29 September 2009 Samoa Tsunami

On 29 September 2009 at 17:48:11 UTC a large earthquake of magnitude 8 struck off-shore of the Samoa Islands and generated a large tsunami that destroyed several villages and caused more than 160 fatalities. This report first presents the characteristics of the earthquake and discusses the best estimations for the fault parameters. These are necessary input data for the hydrodynamic tsunami calculations. Then, a comparison between the near-real time systems and the post-event calculations is performed, with an analysis of the observed differences compared with observed tidal measurements. Coarse, detailed and very detailed calculations are presented in order to identify areas of maximum damage. Conclusions are drawn for improvements in the near-real time system.JRC.G.2-Global security and crisis managemen

Migrant Workers' Access to Justice for Wage Theft: A Global Study of Promising Initiatives

Systemic wage theft has long been part of the labour migration landscape in every region of the world. Though every jurisdiction has judicial and/or administrative mechanisms to address wage claims, employers in every country can be confident that very few unpaid migrant workers will ever use those mechanisms to recover their wages. This is because the system is stacked against them at every stage in the wage claim process. This situation is not inevitable. This report provides a blueprint for improving government and court wage recovery processes for migrant workers. It draws on analysis of select, promising initiatives from around the world that demonstrate how many of the barriers that impede migrant workers’ access to justice can be overcome. These innovations shift risks and burdens of wage recovery away from workers and onto government and business, and disrupt employer expectations of impunity. The report proposes specific, evidence-based reform targets that can underpin global, national and local advocacy, and support greater coordination among a community of practice working to achieve labour justice for migrant workers

Fusion, 2020

https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/smhs_fusion/1012/thumbnail.jp

Petrogenetic Evolution, Geometries and Intrusive Styles of the Early Cenozoic Saucer-Shaped Sills of the Faroe Islands

Abstract Geometries of sills intruded into the lava pile of the Faroe Island Basalt Group (FIBG), which were targeted in this study, were mostly recorded by conventional mapping methods where measured distances and positions were plotted onto accurate topographic maps aided by the use of high-quality photos of relevant outcrops. These data were subsequently used to manually plot 2D profiles along selected tracks and to produce electronic 3D maps using ArcGIS software. The general geometries of the investigated sills, measured at lateral scales ranging from a few metres to a few kilometres and at vertical scales ranging from a few metres to a few hundred metres, differ somewhat from typical sill geometries reported previously for sills intruded into sedimentary successions. The ubiquitous saucer-shapes of the sills from this study, which generally curve upwards in a gradual manner from inner sub-horizontal sections to steeper outer margins, contrast with the common angular transitions from inner sub-horizontal to outer steeper sections of sills reported from sedimentary host-rocks. In this thesis we explore possible alternatives to already existing theories on sill emplacement in sedimentary successions. Major and trace element compositions for samples representing most of the sills exposed in the Faroe Islands have been determined by means of XRF and ICP-MS analyses. Geochemically most of these sills can be grouped into two main categories characterised either by high or by low TiO2 contents. Different sorts/types of metasomatism of source rocks to high-TiO2 versus low-TiO2 sills are indicated by different Nb and Ta anomalies. Modelling by means of REE and other trace elements suggest that much of the compositional differences between these two main categories can be explained by various degrees of partial melting of broadly similar mantle sources. Additional fractionation and accumulation of plagioclase modified some of the melts that gave rise to the actual sills. The initial partial melting event probably occurred at depths slightly shallower than the lower limit of the garnet stability field at ~85 km while plagioclase crystallisation/accumulation most likely occurred at depths shallower than ~18 km. Isotopic compositions may point to very slight contamination of some sills with crustal material

An epidemiological investigation of Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydia spp. as infectious agents causing abortion in dairy cattle in Uruguay

