bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mating and feeding competition in white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus): the importance of short- and long-term strategies
Authors: Crofoot Margaret
Published: November 2007

I investigate the ecological context of intergroup agonism (IGA) in white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) to elucidate the roles of feeding and mating competition, explicitly exploring both long- and short-term competitive strategies. Short-term mating competition is not a major function of IGA in C. capucinus. Males were the primary participants in IGA, but did not attempt to prevent extra-group copulations by herding females, and there was no relationship between IGA rate and conception rate. Long-term mating competition, on the other hand, may be important: 41% of interactions were low intensity, as would be expected if males were assessing the composition of neighboring groups in anticipation of a takeover. However, 59% of intergroup interactions escalated to chases or physical contact and females were frequent participants in IGA, directing aggression at adults of both sexes and at juveniles. These findings are not consistent with male mating competition and, in conjunction with overlapping home ranges, high interaction rate, and a positive relationship between IGA rate and both food availability and fruit patch size, they indicate that intergroup feeding competition may be important for capuchins. However, interactions do not preferentially occur at food sources, suggesting that capuchins may gain long-term, rather than short-term, benefits from IGA.
Testing mate, resource and infant defence functions of intergroup aggression in non-human primates: issues and methodology
Authors: Harris Tara
Published: November 2007

Intergroup aggression is relatively common in many primate species and its functions have long been debated and incorporated as important parts of primate socioecological models. Recent studies have improved upon previous research by empirically testing the potential mate, food/resource and infant defence functions of intergroup aggression. I raise three main issues regarding the predictions and methods that have been used and make suggestions that should improve future studies. First, I address what constitutes evidence of defence and suggest that encounter rates and contexts should generally not be used to help test mate, resource and infant defence hypotheses. Secondly, I address the problem of disentangling mate, resource and infant defence hypotheses and suggest that because they are not mutually exclusive and potentially confound one another, tests of one hypothesis should adequately control for other possible functions, preferably using multiple logistic regression. Lastly, I discuss the importance of examining intergroup aggression using a cost-benefit approach and suggest that measures should be taken to control for species-specific measures of fighting ability, and/or other potential costs or influential factors that might influence participation in intergroup aggression, including groups' identities. For the latter two issues, I provide simulations that illustrate the methodologies I suggest and the potential effects of employing them, relative to previously employed tests.
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) modify grouping and vocal behaviour in response to location-specific risk
Authors: Wilson Michael , Hauser Marc , Wrangham Richard
Published: November 2007

Chimpanzees have hostile intergroup relations and are reported to use two strategies to reduce risk in the territory periphery: travelling in larger subgroups ('parties'), and travelling silently. We examined data from the Kanyawara chimpanzee community, Kibale National Park, Uganda to test for evidence of these strategies. We compared behaviour in the territory core with two potentially dangerous contexts: the periphery and croplands. Parties that visited the periphery had over twice as many adult males as parties that remained in the core. Analysis of vocal production rate of 249 parties revealed that, controlling for time of day and party composition, chimpanzees produced fewer pant-hoot calls in croplands than in the core. Pant-hoot production varied in different sectors of the periphery, being reduced in three sectors, unchanged in one, and increased in one. Focal follows of 12 males found results similar to party follows, but with rank-related individual variation. Overall, these results indicate that chimpanzees have the ability to modify grouping and vocal behaviour to reduce risk in areas with a high risk of detection. However, rather than consistently remaining silent in the periphery, chimpanzees in this population sometimes increased their vocalization rate, perhaps to advertise territory ownership and coalition strength.
Intergroup encounters in mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
Authors: Robbins Martha , Sawyer Sarah
Published: November 2007

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of frugivory and social factors on behaviour during intergroup encounters in the mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Frugivory was associated with an increase in the frequency of intergroup encounters, but had no impact on the length of the encounter, or on the type of behaviour exhibited, suggesting that while neighbouring groups may be attracted to limited fruit patches, there was no indication of between group feeding competition. Encounters with solitary males were more likely to elicit more avoidance, less tolerance, more herding behaviour, and a trend towards more aggression than encounters with groups. The number of potential migrant females and the number of silverbacks had no impact on the type of behaviour exhibited. However, an older dominant male was less likely to be aggressive towards the opposing group when a subordinate male was present, suggesting a collective action problem rather than cooperation in multi-male groups. Combined these results suggest that between group competition is linked more to mate defence and acquisition than resource defence. This study contributes to our understanding of the relationship among intergroup encounters, feeding ecology, reproductive strategies and social structure in gorillas.
Sexuality and Parrhesia in the Phenomenology of Psychological Development: The Flesh of Human Communicative Embodiment and the Game of Intimacy
Authors: Macke Frank J.
Published: November 2007

