Tilt Observations in the Normal Mode Frequency Band at the Geodynamic Observatory Cueva de los Verdes,Lanzarote

We have conducted observations with the aid of a seismo-tiltmeter station, which is based on the Ostrovsky pendulum and installed at the Geodynamic Observatory Cueva de los Verdes at Lanzarote Island since 1995. In this station the signal is separated into two frequency bands – tidal tilts (from 0 to 5 mHz) and ground oscillations in the frequency range of free Earths normal modes (from 0.2 to 5 mHz). The later band, called accelerometer channel, has additional amplification. We analyzed the background records in the frequency range of Earths free oscillations from August 2000 to September 2001, as well as, Earths normal modes after strong earthquakes. We found several distinctive persistent peaks in the spectra of background oscillations. Both amplitudes of distinguished peaks and noises have seasonal variations. We found that spectra of background oscillations are different in the frequency interval between 1.4 and 2.5 mHz for North- South and East-West components.     

Comparison of 1982–1983 and 1997–1998 El Niño effects on the shallow-water fish assemblage of the Patos Lagoon estuary (Brazil)

Meteorological impacts of El Niño events of 1982–1983 and 1997–1998 were observed in locations throughout the world. In southern Brazil, El Niño events are associated with increased rainfall and higher freshwater discharge into Patos Lagoon, a large coastal lagoon that empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Based on interdecadal meteorological and biological data sets encompassing the two strongest El Niño events of the last 50 yr, we evaluated the hypothesis that El Niño-induced hydrological changes are a major driving force controlling the interannual variation in the structure and dynamics of fishes in the Patos Lagoon estuary. High rainfall in the drainage basin of the lagoon coincided with low salinity in the estuarine area during both El Niño episodes. Total rainfall in the drainage basin was higher (767 versus 711 mm) and near-zero salinity conditions in the estuarine area lasted about 3 mo longer during the 1997–1998 El Niño event compared with the 1982–1983 event. Hydrological changes triggered by both El Niño events had similar relationships to fish species composition and diversity patterns, but the 1997–1998 event appeared to have stronger effects on the species assemblage. Although shifts in species composition were qualitatively similar during the two El Niño events, distance between El Niño and non-El Niño assemblage multivariate centroids was greater during the 1996–2000 sampling period compared with the 1979–1983 period. We provide a conceptual model of the principal mechanisms and processes connecting the atmospheric-oceanographic interactions triggered by the El Niño phenomena and their effect on the estuarine fish assemblage.     

Statistical and hydrodynamic models for the operational forecasting of floods in the Venice Lagoon

The risk of flooding in Venice has increased strongly since the beginning of the century. To reduce the damage to the city and the negative impact on the activities in the lagoon, an accurate flood warning system is necessary. This system will also be fundamental during the construction and for the efficient operation of storm surge barriers covering the three existing inlets of the lagoon. In this context new operational statistical and hydrodynamic models have been developed. Forecast winds and pressure fields which constitute basic information for the warning system have been obtained through an ad hoc Limited Area Meteorological model. It has been demonstrated that, provided that this information is available on an operational basis, the implementation of a flood warning system for Venice using the models developed is feasible. The statistical model, which is based on a multiple regression technique, extends the forecasting range of the model presently in operation at the Centro Previsioni e Segnalazioni Maree del Comune di Venezia, from 3 hrs up to 24 hrs, and presents good accuracy (estimated mean absolute errors smaller than 10 cm) for short-term forecasts up to 9 hrs. The hydrodynamic model includes all the physical processes important for the simulation of water levels and currents in coastal and marine environments. The model set-up adopted covers the entire Adriatic Sea, with a grid spacing of 6 km. Special attention has been given to the positioning of the open boundary and to the correct reproduction of the main free oscillation of the Adriatic, which is responsible for the possible recurrence of flooding after the main storm has passed. The inclusion of this model in a flood warning system is mainly intended for long-term forecasts (> 24 hrs), and can typically be used to forecast up to 3–4 days ahead, with an estimated mean absolute error smaller than 20 cm.     

