Asynchronous Antarctic and Greenland ice-volume contributions to the last interglacial sea-level highstand

The last interglacial (LIG; ~130 to ~118 thousand years ago, ka) was the last time global sea level rose well above the present level. Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) contributions were insufficient to explain the highstand, so that substantial Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) reduction is implied. However, the nature and drivers of GrIS and AIS reductions remain enigmatic, even though they may be critical for understanding future sea-level rise. Here we complement existing records with new data, and reveal that the LIG contained an AIS-derived highstand from ~129.5 to ~125 ka, a lowstand centred on 125–124 ka, and joint AIS + GrIS contributions from ~123.5 to ~118 ka. Moreover, a dual substructure within the first highstand suggests temporal variability in the AIS contributions. Implied rates of sea-level rise are high (up to several meters per century; m c−1), and lend credibility to high rates inferred by ice modelling under certain ice-shelf instability parameterisations.Universidade de VigoAustralian Research Council Laureate Fellowship | Ref. FL120100050RCN project THRESHOLDS | Ref. 2549

Limited exchange between the deep Pacific and Atlantic oceans during the warm mid-Pliocene and Marine Isotope Stage M2 “glaciation”

The Piacenzian stage (3.6–2.6 Ma) of the Pliocene is the most recent period where Earth experienced sustained intervals of global warmth analogous to predicted near-future climates. Despite considerable efforts to characterize and understand the climate dynamics of the Piacenzian, the deep ocean and its response to this warming remain poorly understood. Here we present new mid-Piacenzian Mg/Ca and Δ47 (“clumped isotope”) temperatures from the deep Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. These records cover the transition from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) M2 – considered the most pronounced “glacial” stage of the Pliocene prior to the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation – to the warm KM5 interglacial. We find that a large (&gt; 4 ∘C) temperature gradient existed between these two basins throughout that interval, with the deep North Atlantic considerably warmer and likely saltier than at present. We interpret our results to indicate that the deep Pacific and North Atlantic oceans were bathed by water masses with very different physical properties during the mid-Piacenzian, and that only a limited deep oceanic exchange occurred between the two basins. Our results point to a fundamentally different mode of ocean circulation or mixing compared to the present, where heat and salt are distributed from the North Atlantic into the Pacific. The amplitude of cooling observed at both sites during MIS M2 suggests that changes in benthic δ18O associated with this cold stage were mostly driven by temperature change in the deep ocean rather than by ice volume.</p

Rapid switches in subpolar North Atlantic hydrography and climate during the Last Interglacial (MIS 5e)

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Paleoceanography 27 (2012): PA2207, doi:10.1029/2011PA002244.At the peak of the previous interglacial period, North Atlantic and subpolar climate shared many features in common with projections of our future climate, including warmer-than-present conditions and a diminished Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS). Here we portray changes in North Atlantic hydrography linked with Greenland climate during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e using (sub)centennially sampled records of planktonic foraminiferal isotopes and assemblage counts and ice-rafted debris counts, as well as modern analog technique and Mg/Ca-based paleothermometry. We use the core MD03-2664 recovered from a high accumulation rate site (∼34 cm/kyr) on the Eirik sediment drift (57°26.34′N, 48°36.35′W). The results indicate that surface waters off southern Greenland were ∼3–5°C warmer than today during early MIS 5e. These anomalously warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs) prevailed until the isotopic peak of MIS 5e when they were interrupted by a cooling event beginning at ∼126 kyr BP. This interglacial cooling event is followed by a gradual warming with SSTs subsequently plateauing just below early MIS 5e values. A planktonic δ18O minimum during the cooling event indicates that marked freshening of the surface waters accompanied the cooling. We suggest that switches in the subpolar gyre hydrography occurred during a warmer climate, involving regional changes in freshwater fluxes/balance and East Greenland Current influence in the study area. The nature of these hydrographic transitions suggests that they are most likely related to large-scale circulation dynamics, potentially amplified by GIS meltwater influences.This work is a contribution of the European Science Foundation EuroMARC program, through the AMOCINT project, funded through grants from the Research Council of Norway (RCN) and contributes to EU-FP7 IP Past4Future. N. Irvalı was additionally funded by an ESF EUROCORES Short-term Visit grant and a RCN Leiv Eiriksson mobility grant to support research stays at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA, respectively, during which parts of the data for this paper were acquired. U. Ninnemann was funded by a University of Bergen Meltzer research grant.2012-11-1