In the three published volumes of his History of Sexuality Foucault reflects on themes of anxiety situated in the Christian doctrine of the flesh that led to a pastoral ministry establishing the rules of a general social economy—rules that enabled, over time, a discourse on the flesh that took thrift, prudence, modesty, and suspicion as essential ethical premises in the emerging “art of the self.” Rather than sensing flesh as a charged, motile potentiality of attachment and intimacy, it came to be seen as skin—as the limit of a sovereign body, embedding guilt and shame into the texture of its expression. This essay pursues the psychological and communication problematic of intimacy as a critical and developmental experience of the flesh. Foucault's concept of self-care and parrhesia, Merleau-Ponty's concept of flesh and embodiment, and Bataille's concept of glory and eroticism contribute to a phenomenology of human development that seeks to articulate an idea of a self diffierentiated from the unspoken binds of familial anxiety and emotionality.
Persistent Psychological Meaning of Early Emotional Memories
Authors: Englander Magnus
Published: November 2007

The effect of early emotional memories have been one of the most researched topics in modern scientific psychology. On the other hand, rigorous qualitative studies have been relatively rare, investigating the lived consequences of early emotional memories. The purpose of this paper is to report on some human scientific research results on the phenomenon, the lived persistent psychological meaning of early emotional memories. The study utilized Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological psychological method. A general psychological structure was discovered indicating constituents such as, the vividness of early emotional memories; emotional needs coping strategies; everyday and life choices; as well as personal values attached to the meaning of an object that was present during the early emotional situation (a value experienced as contributing to the initial formation of an emotional life). The results might have implications for human service professionals in that they can contribute to a human scientific foundation in terms of understanding the persistent psychological meaning of early emotional memories as well as opening up for new venues of research on phenomena related to human memory, personality, and life-span developmental psychology.
Its Own Reward: A Phenomenological Study of Artistic Creativity
Authors: Rawlings David , Nelson Barnaby
Published: November 2007

The phenomenology of the creative process has been a neglected area of creativity research. The current study investigated the phenomenology of artistic creativity through semi-structured interviews with 11 artists. The findings consisted of 19 interlinked constituents, with 3 dynamics operating within these constituents: an intuition-analysis dynamic, a union-division dynamic, and a freedom-constraint dynamic. The findings are discussed in relation to the issues of creativity and spirituality, intuition and analysis, the creative synthesis, affective components, and flow. The findings display considerable overlap with previous research into the phenomenology of the artistic creative process, yet place particular emphasis on the shift in sense of self associated with creative experience and the energising effect of a synthesis of disparate elements.
Christian Soteriology and Christian Platonism: Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, and the Biblical and Philosophical Basis of the Doctrine of Apokatastasis
Authors: Ramelli Ilaria
Published: November 2007

Paul's statement that God will be all in all and other NT and OT passages are taken by Origen and by Gregory of Nyssa as the scriptural basis of their eschatological doctrine of apokatastasis and eventual universal salvation. At the same time, their doctrine rests (1) on philosophical arguments mainly deriving from Platonism (Gregory's De anima et resurrectione is deeply influenced by Platonism both in form and in content, and so is Origen, although both are Christians first and Platonists second), and (2) on the allegorical exegesis of Scripture, another heritage of Hellenistic culture: Origen was very well acquainted with the Stoic and Platonic allegorical interpretations of Greek myths.
Diognetiana
Authors: Sandin Pär
Published: November 2007

Critical and exegetical notes on Ad Diognetum, 1.2 (on the construction of απoδεχoμαι); 2.3 (read εκαστω εις αει τι καινòν μεταμεμoρϕωμενoν); 2.6 (formulate as a question); 2.10 (read καιτoι περισσòν ηγoυμαι πλειω λεγειν); 3.3 (read μαλλoν ηγεισαι or ηγoι' αν); 3.5 (read <τò μεν γαρ εστιν επιμελεσαι> των μη δυναμενων); 11.5 (discard Lachmann's  σημερoν).
The Watchers' Whispers: Athenagoras's Legatio 25,1-3 and the Book of the Watchers
Authors: Giulea Dragoş-Andrei
Published: November 2007

The passage 25,1-3 in Athenagoras's Legatio pro christianis, a writing replete with Greek philosophical and mythological material, seems to represent a retelling of a Jewish narrative, both biblical and pseudo-epigraphic, namely the myth of the Watchers. A thorough investigation of the passage from Legatio discloses that Athenagoras's version of the myth is closest to the first version of the narrative, namely to the Book of the Watchers. At the same time, the Athenian introduces Greek philosophical terminology and problems within his retelling of the myth. However, the most significant discovery is the fact that Athenagoras, employing especially Stoic psychological terms, investigates the way the fallen angels act within the human souls. In this way, one may say that the Athenian internalized the myth and conferred on it a psychological analysis. He was probably the first to undertake this kind of investigation—before Clement, Origen, and especially Evagrius, the latter being the one who articulated the most elaborate analysis of the psychological effects of the demonic influences.
Philonic Elements in Didymus the Blind's Exegesis of the Story of Cain and Abel
Authors:   Geljon
Published: November 2007

