Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ecosystem services and disservices in small-scale tropical agriculture

Small-scale farmlands are dynamic systems crucial to the food-security and livelihoods of more than two billion people and there is political pressure in many developing nations to consolidate and expand small farms into larger units of management. This could have consequences for agro-ecosystem processes and the ecosystem services and disservices that regulate crop production. This thesis aims to highlight and address these issues in smallholder farming landscapes, which are poorly studied and represent significant knowledge gaps. Research on pollination and biological control is biased towards large-scale systems, and biological control research shows a strong geographic bias to temperate developed nations, whilst pollination research is geographically more balanced. To have more impact on global issues of poverty and food-security, agricultural ecosystem service research needs to have a greater focus on small-scale farmed landscapes. In a low-input, small-scale farmed area of Kenya, the response to land-use intensification of insect groups important to ecosystem services and disservices for crop production was examined. Small ecotone pollinators responded negatively to intensification, but larger bees did not. Natural enemies did not show a strong negative response to land-use intensification, which suggested that low pesticide application rates allowed cultural species to persist in croplands. The functional richness of Hymenoptera and Coleoptera was highest in the most intensified land-use context, which provides support for the intermediate landscape complexity hypothesis. Functional evenness and trait-environment associations showed that phytophagous traits increased with land-use intensification and could be linked to increased ecosystem disservice if crops are consumed. Smallholder interviews showed that ecosystem disservices due to crop-raiding animals were a major problem and that attitudes to wildlife, elephants and protected areas became more negative with increasing proximity to large areas of wilderness. However, increasing the proportion of natural habitat in the vicinity of smallholdings moderated the negative effect of proximity to wilderness on attitudes towards protected areas. Thus, perceived ecosystem disservices may vary with land-sparing at different spatial scales (i.e., conserved habitat). Whilst this thesis demonstrates that land-use intensification of early stage small-scale farming landscapes affects human perceptions and attitudes towards nature and the taxonomic and functional composition of cropland insect communities, direct quantification of the crop yield and economic consequences of this is sorely needed. Assessment of actual vs. perceived ecosystem disservices would also aid the conservation measures needed to make land-sparing work.
Correcting oceanic O2/Ar‐net community production estimates for vertical mixing using N2O observations

The O2/Ar approach has become a key method to estimate oceanic net community production (NCP). However, in some seasons and regions of the ocean, strong vertical mixing of O2‐depleted deepwater introduces a large error into O2/Ar‐derived NCP estimates. In these cases, undersaturated‐O2/Ar observations have for all intents and purposes been ignored. We propose to combine underway O2/Ar and N2O observations into a composite tracer that is conservative with respect to the influence of vertical mixing on the surface biological O2 inventory. We test the proposed method with an ocean observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) in which we compare N2O‐O2/Ar and O2/Ar‐only gas flux estimates of NCP to the model‐simulated true NCP in the Southern Ocean. Our proof‐of‐concept simulations show that the N2O‐O2/Ar tracer significantly improves NCP estimates when/where vertical mixing is important.
The Biology of Mangroves and Seagrasses

1. Mangroves and seagrasses 2. Mangroves and their environment 3. Seagrasses and their environment 4. Community structure and dynamics 5. The mangrove community: terrestrial components 6. The mangrove community: marine components 7. Seagrass communities 8. Measuring and modelling 9. Comparisons and connections 10. Biodiversity and biogeography 11. Impacts 12. Global climate change
Magmatic consequences of the transition from orthogonal to oblique subduction in Panama

The closure of the Central American Seaway is linked with tectonic and magmatic processes that have controlled the evolution of the Isthmus of Panama. We focus on the terminal stages of arc activity in the Central Panama region, and present new geochemical data from ∼9 Ma explosive silicic volcanism preserved in three syngenetic tuff beds from the Gatun. The magmatic evolution of the Gatun Formation is controlled by a series of magma mushes where pyroxene is the dominant early forming mafic mineral, with amphibole appearing only relatively late in the fractionation sequence. Our data show Gatun lavas exhibit a strong subduction signature, consistent with plate reconstruction models showing arc‐normal subduction from Costa Rica to Panama pre‐8.5 Ma. However, large ion lithophile elements are depleted in the Gatun Formation in comparison to other regional suites, indicative of a lower flux of subduction fluid to the Gatun Formation mantle source, which is explained by a shift toward magma generation by decompression following the collision of the arc with South America. Oblique subduction commencing ∼8.5 Ma resulted in the shutdown of normal arc activity throughout Panama. We interpret subsequent regional Quaternary adakitic volcanism as a response to this oblique subduction. The now more refractory mantle wedge required greater fluid flux in order to melt. The resultant volatile‐rich melts were more prone to deep fractionation of amphibole and garnet cumulates forming adakites. Deep fractionation was potentially enhanced by changing stress regimes on the upper plate caused by oblique subduction.
Microtopographic and depth controls on active layer chemistry in Arctic polygonal ground

