North America

L’arrivée d’artistes formés en Europe, l’émergence d’autodidactes locaux, l’existence de lieux et paysages originaux ont permis à la peinture de se développer rapidement en Amérique du Nord. Certains artistes se sont consacrés à des « vues » de lieux bien définis. Ils devaient les représenter avec fidélité, se permettant au plus quelques embellissements. Les aquarellistes voyageurs et amateurs, comme George Heriot, ont ainsi laissé des œuvres délicates et de grande beauté. Des femmes éduquées, comme la baronne Hyde de Neuville, s’exerçaient avec talent au dessin et à l’aquarelle, devant les scènes offertes par leur vie personnelle.

D’autres artistes, plus ambitieux, devenus professionnels, travaillant au chevalet, considéraient les paysages comme des objets naturels méritant l’exactitude mais pouvant aussi être transformés ou chargés d’un sens dépassant celui de la simple perception visuelle. Sur ces nouveaux principes, Thomas Cole a fondé la Hudson School of Painting. Une floraison de peintres renommés a suivi ce premier maître d’un art du paysage authentiquement américain. Avec George Catlin et Karl Bodmer, le travail de l’artiste s’apparente à un reportage. Tout est représenté, lieux, paysages, personnages, événements.

Le grand artiste naturaliste John James Audubon, contemporain de Thomas Cole, abordait la représentation des lieux et paysages comme de simples décors à ses portraits d’oiseaux. Sa vie donne au livre la trame d’un parcours à travers l’art américain, dans la première moitié du 19ème siècle et sur l’ensemble des régions formant alors les États-Unis et le Canada, de la Floride au Sud jusqu’au Québec et l’embouchure du Saint Laurent au Nord.

Due to widespread concern that menstruating women might be attacked by black bears (Ursus americanus), we recorded responses of 26 free-ranging black bears to tampons from 26 women and recorded responses of 20 free-ranging bears to 4 menstruating women in northeastern Minnesota. Menstrual odors were essentially ignored by black bears of all ages and either sex, regardless of season or the bear's reproductive status. In an extensive review of black bear attacks across North America, we found no instance of black bears attacking or being attracted to menstruating women.

Multicultural professional psychologists routinely assert that psychotherapeutic interventions require culturally competent delivery for ethnoracial minority clients to protect the distinctive cultural orientations of these clients. Dominant disciplinary conceptualizations of cultural competence are "kind of person" models that emphasize specialized awareness, knowledge, and skills on the part of the practitioner. Even within psychology, this approach to cultural competence is controversial owing to professional misgivings concerning its culturally essentialist assumptions. Unfortunately, alternative "process-oriented" models of cultural competence emphasize such generic aspects of therapeutic interaction that they remain in danger of losing sight of culture altogether. Thus, for cultural competence to persist as a meaningful construct, an alternative approach that avoids both essentialism and generalism must be recovered. One means to capture this alternative is...

Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) has, in recent decades, been isolated from an increasing number of free-living marine fish species. So far, it has been isolated from at least 48 fish species from the northern hemisphere, including North America, Asia and Europe, and fifteen different species including herring, sprat, cod, Norway pout and flatfish from northern European waters. The high number of VHSV isolations from the Baltic Sea, Kattegat, Skagerrak, the North Sea and waters around Scotland indicate that the virus is endemic in these waters. The VHSV isolates originating from wild marine fish show no to low pathogenicity to rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon, although several are pathogenic for turbot. Marine VHSV isolates are so far serologically indistinguishable from freshwater isolates. Genotyping based on VHSV G- and N-genes reveals four groups indicating the geographical origin of the isolates, with one group representing traditional European freshwater isolates and isolates of north European marine origin, a second group of marine isolates from the Baltic Sea, a third group of isolates from the North Sea, and a group representing North American isolates. Examples of possible transfer of virus from free-living marine fish to farmed fish are discussed, as are measures to prevent introduction of VHSV from the marine environment to aquaculture.

