The Climate Change Solution Right Under Our Feet Gone Tomorrow: Fertile Soils, Nutritional Value Disappearing
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Rice, Technology, and History: the Case of China
RICE, TECHNOLOGY, AND HISTORY The Case of China By Francesca Bray Wet-rice farming systems have a logic of technical and economic evolution that is distinctively different from the more familiar Western pattern of agricultural development. The well-documented history of rice farming in China provides an opportunity for students to reassess some commonly held ideas about tech- nical efficiency and sustainable growth. rom 1000 to 1800 CE China was the world’s most populous state and its most powerful and productive economy. Rice farming was the mainstay of this empire. Rice could be grown successfully in only about half of the territory, in the south- F ern provinces where rainfall was abundant. There it was the staple food for all social classes, landlords and peasants, officials and artisans alike. The more arid climate in the north was not suited to rice; northern farmers grew dry-land grains like wheat, millet, and sorghum for local consumption. But the yields of these grains were relatively low, whereas southern rice farming produced sufficient surpluses to sustain government and commerce throughout China. Vast quantities of rice were brought north to provision the capital city— home to the political elite, the imperial court, and all the state ministries—and to feed the huge armies stationed along the northern frontier. People said that the north was like a lazy brother living off the generosity of his hard-working and productive southern sibling. Thou- sands of official barges carried rice from Jiangnan to the capital region along the Grand Canal, and more rice still was transported north in private ships along the coast (fig. -
View December 2016 Part 2
4 —————————— The Peconic Bay Shopper • • DECEMBER 2016 —————————— Preserving Local History The vintage ice boats of Orient include the following: “Platter” — Original name “Git-There”, the “Platter” (pictured below) was built about 1880 by Will Brown, a son of Orient’s famous whaler, Peter Brown. This is a diamond stay boat, quite different from the other vintage ice boats. The boat was owned by Edward King for many years and then by his daughter, Fran Demerest who sold it to Bob Sorensen. “Red Bird” — The “Red Bird”, built in approximately 1850 by Ed King’s father, Charles Henry King. The photo on the right, taken in 1968, shows Ed King at 79 years old with his favorite ice boat. Ed was probably the most avid ice boater in Orient ice boating history, at one time owning four of Orient’s vintage ice boats that included, the “Platter”, the “Eagle”, and the “Effie”. The photo on the facing page, taken in 1917, shows the “Red Bird” ice boat in Orient Harbor in a nicely controlled hike with Ed King at the helm. You may be able to see the ice plume off the stern runner. “Rival” — Built about 1880. One of the fastest boats in the Orient fleet. Owned by the John Tuthill family. www.FlandersHVAC.com Think First! Santa’s Elves Work 364Days aYear Cute? Sure, But Not Exactly What We’d Call Dependable... NEED SERVICE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON? Think Flanders First! 24/7/365 (Christmas Too!) 100% Heating, Cooling Since 1954 Certified and Comfort HEATING & Technicians Since 1954 HEATING & 24/7 Serving Emergency ALL of AIR CONDITIONING Service Eastern Suffolk -
Timber Users, Timber Savers: Homestake Mining Company and the First Regulated Timber Harvest
Copyright © 1992 by the South Dakota State Historical Society. All Rights Reserved. Timber Users, Timber Savers: Homestake Mining Company and the First Regulated Timber Harvest RICHMOND L CLOW The Progressive Fra (1900-1916) has emerged as a period crucial to the success of the late nineteenth century conservation crusade. During this optimistic era of social reform, with its faith in tech- nology and efficiency, demands for a halt to the destruction and waste of the nation's natural resources became established federal policy. Many studies have examined the varied themes of the con- servation movement, from the aesthetic importance of the environ- ment to the fear that the depletion of resources, such as timber, threatened the very existence of American society.' These studies have most often defined the users of resources as the despoilers of the environment. Such an approach, however, ignores the role of industry in conservation. 1. Samuel P. Hays, Conser\'ation and the Cospel of Efficiency: The Progressive Con- servation Movement, 1890-1920 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1959), pp. 1-3. Donald ]. Pisani, in "Forests and Conservation, 1865-1890,"/ouma/oMmencan History 75 (Sept. 1985): 340-59, asserts that a conservation "ethic" existed for several decades before Progressive reformers popularized the cause. While scientists led the later movement, its leaders in the post-Civil War years were as often "moralists and philosophers" who anticipated modern conservationists in their understanding of the interrelatedness of natural resources. For more on the late nineteenth cen- tury fears of timber famine that helped lo spur the conservation movement, see David A. -
