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Understanding the provenance of ice-rafted debris (IRD) provides a means to link the behavior of individual ice sheets to proxy records of climate change. Here we present a new approach to determining IRD provenance using U-Pb geochronology of detrital minerals rutile and zircon. We characterize potential source regions from Scotland using detrital rutile from modern fluvial systems, and demonstrate that their unimodal rutile U-Pb ages reflect the timing of the last amphibolite facies metamorphism of the source rocks, imparting a distinctive source signature. Contrasts between these spectra and the bimodal IRD (ca. 470 Ma and ca. 1800-2000 Ma) rutile age signatures rule out Scotland as the sole source and suggest a Laurentian contribution; IRD zircon ages further support this view. U-Pb mineral dating has the potential to provide new insight on IRD provenance, because it allows linkage between IRD and individual source terranes based on their differing magmatic and tectonothermal histories. The occurrence of Laurentian-sourced IRD proximal to Scotland demonstrates widespread and rapid dispersal of debris across the subpolar North Atlantic during the Older Dryas cold oscillation, and implicates the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation as a control. This highlights the sensitivity of some IRD records to rapid climate change during the last deglaciation and supports the interpretation of Heinrich events as time-parallel marker horizons.

We undertake the first comprehensive effort to integrate North Atlantic marine climate records for the last millennium, highlighting some key components common within this system at a range of temporal and spatial scales. In such an approach, careful consideration needs to be given to the complexities inherent to the marine system. Composites therefore need to be hydrographically constrained and sensitive to both surface water mass variability and three-dimensional ocean dynamics. This study focuses on the northeast (NE) North Atlantic Ocean, particularly sites influenced by the North Atlantic Current. A composite plus regression approach is used to create an inter-regional NE North Atlantic reconstruction of sea surface temperature (SST) for the last 1000 years. We highlight the loss of spatial information associated with large-scale composite reconstructions of the marine environment. Regional reconstructions of SSTs off the Norwegian and Icelandic margins are presented, along with a larger-scale reconstruction spanning the NE North Atlantic. The latter indicates that the Medieval Climate Anomaly' warming was most pronounced before ad 1200, with a long-term cooling trend apparent after ad 1250. This trend persisted until the early 20th century, while in recent decades temperatures have been similar to those inferred for the Medieval Climate Anomaly'. The reconstructions are consistent with other independent records of sea-surface and surface air temperatures from the region, indicating that they are adequately capturing the climate dynamics of the last millennium. Consequently, this method could potentially be used to develop large-scale reconstructions of SSTs for other hydrographically constrained regions., AuthorCount:19

The United States Department of Homeland Security has proposed that the nationâ s system of response to terrorism and catastrophic disasters would be more practical and efficient if handled on a regional basis throughout the country. Regionalization is one of three overall priorities under the National Preparedness Goal. The primary hypothesis is there is a mismatch between the federal governmentâ s expectations of regionalization and the understanding of it by state and local governments. This lack of understanding will negatively impact the expenditure of federal funds in the future. The author proposes that there are six major reasons regionalization may fail and that a change of policy by the federal government will be necessary to increase the chance of success. The reasons include a lack of definition for regionalization; the impact of federalism; the influence of risk-based funding on local interest in regionalization; the impact of home rule and local autonomy; risk and liability questions; and the lack of leadership. Three options are considered including maintaining the same program, creating a Regional Homeland Security Service Agency, and the Regional Council of Governments (RCG) approach., http://archive.org/details/theunitedstatesd109452668, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

CHDS State/Local, The fire service mission has changed since September 11, 2001, and the threat of terrorism is placing new demands on fire service leaders. Expectations of the community and a duty to maximize safety for fire service employees have created complex problems that will require unique and non-traditional solutions. The challenge for fire service leadership is how to best manage the contemporary threat of terrorism while maintaining its growing list of traditional mission-oriented requirements. This challenge is especially difficult given the low frequency but high risk and impact of terrorist incidents. As the nation moves farther away from 9/11, the easier it is to become complacent. Yet all accounts suggest that the threat is growing and another attack is inevitable. This thesis will outline and provide recommendations in four key areas the fire service must address if it is to be successful in meeting its current mission: intelligence, community engagement, response, and leadership. Although fire service agencies vary across the nation, the recommendations included herein are intended to be universal. Furthermore, this thesis seeks a viable balance between threat, impact, and sustainability., http://archive.org/details/strategicchanges109453218, City of Orange (CA) Fire Department author (civilian).

