FARM LAYOUTS IN MANITOBA

The internal spatial arrangement of some 1,000 farms in Manitoba is examined. About three-fifths of the farms comprise one or more separated pieces besides a farmstead piece. Efficiency of fanning appears to be the main factor governing the areal layout of both farmstead and separated pieces. Farmstead pieces tend to be large and to comprise side contiguous parcels. Separated pieces are generally close to each other and the farm headquarters, and larger pieces are preferred to smaller ones. Farms become more broken up with increasing farm size, but layouts vary little from region to region or among ethnic groups.
On examine la disposition interne et spatiale de quelque mille fermes du Manitoba. Environ trois cinquièmes de ces fermes comprennent une ou plusieurs parties de terre qui sont détachées de la partie principale. Il semble que l'éfficacité de l'agriculture est l'élément le plus important en ce qui concerne la disposition régionale d'une ferme et de ses parties détachées. Les parties principaux ont une tendance àêtre grandes et à comprendre des parties qui sont laterales et contiguës. En général les parties détachées avoisinent les unes les autres aussi bien que la partie principale, et les parties plus grandes sont préférées aux celles qui sont plus petites. Plus une ferme s'agrandit, plus ses parties deviennent dispersées, mais la disposition des fermes diffère peu d'une région à une autre ou parmi les groupes ethniques.     

Model tuning and its impact on modelled climate change response: Hudson Bay sea ice, a case study

The impact of climate model parameterization is examined using Hudson Bay sea ice as a case study. The implicit diffusion of an upstream scheme used in a three dimensional ocean general circulation model is locally determined by using a one dimension proxy model of Hudson Bay with atmospheric, cryospheric and oceanic components. Using this proxy model, distinct pairs of values for the thermal conductivity of sea ice and thermal diffusivity of sea water are found that reproduce the current climatology of sea ice thickness in Hudson Bay. These pairs of values are subsequently used in a 3°C warming scenario. The resulting ice thicknesses are shown to be highly dependent on the choice of these pairs of values as well as the seasonal distribution of the warming.     

Unconventional Gas Development: Why a Regional Community Said No

Public concern resulting from unconventional coal seam gas (CSG) exploration and production has become a contentious planning issue in regional Australia, with public concern drawing attention to government planning obligations. To assist Lismore City Council (Northern New South Wales) in its deliberations on the topic, a referendum‐style poll on the issue of CSG industry development was held in conjunction with the local government elections of September 2012. The poll question, ‘Do you support CSG exploration and production in the Lismore City Council area?’, elicited a poll response rate of 97% of eligible voters, of which 87% voted ‘no’. This paper reports the results of an exit poll survey using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to frame motivations behind the poll result, and examines the role of the poll and exit poll survey in providing a process of deliberative democracy in the context of the CSG debate. Key details highlighted by the results were that non‐supporters of CSG exploration were primarily concerned about water quality, while supporters saw the primary benefit being regional employment. Emerging themes of this study are the need for more independent research on potential risks and benefits of CSG developments, increase in institutional transparency, and the development of renewable alternatives. The study concludes that the principles of deliberative democracy involved in the Lismore City Council poll and subsequent exit poll survey have provided an opportunity for a more open discussion and genuine discourse within the CSG debate.