This article focuses on Philo's influence on the interpretation of Cain and Abel given by Didymus the Blind in his Commentary on Genesis. Didymus refers a few times to Philo by name but more places can be detected in which Didymus makes use of Philo. Both Philo and Didymus see in Cain and Abel two different worldviews, which are opposed to each other. Cain is the wicked man, who does not respect God, whereas Abel is the virtuous man, who loves God. Philo bases his interpretation on the translation of Cain as possession and of Abel as referring to God. These translations are absent in Didymus. Philonic elements can be seen, for instance, in Abel as shepherding the senses and in Cain presented as a sophist. It is remarkable that Didymus does not interpret Abel as a type of Christ, as other church fathers do.
Taxing Illegal Fishing (A Proposal for Using Taxation Law to Reduce Profiteering From IUU Fishing Offences)
Authors: Lugten  , Bender
Published: November 2007

The illegal plundering of fishing stocks worldwide is masked behind a maze of corporate structures that makes discovery of the beneficiaries of such activity difficult, if not impossible, to identify. This paper looks at using taxation accruals regimes in domestic taxation law as a tool to undermine the use of international tax havens by illegal fishing companies.
An International Legal Extravaganza in the Indian Ocean: Placing the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission outside the Framework of FAO
Authors: Edeson
Published: November 2007

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (established by treaty under Article XIV of the FAO Constitution) has tried to amend its own Agreement to place itself outside the framework of FAO in order to deal more effectively with "fishing entities". However, its attempts to do so have been thwarted in part by the refusal of the Director-General of FAO to circulate proposed amendments. This is evaluated and found to be contrary to Article 76.2 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which refers to the international character of a depositary and the need for impartiality. In addition, the Secretariat of FAO has asserted that it can be achieved only by a cumbersome treaty process involving termination of the present treaty and Commission and establishing a new treaty and new Commission. The paper evaluates the arguments for this position in the light of international treaty law, including the practice in other treaty bodies. It concludes that the arguments in support of such a convoluted approach are fundamentally flawed. Finally, the paper considers briefly whether the Commission has international legal personality, and concludes that it does.
Pushing the Limits of the Law of the Sea Convention: Australian and French Cooperative Surveillance and Enforcement in the Southern Ocean
Authors: Gullett Warwick , Schofield Clive
Published: November 2007

This article examines recent steps taken by Australia and France to combat illegal fishing in their claimed maritime zones of jurisdiction around their adjacent sub-Antarctic island territories. These steps comprise operational responses and legal developments, including the conclusion of two bilateral treaties on cooperative surveillance and enforcement. Geographical and legal problems associated with addressing the illegal fishing threat in the Southern Ocean are highlighted. It is concluded that when they come to be tested by international legal authorities, some of the more innovative legal measures under discussion are likely to be appraised as being in conflict with some provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Dispute Settlement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: Survey for 2006
Authors: Churchill Robin
Published: November 2007

This is the third of a projected series of annual surveys reviewing dispute settlement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The main developments during 2006 were the award of the arbitral tribunal in the Barbados/Trinidad and Tobago Maritime Boundary Case and the judgment of the European Court of Justice relating to the MOX Plant case. No new cases were brought during the year.
Marine Pollution via Transboundary Watercourses — An Interface of the' Shoreline ' and ' River-Basin ' Regimes in the Wider Black Sea Region
Authors: Vinogradov Sergei
Published: November 2007

A significant proportion of pollution of the marine environment is transmitted into the sea by transboundary rivers. The state of the marine environment increasingly depends upon the behaviour of states that do not belong to a particular maritime region. There is an obvious regulatory dichotomy between the environmental legal regimes dealing with marine pollution ('shoreline' regimes) and those governing international watercourses ('drainage/river-basin' regimes), which have historically evolved independently of each other. This creates problems of consistency and compatibility across different regimes, which have to be addressed in order to ensure the effectiveness of pollution-control measures throughout the entire pollutant transportation process. State practice has developed various practical ways of dealing with the issue of marine pollution from land-based activities in a transboundary context. The situation with river-borne pollution in the Danube River-Black Sea Basin provides an interesting case-study for critical examination as regards the practical aspects of the interface between such regimes.
Climatological Characteristics of the Intraseasonal Variation of Precipitation over the Indochina Peninsula
Authors: Yokoi Satoru , Satomura Takehiko , Matsumoto Jun
Published: November 2007

With the use of daily rain gauge data observed at 210 stations in the Indochina Peninsula (ICP) for the 26 yr from 1978 to 2003, this paper describes climatological characteristics of 2 types of intraseasonal variations (ISVs): the 30–60-day variation (30–60DV) and the 10–20-day variation (10–20DV). The authors find that these characteristics are quite different from place to place in the ICP.

