Fluid-assisted fracturing,cataclasis, and resulting plastic flow in mylonites from the Moresby Seamount detachment,Woodlark Basin

The Moresby Seamount detachment (MSD) in the Woodlark Basin (offshore Papua New Guinea) is a large active low-angle detachment excellently exposed at the seafloor, and cutting through mafic metamorphic rocks. Hydrothermal infiltration of quartz followed by that of calcite occurred during cataclastic deformation. Subsequent deformation of these a priori softer minerals leads to mylonite formation in the MSD. This study aims at a better understanding of the deformation mechanism switch from cataclastic to plastic flow. Deformation fabrics of the fault rocks were analyzed by light-optical microscopy. Rheologically critical phases were mapped to determine distributions and area proportions, and EBSD was used to measure crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO). Strong calcite CPOs indicate dominant dislocation creep. Quartz CPOs, however, are weak and more difficult to interpret, suggesting at least some strain accommodation by diffusion creep mechanisms. When quartz aggregates are intermixed with the polymineralic mylonite matrix diffusion creep grain boundary sliding may be dominant. The syntectonic conversion from mafic cataclasites to more siliceous and carbonaceous mylonites induced by hydrothermal processes is a critical weakening mechanism enabling the MSD to at least intermittently plastic flow at low shear stresses. This is probably a crucial process for the operation of low-angle detachments in hydrated and dominantly mafic crust.     

珍珠层有机质及其矿化响应研究

珍珠层中的有机质极其重要,它不仅是生物矿物与纯无机矿物的根本区别,而且具有重要的生物矿化响应效应.但珍珠层中有机质含量极低,约为珍珠层体积的5％,致使研究手段受到了很大限制.选择广西、广东、浙江、江苏等地的海水养殖珍珠、淡水养殖珍珠、育珠贝贝壳中的珍珠层以及现代珊瑚、珊瑚化石作为研究对象,通过日立835-50型高速氨基酸分析仪获得了各样品氨基酸的种类和含量,继而进行相关性分析和聚类分析,得到一些具有特点的氨基酸组合或类,结合对珍珠层进行的TEM、SEM等电镜观察结果,发现这些组合和类很可能分别对应于珍珠层中不同空间位置、不同结构、不同种类和不同形态大小的有机大分子.由此认为有机质的矿化响应十分复杂、多样,并可以通过诱导和控制作用形成多样化、相互演化、复杂的无机矿物及珍珠层独特的微结构.这一结论对于阐释珍珠层有机质复杂多样的矿化响应具有重要意义.     

Matrix Corrections and Error Analysis in High‐Precision SIMS 18O/16O Measurements of Ca–Mg–Fe Garnet

We report technical and data treatment methods for making accurate, high‐precision measurements of ¹⁸O/¹⁶O in Ca–Mg–Fe garnet utilising the Cameca IMS 1280 multi‐collector ion microprobe. Matrix effects were similar to those shown by previous work, whereby Ca abundance is correlated with instrumental mass fractionation (IMF). After correction for this effect, there appeared to be no significant secondary effect associated with Mg/Fe²⁺ for routine operational conditions. In contrast, investigation of the IMF associated with Mn‐ or Cr‐rich garnet showed that these substitutions are significant and require a more complex calibration scheme. The Ca‐related calibration applied to low‐Cr, low‐Mn garnet was reproducible across different sample mounts and under a range of instrument settings and therefore should be applicable to similar instruments of this type. The repeatability of the measurements was often better than ± 0.2‰ (2s), a precision that is similar to the repeatability of bulk techniques. At this precision, the uncertainties due to spot‐to‐spot repeatability were at the same magnitude as those associated with matrix corrections (± 0.1–0.3‰) and the uncertainties in reference materials (± 0.1–0.2‰). Therefore, it is necessary to accurately estimate and propagate uncertainties associated with these parameters – in some cases, uncertainties in reference materials or matrix corrections dominate the uncertainty budget.     

