Vehicle tax policies and new passenger car CO2 performance in EU member states

This article explores the causes for differences in the average CO₂ emissions intensity of the new passenger car (NPC) fleet in member states (MS) across Europe. Although EU policies mitigating CO₂ emissions from NPCs have been in place since 1999, MS strongly diverge in the absolute amount and relative change in emissions over the last decade. The authors employ a qualitative approach to analyse the factors, in particular national vehicle taxes, contributing to this divergence and the relative contribution of national and European policies in reducing national CO₂ emissions from NPCs. The analysis shows that there has been a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions intensity of NPCs since 2007 across most MS, compared with the six years previous to that date. This would indicate that EU-wide policies, such as the CO₂ vehicles regulation, along with the economic recession in 2008, have influenced national NPC CO₂ emissions. Generally, countries with CO₂-differentiated vehicle taxes are observed as more likely to have achieved greater reductions in CO₂ emissions. However, over the same period there have been many confounding factors, such as economic instability in the EU, that also influence NPC emissions. Using more detailed case study analyses of six countries, the authors find that there is scope for well-designed national vehicle tax policies to drive NPC emissions down further than the EU average. In countries with the highest success rate, such as the Netherlands, the design of the vehicle tax, as part of a well-aligned policy package, has been very important in delivering the biggest reductions in CO₂ emissions from NPCs.

POLICY RELEVANCE

The transport sector continues to be an intractable source of CO₂ emissions. Governments around the world are seeking effective policies to deal with the increase in passenger car CO₂ emissions appropriate to their own circumstances. This article examines the experience of EU MS with CO₂-differentiated vehicle taxes in reducing CO₂ emissions in the context of other national and international contributing factors. It should therefore both be useful to policy makers and contribute to climate policy research in general.     

Analysis of the ferromagnetic contribution to the susceptibility by low field and high field methods in sedimentary rocks of the Southern Pyrenees and Northern Ebro foreland basin (Spain)

Magnetic susceptibility in rocks is the sum of the contributions of different magnetic particles (paramagnetic, diamagnetic and ferromagnetic s.l.). These contributions can be measured at variable temperatures or at variable fields (hysteresis loops). Both are time‐consuming techniques that cannot be routinely used in magnetic fabrics analysis. In this study, we propose a simplified method to determine the ferro‐ and paramagnetic contributions to the susceptibility, based on the discrete measurement of susceptibility at two different fields (near 0 and 2.5 T). The results obtained in samples from the Southern Pyrenees and Ebro Basin indicate that the ferromagnetic contribution vary considerably within homogeneous susceptibility values and within the expected range of paramagnetic values. Standard bulk susceptibilities higher than 200 10^?6 SI contribute significantly to the ferromagnetic fraction (>50% on average).     

Distinguishing and Correlating Multiple Phases of Metamorphism across Multiply Deformed Regions Using the Axes of Inclusion Trails in Porphyroblasts

Successions of FIAs(foliation inflection/intersection axes preserved within porphyroblasts) provide a relative time scale for deformation and metamorphism.In-situ dating of monazite grains preserved as inclusions within garnet and staurolite porphyroblasts within the foliations defining each FIA from such successions provides a rigorous approach to grouping ages that formed over extended periods of deformation and metamorphism.Matching age and FIA progressions confirms the suitability of this approach pl...     

新疆沙漠地区地表宽波段比辐射率遥感估算

地表比辐射率是估算地表温度以及地表长波辐射的一个重要参数,为了解决遥感影像反演地表比辐射率在裸地的精度不足问题,本文在新疆沙漠地区利用2类数据：① 傅里叶变换热红外光谱仪（FTIR）数据,在2013年、2014年秋天沿2条穿越塔克拉玛干沙漠的沙漠公路测量得到25个点的地表比辐射率数据;② 与FTIR数据同时期的MODIS温度/比辐射率数据MOD11A1、MOD11B1和反射率数据MOD09GA以及反照率数据MCD3A3,利用这2类数据为数据源,估算新疆沙漠地表比辐射率。首先,重新估算了基于MODIS宽波段比辐射率（BroadBand Emissivity, BBE）方程的系数和基于GLASS（Global L And Surface Satellite）BBE方程的系数,由此获得了GLASS BBE和MODIS BBE的修正方程。其次,将修正前后的GLASS BBE与FTIR和MODIS BBE作对比,发现其精度显著提高：① 与FTIR数据对比,修正前后的GLASS BBE方程的决定系数R²值从0.42增加到0.95,均方根误差（RMSE）和偏差（Bias）分别减少了1和3个数量级;② 与MODIS BBE方程数据对比,修正前后的GLASS BBE的R²值从0.69增加到0.91,RMSE和Bias分别减少了1和2个数量级。因此,修正后的基于GLASS和MODIS的BBE方程,极大地提高了遥感影像对裸地尤其是沙漠地区地表比辐射率的反演精度。使用修正后的GLASS BBE方程反演出新疆3个沙漠地区的BBE分布特征。结果表明,塔克拉玛干沙漠由于土地类型较为单一,其BBE值主要为0.88~0.92,而古尔班通古特沙漠以及库姆塔格沙漠受到地形、植被等的影响,BBE值稍微偏高,分别为0.89~0.95和0.89~0.94,沙漠周边稀疏植被区及其边缘地区的值范围为0.95~1.00。本文基于GLASS和MODIS的适用于新疆沙漠的BBE方程,为陆面过程的研究与模拟提供了支持。     

