Bringing OBUs onshore : assessing the concessions

In the context of the Federal Government's desire to establish Australia as a competitive international financial centre this article examines the current position of OBUs in Australia. Further, the changes that have been made to accommodate the present system, along with proposed changes and the likely effectiveness of the tax concessions in attracting offshore banking activities in Australia are considered

Beach surveys of South Carlsbad State Beach onshore of Carlsbad artificial reef

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Onshore-offshore distribution and abundance of tuna larvae (Pisces: Scombridae: Thunnini) in near-reef waters of the Coral Sea

The on-offshore distributions of tuna larvae in near-reef waters of the Coral Sea, near Lizard Island (14°30ʹS, 145°27ʹE), Australia, were investigated during four cruises from November 1984 to February 1985 to test the hypothesis that larvae of these oceanic fishes are found in highest abundance near coral reefs. Oblique bongo net tows were made in five on-offshore blocks in the Coral Sea, ranging from 0–18.5 km offshore of the outer reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, as well as inside the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon. The smallest individuals (<3.2 mm SL) of the genus Thunnus could not be identified to species, and are referred to as Thunnus spp. We found species-specific distributional patterns. Thunnus spp. and T. alalunga (albacore) larvae were most abundant (up to 68 larvae/100 m2) in near-reef (0–5.5 km offshore) waters, whereas Katsuwonus pelamis (skipjack tuna) larvae increased in abundance in the offshore direction (up to 228 larvae/100 m2, 11.1–18.5 km offshore). Larvae of T. albacares (yellowfin tuna) and Euthynnus affinis (kawakawa) were relatively rare throughout the study region, and the patterns of their distributions were inconclusive. Few larvae of any tuna species were found in the lagoon. Size-frequency distributions revealed a greater proportion of small larvae inshore compared to offshore for K. pelamis and T. albacares. The absence of significant differences in size-frequency distributions for other species and during the other cruises was most likely due to the low numbers of larvae. Larval distributions probably resulted from a combination of patterns of spawning and vertical distribution, combined with wind-driven onshore advection and downwelling on the seaward side of the outer reefs.

Analysis on deep crustal structure along the onshore-offshore seismic profile across the Binhai (littoral) fault zone in northeastern South China Sea

The onshore-offshore deep seismic experiment was carried out for the first time and filled the blankness of the seismic surveys in the transition area between South China and northeastern South China Sea. The seismic data were analyzed and processed. The different seismic phases were identified and their travel time arrivals were modeled by ray-tracing to study the P-wave velocity crustal structure of this area. The crustal structure of this area is the continental crust. The crust thickness is gradually decreasing southward along the on-shore-offshore seismic line. The low-velocity layer (5.5 similar to 5.9 km (.) s(-1)) exists generally in the middle crust (about 10.0 similar to 18.0km)with about 2.5 similar to 4.0 km thickness, which is also thinning seaward. No obvious high-velocity layer appears in the lower crust. The Binhai (littoral) fault zone is a low velocity zone, which is located about 35km southeast to the Nan'ao station and corresponding to the gradient belt of gravity & magnetism anomalies. The depth of the fault zone is close to the Moho discontinuity. The littoral fault zone is a boundary between the normal continental crust of South China and the thinned continental crust of the sea area.

Onshore-offshore variations of copepod community in northern South China Sea

Copepod communities in onshore and offshore waters show a gradient from primarily near shore to primarily oceanic species. Understanding the transition between these communities is fundamental to determining the range of coastal influence. Copepod communities in the northern South China Sea (nSCS) were studied based on samples collected by vertically towing a net in 10 February-6 March (winter) and 26 August-6 September (summer) of 2004. Calanoida species richness, total copepod abundance, Shannon-Weaver diversity index, and onshore-offshore occurrence of dominant species showed obvious change from onshore to offshore waters. Although the offshore stations had lower abundance than the shelf stations, they had more species and larger diversity index. Abundance of some species (groups) with dominance index > 5% (Calanus sinicus, Euchaeta spp., Temora spp., Paracalanus parvus, and Subeucalanus subtenuis) declined from onshore to offshore waters. Warm water species (Pleuromamma abdominalis, P. gracilis, and P. robusta) occurred in offshore waters in both cruises. Station (q-type) cluster analysis in winter and summer separated copepod community into onshore and offshore communities at similar to 40% level of similarity. The two communities were divided at the position of similar to 100-m isobath. In summer, C. sinicus occurred in the upwelling area east of Hainan Island, indicating the presence of an oversummering stock of this species.

From offshore to onshore: multiple origins of shallow-water corals from deep-sea ancestors.