Asynchronous Antarctic and Greenland ice-volume contributions to the last interglacial sea-level highstand

The last interglacial (LIG; ~130 to ~118 thousand years ago, ka) was the last time global sea level rose well above the present level. Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) contributions were insufficient to explain the highstand, so that substantial Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) reduction is implied. However, the nature and drivers of GrIS and AIS reductions remain enigmatic, even though they may be critical for understanding future sea-level rise. Here we complement existing records with new data, and reveal that the LIG contained an AIS-derived highstand from ~129.5 to ~125 ka, a lowstand centred on 125–124 ka, and joint AIS + GrIS contributions from ~123.5 to ~118 ka. Moreover, a dual substructure within the first highstand suggests temporal variability in the AIS contributions. Implied rates of sea-level rise are high (up to several meters per century; m c−1), and lend credibility to high rates inferred by ice modelling under certain ice-shelf instability parameterisations

Video som observasjons- og analyseverktøy: Å se med «mikroskop»

Denne teksten handler om bruk av video for å observere samspill i musikkterapi mellom nære voksne og barn med multifunksjonshemminger. I første del av artikkelen diskuteres video som redskap i analyse og observasjon, samt video som verktøy for å studere samspill og egen praksis. Her nevnes i tillegg video i team- og veilednings-øyemed. Videre drøftes utfordringer ved bruk av mediet. Når jeg skriver om video som observasjonsredskap er det med et positivt fortegn, og mine valg og avgrens-ninger styres av dette. Jeg viser til teori om video og referer noe til Preisler (1993), men mest til musikkterapiforsker Stensæth (2008). Jeg finner hennes vinkling av emnet interessant, spesielt måten hun trekker inn fenomenologien på som nyttig og konstruktiv i forhold til de elevene denne teksten handler om. Samspill behandles med utgangspunkt i Sterns teorier om den tidlige spedbarnsutviklingen (Stern 1985; 2003). Avslutningsvis drøfter jeg et videoeksempel fra egen studie (Galaasen 2006) opp mot presentert teori

Managing government wealth in an aging society : The implications of fiscal rules

This paper uses a large-scale overlapping generations model to assess the impact of fiscal rules in Norway. I apply up-to-date mortality and fertility rates, realistic projections for petroleum revenues and age profiles for government consumption. The calibration makes sure that the current Norwegian fiscal rule was satisfied in 2006, and the model is then used to study the economy's transition paths, starting in 2007, implied by the current and alternative fiscal rules. The current 4-percent rule is considered as the benchmark and I experiment with four alternatives: a growth-adjusted rule, a spending rule, constant tax rates and a wealth targeting rule. In all scenarios tax rates adjust to satisfy the fiscal constraint. Due to large petroleum resources, alternative fiscal rules give rise to large differences in the timing and level of taxes and the welfare of different generations. In my stylized economy a continuation of the current fiscal rule gives rise to a short-term tax reduction and a long-term tax hike. Between 2006 and 2028 labor income taxes are reduced from 39 to 26 percent. From 2028 the tax rate is increased continually. The long run tax rate is 60 percent. These results are consistent with previous findings, e.g. Holmøy and Stensnes (2008). Alternative rules create very different tax rate dynamics. In the growth-adjusted scenario, which represents a more conservative regime, labor income tax rates are at most 7 percentage points larger in the short term, and 25 percentage points smaller in the long-term. The lowest sustainable constant tax rate is 36 percent. In the spending scenario, tax rate is negative the first two years, and grows rapidly until it reaches 55 percent at the end of this century. Since alternative fiscal rules create different tax paths, they necessarily redistribute welfare among generations compared to the benchmark scenario. In the growth-adjusted scenario, generations currently alive and those born in early transition years lose. The loss is the equivalent of 2.5 percent of life-time resources for some cohorts. In terms of consumption and leisure, this represents a 2.5 percent decrease in all remaining years alive. Future generations gain considerably. Cohorts born in 2050 gain 2.5 percent while the long-run gain is 17 percent. In the spending scenario, current generations gain up to 6.4 percent, while future generations lose up to 7 percent

