The International Trans-Arctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE): An Overview

From its original formulation in 1990 the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE) has had as its primary aim the collection and interpretation of a continent-wide array of environmental parameters assembled through the coordinated efforts of scientists from several nations. ITASE offers the ground-based opportunities of traditional-style traverse travel coupled with the modern technology of GPS, crevasse detecting radar, satellite communications and multidisciplinary research. By operating predominantly in the mode of an oversnow traverse, ITASE offers scientists the opportunity to experience the dynamic range of the Antarctic environment. ITASE also offers an important interactive venue for research similar to that afforded by oceanographic research vessels and large polar field camps, without the cost of the former or the lack of mobility of the latter. More importantly, the combination of disciplines represented by ITASE provides a unique, multidimensional (space and time) view of the ice sheet and its history. ITASE has now collected \u3e20 000km of snow radar, recovered more than 240 firn/ice cores (total length 7000 m), remotely penetrated to ~4000m into the ice sheet, and sampled the atmosphere to heights of \u3e20 km

Grant Proposal for a 1991 Appointment Calendar Featuring the Art Work Created by Children Who are Patients at Napa State Hospital

Abstract not availabl

Post-fire recovery and microsite differentiation among ten fern species in the Santa Monica Mountains of southern California

Background/Question/Methods: The Santa Monica Mountains (SMM) in southern California are a mediterranean-type ecosystem, exposed to extended summer drought and frequent wildfires. Although most fern species worldwide require abundant water, previous studies have shown that fern species in the SMM use niche segregation to reduce competition for limited water resources, with considerable variation in minimum seasonal leaf water potential, root depth, gas exchange, and frond phenology (evergreen, deciduous, and desiccation-tolerant “resurrection” ferns). Although prior work has characterized fern adaptation to drought in the SMM, the impacts of recent wildfire on fern populations remain unknown. In November 2018, the Woolsey fire burned nearly one-half of the SMM, providing a natural experiment to characterize fern microsites and post-fire recovery. We hypothesized that the distribution and abundance of fern species would be differentially impacted by the Woolsey fire, with the resurrection ferns most at risk for localized extinction, as they have the shallowest root system. Furthermore, we hypothesized that fern microclimate (aspect, slope, and sunlight) would reflect niche segregation and partitioning of limited resources. To test these hypotheses, we surveyed ten fern species in six inland sites of the SMM (three burned and three unburned sites). Results/Conclusions: Most ferns grew along north-facing slopes, avoiding direct sunlight. However, there were few significant differences in sun exposure (percent of maximum PPFD) with respect to species and no significant differences in sun exposure with respect to frond phenology (p \u3e 0.05, n = 225 ferns). This lack of differences in sun exposure among species and frond phenology type may indicate a high degree of plasticity with respect to microsite, as PPFD ranged from 0% to 80% of maximum sunlight (open-canopy control site). The ten species varied in the breadth of their distribution; evergreen dehydration-tolerant Dryopteris arguta was abundant at all six sites, while three species (Adiantum capillus-veneris, Pteridium aquilinum, and Woodwardia fimbriata) were restricted to sites with perennial streams. The Woolsey fire did not affect the distribution of fern species or frond phenology types in recently burned vs unburned sites, as most ferns resprouted from an underground rhizome post-fire. We conclude that fern species in the SMM may be well adapted to rapid recovery post-fire, perhaps aided by patchy burn intensity and adaptation to a broader range of microsites than previously realized

What Do Unions Do to the Welfare States?

Current theories of unions are mainly theories of what unions were and did rather than theories of what unions will be and will do. Thus, the purpose of this book is to help make economic thinking about unions in Europe more forward-looking and to discuss the role that unions are likely to play in the changed economic environment of the new century. The volume consists of two reports that are the results of coordinated efforts by some of the most authoritative scholars in the field. The first study addresses a number of issues related to the question of how the primary role of trade unions—collective bargaining over wages and work conditions—is likely to evolve in the early decades of the new millennium. Starting from the widespread impression of a trend toward weakening union power, the main aspects considered by the analysis are membership, wage effects, organization and presence of unions, bargaining structure, macroeconomic performance, future scenarios, and strategies. The second study investigates the interactions between trade unions, welfare systems, and welfare reforms. The overall theme is the policy dilemma created by the many different activities of trade unions in the field of welfare provision, notably pension policies and unemployment protection.Throughout the analysis, a tension emerges between the role of unions as voice of atomistic agents and insurance providers—that may contribute to increasing aggregate welfare by remedying market failures—and as rent-seeking monopolist, underlying the intergenerational conflicts present within unions. The studies point to measures and strategies enhancing this second efficient role of the unions that draws mainly on their capacity to internalize to the employer–employee relationships costs that would otherwise fall on society at large. 1. Introduction In this part of the volume, the overall theme is the policy dilemma created by the many different activities of trade union in the field of welfare provision, notably pension policies and unemployment protection. Throughout the following chapters, a tension emerges between the role of unions as insurance providers, as institutions that facilitate agreements between different parties, and as rent-seeking monopolists. By making use of an interdisciplinary approach, the analysis rationalizes a set of distinct features of the interaction between union activities and union structure on the one hand and welfare arrangements and welfare developments on the other. 2. Unions' Involvement in the Welfare State Shows that there are important correlations between the unions' strength and activities and their welfare outcomes. The chapter provides a taxonomy of the large differences across countries in unions' strength and social expenditure. The analysis distinguishes among four dimensions of union influence: (1) unions as political movements; (2) unions and self-administration in public schemes; (3) unions and private pensions; and (4) institutional participation and political veto points. 3. Unions and Pensions: Theory, Evidence, and Implications The relationship between union actions and welfare outcomes is developed, taking the provision of old-age insurance as a natural example. This chapter develops the economic theory of how unions go about setting policies on pensions; it presents empirical evidence of their impact on occupational pensions and policies on state pensions and early retirement options; and it examines how union activities depend on labour relations institutions. 4. Learning from Welfare Reforms: The Case of Public Pensions Provides a detailed account of the position of unions on pension reforms across Europe. This example is regarded as a major indicator establishing whether unions have a truly solidaristic approach in negotiating reforms or appear to be driven mainly by internal membership considerations and by a strong seniority bias. 5. Unions and Unemployment Insurance Differences in unionization rates across countries appear to be related to how unemployment insurance is organized in different countries. The chapter presents the involvement of unions in the provision of unemployment insurance, highlighting theoretical considerations, policy arguments, and empirical evidence in favour of a particular unemployment insurance arrangement known as the ‘Ghent regime’. 6. Conclusions Summarizes the main findings of this part of the report, stressing how the seniority bias in unions leads to economic outcomes that are more favourable to older workers. It analyses the ways in which unions can counteract this tendency and choose policies that benefit both young and older workers. Four final questions arise: (1) Do unions interact with the welfare state? How do they do it? (2) What explains union policies toward welfare outcomes? (3) Which institutional structure emphasizes unions' welfare-enhancing activities relative to unions' rent-seeking activities? (4) Can unions contribute to a reform of welfare systems