1992—2020年横断山区植被分布与植被活动变化

横断山区位于青藏高原东缘和多条重要江河的上游,是全球生物多样性最丰富的地区和生态保护的优先区域之一,区域植被对维系区域生态安全和可持续发展起着十分重要的作用。20世纪90年代以来,中国在横断山区实施了多项重大生态恢复和建设工程,但囿于资料和调查不足,对于横断山区全域性、长时段的植被变化及其与海拔关系研究相对较少。鉴此,本文结合使用1992—2020年间多种基于卫星遥感资料生产的土地覆被数据和2000—2020年间MODIS的归一化植被指数（NDVI）数据,采用转移矩阵、Theil-Sen Median趋势分析与偏相关分析等方法研究不同植被类型转换、植被覆被面积与平均海拔变化关系以及植被活动的时空变化趋势,并分析时空变化的主要影响因素。结果表明：① 横断山区分布最广泛的植被类型是常绿针叶林与灌丛—草地镶嵌类型。植被发生变化的区域集中分布在河谷和南部低海拔区域,草地多向森林特别是常绿针叶林转换,植被覆被逐渐向好。这表明封山育林、植树造林、退耕还林等生态保护政策起到重要积极作用。时间序列数据显示,植被覆被面积变化剧烈的时期往往处在政策实施的起始阶段。② 植被活动整体呈现增强趋势。在植被类型未变化的区域中,75%以上区域植被活动增强,其中超20%的区域显著增强（P < 0.05）,且森林植被活动增强趋势大于草地。③ 对植被活动影响较大的环境因子主要是气候变化和地形条件。尽管大部分区域植被活动受气候变暖影响而增强,但在干热河谷的植被活动明显受到降水减少的限制。有近1/4面积的植被活动在减弱,主要分布在山地东坡或南坡,或与降水较多、山高坡陡而造成滑坡、泥石流等自然灾害有关。这些发现可为横断山区生态保护政策效益评估、自然灾害综合风险评估和未来气候变化影响下的植被变化预测提供参考。     

Defining and quantifying China's ocean economy

In recent years, the Chinese government has been increasingly supportive of the development of the ocean economy, implementing several national ocean-related strategies. For the first time, China's 12th five-year Plan for National and Social Development (2011—2015) includes “developing the ocean economy” as a key national development strategy for the country. Because of this, the demand for ocean economic statistics and indicators is growing rapidly. The aim of this paper is to define and quantify the value of the major ocean industries in China and to examine the growth in the major Chinese ocean industries in the period 2001 to 2010. The paper also outlines a methodology that provides a robust quantification of the marine sector over time. It finds that in 2010 the major ocean industries in China contributed $239.09 billion to the national economy and employed over 9 million individuals.     

Social impacts of a temperate fisheries closure: understanding stakeholders' views

The social dimensions of marine protected areas (MPAs) play an important role in MPA success, yet these social dimensions are little understood. We explore the social impacts arising from the establishment of an MPA using Lyme Bay (south west England) as a case study. Through a series of small group semi-structured interviews the social impacts experienced by fishermen (mobile and static gear), recreational users (divers and sea anglers) and recreation service providers (charter boat and dive businesses) were explored. The social impacts expressed varied according to activity in which the stakeholder group engaged. Negative themes included lengthening fishing trips, tension and conflict, fishermen identity, equity and uncertainty in the long-term. Positive themes included improved experiences for both commercial fishermen and recreational users, and expectations for long-term benefits. These impacts need to be understood because they influence stakeholder behaviour. Failure to interpret stakeholder responses may lead to poor decision-making and worsening stakeholder relations. These findings have implications for the success of the MPA in Lyme Bay, but also for the future network of marine conservation zones around the UK. Any assessment of MPA impacts must therefore identify social as well as economic and environmental change.     

What role for social–ecological systems research in governing global teleconnections?

