Down under or centre stage? The world images of Australian students

As part of a major international study, 219 first‐year geography students at three Australian universities drew sketch maps of the world. These maps were overwhelmingly Sinocentric in orientation. In terms of content, Australian students tended to include slightly fewer countries than students elsewhere. The level of inclusion of individual countries in the sketch maps was influenced greatly by the area and population of the countries in question but secondary factors such as proximity to Australia, Commonwealth nation status, historical/cultural factors and level of economic development were also important. In comparison to students throughout the world, Australian students demonstrated a fair knowledge of East Asia and ASEAN nations, Western Europe and Commonwealth nations, and relatively poor knowledge of Latin America, non‐Commonwealth Africa and South‐west Asia.     

Shear stress results from a mixed spectral finite-difference model: Application to the Askervein Hill project data

Beljaars et al. (1987) developed a model for neutrally stratified boundary-layer flow over roughness changes and topography. It has been discovered that a constant parameter, , was missing in the algebraic-stress closure equations of their paper. This omission also occurred in the MSFD model code but only affects the Askervein Hill shear-stress results for the E-- turbulence closure in Beljaars et al. It also changes the stress results of Karpik (1988), but not his conclusions regarding the robustness of his improved numerical scheme. The present paper demonstrates the effect of the omission of the parameter, , and tests the sensitivity of the model to variations in its value. The new results are compared with the data and model results of Zeman and Jensen (1987).     

Book reviews

Third World politics: a concise introduction

J. Haynes, 1996

Blackwell, Oxford

15 × 23 cm, viii + 227pp., ISBN 0–631–19778–8, £14.99/US$19.95 (soft)

Thirdspace: journeys to Los Angeles and other real‐and‐imagined places

E.W. Soja, 1996

Blackwell, Cambridge, MA

17 × 25 cm, xii + 334pp., ISBN 1–55786–675–9, £14.99/US$20.95 (soft)

Alpine Tasmania: an illustrated guide to the flora and vegetation

J. Kirkpatrick, 1997

Oxford University Press, Melbourne

14 × 22 cm, xii+ 196 pp., ISBN 0–19–553753‐X, A$24.95

Spatial behavior: a geographic perspective

R.G. Golledge. & R.J. Stimson, 1997

The Guilford Press, New York

16 × 24 cm, xx + 620 pp., ISBN 1–57230–050–7, A$39.95 (soft)

Pacific Rim development: integration and globalisation in the Asia‐Pacific economy,(Studies in World Affairs XIII)

P.J. Rimmer (ed.), 1997

Allen & Unwin, Sydney

14 × 22 cm, xiii + 294 pp., ISBN 1–86373–978–5, A$24.95 (soft)     

A process framework for coastal zone management in Tanzania

A process framework is described to address socio-economic issues related to coastal zone management, specifically as it applies to the mitigation of impacts due to the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs). Analysis of the existing social environment in Tanzania, including social capital, vulnerable groups and livelihood components, was undertaken to allow for the identification of critical issues and challenges. The developed process framework is a guidance document for decision-makers to incorporate the interests and needs of affected stakeholders. This safeguard commits to a consultative process with clear channels of communication, established grievance procedures, and monitoring and evaluation activities for affected communities.     

A method of correlating wind data between two stations with application to the Alberta oil sands*

Abstract

Two years of hourly wind data from two stations, Fort McMurray and Mildred Lake, in the Alberta Oil Sands area are examined by means of contingency tables of simultaneous occurrences of various wind‐speed class and wind‐direction combinations. Statistical calculations with the tabulated data show that in 1974–75 the same wind‐speed class occurred simultaneously 49% of the time, and the same or next adjacent 8‐point wind direction occurred simultaneously 75% of the time. A matrix of relative frequencies of simultaneous occurrences is calculated to express this correlation between the two stations.

The 1974–75 period is shown to have statistically significant differences from a longer‐term (1963–75) set of data at Fort McMurray, pointing out the need for a method, described herein, of generating wind data that Will represent climatological conditions as well as account for the differences between two locations. The resulting synthetic wind data can be used as input to the Climatological Dispersion Model(Cdm) in order to compute climatological values of ground‐level pollutant concentration.     

On The Internal Structure Of Starless Cores. Physical and Chemical Properties of L1498 and L1517B

We have characterized the internal structure of two close-to-round starless cores in Taurus, L1498 and L1517B, setting constraints on the initial conditions of star formation and on models of core condensation. Our analysis is based on high angular resolution observations in at least two transitions of NH₃, N₂H⁺, CS, C³⁴S, C¹⁸O, and C¹⁷O, together with maps of the 1.2 mm continuum. For both cores, we derive radial profiles of constant temperature and constant turbulence, and density distributions close to those of non-singular isothermal spheres. Using a Monte Carlo radiative transfer model, we derive abundance profiles for all species and find a pattern of strong chemical differentiation. NH₃ has a higher abundance toward the core centers while N₂H⁺ has a constant abundance over most of the cores. Both C¹⁸O and CS (and isotopomers) are strongly depleted in the core interiors, most likely due to their freeze out onto cold dust grains. Concerning the kinematics of the dense gas, we find (in addition to constant turbulence) a pattern of internal motions at the level of 0.05 km s^?1. These motions seem correlated with asymmetries in the pattern of molecular depletion, and we interpret them as residuals of core contraction. Their distribution and size suggest that core formation happens in rather irregular manner. A comparison with supersonic turbulence models of core formation shows that our observed cores are much more quiescent than allowed by these models.     

Residential preferences in Sydney's inner suburbs: a study in diversity

The revitalization of inner suburban areas is attracting a good deal of attention throughout the Western world, not least because it frequently involves a process of gentrification whereby middle-class individuals move into and renovate formerly working-class dwellings. Evidence from Sydney suggests that this process of revitalization is spatially very selective and as a result it is overly simplistic to talk about the inner suburbs as a whole, because within inner city areas there exists a very considerable mix of both land use and building quality. Moreover the socio-economic characteristics of residents and their attitudes towards the issues of preservation, rebuilding, and high-rise, tend to vary between the different types of residential environment. Consequently there can exist no single planning prognosis for all inner suburban areas. What seems to be needed is a blend of preservation and redevelopment that avoids forcing middle-class aesthetic values on working-class residents, for whom considerations of accessibility to central area employment and facilities appear dominant.     

Proposal for new PBL resistance laws for neutrally-stratified flow

The history of the development of Rossby-Number Similarity Theory for the neutral Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) is reviewed. It is shown that the logarithmic profile derived by asymptotic matching is only valid in the matched layer and not in the surface layer proper. Derivation of the traditional PBL Resistance Laws from the theory is outlined. A best-fit polynomial through observations of geostrophic drag coefficients suggests that the traditional form of the Resistance Laws is inadequate. A new formulation is derived from a generalization of the theory that allows the logarithmic form of the wind profile in the matched layer to differ from that in the surface layer. This new formulation is evaluated against observations made during the 1967 Wangara Experiment. Finally, it is demonstrated how wind speed and wind shear profiles that are consistent with the new Resistance Laws may be obtained.