The genetic structure of sheep reflects their domestication and subsequent formation into discrete breeds. Understanding genetic structure is essential for achieving genetic improvement through genome-wide association studies, genomic selection and the dissection of quantitative traits. After identifying the first genome-wide set of SNP for sheep, we report on levels of genetic variability both within and between a diverse sample of ovine populations. Then, using cluster analysis and the partitioning of genetic variation, we demonstrate sheep are characterised by weak phylogeographic structure, overlapping genetic similarity and generally low differentiation which is consistent with their short evolutionary history. The degree of population substructure was, however, sufficient to cluster individuals based on geographic origin and known breed history. Specifically, African and Asian populations clustered separately from breeds of European origin sampled from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America. Furthermore, we demonstrate the presence of stratification within some, but not all, ovine breeds. The results emphasize that careful documentation of genetic structure will be an essential prerequisite when mapping the genetic basis of complex traits. Furthermore, the identification of a subset of SNP able to assign individuals into broad groupings demonstrates even a small panel of markers may be suitable for applications such as traceability.

During the last glacial-interglacial cycle, northern hemispheric (NH) ice-sheets experienced dramatic changes in radiative forcing, due to orbitally-driven insolation changes and varying greenhouse gas concentrations. This direct forcing caused temperature changes and eventually ablation anomalies. Orbital-scale variations in the atmospheric circulation caused anomalies in temperature advection and precipitation/snowfall that also strongly contributed to the mass balance and hence the time-evolution

The beef sector in North America, as in much of Europe, has not industrialized as rapidly as other animal production industries (pork, poultry). At the same time, the market share for beef in household meat consumption has dwindled. Apart from a penalizing price effect, various studies in ...

Elucidating the role of pyrogenic carbon (C pyr) as a global pool for CO 2 sequestration in temperate ecosystems requires information on the contribution of C pyr to soil organic carbon (SOC) across different climatic regions. We investigated the effect of climate and basic soil properties on the accumulation of C pyr in surface soils across the native North American prairies. Topsoil samples (0-10 cm) of 18 native grassland sites along temperature and precipitation transects from central Saskatoon, Canada, to south Texas, USA, were analyzed for benzenecarboxylic acids as molecular markers for C pyr after nitric acid oxidation in the bulk soil (<2 mm), clay-(<2 mm) and silt-sized (2-20 mm) separates. C pyr contributed between 4 and 18% to SOC, the major proportions of C pyr being mostly found in the clay and silt fractions. C pyr in soil did not correlate with basic inorganic soil properties such as pH or clay content, but it increased significantly as SOC contents increased (r 2 = 0.78; P < 0.001). Obviously, C pyr co-accumulated with dead biomass. Since this accumulation depends on climate, also C pyr contents in soil depend on climate and may be predicted by the logarithm of the ratio of mean annual temperature (MAT) to mean annual precipitation (MAP) (P < 0.05). We conclude that the natural potential of soils to sequester C pyr reflects both, (1) higher C pyr production at sites with high plant biomass in moist climates, and (2) lower C pyr residence time at soils acting as a CO 2 source in warm climates.

A serologic survey of anti-Brucella spp. antibodies was undertaken on 2,470 samples of 14 North American marine mammal species collected between 1984-97. Serum or blood from eight species of cetaceans and six species of pinnipeds was sampled from Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans. Two competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (C-ELISA's), using specific monoclonal antibodies to Brucella abortus cell wall components, were used to detect anti-Brucella spp. antibodies in the samples. Sera from 33 cetaceans and 61 pinnipeds gave inhibition values, in one or both of the tests, which exceeded the threshold that indicates Brucella spp. exposure in cattle. Seropositive animals were identified from Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans. While Brucella spp. was not isolated, differences in the response of seropositive cetacean and pinniped sera in the two assays suggest that two antigenically distinct species or biovars of Brucella spp. are present. No pathology consistent with clinical brucellosis was noted in any of the animals tested although detailed examination was not conducted on all carcasses.

