Disasters are deadly and destructive events, particularly in developing countries, where there is an immediate need to improve natural disaster management capacity, especially at the local level where hazard vulnerability can most effectively be reduced. Since disasters and vulnerability vary spatially, all phases of the disaster management cycle can be improved through the effective use of geospatial information technology (GIT). However, developing countries face many barriers to GIT implementation, and solutions that take these barriers into consideration are required. In general, developing countries lag behind in terms of technology use, and highly technical solutions are not practical to acquire, use and maintain by the local level disaster management practitioner community. This thesis proposes that free and open source software (FOSS) offers a feasible technical solution, and explores the significance of recent developments in this software domain from a GIT and natural disaster management perspective. Specifically, FOSS-based GIT can provide a core set of functionality for the development of critical framework spatial datasets required for the subsequent use of GIT during all phases of the natural disaster management cycle. Using gvSIG, a mature and user-friendly FOSS-based geographic information system, this thesis demonstrates how local level capacity in developing countries can be improved to ultimately reduce natural hazard vulnerability and disaster impacts.

Gas bubbles in ice hold relevant information on the origin and process of formation, distinguishing between an atmospheric and dissolved origin. Using ice crystallography, stable O-H isotopes and gas composition, this thesis provides new clues to the understanding of ice wedge formation and filling process in the Yukon Territory and Alaska. An improved extraction line and mass spectrometry technique were used 10 analyze the gas composition of ice bubbles (O2, N2 and Ar). Conclusions from this study infer that climatic conditions may influence the source of infilling during ice wedge growth. Wet and dry environments have result in two different signatures in ice wedges. The Vault Creek tunnel ice wedges in Alaska, dated to the late Pleistocene, a cold and dry period, preserve stable O-H isotope and gas compositions similar to those expected for ice formed by snow densification. On the other hand, ice wedges from the Old Crow region, dated to the late Holocene, preserved isotopic and gas compositions more similar to those expected for ice formed by the freezing of liquid water. In some cases, the results from the occluded gases (O2, N2 and Ar) showed low oxygen concentration and high delta18O values, indicating respiration prior to formation. These results are significant to palaeoclimatic interpretation of ice wedges in permafrost areas.

Near-surface air temperature inversions are a common element of northern environments. Seasonal and inter-annual variations of low-level inversion characteristics were examined using 47 years of twice-daily radiosonde data from Whitehorse airport (1956-2003). Nocturnal low-level inversion events occurred throughout the year in 68% of the 0400h PST radiosonde ascents. Afternoon (1600h PST) inversion events, in contrast, were primarily a winter phenomena, limited to 24% of the readings between October and March, and were deepest and strongest during the winter months. Shorter, weaker, lower magnitude inversions appeared progressively more frequently during the 1974-2003 warming at Whitehorse. The impact (1956-2003) of regular low-level inversions on near surface temperatures in the Yukon River Valley is estimated to be an average annual reduction of -3.4°C. That is to say, in the absence of surface-based temperature inversion effects, the mean annual near-surface-temperature for Whitehorse (-0.7°C) would exceed 1°C, a temperature threshold at which permafrost could not be maintained. Overall inversion impact declined by about 1.5°C between 1956-1973 and 1974-2003.

Paleocological studies based on the analysis of lake sediments offer the potential for high resolution and well-dated records of past environmental conditions. A 2.7 m sediment core raised from Lake WA01 (unofficial name, 61°14'41"N, 136°55'35"W, 1000 m.a.s.l.) in the Aishihik region of the southwest Yukon Territory documents the post-glacial vegetation, fire, and climate history of the region surrounding the study site. The earliest portion of the WA01 pollen record was characterized by the establishment of open birch-shrub tundra at the study site. Picea glauca then established ca. 9,900 cal yrs BP, and has since remained dominant on the landscape Progressively decreasing precipitation in the region over the last ca. 9,000 years, noted in a previous study by Viau et al. (2008), is not captured in the Lake WA01 climate reconstructions. From ca. 9,900 cal yrs BP to the present day, reconstructed mean July temperatures and total annual precipitation at the study site remained essentially constant. A short period of low total annual precipitation is noted from deglaciation at 10,500 cal yrs BP to 9,900 cal yrs BP. The regional-scale fire regime surrounding the study site increased gradually in intensity over the course of the Holocene. Local fires in the area immediately surrounding the study lake decreased gradually in frequency and/or size over the course of the Holocene, though the exact cause remains unclear. An alternating pattern in the sediment loss-on-ignition from Lake WA01 is related to similar trends in □18O values from the Mount Logan oxygen isotope record (Fisher et al., 2008). Based on a positive association between sediment carbonate content and enriched □18O values from the Mount Logan record, it is proposed that periods of increased and decreased sediment carbonate content in the WA01 core are indicative of wetter and drier conditions at the study site, respectively.

