Protracted Environmental Issues on a Proposed Titanium Minerals Development in Kenya's South Coast

This study takes cognizance of the fact that the TIOMIN (TIOMIN Resources Inc. of Canada) project has resulted in controversy over its handling of environmental issues and especially the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The authors address many of the protracted issues that have slowed the development of the mining project in Kwale. The main emphasis is on the impacts of the mining and mineral separation processes on the environment, including the governing legislation, the role of consultation and public participation, and socioeconomic issues. In their public documents TIOMIN has specified neither the type of minerals it wants to extract from the area nor their chemical composition. It is well known, however that the titanium minerals and zircon targeted have impurities of iron, thorium and uranium. In the absence of an Environmental Management Plan, the effects of stockpiling radioactive wastes and other impurities that could possibly lead to environmental degradation in both the terrestrial and marine environments have not been publically addressed. The measures proposed to mitigate ecological damage as a result of the establishment of a minerals processing plant in the area seem inadequate. Pollution resulting from accidental spillage or breakage could have significant impact on marine life and residents living near the mining site. Other issues that have not been addressed satisfactorily pertain to the use of surface and underground water. The area already faces a huge water deficit and the calculations presented on aquifer recharge and stream flow rates do not indicate the large quantities of water that would be required in the mineral processing plant. The project, if approved in its present state, risks violation of international conventions. Furthermore, it could cause a conflict between Kenya and Tanzania in the event of an oil spill at the proposed ship loading facility at Shimoni. The proposed mining area includes the district's most fertile land, is home to many fisherfolk and is a major tourist destination. An analysis of the effects of this project on other available opportunities must be thoroughly understood to ascertain the economic and environmental benefits and costs of the mining venture. The proposed compensation rate of $1,000 per acre, for resettlement for example, appears to be grossly inadequate. Compensation should take into account family size and structure family assets and the cost of relocation.     

浅谈涉外海事仲裁协议的认定

仲裁亦称公断，是指争议的当事人在自愿的基础上，将争议提交非司法机构的第三者审理，并做出对争议各方有约束力裁决的一种解决争议的法律制度。以私法方面带有国际因素或涉外因素的争议为对象进行的仲裁，通常称为国际商事仲裁。其在狭义上不同于解决国家之间某一公法上的争端的国际仲裁、不同于为解决国家与企业或私人实体间争议所进行的跨国仲裁、也不同于解决一国范围内自然人、法人和其他组织之间争议包括行政仲裁在内的国内仲裁：广义上国际商事仲裁还包括跨国仲裁。国际商事仲裁主要包括国际贸易和国际海事仲裁。本文仅在狭义上讨论。按照我国现行法律规定，本文称涉外海事仲裁。     

Numerical Simulation of Wind Currents and Propagation of Impurities in the Balaklava Bay

We present the results of numerical experiments aimed at the simulation of the circulation of waters and transport of impurities in the Balaklava Bay for typical wind conditions established on the basis of the analysis of the data of in-situ measurements. The currents are computed by using the nonlinear σ-coordinate model. The specific features of the integral circulation and three-dimensional structure of the current field are investigated. The statistical characteristics of currents are estimated on the basis of the in-situ data on winds and model calculations. Possible scenarios of propagation of impurities from the coastal sources are analyzed for various hydrodynamic conditions. It is shown that the localized eddy structures in the current fields (in combination with the zones of intense vertical motion) can result in a complex character of the transport of substances in the bay and lead to the formation of local regions of maximum concentrations of impurities on the boundary of the north and central parts of the bay. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, pp. 43–58, July–August, 2005.     

Random wave-current interactions in water of varying depth

Refraction of incoherent random gravity waves with currents and bottom topography results in spatial variations in the spectral characteristics of the free surface. Prediction of such variations based on the radiation transfer equation is in a simple analytic form for the case of one dimensional inhomogeneities in currents and topography. This analytic form is examined in terms of two-dimensional wave number- and polar frequency-direction spectra along the associated dynamic and kinematic constraints relevant to wave breaking and reflection. Results are specialized to the simplest case of horizontal shear currents in deep and shallow water with explicit examples to illustrate the relative and combined effects of currents and topography on free surface spectra.     