During the rainy season, variance of the 30–60DV is generally larger in coastal regions than over inland regions and it has two local maxima: one found in the coastal region of Myanmar (CMY) and the other in the southern Laos and central Vietnam region (SLCV). Wavelet analysis reveals that the 30–60DV in the CMY is active throughout the rainy season (May–October) and exhibits the maximum activity in May–June. In addition, its typical time scale shifts from 40 days in the early half of the rainy season to 50 days in the latter half. Cross-correlation analysis reveals that its signal propagates northward. On the other hand, the 30–60DV in the SLCV is active only during July–October, and its signal propagates northwestward.

The largest variance of the 10–20DV is found in the coastal regions of northern and central Vietnam (CNCV), while the variance in other coastal regions is generally smaller than that in inland regions. In contrast to the 30–60DV, the 10–20DV activity varies significantly over the course of the rainy season. The 10–20DV in the inland regions is active in May and September and inactive in July, while that in the CNCV is active during August–November. The 10–20DV exhibits high spatial coherence over most of the ICP, and its signal propagates west-northwestward.

Relationship of the ISV in the ICP with synoptic-scale ISV structures is also discussed.
Changes of Variability in Response to Increasing Greenhouse Gases. Part I: Temperature
Authors: Stouffer R. J. , Wetherald R. T.
Published: November 2007

This study documents the temperature variance change in two different versions of a coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model forced with estimates of future increases of greenhouse gas (GHG) and aerosol concentrations. The variance changes are examined using an ensemble of 8 transient integrations for the older model version and 10 transient integrations for the newer one. Monthly and annual data are used to compute the mean and variance changes. Emphasis is placed upon computing and analyzing the variance changes for the middle of the twenty-first century and compared with those found in a control integration.

The large-scale variance of lower-tropospheric temperature (including surface air temperature) generally decreases in high latitudes particularly during fall due to a delayed onset of sea ice as the climate warms. Sea ice acts to insolate the atmosphere from the much larger heat capacity of the ocean. Therefore, the near-surface temperature variance tends to be larger over the sea ice–covered regions, than the nearby ice-free regions. The near-surface temperature variance also decreases during the winter and spring due to a general reduction in the extent of sea ice during winter and spring.

Changes in storminess were also examined and were found to have relatively little effect upon the reduction of temperature variance. Generally small changes of surface air temperature variance occurred in low and midlatitudes over both land and oceanic areas year-round. An exception to this was a general reduction of variance in the equatorial Pacific Ocean for the newer model. Small increases in the surface air temperature variance occur in mid- to high latitudes during the summer months, suggesting the possibility of more frequent and longer-lasting heat waves in response to increasing GHGs.
Interannual Extremes in New Zealand Precipitation Linked to Modes of Southern Hemisphere Climate Variability
Authors: Ummenhofer Caroline C. , England Matthew H.
Published: November 2007

Interannual extremes in New Zealand rainfall and their modulation by modes of Southern Hemisphere climate variability are examined in observations and a coupled climate model. North Island extreme dry (wet) years are characterized by locally increased (reduced) sea level pressure (SLP), cold (warm) sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the southern Tasman Sea and to the north of the island, and coinciding reduced (enhanced) evaporation upstream of the mean southwesterly airflow. During extreme dry (wet) years in South Island precipitation, an enhanced (reduced) meridional SLP gradient occurs, with circumpolar strengthened (weakened) subpolar westerlies and an easterly (westerly) anomaly in zonal wind in the subtropics. As a result, via Ekman transport, anomalously cold (warm) SST appears under the subpolar westerlies, while anomalies of the opposite sign occur farther north. The phase and magnitude of the resulting SST and evaporation anomalies cannot account for the rainfall extremes over the South Island, suggesting a purely atmospheric mode of variability as the driving factor, in this case the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). New Zealand rainfall variability is predominantly modulated by two Southern Hemisphere climate modes, namely, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the SAM, with a latitudinal gradation in influence of the respective phenomena, and a notable interaction with orographic features. While this heterogeneity is apparent both latitudinally and as a result of orographic effects, climate modes can force local rainfall anomalies with considerable variations across both islands. North Island precipitation is for the most part regulated by both local air–sea heat fluxes and circulation changes associated with the tropical ENSO mode. In contrast, for the South Island the influence of the large-scale general atmospheric circulation dominates, especially via the strength and position of the subpolar westerlies, which are modulated by the extratropical SAM.
Characterizing the European Sub-Arctic Winter Climate since 1500 Using Ice, Temperature, and Atmospheric Circulation Time Series
Authors: Eriksson Christin , Omstedt Anders , Overland James E. , Percival Donald B. , Mofjeld Harold O.
Published: November 2007

