Lecture on War

A pamphlet discussing the crimes and miseries of war

Hydrology, sediment transport dynamics and geomorphology of a variable flow river : the Mfolozi River, South Africa

The co-efficient of variation for inter-annual streamflow of the Mfolozi River is extremely high at 79%. An analysis of flow frequency indicated that streamflow is skewed towards low-flow values, with a number of extremely large flood events occurring as outliers on the histogram. Streamflow variability in the Mfolozi River may be linked to multiple factors including a large catchment size, a seasonal climate of a dry winter and wet summer, evergreen vegetation in the catchment, variable precipitation and the occurrence of regionally pervasive climatic oscillations. This research aimed to address how streamflow variability impacted upon sediment transport and thus, geomorphology. It was found that sediment transport variability occurred at the intra-and inter-annual scale. Analysis of mean monthly sediment concentration and discharge showed a hysteresis effect, such that sediment concentration peaked prior to discharge in the early wet season. During the late wet season, peak discharges often had unexpectedly low sediment concentrations. Furthermore, data suggested the existence of long-term hysteresis that may be related to decadal-scale climatic oscillations that alter sediment availability and stream capacity, resulting in discharge peaking in 2000 and sediment concentration in 2005. However, more data are required to confirm this relationship. Variability in streamflow appears to share a causal relationship with sediment transport variability, as both are linked to variation in precipitation and the resultant impacts on vegetation growth and evapotranspiration rates. The variability of streamflow and sediment transport has implications for stream and floodplain geomorphology, and the hydrology of variable rivers should be considered when interpreting their geomorphology

Use of Averaged Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire Scores

Background. Averaged Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ) support scores remove the influence of network size variability but may unduly lower scores for participants with large networks. Objectives. To evaluate the use of averaged NSSQ scores. Method. Pearson correlations determined if averaged scores decreased as network size increased across three samples. Then, Pearson correlations between a criterion variable and both averaged and raw support scores were computed along with the resultant power to detect a true effect. Results. Neither averaged total functional support nor averaged affect and affirmation scores decreased as sample size increased. However, averaged aid scores did decrease as network size increased. Power also increased markedly in all averaged versus raw scores except in averaged aid scores. Discussion and Conclusions. Use of averaged aid scores is not recommended. Use of all other averaged scores appears acceptable

The landscape holds answers to more questions than we have yet learned to ask : perspectives of an environmental scientist

[From the text] Implicit in the title of my talk is the idea that the landscape has a voice – it "holds answers". Our understanding of landscapes depends on the questions we ask about their appearance and dynamics. What I love about the voice of landscapes is its gentle nature – it whispers. It's a seductive voice, inviting one to hear secrets. I have long been curious about the intimate language of landscapes and this has stemmed from a personal connection with nature from a very early age. My interests led me into the fields of ecology and geomorphology, both of which have allowed me to unravel some of these secrets. So, in tonight’s talk there are a number of narratives that form a part of my story. The first narrative is about science. It’s about how we uncover nature’s secrets and thus create new understanding