Turbulent structure of the subsurface layer of the sea according to the data of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sigma-1</Emphasis> measuring complex

We present the results of experimental investigations of the characteristics of turbulence in the layer of wave-induced mixing. The data on the fluctuations of velocity, temperature, and conductivity are obtained with the help of a Sigma-1 measuring complex. The computed values of the dissipation rate of turbulent energy are compared with different models proposed for the subsurface layer. It is shown that the available models fail to guarantee satisfactory agreement of the numerical results with the experimental data for the layer of active wave action and, in particular, in the presence of swell. This leads us to the conclusion concerning the necessity of parametrization and assimilation of more complete data on the state of the sea surface, the structure of currents, and the surface layer of the atmosphere in the models. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 2, pp. 15–28, March–April, 2007.     

On the application of the units of measurement of the amount and composition of matter in oceanology

We consider the procedures of conversion of the conventional and out-of-system units of measurement of the amount and composition of matter used in oceanology to the International System of Units (SI). The coefficients of conversion are presented in the form of a table. We present the data on the units of measurement of mineralization (scales of salinity) of seawater for the oceanic range of its variability, freshened waters of internal seas, and brines. The contemporary concept of salinity as a dimensionless quantity is discussed.Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, pp. 61–72, July–August, 2004.     

Temperature of the ocean surface as an indicator of thermodynamic processes in the northwest Pacific

The numerical computations and analysis of the anomalies of temperature of the ocean surface in the northwest part of the Pacific Ocean were carried out on the basis of the archival data for 1960 and 1964–1985. A five-year period of general instability of the annual average temperature was revealed (1973–1977). In this period, the year 1974 was the coldest and the year 1977 was characterized as extremely warm. We performed the analysis of the interannual and annual variability of the anomalies of temperature of the ocean surface and revealed common features and distinctions of the seasonal evolution of these anomalies for years with substantially different temperature conditions. A quasistationary zone of maximally heated waters was discovered in the band located (independently of the year and season) between 36 and 46°N to the east of 140°E. This zone coincides in space with the zone of the subarctic front and the south part of the subarctic region. The influence of the meanders of the Kuroshio Current was demonstrated. It is shown that their activity increases after the events of El-Niño and, hence, the thermal energy of the water area considerably increases and remains elevated for a period of 1–2 yr after the indicated events.Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 45–52, September–October, 2004.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to cover date.     

Structure of the mesoscale variability of the troposphere and stratosphere found from radio refraction measurements via CHAMP satellites

Data of an experiment on radio occultation sounding of the atmosphere with the use of GPS signals were used to obtain global distributions of the variances of mesoscale variations in the refractive index in the troposphere and stratosphere. The experiment was carried out with the CHAMP satellite during the period 2001–2005. Measured vertical profiles were smoothed inside 5–10-km-thick layers centered at different altitudes in the troposphere and stratosphere with the use of second-degree polynomials. Deviations from the smoothed quantities and the corresponding variances were obtained for each profile and averaged for each month during the analyzed interval of the CHAMP experiment. Altitude-longitude-latitude inhomogeneities in the distribution of refractive index variances were analyzed. Altitude and latitude distributions of maxima and minima of refractive index variances depend on altitude and season. Turbulence and acoustic gravity waves can be the causes of small-scale and mesoscale variations in the refractive index of the troposphere and stratosphere. The variances of variations in the refractive index are greater in the regions of tropospheric jet streams and in the zones of near-equatorial deep convection. Atmospheric disturbances increase over mountain systems.     

中国近海龙介虫科 (多毛纲：缨鳃虫目)的研究Ⅱ

本文是中国近海多毛纲、缨鳃虫目、龙介虫科(石灰虫科)分类区系研究的第二篇报道。本科动物除吴宝铃、陈木(1981、1985)报道5种(含2新种)，杨德渐、孙瑞平(1988)报道6种，孙瑞平(1998)报道南沙群岛6种(含1新种)， Fiege and Sun(1999)报道海南岛22种，以及孙瑞平、杨德渐(2000)第一篇报道龙介虫科的盘管虫属 Hydroides 28种外，迄今国内尚无系统研究。作者对中国科学院海洋研究所历年收藏的标本进行了研究，现报道龙介虫科的伪柱盖虫属 Pseudovermilia、龙介虫属 Serpula、半龙介虫属 Semiserpula、半柱盖虫属 Semivermilia、旋鰓虫属 Spirobranchus和柱盖虫属 Vermiliopsis共6属23种(2新种，7种为我国首次记录和1个复合种)。模式标本保存在中国科学院海洋研究所标本馆，其种名录如下(有*者为我国首次记录)。