(Table 1) Porewater analysis with respect to gypsum from different ODP holes

The stability of gypsum in marine sediments has been investigated through the calculation of its saturation index at the sediment in situ temperature and pressure, using the entire ODP/IODP porewater composition database (14416 samples recovered from sediments collected during 95 ODP and IODP Legs). Saturation is reached in sediment porewaters of 26 boreholes drilled at 23 different sites, during 12 ODP/IODP Legs. As ocean bottom seawater is largely undersaturated with respect to gypsum, the porewater Ca content or its SO4 concentration, or both, must increase in order to reach equilibrium. At several sites equilibrium is reached either through the presence of evaporitic gypsum layers found in the sedimentary sequence, and/or through a salinity increase due to the presence of evaporitic brines with high concentrations of Ca and SO4. Saturation can also be reached in porewaters of seawater-like salinity (~ 35 per mil), provided sulfate reduction is limited. In this case, saturation is due to the alteration of volcanogenic material which releases large amounts of Ca to the porewaters, where the Ca concentration can reach 55 times its seawater value as for example at ODP Leg 134 site 833. At a few sites, saturation is reached in hydrothermal environments, or as a consequence of the alteration of the basaltic basement. In addition to the well known influence of brines on the formation of gypsum, these results indicate that the alteration of sediments rich in volcanogenic material is a major process leading to gypsum saturation in marine sediment porewaters. Therefore, the presence of gypsum in ancient and recent marine sediments should not be systematically interpreted as due to hypersaline waters, especially if volcanogenic material is present.

Sr- and Nd-isotopic composition of bulk lithogenic sediments from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Table 1)

In order to characterize the provenance of lithogenic surface sediments from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS), residual (leached) fraction of 34 surface samples have been analysed for their 143Nd/144Nd and 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios. The sample locations bracket all important entrances of riverine suspended matter into the EMS as well as all sub-basins of the EMS. The combined analyses of these two isotope ratios provide a precise characterization of the lithogenic fraction of surface sediments and record their dilution towards the central sub-basins. We reconstruct provenance and possible pathways of riverine dispersal and current redistribution, assuming more or less homogenous isotopic signatures and flux rates of the eolian fraction over the EMS. Lithogenic sediments entering the Ionian Sea from the Calabrian Arc and the Adriatic Sea are characterized by high 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios and low epsilon-Nd(0) values (average 87Sr/86Sr=0.718005 and epsilon-Nd(0)=-11.06, n=5). Aegean Sea terrigenous sediments show an average ratio of 87Sr/86Sr=0.713089 (n=5) and values of epsilon-Nd(0)=-7.89 (n=5). The Aegean isotopic signature is traceable up to the southwest, south, and southeast of Crete. The sediment loads entering the EMS via the Aegean Sea are low and spread out mainly through the Strait of Casos (east of Crete). Surface sediments from the eastern Levantine Basin are marked by the highest epsilon-Nd(0) values (-3.3, n=6) and lowest 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios (average 0.709541, n=6), reflecting the predominant input of the Nile sediment. The influence of the Nile sediment is traceable up to the NE-trending, eastern flank of the Mediterranean Ridge. The characterization of the modern riverine dispersal and eolian flux, based on isotope data, may serve as a tool to reconstruct climate-coupled variations of lithogenic sediment input into the EMS.

Bounded rationality and voting decisions over 160 years : voter behavior and increasing complexity in decision-making

Using a quasi-natural voting experiment encompassing a 160-year period (1848–2009) in Switzerland, we investigate whether a higher level of complexity leads to increased reliance on trusted parliamentary representatives. We find that when more referenda are held on the same day, constituents are more likely to refer to parliamentary recommendations when making their decisions. This finding holds true even when we narrow our focus to referenda with a relatively lower voter turnout on days on which more than one referendum is held. We also demonstrate that when constituents face a higher level of complexity, they follow the parliamentary recommendations rather than those of interest groups. "Viewed as a geometric figure, the ant’s path is irregular, complex, hard to describe. But its complexity is really a complexity in the surface of the beach, not a complexity in the ant." ([1] p. 51)

