Long Term Versus Temporary Certified Emission Reductions in Forest Carbon-Sequestration Programs

Under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol, forest projects can receive returns for carbon sequestration via two credit instruments: temporary (tCERs) or long-term certified emission reductions (lCERs). This article develops a theoretical model of optimal harvesting strategies that compares private optimal harvest decision under these two instruments. We find that risk neutral landowners are likely to prefer instituting lCERs over tCERs to maximize surplus. A particular type of early harvest penalty implemented under the lCERs is critical in determining the length of rotation intervals and the carbon credit supply. When this penalty is an increasing function of the difference in biomass before and after harvesting across verification periods, the landowner may choose longer or shorter rotation intervals compared to the Faustmann rotation. The resulting supply curve may have a backward bending region over a range of carbon prices.forest rotation, long term certified emission reductions (lCERs), carbon sequestration

Long Term Versus Temporary Certified Emission Reductions in Forest Carbon-Sequestration Programs

Under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol, forest projects can receive returns for carbon sequestration via two credit instruments: temporary (tCERs) or long-term certified emission reductions (lCERs). This article develops a theoretical model of optimal harvesting strategies that compares private optimal harvest decision under these two instruments. We find that risk neutral landowners are likely to prefer instituting lCERs over tCERs to maximize surplus. A particular type of early harvest penalty implemented under the lCERs is critical in determining the length of rotation intervals and the carbon credit supply. When this penalty is an increasing function of the difference in biomass before and after harvesting across verification periods, the landowner may choose longer or shorter rotation intervals compared to the Faustmann rotation. The resulting supply curve may have a backward bending region over a range of carbon prices.forest rotation, long term certified emission reductions (lCERs), carbon sequestration, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q2, Q54, Q23,

Do Stated Preference Values Predict Revealed Behavior in “New” Markets for Ecosystem Services? A Comparison of Experiments Addressing Establishing A Market for Farmland Ecosystem Services

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The 15 - 20 Micron Spitzer Spectra of Interstellar Emission Features in NGC 7023

We present 15 - 20 micron long-slit spectra, from the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on Spitzer, of NGC 7023. We observe recently-discovered interstellar emission features, at 15.9, 16.4, 17.0, 17.4, 17.8, and 18.9 microns, throughout the reflection nebula. The 16.4 micron emission feature peaks near the photodissociation front northwest of the star, as do the aromatic emission features (AEFs) at 3.3, 6.2 and 11.3 microns. The 16.4 micron emission feature is thus likely related to the AEFs and radiates by non-equilibrium emission. The new 18.9 micron emission feature, by contrast, decreases monotonically with stellar distance. We consider candidate species for the 18.9 micron feature, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fullerenes, and diamonds. We describe future laboratory and observational research needed to identify the 18.9 micron feature carrier

The 15-20 μm Spitzer Spectra of Interstellar Emission Features in NGC 7023

We present 15-20 μm long-slit spectra of NGC 7023 from the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on Spitzer. We observe recently discovered interstellar emission features at 15.9, 16.4, 17.0, 17.4, 17.8, and 18.9 μm, throughout the reflection nebula. The 16.4 μm emission feature peaks near the photodissociation front northwest of the star, as the aromatic emission features (AEFs) at 3.3, 6.2, and 11.3 μm do. The 16.4 μm emission feature is thus likely related to the AEFs and radiates by nonequilibrium emission. The new 18.9 μm emission feature, by contrast, decreases monotonically with stellar distance. We consider candidate species for the 18.9 μm feature, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fullerenes, and diamonds. We describe future laboratory and observational research needed to identify the 18.9 μm feature carrier

Metal-insulator transition in Ca_{1-x}Li_xPd_3O_4

Metal-insulator transition in Ca_{1-x}Li_xPd_3O_4 has been studied through charge transport measurements. The resistivity, the Seebeck coefficient, and the Hall coefficient are consistently explained in terms of a simple one-band picture, where a hole with a moderately enhanced mass is itinerant three-dimensionally. Contrary to the theoretical prediction [Phys. Rev. B62, 13426 (2000)], CaPd_3O_4 is unlikely to be an excitonic insulator, and holds a finite carrier concentration down to 4.2 K. Thus the metal-insulator transition in this system is basically driven by localization effects.Comment: RevTeX4 format, 4 pages, 5 eps figure

Near-Infrared, Adaptive Optics Observations of the T Tauri Multiple-Star System

With high-angular-resolution, near-infrared observations of the young stellar object T Tauri at the end of 2002, we show that, contrary to previous reports, none of the three infrared components of T Tau coincide with the compact radio source that has apparently been ejected recently from the system (Loinard, Rodriguez, and Rodriguez 2003). The compact radio source and one of the three infrared objects, T Tau Sb, have distinct paths that depart from orbital or uniform motion between 1997 and 2000, perhaps indicating that their interaction led to the ejection of the radio source. The path that T Tau Sb took between 1997 and 2003 may indicate that this star is still bound to the presumably more massive southern component, T Tau Sa. The radio source is absent from our near-infrared images and must therefore be fainter than K = 10.2 (if located within 100 mas of T Tau Sb, as the radio data would imply), still consistent with an identity as a low-mass star or substellar object.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, submitted to ApJ

Turbulent Origin of the Galactic-Center Magnetic Field: Nonthermal Radio Filaments

A great deal of study has been carried out over the last twenty years on the origin of the magnetic activity in the Galactic center. One of the most popular hypotheses assumes milli-Gauss magnetic field with poloidal geometry, pervading the inner few hundred parsecs of the Galactic-center region. However, there is a growing observational evidence for the large-scale distribution of a much weaker field of B \lesssim 10 micro G in this region. Here, we propose that the Galactic-center magnetic field originates from turbulent activity that is known to be extreme in the central hundred parsecs. In this picture the spatial distribution of the magnetic field energy is highly intermittent, and the regions of strong field have filamentary structures. We propose that the observed nonthermal radio filaments appear in (or, possibly, may be identified with) such strongly magnetized regions. At the same time, the large-scale diffuse magnetic field is weak. Both results of our model can explain the magnetic field measurements of the the Galactic-center region. In addition, we discuss the role of ionized outflow from stellar clusters in producing the long magnetized filaments perpendicular to the Galactic plane.Comment: 11 pages, accepted to ApJ Letter