Northland Research Articles

The vegetal element and its impact according to the user’s perception. Case of Guelma city

The vegetation takes a primordial place in the reflection on our urbanity for the balance of the ecosystem. Guelma, attractive Mediterranean city, by the picturesque character of its site, incites to discover it from the inside to better understand its urban landscape. In this same regard our study focuses on the north land use plan of the city. Today, the city is characterized by accelerated urbanization, which leads to the consumption of natural resources. One of the consequences of these phenomena is the deterioration of green substrates, by fragmentation of natural environments and agricultural areas. The objective is to show the role of vegetation in the satisfaction of the users of north land use plan of Guelma city, This can only be done through a survey of the various users of this city. Finally, recommendations dedicated to the proposal of the implementation of ecological planning to the management.

Data on the Land Cover Transition, Subsequent Landscape Degradation, and Improvement in Semi-Arid Rainfed Agricultural Land in North–West Tunisia

Data on the Land Cover Transition, Subsequent Landscape Degradation, and Improvement in Semi-Arid Rainfed Agricultural Land in North–West Tunisia

Moon Witch, Spider King

Moon Witch, Spider King

A gridded 30‐year days of thunder climatology for the United Kingdom

AbstractLightning and associated weather (e.g., hail, severe wind, tornado, and heavy rain) can cause severe impacts; therefore, it is important to understand how frequently thunderstorms occur and how the frequency might be changing with time. Published studies until now have been limited to relatively short time periods or extrapolated from low‐resolution surface data. This article presents the methods and results to combine long‐range lightning location network data (precise but inconsistent) with surface observations (less precise but more consistent) to generate a more consistent, more precise gridded days of thunder (DoTs) dataset for the United Kingdom. Both a 30‐year average (1990–2019) and rolling 10‐year averages are evaluated. For the 30‐year averages there is a maximum of ∼ DoTs per year within the domain (over France) with a minimum of between 0 and 1 DoT per year (over the sea), with most of the UK land area having ∼ DoTs per year. The summer shows the peak in DoTs relative to the other seasons. The 10‐year moving averages at either end of the 30 years allow for the trend in DoTs to be assessed. There has been a small (∼ day) reduction in the average DoTs. There is a noteworthy north–south divide (at ∼ N) with a small increase in the number of DoTs per year in the north of the UK and a small reduction in the south. The trends in 10‐year averages of DoTs are analysed for different regions of the United Kingdom (north land, south land, sea, land) over the four seasons. North land summer shows a small (∼) increase in DoTs. All the other areas show a decrease.

Vegetation and Its Impact According to User’s Perception: Case of North Land Use Plan of Guelma City

The vegetation takes a primordial place in the reflection on our urbanity for the balance of the ecosystem. Guelma, attractive Mediterranean city, by the picturesque character of its site, incites to discover it from the inside to better understand its urban landscape. In this same regard our study focuses on the north land use plan of the city. Today, the city is characterized by accelerated urbanization, which leads to the consumption of natural resources. One of the consequences of these phenomena is the deterioration of green substrates, by fragmentation of natural environments and agricultural areas. The objective is to show the role of vegetation in the satisfaction of the users of north land use plan of Guelma city, this can only be done through a survey of the various users of this city. Finally, recommendations dedicated to the proposal of the implementation of ecological planning to the management.

Notes on the fishes of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago and the spawning area of polar cod Boreogadus saida (Gadidae)

Data on the fishes of the high-latitude Severnaya Zemlya archipelago (the North Land) is presented. The archipelago is located in the Arctic on the border between the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea. The ichthyofauna of the archipelago has not been studied; therefore, even small collections are of interest. Fish samples were obtained during the expedition “Open Ocean: Arctic Archipelagos – 2019: Severnaya Zemlya”. In addition, the samples from this area in the collections of the Zoological Institute (ZIN) were studied, which have been received from polar expeditions to the Kara and Laptev seas during the entire era of polar research. The most significant fact is the discovery of mass accumulation of polar cod Boreogadus saida (Lepechin, 1774) larvae in Mikoyan Bay (Bolshevik Island), which gives evidence of important spawning grounds near Severnaya Zemlya. Indirect evidence of this can be found in the publications of polar explorers who overwintered on Severnaya Zemlya in the 1930s–1950s and have reported that the polar cod approaches the shores for spawning in August, in huge schools. The waters of Severnaya Zemlya represent the spawning area of polar cod in the central part of the Eurasian shelf, which is not mentioned in current literature. In addition to polar cod, a few more species are registered in samples from the coastal waters of the archipelago (depths to 38 m), rough hookear sculpin Artediellus scaber Knipowitsch, 1907, twohorn sculpin Icelus bicornis (Reinhardt, 1840) (family Cottidae), Liparis tunicatus Reinhardt, 1836, black-bellied snailfish L. cf. fabricii (Liparidae), Knipowich eelpout Gymnelus knipowitschi Chernova, 1999 (Zoarcidae) and three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Gasterosteidae). In the deepwater straits, snailfish Careproctus sp. (174–234 m) and pale eelpout Lycodes pallidus Collett, 1879 (105–348 m) were found. The Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Salmonidae) inhabits some lakes of the archipelago. This is the first finding of a three-spined stickleback in the east of the Kara Sea.

