Regimes of spatial ordering in Brazil: Neoliberalism,leftist populism and modernist aesthetics in slum upgrading in Recife

This paper shows how regimes of spatial ordering in Brazil are produced by the entangling of neoliberalism, leftist populism and modernist visions. The paper focuses on Prometrópole, a slum upgrading project in Recife funded by the World Bank, which commenced in 2007. In this project, the neoliberal dimension manifests in the idea that the state, private companies and citizens together are responsible for (re)constructing urban space, and further, that beneficiaries should behave as autonomous citizens, taking responsibility for their new living environment. The leftist political dimension is seen in participatory procedures to involve the target population from project design through to implementation, in expectation of their cooperation with the government. The modernist aesthetics – of straight lines, open spaces and visible order – informs the project design with the requirement to use the new houses and public spaces according to the standards of ‘modern civilization’. As our research shows, such a regime of spatial ordering clashes with the livelihoods of the urban poor, whose quality of life might even deteriorate as a result of the intervention. Furthermore, so‐called participatory procedures fail to grant the target population any real influence in creating their environment. Consequently, these residents of the new housing estate drastically reconstruct their private and public areas, reappropriating the urban space and contesting the regime of spatial ordering imposed upon them.     

Past and future plant diversity of a coastal wetland driven by soil subsidence and climate change

On the island of Ameland (The Netherlands), natural gas has been extracted from a dune and salt marsh natural area since 1986. This has caused a soil subsidence of c. 1–25?cm, which can be used as a model to infer effects of future sea level rise. The aims of our study were (a) to relate the changes in the vegetation, and more specifically, in plant diversity, during the extraction period to soil subsidence and weather fluctuations, and (b) to use these relations to predict future changes due to the combination of ongoing soil subsidence and climate change. We characterised climate change as increases in mean sea level, storm frequency and net precipitation. Simultaneous observations were made of vegetation composition, elevation, soil chemistry, net precipitation, groundwater level, and flooding frequency over the period 1986–2001. By using multiple regression the changes in the vegetation could be decomposed into (1) an oscillatory component due to fluctuations in net precipitation, (2) an oscillatory component due to incidental flooding, (3) a monotonous component due to soil subsidence, and (4) a monotonous component not related to any measured variable but probably due to eutrophication. The changes were generally small during the observation period, but the regression model predicts large changes by the year 2100 that are almost exclusively due to sea level rise. However, although sea level rise is expected to cause a loss of species, this does not necessarily lead to a loss of conservancy value.     

Strain development in unconfined coals exposed to CO2, CH4 and Ar: Effect of moisture

Field experiments and laboratory studies have shown that swelling of coal takes place upon contact with carbon dioxide at underground pressure and temperature conditions. Understanding this swelling behavior is crucial for predicting the performance of future carbon dioxide sequestration operations in unminable coal seams conducted in association with methane production. Swelling is believed to be related to adsorption on the internal coal surface. Whereas it is well established that moisture influences the sorption capacity of coal, the influence of water on coal swelling is less well-defined. This paper presents the results of laboratory experiments to investigate the effect of moisture on coal swelling in the presence of carbon dioxide, methane and argon. Strain development of an unconfined sample of about 1.0–1.5 mm³ at 40 °C and 8 MPa (and at other pressures) was observed in an optical cell under a microscope as a function of time. Both air dried and moisturized samples were used. Results confirmed different swelling behaviors of coal with different substances: carbon dioxide leads to higher strain than methane, while exposure to argon leads to very little swelling. The experiments on moisturized samples seem to confirm the role of moisture as a competitor to gas molecules for adsorption sites. Adsorption of water could also explain the observed swelling due to water uptake at atmospheric pressure. A re-introduction of carbon dioxide, after intermediate gas release, results in higher strains which indicate a drying effect of the carbon dioxide on the coal. The results of this study show that the role of water cannot be ignored if one wants to understand the fundamental processes that are taking place in enhanced coalbed methane operations.     

