Population structure and reproductive characteristics of the gulf pipefish,Syngnathus scovelli, in Mobile Bay, Alabama

The gulf pipefish,Syngnathus scovelli, is the dominant syngnathid found in coastal regions of the Gulf of Mexico and is the only species in this region known to occur in both freshwater and saltwater habitats. Relatively little is known about the population and reproductive cycles ofS. scovelli, particularly for those found in low salinity environments. The focus of the current study was to collect population structure and reproductive data forS. scovelli from a low salinity habitat, Meaher Park, located at the mouth of Mobile Bay, Alabama. Sampling was conducted twice a month from January 2003 to January 2004. Environmental parameters, as well as population and reproductive parameters, were collected. Water temperature was the primary abiotic factor associated with both the appearance ofS. scovelli and their breeding cycle. Based on gonadosomatic (GSI) and brood pouch somatic indices (BPSI), females and males were reproductively active throughout the summer. Peaks in male GSI and BPSI were consistent with the subsequent appearance of a large number of juveniles in early fall. These event coincided with the higher temperatures seen during late summer and early fall. Sex ratios (male : female 1 : 1.64) and operational sex ratios (1 : 4.09) indicated that this was a female biased population. Although there was no difference in the average size of males and females in this population, the largest individuals collected were female. The female-biased sex ratio supports previous genetic analyses suggesting thatS. scovelli exhibits true sex-role reversal and that operational sex ratios are a reliable indicator of the intensity of mating competition and sex roles.     

Barrier jets around the Southern Alps of New Zealand and their potential to enhance alpine rainfall

We use new data from the SALPEX'96 campaign to examine the evolution of orographically modified flow over and around New Zealand's Southern Alps. We consider prefrontal situations for which the larger-scale synoptic pattern generates an incoming northwesterly flow perpendicular to the mountain axis, calculate the nondimensional parameters which control the wind flow and determine how long it takes orographic modifications to become established. We place flows over the New Zealand Alps in a Rossby number/Blocking number parameter space and compare them with flows over other mountain ranges on the globe. Using model and aircraft data, we show the region of modified flow extends over 100 km upstream of the Southern Alps.We show 2D model simulations represent many aspects of the flow modification satisfactorily, although they tend to overdevelop the final state of the Barrier Jet flow. In 3D, using real data to force the boundaries, the migratory nature of the weather systems in the area would generally limit the time available for a modified steady state to develop. In addition, in situations where there is significant lateral variation of initial fields, the 2D results may only be applicable for a few hours.From the point of view of potential to influence alpine rainfall processes, for the case studied, the gradual uplift associated with the modified flow between 1 and 2 km above sea level extended far enough upstream in saturated air to enable cloud drops to grow to drizzle drops before reaching the much more substantial updrafts at the foot of the Alps. This allows vigorous prefrontal precipitation to occur over the foothills and mountains due largely to warm rain processes.     

Annual sediment budget of a UK mountain torrent

Research into torrent erosion focuses heavily on bedload transport dynamics and debris flow propagation during specific events. As a result, there is limited understanding of the sediment budgets operating in torrent systems over longer timescales. The aim of this study is to construct a sediment budget of the main geomorphological processes operating in a mountain torrent sediment system over a full year.
The study site is Iron Crag which is a small torrent system (catchment area 2.4 ha) situated in the northern Lake District, UK. The site has the characteristic morphology of a torrent: multiple hillslope sediment sources, steep channel, gorges, and a basal alluvial fan. A measurement scheme was designed to monitor process activity, linking the sediment sources and sinks, from December 1998 to December 1999. Over this time period the sediment budget demonstrates that 184 tonnes of sediment was supplied to the alluvial fan (which acted primarily as a sediment sink). Channel (70%) and bank (25%) sources dominated the sediment supply, and surface processes and rockfall on the hillslopes (5%) made only a minor contribution.
Temporal variations in process activity are significant. Surface processes and rockfall display seasonal variations in yield, whilst channel and bank yields are influenced by individual storm events. Site–specific meteorological data are used to explain these observations and freeze–thaw activity and rainfall characteristics are shown to be important controlling factors.     