Habitat and crop selection by red deer in two different landscape types

Crop raiding ungulates can cause costly yield losses and conflicts between agriculture, game management, and conservation. It is therefore crucial to know how, where, and when ungulates use different habitats and crops. In this study we used resource selection functions and GPS-tagged red deer Cervus elaphus (n = 38) in two different study areas (North – mainly forested land and South – mainly arable land), to investigate how red deer use arable land and different crop types in relation to availability and distance to forest cover in Sweden. Our study shows a transitional use of arable land and forests by red deer. Red deer spend on average 45% and 21% of their time in arable land in South and North respectively. In the North, arable land was selected while forest and wetlands were selected in the South. The selection of different crops also differed between the two study areas, for example rapeseed was highly selected during both seasons in South while it was used to a lower degree in relation to its availability in the North. In both study areas the probability of red deer presence on the agricultural fields decreased with distance to forest. The significant use of arable land and unharvested crops by the increasing red deer population in Sweden highlights a risk for crop damage that may need further consideration for farming practices as well as for damage and wildlife management. In our case damage mitigation should focus on rapeseed in the South, whereas there is a less clear pattern of selection among growing crops in the North. The differences in habitat and crop selection between the two areas also highlights the need of knowledge about red deer habitat selection at a regional level to be able to adapt damage mitigation and wildlife management strategies accordingly. Moreover, the transitional use of arable land and forests by red deer in mixed landscapes may imply that consumption of certain crops can affect browsing patterns and damage levels within forests and vice versa, that may have implication for both agriculture and forestry and calls for future studies.

An instance of rodent geophagy from Northern Saskatchewan

In 2006 a crew member of a mining exploration team working in the vicinity of Points North Landing, Saskatchewan, found a small carbonate rich glacial erratic that had been chewed by rodents. The erratic likely came from Precambrian bedrock exposures of similar material in the Many Islands Lake area of northeast Saskatchewan. The rodents were mainly consuming the rock for its high calcium content.

Reconciliation and Indigenous resurgence in the Ontario Far North and Mushkegowuk Cree land use planning processes

The introduction of Ontario’s Far North Initiative in 2008 and resulting Far North Act (2010) set in motion efforts to create land use plans in the northern regions of the Canadian province. Ontario’s approach to reconciling Aboriginal and treaty rights with provincial planning was through a community-based land use planning process, to which Mushkegowuk Council responded with a regional process based on the Omushkegowuk nation. The paper argues that the goals and approach of Mushkegowuk Council were reflective of indigenous resurgence principles, to which Ontario’s community-based planning objectives were a significant obstacle. The paper will closely examine the challenges Mushkegowuk Council faced in their attempt to assert an alternative to Ontario’s Far North planning, and the implications for Mushkegowuk Council and other indigenous communities and organizations involved in land use planning. The paper will conclude with a discussion of how the case study exemplifies the broader difficulties of achieving indigenous driven planning as resurgence necessarily confronts the institutions and ambitions of Settler governments.

Global mapping of freshwater nutrient enrichment and periphyton growth potential

Periphyton (viz. algal) growth in many freshwater systems is associated with severe eutrophication that can impair productive and recreational use of water by billions of people. However, there has been limited analysis of periphyton growth at a global level. To predict where nutrient over-enrichment and undesirable periphyton growth occurs, we combined several databases to model and map global dissolved and total nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations, climatic and catchment characteristics for up to 1406 larger rivers that were analysed between 1990 and 2016. We predict that 31% of the global landmass contained catchments may exhibit undesirable levels of periphyton growth. Almost three-quarters (76%) of undesirable periphyton growth was caused by P-enrichment and mapped to catchments dominated by agricultural land in North and South America and Europe containing 1.7B people. In contrast, undesirable periphyton growth due to N-enrichment was mapped to parts of North Africa and parts of the Middle East and India affecting 280 M people. The findings of this global modelling approach can be used by landowners and policy makers to better target investment and actions at finer spatial scales to remediate poor water quality owing to periphyton growth.

