Current Status of Lay Share Wage Claims in Admiralty Law

This Article explores the parameters of claims under oral lay share agreements in the commercial fishing industry. The Article analyzes such agreements by exploring the rationale used in the four principal lay share cases in the geographic area of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Additionally, this Article considers the historical development of, and policies behind, maritime laws favoring able seamen, and how these laws have contributed to oral lay share agreements as those agreements affect the rights of commercial fishermen

The Dynamics of a Bushmeat Hunting System under Social, Economic and Environmental Change

The trade in bushmeat for human consumption is an important source of income and food for many people in tropical Africa. Yet it also represents one of the most significant threats to the persistence of wildlife. This threat has been exacerbated in recent decades as the trade has become increasingly commercial in nature, and previously pristine habitats have been degraded due to agriculture and extractive industries. These agricultural, production landscapes are increasingly the face of rural Africa, particularly West Africa. Understanding how economic and landscape-level pressures influence hunting behaviour in these production landscapes will be critical to developing effective management policies that are able to address both development and conservation agendas. This study uses a unique 26-year dataset, collected in the Atwemonom market in Kumasi, Ghana, to examine the spatio-temporal dynamics of the bushmeat trade in the region. A multidisciplinary, multi-scale approach is adopted to present a holistic overview of the trade. Four analyses are presented. Firstly, a framework is developed to assess the degree to which the trade is driven by the demands of the consumer, or the behaviour of the hunter. Secondly, an econometric supply and demand model based on available market data is tested and implemented to analyse the drivers of supply and demand in the commercial system. Thirdly, a spatial model is designed to explore how the biophysical characteristics of the landscape influence what is harvested, from where it is harvested and how this has changed over time. Finally, the findings of these three approaches are used to inform a scenario analysis that explores the socioeconomic factors determining a hunter’s willingness to adapt their behaviour in light of changing incentives to participate. The findings highlight the importance of the production landscape for supporting the bushmeat trade in the region and present evidence that suggests the trade around Kumasi may be defined more by drivers of supply (hunter behaviour) than demand (consumer preference). This raises concerns about the effectiveness of demand side management. The results emphasise the need for integrated approaches to bushmeat management that consider the full range of social, economic and environmental drivers.Open Acces

Arctic Landscapes in Transition: Responses to Thawing Permafrost

Observations indicate that over the past several decades, geomorphic processes in the Arctic have been changing or intensifying. Coastal erosion, which currently supplies most of the sediment and carbon to the Arctic Ocean [Rachold et al., 2000], may have doubled since 1955 [Mars and Houseknecht, 2007]. Further inland, expansion of channel networks [Toniolo et al., 2009] and increased river bank erosion [Costard et al., 2007] have been attributed to warming. Lakes, ponds, and wetlands appear to be more dynamic, growing in some areas, shrinking in others, and changing distribution across lowland regions [e.g., Smith et al., 2005]. On the Arctic coastal plain, recent degradation of frozen ground previously stable for thousands of years suggests 10–30% of lowland and tundra landscapes may be affected by even modest warming [Jorgenson et al., 2006]. In headwater regions, hillslope soil erosion and landslides are increasing [e.g., Gooseff et al., 2009]

A Preliminary Assessment of Water Partitioning and Ecohydrological Coupling in Northern Headwaters Using Stable Isotopes and Conceptual Runoff Models

We combined a conceptual rainfall-runoff model and input–output relationships of stable isotopes to understand ecohydrological influences on hydrological partitioning in snow-influenced northern catchments. Six sites in Sweden (Krycklan), Canada (Wolf Creek; Baker Creek; Dorset), Scotland (Girnock) and the USA (Dry Creek) span moisture and energy gradients found at high latitudes. A meta-analysis was carried out using the Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV) model to estimate the main storage changes characterizing annual water balances. Annual snowpack storage importance was ranked as Wolf Creek \u3e Krycklan \u3e Dorset \u3e Baker Creek \u3e Dry Creek \u3e Girnock. The subsequent rate and longevity of melt were reflected in calibrated parameters that determine partitioning of waters between more rapid and slower flowpaths and associated variations in soil and groundwater storage. Variability of stream water isotopic composition depends on the following: (i) rate and duration of spring snowmelt; (ii) significance of summer/autumn rainfall; and (iii) relative importance of near-surface and deeper flowpaths in routing water to the stream. Flowpath partitioning also regulates influences of summer evaporation on drainage waters. Deviations of isotope data from the Global Meteoric Water Line showed subtle effects of internal catchment processes on isotopic fractionation most likely through evaporation. Such effects are highly variable among sites and with seasonal differences at some sites. After accounting for climate, evaporative fractionation is strongest at sites where lakes and near-surface runoff processes in wet riparian soils can mobilize isotopically enriched water during summer and autumn. Given close soil–vegetation coupling, this may result in spatial variability in soil water isotope pools available for plant uptake. We argue that stable isotope studies are crucial in addressing the many open questions on hydrological functioning of northern environments