Polygonal ground is a signature characteristic of Arctic lowlands, and carbon release from permafrost thaw can alter feedbacks to Arctic ecosystems and climate. This study describes the first comprehensive spatial examination of active layer biogeochemistry that extends across high‐ and low‐centered, ice wedge polygons, their features, and with depth. Water chemistry measurements of 54 analytes were made on surface and active layer pore waters collected near Barrow, Alaska, USA. Significant differences were observed between high‐ and low‐centered polygons suggesting that polygon types may be useful for landscape‐scale geochemical classification. However, differences were found for polygon features (centers and troughs) for analytes that were not significant for polygon type, suggesting that finer‐scale features affect biogeochemistry differently from polygon types. Depth variations were also significant, demonstrating important multidimensional aspects of polygonal ground biogeochemistry. These results have major implications for understanding how polygonal ground ecosystems function, and how they may respond to future change.
Phylogeography of the Laotian Rock Rat (Diatomyidae: Laonastes): Implications for Lazarus Taxa

1 Department of Environmental Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Science, Hanoi University of Science, VNU, 334 Nguyen Trai Road, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, Vietnam 2 Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, VNU, 19 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi, Vietnam 3 Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Hanoi University of Science, VNU, 334 Nguyen Trai Road, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, Vietnam 4 Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Hanoi, Vietnam 5 Fauna and Flora International, 340 Nghi Tam Road, Tay Ho District, Hanoi, Vietnam 6 Phong Nha-Ke Bang Conservation National Park, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam
High‐resolution receiver function imaging reveals Colorado Plateau lithospheric architecture and mantle‐supported topography

After maintaining elevations near sea level for over 500 million years, the Colorado Plateau (CP) has a present average elevation of 2 km. We compute new receiver function images from the first dense seismic transect to cross the plateau that reveal a central CP crustal thickness of 42–50 km thinning to 30–35 km at the CP margins. Isostatic calculations show that only approximately 20% of central CP elevations can be explained by thickened crust alone, with the CP edges requiring nearly total mantle compensation. We calculate an uplift budget showing that CP buoyancy arises from a combination of crustal thickening, heating and alteration of the lithospheric root, dynamic support from mantle upwelling, and significant buoyant edge effects produced by small‐scale convecting asthenosphere at its margins.
Density Variations in Alpine Snow

Abstract Stratigraphic studies of the annual snow layer in the Beartooth Mountains of south-western Montana and on Mount Logan in the St. Elias Range have disclosed a similiar distribution of at least one physical property of the snow pack in the two areas. The average density of the pack, obtained by integrating a series of measurements taken at 5–10 cm. vertical intervals over the total thickness of the annual layer, reaches a maximum value near a mid-point of the total elevation covered by each traverse and decreases linearly toward the elevation extremes. A preliminary hypothesis, relating the distribution of average snow-density values along slopes to a semi-stable zonation of near-surface air temperatures, is presented.
Seismotectonics of the Lower Cheliff Basin: Structural background of the El Asnam (Algeria) Earthquake

The 1980 El Asnam earthquake should be understood within its tectonic environment. A seismotectonic map of the lower Cheliff basin (scale: 1/500,000) has been synthesized from known geologic, tectonic and seismological work on the region, and from satellite photos. The data set was integrated by a computer in order to handle different scales and projections. Several important tectonic features divide the region into 5 domains. Active faults and recent folds are consistent with a NNW-SSE direction of compression. The Cheliff basin is limited to the south by the Relizane fault. The basin is also crossed by three broken folds, the eastern one being the one associated with the El Asnam fault. Historical and instrumental seisinicity seems to be located at both ends of Relizane fault. It is suggested that the sites corresponding to folds and reverse faulting crossing the basin are relevant to seismic risk. A simple tectonic model is proposed.
Generation of Bulk Shear Spikes in Shallow Stratified Tidal Seas

Abstract Recent finescale observations of shear and stratification in temperate shelf sea thermoclines show that they are of marginal stability, suggesting that episodes of enhanced shear could potentially lead to shear instability and diapcynal mixing. The bulk shear between the upper and lower boundary layers in seasonally stratified shelf seas shows remarkable variability on tidal, inertial, and synoptic time scales that has yet to be explained. In this paper observations from the seasonally stratified northern North Sea are presented for a time when the water column has a distinct two-layer structure. Bulk shear estimates, based on ADCP measurements, show a bulk shear vector that rotates in a clockwise direction at the local inertial period, with episodes of bulk shear spikes that have an approximately twice daily period, and occur in bursts that last for several days. To explain this observation, a simple two-layer model based on layer averaging of the one-dimensional momentum equation is developed, .
Joint interpretation of hydrological and geophysical data: electrical resistivity tomography results from a process hydrological research site in the Black Forest Mountains, Germany

