The growing frequency of climate change–related hazards such as wildfires, floods, landslides, an... more The growing frequency of climate change–related hazards such as wildfires, floods, landslides, and drought increases the chances that they will coincide in space and time with volcanic eruptions. The cascading effects of the resulting compound disasters are much harder to predict than eruptions alone. Successful response to current volcanic events draws on the collective knowledge of past patterns gained by volcanologists and other disaster management professionals, allowing them to map out strategies for preparation, monitoring, evacuation, and recovery. In the coming decades, interpretations of such familiar patterns of events will be complicated by compound hazards. To respond effectively to future events, volcanologists will need to expand their knowledge of non-volcanic hazards and more intentionally incorporate social science perspectives into disaster planning and management.
ABSTRACT We have used carefully controlled laboratory simulations to develop a model which relate... more ABSTRACT We have used carefully controlled laboratory simulations to develop a model which relates lava flow morphology to effusion rate and rheology. Through comparisons with measured and estimated eruption rates on Earth, this approach allows us to constrain eruptive styles and compositions of extraterrestrial lava flows. By applying this model to lava flows on the Moon, Mars and Venus, we have determined that all the common flow morphologies (domes, folds and levees) on these planets could have been produced by basalt-like or andesite-like lavas through either continuous or episodic emplacement. The presence of more evolved magma compositions on other planets is not required to explain any of the observed lava flow morphologies.
Over the last few years, the requirement for information to underpin climate change adaptation po... more Over the last few years, the requirement for information to underpin climate change adaptation policies has increased considerably. One example was the recognition at last year’s World Climate Conference-3 of the need for a Global Framework for Climate Services. This poses a considerable challenge to climate science. Reliable information is needed regionally and locally and on timescales of a few years to a century ahead. In particular, over the coming few decades the level of climate change is largely unavoidable and will be primarily felt when climate change and variability signals are in phase, leading to an enhancement of extreme climatic conditions. This talk will focus on recent research from the Met Office Hadley Centre, giving examples of how we are beginning to address some of these new challenges.
The growing frequency of climate change–related hazards such as wildfires, floods, landslides, an... more The growing frequency of climate change–related hazards such as wildfires, floods, landslides, and drought increases the chances that they will coincide in space and time with volcanic eruptions. The cascading effects of the resulting compound disasters are much harder to predict than eruptions alone. Successful response to current volcanic events draws on the collective knowledge of past patterns gained by volcanologists and other disaster management professionals, allowing them to map out strategies for preparation, monitoring, evacuation, and recovery. In the coming decades, interpretations of such familiar patterns of events will be complicated by compound hazards. To respond effectively to future events, volcanologists will need to expand their knowledge of non-volcanic hazards and more intentionally incorporate social science perspectives into disaster planning and management.
Aviculturists have much to contribute to the conservation of endangered birds, especially when th... more Aviculturists have much to contribute to the conservation of endangered birds, especially when they join forces with scientists. Recent work with the Red Siskin (Spinus cucullatus) points to important ways that such collaboration can help many more species in the future. The Red Siskin is a striking black and red finch that once ranged through northern South America, from the Colombian border, across northern Venezuela, to Trinidad. Its populations have been decimated by unsustainable harvest for the pet trade and by habitat degradation, leaving it Critically Endangered in Venezuela and Endangered worldwide. Recent discovery of a population in Guyana revived hopes of saving the Red Siskin, and prompted us to form the Red Siskin Initiative (RSI, www.redsiskin.org), an international partnership of public and private institutions, communities, and people working to help understand, protect, and restore sustainable populations of this iconic bird in its natural habitat. Not all species can be rescued, but the Red Siskin is an ideal conservation target for multiple reasons, including the logistical, biological and economic ease with which it may be reared in captivity. To fulfill a vision of recovery, RSI has developed six conservation strategies, all of which require collaboration with aviculturists for success, particularly for raising and reintroducing siskins, as well as fighting their unsustainable harvest and illegal trade. To date, teamwork with aviculturists has resulted in the design of two integrated conservation centers in Venezuela, and advances in housing, nutrition and husbandry in a research colony in the US. Ongoing collaboration between scientists and aviculturists will be important for genetic and demographic flock management; creating a cooperative breeding plan among aviculturists; streamlining permitting processes; guiding research on diet, social structure, and vocal communication; developing protocols for pre-conditioning birds for release, and beyond captive management into reducing unsustainable harvest of the species, marketing bird-friendly chocolate and coffee, raising the cultural profile of the species in range countries. The avicultural community has become a key partner for Red Siskin recovery, which provides lessons for the conservation of other species, including Sun Conure (Aratinga solstitialis), Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae), and Philippine Cockatoo (Cacatua haemoturopygia), as well as non-avian species that are popular pets.
