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Aeolian sandy lands are widespread and desertification is recognized as one of the main environmental issues in the Yarlung Zangbo River valley, southern Tibetan plateau. The surface microtopographic variations induced by the near soil surface characteristics of plant communities are important compositions of land surface roughness, which likely influence wind erosion. This study was conducted to quantify the effects of typical vegetation restoration on land surface roughness on the aeolian sandy lands, and to identify the main influencing factors of land surface roughness in the Yarlung Zangbo River valley. Two bare sandy lands (as controls) and eight vegetated sandy lands with different restoration communities and ages were selected, and land surface roughness (LSR), as represented by surface microtopographic variations in this study, was measured by photogrammetric surveys. The results showed that LSR significantly increased by 7.9–16.8 times after vegetation restoration on the aeolian sandy lands, and varied among different restoration communities and ages. The mostly restored communities of Sophora moorcroftiana and Populus L. had greater LSR as compared to Artemisia wellbyi and Hedysarum scoparium. With succession from 6 to over 30 years, LSR gradually increased in the Sophora moorcroftiana restored sandy lands, but decreased in the Populus L. restored sandy lands. The variations of LSR were mainly attributed to the differences in near soil surface characteristics of vegetation (plant stem diameter and coverage, and plant residue density) and biological soil crusts (coverage and thickness). Mixed plantation of Populus L. and Sophora moorcroftiana was considered as the best restoration communities because of their effectiveness in increasing land surface roughness on the aeolian sandy lands in the Yarlung Zangbo River valley. The results would facilitate the understanding of the benefits of vegetation restoration in controlling wind erosion on the aeolian sandy lands.

Increasing nitrogen (N) rate could accelerate the decomposition of crop residues, and then improve crop yield by increasing N availability of soil and N uptake of crops. However, it is not clear whether N rate and plant density should be modified after a long period of cotton stubble return with high N rate. This study seeks to assess the effects of N rate and plant density on cotton yield, N use efficiency, leaf senescence, soil inorganic N, and apparent N balance in cotton stubble return fields in Liaocheng, China, in 2016 and 2017. Three plant densities 5.25 (D5.25), 6.75 (D6.75) and 8.25 (D8.25) plants m−2 and five N rates 0 (N0), 105 (N105), 210 (N210), 315 (N315), and 420 (N420) kg ha−1 were investigated. Compared to the combination used by local farmers (D5.25N315), a 33.3% N reduction and a 28.6% increase in plant density (D6.75N210) can maintain high cotton yield, while a 66.7% N reduction at 6.75 plants m−2 (D6.75N105) can only achieve high yield in the first year. Biological yield increased with the increase of N rate and plant density, and the highest yield was obtained under 420 kg N ha−1 at 8.25 plants m−2 (D8.25N420) across the two years under investigation. Compared to D5.25N315, N agronomic efficiency (NAE) and N recovery efficiency (NRE) in D6.75N210 increased by 30.2 and 54.1%, respectively, and NAE and NRE in D6.75N105 increased by 104.8 and 88.1%, respectively. Soil inorganic N decreased sharply under 105 kg N ha−1, but no change was found under 210 kg N ha−1 at 6.75 plants m−2. N deficit occurred under 105 kg N ha−1, but it did not occurr under 210 kg N ha−1 at 6.75 plants m−2. Net photosynthetic rate and N concentration of leaves under N rate ranging from 210 to 420 kg ha−1 were higher than those under N rate of 0 or 105 kg N ha−1 at all three densities. The findings suggest that D6.75N210 is a superior combination in cotton stubble retaining fields in the Yellow River Valley and other areas with similar ecologies.

Many stone artifacts and Paleolithic sites can be found in Hanjiang River Valley, which is an important area of human activities. In particular, the discovery of flint artifacts has greatly enriched the understanding of the technical diversity of stone artifacts in this area. However, the lack of age data also hindered the follow-up research. On this basis, we investigated and excavated two Paleolithic sites (Huoshiwa and Houshanpo) in Shigu village of Danjiangkou Reservoir Area in 2019 and found dozens of flint artifacts. The standard quartz single-aliquot regenerative dose-based optically stimulated luminescence method was used to date the samples from two Paleolithic sites. The natural OSL signals of the cultural layer samples reached saturation, the ages given could be minimum. Results showed that the ages of the cultural layer in Houshanpo and Huoshiwa sites are older than 70 and 50 ka, respectively. Our study fills in the blank of absolute age of flint artifacts in Danjiangkou Reservoir Area in Late Pleistocene, and provides chronological support for the study of the flint Paleolithic technology.

The archaeological site of Checua is located on an isolated hill in the Checua river valley in the Sabana de Bogota, Northern South America. Archaeological data obtained at the site two decades ago, suggested that it was occupied by groups of hunters and gatherers since Early Holocene. Good preservation of cultural materials allowed researchers to study several aspects of ancient inhabitants of the site including subsistence strategies as well as lithic and bone technologies to manufacture artefacts. Since 2015, a research program has been carried out at Checua in order to obtain relevant data to clarify chronology and to suggest a more detailed sociocultural characterisation of the people dwelling the place. We obtained new and complementary information about chronology, subsistence and mortuary practices. Radiocarbon data allowed us to assess the earliest and latest occupation of the site, showing that while it was used since ca. 9500 years BP, mortuary practices where carried out only between 7580 and 7475 years cal BP (2σ) and 5190-5052 years cal BP (2σ). We also discuss how these data can be used to explore permanence of human occupation at places in the landscapes during the process of sedentism among hunter and gatherers groups in Northern South America.

Ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2), methane (CH4) and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) were measured in Guwahati in the Brahmaputra River Valley (BRV) of northeastern India from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014. The current analysis shows that the annual mean concentrations of O3, CO, CO2, NOx, CH4, and NMHC in Guwahati were 10.5 (±6.30 ppb), 0.5 (±0.2 ppm), 411.7 (±37.5 ppm), 19.6 (±11.6 ppb), 2045(±417 ppb) and 173(±93 ppb), respectively. The pattern of O3concentrations in Guwahati indicated it was strongly influenced by local NOx sources with an adjacent national highway being the likely major source. Thus, the measured O3 values were reduced by local titration. Diel, weekly, and seasonal patterns for each of these gaseous species showed the strong influence of local sources. The mean ventilation coefficient was greater than >6000 m2s during the day in the pre-monsoon season indicating pollutant dispersion. The seasonally average solar radiation (SR) fluxes decreased in the order: pre-monsoon (180 W m−2), monsoon (176 W m−2), post-monsoon (148 W m−2) and winter (110 W m−2).The corresponding mean O3 concentrations were 14.8, 7.5, 6.4, and 10.1 ppb, respectively. In the pre-monsoon season, an impact of SR on the photochemical formation of O3was observed. High O3 winter concentrations were observed likely driven by local biomass burning providing reactive VOCs that contributed to ozone formation.