The use of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT; non‐intrusive geophysical technique) was assessed to identify the hydrogeological conditions at a surface water/groundwater test site in the southern Black Forest, Germany. A total of 111 ERT transects were measured, which adopted electrode spacings from 0·5 to 5 m as well as using either Wenner or dipole‐dipole electrode arrays. The resulting two‐dimensional (2D) electrical resistivity distributions are related to the structure and water content of the subsurface. The images were interpreted with respect to previous classical hillslope hydrological investigations within the same research basin using both tracer methods and groundwater level observations. A raster‐grid survey provided a quasi 3D resistivity pattern of the floodplain. Strong structural heterogeneity of the subsurface could be demonstrated, and (non)connectivities between surface and subsurface bodies were mapped. Through the spatial identification of likely flow pathways and source areas of runoff, the deep groundwater within the steeper valley slope seems to be much more connected to runoff generation processes within the valley floodplain than commonly credited in such environmental circumstances. Further, there appears to be no direct link between subsurface water‐bodies adjacent to the stream channel. Deep groundwater sources are also able to contribute towards streamflow from exfiltration at the edge of the floodplain as well as through the saturated areas overlying the floodplain itself. Such exfiltrated water then moves towards the stream as channelized surface flow. These findings support previous tracer investigations which showed that groundwater largely dominates the storm hydrograph of the stream, but the source areas of this component were unclear without geophysical measurements. The work highlighted the importance of using information from previous, complementary hydrochemical and hydrometric research campaigns to better interpret the ERT measurements. On the other hand, the ERT can provide a better spatial understanding of existing hydrochemical and hydrometric data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimated financial performance of exotic and indigenous tree species in smallholder plantations in Leyte Province

This paper examines the need for estimates of financial performance of individual tree species for promoting smallholder forestry on Leyte Island in the Philippines, and presents some initial estimates of net present value and internal rate of return for smallholder plantings of indigenous and traditionally grown (exotic) tree species. Levels of profitability are found to be marginal for commercial production, particularly for native species. Data deficiencies are noted, and improved estimates of tree growth rates and rotation lengths in particular are needed to improve predictions of financial performance of smallholder forestry.
Cloud Feedback on SST Variability in the Western Equatorial Pacific in GOALS/LASG Model

ＣｌｏｕｄＦｅｄｂａｃｋｏｎＳＳＴＶａｒｉａｂｉｌｉｔｙｉｎｔｈｅＷｅｓｔｅｒｎＥｑｕａｔｏｒｉａｌＰａｃｉｆｉｃｉｎＧＯＡＬＳ／ＬＡＳＧＭｏｄｅｌ①ＬｉｕＨｕｉ（刘辉），ＺｈａｎｇＸｕｅｈｏｎｇ（张学洪）ａｎｄＷｕＧｕｏｘｉｏｎｇ（吴国雄）Ｓｔａｔ.
A new hypothesis on the position of the Greater Caucasus Terrane in the Late Palaeozoic-Early Mesozoic based on palaeontologic and lithologic data

The Greater Caucasus Terrane (GCT) is the core of the Greater Caucasus, where Palaeozoic rocks crop out. Ludlow and the earliest Devonian fauna assemblages and Late Carboniferous flora assemblages contain some taxa typical for the Hunic counterpart and adjacent areas in Europe. The Palaeozoic sedimentary succession of the GCT resembles that of the Carnic Alps. Both palaeontologic and lithologic evidence suggests a similarity between the GCT and European Hunic and adjacent terranes. We hypothesize that the GCT was located close to the Carnic Alps in the Silurian-Permian time. This interpretation implies that this terrane derived from Gondwana as a part of the Hun Superterrane in the Silurian. Later, it was docked to the northern margin of the Palaeotethys Ocean together with other European Hunic Terranes. After Middle Triassic, the GCT was displaced to its present position due to sinistral movements along a major shear zone, which was active on the northern Palaeotethyan margin during the Late Palaeozoic-Early Mesozoic.
A regional coupled surface water/groundwater model of the Okavango Delta, Botswana

