THE ORIGIN OF MICRO-RELIEF ON TILL SHEETS OF THE CONESTOGO LAKE AREA, ONTARIO

The origin of micro-relief on till sheets of the Conestogo lake area, Ontario, is discussed. The micro-relief constitutes an extensive, integrated system of swales that represents a drainage network which functioned under periglacial conditions in the late Wisconsinan. At many locations within the study area, this drainage exploited the micro-relief of polygonal patterned ground. The present low-order stream system has resulted from contraction of this Pleistocene system. A qualitative modification of Devries' Groundwater Outcrop Erosion Model is developed to explain drainage evolution at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Today, the swales are routes for surface and shallow sub-surface flow from the gently sloping interfluves of the study area.
L'origine du microrelief des dépôts de moraines de fond dans la région du lac Conestogo, Ontario, est discutée. Le microrelief constitue un système de bas-fonds extensif et intégrè qui représente un réseau de drainage qui fonctionnait sous des conditions périglaciaires pendant le Wisconsinien supérieur. Ce drainage a emprunté le microrelief des sols polygonaux à plusieurs endroits à l'intérieur de la région d'éude. le système actuel de rivières de bas ordre est le résultat de la contraction de cet ancien système du Pléistocène. Une modification qualitative du modèle de Devries d'érosion par affleurement de la nappe souterraine (Groundwater Outcrop Erosion Model) est développée pour expliquer 1'évolution du drainage pendant la transition Pléistocene-Holocène dans cette région. Aujourd'hui, les bas-fonds forment des routes pour le ruissellement et I'écoulement hypodermique des interiluves à pentes douces de la région d'étude.     

The Impact of Urbanisation on Water Quality in the Lane Cove River,Sydney New South Wales: a Comparison of Urban and Non-Urban Catchments

The Lane Cove River drains an established urbanised catchment and is impacted by urban runoff, point sources of pollution from sewer overflows and leachate from a refuse tip. The Sydney Water Board conducted a three year water quality monitoring programme assessing the impacts of pollution. The findings are presented and the impact of urbanisation evaluated by comparing water quality in urban and non-urban catchments. Water quality in a near-pristine control creek was consistently better than the urban catchment in all weather conditions. During wet weather, water quality in urban creeks deteriorated significantly, although the control creek generally remained in a near-pristine condition. Poor water quality in urbanised reaches of the catchment has degraded the aquatic ecosystem, encouraged and sustained weed infestation of the riparian environment and restricted recreational use of the river.     

THE POTENTIAL OF CARBONIZED GRAIN TO PRESERVE BIOGENIC 87SR/86SR SIGNATURES WITHIN THE BURIAL ENVIRONMENT*

Carbonized grains survive for millennia in many archaeological contexts. Their stable structure raises the possibility that they preserve biogenic strontium isotope signatures. This hypothesis was investigated using short‐term, laboratory experiments with modern grain immersed in Chalk solution. HCl leaching removed > 95% of secondary alteration from charred grain, and isotope ratios close to the starting value were recovered. This could not be achieved with uncharred grains. HCl leaching of archaeological carbonized grains produced comparable levels of decontamination. Although preliminary, these results suggest that strontium isotope analysis of archaeological carbonized grains from calcareous burial contexts could be used to investigate ancient trade and agriculture.     

Skiing Less Often in a Warmer World: Attitudes of Tourists to Climate Change in an Australian Ski Resort

Climate change will affect tourism destinations that are dependent on natural resources, such as snow. Currently there is limited research into attitudes, intentions and actual visitation patterns of skiers in response to reduced snow cover. Therefore the awareness of, and attitudes towards, climate change of 351 ski tourists were assessed in the largest ski resort in Australia in 2007, repeating a survey conducted in 1996. Ninety percent of skiers in 2007 would ski less often in Australian resorts if the next five years had low natural snow, up from 75% of skiers surveyed in 1996: 69% would ski less often, 5% would give up and 16% would ski at the same levels but overseas. Nearly all skiers thought that climate change would affect the ski industry (87% compared with 78% in 1996), and that this would occur sooner than in the 1996 survey. Visitation in a poor snow year (2006, +0.85°C average annual temperature, 54% less natural snow) was −13.6% of the long-term average, indicating poor natural snow resulted in decreased visitation, despite extensive use of snow making. The implications of changes in climate conditions and tourist attitudes for Australian ski resorts are assessed including for snow making and summer tourism.     

ISLANDSCAPES AND 'ISLANDNESS': THE PREHISTORIC ISLE OF MAN IN THE IRISH SEASCAPE

Summary.   This paper will explore the role of the Isle of Man in the prehistory of the Irish Sea area through an examination of its changing islandscape from the Neolithic through the Iron Age. It was far from insular during prehistory, but the social and economic interactions of prehistoric Manx people around the Irish Sea and beyond were heavily affected by their water-bound environment. The way that the prehistoric Manx perceived their boundaries and their coastal situation is reflected in their ritual and social landscape, their preferential use of coastal areas for monumental architecture, and in the choices they made with regard to the island landscape they inhabited. This culturally constructed sense of islandness allowed the prehistoric Manx people to maintain distinctive local cultures while still playing an active role in the larger Irish Sea region.