Flow Simulations To Evaluate Upscaling of Permeability

We study upscaling of the permeability for porous media flow on a grid with one million blocks. The purpose is to illustrate how flow simulations can be used to evaluate upscaling methods.     

Making a home during crisis: Post‐tsunami recovery in a context of war,Sri Lanka

This paper provides insights into the dynamic linkages between the ongoing construction of houses for people displaced by war and disaster, conceptions of homemaking and processes of recovery and reconstruction in the post‐tsunami context in Sri Lanka. In so doing, it also uncovers the dilemmas and ambiguities that are embedded in the recovery process. A case from Eastern Province, Sri Lanka illustrates how recovery works in local areas are driven by various stakeholders from outside, whose negotiations and power, voices and preferences, both independently and collectively, define the scope for homemaking processes. Our findings recommend that debates of ‘building back better’ following such disasters should embody an understanding of houses as political, cultural, social and economic constructs, and be cognizant of the wider processes of homemaking.     

Seasonal Cycles of Dissolved Cd, Mn and Zn in River Water Caused by Variations in pH Induced by Biological Activity

pH, dissolved oxygen, Zn, Cd and Mnwere measured once a month for 2.5 years in the LotRiver, France. The pH is controlled by biologicalactivity (photosynthesis and respiration). Dissolvedoxygen variations are due to a combination ofbiological activity and of the temperature dependenceof the oxygen solubility. pH is the master variablefor concentrations of aqueous Zn, Cd and Mn, thelowest concentrations being associated with thehighest pH values, which occur during the summer. pH-related processes rather than redox phenomenaexplain variations in dissolved Mn. Variations indissolved Zn and Cd are also controlled bypH-dependent reactions (possibly related to thedissolutive behavior of solid Mn).     

Improved confidence in regional climate model simulations of precipitation evaluated using drought statistics from the ENSEMBLES models

An ensemble of regional climate model simulations from the European framework project ENSEMBLES is compared with observations of low precipitation events across a number of European regions. We characterize precipitation deficits in terms of two drought indices, the Standardized Precipitation Index and the self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index. Models that robustly describe the observations for the period 1961–2000 in given regions are identified and an assessment of the overall performance of the ensemble is provided. The results show that in general, models capture the most severe drought events and that the ensemble mean model also performs well. Some regions that appear to be more problematic to simulate well are also identified. These are relatively small regions and have rather complex topographical features. The analysis suggests that assessment of future drought occurrence based on climate change experiments in general would appear to be robust. But due to the heterogeneous and often fine-scaled structure of drought occurrence, quantitative results should be used with great care, particularly in regions with complex terrain and limited information about past drought occurrence.     

A credible compliance enforcement system for the climate regime

The compliance enforcement system of the Kyoto Protocol provides only weak incentives for Parties to comply with their commitments. For example, the penalties for non-compliant countries are not legally binding, and moreover, there is no second-order punishment for those countries that fail to implement them. Thus, a Party can simply refuse to comply without consequence. The alternative compliance enforcement systems that have been proposed in the literature also face substantial problems. A simple, flexible, potent, and credible compliance enforcement system for a post-Kyoto climate agreement, based on deposits, is proposed here: at ratification, each country deposits a significant amount of money, and continues to do so in the preparation stage each year until the start of the commitment period. At the end of this period, those countries that meet their emissions limitation targets receive a full refund of their deposit, while those that fail to do so forfeit part or all of it. A simplified two-country model of the deposit system and a numerical example of an agreement involving the US, Japan, Russia, and Europe is also provided. If each country's deposit is no less than its abatement costs, there is a strong incentive for participating countries to avoid non-compliance.     

The effect of copper-treated net pens on farmed salmon (Salmo salar) and other marine organisms and sediments

Samples of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), saithe (Pollacius virens), blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), brown seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) and sediment were collected from six different fish farms. Five of the farms used net pens treated with copper-containing coatings, whereas one farm did not use copper-containing coating (this was used as a reference location). Samples of muscle, liver and gills of Atlantic salmon and saithe, blue mussel and brown seaweed were freeze dried, homogenised, wet digested and analysed for copper by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The results showed no significant differences in copper concentrations among the samples from the different locations. The copper contents of some of the samples appeared to be in the upper part of the normal concentration range. From a nutritional point of view, the use of copper-coatings on net pens did not affect the quality of the seafood products either within, or around the net pen.     

The effect of copper-treated net pens on farmed salmon (Salmo salar) and other marine organisms and sediments

Samples of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), saithe (Pollacius virens), blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), brown seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) and sediment were collected from six different fish farms. Five of the farms used net pens treated with copper-containing coatings, whereas one farm did not use copper-containing coating (this was used as a reference location). Samples of muscle, liver and gills of Atlantic salmon and saithe, blue mussel and brown seaweed were freeze dried, homogenised, wet digested and analysed for copper by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The results showed no significant differences in copper concentrations among the samples from the different locations. The copper contents of some of the samples appeared to be in the upper part of the normal concentration range. From a nutritional point of view, the use of copper-coatings on net pens did not affect the quality of the seafood products either within, or around the net pen.