This study describes winter climate during the last 500 yr for the greater Baltic Sea region through an examination of well-documented time series of ice cover, sea level pressure, and winter surface air temperatures. These time series have been the focus of previous studies, but here their covariation over different time scales is analyzed based on two modern descriptive statistical techniques, matching pursuit and wavelet analysis. Independently, 15 time periods were found during the last 500 yr with different climatic signatures with respect to winter severity, circulation patterns, and interannual variability. The onsets of these periods are presumably caused largely by perturbations within the system, although correspondences with solar and volcanic activity can be identified for certain of the periods. The Baltic region climate has changes on both centennial and decadal time scales, often with rapid transitions. Major warmer periods were the first half of the eighteenth century and the twentieth century. A common feature for warm (cold) periods is low (high) variability on shorter time scales. Century-scale variability and the modulation of interannual and decadal signals are quite diverse in the temporal records and do not suggest strong periodicities. An “event” type conceptual model therefore appears adequate for characterizing Baltic climate variability.
The Enhanced PNA-Like Climate Response to Pacific Interannual and Decadal Variability
Authors: Yu B. , Shabbar A. , Zwiers F. W.
Published: November 2007

This study provides further evidence of the impacts of tropical Pacific interannual [El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)] and Northern Pacific decadal–interdecadal [North Pacific index (NPI)] variability on the Pacific–North American (PNA) sector. Both the tropospheric circulation and the North American temperature suggest an enhanced PNA-like climate response and impacts on North America when ENSO and NPI variability are out of phase. In association with this variability, large stationary wave activity fluxes appear in the mid- to high latitudes originating from the North Pacific and flowing downstream toward North America. Atmospheric heating anomalies associated with ENSO variability are confined to the Tropics, and generally have the same sign throughout the troposphere with maximum anomalies at 400 hPa. The heating anomalies that correspond to the NPI variability exhibit a center over the midlatitude North Pacific in which the heating changes sign with height, along with tropical anomalies of comparable magnitudes. Atmospheric heating anomalies of the same sign appear in both the tropical Pacific and the North Pacific with the out-of-phase combination of ENSO and NPI. Both sources of variability provide energy transports toward North America and tend to favor the occurrence of stationary wave anomalies.
Utility of Radiosonde Wind Data in Representing Climatological Variations of Tropospheric Temperature and Baroclinicity in the Western Tropical Pacific
Authors: Allen Robert J. , Sherwood Steven C.
Published: November 2007

The utility of the thermal wind equation (TWE) in relating tropospheric (850–300 hPa) wind and temperature on climatological time scales is assessed, based on data from 59 radiosonde stations in the western tropical Pacific during 1979–2004. Observed long-term mean and seasonal variations closely obey geostrophic balance; incorporating additional (ageostrophic) terms yields negligible improvement. The authors conclude that observed winds offer a useful constraint on the horizontal structure of monthly and longer temperature variations (although the reverse is not true close to the equator where f → 0). This conclusion is also supported by general circulation model output.

Wind data show a slowing of the midlatitude jets in the Maritime Continent region since 1979, indicating that tropical thicknesses and temperature have increased less than those poleward of 25°N/S. This pattern is consistent with Microwave Sounding Unit temperature trends in the region but is exaggerated south of the equator in trends obtained directly from the temperature data. The latter are however sensitive to which stations are used and how the data are averaged, and the discrepancy is fairly small in a homogenized climatology from the Hadley Centre (HadAT). The discrepancy is most easily explained by spurious cooling at stations in the near-equatorial western Pacific.

These results support the use of the wind field as a way of overcoming heterogeneities in the temperature records in the monitoring of climate change patterns.
Dynamics of the West African Monsoon Jump
Authors: Hagos Samson M. , Cook Kerry H.
Published: November 2007

The observed abrupt latitudinal shift of maximum precipitation from the Guinean coast into the Sahel region in June, known as the West African monsoon jump, is studied using a regional climate model. Moisture, momentum, and energy budget analyses are used to better understand the physical processes that lead to the jump. Because of the distribution of albedo and surface moisture, a sensible heating maximum is in place over the Sahel region throughout the spring. In early May, this sensible heating drives a shallow meridional circulation and moisture convergence at the latitude of the sensible heating maximum, and this moisture is transported upward into the lower free troposphere where it diverges. During the second half of May, the supply of moisture from the boundary layer exceeds the divergence, resulting in a net supply of moisture and condensational heating into the lower troposphere. The resulting pressure gradient introduces an inertial instability, which abruptly shifts the midtropospheric meridional wind convergence maximum from the coast into the continental interior at the end of May. This in turn introduces a net total moisture convergence, net upward moisture flux and condensation in the upper troposphere, and an enhancement of precipitation in the continental interior through June. Because of the shift of the meridional convergence into the continent, condensation and precipitation along the coast gradually decline. The West African monsoon jump is an example of multiscale interaction in the climate system, in which an intraseasonal-scale event is triggered by the smooth seasonal evolution of SSTs and the solar forcing in the presence of land–sea contrast.
Seasonality and Three-Dimensional Structure of Interdecadal Change in the East Asian Monsoon
Authors: Yu Rucong , Zhou Tianjun
Published: November 2007