Analysis of ∼47,500 freshwater mussel shells, representing 34 taxa, recovered from late Holocene archaeological sites located along the Upper Mississippi River in southwestern Wisconsin affords the opportunity to address variation in exploitation of shellfish by Woodland Tradition foragers (ca. 2,000–900 B.P.) and Oneota Tradition agriculturalists (ca. 800–500 B.P.). Woodland foragers targeted dense beds from which large numbers of mussels could be harvested relatively quickly. It is hypothesized that meat from mussels was dried, packaged, and transported to interior, upland locations to help alleviate anticipated food-resource deficits in the winter. Oneota agriculturalists harvested mussels in modest numbers from variety of riverine contexts for food and preferentially collected thick to medium-thick shelled taxa to serve as a source of temper in pottery manufacture.

After several centuries of cultural continuity, the Late Woodland transition (AD 600-1000) in the Southeastern Woodlands involved a significant intensification of existing lifeways. This study examines the biocultural consequences of the Late Woodland transition at Forbush Creek (AD 800-1200), a Yadkin River Valley site from the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Twelve percent of individuals recovered from the site sustained violence-related trauma, including five individuals with healed blunt force trauma, two individuals with perimortem cranial trauma, and a single projectile point injury. Secondary burial individuals exhibited significantly more trauma (n = 10, 42%) and nutrient deficiencies (n = 12, 50%) than primary burial individuals (n = 1, 4%; and n = 5, 19%, respectively). The Forbush Creek remains provide new evidence of the biological impacts of cultural transitions and suggest that uncertainty, scarcity, and conflict arising from changing lifeways contributed to inequality in the Forbush Creek community. Secondary bundle burial inclusion may represent marginalization and an increased vulnerability to morbidity and mortality risks. The emergence of social inequality in the Late Woodland period likely shaped long-term cultural dynamics that preceded the complex sociopolitical hierarchies of the later Mississippian period.

The Loess Plateau of China (LP) has the largest and thickest loess deposits in the world. Quantifying the amount of loess in the LP is crucial for investigating the accumulation and erosion of loess, and determining the regional soil and water resource capacity. We used loess thickness data, a pedotransfer function for bulk density (BD), and the clay content data observed in 242 sites across the LP to derive the BD of loess and then estimate the loess mass and its distribution across the LP. The results indicated that the average BD of loess between the surface and bedrock is 1.58 g cm−3, varying from 1.18 to 1.87 g cm−3. The total loess mass is approximately 5.45 × 1013 t, and the average loess mass over an area of 1 m2 is 169 t, ranging from 1.36 to 585 t. The greatest mass of loess is in the south-central of the LP while the lowest mass of loess is in the northwest and river valley areas. Our estimate of loess mass provides key data for calculating water, carbon, and nutrient storages in the LP, which improves our understanding of soil-water processes and ecohydrological systems in this landscape.

Slow tourism provides a new approach to contemporary touristic practices by taking into account local populations, extending the length of stay at the destination, and making the tourist experience more fulfilling. The Douro is a rural region that could benefit from slow tourism practices. However, the main tourism activity at the destination is presently limited largely to all-inclusive cruises packages in the Douro river valley, the terroir of the world-renowned port wine. This research first explores the extent to which attributes of slow tourism exist in the region, particularly in relation to modes of transport, local attractiveness, natural and built heritage, and interaction with local people. It then investigates how they are represented in promotional videos of the Douro region produced by the municipalities in conjunction with its DMO. A qualitative analysis of content was conducted alongside with an in-depth interview. The study takes a multi-method approach by analyzing not only the content but also the context by drawing upon complementary information provided by the interviewee. The results obtained testify to the presence of some slow tourism attributes in the videos. However, a clear message is still missing that could elevate the potential of this region to become a sustainable and slow destination.

