Transboundary Groundwater Policy: Developing Approaches in the Western and Southwestern United States1

Hathaway, Deborah L., 2011. Transboundary Groundwater Policy: Developing Approaches in the Western and Southwestern United States. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(1):103‐113. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00494.x Abstract: The western and southwestern United States include dozens of groundwater basins that cross political boundaries. Common among these shared groundwater basins is an overlay of differing legal structures and water development priorities, typically, with insufficient water supply for competing human uses, and often, a degraded ecosystem. Resolution of conflicts over ambiguously regulated groundwater has clarified transboundary groundwater policy in some interstate basins, while transboundary groundwater policy in international basins is less evolved. This paper identifies and contrasts approaches to transboundary groundwater policy, drawing from recent conflicts and cooperative efforts, including those associated with the interstate compacts on the Arkansas and Pecos Rivers; the Hueco and Lower Rio Grande Basins shared by New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico; and the Mexicali Basin in California and Mexico. Some efforts seek to fit groundwater policy into existing surface water allocation procedures; some strive for a better fit – incorporating scientific understanding of key differences between groundwater and surface water into policy frameworks. In some cases, neither policy nor precedent exists. The collective experience of these and other cases sets the stage for improved management of transboundary groundwater; as such, challenges and successes of these approaches, and those contemplated in several hypothetical model agreements, are examined.     

Subpopulation structure of caribou (Rangifer tarandus L.) in arctic and subarctic Canada

Effective management and conservation of species, subspecies, or ecotypes require an understanding of how populations are structured in space. We used satellite-tracking locations and hierarchical and fuzzy clustering to quantify subpopulations within the behaviorally different barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus), Dolphin and Union island caribou (R. t. groenlandicus x pearyi), and boreal (R. t. caribou) caribou ecotypes in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada. Using a novel approach, we verified that the previously recognized Cape Bathurst, Bluenose-West, Bluenose-East, Bathurst, Beverly, Qamanirjuaq, and Lorillard barren-ground subpopulations were robust and that the Queen Maude Gulf and Wager Bay barren-ground subpopulations were organized as individuals. Dolphin and Union island and boreal caribou formed one and two distinct subpopulation, respectively, and were organized as individuals. Robust subpopulations were structured by strong annual spatial affiliation among females; subpopulations organized as individuals were structured by migratory connectivity, barriers to movement, and/or habitat discontinuity. One barren-ground subpopulation used two calving grounds, and one calving ground was used by two barren-ground subpopulations, indicating that these caribou cannot be reliably assigned to subpopulations solely by calving-ground use. They should be classified by annual spatial affiliation among females. Annual-range size and path lengths varied significantly among ecotypes, including mountain woodland caribou (R. t. caribou), and reflected behavioral differences. An east-west cline in annual-range sizes and path lengths among migratory barren-ground subpopulations likely reflected differences in subpopulation size and habitat conditions and further supported the subpopulation structure identified.     

High‐performer turnover and firm performance: The moderating role of human capital investment and firm reputation

Research has shown a complex relationship between turnover and firm performance. Not only does it matter who leaves (e.g., high‐performing versus low‐performing employees), but the context also stands to influence this effect in complex ways. We apply human capital theory, social capital theory, and the cost–benefit perspective to propose two boundary conditions to the high‐performer turnover and firm performance relationship. Specifically, we predict that the negative impact of high‐performer turnover on firm performance will be the strongest for reputable firms and for firms who invest less in human capital (e.g., selection, training, and incentive‐based pay). We present data from 155 South Korean firms that support the hypothesized model. We discuss findings in terms of current and future theory, practical implications, and subsequent research needs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Publisher's announcement

Publisher's announcement     

If not here, then perhaps not anywhere: urban growth management as a tool for sustainability planning in British Columbia's capital regional district

In 1995 the provincial government of British Columbia, Canada, passed new legislation encouraging regional districts to prepare Regional Growth Strategies. The strategies were to be means of coordinating municipal action on regional issues. They were also meant to facilitate pursuit of sustainability objectives, including reducing urban sprawl, protecting environmentally sensitive areas, providing affordable housing and decreasing pollution. This paper examines the experience so far in one region that chose to prepare a growth strategy: the Capital Regional District (CRD) at the south end of Vancouver Island. Growth-management planning in the CRD has been and remains both critical and difficult. The region expects a substantial population increase over the next couple of decades and has a limited land base for urban expansion. Many citizens recognise that their quality of life is high, but vulnerable and, as a result, public support for effective growth management is stronger in the CRD than in many other provincial growth areas. However, BC does not have a tradition of strong regional governance and the CRD as a regional authority is the creature of sixteen municipalities and electoral areas. Seven years into the process, effective growth management still faces substantial challenges, including the persistent jurisdictional protectionism of CRD municipalities. Nevertheless, there have been positive achievements and an admirable diversity of individuals, organisations and initiatives continue to push municipal and regional officials towards a more sustainable future.     

A psychological—spatial approach for architectural design and research

The purpose of this paper is to describe a comprehensive approach for studying the interrelationships between the affective and the typological characteristics of the dwelling environment. The approach has a dual orientation: the observation of people's interaction with their habitat as it is designed, simulated and experienced during the design process (with the use of a spatial simulator) and the recollection of past experiences of the dwelling environment during their life-cycle. After describing the context of a current research project, which includes the design of a housing cooperative, the theoretical and methodological framework of the approach is discussed with respect to other studies in the field of environmental psychology. To conclude this paper an example of the kinds of results that can be obtained leads to a discussion with concluding remarks.     

Low or absent unconjugated estriol in pregnancy: an indicator for steroid sulfatase deficiency detectable by fluorescence in situ hybridization and biochemical analysis

It has been previously reported that a low or absent maternal serum unconjugated estriol (uE3) level is associated with placental steroid sulfatase (STS) deficiency. Here we report a correlation between patients who present with a very low or absent maternal serum uE3 and a deletion of the STS gene as assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We studied nine prenatal cases that presented to the clinical laboratory with an abnormal triple screen, specifically low or absent maternal serum uE3 and a 46,XY karyotype. FISH analysis showed complete deletion of a probe containing the STS gene in six cases and one case had a partial deletion (reduced but not absent signal). The remaining two cases were not deleted for the STS probe. All mothers tested whose fetus showed a deletion were shown to be STS deletion carriers using FISH. Biochemical analysis was performed on 7/9 prenatal specimens. All fetuses deleted for the STS probe were also found to be deficient for STS by biochemical analysis of cultured amniotic fluid (5/5). Of the two fetuses not deleted for the STS probe, one was deficient for STS activity, while the other had a normal result. The abnormal result of enzyme deficiency by biochemical analysis in a non-deletion case likely represents a mutation in the STS gene, not detectable by this FISH assay. Postnatal FISH confirmation of the STS deletion was performed in 1/7 cases. Clinical follow-up was available for 4/9 cases following birth. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.