Ecosystem services, biodiversity and environmental change in a tropical mountain ecosystem of south Ecuador

An interdisciplinary research unit consisting of 30 teams in the natural, economic and social sciences analyzed biodiversity and ecosystem services of a mountain rainforest ecosystem in the hotspot of the tropical Andes, with special reference to past, current and future environmental changes. The group assessed ecosystem services using data from ecological field and scenario-driven model experiments, and with the help of comparative field surveys of the natural forest and its anthropogenic replacement system for agriculture. The book offers insights into the impacts of environmental change on various service categories mentioned in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005): cultural, regulating, supporting and provisioning ecosystem services. Examples focus on biodiversity of plants and animals including trophic networks, and abiotic/biotic parameters such as soils, regional climate, water, nutrient and sediment cycles. The types of threats considered include land use and climate changes, as well as atmospheric fertilization. In terms of regulating and provisioning services, the emphasis is primarily on water regulation and supply as well as climate regulation and carbon sequestration. With regard to provisioning services, the synthesis of the book provides science-based recommendations for a sustainable land use portfolio including several options such as forestry, pasture management and the practices of indigenous peoples. In closing, the authors show how they integrated the local society by pursuing capacity building in compliance with the CBD-ABS (Convention on Biological Diversity - Access and Benefit Sharing), in the form of education and knowledge transfer for application.

Characterisation of flash floods in small ungauged mountain basins of Central Spain using an integrated approach

One of the main problems of flood hazard assessment in ungauged or poorly gauged basins is the lack of runoff data. In an attempt to overcome this problem we have combined archival records, dendrogeomorphic time series and instrumental data (daily rainfall and discharge) from four ungauged and poorly gauged mountain basins in Central Spain with the aim of reconstructing and compiling information on 41 flash flood events since the end of the 19th century. Estimation of historical discharge and the incorporation of uncertainty for the at-site and regional flood frequency analysis were performed with an empirical rainfall–runoff assessment as well as stochastic and Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approaches. Results for each of the ungauged basins include flood frequency, severity, seasonality and triggers (synoptic meteorological situations). The reconstructed data series clearly demonstrates how uncertainty can be reduced by including historical information, but also points to the considerable influence of different approaches on quantile estimation. This uncertainty should be taken into account when these data are used for flood risk management.

Paleoglaciated landscapes in Simen and other high-mountain areas of Ethiopia

In the present-day Ethiopia, glaciated landscapes do not exist, but paleoglaciated landscapes have been documented on a few mountain tops, which have altitudes higher than about 4,350 m asl in northern Ethiopia (Simen Mountains) and about 4,100 m asl in southern Ethiopia (Arsi and Bale Mountains). Glaciers were associated with the Late Pleistocene cold stages and reached as far down as 3,760 m asl in northern and 3,200 m asl in southern Ethiopia. Bale Mountains had the most extensive Late Pleistocene glaciation, covering over 190 km2, followed by Arsi Mountains (about 85 km2). In Simen, the Late Pleistocene glaciers covered merely 13 km2. In addition, paleo-periglacial slope deposits are found on all above-mentioned paleoglaciated mountains and in further mountain systems which did not host glaciers. This allows the reconstruction of the Late Pleistocene paleoclimate as being about 8 °C colder than at present (2014), much more dry, and probably without monsoon, at least in northern Ethiopia. Most probably in the Early Holocene, the re-emergence of monsoonal rains led to a strong erosion phase, which was followed by an extended stable phase with soil formation, building up about 70-cm-deep A-horizons (Andosol) on the paleo-periglacial slope deposits. These soils have been heavily degraded due to human-induced soil erosion up to about 3800 m asl since agriculture started several decades to millennia ago.

Unravelling past flash flood activity in a forested mountain catchment of the Spanish Central System

Flash floods represent one of the most common natural hazards in mountain catchments, and are frequent in Mediterranean environments. As a result of the widespread lack of reliable data on past events, the understanding of their spatio-temporal occurrence and their climatic triggers remains rather limited. Here, we present a dendrogeomorphic reconstruction of past flash flood activity in the Arroyo de los Puentes stream (Sierra de Guadarrama, Spanish Central System). We analyze a total of 287 increment cores from 178 disturbed Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris L.) which yielded indications on 212 growth disturbances related to past flash flood impact. In combination with local archives, meteorological data, annual forest management records and highly-resolved terrestrial data (i.e., LiDAR data and aerial imagery), the dendrogeomorphic time series allowed dating 25 flash floods over the last three centuries, with a major event leaving an intense geomorphic footprint throughout the catchment in 1936. The analysis of meteorological records suggests that the rainfall thresholds of flash floods vary with the seasonality of events. Dated flash floods in the 20th century were primarily related with synoptic troughs owing to the arrival of air masses from north and west on the Iberian Peninsula during negative indices of the North Atlantic Oscillation. The results of this study contribute considerably to a better understanding of hazards related with hydrogeomorphic processes in central Spain in general and in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park in particular.

