Why are flood and landslide victims less willing to take mitigation measures than the public?

Almost annually, natural hazards such as floods and landslides cause a great deal of financial loss and human suffering in Taiwan. In order to gain a better understanding of disaster preparedness, this paper examines several factors in relation to hazard mitigation behavior: social economic status (education, income), psychological vulnerability (sense of powerless and helpless), risk perception (perceived impact and control) and social trust. The statistical analysis reported here is based on the “2004 National Risk Perception Survey of Floods and Landslides in Taiwan”. The main findings include: (1) in comparison with general public, victims are less willing to adopt risk mitigation measures than the public, even though they perceive larger impacts, worry more about the hazard, and pay more attention to hazard information; (2) trust, risk perception and social economic status are positive predictors for mitigation intentions, whereas psychological vulnerability is a negative predictor; and (3) psychological variables are stronger predictors for mitigation intentions than that of socio-economic variables. In light of these findings, the policy implications and intervention strategy are also discussed.

Development of the early continental crust. Part III. Depletion of incompatible elements in the mantle

New analyses and critical re-evaluation of older data permit another estimate of the abundances of some 42 elements in the silicate shells of the Earth, excluding the core.These data and estimations of volcanic rock production lead to a series of estimates of the mass-fractions of depleted and undepleted mantle. Most likely estimates of the latter lie in the range 0.2–0.4. The best estimates are obtained for the most incompatible elements K, Rb, Sr, Ba, Nb, Th, U.The development of the continental crust and the change in tectonic processes over time is consistent with these interpretations.     

The relationship between magnetic field strength and reversal frequency: Preliminary palaeointensity results from the cretaceous quiet zone

Summary It has been predicted that the geomagnetic field strength will be at its highest during periods of low reversal frequency. Using basaltic lavas from Israel and India, which were erupted during the 35 Ma interval of normal polarity in the mid-Cretaceous (the Cretaceous Quiet Zone), we have obtained palaeointensity estimates. The mean virtual dipole moments from the two areas are about 75% of the present value. This suggests that there is no simple relationship between the time averaged strength of the dipole and the frequency of reversals.     

Times for (Un)sustainability? Challenges and opportunities for developing behaviour change policy. A case-study of consumers at home and away

This paper examines the assertion that individuals with seemingly high levels of commitment to the environment at home may also be those engaged in less sustainable leisure and tourism behaviours, including a high dependency on air travel. This potential difference in environmental commitments between different consumption settings is placed within the context of recent policy developments that have seen the rise of segmentation as a commonly applied technique used to understand and encourage pro-environmental behaviours through the notion of ‘sustainable lifestyles’ and social marketing campaigns. Using data derived from a questionnaire of consumers in the UK, three distinctive, empirically-defined ‘lifestyle’ groups are identified, based on the respondents’ environmental behaviours. Significant differences emerged in reported environmental commitments according to their consumption setting. Those with higher levels of commitment in and around the home also tended to be those who flew furthest and most frequently, whilst those with moderate-to-high commitments ‘at home’ often failed to transfer these activities to their holiday environments. The paper concludes by arguing that both academics and policy-makers need to address the role of different consumption settings in which behaviours are undertaken and the ways in which these relate to underlying social practices within these settings.     

Multi-spectral imaging of vegetation for detecting CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> leaking from underground

Practical geologic CO₂ sequestration will require long-term monitoring for detection of possible leakage back into the atmosphere. One potential monitoring method is multi-spectral imaging of vegetation reflectance to detect leakage through CO₂-induced plant stress. A multi-spectral imaging system was used to simultaneously record green, red, and near-infrared (NIR) images with a real-time reflectance calibration from a 3-m tall platform, viewing vegetation near shallow subsurface CO₂ releases during summers 2007 and 2008 at the Zero Emissions Research and Technology field site in Bozeman, Montana. Regression analysis of the band reflectances and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index with time shows significant correlation with distance from the CO₂ well, indicating the viability of this method to monitor for CO₂ leakage. The 2007 data show rapid plant vigor degradation at high CO₂ levels next to the well and slight nourishment at lower, but above-background CO₂ concentrations. Results from the second year also show that the stress response of vegetation is strongly linked to the CO₂ sink–source relationship and vegetation density. The data also show short-term effects of rain and hail. The real-time calibrated imaging system successfully obtained data in an autonomous mode during all sky and daytime illumination conditions.     