In the endorheic Okavango River system in southern Africa a balance between human and environmental water demands has to be achieved. The runoff generated in the humid tropical highlands of Angola flows through arid Namibia and Botswana before forming a large inland delta and eventually being consumed by evapotranspiration. With an approximate size of about 30,000 km2, the Okavango Delta is the world's largest site protected under the convention on wetlands of international importance, signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran. The extended wetlands of the Okavango Delta, which sustain a rich ecology, spectacular wildlife, and a first‐class tourism infrastructure, depend on the combined effect of the highly seasonal runoff in the Okavango River and variable local climate. The annual fluctuations in the inflow are transformed into vast areas of seasonally inundated floodplains. Water abstraction and reservoir building in the upstream countries are expected to reduce and/or redistribute the available flows for the Okavango Delta ecosystem. To study the impacts of upstream and local interventions, a large‐scale (1 km2 grid), coupled surface water/groundwater model has been developed. It is composed of a surface water flow component based on the diffusive wave approximation of the Saint‐Venant equations, a groundwater component, and a relatively simple vadose zone component for calculating the net water exchange between land and atmosphere. The numerical scheme is based on the groundwater simulation software MODFLOW‐96. Since the primary model output is the spatiotemporal distribution of flooded areas and since hydrologic data on the large and inaccessible floodplains and tributaries are sparse and unreliable, the model was not calibrated with point hydrographs but with a time series of flooding patterns derived from satellite imagery (NOAA advanced very high resolution radiometer). Scenarios were designed to study major upstream and local interventions and their expected impacts in the Delta. The scenarios' results can help decision makers strike a balance between environmental and human water demands in the basin.
Relationship between slab dip and topography segmentation in an oblique subduction zone: Insights from numerical modeling

Slab dip controls the state of stress in an overriding plate and affects mountain building. Analog and numerical models have shown variations in tectonic regime induced by slab folding over the 660 km depth discontinuity zone in orthogonal convergence. Here using a three‐dimensional model of oblique subduction (30°) and accounting for free top surfaces, we show how slab folding generates an along‐strike slab dip segmentation, inducing variations in topography of the overriding plate. When the subducting plate begins to curve forward, the elevation height rises inland and varies along the trench from 5 km to 2 km. The Andes are a suitable natural zone to compare our results with because of its linear margin and well‐constrained plates kinematics. Thus, we provide a new explanation to the general decrease in elevation from the central to southern Andes, which still remains to be combined with other 3‐D mechanisms to explain the actual Andean topography.
Structural styles of mountain building: Controls of lithospheric rheologic stratification and extensional inheritance

[1] The strength of the crust and the mantle lithosphere are strongly influenced by the temperature, the thickness and the composition of the crust and mantle lithosphere, and by inherited weaknesses. It consequently strongly depends on the geodynamic setting and is then expected to be different from one orogen to another, which might explain the diversity of deformation styles. Here we use 2D thermomechanical models at lithospheric scale to study the effect of the strength of the upper and middle crust on the geometry of contractional systems. The role of extensional inheritance is included by forward modeling the formation of rift basin or passive margin and using the resulting extensional structure as initial condition for lithospheric scale inversion. Our results demonstrate that: 1) crustal strength strongly controls the width and the elevation of orogenic wedge; 2) relative weak crust facilitates efficient propagating of thick-skinned crustal scale thrusts; 3) contraction of a strong crust leads to the formation of long thrust sheets and an anti-formal stack in the core of the orogen or the accretion of upper crust depending on the depth of the decoupling zone in the mid crust; 4) erosion processes favor the localization of shortening in a narrow crustal orogen; 5) rifting inheritance can explain the presence at shallower depth of lower crustal or mantle material previously upwelled and facilitates the propagation of the deformation in the external part of the chain. The range of predicted behaviors is compared to first order with the Zagros, the Alps and the Pyrenees, three natural examples for which the crustal structure is well constrained by geophysical data.
Plume development around well KB-502 at the In Salah CO2 storage site

Philip Ringrose, Mansour Atbi, David Mason, Marianne Espinassous, Oyvind Myhrer, Martin Iding, Allan Mathieson, and Iain Wright report on the lessons learned so far from early phase monitoring of the pioneering In Salah CO2 storage project in Algeria by joint venture partners BP, Sonatrach, and StatoilHydro which has a planned operational lifetime of more than 20 years.
Análise da relação entre crescimento econômico e gastos públicos nas maiores cidades da região Sul do Brasil

Studies that analyze the impact of fiscal policy on the economic growth of countries, states and cities are recurrent. The most commonly considered research questions investigate whether public spending can increase economic growth with an increase of productivity in the private sector. In this sense, the objective of this study is to investigate the relationship that exists between economic growth, considered by the Gross Domestic Product (PIB), and the variable that make up public spending in the largest cities in the south of Brazil. This is descriptive research that uses a quantitative and cross section approach. The article presents a non-linear, multivariable mathematical model that is evaluated empirically by means of an application to public spending in the largest cities in southern Brazil. Beginning with the use of this model, the PIP for the cities was estimated and compared with real values of the PIB. Results show an estimating error of 22.45% with 85.16% reliability. Thus it was concluded that spending by local governments plays an important role in economic growth.