Effective livelihood adaptation to climate change disturbance: Scale dimensions of practice in Mozambique

Natural resource-dependent societies in developing countries are facing increased pressures linked to global climate change. While social-ecological systems evolve to accommodate variability, there is growing evidence that changes in drought, storm and flood extremes are increasing exposure of currently vulnerable populations. In many countries in Africa, these pressures are compounded by disruption to institutions and variability in livelihoods and income. The interactions of both rapid and slow onset livelihood disturbance contribute to enduring poverty and slow processes of rural livelihood renewal across a complex landscape. We explore cross-scale dynamics in coping and adaptation response, drawing on qualitative data from a case study in Mozambique. The research characterises the engagements across multiple institutional scales and the types of agents involved, providing insight into emergent conditions for adaptation to climate change in rural economies. The analysis explores local responses to climate shocks, food security and poverty reduction, through informal institutions, forms of livelihood diversification and collective land-use systems that allow reciprocity, flexibility and the ability to buffer shocks. However, the analysis shows that agricultural initiatives have helped to facilitate effective livelihood renewal, through the reorganisation of social institutions and opportunities for communication, innovation and micro-credit. Although there are challenges to mainstreaming adaptation at different scales, this research shows why it is critical to assess how policies can protect conditions for emergence of livelihood transformation.     

The effects of seal-swim activities on the New Zealand fur seal (Arctophoca australis forsteri) in the Bay of Plenty,New Zealand,and recommendations for a sustainable tourism industry

Wildlife tourism (including pinniped tourism) offers people the opportunity to see wildlife in their natural environment. It can provide positive outcomes for the animals, through improved resources for conservation, or negative outcomes, such as inducing the animals to move away. This study assessed the impacts and sustainability of a novel but growing tourism industry, swimming with seals, based on interactions with New Zealand fur seals (Arctophoca australis forsteri) in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, between December 2011 and March 2012. The behaviour of all seals in the water (interaction, neutral, and avoidance) was monitored at 1 min intervals, during 16 seal-swim events. Seals mostly ignored the swimmers (54% of records), some interacted with swimmers (41%); seals rarely avoided the swimmers (5%). Interactions peaked in frequency at 6 min into the swims, then declined. They occurred most frequently during December, corresponding with the pupping period when juvenile seals—the age class most likely to interact—are excluded from breeding areas and so spend much of their time in the water. Compliance of tour operators to regulations was also monitored during seal-swim activities and the industry was found to be highly compliant. The results suggest the activities monitored had minimal impact on seals in the water, and are likely to be sustainable in relation to seal conservation. Tourism can be site and time specific, and it is recommended that approaches such as those trialled here be adopted to monitor other wildlife tourism activities to ensure their sustainability. Further research needs to examine potential impacts of the tours on seals ashore.     

不同初始扰动对电离层扩展F影响的数值模拟

重力波、中性风场、电场是激发电离层扩展F的主要影响因子,本文基于中低纬电离层扩展F发展的物理模型,通过电场强度、背景风场对扩展F影响作用的分析和经验对比,首先验证了模型的有效性,后借助该模型数值模拟了给定背景环境下三种尺度初始电子密度扰动条件下扩展F的发展情况,同时研究了利用化学物质释放实现一定尺度扰动,进而激发扩展F的过程.结果表明,较强的背景电场、东向风场有利于扩展F的形成和抬升,与经验结论相吻合;电离层从被作用初始扰动到激发扩展F的过程中存在拐点效应,拐点之后扩展F被激发形成并且抬升迅速,同时短波长扰动相对于长波长扰动更有利于扩展F的激发和发展;化学物质H₂O释放通过耗散电子密度,形成了一定尺度扰动并诱发了扩展F的形成,该方法可作为一种人工激发扩展F的探索手段.

