The Process of Competitive Discussion

Every active scientific discipline has arrived at its own peculiar definition of acceptable problems and acceptable ways of attacking them through a social process of mutual consent.     

The effects of stock size and environmental variability on Cape hake recruitment in Namibia: an unsolved puzzle (a comment on Kainge et al. 2013)

Measuring and forecasting recruitment are central to the understanding and management of fish stocks. Kainge et al. (2013) studied the effect of spawning stock size and environmental fluctuations on the recruitment levels of the Cape hake Merluccius capensis in Namibia. However, their study contains some flaws that undermine the conclusion that Cape hake recruitment is under the influence of upwelling in summer. Until those flaws are properly addressed, this conclusion, in our view, should be treated with caution.     

GENDER,RACE, AND COMMUTING AMONG SERVICE SECTOR WORKERS*

The generality that women work closer to home and have shorter commuting times than men needs to be assessed for racial groups. Statistical analysis of commuting times for a large sample of service workers in the New York metropolitan area shows that black and hispanic women commute as far as their male counterparts and their commuting times far exceed those of white men and women. Workplace factors, such as income, occupation, and job accessibility, are important in explaining these findings.     

Seasonal Forecasting for Climate Hazards: Prospects and Responses

One of the most promising developments for early warning of climate hazards is seasonal climate forecasting. Already forecasts are operational in many parts of the tropics and sub-tropics, particularly for droughts and floods associated with ENSO events. Prospects for further development of seasonal forecasting for a range of climatichazards are reviewed, illustrated with case studies in Africa, Australia, the U.S.A. and Europe. A critical evaluation of the utility of seasonal forecasts centres on vulnerability, communicationchannels, and effective responses. In contrast to short-term prediction, seasonal forecasts raise new issues of preparedness and the use of information.     

Public engagement on solar radiation management and why it needs to happen now

There have been a number of calls for public engagement in geoengineering in recent years. However, there has been limited discussion of why the public should have a say or what the public can be expected to contribute to geoengineering discussions. We explore how public engagement can contribute to the research, development, and governance of one branch of geoengineering, solar radiation management (SRM), in three key ways: 1. by fulfilling ethical requirements for the inclusion of affected parties in democratic decision making processes; 2. by contributing to improved dialogue and trust between scientists and the public; and 3. by ensuring that decisions about SRM research and possible deployment are informed by a broad set of societal interests, values, and framings. Finally, we argue that, despite the nascent state of many SRM technologies, the time is right for the public to participate in engagement processes.     

Interpreting rural change in Malaysia

Relatively little in the literature on rural change in Southeast Asia engages with Malaysia, where the population is becoming urban‐based more rapidly than in many countries in the region. The literature on change in rural Malaysia during the past 40 years, supplemented by our own research, is used to identify key features of such change, which are considered in the context of existing interpretations to arrive at deeper understandings of rural change. Existing conceptualizations of rural change, it is suggested, must account for the diversity of roles taken by individuals daily, seasonally and at different life stages, as well as in multiple locations. Further attention needs to be paid to gender, generation and class among those experiencing change. Processes of rural (and urban) changes will continue and their complexity will reflect cultural and technological evolutions that affect individuals, households and communities throughout the world.     

The metamorphic and alteration history of West Rand Group shales from distal portions of the Witwatersrand Basin

Summary The maximum metamorphic grade in West Rand Group shales from three boreholes to the east and south of the Vredefort Dome is lower greenschist facies. In most samples the peak metamorphic assemblage consists of quartz + muscovite + chlorite, with the phyllosilicates defining a tectonic cleavage. In many of the samples more coarsely crystalline alteration zones that clearly crosscut both bedding and the tectonic cleavage overprint this assemblage. The alteration zones are localized around minor faults and shears where fluid ingress has occurred. Muscovite was not observed in these zones and the cleaved matrix assemblages has been replaced by assemblages consisting of pyrite + quartz ± chlorite ± stilpnomelane ± calcite ± carbonaceous matter ± Mn-garnet ± epidote ± chalcopyrite. In some of the alteration zones stilpnomelane is a very common product and appears to arise through the breakdown of chlorite + muscovite. K and Fe metasomatism are indicated during this reaction, as well as the obvious mobility of S, Cu and C. Assays on small samples indicate gold introduction into the shales during the alteration event. Chlorite thermometry was used to estimate the equilibration temperature of chlorite from the cleaved matrix and the alteration zones. Temperatures close to 300°C are indicated for both chlorite varieties, and for all three boreholes. These results, and the petrographic data, imply that fluid influx post-dated the formation of the tectonic cleavage, but occurred close to the peak of metamorphism. Comparison between the chlorite thermometry data from this study with those from similar studies in the goldfields indicates very similar peak metamorphic grades in both areas, suggesting that these metamorphic conditions may be typical of almost the entire basin. The one exception is obviously the amphibolite facies metamorphism exposed in the northwestern sector of the collar of the Vredefort Dome. Several recent studies have suggested that this metamorphism is representative of a widespread zone of higher grade metamorphism within the central portions of the basin. The results of this study indicate that this is unlikely to be the case and suggest that these amphibolite facies rocks are probably unique to the northern portions of the dome.

