Comet nuclei: Morphology and implied processes of surface modification

Surface morphology and related issues for nuclei of three comets: Halley, Borrelly and Wild 2, are considered in the paper. Joint consideration of publications and results of our analysis of the comets’ images led to conclusions, partly new, partly repeating conclusions published by other researchers. It was found that typical for all three nuclei is the presence of rather flat areas: floors of craters and other depressions, mesas and terraces. This implies that flattening surfaces or planation is a process typical for the comet nuclei. Planation seems to work through the sublimation-driven slope collapse and retreat. This requires effective sublimation so this process should work only when a comet is close to the Sun and if on the nucleus there are starting slopes, steep and high enough to support the “long-distance” avalanching of the collapsing material. If the surface had no starting slopes, then instead of planation, the formation of pitted-and-hilly surfaces should occur. An example of this could be the mottled terrain of the Borelly nucleus. Both ways of the sublimational evolution on the nucleus surface should lead to accumulation of cometary regolith. The thickness of the degassed regolith is not known, but it is obvious that in surface depressions, including the flat-floor ones, it should be larger compared with nondepression areas. This may have implications for the in situ study of comets by the Deep Impact and Rosetta missions.Our morphological analysis puts constraints on the applicability of the popular “rubble-pile comet nucleus” hypothesis (Weissman, 1986. Are cometery nuclei primordial rubble piles? Nature 320, 242-244.). We believe that the rubble pile hypothesis can be applicable to the blocky Halley nucleus. The Borelly and Wild 2 nuclei also could be rubble piles. But in these cases the “rubbles” have to be either smaller than 30-50 m (a requirement to keep lineament geometry close to ideal), or larger than 1-2 km (a requirement to form the rather extended smooth, flat surfaces of mesa tops and crater floors). Another option is that the Borelly and Wild 2 nuclei are not rubble piles.In relation to surface morphology we suggest that three end-member types of the comet nuclei may exist: (1) impact cratered “pristine” bodies, (2) non-cratered fragments of catastrophic disruption, and (3) highly Sun-ablated bodies. In this threefold classification, the Wild 2 nucleus is partially ablated primarily cratered body. Borrelly is significantly ablated and could be either primarily cratered or not-cratered fragment. Halley is certainly partially ablated but with the available images it is difficult to say if remnants of impact craters do exist on it.Recently published observations and early results of analysis of the Tempel 1 nucleus images taken by Deep Impact mission are in agreement with our conclusions on the processes responsible for the Halley, Borrelly and Wild 2 nuclei morphologies. In particular, we have now more grounds to suggest that decrease in crater numbers and increase of the role of smooth flat surfaces in the sequence Wild 2?Tempel 1?Borelli reflects a progress in the sublimational degradation of the nucleus surface during comet passages close to the Sun.     

诠释地球生命力报告:1998—2010

《地球生命力报告》应用地球生命力指数、生态足迹和水足迹3个指标描绘了全球自然生态系统的状况与变化趋势,以及在经济发展过程中可再生资源可持续利用的程度。本文在简要解读1998年至2010年的全部8期报告核心内容的基础上,认为人类对生态系统的衰退尚没有给予足够的重视,人们的生活方式应有所改变。只有认识到保护自然是为了人类自身的健康、财富和福祉,而不是维护生物多样性本身和只有意识到自然在维护人类健康和生活中所起的核心作用时,人类才能更好地维护我们生活的这个星球,因为我们只有一个地球。     

Community characteristics of wild fruit forests along elevation gradients and the relationships between the wild fruit forests and environments in the Keguqin Mountain region of Iii

In this paper,the quantitative relationship between the wild fruit communities and direct environmental factors is discussed on the basis of detailed data on landscape scale habitats obtained through field vegetation investigation.The results from TWINSPAN and DCCA showed that:1) In the distribution sections of the wild fruit forest in the Keguqin Mountain region,the basic patterns characteristic of the different habitats are due to topographic factors,nutrients and moisture conditions;2) The elevation affected the most basic differentiation of plant communities in the study area,indicating that the elevation condition was the most important factor restricting the distribution of the wild fruit communities in the study area;3) The close relationship between the moisture content in the upper soil layer and the elevation reflected the influence of moisture conditions on both wild fruit and herb-layer communities;4) Nutrient differences not only indicated that the habitat conditions were different in themselves but also showed that the present nutrient conditions of the habitats were seriously affected by human activities.In summary,under complicated mountainous topographic conditions,the habitat conditions for the communities differed very significantly,and the combination of elevation,soil moisture content,total nitrogen,slope aspect,and pH value influenced and controlled the formation of community distribution patterns in the study area.     

Do benthic biofilters contribute to sustainability and restoration of the benthic environment impacted by offshore cage finfish aquaculture?

Benthic biofilters were deployed under a cage fish farm and in two reference locations to assess the influence of the farm on the biofilters and the surroundings, as well as to verify the usefulness of this technology as a mitigation tool. The biofilters underneath the farm recruited a fouling community practically identical to that of the control biofilters, which included a variety of trophic strategies. The former showed a higher ¹⁵N enrichment, indicating that fouling beneath the farm was benefiting from the farm waste. The waste retention efficiency was low (0.02 g N m⁻² month⁻¹) beneath the farm. Benthic biofilters aggregated demersal wild fish around and within them. Pelagic wild fish also frequently used the biofilters beneath the farm, forming compact shoals around them. The increased complexity of the habitat below the fish farm enhanced biodiversity, but this improvement did not lead to the recovery of the sediments around the biofilters.     

