Mziwendoda Cyprian Madwe, Zwelihle DR Z. W. Nzuza, Odunayo Magret Olarewaju
The impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction on firm financial performance is increasingly contested in prior research and there remains a lack of agreement regarding this relationship. This highlights the unanswered question of whether environmental protection investment pays off. This study investigates the association between greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and firm financial performance of 58 high-polluting companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The study employed a two-step system generalized method of moment (SGMM) to analyse the relationship between GHG emissions and firm financial performance. Our study reports no statistical association between greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction initiatives and firm financial performance of high-polluting companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. This paper recommends that firms in high polluting intensify carbon emission reduction initiatives as a long-term investment that can improve competitive advantage and resilience to greenhouse gas emission related risks. We suggest that tax incentives and supportive regulatory mechanisms to offset the short-term financial costs associated with adoption of carbon emission reduction strategies to align firm pollution abatement practices with sustainable development goals.
Change detection for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images effectively identifies and analyzes changes in the ground surface, demonstrating significant value in applications such as urban planning, natural disaster assessment, and environmental protection. Since speckle noise is an inherent characteristic of SAR images, noise suppression has always been a challenging problem. At the same time, the existing unsupervised deep learning-based methods relying on the pseudo labels may lead to a low-performance network. These methods are high data-dependent. To this end, we propose a novel unsupervised change detection method based on curvelet fusion and local patch similarity information clustering (CF-LPSICM). Firstly, a curvelet fusion module is designed to utilize the complementary information of different difference images. Different fusion rules are designed for the low-frequency subband, mid-frequency directional subband, and high-frequency subband of curvelet coefficients. Then the proposed local patch similarity information clustering algorithm is used to classify the image pixels to output the final change map. The pixels with similar structures and the weight of spatial information are incorporated into the traditional clustering algorithm in a fuzzy way, which greatly suppresses the speckle noise and enhances the structural information of the changing area. Experimental results and analysis on five datasets verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method.
Lara Jansen, Eline Loos, Restiana Wisnu Ariyati
et al.
ABSTRACT Mangrove ecosystems support a diverse array of animal species and also provide pivotal ecosystem services, such as coastal protection, food provisioning, and carbon capture. However, these vital habitats are in decline, leading to coastal degradation in many parts of the globe. To address this, a mangrove restoration project in Demak, Java, Indonesia, introduced the use of semi‐permeable coastal protective barriers made of bamboo pilings to safeguard the shore zone and hinterlands. The introduction of such hard substrate in the marine environment can attract a range of species, and it is important to be able to monitor changes in biodiversity from a restoration point of view. Here, we assessed whether environmental DNA metabarcoding can be applied to monitor fish biodiversity in an understudied area. Our results show slight but significant differences in species richness and fish community composition within a short timeframe of only 4 months, although we cannot disentangle the effects of seasonal variation from those of the introduction of hard substrate. More importantly, this study demonstrates a useful level of temporal resolution of eDNA metabarcoding and establishes a baseline for fish species richness in an understudied mangrove coastal zone in Demak, Java, Indonesia. Our results are of value for informing future restoration efforts and other (metabarcoding) biodiversity studies in the region.
In order to alleviate geological disasters such as rock burst, mine earthquake, and surface subsidence and realize the coordinated development of coal resources safe mining and environmental protection in Ordos coalfield, this article proposes a local filling and multiface coordinated mining rock movement control method. The influence of movement deformation of complex lithologic gangue fills and overburden structure characteristics on the synergistic effect of complex carrier-overburden structure is discussed by PFC–FLAC coupling simulation. The results show that the synergistic effect between the overburden structure and the composite carrier is greatly affected by the spatial location of the master-subkey layer. The synergistic effect between the overburden structure and the composite carrier of the upper main key layer and the lower subkey layer forms a complete mushroom arch or half mushroom arch in the overburden rock, while the synergistic effect between the overburden structure and the composite carrier of the lower main key layer and the upper subkey layer does not form a strong synergistic effect. The composite carrier mainly acts as an isolation pillar to isolate the gob into several non-critical gob. In contrast, the secondary compression deformation of the composite lithologic gangue has a great influence on the mining behavior of the upper main key strata and the lower sub-key strata, and the bearing range of the composite carrier is reduced by 4.6% to 5% at most, and the synergistic interaction between the composite bearing coal pillar and backfill body evolves in a pattern of initial enhancement followed by gradual weakening. In addition, after calculation, the secondary compression rate of the composite rock gangue reaches 7% to 8%, ultimately leading to a secondary surface subsidence rate of 19%. Therefore, considering the influence of the composite rock gangue filling and its secondary compression deformation is the main link to achieve precise control of surface subsidence.