Analyses of identifiable organic fossil remains of animals and plants have considerable potential to resolve conflicting models of organic matter diagenesis and kerogen formation (e.g. selective preservation versus random polymerization). Fossil cuticles of arthropods (scorpion, eurypterid) and plants (cordaite, pteridosperm) from Upper Carboniferous strata of Lone Star Lake, Kansas, USA and Joggins, Nova Scotia, Canada were analysed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and examined by electron microscopy. Recent Pandinus (scorpion) and Araucaria (conifer) provided a basis for comparison. Pyrolysis of Recent dewaxed scorpion cuticle yielded products derived from chitin and proteins. These products were absent in the fossil arthropod cuticles, however, which yielded an homologous series of alkanes and alkenes, together with phenolic and other aromatic constituents. Recent dewaxed plant cuticle yielded fatty acids, phenols and carbohydrate-derived compounds indicative of cutin polyester and associated lignocellulose. The pyrolysates of the fossil plant cuticles, on the other hand, were dominated by alkane-alkene doublets, with minor phenolic and other benzenoid components. There is no evidence that the preservation of these cuticles as particulate organic matter in kerogen is simply a result of selective preservation. Nonetheless, the chemistry and morphology remain characteristic of a particular taxon, thereby eliminating the possibility of incorporation of randomly repolymerized materials or the transfer of material between plant and animal residues. The aliphatic moieties in the fossil cuticles are thought to be the result of polymerization of the associated epicuticular, cuticular and/or tissue lipids during diagenesis.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to provide nurse practitioners (NPs) with an evidence-based counseling strategy for motivating patients to adopt healthier cardiovascular lifestyles and reduce their cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. A comprehensive overview of motivational interviewing (MI), framed within the context of the transtheoretical model of change (TTM), demonstrates how primary care NPs can utilize this counseling approach to optimize cardiovascular outcomes in their patients. Data sources: Published original research and review articles in scholarly journals on the following topics: MI; advice giving; counseling techniques; TTM; CVD; quality NP care. Conclusions: Although the major risk factors for CVD are largely preventable, CVD rates are increasing to epidemic proportions. Traditional advice giving to decrease CVD risk is minimally effective. MI combined with TTM is an effective counseling technique, which motivates patients who are resistant and ambivalent to change. MI is an appropriate, evidence-based strategy to promote cardiovascular health. Implications for practice: NPs working in primary care can integrate MI with TTM into ongoing patient encounters to facilitate positive behavior changes in their patients over time. Thus, NPs can play a key role in decreasing the growing burden of CVD in North America. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in North America, affecting one in three Americans (American Heart Association [AHA], 2009; Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2009). Most risk factors for CVD, including cigarette smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, atherogenic diet, obesity, and physical inactivity, are modifiable (AHA, 2009; Grundy, 2007). Poor diet and physical inactivity are especially important behaviors to address because they frequently lead to the more complex risk factors of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome (Jansink et al., 2009; Smith, van der Ploeg, & Buffart, 2008). While most risk factors for CVD can be prevented or reduced by lifestyle modification, the traditional approach of advice giving to stimulate behavior change is often ineffective and rarely results in sustained behavior change (Brodie & Inoue, 2004; Cifuentes et al.,

The earthquake response of wind turbines is a topic of interest, relevant to installations in seismic regions. In recent years, researchers and practitioners have approached this problem through application of existing code for building structures as well as numerical and analytical modeling of wind turbines. The Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table at the University of California, San Diego has opened the possibility of full-scale shake table tests of tall structures, such as wind turbines. In November 2004, researchers at the University of California, San Diego successfully conducted a full-scale test on a 65 kW turbine. The turbine was excited perpendicular to the axis of the rotor with a seismic base shaking record scaled to various levels. This paper presents an overview of the experimental program and associated preliminary analytical results.