The Battle of the Bulge: The Surprising Last Stand Against State Marijuana Legalization

Although marijuana possession remains a federal crime, twenty-three states now allow use of marijuana for medical purposes and four states have adopted tax-and-regulate policies permitting use and possession by those twenty-one and over. In this article, I examine recent developments regarding marijuana regulation. I show that the Obama administration, after initially sending mixed signals, has taken several steps indicating an increasingly accepting position toward marijuana law reform in states; however the current situation regarding the dual legal status of marijuana is at best an unstable equilibrium. I also focus on what might be deemed the last stand of marijuana-legalization opponents, in the form of lawsuits filed by several states, sheriffs, and private plaintiffs challenging marijuana reform in Colorado (and by extension elsewhere). This analysis offers insights for federalism scholars regarding the speed with which marijuana law reform has occurred, the positions taken by various state and federal actors, and possible collaborative federalism solutions to the current state-federal standoff.

Battle of Prestonpans, Highlands of Scotland, United Kingdom, 1745 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: An exact plan of His Majesty's great roads through the Highlands of Scotland, And. Rutherfurd delin. ; C. Mosley sculp. It was published in 1745. Scale [ca. 1:300,000].The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Europe Lambert Conformal Conic coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as drainage, cities and other human settlements, roads, selected buildings, shoreline features, fortification, troop dispositions of Jacobite and the Royal Government's troops for the Battle of Prestonpans, 1745, and more. Relief shown pictorially. Includes inset: Plan of the Battle of Preston fought 21 Sept. 1745. The inset is oriented with south at the top and the entire inset map, including text, is at right angles to the main map.This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of originators, ground condition dates, scales, and map purposes.

Battlefield of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia and vicinity, 1864 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map: Map of the battle field of Spottsylvania C.H. : showing the field of operations of the Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade U.S.A., from May 8th to 21st, 1865 [i.e. 1864], surveyed under the orders of Bvt. Col. J.C. Duane, Major of Engineers, Chief Engineer, Army of the Potomac, by Bvt. Maj. C.W. Howell, 1st Lieut. of Engineers ; assisted by Messrs. L.C. Oswell, L. Bell, and R.B. Talfor ; J. Bien, lithographer, New York. It was published ca. 1865. Scale [1:15,840]. Covers area surrounding Spotsylvania and Spotsylvania Battlefield, Virginia. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Virginia State Plane North Coordinate System (in Meters) (Fipszone 4501). All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as roads, drainage, dwellings with names of inhabitants, vegetation, Union and Confederate troop lines and defenses, and more. Relief shown by hachures. Includes note. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps of the Civil War from the Harvard Map Collection. Many items from this selection are from a collection of maps deposited by the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States Commandery of the State of Massachusetts (MOLLUS) in the Harvard Map Collection in 1938. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features, in particular showing places of military importance. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

Battle of Quebec, Canada, 1759 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Plan of the military & naval operation under the command of the immortal Wolfe, & vice admiral Saunders, before Quebec, J. Wyld, Sculp. ; Alfred Hawkins. It was published by Jas. Wyld, May 1, 1841. Scale [ca. 1:23,700]. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone 19N NAD 1983 coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as roads, drainage, built-up areas and selected buildings, fortifications, troop and ship dispositions and places of military interest for the Battle of Quebec, 1759, and more. Relief is shown by hachures. Includes indexes, notes, tables, views, and inset: Detail of the action fought on the plains of Abraham Septr. 13th. 1759. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from The Harvard Map Collection as part of the Imaging the Urban Environment project. Maps selected for this project represent major urban areas and cities of the world, at various time periods. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features at a large scale. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

The 84th infantry division in the battle of Germany, November 1944-May 1945,

"First published ... in May 1946."

Folklore of the Atayal of Formosa and the mountain tribes of Luzon.

"Translations of folk tales of the Atayal" (p. 13-42) made from Ogawa's part of a work issued by the Linguistic Institute of Taihoku University under title: Taiwan takasago-zoku densetsu-shū.

The narrative of James Roberts, soldier in the revolutionary war and at the battle of New Orleans.

"One hundred and thirty-six copies reprinted from the apparently unique copy in the Charles E. Heartman collection of material relating to Negro culture."

The battle of the Boyne, together with an account based on French and other unpublished records of the war in Ireland

Mode of access: Internet.