Bulgarian Abstract: Разработката е отчет от втори етап на научно-изследователски проект „Управление на услугите на агроекосистемите“, финансиран от Селскостопанска академия - https://maessbg.alle.bg Апробиран е разработеният през първия етап подход за анализ, оценка и усъвършенстване на системата за управление на агроекосистемните услуги в страната. Посредством анкетно проучване със земеделски производители са идентифицирани размера и вида на „произвежданите“ услуги на агроекосистемите от различен тип, и доминиращите форми, фактори и ефективност на управление на агроекосистемните услуги. Събрана е първична микро информация от мениджъри на 162 „типични“ стопанства от различен юридически тип, размер, производствена специализация, екологическо и географско местоположение. Обхванати са основните агрорайони и принципни агроекосистеми (равнинна, планинска, защитени зони, не облагодетелствени райони и т.н.), и 12 основни специфични агроекосистеми и съставляващите ги агроекосистеми - Западна Стара планина, Централен Балкан, Дунавска равнина, Добруджа, Североизточна Стара планина, Предбалкан, Долина на река Струма, Родопи, Пернишка котловина, Радомирско поле, Средна гора, Подбалкан, Тракийска низина и Югоизточна България. Посредством групиране и обобщаване на събраната първична информация е идентифицирана структурата и обема на агроекосистемните услуги в страната и в основните типове агроекосистеми – географски, принципни и специфични екосистеми, подсектори на аграрното производство, размер и юридически тип на фермерска организация. Дял на участващите производители и степента за участие в съхранение и снабдяване са използвани като прокси показатели за обем на производство от съответните типове стопанства. Установена е връзката между основни характеристики на мениджърите на стопанствата (пол, възраст, образование, фермерски опит и т.н.) и техните познания и прилагане на концепцията за агроекосистемни услуги. Идентифицирани са основните вътрешни, пазарни, договорни, колективни, тристранни и т.н. форми на управление на агроекосистемните услуги от различен вид като цяло и в зависимост от типа на агроекосистемата и земеделския производител. Извършено е дълбочинно изследване на преобладаващите форми за управление на основни агроекосистемни услуги като осигуряване на външен достъп на територията на фермата, опазване на биоразнообразието, опрашване на растенията, биопроизводство и др., установена е и връзка със специализация, местоположение и др. характеристики на стопанствата. Установена е ефективността на различните форми за управление на агроекосистемните услуги, посредством оценка на преките и допълнителните разходи, свързани със снабдяването и управлението на агроекосистемните услуги, както и преките, допълнителни и косвени ефекти от тяхното снабдяване. Идентифицирани са основните поведенчески, икономически, институционални, природни и т.н. фактори, които стимулират или ограничават „производството“ на агроекосистемни услуги от земеделските производители. Определени са и намеренията на земеделските производители, свързани с опазване на екосистемите и екосистемните услуги в близко бъдеще. Направен е дълбочинен анализ на развитието и ефективността на биологичното производство като една от основните форми за снабдяване на агроекосистемни услуги от българските ферми. Направен е многоаспектен анализ на почвите като част от агроекологичен ресурс на България, на примера на селските райони в Южен централен район. Оценени са възможностите за ползване на утайките от пречиствателните станции за отпадни води като форма на агроекоуслуга в помощ на земеделието. Анализирано е използването на категорията клиентска стойност в управлението на услугите на агроекосистемите. Подготвени са обобщени изводи и предложения за подобряване на подхода за научен анализ и насоки за усъвършенстване обществените политики и форми за обществена интервенция, и индивидуалните, бизнес и колективните стратегии и действия за ефективно управление на агроекосистемите и услугите на агроекосистемите от различен тип. English Abstract: The study is a report from the second stage of the research project "Management of agro-ecosystem services", funded by the Agricultural Academy - https://maessbg.alle.bg The approach developed during the first stage for analysis, evaluation and improvement of the management system of the agro-ecosystem services in the country has been tested. A survey with agricultural producers identified the size and type of "produced" services of agro-ecosystems of different types, and the dominant forms, factors and efficiency of management of agro-ecosystem services. Primary micro-information was collected from managers of 162 "typical" farms of different legal type, size, production specialization, ecological and geographical location. The main agro-regions and basic agroecosystems (plain, mountainous, protected areas, non-favored areas, etc.) are covered, as well as 12 main specific agroecosystems and their agro-ecosystems - Western Stara Planina, Central Balkans, Danube Plain, Stara Planina, Northeast Fore-Balkans, Struma River Valley, Rhodopes, Pernik Basin, Radomir Field, Sredna Gora, Sub-Balkans, Thracian Lowland and Southeastern Bulgaria. By grouping and summarizing the collected primary information, the structure and volume of agro-ecosystem services in the country and in the main types of agro-ecosystems are identified - geographical, basic and specific ecosystems, subsectors of agricultural production, size and legal type of farming organization. Share of participating producers and degree of participation in storage and supply were used as proxy indicators for production volume of the respective types of holdings. The connection between the main characteristics of farm managers (gender, age, education, farming experience, etc.) and their knowledge and application of the concept of agro-ecosystem services has been established. The main domestic, market, contractual, collective, tripartite, etc. are identified. forms of management of agro-ecosystem services of different types in general and depending on the type of agro-ecosystem and the agricultural producer. An in-depth study of the predominant forms of management of basic agro-ecosystem services such as providing external access to the farm, biodiversity conservation, plant pollination, bioproduction, etc. has been established, and a link with specialization, location, etc. has been established. characteristics of holdings. The effectiveness of the various forms of management of agro-ecosystem services has been established by assessing the direct and additional costs associated with the supply and management of agro-ecosystem services, as well as the direct, additional and indirect effects of their supply. The main behavioral, economic, institutional, natural, etc. are identified. factors that stimulate or limit the "production" of agro-ecosystem services by farmers. The intentions of the agricultural producers related to the protection of ecosystems and ecosystem services in the near future have also been determined. An in-depth analysis of the development and efficiency of organic production as one of the main forms of supply of agro-ecosystem services by Bulgarian farms. A multifaceted analysis of soils has been made as part of Bulgaria's agri-environmental resource, on the example of rural areas in the South Central region. The possibilities for using the sludge from the wastewater treatment plants as a form of agro-eco-service in support of agriculture have been assessed. The use of the customer value category in the management of agro-ecosystem services is analyzed. Summarized conclusions and proposals for improving the approach to scientific analysis and guidelines for improving public policies and forms of public intervention, and individual, business and collective strategies and actions for effective management of agro-ecosystems and services of agro-ecosystems of different types have been prepared.

The Tennessee and Cumberland River Valleys boast some of the highest concentrations of diagnostic Paleoindian artifact finds in the Americas. However, many of these finds are from secondary contexts void of associated deposits. The study utilizes chert provenance data, obtained using reflectance spectroscopy, on a large sample of Late Paleoindian diagnostic bifaces from sites along the Lower Tennessee River Valley. The objective of the study is to visualize group identity and mobility at the close of the Pleistocene. Resulting data suggests that band group mobility may have been significantly less than proposed models for adjacent regions. The data may also indicate that groups were periodically congregating along the Lower Tennessee River from three regions. Chert source data provides a means to glean useful cultural information even from disassociated materials.

Following the 14th century depopulation of the Savannah River Valley of modern Georgia and South Carolina, the neighboring coastal region of Georgia exhibited significant changes in settlement. In the absence of other demographic proxies, Georgia state site file data show that there was a greater accumulation of archaeological components during the 14th century than in any other preceding period. Exploratory Bayesian modeling of settlement practices using a compiled set of legacy radiocarbon dates demonstrates that much of this expansion of settlement happened concomitant with the depopulation of the Savannah River Valley.

Radioactive isotopes of the noble gases xenon and argon are considered primary indicators of an underground nuclear explosion. However, high atmospheric concentrations from other anthropogenic sources may lead to an elevation in the underground levels of these gases, particularly in times of increasing atmospheric pressure. In 2014, a week long sampling campaign near Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in the Ottawa River Valley resulted in first of their kind measurements of atmospheric 133Xe that had been pressed into the subsurface. In an effort to better understand this imprinting process, a second follow-up sampling campaign was conducted in the same location in 2016. The results of the second sampling campaign, where samples were collected at depths of 1 m and 2 m over a 14 day period and measured for their 133Xe concentration, are presented here. Gas transport and sample concentrations were predicted using the Subsurface Transport over Multiple Phases (STOMP) simulator. These results are examined and compared to the corresponding experimental results.

The burial mound Tunnug 1 (Arzhan 0) lies in a swamp of the Uyuk River Valley, Tuva Republic, Russia. The construction of this princely Scythian tomb is similar to the earliest identified Scythian kurgan Arzhan 1. Preserved wood from the burial mound was dated through AMS to the 9th century BCE. This confirms that Tunnug 1 (Arzhan 0) belongs to the oldest Scythian cultural horizon and potentially predates Arzhan 1. Due to its peculiar topographic location Tunnug 1 (Arzhan 0) appears to be a frozen tomb.

This paper uses data obtained from several different kinds of residue analyses to explore household activities and evaluate differences and similarities between households at the Harris Site, a Late Pithouse period (550–1000 CE) site located in the Mimbres River Valley of southwestern New Mexico. We used three different methods to explore these topics: lipid analysis from ceramic vessels, spot tests of fatty acids from pithouses, and FTIR from several artifact classes. The results were somewhat mixed, with information obtained on food processing, diet, and formation processes, but in the long run they have provided data that can be used in concert with other analysis data to document household activities and similarities and differences between households through time.

A limited number of studies examine journey to work travel in the United States prior to 1940. These efforts, however, focus on commuting to central cities from their adjacent suburbs; the journey to work of residents living on the periphery of metropolitan areas remains unexamined. This paper analyzes commuting behavior of residents in three suburbs 35 miles west of Chicago between 1912, the year prior to Ford's introduction of the automobile assembly line, and 1936, the year after the Works Progress Administration was established. Although the majority of employed Tri-City (St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia) residents worked in their home city, this research demonstrates that workers engaged in suburb-to-suburb commuting prior to World War II. Furthermore, it reveals that frequently more workers commuted to suburban locations than to central city. It also finds that commuting patterns varied by city of origin, year, and gender, with more men, but a greater percentage of women, commuting to work.

