Choreographing a different dance: placing research in the public arena

Geographers increasingly advocate placing research in the public arena and the creation of work that is useful for public policy makers. Existing literature indicates some approaches that have bearing on these goals, such as using participatory action research, clarifying positionality, and attending to the nature of discourse. It does not, however, generally offer empirical cases of addressing the goals being advocated. This article narrates an experience of a collaborative effort among two institutes for research on women and a community funding agency as they created and disseminated research aiming to influence public opinion and foster advocacy in support of policies to improve women’s lives. Among the issues addressed are the importance of networking, of identifying effective partners, of adapting research to incorporate the priorities of stakeholders, and of engaging the support of media professionals. It discusses barriers encountered, strategies adopted to address them, and compromises in the process.     

Arsenic in the groundwater of Ouro Preto (Brazil): its temporal behavior as influenced by the hydric regime and hydrogeology

In the city of Ouro Preto (MG), water catchment for public supply originates from superficial drainage, springs, old abandoned mines and some driven wells. In the rocks of the region, As is originally found in gold-enriched sulphide-bearing mineral deposits. The weathering process introduces As into the hydrological system by dissolution of this element into the leachate. Measurement of the As content in the groundwater of some catchments was carried out during 1 year and these measurements demonstrated high As content—up to 224 μg L⁻¹ of As(V)—during the rainy season (the maximum concentration limit according to World Health Organization is 10 μg L⁻¹). Lower values were observed during the dry season and in some sampling stations, As was not even detected. The As concentration variability during 1 year shows a strict and direct relationship to seasonal and hydrological conditions. For city authorities, responsible for public water supply, it is necessary to perform a complete inventory of the water sources used and constantly monitor the As content in the water.     

Stratigraphic and structural controls on groundwater salinity variations in the Poso Creek Oil Field,Kern County,California, USA

Hydrogeology Journal - Groundwater total dissolved solids (TDS) distribution was mapped with a three-dimensional (3D) model, and it was found that TDS variability is largely controlled by...     

Determining annual cryosphere storage contributions to streamflow using historical hydrometric records

Alpine glaciers and perennial snow fields are important hydrologic elements in many mountain environments providing runoff during the late summer and during periods of drought. Because relatively long records of glacier mass–balance data are absent from many glacierized catchments, it remains unclear to what extent shrinking perennial snow and glaciers have affected runoff trends from these watersheds. Here, we employ a hydrograph separation technique that uses a double mass curve in an attempt to isolate changes in runoff due to glacier retreat and disappearance of perennial snow. The method is tested using hydrometric data from 20 glacierized and 16 nonglacierized catchments in the Columbia Basin of Canada. The resulting estimates on cryosphere storage contribution to streamflow were well correlated to other regional estimates on the basis of measurements as well as empirical and mechanistic models. Annual cryosphere runoff changed from +19 to ?55% during the period 1975–2012, with an average decline of 26%. For August runoff, these changes ranged from +17 to ?66%, with an average decrease of 24%. Reduction of cryosphere contributions to annual and late summer flows is expected to continue in the coming decades as glaciers and the perennial snow patches shrink. Our method to isolate changes in late summer cryospheric storage contributions can be used as a first order estimate on changes in glacier contributions to flow and may help researchers and water managers target watersheds for further analysis.     

The impacts of the 2004 hurricanes on hydrology, water quality, and seagrass in the Central Indian River Lagoon, Florida

Between August 14 and September 26, 2004, four tropical weather systems (Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne) affected the central Indian River Lagoon (IRL). The central IRL received a prodigious amount of rainfall for the 2 mo, between 72 and 83 cm, which is a once-in-50-yr rainfall event. High stream discharges were generated that, combined with wind-suspended sediments, significantly reduced salinities and water transparency. In September, salinities among central IRL segments dropped from 30 psu or more to ≤15 psu, color increased from a low of 10 pcu to ≥100 pcu, and turbidity increased from ≤3 NTU up to 14 NTU. Evidence of the hurricanes' physical effects on seagrasses (burial, no scour) was limited to just one of the more than 25 sites inspected. Within 2 to 3 mo following the hurricane period, most parameters related to water transparency returned to or showed improvement over their prehurricane (February–July 2004) levels. Unseasonably low salinities (<20 psu) and moderately high color (>20 pcu) were observed through spring 2005, largely attributable to a relatively long residence time and a wetter-than-average spring season in 2005. By the end of the study period (July 2006), the central IRL generally showed a continuation of two opposite seagrass trends—an increase in depthlimit coverage but a decline in coverage density—that began before 2004. Also, within a limited reach of the central IRL, there was a temporary shift in species composition in summer 2005 (Ruppia maritima increased asHalodule wrightü decreased). It is likely that the persistently low salinities (not color) in 2004–2005 affected the species composition and coverage density. This study reveals that seagrasses are resilient to the acute effects of hurricanes and underscores the need to reduce chronic, an thropogenic effects on seagrasses.     