Sedimentary evidence for a major glacial oscillation and proglacial lake formation in the Solway Lowlands (Cumbria,UK) during Late Devensian deglaciation

Livingstone, S. J., Ó Cofaigh, C., Evans, D. J. A. & Palmer, A. 2010: Sedimentary evidence for a major glacial oscillation and proglacial lake formation in the Solway Lowlands (Cumbria, UK) during Late Devensian deglaciation. Boreas, Vol. 39, pp. 505–527. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00149.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. This paper is a sedimentological investigation of Late Devensian glacial deposits from the Solway Lowlands, northwest England, in the central sector of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet. In this region, laminated glaciolacustrine sediments occur, sandwiched between diamictons interpreted as subglacial tills. At one location the laminated sediments are interpreted as varves, and indicate the former presence of a proglacial lake. Correlation of these varves with other laminated sediments indicates that the glacial lake was at least 140 km² in area and probably much larger. Extensive beds of sand, silt and gravel throughout the Solway Basin associated with the lake demonstrate ice‐free conditions over a large area. Based on the number of varves, the lake was in existence for at least 261 years. The stratigraphic sequence of varves bracketed by tills implies a major glacial oscillation prior to the Scottish Re‐advance (16.8 cal. ka BP). This oscillation is tentatively correlated with the Gosforth oscillation at c.19.5 cal. ka BP. Subsequent overriding of these glaciolacustrine sediments during a westward‐moving re‐advance demonstrates rapid ice loss and then gain within the Solway Lowlands from ice‐dispersal centres in the Lake District, Pennines and Southern Uplands. It is speculated that the existence of this and other lakes along the northeastern edge of the Irish Sea Basin would have influenced ice‐sheet dynamics.     

A major ice drainage pathway of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet: the Tyne Gap,northern England

The Tyne Gap is a wide pass, situated between the Scottish Southern Uplands and the English Pennines that connects western and eastern England. It was a major ice flow drainage pathway of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet. This study presents new glacial geomorphological and sedimentological data from the Tyne Gap region that has allowed detailed reconstructions of palaeo‐ice flow dynamics during the Late Devensian (Marine Isotope Stage 2). Mapped lineations reveal a complex palimpsest pattern which shows that ice flow was subject to multiple switches in direction. These are summarised into three major ice flow phases. Stage I was characterised by convergent Lake District and Scottish ice that flowed east through the Tyne Gap, as a topographically controlled ice stream. This ice stream was identified from glacial geomorphological evidence in the form of convergent bedforms, streamlined subglacial bedforms and evidence for deformable bed conditions; stage II involved northerly migration of the Solway Firth ice divide back into the Southern Uplands, causing the easterly flow of ice to be weakened, and resulting in southeasterly flow of ice down the North Tyne Valley; and stage III was characterised by strong drawdown of ice into the Irish Sea Ice Basin, thus starving the Tyne Gap of ice and causing progressive ice sheet retreat westwards back across the watershed, prior to ice stagnation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地春、夏季CO_2通量特征

利用世界上唯一深入流动沙漠腹地200 km以上的塔克拉玛干沙漠塔中站所采集的2011年4月、7月的气象资料,分析了塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地春、夏季CO2通量的变化特征及影响因素。结果表明:塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地CO2通量表现为白昼地表吸收CO2,夜间地表排放CO2,且地表吸收强度明显大于地表排放;塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地春、夏季CO2平均净吸收速率分别为0.93μmol·m2·s-1和0.82μmol·m2·s-1;CO2通量受大气稳定性影响较大,稳定大气条件利于沙漠地表CO2的释放,不稳定大气条件有利于沙漠地表CO2的吸收;此外,地表温度、土壤湿度、风速均与CO2通量呈不同程度的负相关关系。