Introduction Food poisoning due to wild wasp broods ingestion has long been noted in the upstream region of the Lancang river valley, Yunnan province, China. This study describes the epidemiological and clinical features of the poisoning and possible causes. Methods Surveillance data collected between 2008 and 2016 were analyzed to produce demographic data on patients, information on clinical presentations, wasp species identification, and estimations of possible risk factors for symptomatic cases. Results Eleven poisoning events were associated with the ingestion of wild wasp broods, including 46 exposed persons with 31 symptomatic living cases and 8 deceased cases that were reported in the Yunnan province between 2008 and 2016. Poisoning cases were only detected in the upstream region of the Lancang river valley in the autumn. The severity of the symptoms was correlated with an evident dose-effect relationship regarding the quantity ingested. The mean latent period from wild wasp broods ingestion to the onset of the symptoms was 10 h for symptomatic living cases and 7 h for deceased cases, respectively. Both gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms were commonly observed in the poisoning cases. Conclusion The toxin source may be indirectly caused by the wasp broods due to the prevalence of local poisonous plants, such as Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, Tripterygium hypoglaucum Hutch and Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. Educational programs at the start of wasp harvest season in September in the high-risk area should be carried out to reduce the incidence of poisonings.

This paper presents the results of an archaeological survey at the site of Berdysycran-depe located 13 km east of the Tedjen river, south of the modern Tedjen delta in southern Turkmenistan. The site consists of two mounds of different sizes and heights and a flat area surrounding them which together cover approximately 15 ha. The surface survey conducted by the authors revealed that both the mounds have been simultaneously occupied in the Middle and Late Bronze Age (Namazga V and Namazga VI in the Central Asian chronology) and was probably an important site of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) that developed in southern Central Asia during that time. The discovery of the site changes our picture of the extent of the BMAC, indicating that the lower Tedjen river valley also was a part of its territory.

The light absorption due to winter black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) in a complex-terrain region of northeast India was studied. The BC concentrations were measured by using a seven-wavelength Aethalometer. The hourly average BC concentration at 880 nm was 10.02 ± 3.17 μg m−3, with the highest of 30.48 μg m−3 on most foggy days. The mean Angstrom Absorption Exponent (AAE370-880) for the spectrum 370–880 nm was 1.25, and the highest was 1.28 during the winter nighttime. The light absorption of BC dominated at all wavelengths from 370 to 950 nm. Source apportionment using the site-specific spectral properties showed that the average contribution from the fossil fuel (road traffic emissions) was around 70% and 30% from biomass burning. The primary brown carbon (BrCpri) contributed a much higher (17.5%) to the total aerosol light absorption (babs) than secondary brown carbon (BrCsec) (7.8%) at 370 nm. The BrCpri and BrCsec absorption and contribution to babs peaking to 24.9% and 12.4% during winter nights at 370 nm, indicating open biomass burning a dominant source of BrC. Further, the exposure to BC in winter might cause a higher health risk equivalent to 25 passive cigarette smoking per day.

Short-term, fast-developing wet and dry anomalies have gained much attention, as their suddenness brings new challenges to monitoring. It is unclear how long a pre-existing climatic water surplus/deficit (defined as the difference between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration; P-PET) should be considered when monitoring short-term wetness and dryness events over China. This study aims to answer this by evaluating the performance of the daily Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) for different accumulation periods of P-PET in capturing sub-surface soil moisture variation over China. Our evaluations of reanalysis soil moisture from ERA5 and ERA-Interim show that ERA5 soil moisture is superior, as it is more consistent with the variation of in situ observations. Applying ERA5 soil moisture for further examination of SPEIs, we find that pre-existing conditions should be considered for different lengths of time in different regions of China because the sensitivity of soil moisture to climatic water balance is regionally dependent. For wetness, soil moisture responds to a pre-existing climatic water surplus immediately over Southeast China, but it is more delayed over North and Northeast China. For dryness, 0.5-month pre-existing water deficit conditions over Southeast China and 1.5-month conditions over the Yangtze-Huai River valley are preferable to the frequently adopted 3 months or longer. These findings highlight the length of time for pre-existing condition is shorter over wet regions, and longer over dry regions of China.

Pipestones of the midcontinental U.S. have a long history of use by native peoples to craft high status and religious objects, especially pipes, that were often widely exchanged. In this research we describe native use of west central Wisconsin Baraboo Range pipestone as well as identify chemical and mineralogical variation within that formation. The pipestone variants are Baraboo A (dominated by kaolinite, muscovite, and pyrophyllite) and Baraboo B (dominated by pyrophyllite with minor quartz). The recognition of Baraboo pipestone variation allows us to identify previously unsourced pipestone objects. This sourcing project modifies assumptions of Cahokia-centric patterns of earspool manufacture and exchange during the Mississippian period (CE 1000-1400). It demonstrates that Baraboo pipestone Mississippian earspools were quarried, produced, and circulated among a small group of contemporaneous Mississippian societies located in the northern Upper Mississippi River valley — quite outside the Cahokia exchange network. This work establishes that employing rigorous, scientifically sound, and reproducible methodologies to identify the geological source of objects is essential to the interpretation of native interactions.

The goal of this study was to collect and analyze geologic data for assessment of CO2 storage feasibility in the parts of Appalachian Basin covering eastern Ohio and the adjacent Upper Ohio River Valley with a focus on deeper Paleozoic formations. This included detailed mapping, cross sections, and petrophysics of caprocks and reservoirs along with selected reservoir flow testing in regional injection wells to determine potential intake zones. The workflow was successful in characterizing reservoirs and advancing geologic understanding in the region, all precursors to estimating CO2 storage resources.

Mammoth remains, best referred to the Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi), were uncovered during roadwork near Kyle, Saskatchewan in 1964. Excavation yielded bones that gave a radiocarbon age of 12,200 ± 200 BP (radiocarbon years before present – taken as 1950) suggesting that Columbian mammoths had followed continental glacial ice as it had retreated northward from the South Saskatchewan River valley toward the close of the last glaciation. The Kyle Mammoth evidently died a natural death, perhaps becoming mired in sticky pond deposits. Bones recovered consist of several parts of the skeleton – notably a lower jaw with RM5 and RM6, several vertebrae, a scapula, a femur, parts of a left radius and ulna, and foot bones. Although the bones were scattered they represent the most complete mammoth from the Canadian Prairies (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba). Paleoenvironmental evidence suggests that the area was partly forested perhaps by a mixed-deciduous forest transition. Maximum summer temperatures could have approached 28 °C.