Influence of climate variability on land degradation (desertification) in the watershed of the upper Paraíba River

The study aimed to evaluate the influence of the rainfall and aridity index variability on the process of land degradation (desertification) in order to establish the current degree of increase or decrease in dryness in the watershed of the upper Paraíba River. It included all or part of 18 municipalities, distributed in the western and eastern Cariri regions of Paraíba state. The monthly average values of reference evapotranspiration according to Penman-Monteith method were applied in the annual hydrological balance for obtaining the annual time series of the aridity index for the period from 1950 to 2013. The Mann-Kendall test (MK) was used for trend identification in the annual time series of rainfall and aridity index, at a significance level of α = 0.05. The slope of the trends was obtained by Sen’s method, and the values of rainfall, aridity index, and statistics MK were spatially kriging, to generate thematic maps. The results indicate an increase in rainfall and reduced dryness in the watershed of the upper Paraíba River, conditions that do not contribute to trigger the process of land degradation (desertification), indicating that the cause of this environmental problem is not climatic. Thus, it can be suggested that the observed manifestations of land degradation (desertification) derive much of human than climatic actions. However, there is a trend of increasing dryness and reducing rainfall in the central portion of the watershed, with stronger core in the location of Camalaú. The spatial distribution of rainfall and aridity index shows that minimum values of rainfall coincide with maximum values of the aridity index. Higher values of rainfall were observed in the northwestern portion of the watershed, while the northeast and southeast portions had the lower rainfall values, with the strongest core in the locality of Cabaceiras. The eastern sector of the watershed has high dryness, unlike the western sector, rainier, with minimum values of dryness. In the western portion of the watershed, the aridity index was in the range considered semiarid, with moderate susceptibility to land degradation process. Similarly, in the eastern portion, the dryness stood in the range considered arid, with high susceptibility. The cores with more pronounced dryness correspond to the municipalities of Cabaceiras, Caraúbas, and São João do Cariri.     

The Drivers of Market Integration Among Indigenous Peoples: Evidence From the Ecuadorian Amazon

Knowledge of the driving forces behind indigenous participation in the market is essential for practitioners intending to integrate conservation and development policies in indigenous territories. Nevertheless, empirical research on the determinants of market integration among indigenous peoples is still scarce. This article uses household survey data and multivariate techniques to examine the drivers of market integration among indigenous groups in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We use multiple measures of market integration, including the sale of crops, timber, and wildlife; the use of credit; and participation in wage labor. The results show that the way in which indigenous peoples integrate into the market depends on their endowments of human, financial, and physical capital. More educated households are able to engage in commercial agriculture and nonagricultural wage work, whereas uneducated poor households in communities in conflict with outsiders are pushed to engage in poorly paid agricultural wage work and (often illegal) timber operations.     

Shifts in climate suitability for wine production as a result of climate change in a temperate climate wine region of Romania

Climate change is causing important shifts in the suitability of regions for wine production. Fine scale mapping of these shifts helps us to understand the evolution of vineyard climates, and to find solutions through viticultural adaptation. The aim of this study is to identify and map the structural and spatial shifts that occurred in the climatic suitability for wine production of the Cotnari wine growing region (Romania) between 1961 and 2013. Discontinuities in trends of temperature were identified, and the averages and trends of 13 climatic parameters for the 1961 to 1980 and 1981 to 2013 time periods were analysed. Using the averages of these climatic parameters, climate suitability for wine production was calculated at a resolution of 30 m and mapped for each time period, and the changes analysed. The results indicate shifts in the area’s historic climatic profile, due to an increase of heliothermal resources and precipitation constancy. The area’s climate suitability for wine production was modified by the loss of climate suitability for white table wines, sparkling wines and wine for distillates; shifts in suitability to higher altitudes by about 67 m, and a 48.6% decrease in the area suitable for quality white wines; and the occurrence of suitable climates for red wines at lower altitudes. The study showed that climate suitability for wine production has a multi-level spatial structure, with classes requiring a cooler climate being located at a higher altitude than those requiring a warmer climate. Climate change has therefore resulted in the shift of climate suitability classes for wine production to higher altitudes.     