Farm-gate phosphorus balances and soil phosphorus concentrations on intensive dairy farms in the south-west of Ireland

peer-reviewedThis project was part funded by the European Research and Development Fund under INTERREG IIIB: Green Dairy Project Number 100 and partly by the Dairy Levy. Financial support for post-graduate students involved in this study was provided by the Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Scheme.Phosphorus (P) loss to water is a significant threat to water quality in Ireland. Agriculture is an important source of this P. There is concern about balancing agronomic requirements and environmental protection in regulations prescribing P management on farms. This study examined farm-gate (P) balances and soil test P (STP) concentrations on 21 dairy farms in the south west of Ireland over four years, from 2003 to 2006 inclusive. Stocking density on the farms averaged 2.4 (s.d. = 0.4) livestock units (LU) per ha. Annual mean import of P onto farms was 21.6 (1.9) kg P/ha. Fertilizer P accounted for 47% (0.041), concentrates 35% (0.060) and organic manures 18% (0.034) of imported P. The mean annual P balance per farm was 9.4 (1.2) kg/ha, ranging from –3 to 47 kg/ha and mean P use efficiency was 0.71 (0.05) ranging from 0.24 to 1.37. The mean STP per farm following extraction using Morgan’s solution was 8.15 (2.9) mg/L of soil and ranged from 4.4 (2.2) to 14.7 (6.4) mg/L. There was a positive relationship (R2 = 0.34; P < 0.01) between STP and P balance; farms with a deficit of P tended to have agronomically sub-optimal STP and vice versa. The high between- and withinfarm variation in STP indicates that farmers were either unaware or were not making efficient use of STP results, and consequently there was agronomically sub-optimal soil P status in some fields and potentially environmentally damaging excesses on others (often within one farm). There was considerable potential to improve P management practices on these farms with clear agronomic and environmental benefits.European UnionTeagasc Walsh Fellowship ProgrammeDairy Levy Fun

Rain or Snow: Hydrologic Processes, Observations, Prediction, and Research Needs

The phase of precipitation when it reaches the ground is a first-order driver of hydrologic processes in a watershed. The presence of snow, rain, or mixed-phase precipitation affects the initial and boundary conditions that drive hydrological models. Despite their foundational importance to terrestrial hydrology, typical phase partitioning methods (PPMs) specify the phase based on near-surface air temperature only. Our review conveys the diversity of tools available for PPMs in hydrological modeling and the advancements needed to improve predictions in complex terrain with large spatiotemporal variations in precipitation phase. Initially, we review the processes and physics that control precipitation phase as relevant to hydrologists, focusing on the importance of processes occurring aloft. There is a wide range of options for field observations of precipitation phase, but there is a lack of a robust observation networks in complex terrain. New remote sensing observations have the potential to increase PPM fidelity, but generally require assumptions typical of other PPMs and field validation before they are operational. We review common PPMs and find that accuracy is generally increased at finer measurement intervals and by including humidity information. One important tool for PPM development is atmospheric modeling, which includes microphysical schemes that have not been effectively linked to hydrological models or validated against near-surface precipitation-phase observations. The review concludes by describing key research gaps and recommendations to improve PPMs, including better incorporation of atmospheric information, improved validation datasets, and regional-scale gridded data products. Two key points emerge from this synthesis for the hydrologic community: (1) current PPMs are too simple to capture important processes and are not well validated for most locations, (2) lack of sophisticated PPMs increases the uncertainty in estimation of hydrological sensitivity to changes in precipitation phase at local to regional scales. The advancement of PPMs is a critical research frontier in hydrology that requires scientific cooperation between hydrological and atmospheric modelers and field scientists

Past and Future Changes in Arctic Lake and River Ice

Paleolimnological evidence from some Arctic lakes suggests that longer ice-free seasons have been experienced since the beginning of the nineteenth century. It has been inferred from some additional records that many Arctic lakes may have crossed an important ecological threshold as a result of recent warming. In the instrumental record, long-term trends exhibit increasingly later freeze-ups and earlier break-ups, closely corresponding to increasing air temperature trends, but with greater sensitivity at the more temperate latitudes. Broad spatial patterns in these trends are also related to major atmospheric circulation patterns. Future projections of lake ice indicate increasingly later freeze-ups and earlier break-ups, decreasing ice thickness, and changes in cover composition, particularly white-ice. For rivers, projected future decreases in south to north air-temperature gradients suggest that the severity of ice-jam flooding may be reduced but this could be mitigated by changes in the magnitude of spring snowmelt

Effects of Changes in Arctic Lake and River Ice

Climatic changes to freshwater ice in the Arctic are projected to produce a variety of effects on hydrologic, ecological, and socio-economic systems. Key hydrologic impacts include changes to low flows, lake evaporation regimes and water levels, and river-ice break-up severity and timing. The latter are of particular concern because of their effect on river geomorphology, vegetation, sediment and nutrient fluxes, and sustainment of riparian aquatic habitats. Changes in ice phenology will affect a wide range of related biological aspects of seasonality. Some changes are likely to be gradual, but others could be more abrupt as systems cross critical ecological thresholds. Transportation and hydroelectric production are two of the socio-economic sectors most vulnerable to change in freshwater-ice regimes. Ice roads will require expensive on-land replacements while hydroelectric operations will both benefit and be challenged. The ability to undertake some traditional harvesting methods will also be affected