3D seismic reflection data were acquired by the R/V Langseth and used to extract heat flow information using bottom-simulating reflector (BSR) depths across the southern Costa Rica convergent margin. These data are part of the CRISP Project, which will seismically image the Middle America subduction zone in 3D. The survey was conducted in an area approximately 55x11 km, northwest of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. For the analysis presented here, seismic data were processed using a post-stack time migration. The BSR—a reverse polarity seismic reflection indicating the base of the gas hydrate phase boundary—is imaged clearly within the slope-cover sediments of the margin wedge. If pressure is taken into account, in deep water environments the BSR acts as a temperature gauge revealing subsurface temperatures across the margin. Two heat flow models were used in this analysis. In the Hornbach model BSR depth is predicted using a true 3D diffusive heat flow model combined with Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) thermal conductivity data and results are compared with actual BSR depth observations to constrain where heat flow anomalies exist. In the second model heat flow values are estimated using the heat flow equation. Uniform heat flow in the region should result in a deeper BSR downslope toward the trench due to higher pressure; however results indicate the BSR is deepest at over 325 meters below the seafloor (mbsf) further landward and shoals near the trench to less than 100 mbsf, suggesting elevated heat flow towards the toe of the accretionary prism. Heat flow values also reflect this relation. In addition to this survey-wide trend, local heat flow anomalies appear in the form of both circular patterns and linear trends extending across the survey, which can be related to mounds, thrust faults, folds, double BSRs, and seafloor erosion imaged in the seismic data. I suggest that these areas of higher local heat flow represent sites where advection of heat from deep, upward-migrating, thermogenically-sourced fluids and/or gases may be taking place. These heat flow trends have implications for not only earthquake nucleation, but also methane hydrate reserve stability. / text

I conducted an amplitude vs. offset (AVO) analysis on newly acquired 3D seismic reflection data to detect elevated pore fluid content and pore fluid pressure along the Costa Rica convergent margin to address dewatering processes of subduction zone sediments. These data provide the highest quality 3D seismic data acquired to date along a convergent margin for detailed analysis of geophysical properties along the plate boundary fault interface. In 2011, a 55 km by 11 km 3D seismic reflection survey was completed using the R/V Marcus G. Langseth offshore western Costa Rica at the convergent margin of the Cocos and Caribbean plates. We applied pre-stack Kirchhoff time migration to a subset of these data across the frontal prism where amplitude versus offset (AVO) attributes were extracted along the decollement. When pore fluid pressure, l , exceeds 0.7, the pressure at which Poisson’s ratio begins to approach that of water, the AVO response of a fluid-filled, clay-rich decollement requires a high Poisson’s ratio and an excessively low seismic P-wave and S-wave velocity. Acute wedge taper, undercompacted subducted hemipelagic and pelagic sediments, and a smooth decollement in the northwest half of the survey correspond with decollement AVO response of relatively high values of Poisson’s ratio. These findings suggest increased pore fluid content and vertical containment of near-lithostatic pore fluid pressures within the decollement. In contrast, increased wedge taper angles, thin hemipelagic and pelagic sediments, and a rugose decollement beneath the southeastern frontal prism produce an AVO response interpreted as due to lower pore fluid contents and pressures. We propose that large-offset subducting basement normal faults in this area, as close as 20 m from the decollement, induce vertical fractures within the decollement that allow for fluid expulsion into the frontal prism and lower fluid pressure. Lateral variability of overpressure within the decollement shear zone of subduction margins is important in understanding the evolution of frontal prism strain accumulation and seismogenic rupture. / text

The rapid expansion of ecotourism in the Monteverde zone of Costa Rica has increased the incidence in food insecurity in the area. Changes in food preferences and availability have led to a more homogenized diet that is increasingly delocalized and reliant on processed foods. Additionally, there has been a rapid economic shift away from agricultural and dairy farming to an economy more reliant on tourism. This NSF supported study builds upon data from a longitudinal investigation (#BNS 0753017) examining the nutritional effects of this rapid economic transition. Using a mixed methods approach, a culturally appropriate scale of stress was developed and used in conjunction with the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, and the Hopkins Symptom Check List to explore the relationship between food insecurity and mental health among residents of the Monteverde zone. Quantitative results show that food insecurity correlated positively with stress, depression and anxiety, and was found to be a significant predictor of stress and depression

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The goal of this dissertation is to advance the theory of common-pool resources in three different but interrelated ways: (1) Common-pool resources theory has identified a number of factors that play an important role on human groups' ability to engage in successful institutional change. However it is still not clear which are their causal relationships on specific contexts. This study looks at the relationship between two of the aforementioned factors: local leadership and local autonomy. It does so in the context of the decentralization of the governance of protected areas for biodiversity conservation in Costa Rica. (2) Historically, common-pool resources theory has paid limited attention to the interactions between local institutions and higher levels of governance. This study incorporates the analysis of cross-scale institutional linkages into the assessment of decentralization reforms in Costa Rica. (3) To do so it incorporates an analytical approach that allows for systematic and rigorous comparisons of small-to-moderate-sized Ns and is apt at handling multiple-causality outcomes. Looking at these issues in the context of the decentralization of biodiversity governance in Costa Rica is relevant because it is the most biodiverse country per unit of area in the world, and during the last twenty years has experimented with decentralization policies to create locally-based institutions for biodiversity conservation. Among my most relevant findings are: (1) that the presence of local leadership is positively related to institutions ability to gain local autonomy from the central government. (2) However, in the context of a class-based society with a strong urban-rural divide, the emergence of local leadership for conservation in rural settings is likely not able to take place by itself without support from within the bureaucratic structure. (3) More diverse are better than less diverse sets of cross-scale linkages in local institutions' ability to gain and maintain local autonomy overtime. (4) Local autonomy can help local institutions increase their potential for biodiversity conservation as long as there are well-defined institutional arrangements in place. Otherwise, local institutions might find themselves pursuing other agendas that might have an unclear relation with biodiversity conservation.