Remote sensing documentation of historic rangeland remediation treatments in southern New Mexico

The Jornada Experimental Range and the New Mexico State University Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center are fruitful areas to study the long-term effects of rangeland remediation treatments which started in the 1930s. A number of diverse manipulations were completed under the direction of federal agency and university scientists, and abundant remote sensing imagery is available to assist in relocating the treatments and evaluating their success. This is particularly important because few of the treatments were maintained following the loss of scientific personnel coinciding with the start of World War II, and most records of Civilian Conservation Corps scientific work were lost with the disbanding of the agency in 1942. Aerial photography, which was systematically used to image the United States beginning in the 1930s, can be used to identify types of treatments, measure areal coverage, estimate longevity, and help plan locations for new experiments. No long-lasting vegetation response could be determined for contour terraces, brush water spreaders, strips grubbed free of shrubs (despite the fact that these strips have remained visible for 65 years), and mechanical rootplowing and seeding. Distinct positive, long-term vegetation responses could be seen in aerial photos for water retention dikes, certain fenced exclosures, and some boundaries where different land management practices meet. It appears from both aerial photos and existing conventional records that experimental manipulation of rangelands has often been ineffective on the landscape scale because treatments are not performed over large enough contiguous areas and hydrological and ecological processes overwhelm the treatments. In addition, treatments are not maintained over time, treatment evaluation periods are sometimes too short, multi-purpose treatments are not used to maximize effects, and treatments are often not located in appropriate sites.     

Symplectic integrators for long-term integrations in celestial mechanics

We discuss the use of symplectic integration algorithms in long-term integrations in the field of celestial mechanics. The methods' advantages and disadvantages (with respect to more common integration methods) are discussed. The numerical performance of the algorithms is evaluated using the 2-body and circular restricted 3-body problems. Symplectic integration methods have the advantages of linear phase error growth in the 2-body problem (unlike most other methods), good conservation of the integrals of the motion, good performance for moderately eccentric orbits, and ease of use. Its disadvantages include a relatively large number of force evaluations and an inability to continuously vary the step size.     

Institutions, the governance of quality and on-farm value retention for Indonesian specialty coffee

Fluctuating global commodity prices affect the livelihoods of millions of tropical farmers worldwide. In recent years, systemic oversupply of many tropical agricultural products, grown in countries such as Indonesia, has meant that agricultural incomes have continuously fallen below subsistence levels. Within an increasingly open global trade regime, along with the limited ability of governments to protect domestic farm prices, quality-informed product differentiation appears to offer an escape route from the trap of low commodity prices. However, ownership and governance of quality constructions are fundamental to determining who benefits from such differentiation. This paper examines the use of geographical identities as a specific tool for value-adding in agricultural produce, presenting the case of specialty coffee production in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The potential for producer-driven geographical indications compete with corporate-driven quality constructions, where the latter are able to appropriate place-related quality associations by using trademarks, vertical integration and tightly coordinated supply chain controls. An emergent politic of quality governance and ownership in global commodity chains reveals the highly restricted institutional terrain within which growers of specialty coffee might attempt to retain a higher share of the economic rent associated with quality production.     

Understanding and managing the stressed Mexico-USA transboundary Hueco bolson aquifer in the El Paso del Norte region as a complex system

As the latest drought has swept over the southwestern United States, most local and regional water providers have had to rely on ground water to meet their water demands as surface water supplies have diminished. In areas near major population centers this situation has continued to put strain and stress on already over-drafted regional aquifers. Metropolitan centers throughout the southwestern United States, as exemplified by Las Vegas, Nevada; Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; and El Paso, Texas, have a history of over drafting their available ground water resources. How these stressed aquifers should be managed is an urgent issue. In El Paso, Texas long-term groundwater mining in the transboundary Hueco bolson aquifer has resulted in large water level drawdowns within the basin, particularly in several well fields. This situation has promoted the intrusion of brackish water into fresh water zones, and consequently reduced the volume of fresh water stored in the aquifer. Management of this aquifer is made more complex as the water resources of the region are shared across the United States/Mexico boundary and the transboundary region continues to grow rapidly. This paper describes the current situation within the Hueco bolson due to over drafting and continued reliance on the fresh water in storage and describes how understanding the dynamics of the aquifer as a complex system can offer managerial perspectives that can be used to establish operational procedures and programs for bringing drawdowns into equilibrium, increasing the longevity of the aquifer, gradually restoring water quality, and offering the hope of utilization of the resource in a sustainable manner.

