Constraints on the long-period moment-dip tradeoff for the Tohoku earthquake

Since the work of Kanamori and Given (1981), it has been recognized that shallow, pure dip-slip earthquakes excite long-period surface waves such that it is difficult to independently constrain the moment (M_0) and the dip (δ) of the source mechanism, with only the product M_0 sin(2δ) being well constrained. Because of this, it is often assumed that the primary discrepancies between the moments of shallow, thrust earthquakes are due to this moment-dip tradeoff. In this work, we quantify how severe this moment-dip tradeoff is depending on the depth of the earthquake, the station distribution, the closeness of the mechanism to pure dip-slip, and the quality of the data. We find that both long-period Rayleigh and Love wave modes have moment-dip resolving power even for shallow events, especially when stations are close to certain azimuths with respect to mechanism strike and when source depth is well determined. We apply these results to USGS W phase inversions of the recent M9.0 Tohoku, Japan earthquake and estimate the likely uncertainties in dip and moment associated with the moment- dip tradeoff. After discussing some of the important sources of moment and dip error, we suggest two methods for potentially improving this uncertainty

YFEC: Addressing the Unaddressable

The Yellow Farmhouse Education Center is a multi-faceted non-profit organization attempting to address the issues of food insecurity, food waste, and food system education. These issues are affecting the food system on multiple levels and have tremendous environmental implications. Stony Acres Farm attempts to solve these problems by administering numerous programs year-round with a seasonal focus on nearly every activity. This project examines work in the gardens, class preparations, and the general functions and organization of Stony Acres Farm. While they do a great job of creeping away from mission rot, the inevitably competitive private and public grant market is highly saturated, often making it difficult to secure funding. The lack of solid culinary training and wider reach of affected agents continues to be a driving force in bettering their overall efficiency

Irving Fisher, the Debt-Deflation Theory, and the Crisis of 2008-2009

Irving Fisher’s 1932 Booms and Depressions presents a fully specified, nine-pronged model of financial crises that has been widely forgotten by modern macroeconomists. This article builds on the renewed interest in Fisher’s Debt-Deflation Theory to explore its pertinence to the Great Recession. By parsing through macroeconomic data from the 2000s, it finds evidence of debt-deflation spiraling and of the nine Fisherian “main factors” co-varying as the author had predicted during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. The article concludes in assessing the uses of Fisher’s work in current macroeconomics and in arguing for a greater consideration of its insights

Long-term effects of conservation soil management in Saria, Burkina Faso, West Africa

The negative degradation spiral that currently leads to deteriorating soil properties in African drylands is a serious problem that limits food production and threatensthe livelihoods of the people. Nutrient depletion and water and wind erosion are the main factors in soil degradation in Africa. This thesis describes field research conducted from 2006 through 2008 to assess how changes in physical and hydrological soil properties, induced by differences in land management and macro-faunal biodiversity determine water and nitrogen use efficiencies in Burkina Faso. The methodology involved systematic soil sampling of selected treatments (including a fallow control) coupled with macro-fauna identification. Measurements were used to generate information on the effect of the long-term land management practices on soil properties and the different terms of the field water balance. Crop sampling (leaves, stem and grains) allowed determination of plant nutrient uptake and calculation of water and nitrogen use efficiency. Differences in soil properties between treatments were smaller than expected after so many years of applying the same soil management practice. Results indicate that long-term permanent cultivation result in a decrease in the quality of most soil properties when compared with the fallow. We also found that there are clear benefits from inclusion of cowpea in a rotation system due to its N fixation and deeper root system. Regarding soil fauna, long-term application of the same soil management practices resulted in specialization of the food type for the macro-fauna leading to less fauna diversity. Also, more diverse and abundant macro-fauna was discovered under superficially tilled plots compared to tractor plowed plots. The contribution of the soil fauna to aggregate building depends on the amount and type of organic material available to the fauna as well as the soil management regime. In spite of the amount of applied organic amendments used in our trials, the C-stock in the soil has decreased at a rate of 0.25 % per year, perhaps limiting macro-fauna activity. The 3-year average of the green water use efficiency (ratio T/P) was only 14% and the crop yield was also low due to less than optimal crop management. Results further suggest that systematic, rather than strategically timed, N applications (organic and/or mineral) are likely to lead to N losses. Synchronizing N fertilizer application with crop-N demand and accounting for residual Nitrogen will lead to higher N fertilizer use efficiency. Soil management practices, crop selection and fertilizer regime can have positive or negative impacts on water and nutrient use efficiency. Practices with positive impact should be encouraged in order to increase crop productivity and improve food security in Burkina Faso. </p