     

Spatial and temporal variability of hard-bottom macrofauna in a disturbed coastal lagoon (Sacca di Goro, Po River Delta, Northwestern Adriatic Sea)

The sessile and mobile macrobenthos on artificial hard bottoms was studied in 12 stations of the Sacca di Goro lagoon, a brackish, highly stressed water basin in the delta of the river Po, open to the Northwestern Adriatic Sea. Three sampling surveys were carried out in June and September 2000 and June 2001 in order to make three types of temporal comparisons: (i) on a seasonal scale, before and after a summer dystrophic event; (ii) on an annual basis, before and after the works of excavation of a canal through the outer sand bank; (iii) on a multiannual scale, comparing the data with those of a survey carried out in 1988. The biocoenoses did not show large fluctuations after a moderately severe summer dystrophic crisis, while the digging of the canal caused clear changes in the macrobenthos community structure after one year. The long-term comparison showed a shift in the community patterns after a decade.     

Adaptive fuzzy controller design for dynamic positioning system of vessels

This paper develops an adaptive fuzzy controller for the dynamic positioning (DP) system of vessels with unknown dynamic model parameters and unknown time-varying environmental disturbances. The controller is designed by combining the adaptive fuzzy system with the vectorial backstepping method. An adaptive fuzzy system is employed to approximate the uncertain term induced by unknown dynamic model parameters and unknown time-varying environmental disturbances. It is theoretically proved that the proposed adaptive fuzzy DP controller can make the vessel be maintained at the desired values of its position and heading with arbitrary accuracy, while guaranteeing the uniform ultimate boundedness of all signals in the closed-loop DP control system of vessels. Simulation studies with comparisons on a supply vessel are carried out, and the results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.     

Assessment of the ecological quality status of soft-bottoms in Reunion Island (tropical Southwest Indian Ocean) using AZTI marine biotic indices

The ability of the two synthetic marine biotic indices, AMBI and M-AMBI, to account for changes in the ecological quality of coastal soft bottoms of Reunion Island according to disturbances was assessed from macrobenthic samples collected in five sectors between 1994 and 2004. Samples were collected under non-perturbed conditions and at two sites subjected to heavy organic enrichment. Both indices are based on a classification of macrofauna into ecological groups (EG), and their transfer to tropical waters required some adaptations. These indices proved efficient in detecting a degradation of habitat quality. Their use resulted in the classification of all sites sampled between 1996 and 1998 as "good" or "high". M-AMBI nevertheless tended to result in the attribution of a slightly worse ecological quality status than AMBI. Together with an update of the EG species list for the Indian Ocean area, our results support the extension of both indices for the assessment of tropical soft bottoms.     

西藏改则6.9级地震前的电离层电磁扰动

2008年1月9日西藏改则县发生6.9级地震, 震前2天法国DEMETER卫星飞过震中上空时记录到离子温度(Ti)和超低频电场异常。 文中通过震前10天内多条轨道的数据对比和分析处理, 对空间异常的识别和判定给出了两种有效的方法, 同时也积累了空间地震电磁前兆震例和异常信号判别的经验。     

震源硬化模型的理论、实验及观测事实依据

从前兆异常共性特征、有关理论分析及岩石实验结果等方面,论证了震源硬化模型的科学性和合理性。     

乌鲁木齐地区水汞空白值较高原因分析

从蒸馏水的制备过程及乌鲁木齐10号泉的化学成份等方面入手，通过分析认为乌鲁木齐水汞空白值较高的原因是：①在蒸馏水的制备过程中自来水中汞富集到蒸馏水中；②乌鲁木齐10号泉水中含有较高的S^2-，使10号泉水汞测值偏低。另外，还探讨了如何利用水汞空白值来处理水汞资料，从而提高水汞观测资料的质量及其在地震分析预报中的作用。     

Consequences of a freshwater canal discharge on the benthic community and its habitat on an exposed sandy beach

This paper analyses the spatial and temporal effects of a freshwater discharge (Canal Andreoni) on the macroinfauna community and its habitat in a sandy beach of Uruguay. Bimonthly, we examined 17 environmental variables plus macroinfauna abundance, biomass, richness, evenness and diversity of three sites: Andreoni, at the canal mouth, Coronilla, at 1 km, and Barra, at 13 km from the mouth. Both univariate and multivariate techniques showed an increasing degree of perturbation towards the canal. This was reflected by abiotic and biotic differences between sites and by a consistent two-dimensional ordination of the samples. A clear seasonal pattern was found, specially accentuated at Coronilla, where the effects of the canal were stronger in winter and weaker in summer. Multivariate linking between macroinfauna and its habitat highlighted the role of salinity as explanatory variable of the observed trends.