Clast exposure on boulder-covered desert slopes

Variation in the degree of clast exposure on stony desert slopes is examined in an area of northeast Jordan. Geological influences on the characteristics of stone mantles are modified by relative slope position. Observations that the nature of the surface stone cover changes downslope because of the transport and accumulation of the underlying substrate are confirmed by quantitative analysis. An elliptic function is described as a means of estimating relative clast exposure from simple field measurements of clast dimensions. There are no significant differences in mean clast exposure between the four main basalt lithologies of the study area, but a distinctive pattern of clast exposure catenas can be identified. Convex slopes maintain relatively high levels of clast exposure from crest to toe. About two-thirds of the variation in clast exposure is accounted for by lithology and four slope variables: relative relief, slope length, gradient and curvature. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vibration control of cable-stayed bridges—part 1: modeling issues

The objective of the research presented here is to increase the understanding of how the complexities associated with modeling cable-stayed bridges, such as non-linear behaviour and the participation of highly coupled, high-order vibration modes in the overall dynamic response, affect the overall effectiveness of active control schemes. The 316-degree-of-freedom analytical model studied here is based on the Jindo Bridge located in South Korea. Computational considerations associated with control analyses require the size of the model to be significantly reduced, without loss of the important vibration characteristics and complexities. Three separate reduced-order modelling techniques for creating effective control models are studied here: the IRS method, the internal balancing method, and a modal reduction method. These methods are studied and compared on their ability to capture the complex dynamic response of cable-stayed bridges subjected to multiple-support excitation and their ability to create viable and computationally sound state-space models for control analyses. Results show that the modal reduction technique, because of the ability to select only those modes causing the largest force and displacement response, is most effective for control applications. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An application of geological survey and ceramic petrology to provenance studies of Guangala phase Ceramics of ancient Ecuador

The foundation of provenance studies of ceramics is the regional geology. Unfortunately, archaeologists often depend on regional geologic maps for comparative information. In many areas the scale of maps is too small to determine the lithological variation, which is necessary information for a robust provenance study of ceramic materials. Accurate determination requires geologic field mapping and analysis of the lithologies and clay-rich sediments present. In this provenance study of prehistoric ceramics from southwest Ecuador, we have established the lithological variation of both rocks and clay-rich sediments through geological survey. Petrographic analysis of geological samples and ancient ceramic materials determined the variation in both populations and established cases of significant correlation as well as noncorrelation between objects and local materials. Ceramic production at the Ecuadorian sites was complex and involved local production of domestic wares as well as importation of tempering materials and vessels and adoption of foreign decorative motifs. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Impacts of climate variability and change on fishery-based livelihoods

There is increasing concern over the consequences of global warming for the food security and livelihoods of the world's 36 million fisherfolk and the nearly 1.5 billion consumers who rely on fish for more than 20% of their dietary animal protein. With mounting evidence of the impacts of climate variability and change on aquatic ecosystems, the resulting impacts on fisheries livelihoods are likely to be significant, but remain a neglected area in climate adaptation policy. Drawing upon our research and the available literature, and using a livelihoods framework, this paper synthesizes the pathways through which climate variability and change impact fisherfolk livelihoods at the household and community level. We identify current and potential adaptation strategies and explore the wider implications for local livelihoods, fisheries management and climate policies. Responses to climate change can be anticipatory or reactive and should include: (1) management approaches and policies that build the livelihood asset base, reducing vulnerability to multiple stressors, including climate change; (2) an understanding of current response mechanisms to climate variability and other shocks in order to inform planned adaptation; (3) a recognition of the opportunities that climate change could bring to the sector; (4) adaptive strategies designed with a multi-sector perspective; and (5) a recognition of fisheries potential contribution to mitigation efforts.     

东南极Princess Elizabeth冰盖近地层大气参数的年变化特征

利用2002年东南极Princess Elizabeth冰盖自动气象梯度观测点获得的近地层气象资料,分析了冰盖上的感热通量、潜热通量、大气稳定度、整体输送系数及有关气象要素特征,并与中山站同期的的气象要素进行了对比分析.结果表明,由于两站的海拔高度及地理位置的差异,LGB69站的年平均气温为-25.6℃,比中山站低16.4℃,进入内陆每10km,海拔高度上升约110m,温度下降约1℃.南极内陆冰盖的湍流热通量具有明显的年变化,感热通量年平均值为-17.9W/m2,潜热通量为-0.9W/m2,年平均冷源强度(Q_h+Q_e)为-18.8W/m2,表明地表从大气吸收热量.LGB69站近地层大气以近中性层结为主,中性层结下的整体输送系数为2.6×10-3,当风速大于8m/s后,整体输送系数趋于常数.LGB69站是南极地区典型下降风区,年平均风速比中山站大2.0m/s,其下降风出现的风向频和风速均大于中山站.     