DOGAMI Open-File Report O-16-06, Metallic and Industrial Mineral Resource Potential of Southern and Eastern Oregon
Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries Brad Avy, State Geologist OPEN-FILE REPORT O-16-06 METALLIC AND INDUSTRIAL MINERAL RESOURCE POTENTIAL OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN OREGON: REPORT TO THE OREGON LEGISLATURE Mineral Resource Potential High Moderate Low Present Not Found Base Metals Bentonite Chromite Diatomite Limestone Lithium Nickel Perlite Platinum Group Precious Metals Pumice Silica Sunstones Uranium Zeolite G E O L O G Y F A N O D T N M I E N M E T R R A A L P I E N D D U N S O T G R E I R E S O 1937 Ian P. Madin1, Robert A. Houston1, Clark A. Niewendorp1, Jason D. McClaughry2, Thomas J. Wiley1, and Carlie J.M. Duda1 2016 1 Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, 800 NE Oregon St., Ste. 965 Portland, OR 97232 2 Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, Baker City Field Office, Baker County Courthouse, 1995 3rd St., Ste. 130, Baker City, OR 97814 Metallic and Industrial Mineral Resource Potential of Southern and Eastern Oregon: Report to the Oregon Legislature NOTICE This product is for informational purposes and may not have been prepared for or be suitable for legal, engineering, or sur- veying purposes. Users of this information should review or consult the primary data and information sources to ascertain the usability of the information. This publication cannot substitute for site-specific investigations by qualified practitioners. Site-specific data may give results that differ from the results shown in the publication. Cover image: Maps show mineral resource potential by individual commodity. -
Harvest Ceremony
ATLANTIC OCEAN PA\\' fl.. Xf I I' I \ f 0 H I PI \ \. I \I ION •,, .._ "', Ll ; ~· • 4 .. O\\'\\1S s-'' f1r~~' ~, -~J.!!!I • .. .I . _f' .~h\ ,. \ l.J rth..i'i., \ inc-v •.u d .. .. .... Harvest Ceremony BEYOND THE THANK~GIVING MYTH - a study guide Harvest Ceremony BEYOND THE THANKSGIVING MYTH Summary: Native American people who first encountered the “pilgrims” at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts play a major role in the imagination of American people today. Contemporary celebrations of the Thanksgiving holiday focus on the idea that the “first Thanksgiving” was a friendly gathering of two disparate groups—or even neighbors—who shared a meal and lived harmoniously. In actuality, the assembly of these people had much more to do with political alliances, diplomacy, and an effort at rarely achieved, temporary peaceful coexistence. Although Native American people have always given thanks for the world around them, the Thanksgiving celebrated today is more a combination of Puritan religious practices and the European festival called Harvest Home, which then grew to encompass Native foods. The First People families, but a woman could inherit the position if there was no male heir. A sachem could be usurped by In 1620, the area from Narragansett Bay someone belonging to a sachem family who was able in eastern Rhode Island to the Atlantic Ocean in to garner the allegiance of enough people. An unjust or southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, unwise sachem could find himself with no one to lead, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, was the home as sachems had no authority to force the people to do of the Wampanoag. -
ESSENTIALS of METEOROLOGY (7Th Ed.) GLOSSARY
ESSENTIALS OF METEOROLOGY (7th ed.) GLOSSARY Chapter 1 Aerosols Tiny suspended solid particles (dust, smoke, etc.) or liquid droplets that enter the atmosphere from either natural or human (anthropogenic) sources, such as the burning of fossil fuels. Sulfur-containing fossil fuels, such as coal, produce sulfate aerosols. Air density The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume occupied by it. Air density is usually expressed as g/cm3 or kg/m3. Also See Density. Air pressure The pressure exerted by the mass of air above a given point, usually expressed in millibars (mb), inches of (atmospheric mercury (Hg) or in hectopascals (hPa). pressure) Atmosphere The envelope of gases that surround a planet and are held to it by the planet's gravitational attraction. The earth's atmosphere is mainly nitrogen and oxygen. Carbon dioxide (CO2) A colorless, odorless gas whose concentration is about 0.039 percent (390 ppm) in a volume of air near sea level. It is a selective absorber of infrared radiation and, consequently, it is important in the earth's atmospheric greenhouse effect. Solid CO2 is called dry ice. Climate The accumulation of daily and seasonal weather events over a long period of time. Front The transition zone between two distinct air masses. Hurricane A tropical cyclone having winds in excess of 64 knots (74 mi/hr). Ionosphere An electrified region of the upper atmosphere where fairly large concentrations of ions and free electrons exist. Lapse rate The rate at which an atmospheric variable (usually temperature) decreases with height. (See Environmental lapse rate.) Mesosphere The atmospheric layer between the stratosphere and the thermosphere. -
Leading Harvest Awarded Walton Family Foundation Grant to Scale
