Rock Weathering Processes in Antarctica: A Comparison of Some Recent Studies with Those from the Northern Hemisphere

A review of some recent studies on rock weathering in Antarctica has revealed that Antarctic weathering research has a significant contribution to make to the ongoing debate about rock weathering in cold climates. Largely conducted in the field rather than the laboratory as in the Northern Hemisphere, it demonstrates that whilst all weathering processes can occur in Antarctica this is highly localised and dependent on the particular micro‐environment. Freeze‐thaw, for example, is not the most dominant process in many parts of Antarctica. The right combination of rock temperature and moisture can mean that salt, insolation, hydration or even chemical weathering can predominate.     

Late Pleistocene and Holocene vegetation and climate on the northern Taymyr Peninsula, Arctic Russia

Pollen data from a Levinson-Lessing Lake sediment core (74°28'N, 98°38'E) and Cape Sabler, Taymyr Lake permafrost sequences (74°33'N, 100°32'E) reveal substantial environmental changes on the northern Taymyr Peninsula during the last c. 32 000 [Formula: See Text]C years. The continuous records confirm that a scarce steppe-like vegetation with Poaceae, Artemisia and Cyperaceae dominated c. 32 000-10 300 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP, while tundra-like vegetation with Oxyria, Ranunculaceae and Caryophyllaceae grew in wetter areas. The coldest interval occurred c. 18 000 yr BP. Lateglacial pollen data show several warming events followed by a climate deterioration c. 10 500 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP, which may correspond with the Younger Dryas. The Late Pleistocene/Holocene transition, c. 10 300-10 000 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP, is characterized by a change from the herb-dominated vegetation to shrubby tundra with Betula sect. Nanae and Salix. Alnus fruticosa arrived locally c. 9000-8500 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP and disappeared c. 4000-3500 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP. Communities of Betula sect. Nanae, broadly distributed at c. 10 000-3500 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP, almost disappeared when vegetation became similar to the modern herb tundra after 3500-3000 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP. Quantitative climate reconstructions show Last Glacial Maximum summer temperature about 4°C below the present and Preboreal (c. 10 000 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP) temperature 2-4°C above the present. Maximum summer temperature occurred between 10 000 and 5500 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP; later summers were similar to present or slightly warmer.     

Late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from a permafrost sequence (North Siberian Lowland, SE Taymyr Peninsula)—a multidisciplinary case study

A Late Quaternary permafrost profile from the Labaz Lake area (Taymyr Peninsula, Central Siberia) has been investigated using analyses of diatoms, pollen, sedimentology and geochemistry. A sedimentation gap for the termination of the Pleistocene and the start of lacustrine sedimentation in the Boreal can be inferred. At that time shallow-lake conditions prevailed and a connection to the Labaz Lake is probable. The diatom data provide indications for the assessment of the Holocene environmental development of the study site in more detail. The most favourable climatic conditions and comparatively higher water level stands are inferred for the early Atlantic. Towards the end of this period the gradual transition to a wetland with poor-fen character took place. Within the Subboreal there was a short episode with mild climate conditions. At that time the last trees occurred in the Labaz Lake area and somewhat higher water level stands were likely. The Subatlantic climate deterioration led to further drying up of the wetland along with a lowering of water pH and permafrost aggradation. The transition from a locality with low-centre to one with high-centre polygons is still underway.     

COSTS AND BENEFITS OF POLLUTION CONTROL IN PENNSYLVANIA,NEW YORK,AND NEW JERSEY, 1840–1906

ABSTRACT. Judges in Pennsylvania saw the costs and benefits of protecting people from industrial pollution quite differently from judges in New York and New Jersey between 1840 and 1906. Not only did they invoke balancing doctrine more than did judges in New York and New Jersey; but when costs and benefits were considered, Pennsylvania judges almost always concluded that the price of pollution abatement was too high to justify enjoining polluting industries. New York and New Jersey judges commonly did the reverse, acknowledging great social value and little cost to making businesses alleviate pollution. Judicial interpretation of the notions of cost and benefit mirrored the political, economic, and social conditions in each state, conditions that differed across time and place.     

Why different interpretations of vulnerability matter in climate change discourses

In this article, we discuss how two interpretations of vulnerability in the climate change literature are manifestations of different discourses and framings of the climate change problem. The two differing interpretations, conceptualized here as ‘outcome vulnerability’ and ‘contextual vulnerability’, are linked respectively to a scientific framing and a human-security framing. Each framing prioritizes the production of different types of knowledge, and emphasizes different types of policy responses to climate change. Nevertheless, studies are seldom explicit about the interpretation that they use. We present a diagnostic tool for distinguishing the two interpretations of vulnerability and use this tool to illustrate the practical consequences that interpretations of vulnerability have for climate change policy and responses in Mozambique. We argue that because the two interpretations are rooted in different discourses and differ fundamentally in their conceptualization of the character and causes of vulnerability, they cannot be integrated into one common framework. Instead, it should be recognized that the two interpretations represent complementary approaches to the climate change issue. We point out that the human-security framing of climate change has been far less visible in formal, international scientific and policy debates, and addressing this imbalance would broaden the scope of adaptation policies.