Християнство і європейська духовно-культурна ідентичність

Стаття присвячена з’ясуванню ролі і місця християнства у формуванні європейської ідентичності в умовах ціннісної дезорієнтації, дегуманізації людини і суспільства, морального та релігійного хаосу.Статья посвящена выяснению роли и места христианства в формировании европейской идентичности в условиях ценностной дезориентации, дегуманизации человека и общества, морального и религиозного хаоса.The article is devoted to finding out the role and place of christianity in forming of the European identity in the conditions of the valued disorientation, dehumanizing of man and society, moral and religious chaos

Социально-экономические последствия изменения ставок акцизного сбора

Проаналізовано основні тенденції зміни ставок акцизного збору з алкогольних та тютюнових виробів в Україні та запропонована порівняльна характеристика законодавчого забезпечення. Подано оцінку можливих економічних та соціальних наслідків їх підвищення, виявлено як позитивні, так і негативні тенденції, зроблено висновки щодо доцільності змін. Ключові слова: акцизний збір, ставка акцизного збору, підакцизні товари.Проанализированы основные тенденции изменения ставок акцизного сбора с алкогольной продукции и табачных изделий в Украине и предложена сравнительная характеристика законодательного обеспечения. Дана оценка возможных экономических и социальных последствий их повышения, выявлены как положительные, так и отрицательные тенденции, сделаны выводы о целесообразности изменения. Ключевые слова: акцизный сбор, ставка акцизного сбора, подакцизные товары.The basic tendencies in changing of excise duties’ rate, specifically in alcoholic and tobacco products, in Ukraine were analysed, and was shifted the comparison characteristic of the legislative control. The estimation of possible economic and social outcome of the rate increase was made, both negative and positive its tendencies were revealed, and was drawn the conclusion on the expedience of changes. Key words: excise tax, rate of excise duties, items liable to excise duties

Marine pelagic ecosystems: the West Antarctic Peninsula

The marine ecosystem of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) extends from the Bellingshausen Sea to the northern tip of the peninsula and from the mostly glaciated coast across the continental shelf to the shelf break in the west. The glacially sculpted coastline along the peninsula is highly convoluted and characterized by deep embayments that are often interconnected by channels that facilitate transport of heat and nutrients into the shelf domain. The ecosystem is divided into three subregions, the continental slope, shelf and coastal regions, each with unique ocean dynamics, water mass and biological distributions. The WAP shelf lies within the Antarctic Sea Ice Zone (SIZ) and like other SIZs, the WAP system is very productive, supporting large stocks of marine mammals, birds and the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba. Ecosystem dynamics is dominated by the seasonal and interannual variation in sea ice extent and retreat. The Antarctic Peninsula is one among the most rapidly warming regions on Earth, having experienced a 28C increase in the annual mean temperature and a 68C rise in the mean winter temperature since 1950. Delivery of heat from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current has increased significantly in the past decade, sufficient to drive to a 0.68C warming of the upper 300 m of shelf water. In the past 50 years and continuing in the twenty-first century, the warm, moist maritime climate of the northern WAP has been migrating south, displacing the once dominant cold, dry continental Antarctic climate and causing multi-level responses in the marine ecosystem. Ecosystem responses to the regional warming include increased heat transport, decreased sea ice extent and duration, local declines in icedependent Ade´lie penguins, increase in ice-tolerant gentoo and chinstrap penguins, alterations in phytoplankton and zooplankton community composition and changes in krill recruitment, abundance and availability to predators. The climate/ecological gradients extending along theWAPand the presence of monitoring systems, field stations and long-term research programmes make the region an invaluable observatory of climate change and marine ecosystem response

Momentum Budget of the atmospheric boundary layer over the Greenland ice sheet and its surrounding seas

The atmospheric circulation patterns over the Greenland ice sheet and its surrounding seas are studied by explicitly calculating the momentum budget components, using data of a high‐resolution regional atmospheric climate model. In winter (DJF), the katabatic pressure gradient force (PGF) dominates the momentum budget of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over the ice sheet. Over the western slopes of the ice sheet, the large‐scale PGF acts in the same direction as the katabatic PGF, resulting in a strong southerly jet of up to 12 m s−1. In winter, the accumulation of cold air over the sea ice along the northeast coast leads to a thermally induced northerly flow. This circulation facilitates southward sea ice transport in this area and is enhanced by the large‐scale circulation. Along the west coast, a similar west‐east temperature gradient also forces a northerly flow. In the summer months, sea ice is absent, and thermal wind forcing is largely reduced over the ocean. Summer insolation also reduces katabatic forcing; the large‐scale forcing dominates the ABL momentum budget over the ice sheet. Heating of the ABL over the snow‐free tundra induces thermal contrasts with the ice sheet and ocean, forcing barrier winds in the coastal regions. Throughout the year, strong surface layer winds along the southeast coast of Greenland are forced by the large‐scale PGF

Estimating the Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance contribution to future sea level rise using the regional atmospheric climate model MAR

To estimate the sea level rise (SLR) originating from changes in surface mass balance (SMB) of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS), we present 21st century climate projections obtained with the regional climate model MAR (Modèle Atmosphérique Régional), forced by output of three CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5) general circulation models (GCMs). Our results indicate that in a warmer climate, mass gain from increased winter snowfall over the GrIS does not compensate mass loss through increased meltwater run-off in summer. Despite the large spread in the projected near-surface warming, all the MAR projections show similar non-linear increase of GrIS surface melt volume because no change is projected in the general atmospheric circulation over Greenland. By coarsely estimating the GrIS SMB changes from GCM output, we show that the uncertainty from the GCM-based forcing represents about half of the projected SMB changes. In 2100, the CMIP5 ensemble mean projects a GrIS SMB decrease equivalent to a mean SLR of +4 ± 2 cm and +9 ± 4 cm for the RCP (Representative Concentration Pathways) 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios respectively. These estimates do not consider the positive melt–elevation feedback, although sensitivity experiments using perturbed ice sheet topographies consistent with the projected SMB changes demonstrate that this is a significant feedback, and highlight the importance of coupling regional climate models to an ice sheet model. Such a coupling will allow the assessment of future response of both surface processes and ice-dynamic changes to rising temperatures, as well as their mutual feedbacks