Does non-farm income diversivication in Northern Albania offer an escape from rural poverty?

The paper uses up-to-date household data from two Northern-Albanian regions. It summarises socio-economic facts on taking up remunerative non-farm employment and identifies the determinants of non-farm income diversification at the farm household level based on a binary logistic regression. Furthermore, the paper provides insight in the northern-Albanian farming structure, migration patterns, attitudes towards and reasons for income diversification into the non-farm sector. Income diversification indeed has a positive impact on the welfare of the households: A statistically significant increasing trend in incomes with rising diversification level was observed. -- G E R M A N V E R S I O N: Dieser Beitrag fasst mit Hilfe von aktuellen Haushaltsdaten aus zwei nordalbanischen Untersuchungsregionen das sozioökonomische Umfeld und insbesondere die einkommenschaffenden Tätigkeiten im außerlandwirtschaftlichen Sektor zusammen. Eine binäre logistische Regression zeigt die maßgeblichen Einflussfaktoren außerlandwirtschaftlicher Einkommensdiversifizierung auf der Ebene landwirtschaftlicher Haushalte. Außerdem gibt diese Arbeit Einsicht in die Agrarstruktur Nordalbaniens, Merkmale der dort vorgefundenen Migrationsmuster, die Einstellungen zu und Gründe für die außerlandwirtschaftliche Einkommensdiversifizierung. Die Analyse zeigt einen positiven Einfluss von Einkommensdiversifizierung auf den Wohlstand der Haushalte: Es konnte ein statistisch signifikanter Trend bestätigt werden, der zeigt, dass mit steigendem Diversifikationsniveau das Haushaltseinkommen steigt.Non-farm income diversification,farm households,migration,Albania,Außerlandwirtschaftliche Einkommensdiversifizierung,landwirtschaftliche Haushalte,Migration,Albanien

Patterns and Determinants of International Migration in Northern Albania

The European Union (EU) is the main source of remittances world wide and Albania, struck by abject poverty, is Europe’s number one country sending out migrants. Albania’s economy as well as its households’ welfare strongly depend on remittances. Consequently, the topic of migration is cutting-edge for EU and Albanian policy makers. Thus, up-to-date information is decisive for taking effective policy measures. This poster paper aims at making a fruitful contribution to understanding the varied context of migration in Albania. It presents recent data on socio-economic characteristics of households with absent family members. A binary logistic regression is employed to identify determinants of participation in international migration in Northern Albania.Albania, migration, remittances, Labor and Human Capital,

Reviews and Syntheses: Responses of coccolithophores to ocean acidification: a meta-analysis

Concerning their sensitivity to ocean acidification, coccolithophores, a group of calcifying single-celled phytoplankton, are one of the best-studied groups of marine organisms. However, in spite of the large number of studies investigating coccolithophore physiological responses to ocean acidification, uncertainties still remain due to variable and partly contradictory results. In the present study we have used all existing data in a meta-analysis to estimate the effect size of future pCO2 changes on the rates of calcification and photosynthesis and the ratio of particulate inorganic to organic carbon (PIC / POC) in different coccolithophore species. Our results indicate that ocean acidification has a negative effect on calcification and the cellular PIC / POC ratio in the two most abundant coccolithophore species: Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica. In contrast, the more heavily calcified species Coccolithus braarudii did not show a distinct response when exposed to elevated pCO2/reduced pH. Photosynthesis in Gephyrocapsa oceanica was positively affected by high CO2, while no effect was observed for the other coccolithophore species. There was no indication that the method of carbonate chemistry manipulation was responsible for the inconsistent results regarding observed responses in calcification and the PIC / POC ratio. The perturbation method, however, appears to affect photosynthesis, as responses varied significantly between total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) manipulations. These results emphasize that coccolithophore species respond differently to ocean acidification, both in terms of calcification and photosynthesis. Where negative effects occur, they become evident at CO2 levels in the range projected for this century in the case of unabated CO2 emissions. As the data sets used in this meta-analysis do not account for adaptive responses, ecological fitness and ecosystem interactions, the question remains as to how these physiological responses play out in the natural environment

Plan for Exploitation and Dissemination of results (PEDR)

The aim of this deliverable is to establish a strategy for the proper exploitation and dissemination of the results obtained in OceanNETs. We develop guidelines for knowledge management and protection as well as dissemination goals and also identify the target audiences and define the relevant communication channels and tools

Changes in nutrient stoichiometry : phytoplankton & organic matter dynamics in coastal upwelling systems

