The First Training Workshop on Permafrost Research Methods: IMPETUS 2007 : OSL-APECS-PYRN Training Workshop; St. Petersburg, Russia, 29 November to 2 December 2007

Fifty young researchers from 14 countries met in St. Petersburg, Russia, to learn about the latest methods used in permafrost research and engineering and to discuss future plans to address climate change issues in permafrost areas. This workshop was an official International Polar Year (IPY) event organized jointly by the Otto Schmidt Laboratory for Polar and Marine Sciences (OSL) in St. Petersburg, the Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN), and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS). The workshop provided insights into the latest techniques and methods used in permafrost research in fields as diverse as permafrost modeling, investigations of mountain ice segregation, bubbling from thermokarst lakes, and submarine permafrost detection. It brought together experts to provide young investigators with a multidisciplinary and cross-border perspective on permafrost research, a much needed approach in a discipline marked by strong research history yet strongly entangled within national borders. Presentations and speaker biographies are now available on the conference Web site (http://pyrn.ways.org/activities/pyrn-meetings/2007-saint-petersburg)

Experience of developing Twitter-based communities of practice in higher education

This article presents the results of a case study of the use of a microblogging tool by a university academic to increase their knowledge and experience of social media for educational purposes. The academic had the role of digital steward in a university and attempted to use microblogging (Twitter) to increase professional contacts within the framework of a community of practice. Several types of data were collected and analysed. These included the structure of the network arising from the links formed with others by microblogging, the similarity of stated interests between the academic and others in the network, and the contents of postings such as their external references. It was found that a personal network had been established, with some of the characteristics of a community of practice. The activity demonstrated the utility of social media in supporting the professional development of academic staff using technology

Anomalous variations in the thermohaline structure of the Arctic Ocean (Aus dem Russ. übersetzt)

Introduction: In the last two decades, significant changes have occurred in the Arctic Ocean as well as in the entire Arctic region. The ice cover of Arctic seas, which was gradually (linearly) decreasing from the beginning of the 20th century to the end of it [1], began to shrink rapidly in the 1990s and in the 21st century [2]. Salinity variations in the upper layer changed sign in different regions [3]. The temperature of Atlantic waters in the Arctic basin started to increase. At the end of the 1990s, stabilization of Atlantic water transport to the Arctic Basin was observed [4], but starting from 2004, the temperature of Atlantic waters in the Eurasian sub-basin increased even more and reached values that had not been observed here previously [5]. In 2007, extreme summer processes in the Arctic that followed this increase and anomalous state of the ice cover and upper layer of the ocean that were formed by the beginning of autumn put forward a pressing problem to evaluate the variation in the thermohaline structure of the Arctic Ocean as a whole

Reflection of Scandinavian Ice Sheet Fluctuations in Norwegian Sea Sediments during the Past 150,000 Years

The record of glacier fluctuations in western Scandinavia, as reconstructed from continental data, has been correlated with records of ice-rafted detritus (IRD) from well-dated sediment cores from the Norwegian Sea covering the past 150,000 yr B.P. The input of IRD into the ocean is used as a proxy for ice sheet advances onto the shelf and, thus, for the calibration of a glaciation curve. The marine results generally support land-based reconstructions of glacier fluctuations and improve the time-control on glacial advances. The Saalian ice sheet decayed very rapidly approximately 125,000 yr B.P. In the Early Weichselian, a minor but significant IRD maximum indicates the presence of icebergs in isotope substage 5b (especially between 95,000 and 83,000 yr B.P.). Reduced amounts of calcareous nannofossils indicate that surface waters were influenced by meltwater discharges during isotope substages 5d and 5b. An extensive build-up of inland ice began again during isotope stage 4, but maximum glaciation was reached only in early stage 3 (58,000-53,000 yr B.P.). Marine sediments have minimum carbonate content, indicating strong dilution by lithogenic ice-rafted material. Generally, the IRD accumulation rate was considerably higher in stages 4-2 than in stage 5. A marked peak in IRD accumulation rates from 47,000 to 43,000 yr B.P. correlates well with a second Middle Weichselian ice sheet advance dated by the Laschamp/Olby paleomagnetic event. Minimum ice extent during the Ålesund interstade (38,500-32,500 yr B.P.) and several glacial oscillations during the Late Weichselian are also seen in the IRD record. Of several late Weichselian glacial oscillations on the shelf, at least four correspond to the North Atlantic Heinrich events. Ice sheet behavior was either coupled or linked by external forcing during these events, whereas internal ice sheet mechanisms may account for the noncoherent fluctuations

Nutrient and Silicon Isotope Dynamics in the Laptev Sea and Implications for Nutrient Availability in the Transpolar Drift