ABSTRACT. The assumption of interregional equilibrium in migration research has recently been attacked. At issue is the motivation for on-going migration if rents and wags accurately compensate for spatial amenity variations; but if rents and wages fail to accurately compensate potential migrants, then amenity valuations must be flawed. We here show that arguments supporting substantial disequilibrium in the US. economy are unconvincing. The substantive issues are then clarified by a model which allows for both equilibrium and disequilibrium migration. We conclude that intertemporally systematic migration stems predominantly from equilibrium forces.

We analyze collaborative play in an online video game, World of Warcraft, the most popular personal computer game in the United States, with significant markets in Asia and Europe. Based on an immersive ethnographic study, we describe how the social organization of the game and player culture affect players' enjoyment and learning of the game. We discovered that play is characterized by a multiplicity of collaborations from brief informal encounters to highly organized play in structured groups. The variety of collaborations makes the game more fun and provides rich learning opportunities. We contrast these varied collaborations, including those with strangers, to the "gold standard" of Gemeinschaft-like communities of close relations in tightknit groups. We suggest populations for whom similar games could be designed.

Today, over-consumption, pollution and resource depletion threaten sustainability. Waste management policies frequently fail to reduce consumption, prevent pollution, conserve resources and foster sustainable products. However, waste policies are changing to focus on lifecycle impacts of products from the cradle to the grave by extending the responsibilities of stakeholders to post-consumer management. Product stewardship and extended producer responsibility are two policies in use, with radically different results when compared for one consumer product, refrigerators. North America has enacted product stewardship policies that fail to require producers to take physical or financial responsibility for recycling or for environmentally sound disposal, so that releases of ozone depleting substances routinely occur, which contribute to the expanding the ozone hole. Conversely, Europe&#39;s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive requires extended producer responsibili...

Objective: To provide a summary of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Anorexia Nervosa (AN). Conclusions: Anorexia nervosa affects only a small proportion of the Australian and New Zealand population but it is important because it is a serious and potentially life-threatening illness. Sufferers often struggle with AN for many years, if not for life, and the damage done to their minds and bodies may be irreversible. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by a deliberate loss of weight and refusal to eat. Overactivity is common. Approximately 50% of patients also use unhealthy purging and vomiting behaviours to lose weight. There are two main areas of physical interest: the undernutrition and mal-nutrition of the illness and the various detrimental weight-losing behaviours themselves. Basic psychopathology ranges from an over-valued idea of high salience concerning body shape through to total preoccupatio...

The a.borigi?zaf d~t~b~Lt~~~ of ~a~~~~~a~ irk North Alnerka is found not to be positively related to the richrkess of the n&ml ~~~r~~r~l~, cantmy to thr: ~edicti~~ of the ~~~u~th~s~ark model, the dominant one irk Anthr~lo~y. Great aln4ndurtce of some reso?&rces can encourage nomadism or rake thtz productivity of women, two detuminarkts qf the cost qfc/kildr??n, which I find are associated with lower abotiginal population density umong a sample of tribes of Norttk American Indians. POPULATION EQUILIBRIUM IN PRIMITIVE SOCIETIES 749 POPUIATION EQUILIBRIUM IN PRIMITIVE SOCIETIES 767 8. See the earlier quotation from Marshall Sahlins. 9. This rate was computed from those societies with both pre and post-epidemic estimates. 10. The important role of forest is because the implements of the Indians were not suitable for breaking up the tough grasses of open land (Driver and Massey, 1957, p. 225).

