From catfish to organic fish: making distinctions about nature as cultural economic practice

This paper addresses the cultural economy of nature and the material culture of economic practice. Attending to ways that cultural notions about the biophysical world play key roles in political economic conflicts, discussion centers on two recent debates involving the cultural economy of seafood production and trade. The first debate is over whether the label “catfish” should include catfish imported from Vietnam into the United States; the second deals with whether fish and shellfish should be eligible to be certified “organic” under new US regulations. Analysis reveals that the key dynamic in these debates is not necessarily how people think about “nature”, but instead is how people make distinctions about the world. Rather than focusing on what is natural or not, key actors make distinctions among both organisms and environments. The ways that different groups define and enclose the biophysical world works to distinguish places as either appropriate or not for certain kinds of production activities. The overall argument is that significance and meaning of the biophysical become implicated in economic geographies by making distinctions about the world that then become important for how economic activity can work. As such, cultural economic approaches should attend to the ways that the biophysical is involved in relations such as competition and international trade, while nature-society approaches should shift focus from Nature to specific aspects of the biophysical world.     

The Effects of Ocean Acidification on Feeding and Contest Behaviour by the Beadlet Anemone <Emphasis Type="Italic">Actinia equina</Emphasis>

Increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide are causing oceanic pH to decline worldwide, a phenomenon termed ocean acidification. Mounting experimental evidence indicates that near-future levels of CO₂ will affect calcareous invertebrates such as corals, molluscs and gastropods, by reducing their scope for calcification. Despite extensive research into ocean acidification in recent years, the effects on non-calcifying anthozoans, such as sea anemones, remain little explored. In Western Europe, intertidal anemones such as Actinia equina are abundant, lower trophic-level organisms that function as important ecosystem engineers. Changes to behaviours of these simple predators could have implications for intertidal assemblages. This investigation identified the effects of reduced seawater pH on feeding and contest behaviour by A. equina. Video footage was recorded for A. equina feeding at current-day seawater (pH 8.1), and the least (pH 7.9) and most (pH 7.6) severe end-of-century predictions. Footage was also taken of contests over ownership of space between anemones exposed to reduced pH and those that were not. No statistically significant differences were identified in feeding duration or various aspects of contest behaviour including initiating, winning, inflating acrorhagi, inflicting acrorhagial peels and contest duration. Multivariate analyses showed no effect of pH on a combination of these variables. This provides contrast with other studies where anemones with symbiotic algae thrive in areas of natural increased acidity. Thus, novel experiments using intraspecific contests and resource-holding potential may prove an effective approach to understand sub-lethal consequences of ocean acidification for A. equina, other sea anemones and more broadly for marine ecosystems.     

A thermal tool for direct investigation of the interior of the earth

Summary Direct access to the crust and the upper portion of the mantle may be achieved by letting a high temperature (>1100°C) reactor core melt the rock in which it is placed and fall through the resulting magma. Data gathering and retrieval seem feasible. A schematic design of the proposed instrument is given.There are many problems concerning the composition and conditions of the interior of the earth which will not be solved upon completion of the projectedMohole Project. Comparison of the continental crust with the oceanic crust, relative distribution of radioactivity under continents and oceans, and the investigation of the mantle itself require access to greater depths than the present drilling techniques permit. To achieve these aims, it is recommended that a dense, heatgenerating object (such as a nuclear reactor core) be placed in the top of a salt dome. The hot object would melt the salt and fall downward through the moten salt. The sinking object would pass out of the source salt bed into rock at such a depth, say 35 000 feet, that if a few percent of H₂O is present at that depth, then a granitic rock would melt at about 700°C. However, encounter with SiO₂ containing no water would require a much higher temperature of about 1700°C. The type of rock that actually exists immediately below the source salt bed is unknown, but it is probably not a granitic rock.Thermal considerations indicate that the hole will freeze shut after downward passage of the tool, leaving the tool inside a liquid bubble. If the tool can generate heat long enough to melt its way up, as well as down, it may be possible to obtain magma samples. Instrumentation for control and telemetry purposes appears extremely difficult. Initial emphasis is placed on attaining the depth of interest.     