Aviculture a Winner at CITES Meeting Most aviculturists expected the worst from the 8th Conferenc... more Aviculture a Winner at CITES Meeting Most aviculturists expected the worst from the 8th Conference of the Parties to CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which was held in Kyoto, Japan in early March. After the last meeting in Switzerland in 1989, animal rights groups vowed to push for a total ban on trade in all wild-caught birds. Fortunately for AFA members, nearly all of the resolutions in Kyoto that would have seriously curtailed bird-keeping were defeated. This outcome did not reflect widespread support for captive breeding of birds, but rather came from a general attitude favoring sustainable utilization instead of strict preservation of wildlife. Serious concerns still remain about the high mortality associated with transport of wild-caught birds and will no doubt lead to renewed calls for trade restrictions and bans at the next CITES meeting to be held in the United States in 1994. AFA, one of over 150 non-government organizations (NGOs) in Kyo...
We live in an urbanizing age, an age when people seeking economic opportunity, better health care... more We live in an urbanizing age, an age when people seeking economic opportunity, better health care and education, and cultural engagement are migrating from the countryside to cities. Despite the popular belief that cities are sites of wasteful consumption and pollution, when properly designed and administered they can have lower per capita environmental impacts than the rural areas from which their populations come. In fact, more and more people living in places where they can potentially consume less is arguably the single most effective way to achieve global sustainability goals (Calthorpe, 2010). Despite the promise of cities, however, they do not automatically become engines for positive social transformation. Every city requires a complicated road map showing which policies, practices, and technologies can move its residents toward a more prosperous, healthier, and environmentally responsible future. Because every metropolitan region has idiosyncrasies that influence the charac...
Phoenix, Arizona, faces similar challenges to Melbourne in terms of rapid urban growth and the st... more Phoenix, Arizona, faces similar challenges to Melbourne in terms of rapid urban growth and the strain this places on urban water supplies. Climate change poses a further threat to the sustainability of cities across the world. There is an opportunity to devise strategies for accommodating urban growth that help to transition cities to a more sustainable urban form. This seminar presents the case that “cities hold the key to achieving global sustainability”. It also looks at the role that universities can play in fostering such transitions.
The growing frequency of climate change–related hazards such as wildfires, floods, landslides, an... more The growing frequency of climate change–related hazards such as wildfires, floods, landslides, and drought increases the chances that they will coincide in space and time with volcanic eruptions. The cascading effects of the resulting compound disasters are much harder to predict than eruptions alone. Successful response to current volcanic events draws on the collective knowledge of past patterns gained by volcanologists and other disaster management professionals, allowing them to map out strategies for preparation, monitoring, evacuation, and recovery. In the coming decades, interpretations of such familiar patterns of events will be complicated by compound hazards. To respond effectively to future events, volcanologists will need to expand their knowledge of non-volcanic hazards and more intentionally incorporate social science perspectives into disaster planning and management.
ABSTRACT We have used carefully controlled laboratory simulations to develop a model which relate... more ABSTRACT We have used carefully controlled laboratory simulations to develop a model which relates lava flow morphology to effusion rate and rheology. Through comparisons with measured and estimated eruption rates on Earth, this approach allows us to constrain eruptive styles and compositions of extraterrestrial lava flows. By applying this model to lava flows on the Moon, Mars and Venus, we have determined that all the common flow morphologies (domes, folds and levees) on these planets could have been produced by basalt-like or andesite-like lavas through either continuous or episodic emplacement. The presence of more evolved magma compositions on other planets is not required to explain any of the observed lava flow morphologies.
Over the last few years, the requirement for information to underpin climate change adaptation po... more Over the last few years, the requirement for information to underpin climate change adaptation policies has increased considerably. One example was the recognition at last year’s World Climate Conference-3 of the need for a Global Framework for Climate Services. This poses a considerable challenge to climate science. Reliable information is needed regionally and locally and on timescales of a few years to a century ahead. In particular, over the coming few decades the level of climate change is largely unavoidable and will be primarily felt when climate change and variability signals are in phase, leading to an enhancement of extreme climatic conditions. This talk will focus on recent research from the Met Office Hadley Centre, giving examples of how we are beginning to address some of these new challenges.
