Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea: Issues and Solutions for the 21st Century

A producer of 5.4 M bbl/d, totalling almost half of the consumption of the entire European Union, the Gulf of Guinea is a fundamental lifeline and maritime link between Europe, the Americas and Africa. Geographically positioned as a staging post for transit originating in Latin America and coupled with its relatively porous borders, the region is also the perfect stepping stone for contraband heading to European shores. While blessed with an enviable wealth of marine and mineral resources, the region is also plagued by an ever-increasing spectre of maritime piracy; accounting for around 30% of incidents in African waters from 2003 to 2011. It is for these reasons that this research centres around the issues of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, with a particular focus on the first two decades of the 21st century. This research looks to examine the overall picture of the present state of play in the area, before going on to provide an analysis of potential regional developments in maritime security. This research begins with the analysis of concepts/phenomena that have played a notable role in the shaping of the field of maritime security, namely Globalisation and security issues in the post-Cold War era. The ensuing chapter then focuses in on the Gulf of Guinea and the issues dominating the field of maritime security in the region. The penultimate chapter presents a SWOT analysis, undertaken as part of this research with the aim of correlating opinions from a variety of sectors/professions regarding maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. The final chapter builds upon the results obtained from the abovementioned SWOT analysis, presenting a series of potential proposals/strategies that can contribute to the field of maritime security in the region over the coming years. This research draws to a close with the presentation of conclusions taken from this particular investigation, as well as a final overview of the earlier presented proposals applicable to the field of maritime security during the second decade of the 21st century.

Genetic algorithm for shipping route estimation with long-range tracking data : automatic reconstruction of shipping routes based on the historical ship positions for maritime safety applications

Ship tracking systems allow Maritime Organizations that are concerned with the Safety at Sea to obtain information on the current location and route of merchant vessels. Thanks to Space technology in recent years the geographical coverage of the ship tracking platforms has increased significantly, from radar based near-shore traffic monitoring towards a worldwide picture of the maritime traffic situation. The long-range tracking systems currently in operations allow the storage of ship position data over many years: a valuable source of knowledge about the shipping routes between different ocean regions. The outcome of this Master project is a software prototype for the estimation of the most operated shipping route between any two geographical locations. The analysis is based on the historical ship positions acquired with long-range tracking systems. The proposed approach makes use of a Genetic Algorithm applied on a training set of relevant ship positions extracted from the long-term storage tracking database of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The analysis of some representative shipping routes is presented and the quality of the results and their operational applications are assessed by a Maritime Safety expert.

China and India’s Maritime Geostrategies:: Implications for International Maritime Security and Scenarios for 2030

Dissertação de Mestrado em Estratégia

Efecto de la forestación con pináceas sobre la biodiversidad y el funcionamiento de sistemas fluviales serranos en pastizales de altura. Pine afforestation effects on ecosystem functioning and biodiversity in mountain pastureland fluvial systems.

Las acciones antrópicas han alterado los ecosistemas a escala global mediante cambios en la estructura y función de los sistemas terrestres y acuáticos. En este sentido, la deforestación de bosques ripariales impacta fuertemente sobre los sistemas lóticos como así también el proceso inverso, la conversión de pasturas naturales a bosques debido a forestaciones extensivas. Las nacientes de los arroyos de la provincia de Córdoba se ubican en pastizales dominados por gramíneas, muchos de los cuales han sido reemplazados por plantaciones de coníferas, con potenciales efectos sobre la estructura y el funcionamiento de los cursos de agua. En consecuencia, la evaluación de los efectos de esta actividad forestal sobre los arroyos es esencial para la implementación de adecuadas estrategias de manejo y conservación del recurso acuático. El objetivo de este proyecto es evaluar los efectos de la forestación con pináceas sobre la estructura y el funcionamiento de sistemas fluviales en pastizales de altura de las sierras de Córdoba. Se pretende analizar la dinámica de la biota acuática en arroyos de pastizales y en arroyos forestados. Se cuantificarán productores primarios y materia orgánica particulada y se medirán procesos ecológicos como la producción primaria y descomposición de materia orgánica gruesa. Se espera que la forestación con pináceas altere el ciclo de los nutrientes, disminuya el caudal y cambie el balance de temperatura al incrementar la sombra y el ingreso de materia orgánica particulada gruesa. En consecuencia, y debido a los cambios abióticos contrastantes generados por la implantación de pinos, podrían detectarse alteraciones drásticas en el ecosistema. Se seleccionarán seis arroyos de la subcuenca del arroyo Santa Rosa (Subcuenca Ctalamochita). Tres arroyos discurren en pastizales naturales y tres en áreas forestadas con pináceas. Se tomarán muestras de invertebrados y materia orgánica en el bentos en aguas altas y aguas bajas y se registrarán parámetros físico-químicos. Se colectarán muestras de perifiton para análisis de especies, biomasa y clorofila. Se realizarán experimentos de campo para medir la tasa de degradación de la materia orgánica y la producción primaria. La detección del grado de alteración de los sistemas naturales es el punto de partida para la implementación de apropiadas estragias de manejo del recurso. Entre los indicadores que permitirán verificar el efecto de las forestaciones estan los cambios en la biodiversidad, en la tasa de degradación de materia orgánica y en la producción primaria, como así también en la dinámica de los nutrientes y en los ciclos de caudales. Esta propuesta pretende generar lazos de interrelación entre distintos sectores para la implementación efectiva de planes de conservación y restauración y propiciar las relaciones necesarias para el logro de objetivos que beneficien a la sociedad como un todo.

