Lunar meteorite LaPaz Icefield 04841: Petrology,texture, and impact‐shock effects of a low‐Ti mare basalt

Abstract— Found during the 2004 U.S. Antarctic Search for Meteorites season, LaPaz Icefield (LAP) 04841 represents an addition to the LaPaz lunar basalts suite and brings the total mass collected to 1.93 kg. The presence of FeNi grains, troilite, and the anorthositic composition of plagioclase are evidence for the lunar origin of this meteorite. Pyroxene and olivine Mn/Fe values plot along the trend set for lunar basalts. Analyses of chromite grains provide a V/(Al + Cr) ratio of 1.33 ± 13, translating to an fO₂ one log unit below the IW buffer, in accordance with previous fO₂ estimates for lunar basalts. Application of the Zr‐cooling speedometer, for ilmenite and ulvöspinel pairs, gives a cooling rate of 5.2 °C/day, matching previous estimates of cooling rates for the LaPaz lunar meteorites and Apollo mare basalts. Mineral modes and chemistries, as well as trace‐element patterns, provide compelling evidence for pairing of this meteorite to others in the LaPaz lunar basalt suite.     

A late Holocene paleoclimatic history of Lake Tanganyika, East Africa

A nearshore core (LT03-05) from the north basin of Lake Tanganyika provides diatom, pollen, and sedimentary time series covering the last ca. 3800 yr at 15-36 yr resolution. A chronology supported by 21 AMS dates on terrestrial and lacustrine materials allows us to account for ancient carbon effects on ¹⁴C ages and to propose refinements of the region's climatic history. Conditions drier than those of today were followed after ca. 3.30 ka by an overall wetting trend. Several century-scale climate variations were superimposed upon that trend, with exceptionally rainy conditions occurring 1.70-1.40 ka, 1.15-0.90 ka, 0.70-0.55 ka, and 0.35-0.20 ka. Around 0.55-0.35 ka, during the Spörer sunspot minimum, drier conditions developed in the northern Tanganyika basin while more humid conditions were registered at Lakes Victoria and Naivasha. This indicates significant variability in the nature and distribution of near-equatorial rainfall anomalies during much of the Little Ice Age.     

Green growth machines? Competing discourses of urban development in Playa Vista,California

Playa Vista is a massive mixed-use development built on coastal wetlands in west Los Angeles. Its land use story illustrates how strategically constructed discourses shape contested urban spaces. Through an analysis of newspaper reporting and government documents, this paper traces how pro-Playa Vista interests changed their growth discourses rationalizing the development between 1979 and 2015. Findings suggest that pro-growth coalitions are resilient when they modify their discourses to negotiate new regulatory and political contexts, specifically pursuing sustainability fixes. They are not dogmatic in their adherence to orthodoxies of private property rights and “highest and best use” of land but rather continually reconstruct growth discourses incorporating enough of the values of their opponents (i.e. “green” values such as growth management and smart growth) that some environmental and homeowner citizens’ groups join the growth coalition, forming a “green growth machine” that not only profitably builds on the land but finances ecological restoration.     

A review of environmental and genetic factors that affect height inSpartina alterniflora loisel. (Salt marsh cord grass)

The salt marsh cord grass,Spartina alterniflora Loisel., occurs in markedly distinct short and tall growth forms. Both forms have the same number of chromosomes, although polyploidy is well established in the genus. Previous studies have shown that height is primarily affected by nitrate availability and environmental stresses such as increased soluble salt concentrations. These studies have shown that, within a marsh, height differences cannot be attributed to genetic, chromosomal differences or electrophoretic banding. However, more subtle genetic differences may be involved. Other studies suggest that between marshes,S. alterniflora, in response to a latitudinal gradient on the Atlantic coast, has evolved ecotypes differing in height, color and flowering period. This review paper points out that plant height inS. alterniflora may be determined by a combination of environmental and genetic factors.     

Reforestation Programs in Southwest China： Reported Success, Observed Failure, and the Reasons Why

Ever since the disastrous floods of 1998, the Chinese government has used the Natural Forest Protection and Sloping Land Conversion Programs to promote afforestation and reforestation as means to reduce runoff, control erosion, and stabilize local livelihoods. These two ambitious programs have been reported as large-scale successes, contributing to an overall increase in China’s forest cover and to the stated goals of environmental stabilization. A small-scale field study at the project level of the implementation of these two programs in Baiwu Township, Yanyuan County, Sichuan, casts doubt upon the accuracy and reliability of these claims of success; ground observations revealed utter failure in some sites and only marginal success in others. Reasons for this discrepancy are posited as involving ecological, economic, and bureaucratic factors. Further research is suggested to determine whether these discrepancies are merely local aberrations or represent larger-scale failures in reforestation programs.