Costa Rica is a small country located in Central America, characterized by having one of the most stable democracies in Latin America. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to officially abolish its armed forces (1949), following the Civil War in 1948. From the time of its foundation as a Republic, Costa Rica has been defined in terms of homogeneity and socio-economic equality. These two features have been recognized as the main elements of the country's national identity, and the reason for Costa Ricans to be perceived as peaceful and happy individuals. This research utilizes the methodological lens of Performance Studies to analyze these iconic elements of Costa Rican national identity and to challenge the view of Costa Rica as a paradise. Even though the international community continues defining this country in the same manner in which it was defined during the second part of the nineteen century, the reality is that during the last three decades this nation has changed so much that the same definition is not adequate anymore. Street violence in the country has become a threat to citizens of all socio-economic classes, taking away their peace and happiness. I analyze this development and the response by the citizens in an attempt to show that Costa Rica is facing an internal conflict that could have devastating on its society. Many social movements have formed during the last decade to try to bring Costa Rica back to the nation it was at the beginning of the twentieth century. The most important characteristic of these movements is that they try to unmask the country showing that it is not peaceful in an attempt to recover the peace they believed characterized the Costa Rica of their ancestors.

Costa Rica är inte vad det en gång har varit. Jaguarjägaren har lagt ner vapnet. Idag försörjer han sig på turister som vill bli ett med naturen. Svenska skolbarn samlar in pengar för att skydda regnskogen i Costa Ricas mest besökta naturreservat. Traditioner som att jaga vilda djur och att skövla dyrbar regnskog är inte längre lagliga. Vad händer när ett land satsar på en näring som innebär stora förändringar? Ekoturism är vad turisterna efterfrågar och vad costaricanerna erbjuder.

Det pedagogiska intresset för ”lärstilar” har under senaste åren ökat och barns individualitet i skriftspråkstillägnandet uttrycks även i andra sammanhang. Syftet med denna studie är att belysa och diskutera hur man kan se på och arbeta med barns olika sätt att lära i läs- och skrivundervisningen. Vidare är studien inriktad mot att belysa studieområdet ur en vidare kontext då den empiriska undersökningen genomförts både i Sverige och i Costa Rica med en kombination av intervjuer och observationer. Utifrån en kulturell och utbildningspolitisk kontext belyses variationer och likheter i lärarnas möjligheter och förutsättningar att beakta barns olika sätt att lära sig skriftspråket. Av resultatet framkommer att lärarna påvisar en viss form av beaktande av barns olika sätt att lära skriftspråket främst i form av en inriktning mot individualisering utifrån varje individs nivå och arbetstakt. De uppvisar en ambition att individanpassa undervisningen både i Sverige och i Costa Rica men undervisningen förefaller trots detta vara inriktad mot gemensamma moment. Genom att variera den gemensamma undervisningen, bland annat genom att blanda analytiska och syntetiska läs- och skrivmetoder, försöker lärarna tillgodose barns olika sätt att lära. De intervjuade lärarna framhåller dessutom motivationen hos eleverna som en avgörande faktor för ett framgångsrikt skriftspråkstillägnande och poängterar underhållande arbetssätt och skapandet av intresse hos eleverna som betydelsefulla inslag i undervisningen. Vidare tyder studiens resultat på att till skillnad mot i Sverige framhålls i Costa Rica verbala förmågor då observationer och styrdokument visar på en fokusering av muntliga undervisningsformer. Studiens resultat antyder dessutom att förutsättningar och möjligheter att beakta barns olika sätt att tillägna sig skriftspråket skiljer sig åt mellan de olika kontexterna, främst i form av att de ekonomiska resurserna i Costa Rica inte möjliggör förverkligande av lärarnas pedagogiska ambitioner.

The global estimates of methane stored in gas hydrates varied from 1018 to 1015 m3 over the last 4 decades. Each geoscientific discipline has its own quantification methods. The aim of the presented project is the combination of a well proven geochemical approach with a geophysical approach. A transfer function is presented which allows estimations based on geochemical and geophysical parameters. A first application of this combined approach has been performed along seismic line BGR99-44 off Costa Rica. The resulting concentration profile shows a differentiated distribution of the gas hydrate concentration along the slope of the margin with variations of 0 to 3 vol.% of pore space.

Problem background: There has been an extensive amount of research done within the field of learning among children. Research regarding the teaching and the context of which this research is aimed to be performed on, is on the other hand scarcer. Costa Rica is one of the countries that has focused on human rights, and with this background, this thesis intends to study how the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is communicated to children in Costa Rica. We will preform our study on two types of schools; both private and public. We will also examine the impact the context has on communication for teachers when instructing about children’s rights. Purpose: We aim to study the development communication and contexts of which the principles of the CRC are communicated and taught to school children in Costa Rica.  Method: This thesis contains qualitative research. We have relied upon conversational interviews with a hermeneutical approach. Conclusion: This thesis clearly indicates that choice of communication channel has an impact on the interaction between teachers and pupils. Digitized channels are effective in the sense of speed and quantity of information regarding the CRC. However, the context in which the pupils receive and the teachers teach about the CRC is of great importance. The teachers experience many difficulties when teaching since the context not only builds barriers but also challenges them to find more creative ways of teaching. The material used when communicating the CRC varied depending on the economic status of the school. The children wanted and expected technology and digitalization to be a fundamental part of their education.