The ice wedges are considered as key subjects for 14C aging of yedoma, as there are no any exchange processes between the environment and the ice wedges. Syngenetic sediments contain allochthonous organic admixtures which originated at a distance from its present position. The main problem of radiocarbon dating within permafrost is the uncertain reliability of the 14C ages. To establish the age of ice wedge formation the strategy for the most authentic radiocarbon age selection for syngenetic sediments is considered on the base of a model of yedoma accumulation and distribution of reversal material by flood and aeolian transport. The re-working of organic material discussed in terms of cyclic syngenetic sedimentation of yedoma. The advantages and the complications of 14C dating of organic inclusions from ice wedges by the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) are discussed applying to the search of true age organic material, which is simultaneous to ice-wedge formation. Radiocarbon ages of different organic materials from the same samples are compared, it is demonstrated that the difference between ages of the fractions from the ice wedges consists of about 9 kyr in Seyaha ice-wedge complex in Yamal Peninsula and about 5 kyr in Bison yedoma, Kolyma River valley. The principle of the choice of the youngest 14C age from the set and from the layer is proposed for yedoma.

Exceptional early high monsoon rains between 15 and 17 June 2013 combined with discharge from snowmelt water caused widespread floods in every major river of the Garhwal Himalaya. This catastrophic event triggered widespread landslides and devastation in the region, affecting the movement of the people that led to stranding of pilgrims in various pilgrimage routes. This event caused many casualties and irreparable damage to the infrastructures and property in the Garhwal Himalaya. A large volume of debris was deposited in Kedarnath town (3.9 × 10 6 m 3 ), and a huge amount of debris was removed from Rambara and surrounding areas (2.6 × 10 8 m 3 ). The study also found that villages like Lambaghar, Bhyundar (Alaknanda River Valley), and Rambara (Mandakini River Valley) were completely washed away, leaving no trace of earlier settlement. Govindghat and Pulna villages in the Alaknanda River Valley were also badly damaged. Approximately 0.3 × 10 6 and 0.72 × 10 6 m 3 of debris was deposited, respectively. Similarly in the Mandakini Valley, Kedarnath and Sonprayag towns were also badly damaged and ~ 3.9 × 10 6 and ~ 1.4 × 10 6 m 3 of debris was deposited in the area, respectively. Simultaneously, the moraine-dammed Chorabari Lake breached releasing ~ 6.1 × 10 5 m 3 of water with an average rate of ~ 1429 m 3 /s (discharge of lake). The towns of Pandukeshwar in the Alaknanda Valley and Gaurikund in the Mandakini Valley were partially damaged. However, no evidence of such magnitude of destruction was reported from the Yamuna River Valley during the same period. This catastrophic event changed the landscape in many parts of Uttarakhand, making the whole region more fragile and vulnerable. A disaster of such magnitude was perhaps not witnessed by the region for at least the last 100 years.

Most obsidian artifacts from central and southern Patagonia were made of black obsidian from Pampa del Asador (PDA), an extended secondary source area centered at approximately 47°55′S and 71°08′W. Artifacts of obsidian from PDA have been found

In Europe during the medieval period, new constraints were introduced to the balance of people’s food production, distribution and consumption. As a proxy indicator of diet, stable isotope ratios from osseous remains offer a window into past human lifeways and the adoption of new dietary regimes. We report stable carbon and nitrogen isotope results of a large diachronic study of skeletons from Poland’s Pomeranian region in the Vistula River valley, using concepts of resilience, agency, and transition in bioarchaeological research frameworks to explain pace of diet change and intra-population variations in diet. Two skeletal samples are from 10 to 13th century Kaldus, an economic center of the early Piast dynasty, and two are from 12 to 14th century Gruczno, a neighboring agricultural village. Humans exhibit a mean δ 15 N value of 9.8 ± 0.9‰, a mean δ 13 C coll value of −19.4 ± 0.9‰, and a mean δ 13 C ap value of −12.74 ± 1.30‰. Despite similar time periods and shared geographic region, Kaldus and Gruczno differ markedly in terms of fish and millet consumption. Diet does not change according to expectations based on the Christianization, urbanization, and marketization of Poland at this time. Rather than broad national trends affecting what people ate, more significant influences on diet appear to have been local sociodemographic conditions, to which people adjusted in ways that enabled them to retain fundamental aspects of their daily lives spanning the medieval period.

Archaeologists have increasingly broadened considerations of what is “monumental” and what relations with art, architecture, and landscapes constitute monumentality. This article documents the monumentality of ditches through an examination of 11 Scioto Hopewell ditches. Well known for their ornate crafts of exotic raw materials and massive geometric earthworks – constructed of ditches and embankments, usually in tandem – Scioto Hopewell was comprised of small-scale societies of the Middle Woodland period (1950–1550 BP) of the Scioto River Valley of southern Ohio. Though garnering archaeological attention for over two centuries, most research directed at understanding earthwork construction in this region has been relatively recent and primarily focused on embankment wall construction. This article represents the first exploration of Scioto Hopewell ditch construction and demonstrates that these ditches are monumental architecture that carry various meanings and whose construction was ritualized. Establishing a basis for the monumentality of Scioto Hopewell ditches has broad implications, as there is a global record of ditches that were multivalent and multi-functional landscape features that remain understudied beyond their possible functional or pragmatic purposes. This article demonstrates the value of the systematic archaeological examination of these features and the informational potential they hold.

In complex sedentary societies, debitage is often ignored when archaeologists turn their attention to the functional items necessary for the completion of various tasks. Lithic production debris recovered from ancient Maya sites is very rarely examined in this regard. The use-wear analysis of debitage from Maya sites not only assists in identifying the chipped stone artifacts that served as informal, ad hoc or expedient tools, but also reveals how the tools were utilized. Use-wear analysis of the chipped chert and chalcedony debitage from two sites in Belize, namely Terminal Classic (A.D. 830 – 950) Pook’s Hill and Late Postclassic-Early Spanish Colonial (ca. A.D. 1400 – 1700) San Pedro, demonstrates the important role of expedient tools in the daily lives of the ancient Maya. This study of use-wear also reveals the variation in flake use in terms of tool size and edge angle. Analysis of the debitage from Pook’s Hill and San Pedro enables a more complete understanding—than would be gained from a study of finished formal tools, alone—of the larger technological, socio-economic and environmental implications of settlement in a forested river valley on the mainland versus an offshore caye.

Along the geographic edges of regional populations lies latent potential for innovation and change accruing from interactions with those beyond the edges. This arguably was the case among some of the first pottery-making communities of the American Southeast. Centuries of interactions between these mobile communities and those beyond the geographic distribution of early pottery in the Savannah River valley culminated in places of permanent residence and ritual gathering at the overlapping edges of settlement ranges. Coupled with geochemical data on clay provenance, petrographic thin sections of Stallings fiber-tempered pottery register changes in social affiliation attending the emergence of gathering places. Despite continuity in the use of fiber for temper, innovations in the decoration and form of Stallings pottery coincide with changes in clay provenance and mineral composition to suggest a reorientation away from ancestral ties downriver and towards novel connections upriver. New relationships at the overlapping edges of ancestral lands were brokered at places of settlement and mortuary activity, notably at Stallings Island, which was abandoned for as much as three centuries after pottery appeared in the region. Revealed by petrographic data on the choices potters made in either maintaining or reinventing tradition is perspective on the ceramic social geography of Classic Stallings Culture that has implications for studies of social networks worldwide.