A significant interdecadal cooling with vivid seasonality and three-dimensional (3D) structure is first revealed in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere over East Asia. A robust upper-tropospheric cooling appears in March and has two peaks in April and August, but in June, a moderate upper-tropospheric warming interrupts the cooling, while strong cooling occurs in the lower stratosphere. The seasonally dependent upper-tropospheric cooling leads to a clear seasonality of interdecadal changes in the atmospheric general circulation and precipitation against their normal seasonal cycle over East Asia. In March, precipitation over southern China (south of 26°N) has increased in accordance with the strong upper-tropospheric cooling occurring in northeast Asia. In April and May, following the southward extension and intensification of the upper-tropospheric cooling, the normal seasonal march of the monsoon rainband has been interrupted, resulting in a drying band to the south of the Yangtze River valley in late spring. In June, the moderate upper-tropospheric warming and strong lower-stratospheric cooling over northeast Asia has suddenly enhanced the northward migration of the rainband and resulted in an increase of precipitation in the mid–lower reaches of the Yangtze River and farther north. During July and August, the return of upper-tropospheric cooling has weakened the northward progression of southerly monsoon winds, resulting in a mid–lower Yellow River valley (34°–40°N) drought and excessive rain in the Yangtze River valley. The change of surface temperature is well correlated with the change in precipitation, especially in the spring. The surface cooling is generally collocated with excessive rain, while the warming is generally collocated with droughts. Possible causes for the robust interdecadal change are discussed, and stratosphere–troposphere interaction is suggested to play a crucial role in seasonally dependent 3D atmospheric cooling over East Asia.
Human Contribution to the Lengthening of the Growing Season during 1950–99
Authors: Christidis Nikolaos , Stott Peter A. , Brown Simon , Karoly David J. , Caesar John
Published: November 2007

Increasing surface temperatures are expected to result in longer growing seasons. An optimal detection analysis is carried out to assess the significance of increases in the growing season length during 1950–99, and to measure the anthropogenic component of the change. The signal is found to be detectable, both on global and continental scales, and human influence needs to be accounted for if it is to be fully explained. The change in the growing season length is found to be asymmetric and largely due to the earlier onset of spring, rather than the later ending of autumn. The growing season length, based on exceedence of local temperature thresholds, has a rate of increase of about 1.5 days decade−1 over the observation area. Local variations also allow for negative trends in parts of North America. The analysis suggests that the signal can be attributed to the anthropogenic forcings that have acted on the climate system and no other forcings are necessary to describe the change. Model projections predict that under future climate change the later ending of autumn will also contribute significantly to the lengthening of the growing season, which will increase in the twenty-first century by more than a month. Such major changes in seasonality will affect physical and biological systems in several ways, leading to important environmental and socioeconomic consequences and adaptation challenges.
Variations of Twentieth-Century Temperature and Precipitation Extreme Indicators in the Northeast United States
Authors: Griffiths Michael L. , Bradley Raymond S.
Published: November 2007

An examination of five temperature and five precipitation extreme indicators reveals an increase in both temperature and precipitation extremes over the 1926–2000 period in the northeast United States, with most of this increase occurring over the past four decades. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of winter frost days (FD) and warm nights (TN90) and also winter consecutive dry days (CDD) and very wet days (R95T) over the 1950–2000 period reveals that some of the variability associated with changes in these extremes may be explained by variations in the Arctic Oscillation (AO), El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and Pacific–North American (PNA) pattern. The most prominent feature of these results was the high correlation between the leading EOF of frost days and warm nights and the AO. Winter composites of temperature and precipitation extreme indicators were examined for different phases of the AO and ENSO during the 1926–2000 period. Overall, the AO is a better predictor of winter warm nights, while the ENSO is a better predictor of consecutive dry days in the northeast United States.
Spatial Coherence of Tropical Rainfall at the Regional Scale
Authors: Moron Vincent , Robertson Andrew W. , Ward M. Neil , Camberlin Pierre
Published: November 2007

This study examines the spatial coherence characteristics of daily station observations of rainfall in five tropical regions during the principal rainfall season(s): the Brazilian Nordeste, Senegal, Kenya, northwestern India, and northern Queensland. The rainfall networks include between 9 and 81 stations, and 29–70 seasons of observations. Seasonal-mean rainfall totals are decomposed in terms of daily rainfall frequency (i.e., the number of wet days) and mean intensity (i.e., the mean rainfall amount on wet days).

