This wide-ranging, geographically ambitious book tells the story of the Arab diaspora within the context of British and Dutch colonialism, unpacking the community's ambiguous embrace of European ...colonial authority in Southeast Asia. In Fluid Jurisdictions, Nurfadzilah Yahaya looks at colonial legal infrastructure and discusses how it impacted, and was impacted by, Islam and ethnicity. But more important, she follows the actors who used this framework to advance their particular interests. Yahaya explains why Arab minorities in the region helped to fuel the entrenchment of European colonial legalities: their itinerant lives made institutional records necessary. Securely stored in centralized repositories, such records could be presented as evidence in legal disputes. To ensure accountability down the line, Arab merchants valued notarial attestation land deeds, inheritance papers, and marriage certificates by recognized state officials. Colonial subjects continually played one jurisdiction against another, sometimes preferring that colonial legal authorities administer Islamic law—even against fellow Muslims. Fluid Jurisdictions draws on lively material from multiple international archives to demonstrate the interplay between colonial projections of order and their realities, Arab navigation of legally plural systems in Southeast Asia and beyond, and the fraught and deeply human struggles that played out between family, religious, contract, and commercial legal orders.
Large freshwater anomalies clearly exist in the Arctic Ocean. For example, liquid freshwater has accumulated in the Beaufort Gyre in the decade of the 2000s compared to 1980–2000, with an extra ...≈5000km3 — about 25% — being stored. The sources of freshwater to the Arctic from precipitation and runoff have increased between these periods (most of the evidence comes from models). Despite flux increases from 2001 to 2011, it is uncertain if the marine freshwater source through Bering Strait for the 2000s has changed, as observations in the 1980s and 1990s are incomplete. The marine freshwater fluxes draining the Arctic through Fram and Davis straits are also insignificantly different. In this way, the balance of sources and sinks of freshwater to the Arctic, Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA), and Baffin Bay shifted to about 1200±730km3yr−1 freshening the region, on average, during the 2000s. The observed accumulation of liquid freshwater is consistent with this increased supply and the loss of freshwater from sea ice. Coupled climate models project continued freshening of the Arctic during the 21st century, with a total gain of about 50,000km3 for the Arctic, CAA, and Baffin Bay (an increase of about 50%) by 2100. Understanding of the mechanisms controlling freshwater emphasizes the importance of Arctic surface winds, in addition to the sources of freshwater. The wind can modify the storage, release, and pathways of freshwater on timescales of O(1–10) months. Discharges of excess freshwater through Fram or Davis straits appear possible, triggered by changes in the wind, but are hard to predict. Continued measurement of the fluxes and storage of freshwater is needed to observe changes such as these.
•Unprecedented volumes of freshwater have accumulated in the Arctic Ocean since 2000.•Models suggest that the extra freshwater derives from increased precipitation and runoff, and a smaller volume of sea ice.•The net export flux of Arctic freshwater to the North Atlantic Ocean has not changed significantly in the last decade.•Climate projections suggest increased inflow, storage, and outflow of freshwater to the Arctic in the 21st century.•It is possible that large freshwater discharges to the Atlantic could occur, triggered by changes in Arctic winds.
The causal relationship between the Loop Current (LC) penetration into the Gulf of Mexico and the inflow/outflow conditions in the Yucatan Channel and the Straits of Florida is analyzed using a ...recently developed causality analysis, which is quantitative in nature, and rigorously derived from first principles. Long-term time series from a 23-year high-resolution reanalysis product reveals that the LC penetration is associated with a dipole (tripole) mode of transport (vorticity flux) in both channels. These relationships, though significant from a perspective of correlation, do not necessarily imply causality. By applying the causality analysis, we identify a clear asymmetry of causality, that is, the flow conditions in the Yucatan Channel and the Straits of Florida can both cause the LC penetration. Conversely, the LC path state is less causal to the current variability in the two channels. The spatial causal structures further reveal that the upstream influence from the Yucatan Channel is strong in the main body of the LC as well as its extension area, while the downstream influence from the Straits of Florida is confined within the eastern branch of the LC. The asymmetric causal relations obtained from the data-assimilative reanalysis product are further confirmed in a free-running model simulation forced by three repeated cycles of atmospheric forcing, although the strength of the causality could vary from one simulation cycle to another, due to the intrinsic variability of the LC system.
