Weathering of surface clasts as an indicator of the relative age of glacial deposits on Jameson Land, East Greenland

The relative age of glacial deposits on Jameson Land was investigated by weathering-based techniques. Two related methods, measurement of rind thickness and of Schmidt hammer rebound values. were added to a dating programme of luminescence-, amino acid- and ¹⁴C-analyses. Rind thicknesses differ significantly between areas which represent three glacial phascs, spanning a time interval from late Saale to Late Weichselian. Rebound values are more susceptible to external factors than the rind values but may, if these external factors are known, serve as a complement to the interpretation of rind development.     

The deglaciation of Norway 15,000–10,000 B.P.

The age and correlation of marginal moraines in Norway is discussed. A tentative location of the ice margin 15,000 B.P. is suggested, as well as a more firmly based location of the 10,000 B.P. ice margin. The results are preliminary and based partly on observations by the field parties of the I.G.C.P. project Quaternary Glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere'.     

The Determinants of Disaster Vulnerability: Achieving Sustainable Mitigation through Population Health

The growing appreciation of mitigation is highlighting theneed to develop a better understanding of what makes some people more vulnerable tothe impacts of a disaster. Health researchers have asked a similar question regarding thevarying vulnerability to illness within a population. This has lead to the identification of a setof social, physical and economic factors that are now referred to as the determinants of health.These factors are the same as those commonly associated with disaster vulnerability. Recognizingthat these same concepts are being applied in both the health and disaster management contextspresents an opportunity to also achieve a shared objective of reducing vulnerability withina population.     

Holocene pollen stratigraphy of southern Sweden: a reappraisal using numerical methods

Holocene pollen data from two sites in Blekinge and one site in Scania were zoned independently by four different numerical methods. Local or site pollen assemblage zones were established for each sequence. Numerical comparisons of the two sites in Blekinge reveal similarities which allow the definition of a series of regional pollen assemblage zones for Blekinge. Numerical comparisons between Blekinge and Scania indicate no such similarities, and emphasise the necessity to establish regional zones for each area. Correlations between areas can then be attempted using radiocarbon dates. The advantages and disadvantages of applying numerical methods for these purposes are discussed, and their broader applications to a Nordic pollen correlation project are outlined.     

Same as it Ever Was? Stability and Change Over 15 Years in a Rural District in Southeastern Australia

Using longitudinal survey data, this paper explores stability and change in values, beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge among rural landholders. Existing theories predict varying degrees of stability in these constructs. This paper tests these assumptions through data collected by four cross-sectional surveys of rural landowners (>10?ha), completed in one region between 2002 and 2016. The study area includes a mix of social landscapes but agriculture is the dominant land use. Results reveal significant change in measured constructs over time. Nearly all of the items assessing values changed significantly across the study period (seven of eight held values, ten of eleven assigned values). Most belief items (three of five), half of the attitude items (two of four), and all eleven knowledge items also experienced change. While statistically significant, most of the identified changes were relatively modest in scope. Findings suggest the value of longitudinal research to better understand dynamic psychological and social constructs.     

Middle to late Holocene chironomid-inferred July temperatures for the central Northwest Territories,Canada

We analyzed subfossil chironomids, sediment organic matter and sediment particle size data from a 1.11-m-long freeze core collected from Carleton Lake (unofficial name), located approximately 120 km north of the modern treeline. This well-dated core spans the last ca. 6,500 years. Two chironomid transfer functions were applied to infer mean July air temperatures. Our results indicated that the chironomid-inferred temperatures from this lake sediment record did not pass a significance test, suggesting that other factors in addition to temperature may have been important in structuring the chironomid community through time. Although not statistically significant, the chironomid-inferred temperatures from this site do follow a familiar pattern, with highest inferred temperatures occurring during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (~6–4 cal kyr BP), followed by a long-term cooling trend, which is reversed during the last 600 years. The largest change in the chironomid assemblage, which occurred between ca. 4,600 and 3,900 cal yr BP is possibly related to the well-documented northward advance and subsequent retreat of treeline in this region.     

Quantifying risk to agriculture from volcanic ashfall: a case study from the Bay of Plenty,New Zealand

Natural Hazards - Quantitatively assessing long-term volcanic risk can be challenging due to the many variables associated with volcanic hazard and vulnerability. This study presents a structured...     

Low incidence and limited effect of the oyster pathogen dermo (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Perkinsus marinus</Emphasis>) on an artificial reef in Delaware's Inland Bays

Delaware's Inland Bays comprise a large estuarine system with a restricted access to the Atlantic Ocean (Indian River Inlet). As part of a local oyster stock enhancement and restoration effort, we conducted a survey for the protozoan pathogenPerkinsus marinus (Dermo) in oysters from a newly established reef. Using standardized methods for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the non-transcribed spacer (NTS) region, we were surprised to find no detectable titers of this pathogen in the 30 oysters sampled in the first year of the project. The detection threshold of the PCR coupled with chemiluminescent detection was 30 fgP. marinus NTS DNA. We were able to detect a trace presence of this pathogen in a few hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) from the same locale, indicating that aPerkinsus sp. was present in the Inland Bay system. Subsequent monitoring of the reef system using a fluid thioglycollate assay over 3 yr revealed no epizootic outbreaks of this pathogen within the planted oyster population. Two large mortality episodes that did appear in the oyster population were attributable to abiotic conditions and not pathogen exposure. This study emphasizes that all potential sources of mortality in the environment are important to consider when designing oyster seeding projects. In the Delaware Inland Bays,P. marinus does not appear to have a large enough oyster host population to become a significant disease threat at present. Because of the low parasite incidence levels in the Inland Bay system in 2000, the James Farm oyster reef restoration project presents an ideal model system to follow the population dynamics between an oyster-host population and a latent or reservoir pathogen population.