National ownership in the implementation of global climate policy in Uganda

Abstract

This article explores the history, from a developing country perspective, of how external interventions to implement global policies on the Climate Convention and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) have been integrated into national development policy frameworks in the period 1990–2005. The main question asked is to what extent external interventions have formed part of a country-driven approach in Uganda. The conflicting national and global priorities concerning the need for adaptation to the impacts of climate change versus the need for global mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are explored first. Against this background, Uganda's policy response to climate change is reviewed. National climate policies are found not to exist, and the implementation of global policies is not integrated into national policy frameworks, partly due to conflicting national and global priorities. Given limited national awareness and the fact that climate policy is marginal compared to other national interests in Uganda, the experiences with donor support for the implementation of global climate policy nationally are analysed. This article demonstrates that neither national policies nor national management of donor support have secured a country-driven approach to external interventions in Uganda.     

The role of eclogite in the mantle heterogeneity at Cape Verde

The Cape Verde hotspot, like many other Ocean Island Basalt provinces, demonstrates isotopic heterogeneity on a 100–200 km scale. The heterogeneity is represented by the appearance of an EM1-like component at several of the southern islands and with a HIMU-like component present throughout the archipelago. Where the EM1-like component is absent, a local DMM-like component replaces the EM1-like component. Various source lithologies, including peridotite, pyroxenite and eclogite have been suggested to contribute to generation of these heterogeneities; however, attempts to quantify such contributions have been limited. We apply the minor elements in olivine approach (Sobolev et al. in Nature 434:590–597, 2005; Science, doi: 10.1126/science.1138113, 2007), to determine and quantify the contributions of peridotite, pyroxenite and eclogite melts to the mantle heterogeneity observed at Cape Verde. Cores of olivine phenocrysts of the Cape Verde volcanics have low Mn/FeO and low Ni*FeO/MgO that deviate from the negative trend of the global array. The global array is defined by mixing between peridotite and pyroxenite, whereas the Cape Verde volcanics indicate contribution of an additional eclogite source. Eclogite melts escape reaction with peridotite either by efficient extraction in an area of poor mantle flow or by reaction of eclogite melts with peridotite, whereby an abundance of eclogite can seal off the melt from further reaction. Temporal trends of decreasing Mn/FeO indicate that the supply of eclogite melts is increasing. Modelling suggests the local DMM-like end-member is formed from a relatively peridotite-rich melt, while the EM1-like end-member has a closer affinity to a mixed peridotite–pyroxenite–eclogite melt. Notably the HIMU-like component ranges from pyroxenite–peridotite-rich melt to one with up to 77 % eclogite melt as a function of time, implying that sealing of melt pathways is becoming more effective.     

Late Mesozoic rifting and its deep dynamic mechanisms in the central Sulu orogenic belt: Records from Lingshan Island

Science China Earth Sciences - The Lingshan Island scientific drill confirms that two episodes (Laiyang period and Qingshan period) of rifting developed in the central Sulu orogenic belt (SOB) in...     

A volcanological and geochemical investigation of Boa Vista,Cape Verde Islands; 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and field constraints

Boa Vista, the easternmost island in the Cape Verde archipelago, consists of volcanic products, minor intrusions and a thin partial sedimentary cover. The first 15 age results from ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar incremental heating analysis of groundmass separates from volcanic and plutonic rocks from Boa Vista are presented. The combination of age results and field observations demonstrates that the volcanic activity that formed the island occurred in three main stages: (1) > 16 Ma, (2) 15–12.5 Ma and (3) 9.5–4.5 Ma. The first stage, restricted to the north eastern part of the island, is dominated by ankaramitic lavas. The second stage, consisting of evolved lavas of phonolitic–trachytic compositions and nepheline syenites, makes up large central parts of the island. The large volume of evolved rocks and the extended eruption period of several Ma make stage 2 in Boa Vista unique to Cape Verde. Mainly basanites and nephelinites were erupted during the third stage, initially dominated by eruption of subaerial mafic lavas around 9 Ma. Pillow lavas are erupted around 7 Ma whereupon dominantly subaerial mafic lavas were erupted. Stage 3 saw volcanism in many centres distributed mainly along the present coastline and with activity partly overlapping in time. The volcanic evolution of Boa Vista constrains the initiation of volcanic activity in the Cape Verde archipelago to the eastern islands. Major and trace element geochemistry of 160 volcanic and plutonic rocks representing the entire exposed chronological sequence on Boa Vista is presented, revealing an extremely well developed Daly Gap. Only a little was modified from the mafic magmas that rose in small batches from the mantle. Compositional variation distinguishes each volcanic complex and was to a large extent present in the mantle melts. The highly evolved stage 2 phonolites and trachytes are related through the fractional crystallization of three compositionally distinct magmas. Two of these may have been derived by crystal fractionation of primitive Boa Vista melts, whereas the third was not.     