The mechanics of deep-seated landslides

Results are presented of a sequence of laboratory tests undertaken to elucidate the behaviour of deep-seated landslides. In deep-seated failures deformation has been reported at depths of up to 250 m. In the movement zone, owing to the weight of the overburden and the surrounding stress environment, conventional soil mechanics cannot be used to explain effectively associations between the landslip activity and the deformation mechanisms operating within the moving mass. A series of experiments has been undertaken on London Clay using a high pressure, servohydraulically controlled triaxial deformation system, to replicate the stresses acting at the base of a large, deep-seated landslide. A number of tests were undertaken, the most significant focusing on the transition between ductile and brittle behaviour. Although sediments usually behave in a brittle manner at low effective stresses (common to many geomorphological studies) and in a ductile manner at high effective stresses, the results presented here identify for the first time in mudrocks a transitional phase of behaviour in which creep-like movement will manifest itself at the base of a deep-seated landslide as the growth of microcracks. The microcracks may eventually coalesce to form a shear surface, a consequence of which is likely to be sudden failure. The results thus have important implications in the understanding of movement mechanisms in large, deep-seated failures, rates of displacement and how they may change through time. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multidecadal biological monitoring and abatement program\ assessing human impacts on aquatic ecosystems within the Oak Ridge Reservation in eastern Tennessee,USA

Human activities can be powerful drivers of ecosystem change within catchments. While most long-term catchment studies have been conducted at pristine sites, such studies are less common from sites more impacted by human activity. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program (BMAP) was developed in the mid-1980s to (1) assess compliance with environmental regulations, (2) identify causes of adverse ecological impacts, (3) provide data for human and ecological risk assessments, and (4) evaluate the effectiveness of remedial actions taken to mitigate the impacts of contaminants in soils, groundwater, and surface water by documenting ecological recovery on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), a federally owned 33 476-acre site in eastern Tennessee, managed by the US Department of Energy. The ORR is composed of multiple watersheds containing many small to mid-size streams. BMAP uses an integrated approach for determining stream health; its databases include long-term seasonal records of contaminant concentrations in water and biota, data from aquatic toxicity testing, and surveys of macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages from impacted and reference streams. These long-term data provide valuable records of degradation and recovery in catchment ecosystems. Our objective here is to describe our study system and data series in order to increase awareness of the availability of these long-term data to the catchment science community.     

Controls on Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca in scleractinian corals: The effects of Ca-ATPase and transcellular Ca channels on skeletal chemistry

The Sr/Ca of aragonitic coral skeletons is a commonly used palaeothermometer. However skeletal Sr/Ca is typically dominated by weekly-monthly oscillations which do not reflect temperature or seawater composition and the origins of which are currently unknown. To test the impact of transcellular Ca²⁺ transport processes on skeletal Sr/Ca, colonies of the branching coral, Pocillopora damicornis, were cultured in the presence of inhibitors of Ca-ATPase (ruthenium red) and Ca channels (verapamil hydrochloride). The photosynthesis, respiration and calcification rates of the colonies were monitored throughout the experiment. The skeleton deposited in the presence of the inhibitors was identified (by ⁴²Ca spike) and analysed for Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The Sr/Ca of the aragonite deposited in the presence of either of the inhibitors was not significantly different from that of the solvent (dimethyl sulfoxide) control, although the coral calcification rate was reduced by up to 66% and 73% in the ruthenium red and verapamil treatments, respectively. The typical precision (95% confidence limits) of mean Sr/Ca determinations within any treatment was <±1% and differences in skeletal Sr/Ca between treatments were correspondingly small. Either Ca-ATPase and Ca channels transport Sr²⁺ and Ca²⁺ in virtually the same ratio in which they are present in seawater or transcellular processes contribute little Ca²⁺ to the skeleton and most Ca is derived from seawater transported directly to the calcification site. Variations in the activities of Ca-ATPase and Ca-channels are not responsible for the weekly-monthly Sr/Ca oscillations observed in skeletal chronologies, assuming that the specificities of Ca transcellular transport processes are similar between coral genera.