Maritime transportation is more preferable day by day with the increase in cargo capacity worldwide. Therefore, the number of voyages take place in the seas is increasing and more intensive maritime ...traffic occurs in narrow channels. One of the difficult and dense seaways in the world is the Istanbul Strait, which is one of the most important strategical channels that connects the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea. Every year many marine vessels navigate in this route and carry dangerous cargos for human health and environment. Thus, ensuring safe navigation in the Strait is an important subject due to prevent a marine accident, save human health, and protect the environment from any disaster. In this study, meteorological knowledge, one of the important factors affecting safe navigation, is provided from a local weather station. The visibility during the passage in the Strait has estimated with various machine learning methods based on wind speed/direction, humidity, pressure, time indicators. To determine the relationship between the variables more clearly, a correlation matrix was created firstly. Different error metrics have used for accuracy and reliability of the predictions. The results of the estimation process show that the Gradient Boosting method is a more successful method.
ABSTRACTThe paper provides a comprehensive overview of the transformation of the glacial isthmus between Sørkapp Land (southern peninsula) and the remainder of Spitsbergen from 1900 to 2023. The ...region distinguishes itself with notable environmental and landscape transformations since the early twentieth century, the post-Little Ice Age. These ongoing transformations are poised to swiftly convert the Sørkapp Land peninsula into an island, driven by the decline of the glacial isthmus connecting Sørkapp Land to the rest of Spitsbergen. Key policy highlightsRecession of glaciers is making Sørkapp Land one of the ‘hotpoints’ of environmental changes.The glacial isthmus between Sørkapp Land and Torell Land is shrinking and its minimum width is currently about 4 kilometres.Complete melting of glacial isthmus will create new large island and transform Hornsund and Hambergbukta into a strait.
On the evening of December 22, 2018, the coasts of the Sunda Strait, Indonesia, were hit by a tsunami generated by the collapse of a part of the Anak Krakatau volcano. Hundreds of people were killed, ...thousands were injured and displaced. This paper presents a preliminary modeling of the volcano flank collapse and the tsunami generated based on the results of a 2D depth-averaged coupled model involving a granular rheology and a Coulomb friction for the slide description and dispersive effects for the water flow part. With a reconstructed total volume (subaerial and submarine) of the landslide of 150 million
m
3
inferred from pre and post-collapse satellite and aerial images, the comparison of the simulated water waves with the observations (tide gauges located all around the strait, photographs and field surveys) is satisfactory. Due to the lack of information for the submarine part of the landslide, the reconstructed submarine slope is assumed to be approximately constant. A significant time delay on the results and particularly in the Bandar Lampung Bay could be attributed to imprecisions of bathymetric data. The sensitivity to the basal friction and to dispersive effects is analyzed through numerical tests. Results show that the influence of the basal friction angle on the simulated wave heights decreases with distance and that a value of
2
∘
gives consistent results with the observations. The dispersive effects are assessed by comparing water waves simulated by a shallow water model and a Boussinesq model. Simulations with frequency dispersion produce longer wave periods and smaller wave amplitudes in the Sunda Strait and particularly in deep waters.
Thirty-two surface sediment samples, collected from the Taiwan Strait (TWS), were investigated for the occurrence, composition profile, and spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ...(PAHs) and oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs). PAHs were ubiquity in the TWS with a total concentration (∑PAHs, excluding naphthalene due to its high volatility) ranging from 17.8–213 ng g−1. Benzob fluoranthene, fluoranthene, phenanthrene, and pyrene were the predominant PAHs. Also, eight OPAHs were detected, having a cumulative concentration range (∑OPAHs) of 10.5–118 ng g−1, predominated by anthraquinone and 6H-Benzoc,dPyren-6-one. Higher concentrations of ∑PAHs and ∑OPAHs were detected at sampling sites adjacent to the mainland and in the northwest part of the TWS. The results suggested important continental input, and particle sedimentation under the specific hydrodynamic conditions of the region. Based on the measured concentrations and sediment quality guidelines, PAHs had a limited ecological impact on the area.
