Rising Sulphur and Raising Sheep: Landscape, Identity and Amateur Film in New Zealand c.1923-1939

<p>Looking at early examples of amateur filmmaking from the period 1923-1939, which have been deposited in New Zealand's national film archive, Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision, this thesis considers how amateur practice both relates to and deviates from other contemporary forms of visual culture such as professional cinema. Internationally, scholars and archivists have recently begun to examine ways that amateur films or home movies, which document personal, local and everyday experience, supplement other sources of visual history. There have, however, been few studies to date of this aspect of New Zealand's film history. While the idiosyncratic language of films intended for private use complicates their interpretation in an archive, it is argued that home movies display a 'referential coherence' in relation to other media, which offers a way of understanding amateur films as historical documents in the public domain. This relationship is explored looking at holiday films recorded at a popular sightseeing destination and films depicting working life on sheep farms. Portrayed as an exotic wonderland with spectacular geothermal activity and authentic Māori culture on display, Rotorua, as seen in promotional media, exemplified the widespread representation of New Zealand as a scenic playground. Amateur films offer a more ambivalent view of the tourist locality's geography and inhabitants. Made by outsiders familiar with popular representations, amateur tourist films resemble the imagery of professional media in many respects, however, they do so largely without articulating the simplistic narratives of publicity material. Picturesque images depicting rural New Zealand as an idyllic pastoral paradise have a long history across a wide range of media. While idealised scenic views of the countryside, which consistently ignored the social realities of rural existence, appear to presuppose the unfamiliar gaze of an (urban) outsider, rural residents recorded their own impressions of their surroundings on film. Less concerned with scenery than with the scene of daily life, amateur farming films document specific concrete experiences in a particular time and place, yet simultaneously appear to share, if not so much the iconography or aesthetics of professional media, at least some of the wider aspirations of cultural discourses in circulation. It may be concluded therefore that the study of amateur media production contributes to an understanding of how individuals and groups internalise and reproduce, or alternatively disregard, prevailing social ideologies.</p>

Rising Sulphur and Raising Sheep: Landscape, Identity and Amateur Film in New Zealand c.1923-1939

<p>Looking at early examples of amateur filmmaking from the period 1923-1939, which have been deposited in New Zealand's national film archive, Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision, this thesis considers how amateur practice both relates to and deviates from other contemporary forms of visual culture such as professional cinema. Internationally, scholars and archivists have recently begun to examine ways that amateur films or home movies, which document personal, local and everyday experience, supplement other sources of visual history. There have, however, been few studies to date of this aspect of New Zealand's film history. While the idiosyncratic language of films intended for private use complicates their interpretation in an archive, it is argued that home movies display a 'referential coherence' in relation to other media, which offers a way of understanding amateur films as historical documents in the public domain. This relationship is explored looking at holiday films recorded at a popular sightseeing destination and films depicting working life on sheep farms. Portrayed as an exotic wonderland with spectacular geothermal activity and authentic Māori culture on display, Rotorua, as seen in promotional media, exemplified the widespread representation of New Zealand as a scenic playground. Amateur films offer a more ambivalent view of the tourist locality's geography and inhabitants. Made by outsiders familiar with popular representations, amateur tourist films resemble the imagery of professional media in many respects, however, they do so largely without articulating the simplistic narratives of publicity material. Picturesque images depicting rural New Zealand as an idyllic pastoral paradise have a long history across a wide range of media. While idealised scenic views of the countryside, which consistently ignored the social realities of rural existence, appear to presuppose the unfamiliar gaze of an (urban) outsider, rural residents recorded their own impressions of their surroundings on film. Less concerned with scenery than with the scene of daily life, amateur farming films document specific concrete experiences in a particular time and place, yet simultaneously appear to share, if not so much the iconography or aesthetics of professional media, at least some of the wider aspirations of cultural discourses in circulation. It may be concluded therefore that the study of amateur media production contributes to an understanding of how individuals and groups internalise and reproduce, or alternatively disregard, prevailing social ideologies.</p>