En zone sud-soudanienne, la biomasse fait l’objet de plusieurs usages. Les ressources fourragères constituent la principale source d’alimentation des animaux dans les zones à forte vocation pastorale au Burkina Faso, notamment dans la zone sud-soudanienne. Ces ressources sont constituées majoritairement de la paille des herbacées et de celle des résidus de culture (mil, sorgho). Ces ressources, en plus de leur utilisation pour l’alimentation des animaux, font l’objet de diverses autres utilisations. La durabilité de la ressource durant la période sèche constitue donc la problématique principale. Cette étude est basée essentiellement sur les enquêtes et entretiens auprès d’un échantillon de 450 personnes réparties dans 06 communes de la région du sud-ouest du Burkina. De ces enquêtes et entretiens, il ressort que les principaux utilisateurs de ces ressources sont repartis en fonction de leurs activités socio-économiques. Le profil socio-économique des acteurs illustre les principales utilisations de ces ressources. Mais ces ressources, en plus de leurs utilisations, sont soumises à des facteurs de dégradation qui entrainent la diminution voire la perte de ces ressources. Ces facteurs sont d’ordre naturel et d’ordre anthropiques avec principalement des prélèvements pour les différentes utilisations par les populations. La connaissance de tous ces paramètres permet d’avoir une appréhension sur les usages de la paille des herbacées et celle des résidus de culture.
Biochar has the potential to become a more promising carbon source with a broad range of applications in soil agroecosystems. The depletion of soil minerals is a big problem due to soil erosion and leaching of nutrients. Biochar is a soil conditioner used in crop production to improve soil profile, increase fertilizer use efficiency, plant growth and development, carbon sequestration, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is persistent in the environment and retains water, nutrients, and contaminants. It can also be applied in environmental rehabilitation for remediating contaminated soil. Applied biochar significantly enhanced the nutrients in the rhizospheric soil and reduced the bioavailability and uptake of heavy metals. The enhancement of soil nutrient values was the major functional mechanism for enhancing plant protection and production. Overall, the results of this mini-review are significant because they provide the strategies and technological direction for using biochar in sustainable agricultural systems.
Ngangmo Yannick Cédric, Mezoue Adiang Cyrille, Mah Serges Charitos
et al.
Introduction: In both developed and developing countries, re-suspension of dust particles along the road owing to tire and brake wear is the most common source of Particulate Matters (PM) pollution in metropolitan areas. This study in Douala analyses the effects of paved and unpaved roads on particle matters concentration thresholds in urban environments.
Materials and methods: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)'s model AP-42 equations were used to calculate the amount of particle matter emissions on the roads. Between 6 am and 8 pm, a traffic analysis using information from the city of Douala was conducted. The busiest times for traffic were from 8 to 9 a.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. We applied a two-dimensional Gaussian model to determine the particle concentration. Two different scenarios were taken into account: Compared to Scenario 2 (S2), Scenario 1 (S1) represents an unpaved road. The PM10 and PM2.5 types of particles were the main topics of interest.
Results: We obtained for S1, around 917.70 µg/m3 and 559.00 µg/m3 respectively for PM10 and PM2.5. We got roughly 170.00 µg/m3 and 103.90 µg/m3 for S2, respectively for the two particles. The amount of silt deposited
on the road, the kind of road (paved or unpaved), the number, and the types of vehicles moving all influence the emission of road dust re-suspension. Regardless of particle size, these pollution levels are beyond World Health Organization (WHO) recommended norms.
Conclusion: This study offers important information on Douala's pollution levels, which can be a significant cause of disease in the area and should be considered.
Tiba Jassam Kaison Al-Imari, Edina Lengyel, János Korponai
et al.
Small lakes are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world. Their protection is of crucial importance since they support an unusually high biodiversity relative to their size. The present study aimed at selecting the main drivers, especially the role of the morphological variables, shaping benthic diatom communities in unique, but rarely investigated forest pond ecosystems in the temperate region, using traditional (species-based methods and diversity indices) and novel approaches (trait-based methods and functional diversity indices) of diatom ecology. Therefore, we analyzed the effects of the environmental (temperature, conductivity, colour, shading, pH, nutrient forms, anions) and morphological (surface area, depth) variables of 70 temperate, forest ponds located in two regions of Hungary on the composition (species- and trait-based) and diversity (traditional and functional) of their benthic diatom communities. Based on the multivariate analyses, no regional differences in the environmental and morphological variables were been observed among the ponds. Our results showed that both environmental variables and lake morphology had significant effects on the benthic diatom communities, but they contributed to their variation with different proportions. Environmental variables such as nutrient content (rsoluble reactive phosphate = 0.72) and conductivity (r = 0.65) affected mostly the species composition, and the traditional diversity metrics (rtotal phoshate = −0.42, rconductivity = −0.54). In contrast, morphological features of the ponds were the most important drivers of diatom trait composition. This functional response of diatoms manifested in the selection of species according to their size, shape and lifeforms, moreover, in changing of functional diversity. Overall, this study revealed the complex interplay between environmental variables and lake morphology in shaping the composition of benthic diatom communities. Furthermore, it highlights the necessity to apply different methods to understand the ecology and functioning of these special aquatic ecosystems.