CYP1A- and CYP3A-immunopositive protein levels in digestive gland of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis from the Mediterranean Sea

CYP1A-immunopositive protein can be elevated in response to planar PAHs and PCBs in Mytilus sp. digestive gland whilst CYP3A-immunopositive protein has been associated with testosterone 6β-hydroxylation in fish. Levels of CYP1A- and CYP3A-immunopositive protein were determined in Mytilus galloprovincialis digestive gland microsomes collected from 12 sites in the Mediterranean Sea during May and September 2001. CYP1A-immunopositive protein was significantly highest at contaminated sites whilst CYP3A-immunopositive protein was significantly lowest. A weak negative correlation (r²=0.21) was seen between CYP1A- and CYP3A-immunopositive protein. Little evidence of differences at the different sampling times was observed. These results confirm previous work indicating elevation of CYP1A-immunopositive protein in Mytilus sp. digestive gland at contaminated sites. Further study is required to characterise CYP3A-like expression in Mytilus and to elucidate the consequences of possible CYP3A-like down-regulation at contaminated sites.     

The effects of potassium addition on the rate of quartz dissolution in the CMAS and CAS systems

Quartz dissolution in melts in the KCAS and KCMAS systems results in the formation of a silica- and potassium-enriched boundary layer next to the dissolving crystals. The presence of potassium in CAS melts has no discernible effect on dissolution rate compared with that in K-free melts with otherwise similar composition despite a small decrease in the diffusivity of silica in the potassium-bearing melts. The decrease in silica diffusivity is offset by an increase in the solubility of silica in the K-bearing melts. Addition of potassium to CMAS melts results in a large decrease in the dissolution rate of quartz. Even though the solubility of silica is enhanced, the addition of potassium leads to large changes in the structure of the melt in the boundary layer (as measured by NBO/T), which results in a large decrease in the diffusivity of silica and thus slower dissolution. There is significant diffusive coupling of Al₂O₃, CaO and MgO during dissolution, which leads to local uphill diffusion of these components. K₂O is decoupled from the other components, as shown by its much thicker diffusion zone. Potassium moves through the boundary layer as a result of two homogeneous reactions: uphill diffusion in which potassium diffuses into the silica-enriched melt adjacent to the dissolving quartz crystal and downhill diffusion in the region furthest from the crystal–melt interface where SiO₂ and K₂O diffuse away from the interface together.     

Additional estimates of continental surface Precambrian shield composition in Canada

New trace element analyses have been made on the composite Canadian Precambrian shield samples reported in 1967.The overall mean abundance of Cr has been revised to 35 ppm (from 99). New abundances similar to 1967 values are (in ppm): Ni, 19; Co, 12; Cu, 14; Zr, 300; Sr, 315; Ba, 1070; Rb, 110: individual 1967 Rb values were erroneous.Elements not previously determined have the following overall mean values (in ppm): Zn, 52; Sc, 7.0; Nb, 26; Hf, 6.9; La, 32; Ce, 65; Nd, 26; Sm, 4.5; Eu, 0.94; Gd, 2.8; Tb, 0.48; Ho, 0.62; Yb, 1.5; Lu, 0.23; Y, 21; Pb, 17; values in ppb are: Ir, 0.02; Au, 1.8; Tl, 520.Clear positive correlations among Mg-Cr-Ni-Ir-Au appear for all rock-types, marble and quartzite as well as mafic igneous. Regional differences are apparent for several elements: e.g. higher Au, Ir, Cr, Ni in Baffin Island and Northern Quebec composites, compared with Saskatchewan and Southwestern Quebec; high Ti, Zn, Nb, Zr, Hf, REE, Y, Sr, K/T1 abundances and negative Eu anomalies in Southwestern Quebec.The overall REE abundances (omitting Southwestern Quebec) differ from other surface continental crustal rock estimates.     

Origin of post‐Minoan caves and volcaniclastic cave fill,Thera (Santorini), Greece

The Aegean island of Thera (Santorini) was covered by tephra from its cataclysmic Late Bronze Age (ca. 3600 yr B.P.) eruption. Vertical exposures of the eruptive sequence show secondary, nonvolcanic, circular (in cross section) features composed of stratified sediment. Many are inaccessible from the floors of modern quarries and appear to be caves filled with younger sediment, but show no connection to the land surface. A filled cave was found in the wall of a modern gully outside the modern quarries, and a filled cave was found in a terrace scarp, well above the modern gully. Natural (and probably rapid) incision by gullies into the thick tephra deposit left many locations with lateral access to tephra. Inhabitants from post‐Minoan to recent times excavated tephra for materials and buildings, and caves were subsequently filled by sporadic (possibly seasonal) flood events that deposited sediment. These gullies may have provided access for modern tephra removal that isolated the filled caves high on the modern quarry walls. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.