1,267 research outputs found
The challenge of embedding an ecosystems approach:patterns of knowledge utilisation in public policy appraisal
The ‘ecosystem services approach’ (ESA) to policy making has refocused attention on how knowledge is embedded in policy. Appraisal has long been identified as an important venue for embedding, but suffers from well-known difficulties. This paper examines the extent to which an ESA appears in UK policy appraisal documents, and how far implementing an ESA via appraisal may encounter the same difficulties. A clear understanding of this is vital for interrogating claims that improving knowledge necessarily leads to more sustainable ecosystem management. The paper reports on the content of seventy-five national-level policy appraisals undertaken in the United Kingdom between 2008 and 2012. Only some elements of an ESA appear, with even the environment ministry failing to systematically pick up the concept, which is indeed subject to many of the familiar barriers to embedding environmental knowledge in appraisals. Policy initiatives attempting to institutionalise ecosystem values need to be conversant with these barriers
Changes in vegetation and soil characteristics in coastal sand dunes along a gradient of atmospheric nitrogen deposition
A field survey was conducted to detect signals of atmospheric nitrogen (N) in 11 dune systems along a nitrogen deposition gradient in the United Kingdom. In the mobile and semi-fixed dunes, above-ground biomass was positively related to N inputs. This increase was largely due to increased height and cover of Ammophila arenaria. In the long term, this increased biomass may lead to increased organic matter accumulation and consequently accelerated soil development. In the fixed dunes, above ground biomass also showed a positive relationship with N inputs as did soil C : N ratio while soil available N was negatively related to N inputs. Plant species richness was negatively related to N inputs. In the dune slacks, while soil and bulk vegetation parameters showed no relationship with N inputs, cover of Carex arenaria and Hypochaeris radicata increased. Site mean Ellenberg N numbers showed no relationship with N deposition either within habitats or across the whole dataset. Neither abundance-weighting nor inclusion of the Siebel numbers for bryophytes improved the relationship. The survey reveals that the relationships of soil and vegetation with atmospheric N deposition vary between sand dune habitats but, despite this variability, clear correlations with N inputs exist. While this survey cannot establish causality, on the basis of the relationships observed we suggest a critical load range of 10 - 20 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1) for coastal sand dunes in the UK
Observation of the east-west anisotropy of the atmospheric neutrino flux
The east-west anisotropy, caused by the deflection of primary cosmic rays in
the Earth's magnetic field, is observed for the first time in the flux of
atmospheric neutrinos. Using a 45 kt-year exposure of the
Super-Kamiokande detector, 552 e-like and 633 mu-like horizontally-going
events are selected in the momentum range between 400 and 3000 MeV/c.
The azimuthal distribution of e-like and mu-like events agrees with the
expectation from atmospheric neutrino flux calculations that account for the
geomagnetic field, verifying that the geomagnetic field effects in the
production of atmospheric neutrinos in the GeV energy range are well
understood.Comment: 8 pages,3 figures revtex, submitted to PR
Measurement of the flux and zenith-angle distribution of upward through-going muons by Super-Kamiokande
A total of 614 upward through-going muons of minimum energy 1.6 GeV are
observed by Super-Kamiokande during 537 detector live days. The measured muon
flux is 1.74+/-0.07(stat.)+/-0.02(sys.)x10^{-13}cm^{-2}s^{-1}sr^{-1} compared
to an expected flux of 1.97+/-0.44(theo.)x10^{-13}cm^{-2}s^{-1}sr^{-1}. The
absolute measured flux is in agreement with the prediction within the errors.
However, the zenith angle dependence of the observed upward through-going muon
flux does not agree with no-oscillation predictions. The observed distortion in
shape is consistent with the \nu_\mu \nu_\tau oscillation hypothesis with
\sin^22\theta > 0.4 and 1x10^{-3} < \Delta m^2 < 1x10^{-1} eV^{2} at 90%
confidence level.Comment: 8 pages w/ 3 figures new version contains minor fixes, as it appears
in PR
Solar 8B and hep Neutrino Measurements from 1258 Days of Super-Kamiokande Data
Solar neutrino measurements from 1258 days of data from the Super-Kamiokande
detector are presented. The measurements are based on recoil electrons in the
energy range 5.0-20.0MeV. The measured solar neutrino flux is 2.32 +-
0.03(stat.) +0.08-0.07(sys.)*10^6cm^{-2}s^{-1}, which is
45.1+-0.5(stat.)+1.6-1.4(sys.)% of that predicted by the BP2000 SSM. The day vs
night flux asymmetry is 0.033+-0.022(stat.)+0.013-0.012(sys.). The recoil
electron energy spectrum is consistent with no spectral distortion
(\chi^2/d.o.f. = 19.0/18). The seasonal variation of the flux is consistent
with that expected from the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit (\chi^2/d.o.f. =
3.7/7). For the hep neutrino flux, we set a 90% C.L. upper limit of 40
*10^3cm^{-2}s^{-1}, which is 4.3 times the BP2000 SSM prediction.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PRL (part of this paper
Constraints on Neutrino Oscillations Using 1258 Days of Super-Kamiokande Solar Neutrino Data
We report the result of a search for neutrino oscillations using precise
measurements of the recoil electron energy spectrum and zenith angle variations
of the solar neutrino flux from 1258 days of neutrino-electron scattering data
in Super-Kamiokande. The absence of significant zenith angle variation and
spectrum distortion places strong constraints on neutrino mixing and mass
difference in a flux-independent way. Using the Super-Kamiokande flux
measurement in addition, two allowed regions at large mixing are found.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR
Tau Neutrinos Favored over Sterile Neutrinos in Atmospheric Muon Neutrino Oscillations
The previously published atmospheric neutrino data did not distinguish
whether muon neutrinos were oscillating into tau neutrinos or sterile
neutrinos, as both hypotheses fit the data. Using data recorded in 1100
live-days of the Super-Kamiokande detector, we use three complementary data
samples to study the difference in zenith angle distribution due to neutral
currents and matter effects. We find no evidence favoring sterile neutrinos,
and reject the hypothesis at the 99% confidence level. On the other hand, we
find that oscillation between muon and tau neutrinos suffices to explain all
the results in hand.Comment: 9 pages with 2 figures, submitted to PR
Constraints on neutrino oscillation parameters from the measurement of day-night solar neutrino fluxes at Super-Kamiokande
A search for day-night variations in the solar neutrino flux resulting from
neutrino oscillations has been carried out using the 504 day sample of solar
neutrino data obtained at Super-Kamiokande. The absence of a significant
day-night variation has set an absolute flux independent exclusion region in
the two neutrino oscillation parameter space.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PRL, single-spacin
Evidence for oscillation of atmospheric neutrinos
We present an analysis of atmospheric neutrino data from a 33.0 kiloton-year
(535-day) exposure of the Super-Kamiokande detector. The data exhibit a zenith
angle dependent deficit of muon neutrinos which is inconsistent with
expectations based on calculations of the atmospheric neutrino flux.
Experimental biases and uncertainties in the prediction of neutrino fluxes and
cross sections are unable to explain our observation. The data are consistent,
however, with two-flavor nu_mu nu_tau oscillations with sin^2(2theta)>0.82
and 5x10^-4 < delta m^2 < 6x10^-3 eV^2 at 90% confidence level.Comment: 9 pages (two-column) with 4 figures. Small corrections to Eqn.4 and
Fig.3. Final version to appear in PR
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