This paper aims to understand how the significant out-migration of men from small-town Senegal influences the marriage process and resulting conjugal life, specifically in reference to those left-behind. To address this objective, a case study approach is utilized focusing on the region of Kebemer, located in Senegal's peanut basin. Furthermore, gender theory as well as a sociology of the family approach are applied to interpret and give meaning to the different socioeconomic factors at play in shaping the dynamics of marriage and conjugal life. It is argued that while certain elements of the marriage process are experiencing changes as a result of migration (higher brideprice, a delay of first marriage, spousal selection norms and so on), it is noted that migrants tend to remain especially conservative, staying rooted in traditional beliefs and behaviours. In light of such discoveries, conventional notions of 'development' are challenged and alternative understandings sought out.

The debate over the use of legal regulation and voluntary initiatives for generating responsible business practices from companies operating abroad has raised concerns regarding the effectiveness of voluntary initiatives. A main argument against voluntary initiatives is that companies adopt them solely to boost corporate image, and that implementation has been limited. To provide insight into this debate, research was conducted on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPs), an initiative in the extractive sector that focuses on safeguarding human rights. The research involved three case studies on companies operating in Colombia, including BHP Billiton, Occidental Petroleum and Talisman Energy. The findings of this research indicate that overall the initiative has generated some improvement in the way that companies manage potential security and human rights risks, providing evidence that companies are not adopting voluntary initiatives solely for the purpose of boosting public relations.

Even in the conditions of the digital economy, financial centers remain crucial in the architecture of globalization, as international financial system has reached levels of complexity that requires the existence of a cross-border network of financial centers. After China's accession to the World Trade Organization, the country has gradually become a superpower in the world economy and is becoming one in the realm of global finance. In this context, Chinese cities are increasingly embedded into global systems of production, capital flows and accumulation. However, the ascent of China has not inspired a sufficient attention of financial geographers or other social scientists to the topic of China's financial centers. The objective of this thesis is to map and account for the recent development of financial centers in Mainland China, with specific focus on Shanghai, through the lens of financial geography. Given the centrality of money and finance to market economy as well as China's particular history and geography, this thesis provides an interrogation of the wider social, political, institutional, technological and cultural context for financial center development in China, ranging from the geographies of banking and securities industry in Mainland China to Shanghai's IFC dynamics and its strategic development initiatives. In doing so, this work tests and exemplifies the validity of a number of western theoretical approaches to financial and economic geography. The empirical study of geography of financial centers in Mainland, reveals the characteristics of China's transition economy and the crucial role of different levels of government in producing and shaping the evolution of its financial centers. It also highlights Beijing's critical role in the domestic hierarchical networks in both banking and the securities industry. In addition, the case of Shanghai shows specific characteristics of this international financial center in terms of its history, politics, culture and the developmental model. More specifically, this thesis presents the dynamics of Shanghai as an emerging international financial center formation with Chinese characteristics that goes beyond thinking centred on Anglo-American literature. In summary, the thesis as a whole may be considered as a bridge between western countries and China in terms of financial geographies focusing on the study of financial center evolution.