---

Resumen A medida que la última sequía ha pasado ligeramente sobre el suroeste de Estados Unidos la mayoría de abastecedores locales y regionales de agua han tenido que depender del agua subterránea para satisfacer sus demandas de agua debido a que las fuentes de agua superficial han disminuido. En áreas cerca de centros poblados principales esta situación ha continuado ejerciendo presión en los ya sobre explotados acuíferos regionales. Los centros metropolitanos en todo el suroeste de Estados Unidos, por ejemplo Las Vegas, Nevada; Fénix y Tucson, Arizona; y El Paso, Texas tienen una historia de sobre explotar los recursos de agua subterránea disponibles.La gestión de estos acuíferos estresados constituye un problema urgente. En El Paso, Texas el minado de agua subterránea a largo plazo en el acuífero transnacional Hueco bolsón ha resultado en varios campos de pozos. Esta situación ha promovido la intrusión de agua salobre hacia zonas con agua fresca y reducido consecuentemente el volumen de agua fresca almacenado en el acuífero. El manejo de este acuífero se hace más complejo debido a que los recursos hídricos de la región son compartidos a través del límite Estados Unidos/México y la región transnacional continúa creciendo rápidamente. Este artículo describe la situación actual dentro del Hueco bolsón debido a la sobre explotación y continua dependencia en el agua fresca almacenada y describe como el entendimiento de la dinámica del acuífero como un sistema complejo puede ofrecer perspectivas de gestión que pueden utilizarse para establecer procedimientos operacionales y programas que conduzcan al equilibrio de los descensos, aumentando la longevidad del acuífero, gradualmente restaurando la calidad del agua, y ofreciendo la esperanza de utilizar el recurso de manera sostenible.

---

Résumé Alors que la dernière sécheresse a atteint toute la partie Sud-Ouest des Etats-Unis, la plus part des distributeurs deau, locaux et régionaux, doivent sapprovisionner en eau souterraine dés lors que les niveaux des eaux de surface ont diminués. Dans les zones proches des grands centres densément peuplés, cette situation a continuée a altérée des aquifères déjà surexploités. Les centres métropolitains du Sud-Ouest des Etats-Unis (Las Vegas dans le Nevada, Phoenix et Tucson dans lArizona, El Paso au Texas) sont connus historiquement pour surexploités leurs ressources en eaux souterraines. Il devient urgent de définir un mode de gestion de ses aquifères surexploités. A El Paso dans le Texas, le minage de laquifère transfrontalier engendre un rabattement important dans le bassin, et plus particulièrement autour des zones de captage. Cette situation a induit lintrusion deaux saumâtres dans des zones deaux douces, et a par conséquent réduit le volume deau douce stockée et exploitable dans laquifère. La gestion de cet aquifère est par ailleurs complexifiée par la situation transfrontalière, dautant que la zone frontalière connaît une croissance rapide. Cet article décrit la situation actuelle dans la vallée fermée du Hueco, due au sur-rabattement et à lexploitation continue des eaux douces, et décrit comment la compréhension de laquifère, vu comme un système complexe, peut offrir des perspectives de gestion amenant à des procédures opérationnelles et à des programmes à long terme permettant de ramener à léquilibre la baisse des niveaux deau. Ainsi la longévité de laquifère sera mieux garantie, la qualité de leau sera graduellement restaurée et lutilisation de leau respectera le souci de développement durable.

     

Kankan diamonds (Guinea) I: from the lithosphere down to the transition zone

Peridotitic inclusions in alluvial diamonds from the Kankan region of Guinea in West Africa are mainly of lherzolitic paragenesis. Nevertheless, extreme Cr₂O₃ contents (max. 17 wt%) in some of the exclusively lherzolitic garnets document that the diamond source experienced a previous stage of melt extraction in the spinel stability field. This initial depletion was followed by at least two metasomatic stages: (1) enrichment of LREE and Sr and (2) introduction mainly of MREE–HREE and other HFSE (Ti, Y, Zr, Hf). The Ti- and HFSE-poor character of stage (1) points towards a CHO-rich fluid or carbonatitic melt, the high HFSE in stage (2) favour silicate melts as enriching agent. Eclogitic inclusions are derived from a large depth interval ranging from the lithosphere through the asthenosphere into the transition zone. The occurrence of negative Eu anomalies in garnet and clinopyroxene from both lithosphere and transition zone suggests a possible relationship to subducted oceanic crust. Lithospheric eclogitic inclusions are derived from heterogeneous sources, that may broadly be divided into a low-Ca group with LREE depleted trace element patterns and a high-Ca group representing a source with negative LREE–HREE slope that is moderately enriched in incompatible elements relative to primitive mantle. High-Ca inclusions of majoritic paragenesis are significantly more enriched in incompatible elements, such as in Sr and LREE. Calculated whole rock compositions require metasomatic enrichment even if a derivation from MORB is assumed. Received: 26 January 2000 / Accepted: 18 May 2000