This paper presents a quantitative estimation of the impact of reservoirs on discharge and irrigation water supply during the 20th century at global, continental, and river basin scale. Compared to a natural situation the combined effect of reservoir operation and irrigation extractions decreased mean annual discharge to oceans and significantly changed the timing of this discharge. For example, in Europe, May discharge decreased by 10%, while in February it increased by 8%. At the end of the 20th century, reservoir operations and irrigation extractions decreased annual global discharge by about 2.1% (930 km 3 yr À1). Simulation results show that reservoirs contribute significantly to irrigation water supply in many regions. Basins that rely heavily on reservoir water are the Colorado and Columbia River basins in the United States and several large basins in India, China, and central Asia (e.g., in the Krishna and Huang He basins, reservoirs more than doubled surface water supply). Continents gaining the most are North America, Africa, and Asia, where reservoirs supplied 57, 22, and 360 km 3 yr À1 respectively between 1981-2000, which is in all cases 40% more than the availability in the situation without reservoirs. Globally, the irrigation water supply from reservoirs increased from around 18 km 3 yr À1 (adding 5% to surface water supply) at the beginning of the 20th century to 460 km 3 yr À1 (adding almost 40% to surface water supply) at the end of the 20th century. The analysis is performed using a newly developed and validated reservoir operation scheme within a global-scale hydrology and vegetation model (LPJmL).

This paper examines the impact of immigrants on the income of various groups of resident workers in the United States and Europe. Our approach features the use of a production technology incorporating education, experience, and unskilled labor as inputs. This contrasts with the assumption used in earlier studies that native-born and immigrant labor are distinct inputs into production. We find that in both United States and European production, education, unskilled labor and experience are complementary inputs. Based on these results, simulations of the impact of immigration on residents are carried out. The absolute magnitude of these effects is found to be very small. * Phone: (908) 932-7405,

Since the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations in 1994, there has been increasing debate about the implications of freer trade for domestic or "nontrade" objectives in agriculture. These range from traditional concerns, such as food security and rural development, to more recent issues such as the relationship between agriculture and the environment, and the effects of agricultural practices on human health and animal welfare. For countries reluctant to reduce agricultural protection, a key issue is the extent to which domestic policy objectives would need to be sacrificed under freer trade. For countries espousing trade liberalization, the issue is whether domestic policy objectives will be used as a guise to undermine freer trade in agricultural products.

Aspen was heat-treated at high temperature in a laboratory thermogravimetric analyzer. The high temperature wood treatment technology is new in North America and needs to be adapted to the North American species. The objective of this study is to understand how the treatment affects the mechanical properties of aspen such as hardness, modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture, and, consequently, the quality of the product. The wood samples were heated in an inert gas environment under different operating conditions. The parameters studied are the final treatment temperature, heating rate, holding time, and the gas humidity. The weight loss and the temperature history of wood were monitored during the treatment. After the experiments, the properties of the samples were measured, and the effects of the above parameters on the properties were analyzed. The weight loss increased with increasing temperature, heating rate, holding time, and gas humidity. Increasing temperature caused an increase in MOE and a decrease in MOR. Overall hardness decreased with increasing temperature above 160°C and it increased with increasing holding time and heating rate whereas it decreased with increasing gas humidity. Holding time and heating rate did not seem to affect MOE. Gas humidity increased MOE. MOR increased with holding time and decreased with heating rate and gas humidity.

Two mammoth sites from the central Great Plains of North America, each containing one adult Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi), were excavated from Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) loess and fine-grained alluvial deposits, respectively. Taphonomic data from both sites indicate that the mammoth skeletons exhibit numerous spirally fractured limb elements. Dynamic loading points are present on midshafts of large limb bones. Bone flakes produced from the partial thickness of thick cortical bone are also present. Hypotheses of carnivore activity, mammoth trampling, and human-induced fracturing are evaluated as possible causes of the fractured limb bone. Testing the hypotheses using modern data from actualistic taphonomic studies of elephant skeletons, paleontological data from two proboscidean natural death sites, experimental data from elephant bone fracturing, and archaeologically derived data concerning late Pleistocene human modification of mammoth limb bone indicates that the first two hypotheses can be rejected, while the third hypothesis is supported. r