Plan uchastka kolonizat︠s︡ionnogo fonda pod Nº 160/7, Krivorogskogo okruga Mikhaĭlovskogo raĭona ploshchadiʻ︠u︡ 864, 1188 gektarov

Digital image

Diário da Constituinte [gravação de vídeo] : [programa n. 160]

A Confederação Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil (CNBB) apresentou as emendas populares com o maior número de assinaturas até o momento. Elas tratam dos seguintes assuntos: preservação da vida desde a concepção, uso de verbas públicas para escolas públicas e escolas sem fins lucrativos, liberdade de ensino religioso e um último conjunto sobre a ordem econômica. Dom Candido Padim afirma que a reforma agrária é questão fundamental para o atendimento das aspirações populares. Todos os constituintes concordam que as relações no campo devem ser mudadas, mas cada um tem uma visão diferente do problema. O Deputado Virgílio Galassi (PDS-MG) defende uma reforma agrária sem objetivos políticos, mas com inteligência e objetividade para criar novos proprietários rurais. O Deputado Evaldo Gonçalves (PFL-PB) considera que, no Nordeste, uma grande reforma agrária seria realizar programas de irrigação e açudagem. O Deputado Oswaldo Almeida (PL-RJ) diz ser preciso desenvolver uma política agrícola que possa fixar o homem no campo. O Deputado Ulysses Guimarães, Presidente da Assembleia Nacional Constituinte (ANC), anunciou a pauta das sessões extras para tratar dos temas polêmicos. O Deputado Plínio Arruda Sampaio (PT- SP) informa que preferiria que as sessões fossem pela manhã ou pela tarde, para permitir que a imprensa tivesse melhores condições de colher os depoimentos. O Deputado Tito Costa (PMDB-SP) afirma que as sessões extras serão benéficas para o aprimoramento da Constituição.

Science-based restoration monitoring of coastal habitats, Volume One: A framework for monitoring plans under the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 (Public Law 160-457)

Executive Summary: The Estuary Restoration Act of 2000 (ERA), Title I of the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000, was created to promote the restoration of habitats along the coast of the United States (including the US protectorates and the Great Lakes). The NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science was charged with the development of a guidance manual for monitoring plans under this Act. This guidance manual, titled Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats, is written in two volumes. It provides technical assistance, outlines necessary steps, and provides useful tools for the development and implementation of sound scientific monitoring of coastal restoration efforts. In addition, this manual offers a means to detect early warnings that the restoration is on track or not, to gauge how well a restoration site is functioning, to coordinate projects and efforts for consistent and successful restoration, and to evaluate the ecological health of specific coastal habitats both before and after project completion (Galatowitsch et al. 1998). The following habitats have been selected for discussion in this manual: water column, rock bottom, coral reefs, oyster reefs, soft bottom, kelp and other macroalgae, rocky shoreline, soft shoreline, submerged aquatic vegetation, marshes, mangrove swamps, deepwater swamps, and riverine forests. The classification of habitats used in this document is generally based on that of Cowardin et al. (1979) in their Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States, as called for in the ERA Estuary Habitat Restoration Strategy. This manual is not intended to be a restoration monitoring “cookbook” that provides templates of monitoring plans for specific habitats. The interdependence of a large number of site-specific factors causes habitat types to vary in physical and biological structure within and between regions and geographic locations (Kusler and Kentula 1990). Monitoring approaches used should be tailored to these differences. However, even with the diversity of habitats that may need to be restored and the extreme geographic range across which these habitats occur, there are consistent principles and approaches that form a common basis for effective monitoring. Volume One, titled A Framework for Monitoring Plans under the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000, begins with definitions and background information. Topics such as restoration, restoration monitoring, estuaries, and the role of socioeconomics in restoration are discussed. In addition, the habitats selected for discussion in this manual are briefly described. (PDF contains 116 pages)