Trace analysis of hydrocarbons in coral cores from Saudi Arabia

As part of a long-term environmental assessment of the impact of the 1991 Gulf War on coral reefs, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) conducted growth and chemistry studies on coral cores from the Arabian Gulf. Twenty-eight cores were collected from four coral reefs located offshore from Saudi Arabia.Annual coral growth bands surrounding the 1991 oil spill were analysed in selected cores. Additionally, in cores that extended to the early 1980s, annual layers from 1980 to 1986 were analysed for possible residues from the 1983–4 oil spill caused by the Nowruz oil field blowout during the Iraq–Iran war. Both major spill events were targeted to provide additional confidence in relating oil concentrations to specific pollution events. We detected petroleum biomarkers in several coral annual bands related to the major pollution events. However, the oil remaining in these cores has been altered over time and the biomarker ratios found in these oil residues differed from Gulf crude oils.The concentrations of hydrocarbons were compared with the growth parameters of the coral cores. Only one sample may have recorded an “impact” of oil exposure. There was no other correspondence between slight changes in growth parameters between years and the trace chemistry. Therefore, chemical analysis enabled detection of the exposure incident, but provided no insight into the amount of oil to which the coral had been exposed. The chemical data can only infer biological impact if growth was significantly decreased.The average coral growth characteristics of Porites from the four sites in the Arabian Gulf were normal, as predicted from the average water temperatures of the region. There was an indication of an overall decline in growth over time, which should be monitored in the future.     

Washington Women: Practicing Geography in the U.S. Government, 1915–1970s

Histories of geography, especially those dealing with the twentieth century, tend to focus on geographic thought or academia rather than on practice in other arenas such as government agencies. In the United States during that period, however, the latter included a higher proportional representation of women professionals than did research-oriented universities. This article examines the careers of selected women geographers who had long-term and senior positions in Washington, DC, in agencies such as the Library of Congress, Bureau of the Census, the Department of State, and the Office of Naval Research. Drawing on sources including directories, the archives and oral history collections of the Society of Woman Geographers, and interviews conducted in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I explore four main themes: how these women came to government work, aspects of the intersections of personal and professional lives, ways in which economic and political contexts shaped their opportunities and experiences, and the nature of their contributions.     

An estimate of average annual temperature variations for North America, 1602 to 1961

Annual surface temperature variations, 1602 to 1961, averaged over 77 United States and southwestern Canadian stations, are reconstructed from 65 aridsite tree-ring chronologies of western North America. Annual sea-level pressure reconstructions averaged over the North Pacific sector including North America and eastern Asia are inversely related to the temperature variations. Both the instrumental and reconstructed North American temperature averages are well correlated with Northern Hemisphere average temperatures during the early 20th-century warming but the correlation diminishes after the mid-1940s. The 1918 to 1947 interval is reconstructed to have been the warmest and 1877 to 1906 the coolest. The correlations between the temperature record and other high resolution temperature series from the Northern Hemisphere are generally insignificant. However, significant correlations are noted for certain 30-yr time periods. North American temperatures appear to have been out of phase with temperatures in Europe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Significant variations in the 30-yr mean temperatures are noted in several of the North American series. The warming early in the 20th century is the most marked followed by warming from 1717 to 1723 and from 1850 to 1866. Significant cooling occurs from 1810 to 1821 and from 1659 to 1669.     

Foredune vegetation patterns and alongshore environmental gradients: Moçambique Beach,Santa Catarina Island,Brazil

This paper examines patterns of foredune vegetation along an embayment in southern Brazil and the relationships between variations in percent cover and diversity, and environmental factors such as beach/surfzone type and exposure to wind and wave energy. The study was conducted on Moçambique Beach, Brazil, which displays significant alongshore variations in exposure to the prevailing winds and waves, beach/surfzone morphodynamic type, type and dimensions of the dune systems and foredune vegetation cover and diversity. Two vegetation surveys were carried out in contiguous 1 m² quadrats across the foredune. The presence/absence, percent cover of the species, diversity and similarity between the vegetation of the profiles surveyed and their relation with environmental conditions are examined. The results show that the vegetation cover decreases from south to north, possibly reflecting the increasing exposure to wind and wave energy. Distinct patterns of species distributions occur along Moçambique beach, such that different plant species are dominant on the southern, middle and northern ends of the beach. A cluster analysis demonstrated two associations: the first one is represented by the profiles located in the lower energy zone of the beach, and the second association is represented by the profiles more exposed to wind and wave energy, sediment deposition and salt spray. The diversity of species decreases northwards, possibly influenced by the surfzone type, number of breaking waves and degree of aeolian transport. The presence/absence of the species and the vegetation cover on the foredune reflect the varying levels of exposure of the beach and foredune to the winds and waves and also reflect the volume of sediment deposition on the foredune and the beach mobility determined by the morphodynamic beach/surfzone type. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.