The first double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of an atypical neuroleptic medication is being conducted in symptomatic treatment-seeking patients meeting new diagnostic criteria for a putative prodromal syndrome. This identifies them as being at high risk for developing psychosis in the near future. The study aims include prevention of psychosis onset and disability, as well as palliation of ongoing symptomatology.

t is not surprising that debates about the future of social democracy have recently proliferated. More than two decades of neoliberalism have left citizens and commu- nities everywhere seeking respite from an unbridled globaliz- ing capitalism. In Europe, the backdrop has a decade of social democratic electoral resurgence amid much uncertain- ty about appropriate governing philosophies and policy frameworks for the exercise of power. In North America, similar debates have emerged at a different point in the elec- toral cycle, addressing the potential demise of the New Democratic Party or the disappointing results of the Nader Green Party campaign. Yet the underlying question is the same: can social democrats generate the ideas and strategy to power a credible electoral and policy alternative to neoliber- alism? While consensus exists on the passing of social democ- racy&#39;s &quot;classical model,&quot; there is much less clarity on the meaning and direction of a new social democra...

A commonly stated reason for low adoption rates of precision agriculture (PA) is that its benefits are insufficient to justify the costs. Ostensibly, this seems to preclude any possibility of PA in developing countries, where profitability is much lower than in developed economies, and where there is only localised prospect of supporting high technology. We question this assertion, and postulate that the basic purpose of PA -to provide spatial information to reduce the uncertainty -far from being a luxury, could be viewed as essential to accelerate change in the developing world, even if it is used in a different form to that offered in Europe or North America.

As evident in the professional literature (e.g., Fialkoff 1999, the growth of book superstores in North America has been of concern to public libraries. Despite this little research has explored the relationship between libraries and book stores. A British study found that book store customers and public library patrons each tended to prefer their own venue. In an earlier study we reported on observations of customer behaviour in book superstores. This study complements our earlier work, seeking to more fully answer the following research questions: What do people do while they are at public libraries? How much are these behaviours like those that commonly happen in book superstores? How much are they different?

Longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) represent a model of the structural redesign of clinical education that is growing in the USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa. By contrast with time-limited traditional block rotations, medical students in LICs provide comprehensive care of patients and populations in continuing learning relationships over time and across disciplines and venues. The evidence base for LICs reveals transformational professional and workforce outcomes derived from a number of small institution-specific studies. This study is the first from an international collaborative formed to study the processes and outcomes of LICs across multiple institutions in different countries. It aims to establish a baseline reference typology to inform further research in this field. Data on all LIC and LIC-like programmes known to the members of the international Consortium of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships were collected using a survey tool developed through a Delphi proc...

Measurements of tropospheric nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) made in continental North America should exhibit a common pattern determined by photochemical removal and dilution acting upon the typical North American urban emissions. We analyze 11 data sets collected in the United States in the context of this hypothesis, in most cases by analyzing the geometric mean and standard deviations of ratios of selected NMHCs. In the analysis we attribute deviations from the common pattern to plausible systematic and random experimental errors. In some cases the errors have been independently verified and the specific causes identified. Thus this common pattern provides a check for internal consistency in NMHC data sets. Specific tests are presented which should provide useful diagnostics for all data sets of anthropogenic NMHC measurements collected in the United States. Similar tests, based upon the perhaps different emission patterns of other regions, presumably could be developed. The specific tests include (1) a lower limit for ethane concentrations, (2) specific NMHCs that should be detected if any are, (3) the relatively constant mean ratios of the longer-lived NMHCs with similar atmospheric lifetimes, (4) the constant relative patterns of families of NMHCs, and (5) limits on the ambient variability of the NMHC ratios. Many experimental problems are identified in the literature and the Southern Oxidant Study data sets. The most important conclusion of this paper is that a rigorous field intercomparison of simultaneous measurements of ambient NMHCs by different techniques and researchers is of crucial importance to the field of atmospheric chemistry. The tests presented here are suggestive of errors but are not definitive; only a field intercomparison can resolve the uncertainties.