Realistic prediction of the near-future response of Arctic Ocean primary productivity to ongoing warming and sea ice loss requires a mechanistic understanding of the processes controlling nutrient bioavailability. To evaluate continental nutrient inputs, biological utilization and the influence of mixing and winter processes in the Laptev Sea, the major source region of the Transpolar Drift, we compare observed with preformed concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), phosphorus (DIP), silicic acid (DSi) and silicon isotope compositions of DSi (δ30SiDSi) obtained for two summers (2013, 2014) and one winter (2012). In summer, preformed nutrient concentrations persisted in the surface layer of the southeastern Laptev Sea, while diatom-dominated utilization caused intense northward drawdown and a pronounced shift in δ30SiDSi from +0.91 to +3.82 ‰. The modeled Si isotope fractionation suggests that DSi in the northern Laptev Sea originated from the Lena River during the spring freshet, while in the southeastern Laptev Sea it was continuously supplied by it during the summer. Primary productivity fueled by river-borne nutrients was enhanced by admixture of DIN- and DIP-rich Atlantic-sourced waters to the surface, either by convective mixing during the previous winter or by occasional storm-induced stratification breakdowns in late summer. Substantial enrichments of DSi (+240 %) and DIP (+90 %) beneath the Lena River plume were caused by sea ice-driven redistribution and remineralization. Predicted weaker stratification on the outer Laptev shelf will enhance DSi utilization and removal through greater vertical DIN supply, which will limit DSi export and reduce diatom-dominated primary productivity in the Transpolar Drift. Key Points - Surface DIN, DIP, DSi and Si isotope dynamics are controlled by marine and riverine inputs and uptake by phytoplankton - Strong DIP and DSi enrichments beneath the Lena River plume are due to sea ice-driven nutrient redistribution and remineralization - Enhanced DSi utilization in the Laptev Sea will lead to a reduced diatom-dominated primary productivity in the Transpolar Drif

Real-Time, Real World Learning—Capitalising on Mobile Technology

This chapter explores the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies to promote active learning by students and to both mediate and enhance classroom instruction. Web 2.0 refers to open source, web-enabled applications (apps) that are driven by user-manipulated and user-generated content (Kassens-Noor, 2012). These apps are often rich in user participation, have dynamic content, and harness the collective intelligence of users (Chen, Hwang, & Wang, 2012). As such, these processes create “active, context based, personalised learning experiences” (Kaldoudi, Konstantinidis, & Bamidis, 2010, p. 130) that prioritise learning ahead of teaching. By putting the learner at the centre of the education process educators can provide environments that enhance employability prospects and spark a passion for learning that, hopefully, lasts a lifetime. As such, we critique an active learning approach that makes use of technology such as mobile applications (apps), Twitter, and augmented reality to enhance students’ real world learning. Dunlap and Lowenthal (2009) argue that social media can facilitate active learning as they recreate informal, free-flowing communications that allow students and academics to connect on a more emotional level. Furthermore, their use upskills students in the technical complexities of the digital world and also the specialised discourses that are associated with online participation, suitable for real world learning and working (Fig. 16.1). Three case studies explore the benefits of Web 2.0 processes. The first details the use of Twitter chats to connect students, academics, and industry professionals via online synchronous discussions that offer a number of benefits such as encouraging concise writing from students and maintaining on-going relationships between staff, students, and industry contacts. The second details a location-based mobile app that delivers content to students when they enter a defined geographical boundary linked to an area of a sports precinct. Finally, we explore the use of augmented reality apps to enhance teaching in Human Geography and Urban Studies

Unravelling legacy: a triadic actor-network theory approach to understanding the outcomes of mega events

Mega events have recently attracted the attention of social scientists due to their important role for festival capitalism, urban regeneration and political propaganda. Their planning stage often produces elaborate strategies for maximising the benefits before, during and after the actual event, which has given rise to interdisciplinary studies of event legacy and leveraging. This paper aims to advance ongoing debates on the outcomes of sports mega events by bringing together the literatures on mega event legacy, leveraging and actor-network theory. Drawing on a case study on the usage of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the main legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the paper develops a novel conceptual framework for researching the multi-scalar outcomes of mega events and locating respective studies within the resulting wider research agenda. The proposed concept extends Preuss’ (2007) legacy cube in two ways by visualising its five research dimensions in the legacy rings and using three rather than two sub-dimensions per ring, thereby replacing the restrictive dyads of dualistic thinking through more comprehensive but still manageable triads of triadic thought (Jöns, 2006)

Evaluating the Impacts of the 2017 Legislative Mandated Speed Limit Increases

2019-0275This study evaluated the impacts of speed limit increases that occurred following the enactment of Michigan Public Acts 445 and 447 of 2016. Between May and June of 2017, the maximum speed limits were increased from 70 to 75 mph on 614 miles of rural, limited access freeways. During the same period, the speed limits were increased from 55 mph to 65 mph on 943 miles of rural two-lane roads. In addition, the maximum speed limits for trucks were increased from 60 to 65 mph on all routes where the passenger car limit was at least 65 mph. To assess the impacts of these increases, speed data were obtained from multiple sources including roadside spot-speed studies, permanent traffic recorder stations, and probe vehicles. These data were supplemented by statewide crash data from the Michigan State Police. A series of statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate changes in various speed metrics, including mean and median speeds, various speed percentiles of interest, and the variability in speeds within and across locations. The results showed consistent increases in speeds, ranging from 1.1 mph to 3.2 mph on freeways, and 3.8 mph to 5.1 mph on non-freeways. Crash analyses showed increases in both the frequency and severity of crashes following the speed limit increases. These increases tended to be more pronounced on the freeway network. Economic analyses were conducted to compare the costs incurred in the form of infrastructure upgrades with the benefits of reduced travel times and dis-benefits in the form of increased crashes and fuel consumption. These results showed a positive benefit-to-cost ratio for non-freeways and a larger, negative benefit-to-cost ratio for freeways. These findings provide important insights to inform future policy decisions related to speed limits. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel behavior were also investigated by examining changes in speed and crash data. The reductions in travel did not show meaningful impacts on speeds at the locations where limits were increased; however, speeds were shown to increase at control sites. Traffic crashes were lower following the onset of the pandemic, though the rate of crashes resulting in fatal or severe injuries increased at the sites that retained lower speed limits, suggesting adverse impacts that may be associated with the higher speeds