The relation of the concentration of macronutrients in the substrate and in the foliage to cell wall thickness and cellulose concentration in the xylem of slash pine (Pinus elliotti)

Sand culture experiments, using a sub-irrigation technique, were installed in order to find out the effects of the macronutrients N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S on growth, aspect, mineral composition, length of fibers, thickness of cell wall and cellulose concentration in slash pine. The aim was to obtain, under controlled conditions, basic information which could eventually lead to practical means designed to increase the rate of growth and to make of slash pine a richer source of cellulose. Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium Experiment A 3 x 3 x 3 factorial design with two replicates was used. Nitrogen was supplied initially at the levels of 25, 50 and 100 ppm; phosphorus was given at the rates of 5, 10 and 20 ppm; potassium was supplied at the rates of 25, 50 and 100 ppm; six months after the experiment was started the first level for each element was dropped to zero. Others macro and all micronutrients were supplied at uniform rates. Fifteen hours of illumination per day were provided. The experimental technique for growing the slash pine seedlings proved quite satisfactory. Symptoms of deficiency of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were observed, described and recorded in photographs and water colors. These informations will help to identify abnormalities which may appear under field conditions. Chemical analysis of the several plant parts, on the other hand, give a valuable means to assess the nutritional status of slash pine, thus confirming when needed, the visual diagnosis. The correctness of manurial pratices, on the other hand, can be judged with the help of the analytical data tabulated. Under the experimental conditions nitrogen caused the highest increases on growth, as measured by increments in height and dry weights, whereas the effects of phosphorus and potassium were less marked. Cellulose concentration was not significantly affected by the treatments used. Higher levels of N seemed to decrease both length of fiber elements and the thickness of cell wall. The effects of P and K were not well defined. Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur Experiment A 3 x 3 x 3 factorial design with two replicates was used. Calcium was supplied initially at the levels of 12.5, 25 and 50 ppm; magnesium and sulfur were given at the rates of 6, 12.5 and 25 ppm. Other macro and micronutrients were supplied at uniform rates, common to all treatments. Three months after starting the experiment the first level for each element was dropped to zero. Symptoms of deficiency of calcium, magnesium and sulfur were observed, described and recorded as in the case of the previous experiment. Chemical analysis were made, both for mineral content and cellulose concentration. Length of fibers and thickness of cell wall were measured. Both calcium and magnesium increase height, sulfur failing to give significant response. Dry weight was beneficially affected by calcium and sulfur. The levels of calcium, magnesium and sulfur in the needles associated with deficiency and maximum growth are comparable with those found in the literature. Cellulose concentration increased when the level of sulfur in the substrate was raised. The thickness of cell wall was negatively affected by the treatments; no effect was observed with regards to length of fibers.

Sites of the reserve phase: Pine Lawn Valley, western New Mexico / [by] Paul S. Martin [and] John B. Rinaldo.

v.38:no.3(1950)

Turkey Foot Ridge site, a Mogollon village: Pine Lawn Valley, western New Mexico / [by] Paul S. Martin [and] John B. Rinaldo.

v.38:no.2(1950)

Cochise and Mogollon sites, Pine Lawn Valley, western New Mexico / Paul S. Martin, John B. Rinaldo [and] Ernst Antevs.

v.38:no.1(1949)

The Sawmill Site, a Reserve Phase village, Pine Lawn Valley, western New Mexico / Elaine A. Bluhm.

v.47:no.1(1957)

La Belle-Amélie, ou Un roman maritime : comédie-vaudeville en un acte / par M. N. Fournier...

Collection : Magasin théâtral