Due to the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, a number of buildings have suffered from damage to pile foundations. Among those, a characteristic damage pattern was found in that only one of many similar size buildings in the same site has suffered from pile damage, while other buildings have seemingly survived. Since these sites are situated in the middle of narrow river valleys, the effect of so-called alluvial valley was suggested. Based on this hypothesis, a series of three-dimensional finite element analyses have been conducted. It was found from the study that due to this irregular ground effect there is a possibility of a building located at the center of a site experiencing larger pile response compared with surrounding buildings when the site is situated in the middle of a narrow river valley.

Temporal evolution, source apportionment and transport pathways of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) are analysed over Guwahati, located in the Brahmaputra River Valley (BRV), as a function of meteorological dynamics. During the study period (July 2013–June 2014), the mean PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations were found to be 52 ± 37 and 91 ± 60 μg m−3, respectively, both exhibiting higher concentrations during December–March and very low during summer. The annual mean ratio of PM2.5/PM10 was 0.57 ± 0.11, varying from 0.24 to 0.86, suggesting dominance of anthropogenic vs natural emissions during winter and spring, respectively. Diurnal variation reveals higher PM concentrations during morning (∼9:00 local time (LT)) and evening (∼23:00 LT) and lowest around ∼14:00 to 17:00 LT due to influence of dilution processes and higher mixing-layer height over the region. Bivariate plots and Conditional Bivariate Probability Function (CBPF) analysis showed that the highest PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are mostly associated with weak northwestern winds (

The article analyses an example of the impact of hazardous geological processes (landslides, karst) on the highway Ufa-Orenburg region. Activity of hazardous geological phenomena, presumably, is caused by tectonic factors. The article emphasizes that in the designing, construction and reconstruction of transport infrastructure one have to take into account engineering-geological features of the areas.

Results of a paleoseismic trenching investigation on a backthrust in the northern margin of Janauri hill, at Mehandpur (31°18′11.37″N, 76°18′31.47″E), Sub-Himalayan range of the Himachal Himalaya are presented. The active backthrust revealed the last event took place after 0.8 ± 0.03 ka ago (i.e. post CE 1200). The age of the last earthquake with a minimum fault slip ∼1 m along F1 fault and presence of single colluvium on the back thrust nearly matches with an earthquake event previously documented on the Bhatpur forethrust of the Himalayan frontal thrust system. Uplifted and truncated fluvial terraces due to displacement on the backthrust are preserved along several north flowing river valley sections in the northern limb of Janauri anticline. The long-term vertical uplift rate calculated through dividing difference between current elevation and elevation of current river grade is 1.08 ± 0.08 mm/yr. Field evidence shows fore and backthrusts are active and they form simultaneously, but displacements are episodic suggesting the backthrust develops either due to locking of forethrust or to accommodate a large amount of fault slip due to magnitude of earthquake event along the forethrust. Further, the backthrust may be used as an indirect method of inferring the age of the last event that took place along the forethrust.

Over the past twenty years our understanding of the Middle Preclassic (900–300 BCE) period has become much clearer through archaeological investigations at a number of sites located in the Upper Belize River Valley region of the eastern Maya Lowlands. While the picture of Middle Preclassic Maya life, including their material culture, has sharpened, there are aspects that remain uninvestigated. One artifact type, identified as greenstone triangulates, has been found at several Belize Valley sites and in a variety of contexts. Although a number of these multi-faceted, polished groundstone items have been recovered, little research has focused on their distribution and function in the archaeological record. An evaluation of these items from primary contexts provides data for determining how they were used in daily social and/or ritual activities throughout the lowlands. Comparative data from other regions of Mesoamerica are also discussed. A detailed geological and petrographic pilot study of a sample of greenstone triangulates is provided, pointing conclusively to early, long-distance and complex exchange networks in exotic raw materials.

Previous studies have indicated that mechanical cotton harvesting requires a compact plant habit without fiber yield and quality reduction. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of planting date and plant density on plant habit, yield, early maturity, and fiber quality of cotton in the Yellow River valley region of China, and thus to identify the appropriate planting date and plant density suitable for its mechanical harvesting. Field experiments were conducted in 2013 and 2014 in Hejian, Hebei Province, using a split-plot design with planting date as the main plot and plant density as the subplot. The results indicated that moderately late planting in late April or early May (P2) was appropriate for mechanical harvesting of cotton as relative to P1 (local traditional planting date, 10 d earlier than P2) and P3 (10 d later than P2). P2 showed a 2.4–5.7 cm greater height to the first fruiting branch (from the bottom) and a 4.7–11.3 cm higher lowest boll (harvestable boll nearest to the ground) compared with P1, which is helpful for decreasing yield loss and reducing intake of residual plastic mulch. In addition, P2 produced slightly greater yield than P1 and P3, and the percentage of open bolls in late September for P2 was similar to that of P1 and greater than for P3, suggesting a low risk of late maturity. For plant density, 8.9 plants m−2 (D2) was appropriate for mechanical harvesting compared with 6.6 plants m−2 (D1), the local traditional density for manual harvesting, and 12.3 plants m−2 (D3). D2 showed a 2.5 cm greater height to the first fruiting branch and a 4.2 cm higher lowest boll, and exhibited 2.9–3.6 and 2.6–3.9 cm shorter lengths of lower and middle fruiting branches than D1, respectively. This type of compact plant habit is conducive to efficient mechanical harvesting. Moreover, D2 produced a similar yield to D1 for both the rainy 2013 and the dry 2014, indicating yield stability. Although D3 had a more suitable plant habit for mechanical cotton harvesting, its yield level and maturity varied across years. There were no significant interactions between planting date and plant density in the majority of tested traits. The results will contribute to the development of integrated cotton management for upcoming mechanical harvesting in the Yellow River valley region of China.