Southern California-Edison (SCE) currently operates the largest fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) in North America. SCE&#39;s EV experiences began in 1987 with prototype and electric conversions, such as the Conceptor G-Van, the Pentastar TEVan, and U.S.E. Sedan. Between 1994 and 1997, after the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, SCE began using early OEM EVs, such as the

During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado, USA were covered by one of the largest ice caps in North America. The deposits formed subsequent to LGM retreat provide a record of the interaction between post-LGM climate change and late Quaternary landscape evolution. In order to determine the role of post-LGM climate change in alpine landscape modification, a high resolution surficial geologic map was produced for the four primary tributaries and the main stem of the upper Conejos River watershed in the southeastern San Juan Mountains.

Background: Obesity is associated with vitamin D deficiency, and both are areas of active public health concern. We explored the causality and direction of the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] using genetic markers as instrumental variables (IVs) in bi-directional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Altimeter measurements of sea level from the Topex/Poseidon mission are used to explore the relationship of sea level to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The secular trend in these areas is also calculated, and the confusing effect of the NAO discussed. Sea level throughout the Mediterranean is sensitive to the NAO during the winter months. No clear effect on the Black Sea is discovered. In the period considered (1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001), the NAO has a major effect on inter-annual variability of sea level in the Mediterranean but is unlikely to have affected the apparent secular trend.

Observations of the tropical atmosphere are fundamental to the understanding of global changes in air quality, atmospheric oxidation capacity and climate, yet the tropics are under-populated with long-term measurements. The first three years (October 2006–September 2009) of meteorological, trace gas and particulate data from the global WMO/Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) Cape Verde Atmospheric Observatory Humberto Duarte Fonseca (CVAO; 16° 51′ N, 24° 52′ W) are presented, along with a characterisation of the origin and pathways of air masses arriving at the station using the NAME dispersion model and simulations of dust deposition using the COSMO-MUSCAT dust model. The observations show a strong influence from Saharan dust in winter with a maximum in super-micron aerosol and particulate iron and aluminium. The dust model results match the magnitude and daily variations of dust events, but in the region of the CVAO underestimate the measured aerosol optical thickness (AOT) because of contributions from other aerosol. The NAME model also captured the dust events, giving confidence in its ability to correctly identify air mass origins and pathways in this region. Dissolution experiments on collected dust samples showed a strong correlation between soluble Fe and Al and measured solubilities were lower at high atmospheric dust concentrations. Fine mode aerosol at the CVAO contains a significant fraction of non-sea salt components including dicarboxylic acids, methanesulfonic acid and aliphatic amines, all believed to be of oceanic origin. A marine influence is also apparent in the year-round presence of iodine and bromine monoxide (IO and BrO), with IO suggested to be confined mainly to the surface few hundred metres but BrO well mixed in the boundary layer. Enhanced CO2 and CH4 and depleted oxygen concentrations are markers for air-sea exchange over the nearby northwest African coastal upwelling area. Long-range transport results in generally higher levels of O3 and anthropogenic non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) in air originating from North America. Ozone/CO ratios were highest (up to 0.42) in relatively fresh European air masses. In air heavily influenced by Saharan dust the O3/CO ratio was as low as 0.13, possibly indicating O3 uptake to dust. Nitrogen oxides (NOx and NOy) show generally higher concentrations in winter when air mass origins are predominantly from Africa. High photochemical activity at the site is shown by maximum spring/summer concentrations of OH and HO2 of 9 × 106 molecule cm−3 and 6 × 108 molecule cm−3, respectively. After the primary photolysis source, the most important controls on the HOx budget in this region are IO and BrO chemistry, the abundance of HCHO, and uptake of HOx to aerosol.