Assessing the price effects of flood hazard disclosure under the California natural hazard disclosure law (AB 1195)

This study uses hedonic analysis to estimate the effects of flood hazard disclosure under the 1998 California Natural Hazard Disclosure Law (AB 1195) on property values throughout California. It finds that the average floodplain home sold for 4.2% less than a comparable non-floodplain home following AB 1195 while before that law there was no significant price differential. The introduction of interaction terms indicates that the magnitude of the price reduction due to AB 1195 varies positively with Hispanic population share. An average floodplain home in a half-Hispanic neighbourhood saw a $12 324 negative capitalization due to AB 1195, while that amount was only $2191 for a neighbourhood with 10% Hispanic residents. Results suggest that, in particular, homebuyers in Hispanic communities are better disclosed to under AB 1195 than they were under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which was the primary policy regulating flood disclosure in California prior to passage of AB 1195.     

Sociodemographic effects on place bonding

Patterns of amenity migration and recreational home development in much of the USA since the 1990s are changing the local sociodemographic make-up and the relationships formed among people and place. We use the psychological constructs of place attachment, place identity, and place dependence to assess differences in these relationships among new and long-time residents and absentee and local residents in three rural counties in the Inland Northwest. We measured place bonding using data from a mail survey of local (n = 531) and absentee (n = 239) property owners. We compared structural models suggested in the literature on the psychology of place, and found that a two-dimensional model representing place attachment and place identity was appropriate for both local and absentee property owners. Local owners exhibited stronger place attachment and place identity than absentee owners. Place bonding constructs were also substantially less impacted by the total number of years a property owner had resided on his or her property than by the number of months per year they lived on the property. The findings indicate that sociodemographic changes such as those manifested in second-home development may lead to a population that is less emotionally, behaviorally, and cognitively connected to the places in question, while sociodemographic changes from permanent in-migration may have a substantially smaller effect on place bonding.     

滇池流域蔬菜地土壤氮素分布与转移特征

选取滇池流域蔬菜设施保护地油麦菜（Lactuca sativa var.ramosa）种植区进行研究,分为高量组和低量组两个组别进行,每组分别设置9个施肥处理。试验结果表明：土壤总氮在各水平处理之间并没有规律性变化,在垂直梯度上（0-20、20-40、40-60cm）,土壤养分随深度增加而递减;高量组和低量组在生长期和成熟期,土壤总氮积累量和施氮量表现出了显著正向线性相关,相关系数R分别为0.9873、0.9901、0.9881和0.9880;适量施氮,土壤氮积累量表现出减少,而过量施氮则表现出了盈余;高量组氮损失量均大于低量组,且高量组在不同生育期的氮损失量与施氮量表现出极显著的线性正相关,相关系数R分别为0.9823、0.9719。高量组与低量组氮素损失率生长期均高于成熟期,而各处理之间未表现出明显的变化规律,最大损失率为39.79%,在适宜施肥量的处理中,损失率也达到了20%以上。     

宝钢林地土壤有机碳含量的研究

通过对宝钢厂区4种不同污染程度区内,不同林分和不同树种下土壤0～20cm、20～40cm基本理化性质和有机碳含量的测定,分析城市工业环境下林地土壤有机碳含量的特征,以实现合理的绿化布局,提高绿地减碳效益。结果表明:工业区林地土壤有机碳具有"表聚作用";清洁区内落叶阔叶林土壤有机碳含量高,建议多种柳树;轻度污染区内针阔混交林含量高,针阔混交后土壤有机碳含量明显高于针叶林和常绿阔叶林,建议多种雪松+广玉兰和雪松+香樟;中度污染区和严重污染区内常绿阔叶林有机碳含量高,建议分别多种蚊母和女贞,同时严重污染区应丰富植被类型。     

SNAKES USED IN ETHNOMEDICINE IN NORTHEAST BRAZIL

This paper documents zootherapeutic practices in Northeast Brazil. It is primarily based on field surveys carried out in fishing villages located in the States of Maranhão and Paraíba, where dwellers provided information on snake species used as medicine, body parts used to prepare the remedies, and the illnesses to which the remedies were prescribed. The species used as medicinal drug and their respective families were: Crotalus durissus (rattlesnake), Bothrops leucurus (‘lance head’, a venomous snake), and Lachesis muta (bushmaster) of the family Crotalidae; and Boa constrictor (boa constrictor), Epicrates cenchria (‘salamanta’), and Eunectes murinus (anaconda) of the family (Boidae). These zootherapeutical resources were used for the cure of 14 illnesses. The most commonly cited species were Crotalus durissus (n=26) e Boa constrictor (n=6), Apparently, the medicinal use of snakes does not pose a threat for their population in the studied sites.     

Applying a values-based decision process to facilitate comanagement of threatened species in Aotearoa New Zealand

Ko koe ki tēnā, ko ahau ki tēnai kīwai o te kete (you at that, and I at this handle of the basket). This Māori (New Zealanders of indigenous descent) saying conveys the principle of cooperation—we achieve more through working together, rather than separately. Despite decades of calls to rectify cultural imbalance in conservation, threatened species management still relies overwhelmingly on ideas from Western science and on top-down implementation. Values-based approaches to decision making can be used to integrate indigenous peoples’ values into species conservation in a more meaningful way. We used such a values-based method, structured decision making, to develop comanagement of pekapeka (Mystacina tuberculata) (short-tailed bat) and tara iti (Sternula nereis davisae) (Fairy Tern) between Māori and Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent). We implemented this framework in a series of workshops in which facilitated discussions were used to gather expert knowledge to predict outcomes and make management recommendations. For both species, stakeholders clearly stated their values as fundamental objectives from the start, which allowed alternative strategies to be devised that naturally addressed their diverse values, including mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge and perspectives). On this shared basis, all partners willingly engaged in the process, and decisions were largely agreed to by all. Most expectations of conflicts between values of Western science and Māori culture were unfounded. Where required, positive compromises were made by jointly developing alternative strategies. The values-based process successfully taha wairua taha tangata (brought both worlds together to achieve the objective) through codeveloped recovery strategies. This approach challenges the traditional model of scientists first preparing management plans focused on biological objectives, then consulting indigenous groups for approval. We recommend values-based approaches, such as structured decision making, as powerful methods for development of comanagement conservation plans between different peoples.     

