogeological setting. Affecting an area of approximately 400 km² by drawing down the water table up to 700 m, these impacts, and the large amounts of data generated in the process, are used as unique research opportunities to better understand the complex karst hydrology. The focus of this study is on predicting final water table elevations in rewatered aquifers after mining ceases taking the fact that mines hydraulically linked previously disconnected aquifers into account. While part 1 of this series develops the conceptual model, this second part utilises large sets of pertinent data to calculate actual flow rates for predicting the fate of dried up springs after mine closure. Following a Darcy-based approach first applied by Swart et al. (Environ Geol 44:751–770, 2003a) it is not only predicted that the springs will flow again but also shown that linear relationships exist between flow rates through a combined system of karst-fractured aquifers overlying the mine void and the associated hydraulic head driving them. This suggests that—at this scale—porous media-based equations can be meaningfully used to predict flow in non-porous media.     

Ionospheric Scintillation and Dynamics of Fresnel-Scale Irregularities in the Inner Region of the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly

This paper reports differences in the occurrence statistics of global positioning system (GPS) L-band scintillations at observational sites located in the inner regions of the northern and southern crests of the equatorial ionization anomaly. Ground-based GPS data acquired at the closed magnetically aligned stations of Manaus (3.1°S; 59.9°W; dip lat. 6.2°N) and Cuiabá (15.5°S; 56.1°W; dip. lat. 6.2°S), Brazil, from December 2001 to February 2007 are used in the analysis. The drift dynamics of Fresnel-scale ionospheric irregularities at the southern station of Cuiabá are also investigated. Only geomagnetically quiet days with the sum of daily Kp < 24 were used in the analysis statistics and in the irregularity drift studies. The results reveal a clear dependence of the scintillation occurrence with the solar activity, but there exists an asymmetry in the percentage of scintillation occurrence between the two stations throughout the period analyzed. The nocturnal occurrence of the scintillations over Cuiabá is predominantly larger than over Manaus, but this scenario seems to change with the decline in the solar activity (mainly during local post-midnight hours). A broad minimum and maximum in the scintillation occurrence appears to occur over both the stations, respectively, during the June solstice (winter) and December solstice (summer) months. The dynamics of the Fresnel-scale irregularities, as investigated from the estimations of the mean zonal drift velocities, reveals that the amplitude of the eastward drifts tends to reduce with the decline in the solar activity. The magnitude of the zonal drift velocities during the December solstice months is larger than during the equinoxes, with the differences being more pronounced at solar maximum years. Other relevant aspects of the observations, with complementary data from a low-latitude ionospheric model, are highlighted and discussed.     

Age and source material of the Kingash ultramafic-mafic massif,East Sayan

The REE distribution patterns and Nd whole-rock and mineral isotope ratios of the Kingash ultramafic-mafic massif enabled us to propose a multistage history for its evolution at 1410 and 875 Ma. These stages reflect the magmatic evolution of the Siberian paleocontinent margin during the Late Precambrian. The age of metamorphism of the massif during collision and accretion in the Early Paleozoic (∼500 Ma) was obtained based on a Sm-Nd mineral isochron from rheomorphic veined albitite. The Nd and Sr isotopic compositions of rocks from the Kingash massif suggest mantle sources for picritic and basic magmas, which are thought to have originated by mixing of different proportions of depleted (PREMA or DM) and enriched (EM) melts. The initial isotope ratios of the parental melts transformed during interaction with Sr-rich material from the host metasedimentary complexes.     

Kohlenwasserstoffgenese in Sedimentgesteinen: Untersuchungen über den thermischen Abbau von Kerogen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der n-Paraffinbildung

Zusammenfassung Proben eines limnischen Ölschiefers eozänen Alters wurden, nachdem die löslichen Kohlenwasserstoffe durch Extraktion entfernt worden waren, in einem Autoklaven während fünf Stunden auf Temperaturen zwischen 190–490° C erhitzt. Dabei bildete sich aus dem unlöslichen Kerogen neues, extrahierbares Material, das vergleichbar ist mit den Extrakten aus tiefversenktem Sedimentgestein. Der ursprüngliche Extrakt des Ölschiefers zeigte eine starke Bevorzugung der höheren, ungeradzahligen n-Paraffine. Die durch den thermischen Abbau neu gebildeten n-Paraffine zeigten ebenfalls eine Bevorzugung, die jedoch mit steigender Versuchstemperatur abnimmt und bei Temperaturen über 300° C erlischt. Der Verlust der Bevorzugung ist auf einen Verdünnungseffekt zurückzuführen.

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Summary Samples of non marine oil shale of Eocene age have been extracted and the extract-free samples were heated for 5 hours in an autoclave at temperatures between 190°–490° C. By the temperature treatment new extractable matter has been formed, that is comparable to extracts of sediments which suffered great depth of burial. The original extract of the oil shale showed a strong predominance of the odd — numbered high molecular n-paraffins. The n-paraffins which were formed by the temperature treatment also showed an odd —predominance. This predominance, however, decreased with increasing temperature of the autoclave and disappeared above 300° C. The disappearance of the odd-predominance can be explained by a diluting effect.

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Résumé Nous avons chauffé des échantillons de schistes petrolifères limnigues de l'éocène pentant 5 heures à des temperatures entre 190°–490° C après avoir eliminés les hydrocarbones solubles par extraction. Nous avons reçu du kérogène insoluble, un materiel de nouveau extractible. Ce materiel est comparable à des extraits de sédiments d'une grande profondeur. L'extrait primaire des schistes petrolifères montrait une préfération des n-paraffines impaires de haute séquence. Les paraffines développés par la dégradation thermique montraient de même une préfération. Mais elle diminue en montant les temperatures et disparait au dessus de 300° C. La perte de cette préfération est explicable par un effet de dilution.

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190° 490° , . .

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Der Gewerkschaft Elwerath in Hannover, im besonderen Herrn Direktor Dr. A.Roll danke ich herzlich für die finanzielle Unterstützung, durch die die Anschaffung eines Gaschromatographen ermöglicht wurde, und für die Überlassung von Probenmaterial aus dem Gifhorner Trog.Der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft bin ich für ihre großzügige personelle und finanzielle Hilfe ebenfalls zu großem Dank verpflichtet.Schließlich möchte ich mich noch bei meinen Mitarbeitern Frau U.Grütze und Herrn cand. geol. H.Wehhner bedanken, die einen großen Teil der Laboratoriumsarbeiten durchführten.     

Studies of temperature effects of dust storms

We studied the temperature variations of the lower air layer caused by dust content using a dust storm in Dushanbe in November 2007 as an example. Quantitative estimates of air cooling and a decrease in the diurnal temperature difference due to a diminishing horizontal visibility range are given. Observations of air temperature variations due to the dust content of the atmosphere in an arid zone are presented. The critical value of aerosol concentration for toggling between the greenhouse and antigreenhouse effects is determined. The long-term effect of dust aerosol on climate is analyzed.     

Transport rate of drifting snow and the mean wind speed profile

Transport rates, measured by weighing snow blown into a filter fabric trap, were greater over hard snow or ice than for the same wind speed over soft, fresh snow surfaces. Analysis of wind speed profiles from nine blizzards showed that friction between moving particles and the surface was less, and particle speeds were greater over hard surfaces. Transport rates at a given wind speed increased rapidly as aerodynamic roughness decreased in the rough-smooth transition region. Bagnold's theory for bed load transport provided a useful framework for the analysis.