Density Distribution of Fish in the Presence of Whales at the Admiralty Inlet Landfast Ice Edge

Hydroacoustic techniques were used to search for fish beneath landfast sea ice in Admiralty Inlet, Northwest Territories, Canada, when narwhal (Monodon monoceros) and beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) were congregating at the ice edge in the mouth of the inlet. Fish, presumably Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), were distributed in the water column within four general layers or zones; near the ice undersurface, about 40 m deep, about 80-100 m deep, and about 150-200 m deep. The distribution of the first three layers roughly corresponded with the distribution of larger zooplankters, also estimated hydroacoustically. We recorded higher densities immediately below the ice than farther down in the water column. Maximum density in both regions occurred about 10 km from the ice edge. Fish density was low in the immediate vicinity of the ice edge. The distribution of fish underneath the landfast ice of Admiralty Inlet is postulated to have been influenced by the distribution of zooplankton, their principle food source, rather than by the presence of whales.

Technical Change, Investment and Energy Intensity

Abstract in HTML and technical report in PDF available on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change website (http://mit.edu/globalchange/www/).This paper analyzes the role of different components of technical change on energy intensity by applying a Translog variable cost function setting to the new EU KLEMS dataset for 3 selected EU countries (Italy, Finland and Spain). The framework applied represents an accounting of technical change components, comprising autonomous as well as embodied and induced technical change. The inducement of embodied technical change is introduced by an equation for the physical capital stock that is a fixed factor in the short-run. The dataset on capital services and user costs of capital in EUKLEMS enables explaining capital accumulation depending on factor prices. The model can be used for explaining and tracing back the long-run impact of prices and technical change on energy intensity.This paper is based on the EU KLEMS database, which has been funded by the European Commission, Research Directorate General as part of the 6th Framework Programme, Priority 8, “Policy Support and Anticipating Scientific and Technological Needs” (project 502049)

Intangible assets and investments at the sector level : empirical evidence for Germany

This paper investigates the role intangible capital plays for economic growth in different sectors in Germany. It consists of two major parts. In the first part, we aim at measuring investment in intangibles at the sector level. We shed light on differences across sectors but also compare these figures with investment in physical capital and with investment in intangibles in the UK as European benchmark. The second part explores the role of intangible assets for stimulating growth at the sector level by performing growth accounting analyses. We find that German firms have boosted investments in intangible capital from 1995-2006 by 30%. Furthermore, results reveal differences in the investment patterns among the UK and Germany. In nearly all sectors investments in design and computerized information are larger in the UK. In contrast, German firms invest a higher proportion of gross output in R&D in all sectors, and advertising is also more common except for the sector trade & transport. Intangible assets have stimulated labour productivity growth in all sectors. The contribution varies between 0.17 (construction) and 0.59 (manufacturing) percentage points. In manufacturing, financial and business services innovative property capital is the most influential type of intangible capital for labour productivity, followed by economic competencies and computerized information. In all other sectors, economic competencies play the most prominent role for labour productivity growth

Six Strategies for Rehabilitating Land Disturbed by Oil Development in Arctic Alaska

Oil development in arctic Alaska has left a range of disturbed lands that will eventually require rehabilitation. These lands include gravel roads and pads, gravel pits and overburden stockpiles, drilling reserve pits, occasional accidental spills, and other minor disturbances to the tundra. A long-term research program investigating site-specific and cost-effective methods for rehabilitating degraded lands for fish and wildlife habitat has developed six general strategies that are applicable to the range of disturbed conditions. These strategies include 1) flooding of gravel mine sites for fish habitat, 2) creation of wetlands in ponds perched on overburden stockpiles, 3) revegetation of thick gravel fill and overburden to compensate for lost wildlife habitat, 4) removal of gravel fill to help restore wet tundra habitats, 5) restoration of tundra on less severely modified habitats, and 6) remediation of areas contaminated by oil spills, seawater spills, and drilling mud. Although most techniques are in the early stage of evaluation, preliminary results suggest that successful methods are available to create diverse, productive, and self-sustaining communities that are useful to a range of wildlife.Key words: Arctic, Alaska, disturbance, habitat, tundra, oilfield, rehabilitation, revegetation, restoration, wetlandsL'exploitation du pétrole dans la zone arctique de l'Alaska a entraîné une gamme de perturbations sur des terrains qu'il va falloir un jour réhabiliter. Ces derniers comprennent les routes et plates-formes de gravier, les gravières et déblais des terrains de recouvrement, les bassins de réserve de forage, les terrains ayant été le site de déversements accidentels occasionnels et autres perburbations mineures de la toundra. Six stratégies générales applicables à la gamme des terres ayant subi des perturbations ont été développées grâce à un programme de recherche à long terme portant sur les méthodes - rentables et spécifiques à chaque site - de réhabilitation des terres dégradées pour la faune aquatique et terrestre. Ces stratégies comprennent 1) l'inondation de gravières pour l'habitat du poisson, 2) la création de terres humides dans les étangs situés en haut des déblais des terrains de recouvrement, 3) la restauration de la végétation sur les remblais de gravier et déblais épais, pour compenser la perte de l'habitat faunique, 4) l'enlèvement des remblais de gravier comme aide à la restauration des habitats de toundra humide, 5) la restauration de la toundra dans des habitats n'ayant pas subi de modifications aussi sérieuses, et 6) la décontamination de zones ayant subi des déversements de pétrole, d'eau de mer et de boue de forage. Bien que la plupart des techniques en soient au stade préliminaire de l'évaluation, les premiers résultats donnent à penser qu'il existe des moyens efficaces de créer des communautés diverses, productives et autorégulatrices qui permettent la présence d'une flore et d'une faune diversifiées.Mots clés: Arctic, Alaska, perturbation, habitat, toundra, gisement pétrolier, réhabilitation, revégétation, restauration, terres humide

Economic growth, 1947-73

노트 : Volume Title: New developments in productivity measurementChapter Title: Economic growth, 1947–73: An international compariso