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•PAHs and OPAHs were ubiquitous in coastal sediment in the Taiwan Strait.•PAHs and OPAHs originated mainly from terrestrial fluvial discharge.•Higher levels of PAHs and OPAHs were found in rivers-mouth and mud area.
The Taiwan Strait is the only direct passage between the South China Sea (SCS) and the East China Sea. Variations in the intensity of Kuroshio Branch and surface currents in the SCS result in ...seasonal and inter-annual variability in the hydrography of the SE Taiwan Strait, where the northwardly pointing funnel-like Penghu Channel is located. These currents vary with the intensity and direction of monsoons. The teleconnection between air-sea interaction of the east Pacific and west Pacific reportedly has time differences. The data in this study reveal that the salinity of the seawater in the Penghu Channel is highest during El Niño events with a seven-month lag to the monthly Niño 3.4 index, and lowest during La Niña periods, also with a lag of seven months to the monthly Niño 3.4 index. The chemical parameters also vary with these events. The concentrations of apparent oxygen utilization, nutrients, and hydrogen ions vary with the mixing ratio of SCS water and Kuroshio Branch water. The maximum concentrations of nutrients are significantly higher during the summer, seven months after a La Niña event (La Niña-7), than in other seasons. However, biological activities also affected these chemical parameters. In spring, active photosynthesis consumes more nutrients and hydrogen ion concentrations in La Niña-7 periods than in normal-7 periods.
•The effects of El Niño events in the Taiwan Strait are seven months behind the monthly Niño 3.4 index.•The seasonal amount of Kuroshio water in the Taiwan Strait is proportionally highest in spring.•In a El Niño event with seven-month lag, the Kuroshion intrusion is stronger than other events.•The biological activities clearly affect nutrients concentrations especially in spring.
During the altimeter era, the sea level in the South China Sea (SCS) and western tropical Pacific (WTP) experienced significant decadal variability. The sea level rose during 1993–2009 and fell ...during 2010–2019. The decadal variability of Walker Circulation associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation can explain the sea level variability in the WTP to a great extent. The wind forced westward propagating Rossby waves increased (decreased) the sea level in the WTP during 1993–2009 (2010–2019). However, the interior wind forcing has a negligible contribution to the decadal variability of the sea level in the SCS. The remote forcing from WTP through the oceanic bridge was supposed to play a dominant role. The sensitive experiments of a 1½‐layer model and Regional Oceanic Modeling System suggested that the sea level signals via the Sibutu Passage and Mindoro Strait accounted for the decadal variability of sea level in the central basin of SCS.
Plain Language Summary
During the altimeter era, the global mean sea level rose continuously, while the regional sea level trends are not uniform. The atmospheric and oceanic processes associated with climate modes played an important role. The Walker Circulation anomalies, connected closely with the “atmospheric bridge” of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), forced a reverse sea level trend in the western and eastern tropical Pacific via propagations of Kelvin/Rossby waves. The sea level signals propagated into the South China Sea (SCS) via the Sibutu Passage and Mindoro Strait, which dominated the sea level variations in the central SCS. Unlike in the tropical Pacific, the decadal variability of sea level in the SCS was associated with PDO through “oceanic bridge.” The results in this study shed light on our understanding on the dynamics of sea level and upper‐layer circulation changes in the SCS and adjacent regions.
Key Points
Sea level trends in the South China Sea (SCS) and western tropical Pacific experienced regime shift during the altimeter era
Remote forcing originated from tropical Pacific dominated the decadal variability of sea level in the SCS
Tropical Pacific conveys its impact on the sea level in the central SCS mainly via the Sibutu Passage and Mindoro Strait
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