Despite the diverse spatiotemporal sampling, orography, and land cover between regions, three general results emerge. 1) Interannual anomalies of rainfall frequency are usually the most spatially coherent variable, generally followed closely by the seasonal amount, with the daily mean intensity in a distant third place. In some cases, such as northwestern India, which is characterized by large daily rainfall amounts, the frequency of occurrence is much more coherent than the seasonal amount. 2) On daily time scales, the interstation correlations between amounts on wet days always fall to insignificant values beyond a distance of about 100 km. The spatial scale of daily rainfall occurrence is larger and more variable among the networks. 3) The regional-scale signal of the seasonal amount is primarily related to a systematic spatially coherent modulation of the frequency of occurrence.
Global Variations in Oceanic Evaporation (1958–2005): The Role of the Changing Wind Speed
Authors: Yu Lisan
Published: November 2007

Global estimates of oceanic evaporation (Evp) from 1958 to 2005 have been recently developed by the Objectively Analyzed Air–Sea Fluxes (OAFlux) project at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The nearly 50-yr time series shows that the decadal change of the global oceanic evaporation (Evp) is marked by a distinct transition from a downward trend to an upward trend around 1977–78. Since the transition, the global oceanic Evp has been up about 11 cm yr−1 (∼10%), from a low at 103 cm yr−1 in 1977 to a peak at 114 cm yr−1 in 2003. The increase in Evp was most dramatic during the 1990s. The uncertainty of the estimates is about ±2.74 cm yr−1. By utilizing the newly developed datasets of Evp and related air–sea variables, the study investigated the cause of the decadal change in oceanic Evp. The decadal differences between the 1990s and the 1970s indicates that the increase of Evp in the 1990s occurred over a global scale and had spatially coherent structures. Larger Evp is most pronounced in two key regions—one is the paths of the global western boundary currents and their extensions, and the other is the tropical Indo-Pacific warm water pools. It is also found that Evp was enlarged primarily during the hemispheric wintertime (defined as the mean of December–February for the northern oceans and June–August for the southern oceans). Despite the dominant upward tendency over the global basins, a slight reduction in Evp appeared in such regions as the subtropical centers of the Evp maxima as well as the eastern equatorial Pacific and Atlantic cold tongues.

An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was performed for the yearly winter-mean time series of Evp and the related air–sea variables [i.e., wind speed (U) and air–sea humidity differences (dq)]. The analysis suggested a dominant role of the wind forcing in the decadal change of both Evp and dq. It is hypothesized that wind impacts Evp in two ways. The first way is direct: the greater wind speed induces more evaporation by carrying water vapor away from the evaporating surface to allow the air–sea humidity gradients to be reestablished at a faster pace. The second way is indirect: the enhanced surface wind strengthens the wind-driven subtropical gyre, which in turn drives a greater heat transport by the western boundary currents, warms up SST along the paths of the currents and extensions, and causes more evaporation by enlarging the air–sea humidity gradients. The EOF analysis performed for the time series of the global annual-mean Evp fields showed that the first three EOF modes account for nearly 50% of the total variance. The mode 1 variability represents the upward trend in Evp after 1978 and is attributable to the increased U, and the mode 2 variability explains much of the downward trend in Evp before 1978 and is correlated to the global dq variability. The EOF mode 3 of Evp captures the interannual variability of Evp on time scales of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, with the center of action over the eastern equatorial Pacific.
Stratosphere–Troposphere Coupling and Links with Eurasian Land Surface Variability
Authors: Cohen Judah , Barlow Mathew , Kushner Paul J. , Saito Kazuyuki
Published: November 2007

A diagnostic of Northern Hemisphere winter extratropical stratosphere–troposphere interactions is presented to facilitate the study of stratosphere–troposphere coupling and to examine what might influence these interactions. The diagnostic is a multivariate EOF combining lower-stratospheric planetary wave activity flux in December with sea level pressure in January. This EOF analysis captures a strong linkage between the vertical component of lower-stratospheric wave activity over Eurasia and the subsequent development of hemisphere-wide surface circulation anomalies, which are strongly related to the Arctic Oscillation. Wintertime stratosphere–troposphere events picked out by this diagnostic often have a precursor in autumn: years with large October snow extent over Eurasia feature strong wintertime upward-propagating planetary wave pulses, a weaker wintertime polar vortex, and high geopotential heights in the wintertime polar troposphere. This provides further evidence for predictability of wintertime circulation based on autumnal snow extent over Eurasia. These results also raise the question of how the atmosphere will respond to a modified snow cover in a changing climate.
The Role of Poleward-Intensifying Winds on Southern Ocean Warming
Authors: Fyfe John C. , Saenko Oleg A. , Zickfeld Kirsten , Eby Michael , Weaver Andrew J.
Published: November 2007