Sources of dissolved oxygen in monitoring and pumping wells

Groundwater monitoring and pumping wells set in anoxic aquifers require attention to keep the groundwater free of dissolved oxygen (DO). In properly constructed monitoring or pumping wells, two processes can however still introduce oxygen to anoxic groundwater: (1) permeation of oxygen through polymer materials such as silicone, PVC, HDPE or Teflon, and (2) thermally driven convection, which can occur in all types of piezometers or wells, regardless of construction material, when the water table or pressure head is close (<10 m) to the land surface. Here, field measurements (temperature and DO well loggings) from a monitoring well in Bilthoven, the Netherlands, are combined with analytical and numerical modelling to investigate the role of both processes on oxygenation of anoxic groundwater in wells. The results of numerical and analytical modeling show that both permeation and convection can introduce oxygen into anoxic wells to near saturation concentrations. In the field data gathered, convection is primarily responsible for oxygen intrusion up to a depth of around 12 m. Oxygen intrusion through convection and permeation in monitoring and pumping wells may influence groundwater sampling and analyses, and may contribute to well clogging, depending on site conditions. The combination of field and modelling provides new insights into these processes, which can be used for both groundwater sampling and pumping well design.     

Dinoflagellate cyst stratigraphy and palaeoenvironment of the marginal marine Middle and Upper Miocene of the eastern Campine area,northern Belgium (southern North Sea Basin)

A stratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental analysis with organic‐walled palynomorphs of the Bolderberg and Diest formations provides new insights in the depositional history during Miocene times at the southern border of the North Sea Basin. The Neogene transgression invaded Belgium from a north–northwestern direction and fully marine sediments were deposited in the northern part of Belgium. The age and the palaeoenvironment of the deposits at the very border of the southern North Sea Basin remained till a few decades ago incomplete. The recovered dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs and green algae from the Bolderberg Formation in the Wijshagen Borehole indicate a marginal marine depositional environment during late Burdigalian and Langhian times in the eastern Campine area, in contrast to the deeper marine conditions prevailing to the north–northwest. The relative dating of the Bolderberg Formation confirms that maximum flooding occurred during Langhian to early Serravallian times. Deposition apparently took place during the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, and ended when the climatic deterioration set in at around 14 Ma. A hiatus spanning ca. 2 Ma separates the Middle Miocene Bolderberg Formation from the Upper Miocene Diest Formation in the eastern Campine area at the border of the North Sea Basin. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Implications of Stratigraphic and Paleoclimatic Records of the Last Interglaciation from the Nordic Seas

Climatic reconstruction of glacial to interglacial episodes from oxygen isotopes in sediment cores from the Nordic seas is complicated by strong local meltwater contributions to the oxygen isotope changes. Combination of benthic and planktic foraminiferal isotope data with foraminiferal abundances and ice-rafted debris (IRD) allows separation of local and global effects and subdivision of the marine oxygen isotope events 6.2–5.4, which include the last interglaciation, into: (1) a meltwater phase after glacial stage 6, recorded by large amounts of IRD and low foraminiferal abundance, indicating surface water warming; (2) an IRD-free period with high deposition rates of subpolar foraminifera and other CaCO₃pelagic components, recognized here as the “full” interglaciation; and (3) a phase with the recurrence of IRD and the demise of subpolar species. Comparison of ice-core records and marine data implies that the global climate during the last full interglaciation and that during the postdeglacial Holocene were similar. The records show no significantly different variations in the proxy data. In contrast, the oxygen isotopes of planktic foraminifera and ice cores indicate significant differences during each of the deglacial transitions (Terminations I and II) that preceded these two interglaciations. These suggest that during Termination II the climatic evolution in the Nordic seas was less affected by abrupt changes in ocean–atmosphere circulation than during the last glacial to interglacial transition.     