In recent years, new accumulations of mammoth faunal remains have been discovered in the northern part of the Yana-Indighirka lowland. Such areas are referred to as “mammoth graveyards” since the discovery of the Berelekh complex of geoarchaeological locales. It's been determined that all of these locales contain various amounts of evidence of past human activity associated with the use of bone accumulations as a valuable raw material source (mammoth ivory). These locales indicate that humans were widely spread in Arctic Siberia during the Late Pleistocene (MIS 3 and 2). At least some of these sites could have formed as a result of ancient people hunting mammoths. In this article we discuss two newly discovered sites, which currently represent the northernmost evidence of human presence in the Arctic at the end of the Pleistocene. They were found in the Maksunuokha River valley, to the south of the Shirokostan Peninsula. The Urez-22 site (MKR/U22) is located at 71°42′ N and is currently the northernmost Paleolithic site in the world. The Lake Nikita site (NKL) is situated 40 km away from Urez-22, and both sites contain numerous remains of mammoth. The NKL site material represents the earlier of the two ancient human habitation episodes. This site's age is estimated at ∼13,800 to 13,600 years ago. The NKL site is a complete chronological and cultural “duplicate” of the Berelekh site, which points to a relatively wide spread of this culture in Northeast Asia. New World implements, similar to those found at the Berelekh site and NKL, are known as the Chindadn points. At this point, they represent the only tangible evidence of the cultural connection between the materials from Northeast Asia and Northwest North America. The age of Urez-22 can be estimated at the time slice of ∼14,900 to 13,900 years ago. Archaeological material was encountered in redeposited concentrations, created by a low-energy stream. Artifacts from Urez-22 demonstrate the spread of microblade industry, older than the early Holocene, for the first time in the Siberian Arctic. This new material indicates noticeable cultural originality of the region during the Late Paleolithic and promises success in the future search for Paleolithic sites in the Yana-Indighirka lowland.

Strategies employed by Middle Palaeolithic hominins to acquire lithic raw materials often play key roles in assessing their movements through the landscape, relationships with neighboring groups, and cognitive abilities. It has been argued that a dependence on local resources is a widespread characteristic of the Middle Palaeolithic, but how such behaviors were manifested on the landscape remains unclear. Does an abundance of local toolstone reflect frequent encounters with different outcrops while foraging, or was a particular outcrop favored and preferentially quarried? This study examines such behaviors at a finer geospatial scale than is usually possible, allowing us to investigate hominin movements through the landscape surrounding Lusakert Cave 1 in Armenia. Using our newly developed approach to obsidian magnetic characterization, we test a series of hypotheses regarding the locations where hominins procured toolstone from a volcanic complex adjacent to the site. Our goal is to establish whether the cave's occupants procured local obsidian from preferred outcrops or quarries, secondary deposits of obsidian nodules along a river, or a variety of exposures as encountered while moving through the river valley or across the wider volcanic landscape during the course of foraging activities. As we demonstrate here, it is not the case that one particular outcrop or deposit attracted the cave occupants during the studied time intervals. Nor did they acquire obsidian at random across the landscape. Instead, our analyses support the hypothesis that these hominins collected obsidian from outcrops and exposures throughout the adjacent river valley, reflecting the spatial scale of their day-to-day foraging activities. The coincidence of such behaviors within the resource-rich river valley suggests efficient exploitation of a diverse biome during a time interval immediately preceding the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic "transition," the nature and timing of which has yet to be determined for the region.

Typical aeolian landforms have developed in China’s Yarlung Zangbo River valley, which is on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Fully understanding the grain size characteristics of these dunefields is the first step to reveal the region’s aeolian dynamics. We selected three distinctive dunefields for grain size analysis: the Maquan, Shannan, and Mainling valley dunefields. At the scale of individual dunes, we found a trend for sands on the dune surface, with the sediments gradually becoming finer towards the crest, gradually becoming coarser, or exhibiting an asymmetric M-shaped distribution. In Maquan valley, these patterns resulted from interactions between the local airflow and local sands with a diameter of 2.0–2.5 Φ (177–250 μm). The asymmetric M-shaped distribution in the Shannan valley was mainly controlled by the positions on a dune and valley winds. The slightly coarser crests in Mainling valley were controlled by sands that are easily entrained by the wind (2.00–3.00 Φ or 125–250 μm) and that undergo saltation. At a dunefield scale, strong winds that entrained medium sands cause these sands to accumulate downwind in Maquan valley. Multi-directional winds combined with a limited sand supply (1.74–2.30 Φ or 203–299 μm) favored a stable aeolian environment in Shannan valley. The saltating sands produced by these winds build dunes under a constantly erosive wind regime in Mainling valley. Wind transported interdune sediments is an important local source for building dunes. The gradual variation of grain sizes moving downstream and the distinct evolution history of dunefield in Maquan valley as compared to Shannan and Mainling valleys may suggest the existence of a spatial connection among dune sands along the main stream of the Yarlung Zangbo River.

The 2018 MW 7.5 Palu-Donggala, Indonesia earthquake initiated a series of catastrophic flowslides that claimed the lives of several thousand people, making it the deadliest natural disaster of 2018. Three of the most significant flowslides, which occurred in the communities of Petobo, Jono Oge, and Lolu Village, were clustered within alluvial sediments of the Palu River Valley. Post-earthquake field reconnaissance, subsurface investigation, eyewitness interviews, and geomechanical analyses indicate that the failure sequence began when the earthquake ground motion raised pore water pressures in the saturated interbedded alluvial sediments. The flowslides were not coseismic but instead occurred several minutes after earthquake shaking ended. We hypothesize that high excess pore pressures created large hydraulic gradients within the alluvial sediments, which ultimately triggered progressive liquefaction that led to a redistribution of stresses and accumulation of shear strains. The flowslides were then initiated as gravitational driving stresses began to exceed the residual strength of the liquefied soil. Given the interbedded stratigraphy, we speculate that void redistribution and the development of water films possibly contributed to low residual strengths. An adjacent unlined agricultural canal played a critical role in the failure sequence by artificially raising the groundwater level, thereby increasing the susceptibility to liquefaction and attendant strength loss.

Archaeological discussions of the influence of aesthetic preferences in quotidian aspects of hunter-gatherer lives, including practical procurement and preparation activities, have been limited. Lithic technological discussions of heat-treating tend to focus on a prevailing logic that heat-treating was undertaken to improve the quality or knappability of lithic material. In this paper, we discuss a small lithic site from the Lower Saint John River Valley in south-central New Brunswick, Canada where the observation of anomalies in colour patterning of a local lithic material, Washademoak Multi-coloured Chert or, Washademoak Chert, indicated heat-treating was occurring at the site. An experimental heat-treating study was conducted to test whether heat-treating improved the quality of Washademoak Chert and to understand the duration and intensity of heating; however, results suggest heat-treating does not improve the quality of Washademoak Chert. Using lithic technological data and statistical analysis, we argue that heat-treating in this context was conducted to transform the colour of Washademoak Chert to aesthetically preferable colours—ones which reflect contemporary Indigenous perceptions of colour. These results provide valuable insights into the level of influence that aesthetic and cultural decisions may have had for hunter-gatherers.

The Upland Complex is a widespread terrace of the ancestral Mississippi River. It has played a central role in studies of the Pliocene Mississippi River drainage, as well as uplift and seismicity in the central Mississippi River Valley. Previous efforts to date the Upland Complex have yielded a range of age estimates spanning the Miocene through Pleistocene. We dated gravels and Fe-oxide cements from quarries of the Upland Complex in Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee using 26Al/10Be burial dating and (U-Th)/He geochronology. Our 26Al/10Be burial dates revealed possible Pliocene-to-Pleistocene depositional ages, while (U-Th)/He dating showed that the onset of weathering dates to at least the Pliocene. Taken together, the 26Al/10Be and (U-Th)/He age constraints demonstrate that the Upland Complex is at least Pliocene in age, and likely formed during a prolonged period of base level stability that preceded Pleistocene glaciations.