Contact Kathleen Barada [email protected] Leading Harvest Awarded Walton Family Foundation Grant to Scale Sustainable Agriculture on Family Farms Funding supports pilot program in the Upper Mississippi River Watershed to remove barriers, accelerate sustainability certification, and generate market opportunity for producers Arlington, Va. (Thursday, October 29, 2020) – Leading Harvest, a leader in sustainable agriculture, today announced it has been awarded a Walton Family Foundation grant to support its work with farmers in the Upper Mississippi River Watershed. Leading Harvest will engage growers to adopt certifiable land management practices aimed at improving environmental, economic and social outcomes, including the quality of waterways flowing into the Mississippi River and mitigating environmental damage in the Gulf of Mexico. The grant, which will help fund a pilot program providing education and training to crop farmers in the Upper Mississippi River Watershed, advances Leading Harvest’s efforts nationwide to grow its industry-leading Farmland Management Standard. The Standard is the first scalable, industry-wide solution to the urgent issues facing our communities – from climate change and biodiversity, to the resilience of our croplands and communities. The Standard also includes indicators for water use and water quality, including fertilizer application and runoff protection. “We thank the Walton Family Foundation for recognizing Leading Harvest’s innovative efforts to promote sustainable agriculture through our Farmland Management Standard,” said Kenny Fahey, executive director of Leading Harvest. “This grant will enable us to work directly with producers in the Mississippi River Watershed to both recognize as well as enhance their efforts in sustainable agriculture and increase their market position by certifying their environmental and social management systems.” The pilot program will audit and certify sustainability activities, both those existing currently as well as facilitated through training initiatives, on family farms. -
Ramping up Reforestation in the United States: a Guide for Policymakers March 2021 Cover Photo: CDC Photography / American Forests
Ramping up Reforestation in the United States: A Guide for Policymakers March 2021 Cover photo: CDC Photography / American Forests Executive Summary Ramping Up Reforestation in the United States: A Guide for Policymakers is designed to support the development of reforestation policies and programs. The guide highlights key findings on the state of America’s tree nursery infrastructure and provides a range of strategies for encouraging and enabling nurseries to scale up seedling production. The guide builds on a nationwide reforestation assessment (Fargione et al., 2021) and follow-on assessments (Ramping Up Reforestation in the United States: Regional Summaries companion guide) of seven regions in the contiguous United States (Figure 1). Nursery professionals throughout the country informed our key findings and strategies through a set of structured interviews and a survey. Across the contiguous U.S., there are over 133 million acres of reforestation opportunity on lands that have historically been forested (Cook-Patton et al., 2020). This massive reforestation opportunity equals around 68 billion trees. The majority of opportunities occur on pastureland, including those with poor soils in the Eastern U.S. Additionally, substantial reforestation opportunities in the Western U.S. are driven by large, severe wildfires. Growing awareness of this potential has led governments and organizations to ramp up reforestation to meet ambitious climate and biodiversity goals. Yet, there are many questions about the ability of nurseries to meet the resulting increase in demand for tree seedlings. These include a lack of seed, workforce constraints, and insufficient nursery infrastructure. To meet half of the total reforestation opportunity by 2040 (i.e., 66 million acres) would require America’s nurseries to produce an additional 1.8 billion seedlings each year. -
The Institutional Causes of China's Great Famine, 1959–1961
Review of Economic Studies (2015) 82, 1568–1611 doi:10.1093/restud/rdv016 © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Review of Economic Studies Limited. Advance access publication 20 April 2015 The Institutional Causes of China’s Great Famine, 1959–1961 Downloaded from XIN MENG Australian National University NANCY QIAN Yale University http://restud.oxfordjournals.org/ and PIERRE YARED Columbia University First version received January 2012; final version accepted January 2015 (Eds.) This article studies the causes of China’s Great Famine, during which 16.5 to 45 million individuals at Columbia University Libraries on April 25, 2016 perished in rural areas. We document that average rural food retention during the famine was too high to generate a severe famine without rural inequality in food availability; that there was significant variance in famine mortality rates across rural regions; and that rural mortality rates were positively correlated with per capita food production, a surprising pattern that is unique to the famine years. We provide evidence that an inflexible and progressive government procurement policy (where procurement could not adjust to contemporaneous production and larger shares of expected production were procured from more productive regions) was necessary for generating this pattern and that this policy was a quantitatively important contributor to overall famine mortality. Key words: Famines, Modern chinese history, Institutions, Central planning JEL Codes: P2, O43, N45 1. INTRODUCTION -