Infectious diseases are the leading aetiological cause of bovine abortion globally as well as in Uruguayan dairy farms. Studies conducted in this country showed that a proportion of aborted fetuses without diagnosis present histological lesions compatible with the action of an infectious agent. These undiagnosed abortion cases could be due to infectious agents not currently included in the battery of diagnostic tests routinely applied. Infectious agents such as Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydia spp., typically considered to have a minor or relative marginal role in causing abortion in cattle, have never been systematically investigated in Uruguay. This thesis challenged the current diagnostic protocols, seeking evidence supporting the inclusion of these agents to dismiss the number of undiagnosed cases. This work investigated the association of these pathogens with cattle abortion in commercial dairy herds and the potential as zoonotic threats in the local context. The thesis will first introduce the main characteristics of dairy production in Uruguay (Chapter One) and thoroughly review Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydia abortus (Chapter Two). After this, two main sections will be presented. The first section including a systematic review and meta-analysis (Chapter Three), and the second section comprising the observational fieldwork studies conducted out on dairy farms in Uruguay, which includes a cross-sectional study of pooled milk (PM) samples from commercial herds (Chapter Four), a case-series sampling of placentas (Chapter Five), a case-control sampling of aborted and non-aborted dairy animals (Chapter Six), and finally a retrospective cohort evaluation of workers exposed to a local bovine Q fever outbreak (Chapter Seven). A final discussion (Chapter Eight) will consider the main findings' implications and integrate these results into the general body of knowledge. The systematic review and meta-analysis evidenced bulk tank milk (BTM) sampling as a broadly used epidemiological methodology for large-scale investigations of C. burnetii and provided a global framework of the prevalence of C. burnetii in collective milk samples from commercial farms. This study showed a widespread herd-level circulation of C. burnetii in bovine dairy farms by reporting a high overall global prevalence of 37.0% (CI95% 25.2-49.5%). A meta-regression showed the herd size as the most relevant moderator, with the odds of a BTM sample testing positive doubling with every unit increase. This C. burnetii meta-prevalence roles as a benchmark for comparison with the findings of the molecular investigation on PM samples obtained from local dairy farms. The mass-scale molecular evaluation on PM samples evidenced a low incidence (1.7%) of C. burnetii DNA. The findings showed that clinically healthy (asymptomatic) cows might shed the bacterium, raising awareness of Q fever as potential food safety and public health concern considering the C. burnetii survival as a milk-borne pathogen in unpasteurised milk and raw dairy products. Due to the exceptionally high infectivity, low infective doses, and aerosol transmission, the culture of C. burnetii and Chlamydiales should be done on BSL-3 laboratories not currently operating in Uruguay. Bacterial cultivation was not attempted in any of the studies conducted in this thesis. Hitherto the lack of diagnostic tools and the impossibility of doing culture have restricted local epidemiological investigation of these agents. Therefore, developing diagnostic tests to be used routinely in domestic laboratories is imperative to save costs and optimise currently available facilities and work with higher autonomy. For this purpose, a published protocol targeting well-evaluated genes was adapted to provide an available tool for local laboratories. Coxiella burnetii, C. abortus, and C. pecorum were investigated for the first time using an m-PCR in placentas from aborted dairy cows. Coxiella burnetii-DNA was detected and quantified in those samples, which supported this bacterium as an abortifacient agent in Uruguay. No co-infections of these pathogens were found. Evidence supporting Chlamydiales as a source of cattle abortion remain blurred. Coxiella burnetii was detected on the aborted placenta from a cow from an artisanal cheese-producing farm. Consumption of raw milk and dairy products represent a potential source for human infection. This finding underlined that the public health risk posed by C. burnetii should not be neglected and should be emphasised the need for on-farm milk pasteurisation by local artisanal cheesemakers. Molecular investigation of C. abortus in vulvo-vaginal swabs samples showed no evidence of this bacterium neither in aborted nor in control animals. Difficulties in identifying low-grade infection and evaluating a single sample per animal would have constrained the detection. The first attempted studies conducted so far support C. abortus as a no substantial abortifacient agent in cattle from Uruguay. Serological evidence confirmed the local bovine population as a potential reservoir for C. burnetii infection in humans. Anti-C. burnetii phase II IgM and IgG immunoglobulins were detected in a group of farmworkers and laboratory technicians exposed to aborted dairy cattle or aborted materials (fetuses and placenta) by indirect immunofluorescence. Molecular approaches were assessed, optimised and validated on veterinary clinical samples such as aborted placentas, vulvo-vaginal swabs or collective milk samples, providing valuable alternatives beyond the bacterial culture and isolation. The thesis presents original research studies that utilise different epidemiological strategies to search for evidence of an association between the infection by the pathogens and the occurrence of bovine abortion.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e InnovaciónInstituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuari

An analysis of the UK’s regulation and management of ‘fracking’ through application of a framework of ‘good governance’ applied to case studies from England, France, United States, China and Algeria