Development of a subglacial lake monitored with radio-echo sounding: case study from the eastern Skaftá cauldron in the Vatnajökull ice cap, Iceland

We present repeated radio-echo sounding (RES, 5 MHz) on a profile grid over the eastern Skaftá cauldron (ESC) in Vatnajökull ice cap, Iceland. The ESC is a ∼ 3 km wide and 50–150 m deep ice cauldron created and maintained by subglacial geothermal activity of ∼ 1 GW. Beneath the cauldron and 200–400 m thick ice, water accumulates in a subglacial lake and is released semi-regularly in jökulhlaups. The RES record consists of annual surveys conducted at the beginning of every summer during the period 2014–2020. Comparison of the RES surveys reveals variable lake area (0.5–4.1 km2) and enables traced reflections from the lake roof to be distinguished from bedrock reflections. This allows construction of a digital elevation model (DEM) of the bedrock in the area, further constrained by two borehole measurements at the cauldron centre. It also allows creation of lake thickness maps and an estimate of lake volume at the time of each survey, which we compare with lowering patterns and released water volumes obtained from pre- and post-jökulhlaup surface DEMs. The estimated lake volume was 250 GL (gigalitres = 106 m3) in June 2015, but 320 ± 20 GL drained from the ESC in October 2015. In June 2018, RES profiles revealed a lake volume of 185 GL, while 220 ± 30 GL were released in a jökulhlaup in August 2018. Considering the water accumulation over the periods between RES surveys and jökulhlaups, this indicates 10 %–20 % uncertainty in the RES-derived volumes at times when significant jökulhlaups may be expected.

Thermal Structure Beneath the Tarim Craton and Its Tectonic Implications

The lateral distribution of the magnetic layer beneath the Tarim Craton and its environs was estimated from spectral analysis using the newest high-resolution aeromagnetic dataset of mainland China, which is enlarged by EMAG2. As a proxy, the Curie point depth (CPD) provides a comprehensive view of a crust-scale thermal regime, accounted for the depth at which magnetite becomes paramagnetic, and the correspondence of the CPD with the tectonic regime indicates that the CPD is useful for delineating the regional crustal thermal structure. Furthermore, lateral variations in CPD provide useful insights into the lithospheric thermal state of the Tarim Craton and its surrounding areas and can be related to ancient and active tectonics, such as geothermal activity, seismicity, and mineral-petroleum generation. In the Tarim interior, the NW domain covering the Bachu Uplift and its surrounding areas corresponds to the minimum magnetic CPD signature geometry of this area, which is most likely linked to the Permian Tarim plume-lithosphere interaction. In contrast, the other domains are characterized by large CPD values (up to 50 km), which are floored by a Precambrian basement without the Permian magmatism modification. Moreover, the estimated CPD values are consistent with surface heat flow measurements with an inverse correlation, which can assist in identifying the potential area for mineral deposits and hydrocarbon fields. Earthquakes are mostly concentrated in the gradient and transition zones of the Curie surface, suggesting that these abrupt variation domains in the crustal thermal structure act as a secondary mechanism for earthquake generation.

Metals in Calluna vulgaris, Empetrum nigrum, Festuca vivipara and Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus in the geothermal areas of Iceland