Recent analyses of the latest series of climate model simulations suggest that increasing CO2 emissions in the atmosphere are partly responsible for (i) the observed poleward shifting and strengthening of the Southern Hemisphere subpolar westerlies (in association with shifting of the southern annular mode toward a higher index state), and (ii) the observed warming of the subsurface Southern Ocean. Here the role that poleward-intensifying westerlies play in subsurface Southern Ocean warming is explored. To this end a climate model of intermediate complexity was driven separately, and in combination with, time-varying CO2 emissions and time-varying surface winds (derived from the fully coupled climate model simulations mentioned above). Experiments suggest that the combination of the direct radiative effect of CO2 emissions and poleward-intensified winds sets the overall magnitude of Southern Ocean warming, and that the poleward-intensified winds are key in terms of determining its latitudinal structure. In particular, changes in wind stress curl associated with poleward-intensified winds significantly enhance pure CO2-induced subsurface warming around 45°S (through increased downwelling of warm surface water), reduces it at higher latitudes (through increased upwelling of cold deep water), and reduces it at lower latitudes (through decreased downwelling of warm surface water). Experiments also support recent high-resolution ocean model experiments suggesting that enhanced mesoscale eddy activity associated with poleward-intensified winds influences subsurface (and surface) warming. In particular, it is found that increased poleward heat transport associated with increased mesoscale eddy activity enhances the warming south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Finally, a mechanism involving offshore Ekman sea ice transport (modulated by enhanced mesoscale activity) that acts to significantly limit the human-induced high-latitude Southern Hemisphere surface temperature response is reported on.
Diagnosis of Radiosonde Vertical Temperature Trend Profiles: Comparing the Influence of Data Homogenization versus Model Forcings
Authors: Lanzante John R.
Published: November 2007

Measurements from radiosonde temperatures have been used in studies that seek to identify the human influence on climate. However, such measurements are known to be contaminated by artificial inhomogeneities introduced by changes in instruments and recording practices that have occurred over time. Some simple diagnostics are used to compare vertical profiles of temperature trends from the observed data with simulations from a GCM driven by several different sets of forcings. Unlike most earlier studies of this type, both raw (i.e., fully contaminated) as well as adjusted observations (i.e., treated to remove some of the contamination) are utilized. The comparisons demonstrate that the effect of observational data adjustment can be as important as the inclusion of some major climate forcings in the model simulations. The effects of major volcanic eruptions critically influence temperature trends, even over a time period nearly four decades in length.

In addition, it is seen that the adjusted data show consistently better agreement than the unadjusted data, with simulations from a climate model for 1959–97. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the adjustments supply missing warming in the tropical upper troposphere that has been attributed to model error in a number of earlier studies.

Finally, an evaluation of the fidelity of the model’s temperature response to major volcanic eruptions is conducted. Although the major conclusions of this study are unaffected by shortcomings of the simulations, they highlight the fact that even using a fairly long period of record (∼40 yr), any such shortcomings can have an important impact on trends and trend comparisons.
Recent Bottom Water Warming in the Pacific Ocean*
Authors: Johnson Gregory C. , Mecking Sabine , Sloyan Bernadette M. , Wijffels Susan E.
Published: November 2007

Decadal changes of abyssal temperature in the Pacific Ocean are analyzed using high-quality, full-depth hydrographic sections, each occupied at least twice between 1984 and 2006. The deep warming found over this time period agrees with previous analyses. The analysis presented here suggests it may have occurred after 1991, at least in the North Pacific. Mean temperature changes for the three zonal and three meridional hydrographic sections analyzed here exhibit abyssal warming often significantly different from zero at 95% confidence limits for this time period. Warming rates are generally larger to the south, and smaller to the north. This pattern is consistent with changes being attenuated with distance from the source of bottom water for the Pacific Ocean, which enters the main deep basins of this ocean southeast of New Zealand. Rough estimates of the change in ocean heat content suggest that the abyssal warming may amount to a significant fraction of upper World Ocean heat gain over the past few decades.
An Organizational Analysis of Prison Hospice
Authors: Wright Kevin N. , Bronstein Laura
Published: November 2007

The integration of prison hospice programs into the prison settings poses a unique organizational challenge. Generally, prisons adhere to strict functional boundaries and rigid chains of command in their operations and delivery of services. Yet hospice programs by their very nature involve interdisciplinary collaboration and coordination. Furthermore, hospice programs require the creation of more compassionate settings in which the end of life may occur, which challenges widely held beliefs that prisons must be stark and punitive and that prisoners must be treated with uniformity. Through interviews with prison hospice coordinators, this study explores the structure and operations of hospice programs, how well hospice programs are integrated within the larger prison community, and the impact that prison hospice programs have on the prison environment in general.