Spatial correlations between urbanization and river water pollution in the heavily polluted area of Taihu Lake Basin, China

Water pollution in the Taihu Lake Basin has been the focus of attention in China and abroad for a long time, due to its position in the forefront of urban development in China. Based on data gathering and processing from 84 monitoring sections in this heavily polluted area, this study first analyzes spatial patterns of urbanization and the distribution of river water pollution, and then uses the GeoDa bivariate spatial autocorrelation model to investigate the spatial correlation between urbanization and river water pollution at the scale of township units. The results show that urbanization has adverse impacts on water pollution, and the influence varies in different levels of development areas. The urban township units have the highest level of urbanization and highest pollution, but the best water quality; the suburban units have lower level of urbanization, but higher pollution and worse water quality; however the rural units have the lowest level of urbanization and lowest pollution, mainly affected by upstream pollution, but worst water quality. Lastly, urban and rural planning committees, while actively promoting the process of development in the region, should gradually resolve the issue of pollution control lagging behind urban life and urban develop- ment, giving priority to construction of centralized sewage treatment facilities and associated pipeline network coverage in the rural areas and suburban areas.     

Property Regime or Development Policy? Explaining Growth in the U.S. Pacific Groundfish Fishery

Researchers often blame problems in fisheries on the property regime under which a fishery is practiced. Depending on their perspective, researchers locate the cause of problems in either common property or open access regimes. However, because these approaches rely on the assumption of the “economically rational individual,” they obfuscate the specific cultural, political, and economic practices that shape resource use. Analysis of the U.S. Pacific groundfish fishery shows that growth and subsequent problems in this fishery are the result of a state‐led fisheries development program implemented through a series of national, regional, and local policies designed to extend sovereign control to include ocean territory. These policies both created a climate of fisheries development and provided the means by which the fishery could grow. This analysis highlights the need to examine historic and geographic specificity to explain resource use, rather than relying upon generalized models that posit a deterministic relationship between property regimes and socioenvironmental outcomes.     

从区域一体化看融合交通——以粤港澳大湾区和港深广高铁线为例

高铁的网络化规划和发展为粤港澳大湾区内居民跨城活动提供便捷的快速公交式服务,是粤港澳大湾区形塑“一小时生活圈”的重要支撑。高铁站与城市公共交通的接驳在高铁出行链中占据重要位置,对更好发挥高铁时空压缩效应、提升居民高铁出行满意度、增加高铁出行选择及载客量具有重要意义。本文结合融合交通理论与旅客换乘经历,提出高铁站与城市公共交通接驳理论框架与实地观察指标,并应用到广深港沿线香港西九龙站、深圳北站、广州南站的观察式调研中,分析和对比3个高铁站的公共交通接驳表现。研究发现：在信息衔接层面,香港西九龙站展现出更好的国际化形象与对特殊人群的人文关怀;在设施和服务衔接层面,深圳北站与香港西九龙站以商场作为公共交通换乘点/路线连接点的设计,优化了换乘环境;在车票制度衔接层面,广州南站与深圳北站更好运用信息化技术,便利换乘服务。最后,基于调研结论提出相关建议以提升高铁站点城市公共交通接驳水准,促进粤港澳大湾区发展。     

Sources,transport, and sinks of SO<Subscript>2</Subscript> over the equatorial Pacific during the Pacific Atmospheric Sulfur Experiment

The Pacific Atmospheric Sulfur Experiment (PASE) is the first sulfur-budget field experiment to feature simultaneous flux measurements of DMS marine emissions and SO₂ deposition to the ocean surface. We make use of these data to constrain a 1-D chemical transport model to study the production and loss pathways for DMS and SO₂ over the equatorial Pacific. Model results suggest that OH is the main sink for DMS in the boundary layer (BL), and the average DMS-to-SO₂ conversion efficiency is ~73%. In an exploratory run involving the addition of 1 pptv of BrO as a second oxidant, a 14% increase in the DMS flux is needed beyond that based on OH oxidation alone. This BrO addition also reduces the DMS-to-SO₂ conversion efficiency from 73% to 60%. The possibility of non-DMS sources of marine sulfur influencing the estimated conversion efficiency was explored and found to be unconvincing. For BL conditions, SO₂ losses consist of 48% dry deposition, while transport loss to the BuL and aerosol scavenging each account for another 19%. The conversion of SO₂ to H₂SO₄ consumes the final 14%. In the BuL, cloud scavenging removes 85% of the SO₂, thus resulting in a decreasing vertical profile for SO₂. The average SO₂ dry deposition velocity from direct measurements (i.e., 0.36 cm sec⁻¹) is approximately 50% of what is calculated from the 1-D model and the global GEOS-Chem model. This suggests that the current generation of global models may be significantly overestimating SO₂ deposition rates over some tropical marine areas. Although the specific mechanism cannot be determined, speculation here is that the dry deposition anomalous results may point to the presence of a micro-surface chemical phenomenon involving partial saturation with either S(IV) and/or S(VI) DMS oxidation products. This could also appear as a pH drop in the ocean’s surface microfilm layer in this region. Finally, we propose that the enhanced SO₂ level observed in the lower free troposphere versus that in the upper BuL during PASE is most likely the result of transported DMS/SO₂-rich free-tropospheric air parcels from the east of the PASE sampling area, rather than an inadequate representation in the model of local convection.     

