Long-lived Coronal Loop Profiles from TRACE

An initial study of long-lived loops observed with TRACE (Lenz et al., 1999) shows that they have no significant temperature stratification and that they are denser than the classic loop model predicts. Models that agree better with the observations include a loop consisting of a bundle of filaments at different temperatures and a loop with momentum input by MHD waves. Some implications for coronal heating models and mechanisms are discussed.     

Consolidation-related fabric changes of periplatform sediments

Geotechnical properties of carbonate sediments result from several factors such as the particular constituents comprising the sediment, the mineralogy, fabric, and effective stress. Investigating the effects of increasing effective stress by mechanical consolidation using permeability, porosity, and porometry determinations reveals fabric changes that could not be determined in scanning electron micrographs. Porometry changes, determined using an image analyzer, are a function of matrix composition and grain support. Samples that were predominantly matrix-supported exhibited an increase in pore numbers per unit area and a pore size decrease resulting from consolidation. Samples composed predominantly of aragonite needle matrices displayed opposite behavior.     

Scale-dependent physical and geoacoustic property variability of shallow-water carbonate sediments from the Dry Tortugas, Florida

 Spatial variability of shallow-water carbonate sediments near Dry Tortugas, Florida, is scale-dependent. Wet bulk density, grain density, porosity, compressional wave velocity, and grain size variability generally increase down to 2.4 m vertically and 850 m laterally. Grain size is most variable, followed by porosity, wet bulk density, compressional wave velocity, and grain density bothvertically and laterally, consistent with Walther’s Law. Variability was empirically modeled by linear regression analysis to predict variability based on scale, characterize sediment property variability, and quantify sedimentisotropy.     

Marine Geomorphology in the Design of Marine Reserve Networks

Marine environments, key life-support systems for the earth, are under severe threat. Issues associated with managing these common property resources are complex and interrelated. Networks of marine reserves can be valuable for mitigating threats to marine systems, yet the successful design and implementation of such networks has been limited. Efficient ways to conserve marine environments are urgently needed. This Focus Section of The Professional Geographer explores the development of marine reserve networks based on geomorphology, fish biology, ecological connectivity, and appropriate governance. The articles in this Focus Section offer examples of the following: (1) distinctive reef geomorphology dictating the spawning locations of reef fishes, which in turn serve as critical source sites for the replenishment of distant reefs by means of larval transport; (2) an example of a simplified oceanographic model that predicts larval transport from fish breeding sites to important nursery areas; and (3) a case study of the development of a marine reserve network that illustrates key elements of a successful strategy. In sum, this Focus Section offers case studies that show the value of marine geomorphology, oceanographic connectivity, and stakeholder involvement as key elements of multidisciplinary geographic studies applied to the design of marine reserve networks. Geographers can further contribute to the conservation and management of coastal and marine ecosystems in many ways that involve subdisciplines of remote sensing and geographic information systems, political and economic geography, political ecology, and ethnography.     

A Benthic Terrain Classification Scheme for American Samoa

Coral reef ecosystems, the most varied on earth, continually face destruction from anthropogenic and natural threats. The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force seeks to characterize and map priority coral reef ecosystems in the U.S./Trust Territories by 2009. Building upon NOAA Biogeography shallow-water classifications based on Ikonos imagery, presented here are new methods, based on acoustic data, for classifying benthic terrain below 30 m, around Tutuila, American Samoa. The result is a new classification scheme for American Samoa that extends and improves the NOAA Biogeography scheme, which, although developed for Pacific island nations and territories, is only applicable to a maximum depth of 30 m, due to the limitations of satellite imagery. The scheme may be suitable for developing habitat maps pinpointing high biodiversity around coral reefs throughout the western Pacific.     

Permeable homes: A historical political ecology of insects and pesticides in US public housing

This paper traces changes in the political ecology of insects and chemicals in US public housing since Congress founded public housing in 1937. Drawing upon the literature of critical geographies of home, urban political ecology, and medical history, it argues that the constitution of “public” and “private” space within public housing was deeply entangled with pest control practices there. Prior to 1945, reformers treated the housing as a commons, in part compelled by the mobility of bedbugs and the pesticide used to combat them, both of which were seen as serious health threats. Managers were also motivated by social welfare ideologies, while residents eagerly assisted with communal control policies in order to achieve freedom from the health insults of bedbugs. Following 1945, however, new synthetic pesticides like DDT seemed to stay safely within one apartment unit, encouraging housing managers to abandon community-oriented pest control practices. Meanwhile, curtailed budgets, particularly after the Housing Act of 1949, left the infrastructure of public housing to decay, rendering units more physically permeable even as managers neglected the communities there. The new pesticides nearly eradicated bedbugs, but tenacious populations of German cockroaches blossomed thanks to the permeable buildings and synthetic pesticides. Residents grew increasingly resistant to pesticide use as they observed that cockroach populations went unabated. The paper serves as a case for applying political ecology frameworks to domestic spaces, and also argues that housing quality and domestic pesticide use are not merely private responsibilities but should be regarded as environmental justice issues.