The growing frequency of climate change–related hazards such as wildfires, floods, landslides, an... more The growing frequency of climate change–related hazards such as wildfires, floods, landslides, and drought increases the chances that they will coincide in space and time with volcanic eruptions. The cascading effects of the resulting compound disasters are much harder to predict than eruptions alone. Successful response to current volcanic events draws on the collective knowledge of past patterns gained by volcanologists and other disaster management professionals, allowing them to map out strategies for preparation, monitoring, evacuation, and recovery. In the coming decades, interpretations of such familiar patterns of events will be complicated by compound hazards. To respond effectively to future events, volcanologists will need to expand their knowledge of non-volcanic hazards and more intentionally incorporate social science perspectives into disaster planning and management.
Aviculturists have much to contribute to the conservation of endangered birds, especially when th... more Aviculturists have much to contribute to the conservation of endangered birds, especially when they join forces with scientists. Recent work with the Red Siskin (Spinus cucullatus) points to important ways that such collaboration can help many more species in the future. The Red Siskin is a striking black and red finch that once ranged through northern South America, from the Colombian border, across northern Venezuela, to Trinidad. Its populations have been decimated by unsustainable harvest for the pet trade and by habitat degradation, leaving it Critically Endangered in Venezuela and Endangered worldwide. Recent discovery of a population in Guyana revived hopes of saving the Red Siskin, and prompted us to form the Red Siskin Initiative (RSI, www.redsiskin.org), an international partnership of public and private institutions, communities, and people working to help understand, protect, and restore sustainable populations of this iconic bird in its natural habitat. Not all species can be rescued, but the Red Siskin is an ideal conservation target for multiple reasons, including the logistical, biological and economic ease with which it may be reared in captivity. To fulfill a vision of recovery, RSI has developed six conservation strategies, all of which require collaboration with aviculturists for success, particularly for raising and reintroducing siskins, as well as fighting their unsustainable harvest and illegal trade. To date, teamwork with aviculturists has resulted in the design of two integrated conservation centers in Venezuela, and advances in housing, nutrition and husbandry in a research colony in the US. Ongoing collaboration between scientists and aviculturists will be important for genetic and demographic flock management; creating a cooperative breeding plan among aviculturists; streamlining permitting processes; guiding research on diet, social structure, and vocal communication; developing protocols for pre-conditioning birds for release, and beyond captive management into reducing unsustainable harvest of the species, marketing bird-friendly chocolate and coffee, raising the cultural profile of the species in range countries. The avicultural community has become a key partner for Red Siskin recovery, which provides lessons for the conservation of other species, including Sun Conure (Aratinga solstitialis), Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae), and Philippine Cockatoo (Cacatua haemoturopygia), as well as non-avian species that are popular pets.
Aviculture a Winner at CITES Meeting Most aviculturists expected the worst from the 8th Conferenc... more Aviculture a Winner at CITES Meeting Most aviculturists expected the worst from the 8th Conference of the Parties to CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which was held in Kyoto, Japan in early March. After the last meeting in Switzerland in 1989, animal rights groups vowed to push for a total ban on trade in all wild-caught birds. Fortunately for AFA members, nearly all of the resolutions in Kyoto that would have seriously curtailed bird-keeping were defeated. This outcome did not reflect widespread support for captive breeding of birds, but rather came from a general attitude favoring sustainable utilization instead of strict preservation of wildlife. Serious concerns still remain about the high mortality associated with transport of wild-caught birds and will no doubt lead to renewed calls for trade restrictions and bans at the next CITES meeting to be held in the United States in 1994. AFA, one of over 150 non-government organizations (NGOs) in Kyo...
We live in an urbanizing age, an age when people seeking economic opportunity, better health care... more We live in an urbanizing age, an age when people seeking economic opportunity, better health care and education, and cultural engagement are migrating from the countryside to cities. Despite the popular belief that cities are sites of wasteful consumption and pollution, when properly designed and administered they can have lower per capita environmental impacts than the rural areas from which their populations come. In fact, more and more people living in places where they can potentially consume less is arguably the single most effective way to achieve global sustainability goals (Calthorpe, 2010). Despite the promise of cities, however, they do not automatically become engines for positive social transformation. Every city requires a complicated road map showing which policies, practices, and technologies can move its residents toward a more prosperous, healthier, and environmentally responsible future. Because every metropolitan region has idiosyncrasies that influence the charac...
Phoenix, Arizona, faces similar challenges to Melbourne in terms of rapid urban growth and the st... more Phoenix, Arizona, faces similar challenges to Melbourne in terms of rapid urban growth and the strain this places on urban water supplies. Climate change poses a further threat to the sustainability of cities across the world. There is an opportunity to devise strategies for accommodating urban growth that help to transition cities to a more sustainable urban form. This seminar presents the case that “cities hold the key to achieving global sustainability”. It also looks at the role that universities can play in fostering such transitions.
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