Industrial and agricultural effects on water environment and its optimization in heavily polluted area in Taihu Lake Basin, China

The deteriorating water quality in the Taihu Lake Basin has attracted widespread attention for many years, and is correlated with a sharp increase in the quantity of pollutant discharge such as agricultural fertilizers and industrial wastewater. In this study, several factors were selected for evaluating and regionalizing the water environmental capacity by ArcGIS spatial analysis, including geomorphologic characteristics, water quality goals, water body accessibility, water-dilution channels, and current water quality. Then, the spatial optimization of agriculture and industry was adjusted through overlay analysis, based on the balance between industrial space and water environmental capacity. The results show that the water environmental capacity gradually decreases from the west to the east, in contrast, the pollution caused by industrial and agricultural clustering is distributes along Taihu Lake, Gehu Lake and urban districts. The analysis of the agricultural space focuses on optimizing key protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and the shores of Gehu Lake, optimally adjusting the second protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and generally adjusting the urban areas of Changzhou and Wuxi cities. The analysis of industrial space focuses on optimizing the downtowns of Changzhou and Wuxi cities, optimally adjusting key protected areas and second protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and generally adjusting the south and southwest of Gehu Lake. Lastly, some schemes of industrial and agricultural layouts and policies for the direction of industrial and agricultural development were proposed, reflecting a correlation between industry and agriculture and the water environment.     

The prospects of finding exploitable geothermal reservoirs

Summary The existing interest in the prospect of geothermal power has been stimulated by the recent revision in the relative costs of the various sources of energy that can be efficiently converted to electrical energy for easy distribution. One may erroneously conclude that the energy sources that are alternates to fossil fuels have simply been ignored. In fact, there are very strong reasons, based on physical or engineering considerations, why solar, wind, and tidal power have not been productively developed throughout the world. There are also valid physical and geological reasons why geothermal reserves have never attracted much investment relative to alternative energy sources. This article sets forth some of those reasons.A geothermal target is defined in terms of present germane technology and economic conditions. Geothermal targets are observed to be rare at the present geological time; this can be explained by a model of a geothermal reservoir due to a short-lived intrusion. It dissipates the heat by conduction and convection within a few tens of thousands of years. Geothermal targets are rare in space because they are only likely to occur where curreent tectonic activity is high. Geothermal development is rare in practice because the technology is not widespread for economically handling the corrosive brines or high water-content of natural steams. Environmental pollution from geothermal developments is often far worse than anticipated. Any geothermal reservoir is a depletable resource, assuming current technology.Investment in the development of drilling holes an order of magnitude deeper than at present and in the use of hot rock or magma is most appropriate for the long-term development of geothermal power. In the immediate future, petroleum must be used while nuclear power plants are constructed. There will not be any physical shortage of petroleum within a hundred years; but much of it happens to be in the other guy's backyard.A geothermal summary of high-temperature geothermal reserves, exclusive of the USA, is given.HIG Contribution Number 752     

Second order modeling of turbulent transport in the surface mixed layer

A model for the simultaneous transport of heat and water vapor is presented. In an effort to resolve the structure of the entrainment region at the inversion base, models are constructed so as to satisfy realizability as far as possible. Density anomaly and water vapor mixture fraction (specific humidity) are taken as the basic variables. Algebraic expressions for the third moments are derived from first principles, and contain no adjustable constants. Separate equations are carried for the dissipation of each variance, constructed to give rational behavior of all time scale ratios. New forms for relaxation and cross-dissipation terms are constructed in such a way as to guarantee realizability. We describe how realizability was used as a tool to construct these models. We present preliminary results without mean velocity gradients for a dry surface mixed layer leaving the land and starting over water, producing a stable internal humidity boundary layer, but with large fluxes of sensible heat and water vapor (local advection).Prepared for presentation at the 29th OHOLO Conference on Boundary Layer Structure — Modelling and Application to Air Pollution and Wind Energy, Zichron Ya'acov, Israel, March 25–28, 1984. Supported in part by the U.S. Office of Naval Research under the following programs: Physical Oceanography (Code 422PO), Power (Code 473); in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation under grant no. ATM 79-22006; and in part by the U.S. Air Force Geophysics Laboratory.