Post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (post-IR IRSL or pIRIR) was applied to determine the age of the highest-elevated alluvial sediments in the Polish Outer Carpathians. These sediments are preserved on the western slope of the Dunajec River valley, and are located 150–155 m above the present-day river channel. So far, they have been interpreted as accumulated during the Praetiglian (2.58–2.40 Ma). The pIRIR ages, however, indicate that the sediments were deposited ~2 Ma later. Such results incorporate an important record of river system evolution which has been developing very dynamically since the time of the sediment accommodation. The determined ages introduce average rate of river incision which can be calculated as 0.48–0.50 mm a−1 since the last ~309 ka. This implies that the river section has been fairly tectonically uplifting and brings attention to the rates of uplift in the rest part of the Polish Outer Carpathians. Also, adopting results from the former dating campaign, it is clear that relics of Pleistocene alluvial sediments are predominantly of cold-climate origin, and a scenario for this style of sediment preservation is proposed.

In this paper we present petrographic analyses of 68 Lapita pottery sherds excavated from the St. Maurice-Vatcha Lapita site located on the southeast coast of Ile des Pins, New Caledonia and dated between 950 and 800 cal BC. Nearly two-thirds of these samples were without doubt made in the Diahot River valley region at the northwestern end of the main island (Grande Terre) some 400 km away from Ile des Pins. Samples from another major geological region on the west coast of Grande Terre have also been identified, but no local production has been recognized so far. We propose that long-distance pottery transportation between the Diahot River valley settlers and those who inhabited Ile des Pins may indicate: (1) an early establishment of Lapita settlements (so far undiscovered) in the Diahot region before occupation of Ile des Pins; and (2) a persistent and preferred relationship between Ile des Pins and the Diahot River valley. Other communities located on various parts of Grande Terre also established relationship with inhabitants of St. Maurice-Vatcha, but these do not appear to have been as intensive or long-lasting as those from the Diahot River valley. Surprisingly, Lapita people of the nearby Loyalty Islands – probably the earliest Lapita settlers of the entire New Caledonia archipelago – do not appear to have supplied pottery to those occupying Ile des Pins during this time period.

The Ili River Valley is a trumpet-like terrain facing westward. From west to east, the elevation of the valley floor increases and the width of the valley decreases. Using hourly rainfall data of 2009–2016 obtained from 100 gauge stations over the Ili River Valley, the climatic features of summer regional rainfall events (RREs) are investigated. The mean amount and frequency of rainfall during summer show considerable spatial variabilities in terms of along-valley and across-valley directions. Along the valley, the rainfall gradually increases with increasing elevations. Across the valley, the rainfall also increases from the valley floor to the northern and southern slopes. Three distinct types of RREs are identified: western-local, eastern-local, and eastward-movement RREs. The eastern-local and western-local RREs are located over the east and west of the valley, respectively. The eastern-local RREs have more numbers and longer duration than the western-local RREs, resulting in more rainfall in the east than in the west of the valley. In contrast, the eastward-movement RREs with the longest duration initiate from the west of the valley and gradually move to the east of the valley. For these RREs, the spatial distribution of the rainfall exhibits a pattern similar to that of the summer mean rainfall. These contribute to more than half of the summer total rainfall in most stations. To explain their propagation mechanisms, the circulation structures accompanying the eastward-movement RREs are analyzed. The circulation structures exhibit a consistent characteristic with that of the Central-Asia vortex/trough systems. The eastward movement of the entire circulation structures is corresponding with that of the rainfall center.

A methodology was developed to determine mineral elements in wines using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry combined with ultrasonic nebulization. The concentration of 36 elements (Al, B, Ba, Bi, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Dy, Er, Eu, Fe, Gd, K, La, Lu, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nd, Ni, Pb, Pr, Sb, Sc, Sm, Sr, Tb, Ti, Tm, V, Y, Yb, and Zn) was determined in 59 wine samples and used to distinguish between Brazilian and Spanish wines. The best conditions for the plasma were selected using a two-level factorial design: radiofrequency power 1500 W; plasma gas flow rate 15 L min−1; auxiliary 0.70 L min−1; and nebulizer 0.40 L min−1. An exploratory multivariate analysis by Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was employed to distinguish among the analyzed wines. The elements B, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, and Na were the most abundant in all the wine samples analyzed; Al, Li, Na, Sb, Sr, Tb, and Ti were found in highest concentrations in red wines from Spain; Ce, Dy, and Mn prevailed in white wines from the San Francisco River Valley (Brazil). The grouping of the samples of wine in relation to either being red or white wines was verified by PCA: the concentrations of the elements Cd, Fe, K, Mg, Mo, Ti, and V were significantly higher in the red wine samples. Spanish red wine samples presented lower amounts of the elements Ca, Dy, La, Mn, Nd, Pr, and Tm and greater concentrations of the elements Al, Na, Sb, Sr, and Tb in relation to the Brazilian ones, tending to group them thusly. Brazilian red wine samples presented greater variability in their mineral profile, compared to the Spanish ones.

Powerful coal interests construct activists as radical “others” who oppose mountaintop removal at the expense of jobs, but how can we deconstruct these “other” identities? Focusing on the Coal River Valley in West Virginia, where miners have opposed environmental justice activists, I examine how these oppositional groups—activists and miners—can build power by engaging in deconstructive bridging. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, I diagnose the affective barriers to miners’ participation in the environmental justice movement and explore how activists have attempted to bridge to miners. I unpack the differences between activists and miners and present the miner mountaineer consciousness, or a sense of linked fate with those in the community rather than with the industry, to explain how activists and miners could stand together. While barriers between activists and miners persist, bridging attempts to deconstruct difference by emphasizing shared positive place-based attachments and negative affective industrial attachments. In the context of intractable environmental and social conflicts, the study builds on how deconstructing “other” identities undercuts the powerful by aligning workers and environmentalists.

Luminescence dosimetry was performed using bricks from the former settlement of Metlino, Southern Urals, Russia, to investigate the feasibility of validating the Techa River Dosimetry System (TRDS) 2016 for the shore of the Metlinsky Pond, upper Techa River region. TRDS is a code for estimating external and internal doses for members of the Extended Techa River Cohort. Several brick samples were taken from the north-western wall of the granary, facing the Metlinsky Pond. Samples were measured at different heights and at different depths into the bricks. Dating of the granary was performed by analyzing well shielded bricks. Assessment of the gamma dose-rate at the sample positions was done by thermoluminescent dosimeters and the dose-rate in front of the granary mapped with a dose-rate meter. Anthropogenic doses in bricks vary from 0.8 to 1.7 Gy and show an increase with sampling height. A similar height profile is observed for the current gamma dose-rate, which is compatible with the results of the dose-rate mapping. Implications for validating the TRDS are discussed.