This investigation was conducted to identify the content of metals in Calluna vulgaris (family Ericaceae), Empetrum nigrum (family Ericaceae), Festuca vivipara (family Poaceae) and Thymus praecox subsp. arcticus (family Lamiaceae), as well as in the soils where they were growing in eight geothermal heathlands in Iceland. Investigation into the vegetation of geothermal areas is crucial and may contribute to their proper protection in the future and bring more understanding under what conditions the plants respond to an ecologically more extreme situation. Plants from geothermally active sites were enriched with metals as compared to the same species from non-geothermal control sites (at an average from about 150 m from geothermal activity). The enriched metals consisted of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe and Ni in C. vulgaris; Cd, Mn and Ti in E. nigrum; Hg and Pb in F. vivipara; and Cd, Fe and Hg in T. praecox. Notably, C. vulgaris, E. nigrum, F. vivipara and T. praecox had remarkably high concentrations of Ti at levels typical of toxicity thresholds. Cd and Pb (except for C. vulgaris and F. vivipara) were not accumulated in the shoots of geothermal plants. C. vulgaris from geothermal and control sites was characterised by the highest bioaccumulation factor (BF) of Ti and Mn; E. nigrum and F. vivipara by the highest BF of Ti and Cr; and T. praecox by the highest BF of Ti and Zn compared to the other elements. In comparison with the other examined species, F. vivipara from geothermal sites had the highest concentration of Ti in above-ground parts at any concentration of plant-available Ti in soil.

Tracing Ancient Carbon Dioxide Emission in the Larderello Area by Means of Historical Boric Acid Production Data

The impact of natural CO2 emissions in the development of geothermal areas is presently gaining more attention than ever before. In Italian geothermal fields, a reduction in the natural CO2 emissions has been observed. This paper reviews and provides an analysis of the historical production data of boric acid from 1818 to 1867 used to calculate the natural emissions of CO2 associated with boric acid production that pre-dates the use of geothermal resources for power production, which started in 1913. Boric acid was already being extracted from the natural geothermal fluids in geysers and natural ponds emitting steam and gases. After 1827 the ‘lagone coperto’ (covered lake) equipment optimized production, and the drilling of shallow wells (20–30 m) starting in 1836, which further increased the quantity of its extraction. The first geothermal reservoir was developed at the turn of the century and the Larderello geothermal field began to grow. The use of deep wells, keeping pace with the power production, led to the gradual disappearance of the natural ponds and the ‘lagoni’ (lakes) in the historical area, so the residual natural emission of CO2 is presently restricted to diffuse soil emission. Comparisons of the ancient CO2 emissions with those of the Geothermal Power Plant (GPP) in the Larderello area show that both amounts are in the same order of magnitude, suggesting a balance between the depletion of natural emissions and geothermal activity.

Environmental and Social Impacts of the Increasing Number of Geothermal Power Plants (Büyük Menderes Graben - Turkey)

The use of renewable energy is critical to the long-term development of global energy. Geothermal Power Plants (GPP) differ in the technology they use to convert the source to electricity (dual, single flash, double flash, back pressure, and dry steam) as well as the cooling technology they use (water-cooled and air-cooled). The environmental consequences vary depending on the conversion and cooling technology used. Environmental consequences of geothermal exploration, development, and energy generation includes land use and visual impacts, microclimatic impacts, impacts on flora-fauna and biodiversity, air emissions, water quality, soil pollution, noise, micro-earthquakes, induced seismicity, and subsidence. It can also have an impact on social and economic communities. As geothermal activity progresses from exploration to development and production, these effects become more significant. Before beginning geothermal energy activity, the positive and negative aspects of these effects should be considered. The number of GPPs in the Büyük Menderes Graben (BMG) geothermal area is increasing rapidly. According to the findings, in order to reduce the environmental and social impacts of the GPPs in the BMG, resource conservation and development, production sustainability, and operational problems should be continuously monitored.

Thermophilic aerobic organoheterotrophic soil bacteria from anthropogenically changed territories of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad region

Anthropogenically altered soils of Saint Petersburg and Luga (Leningrad Region) were investigated for the presence of thermophilic aerobic chemoorganoheterotrophic bacteria, potentially capable of decomposing hydrocarbons at elevated temperatures (60 C). 6 strains of pure spore-forming cultures of bacteria were isolated. Analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the 16S rRNA genes showed that they belong to the genera Geobacillus and Aeribacillus. For the first time, we obtained information on the presence of representatives of the genus Aeribacillus, which are typical inhabitants of hot springs and zones with geothermal activity, in the soils of the regions of Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.