title: Sedimentation and survival of the Mekong Delta: A case study of decreased sediment supply and accelerating rates of relative sea level rise

authors: Allison, Mead A.

abstract: The Mekong Delta, early in the twenty-first century, is at a tipping point for sustainability. The delta is threatened by the implications of (1) damming and land-use changes in the drainage basin, (2) a burgeoning delta population in a nation (Vietnam) undergoing rapid development, (3) accelerating rates of rising sea level, and (4) an uncertain future climate that may impact tropical-cyclone frequency and monsoonal precipitation patterns in the basin. These threats are present in other great rivers that emerge from the Himalayas. Two primary threats are examined in light of recent joint Vietnam-US studies in the largest distributary (Song Hau) of the Mekong River, in the shore-fringing mangroves, and on the adjacent subaqueous delta. We consider the implications of declining sediment loads from the catchment (as well as modification of the annual hydrograph) and flooding and salinity intrusion associated with relative sea level rise (eustatic + subsidence). This 2014–2015 study shows the interconnectivity in fluvial sediment supply to these parts of the delta: declining sediment loads and rising sea levels will likely impact distributary channel morphology and will alter estuarine circulation and sediment-trapping efficiency, all of which have feedbacks on sediment provision to the mangrove forests and the shelf.

text: Sedimentation and survival of the Mekong Delta: A case study of decreased sediment supply and accelerating rates of relative sea level rise The Mekong Delta, early in the twenty-first century, is at a tipping point for sustainability. The delta is threatened by the implications of (1) damming and land-use changes in the drainage basin, (2) a burgeoning delta population in a nation (Vietnam) undergoing rapid development, (3) accelerating rates of rising sea level, and (4) an uncertain future climate that may impact tropical-cyclone frequency and monsoonal precipitation patterns in the basin. These threats are present in other great rivers that emerge from the Himalayas. Two primary threats are examined in light of recent joint Vietnam-US studies in the largest distributary (Song Hau) of the Mekong River, in the shore-fringing mangroves, and on the adjacent subaqueous delta. We consider the implications of declining sediment loads from the catchment (as well as modification of the annual hydrograph) and flooding and salinity intrusion associated with relative sea level rise (eustatic + subsidence). This 2014–2015 study shows the interconnectivity in fluvial sediment supply to these parts of the delta: declining sediment loads and rising sea levels will likely impact distributary channel morphology and will alter estuarine circulation and sediment-trapping efficiency, all of which have feedbacks on sediment provision to the mangrove forests and the shelf.

year: 2017

title: Assessment digital smarts: Using short text assignment formats for enhancing student learning

authors: Earl Rinehart, (Suzanne) Kerry

subjects: assessment

abstract: Lecturers and course designers need to be smart about assignment design. This is particularly so when time constraints of lecturer workload and students’ other commitments impact on teaching and learning coverage of objectives in tertiary courses, By reconsidering assignment formats with a focus on assessment as another opportunity for learning, course designers and lecturers may be able to take advantage of affordances of technology and maximise student engagement with assignments for learning. This study describes some short text assignment types and reports on a case study using a survey of student perceptions of these formats in a third year fully online degree course. Students expressed approval of the variety and opportunities for creativity in these assignments and found them useful for their own learning and for future application in their contexts.

text: Assessment digital smarts: Using short text assignment formats for enhancing student learning Lecturers and course designers need to be smart about assignment design. This is particularly so when time constraints of lecturer workload and students’ other commitments impact on teaching and learning coverage of objectives in tertiary courses, By reconsidering assignment formats with a focus on assessment as another opportunity for learning, course designers and lecturers may be able to take advantage of affordances of technology and maximise student engagement with assignments for learning. This study describes some short text assignment types and reports on a case study using a survey of student perceptions of these formats in a third year fully online degree course. Students expressed approval of the variety and opportunities for creativity in these assignments and found them useful for their own learning and for future application in their contexts.

year: 2015

title: Te Ahi Kā

authors: Temara, Pou

subjects: Ahi kā

abstract: Ko te urutaumatua o tēnei tuhinga, ko te matapaki i te ahi kā. He aha tēnei tikanga? I pēhea i ara ake ai? He aha ōna mātāpono, ōna taipitopito? Koia te tūāpapa mō te tuhinga nei. Tuarua, ko te wānanga i te tikanga Māori me ōna rerenga pērā i te whakapapa. Ko te pātai ka puta i tēnei wāhanga o te wānanga ko tēnei nā, he aha te wāhi o te whakapapa ki te ahi kā? Ko te ngako o tēnei tuhinga ko te wetewete i te tikanga ahi kā kia whai tikanga ai te whakataukī nei, ‘ko te ahi kā te mana o te hapū ki te whenua’.

text: Te Ahi Kā Ko te urutaumatua o tēnei tuhinga, ko te matapaki i te ahi kā. He aha tēnei tikanga? I pēhea i ara ake ai? He aha ōna mātāpono, ōna taipitopito? Koia te tūāpapa mō te tuhinga nei. Tuarua, ko te wānanga i te tikanga Māori me ōna rerenga pērā i te whakapapa. Ko te pātai ka puta i tēnei wāhanga o te wānanga ko tēnei nā, he aha te wāhi o te whakapapa ki te ahi kā? Ko te ngako o tēnei tuhinga ko te wetewete i te tikanga ahi kā kia whai tikanga ai te whakataukī nei, ‘ko te ahi kā te mana o te hapū ki te whenua’.

year: 2012-05