Language documentation and archives in South America

This paper addresses a set of issues related to language documentation that are not often explicitly dealt with in academic publications, yet are highly important for the development and success of this new discipline. These issues include embedding language documentation in the socio-political context not only at the community level but also at the national level, the ethical and technical challenges of digital language archives, and the importance of regional and international cooperation among documentation activities. These issues play a major role in the initiative to set up a network of regional language archives in three South American countries, which this paper reports on. Local archives for data on endangered languages have recently been set up in Iquitos (Peru), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and in various locations in Brazil. An important feature of these is that they provide fast and secure access to linguistic and cultural data for local researchers and the language communities. They also make data safer by allowing for regular update procedures within the network

Language documentation and archives in South America

This paper addresses a set of issues related to language documentation that are not often explicitly dealt with in academic publications, yet are highly important for the development and success of this new discipline. These issues include embedding language documentation in the socio-political context not only at the community level but also at the national level, the ethical and technical challenges of digital language archives, and the importance of regional and international cooperation among documentation activities. These issues play a major role in the initiative to set up a network of regional language archives in three South American countries, which this paper reports on. Local archives for data on endangered languages have recently been set up in Iquitos (Peru), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and in various locations in Brazil. An important feature of these is that they provide fast and secure access to linguistic and cultural data for local researchers and the language communities. They also make data safer by allowing for regular update procedures within the network

GASP XXIV. The history of abruptly quenched galaxies in clusters

The study of cluster post starburst galaxies gives useful insights on the physical processes quenching the star formation in the most massive environments. Exploiting the MUSE data of the GAs Stripping Phenomena in galaxies (GASP) project, we characterise the quenching history of 8 local cluster galaxies that were selected for not showing emission lines in their fiber spectra. We inspect the integrated colors, the Hb rest frame equivalent widths (EW), star formation histories (SFHs) and luminosity-weighted age (LWA) maps finding no signs of current star formation throughout the disks of these early-spiral/S0 galaxies. All of them have been passive for at least 20 Myr, but their SF declined on different timescales. In most of them the outskirts reached undetectable SFRs before the inner regions (outside-in quenching). Our sample includes three post-starforming galaxies, two passive galaxies and three galaxies with intermediate properties. The first population shows blue colors, deep Hb in absorption (EW>>2.8A), young ages (8.8<log(LW [yr])<9.2). Two of these galaxies show signs of a central SF enhancement before quenching. Passive galaxies have instead red colors, EW(Hb)<2.8A, ages in the range 9.2<log(LWA[yr])<10. Finally, the other galaxies are most likely in transition between a post starforming and passive phase, as they quenched in an intermediate epoch and have not lost all the star forming features yet. The outside-in quenching, the morphology and kinematics of the stellar component, along with the position of these galaxies within massive clusters (sigma_cl=550-950km/s) point to a scenario in which ram pressure stripping has removed the gas, leading to quenching. Only the three most massive galaxies might alternatively have entered the clusters already quenched. These galaxies are therefore at the final stage of the rapid evolution galaxies undergo when they enter the clusters.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures accepted for publication in Ap

GASP XXX. The spatially resolved SFR-Mass relation in stripping galaxies in the local universe

The study of the spatially resolved Star Formation Rate-Mass (Sigma_SFR-Sigma_M) relation gives important insights on how galaxies assemble at different spatial scales. Here we present the analysis of the Sigma_SFR-Sigma_M of 40 local cluster galaxies undergoing ram pressure stripping drawn from the GAs Stripping Phenomena in galaxies (GASP) sample. Considering their integrated properties, these galaxies show a SFR enhancement with respect to undisturbed galaxies of similar stellar mass; we now exploit spatially resolved data to investigate the origin and location of the excess. Even on ~1kpc scales, stripping galaxies present a systematic enhancement of Sigma_SFR (~0.35 dex at Sigma_M =108^M_sun/kpc^2) at any given Sigma_M compared to their undisturbed counterparts. The excess is independent on the degree of stripping and of the amount of star formation in the tails and it is visible at all galactocentric distances within the disks, suggesting that the star formation is most likely induced by compression waves from ram pressure. Such excess is larger for less massive galaxies and decreases with increasing mass. As stripping galaxies are characterised by ionised gas beyond the stellar disk, we also investigate the properties of 411 star forming clumps found in the galaxy tails. At any given stellar mass density, these clumps are systematically forming stars at a higher rate than in the disk, but differences are reconciled when we just consider the mass formed in the last few 10^8yr ago, suggesting that on these timescales the local mode of star formation is similar in the tails and in the disks.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Estimating soil carbon in Southern Amazon late holocene anthropogenic landscapes containing archaeological 'Dark Earth' Anthrosols.