East Antarctic Sea Ice in Spring: Spectral Albedo of Snow, Nilas, Frost Flowers and Slush, and Light-Absorbing Impurities in Snow
Annals of Glaciology 56(69) 2015 doi: 10.3189/2015AoG69A574 53 East Antarctic sea ice in spring: spectral albedo of snow, nilas, frost flowers and slush, and light-absorbing impurities in snow Maria C. ZATKO, Stephen G. WARREN Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT. Spectral albedos of open water, nilas, nilas with frost flowers, slush, and first-year ice with both thin and thick snow cover were measured in the East Antarctic sea-ice zone during the Sea Ice Physics and Ecosystems eXperiment II (SIPEX II) from September to November 2012, near 658 S, 1208 E. Albedo was measured across the ultraviolet (UV), visible and near-infrared (nIR) wavelengths, augmenting a dataset from prior Antarctic expeditions with spectral coverage extended to longer wavelengths, and with measurement of slush and frost flowers, which had not been encountered on the prior expeditions. At visible and UV wavelengths, the albedo depends on the thickness of snow or ice; in the nIR the albedo is determined by the specific surface area. The growth of frost flowers causes the nilas albedo to increase by 0.2±0.3 in the UV and visible wavelengths. The spectral albedos are integrated over wavelength to obtain broadband albedos for wavelength bands commonly used in climate models. The albedo spectrum for deep snow on first-year sea ice shows no evidence of light- absorbing particulate impurities (LAI), such as black carbon (BC) or organics, which is consistent with the extremely small quantities of LAI found by filtering snow meltwater. -
Global Reporting Format AIS Aspects (SNOWTAM)
Global Reporting Format AIS Aspects (SNOWTAM) Christopher KEOHAN on behalf of Abbas NIKNEJAD Regional Officer, Air Navigation Systems Implementation ICAO EUR/NAT Office ICAO EUR GRF Implementation Workshop (Frankfurt, Germany, 10-11 December 2019) What is GRF? • A globally-harmonized methodology for runway surface conditions assessment and reporting to provide reports that are directly related to the performance of aeroplanes. Aeronautical information Aircraft operators utilize the services (AIS) provide the Aerodrome operator assess the information in conjunction with information received in the RCR runway surface conditions, the performance data provided to end users (SNOWTAM) including contaminants, for by the aircraft manufacturer to each third of the runway determine if landing or take-off length, and report it by mean of operations can be conducted a uniform runway condition Air traffic services (ATS) provide safely and provide runway report (RCR) the information received via the braking action special air-report RCR to end users (radio, ATIS) (AIREP) and received special air-reports 2 Dissemination of information • Through the AIS and ATS services: when the runway is wholly or partly contaminated by standing water, snow, slush, ice or frost, or is wet associated with the clearing or treatment of snow, slush, ice or frost. • Through the ATS only: when the runway is wet, not associated with the presence of standing water, snow, slush, ice or frost. AIS • SNOWTAM • Voice ATS • ATIS 3 Amendment 39B to Annex 15 Amendment 39B arises from: • Recommendations of the Friction Task Force of the Aerodrome Design and Operations Panel (ADOP) relating to the use of a global reporting format for assessing and reporting runway surface conditions. -
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Increasing Carbon Soil Sequestration on Public Lands Expert Testimony by Dr. W. Richard Teague Texas A&M AgriLife Research Wednesday, June 25, 2014 Good afternoon. Thank you Chairman Bishop, Ranking Member Grijalva, and all of the members of this subcommittee for the chance to speak with you today. I am Richard Teague, Associate Resident Director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Vernon, Texas. I am also a Professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Texas A&M University and Senior Scientist of the Texas A&M Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture. I am honored to speak with you today about the important issue of increasing carbon sequestration on public lands. Background and experience I was raised in a farm community and schooled in Zimbabwe before obtaining a BSc (Agriculture) in grassland science (1972) at Natal University in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and a PhD in botany and microbiology (1987) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. As a research scientist working on the management of rangelands since 1972, I have visited most grazing areas of the world, attending conferences and presenting the results of my research. I actively seek out leading conservation ranchers in the ecoregions I visit, including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, Canada and most of the western rangeland states in USA. I am intimately aware of the research that has been done on grazing management in most parts of the world.