Creating a greater partnership: analysing partnership in the Catholic Church development chain

This paper presents results from a project designed to explore the meaning and function of partnership within the Catholic Church development chain. The geography literature has had little to say about such aid chains, especially those founded on faith-based groups. The relationships between three Catholic Church-based donors – referred to as A, B and C – with development personnel of the diocese of the Abuja Ecclesiastical Province (AEP) as well as other Catholic Church structures in Nigeria were analysed. The aim was to explore the forces behind the relationships and how 'patchy' these relationships were in AEP. Respondents were asked to give each of the donors a score in relation to four questions covering their relationship with the donors. Results suggest that the modus operandi of donor 'A' allows it to be perceived as the 'best' partner, while 'B' was scored less favourably because of a perception that it attempts to act independently of existing structures in Nigeria rather than work through them. There was significant variation between diocese in this regard, as well as between the diocese and other structures of the Church (Provinces, Inter-Provinces and National Secretariat). Thus 'partnership' in the Catholic Church aid chain is a highly complex, contested and 'visioned' term and the development of an analytical framework has to take account of these fundamentals.     

Biological risk and pollution history of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Nansha mangrove,South China

Chinese government has taken various measures to alleviate pollution caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the region of Pearl River Delta since the economic reform in 1978, but the effectiveness of these measures remains largely unknown. This study aimed to elucidate the biological risk and pollution history of PAHs by measuring the concentrations of 28 PAHs in the surface and core sediments, respectively, in Nansha mangrove. Results found that the biological risk of PAHs was low without obvious spatial variation. The PAH concentration along the depth gradient indicated that PAH pollution was stabilized since the early 1990s while the source of PAHs has gradually changed from combustion of coal to petroleum products. This implied that the mitigation measures taken by the Chinese government were effective. Compared to marine bottom sediment, we propose that using mangrove sediment can provide a more accurate and precise estimate of pollution history of PAHs.     

California’s local health agencies and the state’s climate adaptation strategy

A changing climate will exacerbate many of the problems currently faced by California’s public health institutions. The public health impacts of climate change include: an increase in extreme heat events and associated increases in heat-related morbidity and mortality, increases in the frequency and severity of air pollution episodes, shifts in the range and incidence of vector-borne diseases, increases in the severity of wildfire, increased risks of drought and flooding, and other extreme events. This article assesses the readiness of California’s public health institutions to cope with the changes that will accompany a changing climate and how they relate to strategies laid out in the state’s Climate Adaptation Strategy. County-level health offices are the front line actors to preserve public health in the face of numerous threats, including climate change. Survey results show that local health officers in California believe that climate change is a serious threat to public health, but feel that they lack the funding and resources to reduce this risk. Local health agencies also have a number of tools in place that will be helpful for preparing for a changing climate.     

Particulate aluminium in boreal streams: Towards a better understanding of its sources and influence on dissolved aluminium speciation

The adverse impacts of the inorganic labile monomeric Al (Al_i) fraction on aquatic organisms have meant that Al (Al_tot) determination and even speciation has become a routine part of environmental monitoring and assessment. However, if samples are not filtered prior to analysis then particulate Al (Al_tot(p)) could influence the determination of Al_tot, and therefore the determination of the more toxicologically important (Al_i), both when it is measured analytically or modelled from Al_tot. This paper shows that the Al/DOC ratio in unfiltered samples can identify the Al_tot(p) fraction, and thus improve the speciation of Al_i. These findings are based on data from a study in a 67 km² catchment in northern Sweden during the snowmelt-driven spring flood of two consecutive years. Filtered and unfiltered samples were studied to determine the spatial and temporal patterns in Al_tot(p). The concentrations of Al_tot(p) were greatest in larger downstream sites where significant silt deposits are located. The sites with no silt in their drainage area showed a mean difference between filtered (Al_tot(f)) and unfiltered (Al_tot(uf)) samples of 6%, while sites with silt deposits had a mean difference of 65%. The difference between filtered and unfiltered samples was greatest at peak flow. Spikes in Al_tot(p) did not behave consistently during fractionation with a cation exchange column, resulting in increases in either measured Al_i(f) or non-labile monomeric Al (Al_o(f)). Al_tot(p) spikes were associated with sharp increases in the Al:DOC ratio. The baseflow Al:DOC ratio could be used to model filtered Al_tot from DOC with a Spearman rho of 0.75.     