Statistical Characteristics of Xenoliths in the Antioch Kimberlite Pipe,Marshall County,Northeastern Kansas

Geometrical characteristics of xenoliths in the Antioch kimberlite pipe have been considered in statistical terms. A method of conversion of 2D intersections to 3D dimensions was used. It has been shown that the Rosin-Rammler distribution of mass leads to the Weibull distribution of sizes, whereas a fractal distribution of sizes can be expressed as the Pareto distribution. Lognormal, Weibull, and Pareto distributions have been tested as model distributions. The Pareto distribution could be the most appropriate model for the distribution of xenoliths. This conclusion is in agreement with the general concept that the xenoliths formed as a result of an underground explosion without additional breakage occurring during magma transport. The final distribution may be shifted from the initial model as a result of processes of redistribution and sorting of xenoliths in liquid-crystalline flows.     

Late Quaternary ice-rich permafrost sequences as a paleoenvironmental archive for the Laptev Sea Region in northern Siberia

Ice-rich permafrost sequences with large polygonal ice wedges represent excellent archives for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Such deposits contain numerous well-preserved records (ground ice, paleosols, peat beds, different types of fossils), which permit characterization of environmental conditions during a clearly defined period of the past 60 ka. Based on field investigations carried out within framework of the German-Russian project "Laptev Sea System 2000" on the Bykovsky Peninsula (SE of the Lena Delta) results from cryolithological studies, sedimentological analyses, as well as new radiocarbon data are presented. For the first time it is shown that the Ice Complex accumulated without significant interruptions from approximately 60 k.y. B.P. until the end of the Pleistocene. Geochemical data (total organic carbon, C/N, '¹³C_org) and the mass-specific magnetic susceptibility clearly show changing environmental conditions from stadial to interstadial times in the Late Pleistocene and during the transition to the Holocene. These results permit us to reconstruct the development of an Arctic periglacial landscape in the coastal lowland during Ice Complex formation in the Late Quaternary. This evolution coincided generally with the global environmental trend up to marine isotope stage 4.     

Kinematics, mechanics, and potential earthquake hazards for faults in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, USA

Many stable continental regions have subregions with poorly defined earthquake hazards. Analysis of minor structures (folds and faults) in these subregions can improve our understanding of the tectonics and earthquake hazards. Detailed structural mapping in Pottawatomie County has revealed a suite consisting of two uplifted blocks aligned along a northeast trend and surrounded by faults. The first uplift is located southwest of the second. The northwest and southeast sides of these uplifts are bounded by northeast-trending right-lateral faults. To the east, both uplifts are bounded by north-trending reverse faults, and the first uplift is bounded by a north-trending high-angle fault to the west. The structural suite occurs above a basement fault that is part of a series of north–northeast-trending faults that delineate the Humboldt Fault Zone of eastern Kansas, an integral part of the Midcontinent Rift System. The favored kinematic model is a contractional stepover (push-up) between echelon strike-slip faults. Mechanical modeling using the boundary element method supports the interpretation of the uplifts as contractional stepovers and indicates that an approximately east–northeast maximum compressive stress trajectory is responsible for the formation of the structural suite. This stress trajectory suggests potential activity during the Laramide Orogeny, which agrees with the age of kimberlite emplacement in adjacent Riley County. The current stress field in Kansas has a N85°W maximum compressive stress trajectory that could potentially produce earthquakes along the basement faults. Several epicenters of seismic events (<M2.0) are located within 10 km of the structural suite. One epicenter is coincident with the northwest boundary of the uplift. This structural suite, a contractional stepover between echelon northeast-trending right-lateral faults, is similar to that mapped in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, and both areas currently feature roughly east–west maximum compressive stress trajectory. Based on these similarities, the faults in Pottawatomie County have the potential for seismicity. The results demonstrate that mechanical analysis of minor structural features can improve our knowledge of local earthquake hazards.