Cropping pattern changes diminish agroecosystem services in North and South Dakota, USA

AbstractIn the past several decades, North and South Dakota have experienced increased agricultural expansion and crop rotation simplification, namely an increase in corn (Zea mays L.)– soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] systems. This review investigates the nature and extent of those changes, the underlying causes, and the consequences they have on ecosystem services. The framework of ecosystem services is underutilized in agricultural research, but it can be used to describe the sustainability, resistance, and resilience of the system in relation to these land use changes. The current trends are focused on maximizing provisioning services (i.e., food and fuel) at the expense of regulating, cultural, and supporting services. The decline of regulating services can be seen in increased peak river flow (up to 100% and 200% increases in South and North Dakota, respectively), as well as by the 100% increase in area treated by chemicals, partially due to diminished bioregulation of pests and weeds. The effects on supporting services are demonstrated by altered C balances and water cycling, while the loss of cultural connection to the land is evidenced by a 40% decrease in land conservation since 1997. Overall, these changes are making the land in North and South Dakota more susceptible to stressors, such as drought, crop pests, or even economic trends that could greatly harm these agroecosystems and have nationwide ramifications. To address these changes, producers need to provide a balance of agroecosystem services by optimizing currently available management strategies and possibly transforming agricultural practices for long‐term system stability.

Characteristics and sources of organic carbon in coastal and marine atmospheric particulates over East China

To understand the influences of emission sources, transport and environmental factors on the characteristics of organic carbonaceous aerosols in the marine area, organic carbon (OC) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) were measured in atmospheric samples collected from the coastal region and over the Bohai and Yellow Seas from 2015 to 2016. Compared with the averages of 19.28 and 10.61 μg·m−3 in the coastal samples, the average concentrations of OC and WSOC decreased to 2.17 and 1.54 μg·m−3 in the marine aerosol samples, respectively. WSOC contributed 60% to OC in Qingdao, while 68.4% to OC over the ocean, suggesting that WSOC is likely influenced by the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in surface seawater. The highest OC/EC ratios (6.56) were observed in the samples collected from the air masses originating from the north land source, indicating that OC mainly comes from anthropogenic sources. The OC concentrations in the air mass samples from marine sources were only 50% of those in the samples from terrestrial sources. A negative correlation between the WSOC and transport distance over the sea and decreased OC/EC ratios were observed, which indicated that the contribution of secondary organic carbon (SOC) to OC decreased during the transport from land to sea. OC increased by 88.5% under the influence of Asian dust, while WSOC did not exhibit substantial changes. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model showed that anthropogenic sources were the major source of carbonaceous aerosols, contributing 70% of the OC in Qingdao. The positive correlation between OC and particulate matter (PM) suggested that the OC affected the air quality.

Small wars in Marsabit County: devolution and political violence in northern Kenya

When the elections of 2013 devolved budgetary and legislative powers to 47 counties in Kenya, there was nationwide relief when they passed off peacefully. The new county governments settled down to bargaining over local powers and appointments, delivering on their new institutional mandates, spending money and dealing with recentralisation manoeuvres. Now with the 2017 elections looming, the question has been raised, will there be violence? Based on qualitative interviews with citizens of the northern town of Marsabit shortly after the 2013 elections, this article presents citizens’ views on how devolution affected political competition, including how familiar repertoires of violence were used to influence not only the vote but also the construction of the new country government. To explain what concerned voters in the newly devolved county, the article explores the role played by colonially constituted ‘ethnicity’ in control of land and citizenship in the pastoralist north of Kenya and in the evolution of politics and the state after independence. It shows how the new configuration of power brought by devolution in 2013 has not yet resolved people’s feelings of deep insecurity over territorial tenure. It offers insight into the task faced by devolved institutions in relation to land, adding texture to current literature on the politics of devolution.