基于EGM2008分析我国沿海陆地和岛礁高程异常

利用EGM2008地球重力场模型计算我国沿海13个省市的高程异常,结合实际的GNSS水准观测数据进行了比较分析,得出了GNSS水准实测的高程异常与EGM2008模型的高程异常之差的标准差是11 cm。     

The landslide response of alpine basins to post-Little Ice Age glacial thinning and retreat in southwestern British Columbia

The role of post-Little Ice Age (LIA) Neoglacial retreat on landslide activity is investigated in 19 alpine basins along the upper Lillooet River Valley, British Columbia. We examine how Neoglacial scouring and glacial recession have modified hillslope form and slope stability, and construct a decision-making flowchart to identify landslide hazards associated with glacial retreat. This work is based on field mapping, GIS analysis, statistical associations between landslides and terrain attributes, and a comparison between Neoglaciated and non-Neoglaciated terrain within each basin.The bedrock landslide response to glacial retreat varies appreciably according to lithology and the extent of glacial scour below the LIA trimline. Valleys carved in weak Quaternary volcanics show significant erosional oversteepening and contain deep-seated slope movement features, active rock fall, rock slides, and rock avalanches near glacial trimlines. Basins in stronger granitic rock rarely show increased bedrock instability resulting from post-LIA retreat, except for shallow-seated rock slides along some trimlines and failures on previously unstable slopes. In surficial materials, landslides associated with post-LIA retreat originate in till or colluvium, as debris slides or debris avalanches, and are concentrated along lateral moraines or glacial trimlines.Significant spatial association was also observed between recent catastrophic failures, gravitational slope deformation, and slopes that were oversteepened then debuttressed by glacial erosion. Eight out of nine catastrophic rock slope failures occurred just above glacial trimlines and all occurred in areas with a previous history of deep-seated gravitational slope movement, implying that this type of deformation is a precursor to catastrophic detachment.     

聚类特征和SVM组合的高光谱影像半监督协同分类

本文提出了一种聚类特征和SVM组合的高光谱影像半监督协同分类方法。利用构建的协同分类框架能够将KSFCM聚类算法与半监督SVM分类器相结合,同时利用聚类和分类优势,提高分类器的分类准确率。其中,通过聚类损耗函数、分类一致函数、分类差异性、样本差异性四个指数用以构建协同分类框架,以充分利用少量类标签样本信息,避免高光谱类标签样本获取困难问题,在一定程度上解决SVM支持向量随着训练样本增加而线性增加的问题,从而寻求最佳分类结果。实验结果表明,本文所提方法得到的分类精度优于直接利用SVM进行半监督分类。     

Coastal environments around Thule settlements in Northeast Greenland

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):143–154, 2010

Inuit have travelled to and settled in the coastal landscapes of Northeast Greenland for several longer periods during the latest ca. 4500 years. Most recently the Thule culture Inuit lived in the region from around 1400 until 1850 AD. The access to partly and periodically ice covered near coastal waters has been crucial to the primarily marine based subsistence strategy of the Thule Inuit culture, and their settlements are therefore found immediately at the coast. Changing geological and geomorphologic settings strongly influence the coastal morphodynamics, and only specific locations offer stable and protected conditions needed for proper winter settlements. The comprehensive study of coastal environments and Thule culture winter settlements in the Young Sound region show an accumulation of winter settlements, nearly all located either in protected pocket beaches or on stable basalt capes. The Thule culture abandoned Northeast Greenland about 1850 AD, and apart from settlements on basalt capes, most of the winter settlement sites in pocket beach areas have been affected by erosion of local character and in some cases also affected by increasing wave erosion during recent periods of less ice in near coastal waters.