Effects of Natural Disasters on Social-Economic Dimensions of Reef-Based Industries

In coastal areas extreme weather events such as floods and cyclones can have debilitating effects on the social and economic viability of reef-based industries. In March 2011, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority implemented an Extreme Weather Response Program (EWRP) following a period of intense flooding and cyclonic activity between December 2010 and February 2011. In this presentation we discuss the results of one project within the EWRP which aimed to: 1) assess the impacts of extreme weather events on regional tourism and commercial fishing industries; and 2) develop and road test an impact assessment matrix to improve government and industry responses to extreme weather events. Results revealed that extreme weather events both directly and indirectly affected all five of the measured dimensions, i.e. ecological, personal, social, built and economic. The severity of these impacts, combined with their location and the nature of their business, influenced how tourism operators and fishers assessed the events (low, medium, high or extreme). The impact assessment tool was revised following feedback obtained during the workshops, and will prove useful in predicting the potential direct and indirect impacts of future extreme weather events.Full Tex

Genome scan for childhood and adolescent obesity in German families

Objective: Several genome scans have been performed for adult obesity. Because single formal genetic studies suggest a higher heritability of body weight in adolescence and because genes that influence body weight in adulthood might not be the same as those that are relevant in childhood and adolescence, we performed a whole genome scan. Methods: The genome scan was based on 89 families with 2 or more obese children (sample 1). The mean age of the index patients was 13.63 ± 2.75 years. A total of 369 individuals were initially genotyped for 437 microsatellite markers. A second sample of 76 families was genotyped using microsatellite markers that localize to regions for which maximum likelihood binomial logarithm of the odd (MLB LOD) scores on use of the concordant sibling pair approach exceeded 0.7 in sample 1. Results: The regions with MLB LOD scores >0.7 were on chromosomes 1p32.3-p33, 2q37.1-q37.3, 4q21, 8p22, 9p21.3, 10p11.23, 11q11-q13.1, 14q24-ter, and 19p13-q12 in sample 1; MLB LOD scores on chromosomes 8p and 19q exceeded 1.5. In sample 2, MLB LOD scores of 0.68 and 0.71 were observed for chromosomes 10p11.23 and 11q13, respectively. Conclusion: We consider that several of the peaks identified in other scans also gave a signal in this scan as promising for ongoing pursuits to identify relevant genes. The genetic basis of childhood and adolescent obesity might not differ that much from adult obesity

Zn isotope heterogeneity in the continental lithosphere: New evidence from Archean granitoids of the northern Kaapvaal craton, South Africa

The Zn isotope data (expressed as δ66Zn) of 25 Archean crustal rocks (3.4–2.7 Ga) from the Pietersburg block in the northern part of the Kaapvaal craton (South Africa) exhibit a range from + 0.26 ± 0.04‰ to + 0.46 ± 0.04‰. This indicates the existence of resolvable Zn isotope heterogeneity in the continental lithosphere. Because the samples are representative of the processes of continental crust formation and evolution in the Archean, we propose that such Zn isotope heterogeneity is linked to early continental lithosphere formation and stabilisation. Among the crustal rock samples, two samples from the 2.97 Ga-old Rooiwater layered intrusion show indistinguishable δ66Zn of ca. + 0.28‰, which suggests that the Archean mafic mantle-derived rocks had the same isotopic composition as modern basalts (ca. + 0.22 to + 0.36‰) and the Earth's mantle (ca. + 0.30‰). Tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) samples with ages of 3.43, 2.95 and 2.78 Ga, representing the first felsic continental crust formed in the studied area, have similar δ66Zn composition as the Earth's mantle (ca. + 0.30‰), irrespective of their ages, tectonic setting and petrogenesis. This indicates that formation of early, juvenile felsic crust either by melting or crystallization of basalts did not significantly fractionate Zn isotopes, or at least was associated with an equilibrium Zn fractionation process. The biotite-granites (2.85–2.75 Ga) have homogenous Zn isotope compositions with an average of δ66Zn = + 0.44 ± 0.04‰. The biotite-granites in Archean terranes are interpreted as partial melts from pre-existing TTGs. This suggests that reworking of the early felsic crust through partial melting does fractionate Zn isotopes up to + 0.15‰. This presumably results from disequilibrium kinetic fractionation during partial melting process, rather than an influence from the source component-related signature. Enriched mantle-derived sanukitoids have δ66Zn identical to that of the mantle (ca. + 0.30‰), indicating that Zn isotope fractionation would be relatively insensitive to mantle metasomatism and indicate the ultimate mantle origin of mafic sanukitoids rocks. Zinc isotopic compositions are useful to clarify the complex petrogenesis of intermediate, felsic sanukitoids and high-K cac-alkaline granites, especially to discriminate differentiation processes from the influence of interactions with the local felsic crust and its melting products at the time of magma emplacement