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Die Metamorphose- und Alterationsgeschichte von Peliten der West Rand Group im distalen Bereich des Witwatersrand Beckens

Zusammenfassung Dieser Artikel dokumentiert die Metamorphose und Alteration einiger Tonschiefer der West Rand Group, welche in drei Bohrkernen östlich und südlich des Vredefort Domes aufgeschlossen sind. In allen untersuchten Proben entspricht der maximale Metamorphosegrad der unteren Grünschiefer Fazies. Die maximalen metamorphen Bedingungen sind häufig durch die Mineralparagenese Quarz + Muscovit + Chlorit charakterisiert, wobei die Schichtsilikate eine ausgeprägte Schieferung definieren. Viele der Proben zeichnen sich durch gröber kristalline Bereiche intensiver Alteration aus, die sowohl die Schieferung als auch die Schichtung deutlich schneiden und in denen die metamorphe Mineralparagenese überprägt ist. Diese Alterationszonen befinden sich im Bereich von kleineren Störungen und Scherzonen, entlang derer Fluide eingedrungen sind. Muscovit fehlt in diesen Bereichen und die Matrixminerale sind durch die Paragenese Pyrit ± Quarz ± Chlorit ± Stilpnomelan ± Kalzit ± Kohlenstoff-haltiges Material ± Mn-Granat ± Epidot ± Kupferkies verdrängt worden. In einigen Alterationszonen findet man häufig Stilpnomelan, welcher möglicherweise auf Kosten von Muscovit und Chlorit gewachsen ist. Versuche, diese Reaktion mit Hilfe von gemessenen Mineralzusammensetzungen unter Annahme eines isochemischen Systems auszugleichen, scheiterten. Dies ist wahrscheinlich auf die Mobilität von K und Fe, sowie S, Cu and C zurückzuführen. Untersuchungen an kleinen Proben deuten darauf hin, daß die Alteration mit einer Goldanreicherung verbunden war. Die Abschätzung der Gleichgewichtstemperaturen von Chlorit der geschieferten Matrix sowie der Alterationszone mit Hilfe von Chlorit-Thermometrie ergab Temperaturen um 300°C für beide Chlorit-Varietäten aus allen drei Bohrkernen, Diese thermometrischen und petrographischen Daten sprechen dafür, daß die Fluidinfiltration nach Anlegung der Schieferung nahe dem Metamorphosehöhepunkt erfolgte. Ein Vergleich der Daten aus der Chlorit-Thermometrie dieser Studie mit den Ergebnissen ähnlicher Studien in den Goldfeldern ergibt sehr ähnliche metamporphe Bedingungen, was möglicherweise dafür spricht, daß diese Bedingungen typisch für das ganze Becken sind. Die einzige Ausnahme bildet offensichtlich die amphibolitfazielle Metamorphose in den nordwestlichen Randbereichen des Vredefort Domes. Einige neuere Studien spekulieren, daß diese Metamorphose eventuell für eine breite Zone höhergradiger Metamorphose im zentralen Teil des Beckens repräsentativ ist. Unsere Resultate deuten jedoch eher darauf hin, daß diese amphibolitfaziellen Gesteine auf den nördlichen Teil des Domes beschränkt sind.

     

Mineral chemical provenance of Neolithic pitchstone artefacts from Ballygalley,County Antrim,Northern Ireland

A large number of pitchstone fragments and artefacts have recently been discovered at a Neolithic settlement site in Ballygalley, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. They consist predominantly of flakes and un‐reworked lumps and cores, with only one complete tool being found. Since no sources of workable pitchstone exist in Ireland, the source must have been the abundant pitchstone volcanic rocks found on the Hebridean Islands of northwest Scotland. The composition of the glass from a number of artefacts is highly siliceous, indicating that they were derived from pitchstones on the Island of Arran; pitchstones from all other Scottish locations are less silica‐rich. In addition, analysis of pyroxene and amphibole microcrystallites within the pitchstone suggests that the Corriegills area of Arran is the most likely source of the Ballygalley artefacts, although the precise outcrop has proved elusive. These finds, and others across Ireland, show that raw materials were being transported and probably traded over considerable distances despite there being suitable alternative sources of material for making tools (flint, etc.) available in the local area. This suggests that the pitchstone had a very specialist use. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.