CHDS State/Local, Countless dollars have been spent on various programs and initiatives over the past decade to enhance homeland security. Although great strides have been made in many areas, one that continues to lag behind is preparedness at the local level. Documents ranging from the National Response Framework to the recently completed Quadrennial Homeland Security Review emphasize the need for both the public and private sectors to embrace the responsibility they have concerning community readiness efforts. The primary focus of this thesis is to determine what factors contribute to successful community preparedness efforts, as well as identifying those barriers that impede such progress from being realized. To that end, a variety of group structures and approaches currently in use are recognized and discussed. In addition, cases located both within the United States and abroad are identified and examined. Interviews conducted with members of these groups provide a first-hand account of what steps are being made to improve emergency preparedness within their local jurisdictions. This thesis culminates with the offering of the Community Oriented Readiness Effort. This program incorporates those recommendation produced by this research and provides the core components needed to adequately engage and empower required resources at the local level., http://archive.org/details/theengagedndempo109455238, Beckley, West Virginia Fire Department author (civilian), Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

CHDS State/Local, In the years since the September 11 attacks of 2001, and following the Gulf Coast hurricanes and the earthquake in Haiti, research has shown that first responders and medical institutions remain insufficiently prepared to address the increased demands for emergency response during and following major disasters. The threat from terrorism and natural disasters is very real; thus, the medical "system" will face continual challenges. A brutal recent reminder of this was the international outbreak of the H1N1 virus that caused a worldwide pandemic in 2009, resulting in an increased demand for medical services. In the wake of these disasters, Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPD) were issued. Among these, are HSPD 21, Public Health and Medical Preparedness, which requires the establishment of a realistic strategy at all levels of government and across all sectors in the medical response community to meet the demands of contemporary preparedness. Areas of concern include the education and training for future response. To meet these needs, joint training of responders may enhance the efficiency of currently established training methodologies for national disaster teams, civilian hospital personnel, and National Guard and Reserve military emergency medical personnel training in domestic emergency medical deployment and response. The research question to be answered is how can the national policy enterprises design an effective model for the pre-event joint command and control training of disaster responders for both military and civilian operations? The conclusions reached in this research can be used to shape future national and local training policies and curriculum presented to response agency leaders from civil and military agencies., http://archive.org/details/integrationoftra109455590, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Certain marginal marine environments, such as the Scottish fjord systems, contain high-resolution records of palaeoclimatic change in which decadal to centennial climatic events can be resolved. This paper explores the possibilities of using tephrochronology to stratigraphically constrain the timing of such events in the Loch Sunart record (MD04-2831) on the NW coast of Scotland (UK). One tephra horizon (containing both silicic and basaltic shards) is identified within Late Holocene sediment with geochemical analyses of the basaltic shards suggesting an origin in the Veidiviitn-Baroarbunga volcanic system. Radiocarbon age estimates and stratigraphic information suggests that the AD 871 Landnam tephra is the most likely candidate. The shards identified within this horizon appear hydrated and indicate the operation of post-depositional weathering processes possibly influenced by the saline conditions of the fjord environment., authorCount :4