“We will go side-by-side with you.” Labour union engagement with Aboriginal peoples in Canada

The inclusion of new groups of workers has been an important component of union renewal efforts. Several unions in Canada have begun to dedicate significant resources to better organize and represent Aboriginal workers. Drawing on interviews with union activists, organizers and representatives from two national public sector unions in Canada, we present an overview of union strategies to engage with Aboriginal peoples. Results suggest that understanding the distinct territorial context of Aboriginal peoples’ relationships to work and unions has been necessary to the success of these union strategies. This approach begins by drawing connections between Aboriginal peoples’ present-day relationships to work and their prior occupancy of, and dispossession from, lands and resources. Because of the geographical specificity of how the colonial experience affected Aboriginal peoples’ relationships to work and unions, unions have had to adopt non-normative approaches to their engagements with Aboriginal peoples. In workplaces where settlers were dominant, addressing racism in the workplace and gaining support for initiatives to hire and train Aboriginal workers were important. Alternatively, in Aboriginal workplaces, organizing was a priority. Here questions of union legitimacy have taken precedence and the focus of unions has been on partnership building. Most importantly, however, engagement with Aboriginal peoples has brought attention to the colonial practices within unions and helped to foster growing Aboriginal voice within the labour movement.     

Sediment connectivity: a framework for understanding sediment transfer at multiple scales

A major challenge for geomorphologists is to scale up small‐magnitude processes to produce landscape form, yet existing approaches have been found to be severely limited. New ways to scale erosion and transfer of sediment are thus needed. This paper evaluates the concept of sediment connectivity as a framework for understanding processes involved in sediment transfer across multiple scales. We propose that the concept of sediment connectivity can be used to explain the connected transfer of sediment from a source to a sink in a catchment, and movement of sediment between different zones within a catchment: over hillslopes, between hillslopes and channels, and within channels. Using fluvial systems as an example we explore four scenarios of sediment connectivity which represent end‐members of behaviour from fully linked to fully unlinked hydrological and sediment connectivity. Sediment‐travel distance – when combined with an entrainment parameter reflecting the frequency–magnitude response of the system – maps onto these end‐members, providing a coherent conceptual model for the upscaling of erosion predictions. This conceptual model could be readily expanded to other process domains to provide a more comprehensive underpinning of landscape‐evolution models. Thus, further research on the controls and dynamics of travel distances under different modes of transport is fundamental. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Southern hemispheric westerlies control the spatial distribution of modern sediments in Laguna Potrok Aike,Argentina

We studied the internal lake processes that control the spatial distribution and characteristics of modern sediments at the ICDP (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program) deep drilling site in Laguna Potrok Aike, southern Patagonia, Argentina. Sediment distribution patterns were investigated using a dense grid of 63 gravity cores taken throughout the lake basin and 40 additional shoreline samples. Analysis of the surficial sediment distribution points to distinct internal depositional dynamics induced by wind-driven lake internal currents. Distribution maps illustrate that the spatial characteristics of analysed variables are linked to high erosional wave activity. Persistent wave action and littoral erosion along all shores, especially the eastern shore, is caused by prevailing Southern Hemispheric Westerlies. Several sediment variables (grain size, benthic diatoms, total inorganic carbon and calcium) indicate re-suspension of littoral sediment followed by re-distribution to profundal accumulation areas near the eastern shore. Variations within the catchment influence sediment characteristics in the north-eastern bay. That area is characterized by different mineralogical and sedimentological conditions as well as greater accumulation of pollen, inorganic carbon and diatoms. These findings are related to the influence of episodic inflow into this bay. Spatial differences in stable isotope values throughout the lake suggest that ephemeral tributaries around the lake basin may also contribute to the detected spatial sediment variations.     

Subtidal Eelgrass Declines in the Great Bay Estuary,New Hampshire and Maine,USA

Long-term monitoring of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) beds in the central subtidal portion of the Great Bay Estuary showed declines at both transplanted sites and reference beds. Eelgrass beds transplanted as mitigation for habitat loss from port development reached comparable functions (e.g., primary production, canopy structure) to natural reference sites by the late 1990s, within 6 years of transplanting. Data from 2001 to the present show significant declines in eelgrass parameters (biomass, shoot density, canopy height, leaf area) at all sites, suggesting that these declines are the result of an estuary-wide factor.     

The criteria for the biogeneicity of microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) in Archean and younger, sandy deposits

The identification of fossils or biogenic sedimentary structures in rocks of Archean age is difficult, because similar lithological features could rise from purely physical or chemical processes alone. Therefore it is important to define criteria that serve the secure definition of a fossil or structure in question as of biological origin. Such criteria have been established for stromatolites and microfossils.This contribution discusses the 6 criteria of biogeneicity of ‘microbially induced sedimentary structures’ (MISS). Those structures are found in sandy deposits of early Archean age to the present, and rise from the interaction of benthic microbiota with physical sediment dynamics. The six criteria for their biogeneicity are: (i) MISS occur in rocks of not more than lower greenschist facies; (ii) in stratigraphic sections, MISS correlate with turning points of regression–trangressions; (iii), MISS correlate with a characteristic depositional facies that enhances the development and the preservation of microbial mats; (iv), the distribution of MISS correlates with the ancient average hydraulic pattern; (v), the geometries and dimensions of fossil MISS correspond to that of the modern ones; (vi), the MISS include at least one of 9 specific microtextures.