<p> Rivers are vital for sustaining biodiversity and human development, yet globally only a small fraction of rivers enjoy protection and those with protections are often impaired or modified. Rapid rates of freshwater species&rsquo; extinctions indicate current conservation practices are failing. Despite over fifty years of scientific evidence justifying river conservation, it remains that less attention is focused on protecting ecosystems than on developing water resources for economic growth. This disparity is indicative of the &lsquo;nature as resource&rsquo; versus &lsquo;conservation of nature&rsquo; paradigm. Today, this paradigm is complicated by new attentions centering both on water resource development projects and conservation policy as climate change adaptation strategies. Policies protecting rivers are recommended for contending with more intense storms and flooding, increasing resilience for species, forests, and agricultural areas, and fostering some types of water security. Creating, implementing, and managing climate adaptation policies will require a strong state presence in water resource governance. We know, however, the aforementioned paradigm hinders conservation policymaking. Therefore, understanding how conservation policy has already been rationalized, implemented, and managed is critical to advancing climate adaptation policymaking. Yet, little empirical research has been conducted on federal river conservation policy creation or application across the U.S.</p><p> To that end, this dissertation, presented in three discrete original research articles, examines the United States National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Specifically, this study investigates the socio-ecological drivers behind the creation of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (WSRA hereinafter) and the spatial dimensions of the policy&rsquo;s application and management over time. This study is grounded empirically in extensive archival materials, interviews with federal land management agency personnel, conservation advocates, and technical experts, as well as spatial and temporal analysis of a geodatabase. Together, these methods were employed to answer the following research questions which guide this study: (1) What factors influence the temporal and spatial distribution of river segments protected under the Wild &amp; Scenic Rivers Act? (2) What does the history of management in designated segments suggest about emerging trends and patterns in river conservation? (3) How are competing environmental values and ideologies understood and reconciled in the context of river conservation?</p><p>

<p> Coral reefs surrounding Maui have declined rapidly over the past several decades. While the cause is multifaceted, a source of concern is anthropogenic nutrient pollution and the algal blooms it stimulates. Studies have linked wastewater and agricultural fertilizers to the excessive nutrients entering Maui&rsquo;s coastal waters. The Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater Reclamation Facility (WKWRF) injects approximately 4.4 million gallons per day of secondarily treated wastewater into Kahului Bay through underground injection wells without a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit as required by the Clean Water Act. Kalialinui Stream passes through a large sugarcane operation and meets Kanaha Beach less than a half mile east of the WKWRF. In November 2015, January 2016, and September 2016 a section of the Kalialinui Stream was tested for nutrients and found to be exceeding freshwater standards. The WKWRF and Kalialinui Stream both appear to be contributing nutrients to marine waters with little regulation or consequence.</p><p>

<p> In recent years, an unprecedented growth in large-scale agricultural projects has taken place in the Peruvian Amazon. The development of these projects &ndash;principally oil palm&ndash; has triggered a national scale environmental controversy due to evidence of the large-scale deforestation involved. This dissertation analyzes the ways in which oil palm expansion has been materially and politically brought into being. By examining the historical and material characteristics of this expansion, the politics of the environmental conflict around it and the ways in which the state attempts to govern it, this monograph analyzes how the interrelation of material conditions, social coalitions and the nature of the state shape the geographies of resource booms. </p><p> The methods used for data collection have been principally qualitative. These included semi-structured interviews, field observation in project areas and participant observation in discussion and planning forums on the development of oil palm. These data collection methods were complemented with a systematic gathering of policy documents, laws and regulations, grey literature and media reports. </p><p> In the production of oil palm geographies, the physicality of the resource plays an important role. Biophysical factors set conditions for oil palm development, but are also navigated in various ways by the different forms taken by the industry. Resource booms are shaped by the specific interplays between material factors and social organizations. Coalitions of actors interested in promoting resource booms are contested by counter or &ldquo;environmental&rdquo; coalitions when expansion raises environmental concerns such as large-scale deforestation. Struggles between environmental and agrarian agendas have been reproduced within the Peruvian state. I argue that the state has no policy regarding plantation expansion in the Peruvian Amazon but operates &ldquo;on demand&rdquo;, responding to pressures from growers and environmentalists. </p><p> The lenses of materiality, coalitions and the state prove to be productive avenues for the analysis of how resource booms are brought into being. These have to be used flexibly, however, in order to account for variations in the material world, the forms taken by political disputes, and the nature of the states that navigate these disputes. This framing could inform research on land grabs, environmental conflicts and environmental governance. A focus on the production and contestation of resource booms sheds important light on the actual ways in which environmental politics are navigated by disparate actors.</p><p>