Coastal upwelling systems associated to the eastern continental margins of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are among the most productive realms of the marine ecosystems. Although they only occupy a small area, they play a globally important role in the cycling of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and other biologically relevant elements. In subsurface waters of upwelling systems, oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) persist as a result of biological degradation and sluggish ventilation. Reduced oxygen concentrations influence redox sensitive nutrient inventories by promoting N loss processes and P release from the sediment. Hence, water masses upwelled to the surface feature low N:P ratios that deviate from canonical Redfield proportions of 16:1. Due to the excess P over N, upwelling systems are thought to favor the growth of dinitrogen (N2) fixing organism (diazotrophs) that could potentially restore inorganic nutrient ratios back to Redfield proportions and replenish the N deficit in those waters. Contrary to this assumption, the presence of nondiazotrophic phytoplankton utilizing nutrients in lower than Redfield proportions has been suggested to eliminate the niche for diazotrophs. Thus, the dominance of either Redfield or non-Redfield primary production is thought to determine the amount of N fixed in upwelling systems. In light of expanding OMZs and the predicted modification of nutrient inventories, this doctoral dissertation aimed to investigate the impact of changing N:P supply ratios on phytoplankton and organic matter composition. Moreover, the potential of primary producers to modify nutrient supply anomalies and their role in coupling or decoupling sources and sinks of fixed N was assessed. To accomplish this, nutrient manipulation experiments and a field study were conducted in the eastern tropical North Atlantic (ETNA) and eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP)

Atmospheric conditions favouring extreme precipitation and flash floods in temperate regions of Europe

In recent years, flash floods have repeatedly occurred in temperate regions of central western Europe. Unlike in Mediterranean catchments, this flooding behaviour is unusual. In the past (especially in the 1990s), floods have been characterized by predictable, slowly rising water levels during winter and driven by westerly atmospheric fluxes. Here, we explore potential links and causes between the recent occurrence of flash floods in central western Europe to extreme precipitation and specific atmospheric conditions. We hypothesize that a change in atmospheric conditions has led to more frequent extreme precipitation events that have subsequently triggered flash flood events in central western Europe. To test this hypothesis, we compiled data on flash floods in central western Europe and selected precipitation events above 40 mm h$^{−1}$ from radar data (the RADOLAN “Radar-Online-Adjustment” dataset from the German Weather Service). Moreover, we identified proxy parameters representative of extreme precipitation favouring atmospheric conditions from the ERA5 reanalysis dataset. High specific humidity (q) in the lower troposphere (q≥0.004 kg kg$^{−1}$), sufficient latent instability (convective available potential energy (CAPE) ≥ 327 J kg$^{−1}$), and weak wind speeds between 10 m a.g.l. and 500 hPa (WS$_{10 m−500 hPa}$ ≤ 6 m s$^{−1}$) proved to be characteristic of intense rainfall that can potentially trigger flash floods. We relied on linear models to analyse 40 years worth (1981–2020) of atmospheric parameters as well as related precipitation events. We found significant increases in the atmospheric moisture content and increases in atmospheric instability. Parameters representing the motion and organization of convective systems remained largely unchanged in the considered period (1981–2020); however, the number of precipitation events, their maximum 5 min intensities, and their hourly sums were characterized by large interannual variations, and no trends could be identified between 2002 and 2020. Our study shows that there is no single mechanistic path leading from atmospheric conditions to extreme precipitation and subsequently to flash floods. The interactions between the processes involved are so intricate that more analyses which consider other potentially relevant factors, such as intra-annual precipitation patterns or catchment-specific parameters, are required

The pandemic push: can COVID-19 reinvent conferences to models rooted in sustainability, equitability and inclusion?

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates a change in conference formats for 2020. This shift offers a unique opportunity to address long-standing inequities in access and issues of sustainability associated with traditional conference formats, through testing online platforms. However, moving online is not a panacea for all of these concerns, particularly those arising from uneven distribution of access to the Internet and other technology. With conferences and events being forced to move online, this is a critical juncture to examine how online formats can be used to best effect and to reduce the inequities of in-person meetings. In this article, we highlight that a thoughtful and equitable move to online formats could vastly strengthen the global socio-ecological research community and foster cohesive and effective collaborations, with ecology and society being the ultimate beneficiaries

Creating and Certifying the Professional Mediator -- Education and Credentialing

Existing and pending law school mediation programs, post-graduate mediator training programs, mentorship programs, credentialing movements, and continuing mediation education were examined by a panel and speakers directly involved in those fields. Are we effectively training new mediators in law schools and post-graduate programs? Should we, and how can we, credential mediators? Do good mediators need to be re-trained? How would continuing mediation educational requirements be implemented