Digital thermal monitoring of the Amazon forest: an intercomparison of satellite and reanalysis products

Remote sensing and climate digital products have become increasingly available in recent years. Access to these products has favored a variety of Digital Earth studies, such as the analysis of the impact of global warming over different biomes. The study of the Amazon forest response to drought has recently received particular attention from the scientific community due to the occurrence of extreme droughts and anomalous warming over the last decade. This paper focuses on the differences observed between surface thermal anomalies obtained from remote sensing moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) and climatic (ERA-Interim) monthly products over the Amazon forest. With a few exceptions, results show that the spatial pattern of standardized anomalies is similar for both products. In terms of absolute anomalies, the differences between the two products show a bias near to zero with a standard deviation of around 0.2?K, although the differences can be up to 1?K over particular regions and months. Despite this general agreement, the proper filtering of MODIS daily values in order to construct a new monthly product showed a dramatic reduction in the number of reliable pixels during the rainy season, while for the dry season this reduction is only seen in Northern Amazonia.     

Wrack Removal as Short-Term Disturbance for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Talitrus Saltator</Emphasis> Density in the Supratidal Zone of Sandy Beaches: an Experimental Approach

A distinctive feature of sandy beaches is the stranded wrack, which represents a key element in the maintenance of their biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, these materials are commonly removed from beaches worldwide. In October–November 2012, a field experiment following an M-BACI design was conducted to assess the effect of wrack removal on sandhopper populations on two sandy beaches on the Atlantic southwest coast of Spain. The beaches, Levante (36°33′N, 6°13′W) and Cortadura (36°28′N, 6°15′W) differed in their morphodynamics (dissipative and intermediate, respectively) and in the dominant wrack sources (seagrasses vs. macroalgae). Wrack removal diminished the density of the sandhopper, Talitrus saltator, a dominant species in the supratidal zone especially under wrack, but the difference between impacted and control plots was short-lived (several days). Juvenile sandhoppers appeared more sensitive to this disturbance than adults, although this was found only at Levante. This study highlights the adaptability of this sandhopper to a single wrack removal event and shows that the magnitude of the effect is likely dependent on the particular characteristics of individual beaches. The consequences of frequent wrack removal from these beaches on sandhopper populations remain to be determined.     

Land–ocean distribution of allochthonous organic matter in surface sediments of the Chiloé and Aysén interior seas (Chilean Northern Patagonia)

We investigated the relative distribution of allochthonous (i.e., terrigenous) organic matter in the complex, continuous, river–fjord–sound–channel–gulf system of Chile’s North Patagonia (41.5–46.5°S) in order to establish whether this organic matter can reach the open ocean or whether it is largely retained near its fluvial sources. Grain size distribution, total organic carbon and total nitrogen contents, and carbon stable isotope contents (δ¹³C) were quantified in 53 surface sediment samples collected during the CIMAR Fiordos cruises 1, 4, 8, and 10, as were salinity and silicic acid concentrations in the surface waters. A principal component analysis segregated the Chiloé and Aysén interior seas into two zones: (i) the continental fjords, with sediment enriched in allochthonous organic matter, having higher C:N molar ratios (10–14) and lower δ¹³C composition (?23‰ to ?27‰); and (ii) the channels and gulfs, with a prevalent autochthonous marine source, having lower C:N values (6–10) and higher δ¹³C composition (?20‰ to ?23‰). Estuarine waters with low salinity (2–30) and high silicic acid (10–90 μM) were associated with high C:N ratios and low δ¹³C in surface sediments, meaning that terrestrial organic matter was transported up to the mouth of the continental fjords. A two-source mixing model confirmed that allochthonous (terrestrial) organic matter contents (50–90%) associated with local river discharges were present within the continental fjords. On the contrary, autochthonous (marine) organic matter was prevalent (50–90%) at the sites in the marine influenced channels, sounds, and gulfs.