Developing country perspectives on ‘mitigation actions’, ‘NAMAs’, and ‘LCDS’

The MAPS programme, which seeks to deepen mitigation ambition in developing countries, is engaged in exploring the concepts of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and Low Carbon Development Strategies (LCDS) from a developing country perspective. Here, climate mitigation practitioners in six developing countries were surveyed for their understanding of these concepts (anonymous, personal communications with climate mitigation practitioners in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, and South Africa). It is found that there is much scope for clarity and conceptual elaboration in this policy space. NAMAs are largely interpreted as mitigation activities packaged for submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) registry, but are not held to constitute the full set of mitigation activity in a developing country. New terminology may be needed to describe this broader set. A tighter interpretation of LCDS to distinguish between a strategic or coordinating policy action may be useful. Other themes arising include the way ‘national appropriateness’ is reflected in the concepts, and the role of international policy in deepening mitigation action in developing countries.     

Current approaches to MRV in South Africa: a scoping study

It is shown that there are MRV-related activities underway in South Africa, particularly focusing on measuring electricity consumption and monitoring GHG emissions. Yet currently many of these activities happen in parallel systems within multi-polar governance structures. A bottom-up perspective of MRV in South Africa, informed by interviews, workshops, desktop research, and stakeholder consultations, is provided and the systems, data, methodologies, and the institutional environment relevant to a South African MRV system are examined. The development of the local monitoring and evaluation system, and its relevance within the international MRV context, is also discussed. Some recommendations are made: most importantly, there is a need for a coherent approach to be developed, one that is coordinated by government and built on existing MRV systems.     

Storage-discharge characteristics of an active rock glacier catchment in the Innere Ölgrube,Austrian Alps

The active rock glacier “Innere Ölgrube” and its catchment area (Ötztal Alps, Austria) are assessed using various hydro(geo)logical tools to provide a thorough catchment characterization and to quantify temporal variations in recharge and discharge components. During the period from June 2014 to July 2018, an average contribution derived from snowmelt, ice melt and rainfall of 35.8%, 27.6% and 36.6%, respectively, is modelled for the catchment using a rainfall-runoff model. Discharge components of the rock glacier springs are distinguished using isotopic data as well as other natural and artificial tracer data, when considering the potential sources rainfall, snowmelt, ice melt and longer stored groundwater. Seasonal as well as diurnal variations in runoff are quantified and the importance of shallow groundwater within this rock glacier-influenced catchment is emphasized. Water derived from ice melt is suggested to be provided mainly by melting of two small cirque glaciers within the catchment and subordinately by melting of permafrost ice of the rock glacier. The active rock glacier is characterized by a layered internal structure with an unfrozen base layer responsible for groundwater storage and retarded runoff, a main permafrost body contributing little to the discharge (at the moment) by permafrost thaw and an active layer responsible for fast lateral flow on top of the permafrost body. Snowmelt contributes at least 1/3rd of the annual recharge. During droughts, meltwater derived from two cirque glaciers provides runoff with diurnal runoff variations; however, this discharge pattern will change as these cirque glaciers will ultimately disappear in the future. The storage-discharge characteristics of the investigated active rock glacier catchment are an example of a shallow groundwater aquifer in alpine catchments that ought to be considered when analysing (future) river runoff characteristics in alpine catchments as these provide retarded runoff during periods with little or no recharge.     

Tettonische Probleme in den östlichen Hohen Tauern

Ohne ZusammenfassungDieser Aufsatz stellt eine etwas erweiterte Fassung des in der Versammlung der Geologischen Vereinigung zu Innsbruck am 25. September 1924 unter gleichem Titel gehaltenen Vortrags dar. Eine ausführliche Darlegung der Grundlagen und Beobachtungsergebnisse, die zu den hier mitgeteilten Schlußfolgerungen geführt haben, wird demnächst im Jahrbuch der Geologischen Bundesanstalt in Wien erfolgen.     