The United Kingdom (UK) at the national level has promoted development of shale-embedded gas in the interest of national energy security, economic growth and as a ‘bridge fuel’ with arguable lower carbon emissions until renewable energy sources can be produced at scale. The government’s intention to explore for and extract hydrocarbons, using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling or fracking, however, has met with community opposition, notably in the North of England where initial drilling had begun, but was halted due to induced seismicity. There has been a moratorium on the practice since 2019, and it is unclear when—or if—the UK government will again allow operations to proceed. This research analyses the UK’s governance frameworks for regulation of potential impacts of shale gas extraction from a community- and citizen-centred, and human rights, perspective with the goal of identifying potential regulatory gaps, and concludes with recommendations to strengthen environmental and public health protections within the regulatory and decision- making framework. A framework of principles of good governance combined with principles drawn from the Aarhus Convention on environmental rights is defined and employed to analyse the role of governance in decision-making and community inclusion in these processes. How divergent national and local priorities and perspectives are managed under varied governance frameworks is explored through this framework. The thesis employs a methodology of multiple methods within multiple case studies. The central case examines the community experience of Lancashire, England, to understand the UK’s regulatory approach and potential impacts at the local scale. To deepen analysis of the functioning of the UK’s regulatory framework and communities’ experience, case studies were undertaken in the United States, France, China and Algeria to evaluate decision-making and regulatory strategies that other governments with diverse governance structures have adopted toward the technology in weighing environmental or health risks with energy or economic benefits. The research highlights the role of public engagement and assessment of the local social, cultural, economic and energy contexts when considering technologies with potentially uncertain risks. 6 This research acknowledges the need to address regulation of novel and arguably contentious technologies (such as renewable energies; geoengineering; and greenhouse gas removal (GGR) and carbon capture and storage (CCS), among others), and the role of public engagement and discourse in developing regulatory frameworks. Highlights of key findings include: § Meaningful and inclusive stakeholder participation in decision-making, access to clear information and access to just and fair legal remedies in case of dispute, as defined in the Aarhus Convention, is required to ensure adequate protection from environmental and public health risks § Lack of access to information and transparency in decision-making may lead to community distrust and opposition to proposed developments, and risk to communities § Robust and comprehensive assessment of risks to environmental health, human health, community and social well-being, and human rights is necessary to ensure optimal policy and regulatory outcomes § Top-down governance that imposes decisions based on national priorities, such as energy security independence, without understanding, respecting or considering local priorities may put communities at risk and result in community opposition and lead to destabilizing impacts on government § Decisions imposed and policies enacted by top-down governance may lead to community and local opposition if there is the perception that decision-makers do not understand or consider the culture, social environment, and economic needs of the local community, or demonstrate awareness of potential risks at the local scale § Failure of industry to gain social acceptance from local communities for projected shale gas operations, or other emerging or contested technologies, may lead to public opposition § Effective implementation of regulatory and policy frameworks requires integration of governance and communication at all levels of governanceOpen Acces

Mechanisms for the Influence from Ice Nucleus Aerosols on Clouds and their Indirect Effects: Cloud Modelling

The role of multiple groups of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) as ice nucleating particles (INPs), and of ice formation processes such as time-dependent freezing of various INPs, and various secondary ice production(SIP) mechanisms in overall ice concentration has been evaluated in a range of cloud systems by simulating them numerically with the state-of-the-art ‘Aerosol-Cloud’ (AC) model in a 3D mesoscale domain. Also, the mechanismsof aerosol indirect effects (AIEs) arising from anthropogenic INPs, and the responses to these AIEs from time-dependent INP freezing and SIP processes are investigated in the simulated clouds. The cloud systems simulated with AC are: events of summertime deep convection observed over Oklahoma, USA during the Midlatitude Continental Convective Cloud Experiment (MC3E) in 2011 on 1) 11 May, and 2) 20 May, and wintertime 3) orographic clouds observed during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment (ACAPEX) on 07 February 2015 over North California, and 4) supercooled layer clouds observed over Larkhill, UK, during the Aerosol Properties, Processes And Influences on the Earth’s climate (APPRAISE) campaign on 18 February 2009.AC uses the dynamical core of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, modified Geophysical Fluid Dynamic Laboratory (GFDL) radiation scheme, and hybrid bin-bulk microphysics scheme. AC is validated adequately with the coincident aircraft, ground-based, and satellite observations for all four cases. AC forms secondary ice through the Hallett-Mossop (HM) process of rime-splintering, and fragmentation during ice-ice collisions, raindrop freezing, and sublimation of dendritic snow and graupel. A measure of SIP is defined using theterm ‘ice enhancement’ (IE) ratio which is the ratio between the number concentration of total ice particles and active INPs at cloud tops. For both cases in MC3E, overall, PBAPs have little effect (+1-6%) on the cloud-liquid (droplet mean sizes, number concentrations, and their water contents) properties, overall ice concentration, and on precipitation. AC predicts the activity of various INPs with an empirical parameterization (EP). The EP is modified to represent the time-dependent approach of INP freezing in light of our published laboratory observations. It is predicted that the time dependence of INP freezing is not the main cause for continuous ice nucleation and precipitation in all simulated cases. Rather, the main mechanism of precipitation formation is the combination of various SIP mechanisms (in convection) and recirculation-reactivation of dust particles (in APPRAISE layer cloud episode). Also, for all cases, the inclusion oftime dependence of INP freezing causes little increase (about 10-20%) in the total ice concentration and ice from all SIP.Regarding SIP, in young developing convective clouds of MC3E (11 May), with tops > −15oC, the initial explosive growth is from the fast HM process, creating IE ratios as high as 103. By contrast, in mature convective clouds (tops < −20oC), fragmentation in ice-ice collisions prevails, creating IE ratios of up to about 102-103. Regarding AIEs from INPs, increasing anthropogenic pollution is predicted to exert a net cooling in APPRAISE, and a strong net warmingin MC3E (11 May). Furthermore, these net AIEs are mainly from glaciated clouds. Overall, the contribution to the AIEs from ice formation processes, such as time-dependent INP freezing and SIP, shows a high sensitivity with respect to anthropogenic INPs (about 20-60% increase in net AIEs). Also, two new indirect effects associated with ice initiation mechanisms are proposed here. These are, 1) the ‘SIP’ indirect effect, and 2) the ‘time-dependent INP’ indirect effect. It is predicted that in APPRAISE and MC3E, both SIP and time-dependent INP indirect effects form less than 30%, and more than 50% of the net AIE, respectively