A discussion of the potential impacts of climate change on the shorelines of the Northeastern USA

An increase in the rate of sea-level rise and potential changes in storminess represent important components of global climate change that will likely affect the extensive coasts of the Northeastern USA. Raising sea level not only increases the likelihood of coastal flooding, but changes the template for waves and tides to sculpt the coast, which can lead to land loss orders of magnitude greater than that from direct inundation alone. There is little question that sea-level rise, and in particular an increased rate of rise, will result in permanent losses of coastal land. However, quantitative predictions of these future coastal change remains difficult due in part to the complexity of coastal systems and the influence of infrequent storm events, and is further confounded by coastal science’s insufficient understanding of the behavior of coastal systems over decadal timescales. Recently, dramatic improvements in technology have greatly improved our capabilities to investigate and characterize processes and sedimentary deposits in the coastal zone, allowing us, for the first time, to address some of the over-arching problems involved in shoreline change. Despite advances in many areas of coastal geology, our fundamental understanding of shoreline change has been limited by a lack of a broad and integrated scientific focus, a lack of resources, and a lack of willingness on the part of policymakers who make crucial decisions about human activity along the coast to support basic research in this area. Although quantitative predictions remain constrained, there remains little doubt that the predicted climates changes will have profound effects upon the Northeastern coast.     

耕地转出对农民家庭贫困脆弱性的影响及其区域差异分析

关注耕地转出行为对农户贫困脆弱性的影响,对于农民家庭的持久脱贫及农村反贫困政策的制定意义重大。基于CFPS两期全国整合样本的面板数据,在对农户贫困脆弱性进行测算的基础上,运用倍差法、OLS模型及倾向得分匹配倍差法,实证检验耕地转出对农民家庭贫困脆弱性的影响及其区域差异。结果表明：（1）耕地转出行为的发生降低了农户的贫困脆弱性,是一种有效的扶贫手段,在帮助部分农户抵御收入风险上起到了积极作用;（2）耕地转出规模的扩大并未显著改善农户的贫困脆弱性状况;（3）控制变量也对农户贫困脆弱性产生了不同程度的影响,其中户主性别、户主年龄和家庭住房净资产显著正向影响农户的贫困脆弱性水平,而户主受教育程度、家庭劳动力数、健康状况、现金和存款数及当地经济发展水平等变量显著负向影响农户的贫困脆弱性水平;（4）耕地转出行为对农民家庭贫困脆弱性的影响呈现出一定的区域差异性,对东、中和东北地区农户贫困脆弱性的降低起到了显著促进作用,但对西部地区农户的减贫作用并不明显。     

A GIS-based DRASTIC vulnerability and net recharge reassessment in an aquifer of a semi-arid region (Metline-Ras Jebel-Raf Raf aquifer, Northern Tunisia)

This paper aims to elaborate new generic DRASTIC aquifer vulnerability maps of the coastal aquifer of Metline-Ras Jebel-Raf Raf (Northeast of Tunisia) using the GIS technique, making the data analyses easier to handle and providing better capabilities of dealing with large spatial data. A similar study was carried out in 1999 in the same aquifer using a method based on the soil water balance equation to determine the net recharge parameter. Unfortunately, the lack of data in the study area made the results unsatisfactory. By applying the Williams and Kissel equation and the Rao relationship, we intend to demonstrate that we could correctly evaluate the net recharge parameter. Moreover, new data related to the aquifer hydraulic conductivity, the soil cover and the vadose zone lithology have become available, and allowed us to elaborate suitable DRASTIC maps.     

Applying assessments of adaptive capacity to inform natural-resource management in a changing climate

Adaptive capacity (AC)—the ability of a species to cope with or accommodate climate change—is a critical determinant of species vulnerability. Using information on species’ AC in conservation planning is key to ensuring successful outcomes. We identified connections between a list of species’ attributes (e.g., traits, population metrics, and behaviors) that were recently proposed for assessing species’ AC and management actions that may enhance AC for species at risk of extinction. Management actions were identified based on evidence from the literature, a review of actions used in other climate adaptation guidance, and our collective experience in diverse fields of global-change ecology and climate adaptation. Selected management actions support the general AC pathways of persist in place or shift in space, in response to contemporary climate change. Some actions, such as genetic manipulations, can be used to directly alter the ability of species to cope with climate change, whereas other actions can indirectly enhance AC by addressing ecological or anthropogenic constraints on the expression of a species’ innate abilities to adapt. Ours is the first synthesis of potential management actions directly linked to AC. Focusing on AC attributes helps improve understanding of how and why aspects of climate are affecting organisms, as well as the mechanisms by which management interventions affect a species’ AC and climate change vulnerability. Adaptive-capacity-informed climate adaptation is needed to build connections among the causes of vulnerability, AC, and proposed management actions that can facilitate AC and reduce vulnerability in support of evolving conservation paradigms.