Engineering geological characterization of flints

The petrographic and mechanical properties of flints from the Burnham (North Landing, Yorkshire, UK), Seaford (East Sussex, UK, and Dieppe, France), and Lewes Nodular (Mesnil-Val, France) Chalk formations have been investigated. Microtexture and mineral composition of flints are studied to understand how the geological and petrophysical properties of the flint affect drilling responses to the rock and investigate any spatial variation. The flints are categorized based on physical observation into white crust and light brownish grey, dark brownish grey and grey flints. Scanning electron microscopy shows textural variation in the classes. The white crust, light brownish grey, brownish grey and grey flints from the Burnham Chalk Formation from North Landing contain more calcite and have coarser, more poorly cemented silica spherules in comparison with similar classes of flint from the Seaford and Lewes Chalk formations from the Anglo-Paris Basin. In these latter flints, the structure is dominated by massive quartz cement with trace calcite independent of location. Strength tests show that the grey flints from North Landing are weaker than equivalents from the Anglo-Paris Basin. It is suggested that variation in engineering properties between grey and the dark brownish grey flints is caused by mineral composition, microtexture, structure and the local or site geology of flint materials.

Habitat selection following recent disturbance: model transferability with implications for management and conservation of moose (Alces alces)

Site-specific variation in relative habitat abundance and disturbance regimes may produce differences in habitat preferences of associated populations. An evaluation of the predictive power of habitat selection models across space would benefit our understanding of the reliability of models of selection and space use in predicting animal occurrence. We used presence–absence data from winter surveys of moose (Alces alces (L., 1758)) to estimate resource selection functions (RSFs) across two study sites using Far North Land Cover updated with recent disturbance from fire and timber harvest. Moose selected foraging habitat (e.g., deciduous land cover) and for increasing deciduous foliage cover (ΔNDVI, i.e., the difference in the normalized difference vegetation index). Snow depth negatively influenced habitat selection, likely due to increased predation risk and reduced movement and foraging efficiency. Models lost little predictive power when applied to another site based on comparison of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Our results corroborated the current body of knowledge concerning moose habitat selection, i.e., moose preferentially use forest stands dominated by deciduous species, but suggested that moose strongly avoided very recently disturbed areas. Minimal site-specific variation and ROC comparison suggests that RSFs may be extended into novel systems, given adequate consideration for habitat quality and abundance, thereby simplifying management needs of this important species.

Severnaya Zemlya – geography with history at the turn of times

100 years ago, in 1913, there was committed last geographical discovery of world importance in the Russian Arctic. Icebreaking transports «Taimyr» and «Vaygach» discovered and photographed the eastern and southern shores of the unknown land separating the Kara and Laptev seas. Boris Vilkitski Strait was opened by the north of Taimyr Peninsula as well as two small islands. Coast of the newly discovered lands received a legal name «Emperor Nicholas II Land», one of the islands was named in honor of the heir of the monarch – Tsarevich Alexei. After 1924 there was introduced the common name for a geographic feature – «Severnaya Zemlya» (North Land). Since 1926, the name «Emperor Nicholas II Land» was removed for political reasons. North shore land remained anonymous until now. In world practice (on the map of Greenland, Antarctica) the description of shores by the names of monarchs shores coexist with the common name of the main geographical object. In 1930–1932 a full examination of Severnaya Zemlya was carried out by Ushakov–Urvantsev expedition. There was found that an archipelago consists of several islands. «Not-simultaneous» shore opening and land surveying all over the archipelago led to divergent assessments of the events and facts. Preservation of historic names as a cultural and historical heritage, the inadmissibility of the historical names abolition are supported by the acting Russian Federation Law on the names of geographic features. The authors emphasize the need to return to the historical names with the application of national legislation and with justification of solutions Russian Arctic toponymy problems from international practices.

近半个世纪中国北方沙尘暴的空间分布和时间变化规律回顾 Spatial Distribution and Temporal Tendency of the Dust Storm Frequency in North and Northwest China for the Recent Nearly Half a Century