The effect of spinal manipulative therapy on heart rate variability and pain in patients with persistent or recurrent neck pain

OBJECTIVE: Persistent or recurrent neck pain is a common reason to seek healthcare. Manual therapy in combination with exercises is recommended by clinical guidelines for this patient group. Autonomic dysregulation with reduced parasympathetic activity, increased sympathetic activity, and impaired conditioned pain modulation is seen in a range of chronic pain conditions such as persistent or recurrent neck pain. An immediate response to spinal manipulative therapy of the autonomic nervous system has been observed, but the evidence is of very low to moderate quality and the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Examining the long-term effect of spinal manipulative therapy on the autonomic nervous system, pain, and disability is thus relevant, and measures of heart rate variability can provide an objective measure of this relationship. The aim of this project was to examine the effects on pain, disability, and heart rate variability of adding spinal manipulative therapy to home stretching exercises over a period of two weeks. Further, an explorative investigation into the relationship between changes in pain and changes in heart rate variability was undertaken. In addition the temporal stability and responsiveness of the conditioned pain modulation measurements was also investigated. METHOD: A randomized controlled clinical trial was carried out in multidisciplinary primary care clinics. One group received home stretching exercises and spinal manipulative therapy, and the other group received home stretching exercises only. The subjective pain experience was investigated by assessing pain intensity (NRS-11) and the affective quality of pain (McGill questionnaire). Neck disability (NDI) and health status (EQ-5D) were also measured. Heart rate variability at rest was measured using a portable heart monitor. CPM was measured using a universal “clamp” from Clas Ohlson and a coldwater bath (0-2 ℃). The subjects received four treatments over two weeks. Linear mixed models were used to investigate the group by time interaction. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to investigate the temporal stability of the CPM test. The study was approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board (Stockholm) (ref: 2018/2137-31). RESULTS: No statistically significant group effect was found for pain, disability, or any of the heart rate variability indices. No statistically significant association was found between changes in pain (NRS-11) and changes in HRV. The CPM test appears to be moderately stable over time for both subjects who experienced a clinically important difference and those who did not over a two-week treatment period. CONCLUSION: Adding spinal manipulative therapy to a two-week stretching protocol did not significantly improve heart rate variability, pain or disability in this well-controlled RCT. Further investigations found no significant association between treatment response from spinal manipulative therapy and home stretching exercises and HRV over two weeks. Further research on pain, disability and HRV should focus on subjects with higher pain intensity and a longer intervention period. Also, further investigation of the relationship between pain and HRV is warranted. The CPM utilized showed moderate temporal stability for this patient group. Changes in persistent or recurrent neck pain over two weeks were not associated with changes in the CPM test response

Pension Reform Disabled

Old-age pension reform is on the agenda across the OECD, and a key target is to delay retirement. Most of these countries also have a disability insurance (DI) program accounting for a large share of labor force exits. This paper builds a quantitative life-cycle model with endogenous retirement to study how DI and old-age pension (OA-pension) systems interact with health and wages to determine retirement age, with particular focus on the macroeconomic effects of OA-pension reforms. Individuals face uncertain future health status and wages, and if in bad health they are eligible for DI if they choose to retire before reaching the statutory retirement age. I calibrate the model to the Norwegian economy and explore the effects of raising the statutory retirement age and cutting OA-pension on labor supply and public finances. The main contribution of the paper is that I, in contrast to standard macro pension models, include DI as another endogenous margin of retirement. I show that failure to account for this margin might severely bias the analysis of OA-pension reforms.publishedVersio

R&D Heterogeneity and Its Implications for Growth

This paper quantifies the determinants of heterogeneity in R&D investment and its implications for growth. Using a panel of Norwegian manufacturing firms we document a negative correlation between R&D intensity and firm size, driven mainly by small firms with high R&D intensity. We estimate a Schumpeterian growth model with heterogeneous firms, that differ with respect to innovation efficiency. The estimated model fits the shape of the R&D investment distribution as well as the negative correlation between R&D intensity and firm size. A larger selection effect contribution to aggregate growth is found when we include R&D moments in the estimation. Finally, we study the link between firm heterogeneity and R&D subsidies, and show that the growth effects of subsidies depend crucially on how the policy influences the equilibrium distribution of firms.publishedVersio