Investigating the presence of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in wild and farmed gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) from the Western Mediterranean sea

The presence of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in wild and farmed gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) from the Western Mediterranean, Spain, is investigated. These pollutants were determined in white and red muscle and liver by gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Contaminant profiles present in both wild and farmed fish tissues include DDTs, PCBs and HCB. The highest concentrations of contaminants were found in liver, and an increase in pollutant levels was observed in autumn, before spawning. This fact is explained in light of increased food intake when sea water temperatures increase. Gilthead sea bream from Western Mediterranean populations showed significantly higher concentrations of DDTs and PCBs than farmed fish from the same area. This fact is attributed to the low level of organochlorine contaminants present in fish feed supplied to the cultured fish. The diet is highlighted as an important factor in understanding differences observed in organochlorine pollutants levels of fish tissues.     

青岛崂山海岸带野生木本药用植物资源

介绍了青岛崂山沿海地区野生木本药用植物的种类、分布状况、用途及开花结果日期,为中药科研和应用提供科学依据.     

Status,challenges and pathways to the sustainable use of wild species

The use of wild species is extensive in both high- and low-income countries. At least 50,000 wild species are used by billions of people around the world for food, energy, medicine, material, education or recreation, contributing significantly to efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. However, overexploitation remains a major threat to many wild species. Ensuring and enhancing the sustainability of use of wild species is thus essential for human well-being and biodiversity conservation. Globally, the use of wild species is increasing due to growing human demand and efficiency, but its sustainability varies and depends on the social-ecological contexts in which the use occurs. Multiple environmental and social (including economic) drivers affect the sustainability of use of wild species, posing major current and future challenges. In particular, climate change has already increased the vulnerability of many uses and is expected to increase it further in the coming decades, while global and illegal trades are, in many cases, key drivers of unsustainability. There is no single “silver bullet” policy to address these and other major challenges in the sustainable use of wild species. Rather, effective policies need to integrate inclusive actions at multiple scales that adopt right-based approaches, pay attention to equitable distribution of access and costs and benefits, employ participatory processes, strengthen monitoring programs, build robust customary or government institutions and support context-specific policies, as well as adaptive management.     

Potential economic benefits from sablefish farming in British Columbia

We present in this paper results of an analysis of the potential economic contribution of sablefish farming in British Columbia (BC). This is necessary because a BC sablefish hatchery has recently begun production of juvenile sablefish for grow-out in marine net pens. The production from this single hatchery is anticipated to effectively support sablefish production that will match the entire current BC sablefish capture fishery. Two key questions we address are, how will net benefits (added value) to BC from the sablefish sector be affected if (i) BC and the rest of the world engage in sablefish farming, and (ii) BC bans sablefish farming while the rest of the world does not. We find that at low BC aquaculture production levels, small economic gains are possible. However, gains quickly disappear as production increases towards anticipated levels. A sablefish-farming ban in BC could be beneficial to the province and Canada if BC wild sablefish landings command a price premium of at least 20–25%.     

美国荒野风景河流的空间分布特征及其对中国的启示

美国荒野风景河流体系是全球最早建立的河流保护地类型。经过50年发展,其完善的体系呈现出一定空间分布特征。将线状国家荒野风景河流（NWSR）抽象为点状单元,对208个NWSR单元进行空间计算,并与自然生态和社会经济等因素进行叠加分析。结果表明,美国已有40个州分布NWSR,其中以俄勒冈等3个州的数量分布最多,且集中分布于特定的区域：西部的太平洋海岸、落基山脉和山间高地3个自然地理区;极地、温湿润、干旱3个Ⅰ级生态区;太平洋西北部、加利福尼亚、阿拉斯加及五大湖4个流域。NWSR线密度与州域的人口密度、经济水平相关性不强,但与大坝建设密切相关。荒野思想影响了法案制定,法案指导了遴选标准,遴选标准又进一步影响了NWSR的空间分布。研究对中国的借鉴意义在于：应当明确保护地指导思想、关注价值突出区域、确定合适遴选标准、重视保护地系统规划等。     

Wild horses and the political ecology of nature restoration in the Missouri Ozarks

From 1990 to 1996, the National Park Service and residents living near the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in south-central Missouri clashed over the federal agency’s intention to remove 25-30 wild horses from the protected area. The struggle was carried out in various legal and legislative arenas, the media, and in community protests and meetings. The dispute ended only with Congressional approval of the 1996 Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act, which included an amendment ordering an end to any removal efforts.This article focuses on the contested social constructions of the horses themselves. To government scientists and managers, the animals represented a feral and exotic species with no legitimate place in agency-mandated ecosystem management and restoration scenarios. To many local members of the Missouri Wild Horse League, which contested the removal, the horses had critical historical and cultural importance as icons of regional identity, history and personal experience, and as core symbols of communities increasingly politically and economically marginalized.Local disputes with environmental groups and agencies concerned with Ozark ecosystem preservation and restoration have become more pronounced and numerous over the past two decades. This article approaches citizen opposition to environmental agendas not as an anti-environmental movement, but as a contemporary effort of marginalized groups to identify sources of economic, political, and social loss, and symbols of local identity and power. The wild horse issue reveals wider structural divides, and thus speaks to the question of which social groups shall have the power to impose their visions of the landscape and political economy.