特别是近10多年来，中外科学家对近半个世纪中国北方沙尘暴的地理分布和时间变化趋势作了大量工作，为了在借鉴前人成果的基础上更进一步把握现在和将来中国北方沙尘暴的发生、发展规律，本文就相关成果进行了详细的回顾、分析和总结：首先在气候意义上进一步阐明了我国沙尘暴发生频数、沙尘源区、爆发路径、传输路径、沉降区域等的地理分布状况及其形成的地表、气候和大气环流成因；然后总结了半个世纪以来我国沙尘暴的年际和年代际变化特征及其区域性差异，并就荒漠化、气候变化及环流演变三方面给出其可能的形成原因；最后提出几点沙尘暴预测和防治的建议。 A lot of efforts have been done on the geographic distribution and temporal variation trend of the dust storm frequency in North and Northwest China during the last half century, especially since 10 or so years before. In order to further understand the occurrence and development regulations for dust storms in China in the near and far future based on the previous successes, this paper has aimed to review, analyze and summarize in detail those relevant achievements obtained by inland and abroad scientists. Firstly, the climatic geographical distributions of the happening frequency, sand and dust sources, outbreak way, transport route and deposition areas of dust storms in China have been further elu-cidated with their causes such as surface conditions, climatic factors and atmospheric circulations. Secondly, the yearly and decadal variation characteristics of the dust storm frequency in China and their differences from area to area have been summarized for the last half century or so, focusing on the desertification land, climate change and atmospheric circulation modification in North and Northwest China to explain all the involved phenomena; Finally, some sugges-tions have been given on the prediction and restriction of dust storm in China.

Diurnal Cycles of Clouds and How They Affect Polar-Orbiting Satellite Data

Abstract Diurnal cycles of clouds were investigated using the NOAA series of polar-orbiting satellites. These satellites provided four observations per day for a continuous 11-yr period from 1986 to 1997. The High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) multispectral infrared data were used from the time trend analysis of Wylie et al. The previous study restricted its discussion to only the polar orbiters making observations at 0200 and 1400 LT because gaps in coverage occurred in the 0800 and 2000 LT coverage. This study shows diurnal cycles in cloud cover over 10% in amplitude in many regions, which is very similar to other studies that used geostationary satellite data. The use of only one of the polar-orbiting satellites by Wylie et al. caused biases up to 5% in small regions but in general they were small (e.g., ≤2% for most of the earth). The only consistently large bias was in high cloud cover over land in North America, Europe, and Asia north of 35°N latitude in the summer season where the 0200 and 1400 LT average high cloud frequency was 2%–5% more than the daily average. This occurred only in the summer season, not in the winter.

Climate‐growth relationships of relict Pinus tabulaeformis at the northern limit of its natural distribution in northern China

AbstractQuestions:Sand storms from east Inner Mongolia are a major threat to the ecological safety of North China and actions are desirable to control further desertification. Small patches of relict Pinus tabulaeformis could play a major role in this. The climate signal recorded in the tree‐ring widths and the dates of past regeneration episodes of these trees growing at the northern border of their natural distribution are considered here.Location:Ortindag Sand Land in North China.Methods:We collected increment cores from relict P. tabulaeformis trees at five sites, built a standard tree‐ring chronology for each site and a regional tree‐ring chronology from the three longest site chronologies, analysed the tree growth/climate relationships and determined the germination years of the trees to recognize past regeneration dynamics.Results:Monthly precipitation and relative air humidity in the previous and current growing seasons are the major limiting factors for the radial growth of P. tabulaeformis. Years with a high frequency of absent tree rings are characterized by particularly extreme dry conditions. These results are supported by negative correlations between radial growth and monthly maximum temperature and evaporation during the growing season. In a 163‐year time series of precipitation from previous July to current June reconstructed from the tree rings, cycles with wave lengths of 2‐3, 17.4 and 20.5 years are significant.Conclusion:P. tabulaeformis trees are reliable recorders of high and low frequency variations of dry/wet environmental conditions in the Ortindag Sand Land. Their age structures within the forest patches prove that they regenerate preferentially in less dry periods.

Transatlantic Spaces of Revolution: The French Revolution, Sciotomanie, and American Lands

This paper explores an unlikely incident in order to probe how culture, commerce, and colonization influenced French revolutionary politics. In 1789-90, American and British agents in France promoted sales of land in Scioto, Ohio. Land shares sold like hotcakes: the outbreak of revolution spurred early emigration. The buyers included leading aristocrats and right-wing monarchists. Given America's status as space of colonization and political invention, Scioto speedily became a hot topic of political debate and satire in French revolutionary press and pamphlets. This paper examines the multiple meanings of America by asking how agents sold l'Amerique, how the aristocrats planned a paternalist utopia in Ohio, and how French revolutionary patriots used satire, travelogues, and political persuasion to debate emigration, colonization, nature vs. civilization, and American vs. French liberty. This analysis of Sciotomanie rethinks the Atlantic Revolutions model: it illustrates how remnant French interest in colonizing North lands interacted with the exchange of revolutionary culture. Second, it shows how the revolutionary circulation of ideas and commerce not only produced creative politics but also fomented a lasting national rivalry between France and the U.S. over the moral leadership of modern politics.