天目湖沙河水库热分层变化及其对水质的影响

为揭示亚热带水库热分层的季节性变化特征、影响因素及水质效应,以最大水深11 m的江苏溧阳天目湖沙河水库为例,基于对水库坝前区(TM1)3~11月逐时的水温监测及对该水库2009~2016年相关水质和气象指标监测,分析了该水库热分层的形成和消失时间、驱动因素及其对水质的影响.结果表明,天目湖沙河水库呈典型的亚热带单循环混合模式:春季随着太阳辐射的增强,水温逐渐升高,当表层水温升至21℃左右时,热分层稳定形成,在整个5~9月期间水体热分层十分稳定;秋季随着太阳辐射的减弱,水温逐渐降低,当表层水温降至19℃左右时,热分层基本消失,在10~4月期间水体呈混合状态.热分层期间,表层和底层的水温差随太阳辐射的增强而增加;日均气温超过30℃的情况下,水体热分层更加稳定;夏季强降雨过程降低了水体表层的温度、减弱了上层5 m水体的温度分层,但对5 m以下深度的热分层状况基本无影响.水温分层对水库水质产生一定的影响:热分层期间,底层水体处于厌氧状态,底层水体氨氮浓度明显增加;热分层消失后,底层水体溶解氧、总磷及悬浮颗粒物含量均增加.研究表明,对于四季分明的亚热带中等深度的水库而言,水体热分层主要受太阳辐射的控制,稳定的热分层有利于蓝藻门相关种属藻类的生长,热分层形成及消散阶段改变了沉积物的营养盐释放及供给水体的强度,对水体水质形成冲击.在水库水质监控及生态保护管理中,应关注热分层过程的不利影响,并探索相关灾害的防控技术.     

Spatial structure of internal Poincaré waves in Lake Michigan

In this paper we examine the characteristics of near-inertial internal Poincaré waves in Lake Michigan (USA) as discerned from field experiments and hydrodynamic simulations. The focus is on the determination of the lateral and vertical structure of the waves. Observations of near-inertial internal wave properties are presented from two field experiments in southern Lake Michigan conducted during the years 2009 and 2010 at Michigan City (IN, USA) and Muskegon (MI, USA), respectively. Spectra of thermocline displacements and baroclinic velocities show that kinetic and potential baroclinic energy is dominated by near-inertial internal Poincaré waves. Vertical structure discerned from empirical orthogonal function analysis shows that this energy is predominantly vertical mode 1. Idealized hydrodynamic simulations using stratifications from early summer (June), mid-summer (July) and fall (September) identify the basin-scale internal Poincaré wave structure as a combination of single- and two-basin cells, similar to those identified in Lake Erie by Schwab, with near-surface velocities largest in the center of the northern and southern basins. Near-inertial bottom kinetic energy is seen to have roughly constant magnitude over large swathes across the basin, with higher magnitude in the shallower areas like the Mid-lake Plateau, as compared with the deep northern and southern basins. The near-bottom near-inertial kinetic energy when mapped appears similar to the bottom topography map. The wave-induced vertical shear across thermocline is concentrated along the longitudinal axis of the lake basin, and both near-bottom velocities and thermocline shear are reasonably explained by a simple conceptual model of the expected transverse variability.     

Behavioral responses of bison and elk in Yellowstone to snowmobiles and snow coaches.

Managers of public lands are charged with protecting some of our most important natural resources and ecosystems, while providing for their use and enjoyment by visitors. Almost one million visitors entered Yellowstone National Park by motorized means on snowmobiles (87%) or snow coaches (13%) during 1992-2003. Most vehicles toured the central portion of the park where bison (Bison bison) and elk (Cervus elaphus) concentrate in geothermal areas. We sampled >6500 interactions between groups of these species and groups of snowmobiles and snow coaches (collectively, OSV, over-snow vehicles) during five winters (1999-2000, 2002-2004). Multinomial logits models were used to identify conditions leading to behavioral responses. Elk responded three times as often (52%) as bison (19%) during interactions with groups of snowmobiles and snow coaches due to increased vigilance responses (elk, 44%; bison, 10%). However, the frequency of higher-intensity movement responses by bison and elk were similar (6-7% travel, 1-2% flight, <1% defense) and relatively low compared to other studies of ungulates and snowmobile disturbance. The likelihood of active responses by bison and elk increased significantly if animals were on or near roads, groups were smaller, or humans approached. The likelihood of an active response by bison decreased within winters having the largest visitation, suggesting some habituation to snowmobiles and snow coaches. There was no evidence that snowmobile use during the past 35 years affected the population dynamics or demography of bison or elk. Thus, we suggest that regulations restricting levels and travel routes of over-snow vehicles (OSVs) were effective at reducing disturbances to bison and elk below a level that would cause measurable fitness effects. We recommend park managers consider maintaining OSV traffic levels at or below those observed during our study. Regardless, differing interpretations of the behavioral and physiological response data will continue to exist because of the diverse values and beliefs of the many constituencies of Yellowstone.