Shallow-water tropical reefs and the deep sea represent the two most diverse marine environments. Understanding the origin and diversification of this biodiversity is a major quest in ecology and evolution. The most prominent and well-supported explanation, articulated since the first explorations of the deep sea, holds that benthic marine fauna originated in shallow, onshore environments, and diversified into deeper waters. In contrast, evidence that groups of marine organisms originated in the deep sea is limited, and the possibility that deep-water taxa have contributed to the formation of shallow-water communities remains untested with phylogenetic methods. Here we show that stylasterid corals (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Stylasteridae)--the second most diverse group of hard corals--originated and diversified extensively in the deep sea, and subsequently invaded shallow waters. Our phylogenetic results show that deep-water stylasterid corals have invaded the shallow-water tropics three times, with one additional invasion of the shallow-water temperate zone. Our results also show that anti-predatory innovations arose in the deep sea, but were not involved in the shallow-water invasions. These findings are the first robust evidence that an important group of tropical shallow-water marine animals evolved from deep-water ancestors.

Synthesis of the Piacenzian onshore record between the Aveiro and Setubal parallels (Western portuguese margin)

Onshore, the Piacenzianof the Mondego and Lower Tagus Tertiary basins comprises siliciclastic sediments deposited in shallow marine to continental environments. The outcrops of the deposits are relatively widespread in the Aveiro and Seuibal region. A lithostratigraphic synthesis based on the correlation of geological sections, is presented for the two basins. In general, the Piacenzian sediments display a regressive sucession. The Late Tortonian-Zanclean (?) confined drainage pattern changed at the beginning of Piazencian, to fluvial systems draining to the Atlantic, and capturing the drainage of the inner parts of the Hesperic Meseta. The Piacenzian sedimentary sequence post-dates one of the uprising phases during Neogene compression, recorded by a strong regional unconformity. Some local active faulting - as in Lousa, Rio Maior and Senibal- Pinhal Novo - allowed the local thickening of the sedimentary record. Later compressive tectonism continues to generate reverse faulting and diapiric reactivation, affecting those sediments. Currently, the Piacenzian deposits culminates the marginal piedmonts, widely eroded by the Quaternary fluvial dissection.

The legacy of Australia's treatment of onshore asylum seekers

The Australian government's response to the 'unlawful' arrival of asylum seekers has been characterised by a host of draconian measures - most notably mandatory detention and a punitive 'temporary protection visa' with severely limited access to settlement services. This hard stance was seen as important in stemming the tide of 'illegal' asylum seekers - most of whom seek protection in Australia from their war-torn countries in the Middle East. However, the government's own statistics suggest that this strategy is not working, as the number of asylum seekers has not decreased since these tough measures were adopted in October 1999. Moreover, as this study [2] argues, the restricted access to social services and income support imposed on TPV holders is causing significant economic hardships and unnecessarily traumatic settlement experiences. Many non-government agencies (most notably community organizations and ethnic associations) are left with the daunting challenge of meeting both practical and special needs of traumatized refugees.

Ineficiências entre os mercados onshore e offshore de Renminbi

Autoridades chinesas tem buscado agir com rapidez, mas com costumeira cautela, para que sua moeda seja capaz de adquirir status de moeda internacional de reserva. Embora tal objetivo exija eliminação ou considerável relaxamento dos controles de capitais, estes ainda existem e geram significativas distorções entre os mercados de câmbio e juros em Renminbi onshore, na China Continental, e offshore, em Hong Kong. Este trabalho descreve algumas destas distorções através da análise de instrumentos financeiros operados nos mercados à vista de moeda (Renminbi spot), forward de moeda (NDF de Renminbi), e de dívida governamental e corporativa em Hong Kong (Dim Sum Bonds).

Formulação de grautes leves para a cimentação de poços de petróleo onshore

Grautes are dry mixes with hydraulic characteristics widely used in construction. This material comprises cement, mineral additives and dosed in accordance with the desired properties. The use of grautes in cementing oil wells potentially increases the precision in the composition of the mixture, since it is requires only the addition of the mixing water before its pumping. Such benefit may be availed in cementing wells since the formulations grautes meet the temperature and pressure characteristics typical of wells. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of adding different percentages of industrial minerals properties of light grautes for onshore oil wells. For the formulation of the employees were grautes light industrial minerals and waste minerals abundant in the Northeast, in addiction to Portland cement and chemical additives Special class. Grautes were formulated with densities between 1.55 g/cm3 (13.0 lb/gal) and 1.68 g/cm3 (14 lb/gal). Tests results showed that grautes with higher density in the range studied meet the specifications for cementation of shallow wells onshore. The compositions lighter can also be adjusted for applying the material in the cementation of oil wells