In the years since the September 11 attacks of 2001, and following the Gulf Coast hurricanes and the earthquake in Haiti, research has shown that first responders and medical institutions remain insufficiently prepared to address the increased demands for emergency response during and following major disasters. The threat from terrorism and natural disasters is very real; thus, the medical "system" will face continual challenges. A brutal recent reminder of this was the international outbreak of the H1N1 virus that caused a worldwide pandemic in 2009, resulting in an increased demand for medical services. In the wake of these disasters, Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPD) were issued. Among these, are HSPD 21, Public Health and Medical Preparedness, which requires the establishment of a realistic strategy at all levels of government and across all sectors in the medical response community to meet the demands of contemporary preparedness. Areas of concern include the education and training for future response. To meet these needs, joint training of responders may enhance the efficiency of currently established training methodologies for national disaster teams, civilian hospital personnel, and National Guard and Reserve military emergency medical personnel training in domestic emergency medical deployment and response. The research question to be answered is how can the national policy enterprises design an effective model for the pre-event joint command and control training of disaster responders for both military and civilian operations? The conclusions reached in this research can be used to shape future national and local training policies and curriculum presented to response agency leaders from civil and military agencies.

A 1000 year long subdecadal-resolution record of carbonate oxygen isotopes (δ18Oc) from Lough-na-Shade, Ireland, provides evidence for changing atmospheric circulation over northwest Europe. The total range of δ18Oc values (>5‰) is too large to be explained by changes in water temperature. Moreover, good correlation between the lake record and a previously published δ18O time series from an Irish speleothem indicates that the changes in oxygen isotopes are best explained by variations in the isotopic composition of precipitation. The amplitude of change during this period is too large to be explained by shifts in condensation temperature. Instead we suggest that there have been changes in vapour source and transport paths connected with shifts in atmospheric circulation. Changes from a source area from further south within the North Atlantic to one further to the north could explain the prominent positive shift in oxygen-isotope values between the early eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, for example. Our results also demonstrate the value of a ‘multiple-archive’ approach to deconvolving lake-based carbonate isotope profiles, which are often complex.

Increased fluxes of ice-rafted detritus (IRD) from European ice sheets have been documented some 1000-1500 years before the arrival of Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS)-sourced IRD during Heinrich (H) events. These early fluxes have become known as 'precursor events', and it has been suggested that they have mechanistic significance in the propagation of H events. Here we present a re-analysis of one of the main cores used to generate the precursor concept, OMEX-2K from the Goban Spur covering the last 30 ka, in order to identify whether the British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) IRD fluxes occur only as precursors before H layers. IRD characterization and planktonic foraminiferal delta 18O measurements constrained by a new age model have enabled the generation of a continuous record of IRD sources, timing, frequency and flux, and of local contemporary hydrographic conditions. The evidence indicates that BIIS IRD precursors are not uniquely, or mechanistically, linked to H events, but are part of the pervasive millennial-scale cyclicity. Our results support an LIS source for the IRD comprising H layers, but the ambient glacial sections are dominated by assemblages typical of the Irish Sea Ice Stream. Light isotope excursions associated with H events are interpreted as resulting from the melting of the BIIS, with ice-sheet destabilization attributed to eustatic jumps generated by LIS discharge during H events. This positive-feedback mechanism probably caused similar responses in all circum-Atlantic ice-sheet margins, and the resulting gross freshwater flux contributed to the perturbation of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during H events.

Countless dollars have been spent on various programs and initiatives over the past decade to enhance homeland security. Although great strides have been made in many areas, one that continues to lag behind is preparedness at the local level. Documents ranging from the National Response Framework to the recently completed Quadrennial Homeland Security Review emphasize the need for both the public and private sectors to embrace the responsibility they have concerning community readiness efforts. The primary focus of this thesis is to determine what factors contribute to successful community preparedness efforts, as well as identifying those barriers that impede such progress from being realized. To that end, a variety of group structures and approaches currently in use are recognized and discussed. In addition, cases located both within the United States and abroad are identified and examined. Interviews conducted with members of these groups provide a first-hand account of what steps are being made to improve emergency preparedness within their local jurisdictions. This thesis culminates with the offering of the Community Oriented Readiness Effort. This program incorporates those recommendation produced by this research and provides the core components needed to adequately engage and empower required resources at the local level.

Whether eustatic sea-level rise through the Holocene has been punctuated or continuous has remained controversial for almost two decades. Resolving this debate has implications for predicting future responses of remaining ice sheets to climate change and

MILLENNIUM, EU 6th framework