Structural and magnetic properties of Co2Al4Si5O18 and Mn2Al4Si5O18 cordierite

The crystal structures, lattice dynamics and magnetic properties of synthetic Co-cordierite, Co₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈, and Mn-cordierite, Mn₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈ have been studied by neutron powder diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and magnetisation measurements. Due to different synthesis conditions, the Co-cordierite used here crystallised in the hexagonal α-cordierite structure with a disordered Si/Al distribution in the framework, while for the Mn-cordierite the orthorhombic β-structure has been determined. The experimentally determined paramagnetic moments, _exp (Mn) = 5.47(6) _B and _exp (Co) = 3.88(4) _B , are in good agreement with theoretical predictions for octahedrally coordinated Mn²⁺ and Co²⁺, respectively. In both compounds there is no magnetic long-range order down to at least 1.5 K. However, the onset of an anti-ferromagnetic short-range correlation of magnetic moments along [001] has been observed for Mn-cordierite by magnetisation and neutron diffraction measurements. This short-range magnetic correlation becomes evident from diffuse scattering observed at 2 K. The diffuse scattering has been interpreted in terms of a Blech-Averbach function. Received: 30 June 1998 / Revised, accepted: 3 March 1999     

Investigating groundwater flow components in an Alpine relict rock glacier (Austria) using a numerical model

Relict rock glaciers are complex hydrogeological systems that might act as relevant groundwater storages; therefore, the discharge behavior of these alpine landforms needs to be better understood. Hydrogeological and geophysical investigations at a relict rock glacier in the Niedere Tauern Range (Austria) reveal a slow and fast flow component that appear to be related to the heterogeneous structure of the aquifer. A numerical groundwater flow model was used to indicate the influence of important internal structures such as layering, preferential flow paths and aquifer-base topography. Discharge dynamics can be reproduced reasonably by both introducing layers of strongly different hydraulic conductivities or by a network of highly conductive channels within a low-conductivity zone. Moreover, the topography of the aquifer base influences the discharge dynamics, which can be observed particularly in simply structured aquifers. Hydraulic conductivity differences of three orders of magnitude are required to account for the observed discharge behavior: a highly conductive layer and/or channel network controlling the fast and flashy spring responses to recharge events, as opposed to less conductive sediment accumulations sustaining the long-term base flow. The results show that the hydraulic behavior of this relict rock glacier and likely that of others can be adequately represented by two aquifer components. However, the attempt to characterize the two components by inverse modeling results in ambiguity of internal structures when solely discharge data are available.     

Use of the Acoustic Energy Meter (AEM) for rapid geomorphological field assessment of rock hardness: comparison with Schmidt hammer R‐value

Rapid, field‐based assessments of rock hardness are required in a broad range of geomorphological investigations where rock intact strength is important. Several different methods are now available for taking such measurements, in particular the Schmidt hammer, which has seen increasing use in geomorphology in recent decades. This is despite caution from within the engineering literature regarding choice of Schmidt hammer type, normalization of rebound (R‐) values, surface micro‐roughness, weathering degree and moisture content, and data reduction/analysis procedures. We present a pilot study of the use of an Acoustic Energy Meter (AEM), originally produced, tested and developed within the field of underground mining engineering as a rapid measure of rock surface hardness, and compare it with results from a mechanical N‐Type Schmidt hammer. We assess its capabilities across six lithological study sites in southeast Queensland, Australia, in the Greater Brisbane area. Each rock exposure has been recently exposed in the 20th/21st century. Using a ‘paired’ sampling approach, the AEM G‐value shows an inverse relationship with Schmidt hammer R‐value. While both devices show variability with lithology, the AEM G‐values show less scatter than the Schmidt hammer. We conclude that each device can contribute to useful rock hardness testing in geomorphological research, but the AEM requires further field testing in a range of environments, and in particular on older and naturally‐exposed rock surfaces. Future evaluations can extend this pilot study by focusing on sampling procedures, energy sources, and data reduction protocols, within the framework of a comparison study with other rock hardness testing apparatus. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.