The Fate of Greenland— Lessons from Abrupt Climate Change

In times of chronic lack of resources for academic research and ever increasing competition for grants it was every scientists dream coming true: a billionaire patron comes along and hands you unlimited resources to pursue the research that lies closest to your heart. In this case, the late Gary Comer (1927–2006), who had in 2001 taken his yacht through the notorious Northwest Passage then free of sea ice, engaged a team of outstanding climate scientists to lead a search for causal links controlling abrupt global climate change: Wallace (Wally) S. Broecker of Columbia University, George H. Denton of the University of Maine, and Richard B. Allen of Pennsylvania State University. Broecker is an oceanographer/geochemist, who is probably best known for developing the idea of a global “conveyor belt” linking the circulation of the global oceans and controlling large scale climate oscillations in the past; Denton is a geologist, long concerned with the (bi-polar) geological history of the large Quaternary ice sheets; and Alley is a glaciologist who is perhaps best known for his contributions on the relationships between Earth\u27s cryosphere and global climate change. All three have developed ideas and concepts on rapid ocean-atmosphere-cryosphere reorganizations over past glacial cycles. Philip Conkling, a prominent Maine naturalist who participated in many of Comer’s expeditions, played a vital role in putting the team together

Late Weichselian Glacial Geology of the Lower Borgarfjördur Region, Western Iceland: a Preliminary Report

Morphological and lithostratigraphical investigations have revealed two successive glacial advances of Late Weichselian age in the lower Borgarfjördur region, Western Iceland. Studies of the Melabakkar-Ásbakkar coastal cliffs have disclosed a complex of glaciomarine sediments and tills, accompanied by glaciofluvial deposits from ice marginal sources. A brief description is given for each of the major lithostratigraphical units, and a depositional model for the sequence is outlined. The first glacial advance occurred some time shortly after 12 000 radiocarbon years before present (BP), and the second one around 11 000 BP. By 10 000 BP the glaciers had retreated from the lowlands and the sea transgressed to 60 m above present sea level, where extensive marine terraces were formed.Key words: Borgarfjördur, western Iceland, Melabakkar-ásbakkar, glacial geology, glacia chronology, Late WeichselianMots clés: Borgarfjördur, ouest de l'Icelande, Melabakkar-ásbakkar, géologie glaciale, chronologie glaciaire, Weichsel supérieu

“Follow My Voice”:: Structure and Improvisation in Björk’s ‘Mouth’s Cradleʼ

'Mouth’s Cradle', from Björk’s 2004 album Medúlla, combines a vocal line of considerable flexibility with a carefully outlined yet rather unusual structure. This article discusses the inspiration behind the song and analyze its structure. A particular focus is the interaction of structure and improvisation, the tension that exists between the inherent flexibility of Björkʼs melodic impulse and a formal scheme that is worked out in full only during the later stages of the creative process. In addition to the analysis of the song as it appears on Medúlla, the article also compares two later live performances that differ considerably in the treatment of a key moment in the song. By way of contrast, the article also discusses the ostinato-based 'Oceania', from the same album, which demonstrates a very different approach to the limits of structure and improvisation.'Mouth’s Cradle', from Björk’s 2004 album Medúlla, combines a vocal line of considerable flexibility with a carefully outlined yet rather unusual structure. This article discusses the inspiration behind the song and analyze its structure. A particular focus is the interaction of structure and improvisation, the tension that exists between the inherent flexibility of Björkʼs melodic impulse and a formal scheme that is worked out in full only during the later stages of the creative process. In addition to the analysis of the song as it appears on Medúlla, the article also compares two later live performances that differ considerably in the treatment of a key moment in the song. By way of contrast, the article also discusses the ostinato-based 'Oceania', from the same album, which demonstrates a very different approach to the limits of structure and improvisation

Shorter trawls improve size selection of northern shrimp

Discards of small northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) are a problem in the Skagerrak northern shrimp trawl fishery. To reduce catches of small shrimp, we studied the effect of trawl belly length on size selectivity in November 2017 and June 2018 onboard 15 and 27 m double-rigged shrimp trawlers. The selectivity of the vessels’ standard trawl was compared with a trawl differing only in the belly length, being 37% shorter. The trawls had 40 mm bottom panels and cod ends of 35 mm mesh sizes. Eleven and 14 hauls were made, respectively, in 2017 aboard the 15 m vessel and in 2018 aboard the 27 m vessel. The trawls fished shrimp above 19 mm carapace length equally, while catch rates of shrimp below 15.5–16 mm carapace length in the shorter trawl were more than halved. The results were consistent between the two vessels. In short, modifying trawl length is a simple design modification that can reduce catches of small shrimp. Bycatch of Norway pout (Trisopterus esmarkii) was slightly reduced in the shorter trawl, unrelated to fish length.acceptedVersio

EMU and the Icelandic labour market

In this paper we look at the costs and benefits for Iceland from joining the EMU from a labour-market perspective. We conclude that none of Mundell's three criteria for an optimal currency area are at present fulfilled for Iceland and the initial Euro zone. Shocks to the Icelandic economy are found to be asymmetric with those experienced in other countries, nominal wages rigid, and migration limited. The painful adjustment of the Faeroese economy to macroeconomic shocks in the early 1990s suggests that the disadvantages of not having a separate currency can be substantial if nominal wages are rigid. Substantial variation in labour market participation and frequent adjustments of the exchange rate seem to have held unemployment in check in Iceland, at least until around 1988.

Selective flatfish seine: A knee-high demersal seine barely catches cod

Norwegian coastal cod (Gadus morhua) protection restricts the use of active fishing gears. Demersal seines, acknowledged as being efficient for targeting flatfish, are therefore largely excluded from the fjords. To exploit plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), a species-selective gear that avoids catching cod is needed. We therefore designed a low-rise demersal seine with a 0.6 m vertical opening and tested it on fishing grounds in Lofoten (Northern Norway), comparing it with a conventional seine that had a vertical opening of ∼3.5 m, and fished both during the day and at night. Six to nine hauls were taken with each of the four gear/time-of-day categories (32 hauls in total). The low-rise seine caught no fewer plaice during day-time fishing, but less at night. Cod and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) catches were reduced by 94% and 98%, respectively, while catches of sole (Solea solea) increased with the low-rise seine. No catch differences were found for halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), common dab (Limanda limanda), or monkfish (Lophius piscatorius). The low-rise seine therefore enables targeting flatfish while avoiding gadoid catches, although loss of plaice during night-time fishing is to be expected.publishedVersio

Earthquake forecastes--the life-saving poetential of last-minute warnings

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1994.Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-213).by Ármann Ingólfsson.Ph.D