The paper considers the extent to which social–ecological systems research might contribute to an improved understanding of the social and environmental impacts of teleconnections inherent in economic globalisation. Recognising the importance and specificity of regional interconnections, wherein actions in certain parts of the world impact quite specifically on the sustainability of certain other spatially distant places and systems, the paper reflects on the social and environmental implications of increasingly interconnected agri-food systems and intersecting global commodity chains. Key elements of social–ecological systems approaches, which have purported relevance to research on globalisation, are critically examined, and aspects of social–ecological systems thinking that pose challenges for its application in this context are considered. Wider implications and limitations of social–ecological systems approaches to research and practice in (global) governance for sustainability are discussed. The general conclusion is that social–ecological systems research may offer insights into the governance of social and environmental impacts of agri-food systems and other complex systems at certain scales. However, the formal utility of concepts like resilience, vulnerability and adaptability becomes considerably less clear as research turns to analyses of larger, complex, globally teleconnected systems, where the main contribution of such concepts may lie in their metaphorical appeal to important aspects of interconnectivity and interdependence.     

Mapping the climate sceptical blogosphere

While mainstream scientific knowledge production has been extensively examined in the academic literature, comparatively little is known about alternative networks of scientific knowledge production. Online sources such as blogs are an especially under-investigated site of knowledge contestation. Using degree centrality and node betweenness tests from social network analysis, and thematic content analysis of individual posts, this research identifies and critically examines the climate sceptical blogosphere and investigates whether a focus on particular themes contributes to the positioning of the most central blogs. A network of 171 individual blogs is identified, with three blogs in particular found to be the most central: Climate Audit, JoNova and Watts Up With That. These blogs predominantly focus on the scientific element of the climate debate, providing either a direct scientifically-based challenge to mainstream climate science, or a critique of the conduct of the climate science system. This overt scientific framing, as opposed to explicitly highlighting differences in values, politics, or ideological worldview, appears to be an important contributory factor in the positioning of the most central blogs. It is suggested that these central blogs are key protagonists in a process of attempted expert knowledge de-legitimisation and contestation, acting not only as translators between scientific research and lay audiences, but, in their reinterpretation of existing climate science knowledge claims, are acting themselves as alternative public sites of expertise for a climate sceptical audience.     

Justice and cost effectiveness of consumption-based versus production-based approaches in the case of unilateral climate policies

In recent years, climate policy under the United Nations system has been characterized by bottom-up, national approaches to climate mitigation. This raises concerns about the overall effectiveness of these mitigation policies, for example due to carbon leakage. In response to these concerns, authors have repeatedly suggested that policy makers consider a consumption-based climate policy approach. We analyze the potential merits of a switch to a consumption-based policy approach using the criteria of justice and economic efficiency. We argue that emissions must be understood as being contributed by both, consumers and producers, but that this fact does not by itself settle the question whether consumption or production ought to serve as the climate policy base. Rather, the perspective of justice necessitates an analysis of the distributive consequences of switching from a production- to a consumption-based policy.We find that both (global) cost-effectiveness and justice can be improved if the unilateral climate policies of industrialized countries are based on emissions from consumption. There are preconditions, however, the switch in the policy base must be accompanied by clean technology transfer, and if implemented by border carbon adjustments, import tax revenues need to be channeled to developing and emerging economies. We further show that in such a setting, export rebates are of minor importance for efficiency and justice.     

Using community led development approaches to address vulnerability after disaster: Caught in a sad romance

A reading of the social capital literature suggests that the networks and the social relationships which enable collective action can be used to address critical livelihood needs, even in disaster contexts. Yet even when such community-led approaches are combined with substantial resources, too often these interventions (re)produce vulnerabilities without recovering prior levels of development. Examining the outcomes of community-led approaches in post-tsunami Aceh after the gaze of the aid industry has moved elsewhere, this paper finds that in a few cases, interventions worked with social networks to revive livelihoods successfully, albeit in complex, contingent ways. Yet, given the nature of post-disaster contexts and the exigencies driving NGO and donors actions, the research concludes that the capacity for community based approaches to address the underlying drivers of vulnerability remains limited. The paper calls for a rewriting of intervention narratives and a reworking of intervention practices, to address the deeper determinants of disadvantage and vulnerability.