Amazonian dark earths (ADE) are anthropogenic soils with concentrated carbon and nutrients that formed mainly during the latter half of the Holocene, prior to the arrival of Europeans, but are still forming on a more limited scale up to the present in indigenous communities. ADE, a result of domestic, economic, and agricultural activities in and around human settlements, are noted for their extraordinary fertility and resilience and for the significant quantities of organic carbon, much in the form of charcoal. The deepest and most extensive areas of ADE are generally located on the bluffs of major rivers adjacent to floodplains, but significant areas of ADE have also been found in floodplains and in headwater and interfluvial areas. Our research aims to shed light on the distribution of modified soils in distinct regions of the Amazon in relation to landforms and the environment. Research on ADE has led to the development of a 'biochar' industry that promotes the incorporation of charcoal into the soil for the dual purpose of improving fertility and sequestering carbon, but the potential for large-scale carbon storage in anthropogenic soils is unclear, in part because the amount of carbon already stored in ADE is unknown as there is a notable lack of research attempting to quantify the carbon over the scale of a site or region. We undertook this challenge in the Upper Xingu region of southeastern Amazonia in partnership with the local Kuikuro indigenous community who have shared their valuable traditional knowledge on the creation and management of ADE. We used data from over 3500 soil samples from diverse contexts, both ancient and modern, that we collected and analyzed over the past two decades for organic carbon and a range of other chemical and physical properties that can serve as proxies for soil modification by humans. Dark earth samples from profiles down to 1 m depth in archaeological sites ranged from 20% to 150% more OC than unmodified forest soil and dark earth profiles in current and historic villages ranged from 20-90% more organic carbon. We used the results from soil sample transects to estimate the carbon in landuse zones within and surrounding modern, historic, and ancient settlement sites. In continuing work, we are attempting to use satellite remote sensing and AI to extrapolate our results across a larger region

Intentional creation of carbon-rich dark earth soils in the Amazon

Fertile soil known as Amazonian dark earth is central to the debate over the size and ecological impact of ancient human populations in the Amazon. Dark earth is typically associated with human occupation, but it is uncertain whether it was created intentionally. Dark earth may also be a substantial carbon sink, but its spatial extent and carbon inventory are unknown. We demonstrate spatial and compositional similarities between ancient and modern dark earth and document modern Indigenous practices that enrich soil, which we use to propose a model for the formation of ancient dark earth. This comparison suggests that ancient Amazonians managed soil to improve fertility and increase crop productivity. These practices also sequestered and stored carbon in the soil for centuries, and we show that some ancient sites contain as much carbon as the above-ground rainforest biomass. Our results demonstrate the intentional creation of dark earth and highlight the value of Indigenous knowledge for sustainable rainforest management

Intentional creation of carbon-rich dark earth soils in the Amazon.

Fertile soil known as Amazonian dark earth is central to the debate over the size and ecological impact of ancient human populations in the Amazon. Dark earth is typically associated with human occupation, but it is uncertain whether it was created intentionally. Dark earth may also be a substantial carbon sink, but its spatial extent and carbon inventory are unknown. We demonstrate spatial and compositional similarities between ancient and modern dark earth and document modern Indigenous practices that enrich soil, which we use to propose a model for the formation of ancient dark earth. This comparison suggests that ancient Amazonians managed soil to improve fertility and increase crop productivity. These practices also sequestered and stored carbon in the soil for centuries, and we show that some ancient sites contain as much carbon as the above-ground rainforest biomass. Our results demonstrate the intentional creation of dark earth and highlight the value of Indigenous knowledge for sustainable rainforest management

GASP XXVI. HI gas in jellyfish galaxies : the case of JO201 and JO206

Please read abstract in the article.European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme grant agreement no. 679627 and no.833824, project name FORNAX and GASP, respectively. We acknowledge funding from the agreement ASI-INAF n.2017-14-H.0, as well as from the INAF main-stream funding programme. M. R’s research is supported by the SARAO HCD programme via the "New Scientific Frontiers with Precision Radio Interferometry" research group grant. M. R. acknowledges support from the Italian Ministry of Foreign A airs and International Cooperation (MAECI Grant Number ZA18GR02) and the South African Department of Science and Technology’s National Research Foundation (DST-NRF Grant Number 113121) as part of the ISARP RADIOSKY2020 Joint Research Scheme. B. V. and M. G. also acknowledge the Italian PRIN-Miur 2017 (PI A. Cimatti). Y. J. acknowledges financial support from CONICYT PAI (Concurso Nacional de Insercion en la Academia 2017), No. 79170132 and FONDECYT Iniciación 2018 No. 11180558. M. V. acknowledges support by the Netherlands Foundation for Scientific Research (NWO) through VICI grant 016.130.338.http://www.aanda.orgam2020Physic