Global warming caused by excess carbon dioxide (CO2) emission has been a focus of the world. The development of neutral carbon technologies becomes a strategic choice for the sustainable human society. Integrating CO2 capture and conversion (iCCC) technology can simultaneously convert the captured CO2 from flue gas into value-added chemicals, which saves great energies and expenses incurred in CO2 compression and transportation processes of conventional carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology. The present review critically discusses the dual-function materials (DFMs) and the iCCC technology at intermediate temperature for methane production and high temperature for syngas production. The design of reactor and optimization of operation conditions are emphasized from the perspective of industrial applications. The dual-fixed-bed reactors mode by switching the flue gas and reactant gases, and the dual-fluidized-bed reactors mode by the circulation of DFMs particles are comparatively reviewed. We hope this review can stimulate further studies including designing and fabricating feasible DFMs, exploring realistic catalytic process for CO2 conversion to high value-added chemicals, developing workable reactor modes and optimizing operation conditions, and establishing industrial demonstration for real applications of iCCC technology in the future.
Volker Müller, Holger Pieta, Joschka Schaub
et al.
The upcoming European emission standards for light as well as heavy-duty road vehicles in the 2025/26 timeframe will include a remote monitoring mandate as a key element of the regulation to ensure continuous ultra-low real world emission behavior. Real-time data regarding tailpipe emission performance for multiple pollutant species will be recorded and compared with the legal limits, summarized under heading On-Board Monitoring (OBM) for defined pollutant species. In addition, engine and exhaust gas aftertreatment operating conditions are required to be collected via an electronic control unit to complete the monitoring status and analysis in the necessary post-processing routines. The EU legal authorities within the rule making sections are on track to define an EU-wide standard that extends the responsibility of the OEMs from emission compliance in pre-defined operating profiles to full in-use emission behavior that is essentially independent from boundaries such as environmental and operating conditions.As the emission-related certification process for EU-7/-VII applications is entirely based on PEMS-measurements in all kinds of real-world driving cycles, the intended OBM aspect is also entirely related to PEMS-based emission criteria, marginally reduced by physical constraints like realizing reliable operating conditions for installed sensors, like e.g., warm-up, linearization or dew point protection [1].Under the anticipated Euro 7/VII standards, vehicle emissions are considered as being generated by a single, holistic system, with tailpipe emissions generally understood to be below the limit, regardless of what technology package the powertrain contains. With a multitude of factors determining the actual emissions behavior of the application as well as the measuring accuracy, meeting the intended continuous emissions monitoring represents even in comparison to the strict, ultra-low emission limits, the dominating challenge in meeting the upcoming EU-7 applications. This is due to the extreme complexity of the requirement and the very sensitive trade-off between the adherence to the formulated legal OBM limits and the realization of undesired and unnecessary consequences of the monitoring system, impacting the robust all-day usability of the vehicle over the complete service.Facing these extreme challenges, the paper in hand aims to provide a clear starting point resp. an aligned base for solution finding and delivers already some initial thoughts for solution finding and initial descriptions of the mandatory steps forward for realization and implementation.
Abstract Determining the nutrient factors influencing food choice provides important insight into the feeding strategy of animals, which is crucial for understanding their behavioral response to environmental changes. A bamboo‐leaf‐based diet is rare among mammals. Animals’ food choice and nutritional goals have been explained by several frameworks; however, the influence of nutrients on food choice in bamboo‐leaf‐based macaques is not yet available. Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) inhabiting limestone forests are characterized by such a bamboo‐leaf‐based diet, predominantly consuming young leaves of Bonia saxatilis, a shrubby, karst‐endemic bamboo. We studied the feeding behavior of one group of Assamese macaques using instantaneous scan sampling in limestone forests of the Guangxi Nonggang National Nature Reserve in southwest Guangxi, China. We compared the nutrient content of staple food and nonfood items and examine the role of key nutrients in the food selection of macaques. Our results showed that young leaves of bamboo B. saxatilis contained more water, crude protein, phosphorus, and less tannin than nonfood items. Furthermore, staple foods contained a higher content of water and less content of calcium than nonfood items. More specifically, quantities of water, crude protein, calcium, and phosphorus in food items were critical factors affecting feeding time on a specific plant item. Our results suggest that young bamboo leaves could meet macaques’ required protein and water intake, while enabling them to maintain their mineral balance, consequently facilitating to maintain the primates’ bamboo‐leaf‐diet in the limestone forest. Our findings confirm the effects of nutrient contents in food choice of Assamese macaques, highlighting the importance of the nutrient contents in maintaining their bamboo‐based diet and the need to increase the knowledge on their nutritional strategy adapted to the bamboo‐dominated diet inhabiting the unique limestone habitat.
Kathryn A. Tafoya, Eduardo S. Brondizio, Christopher Eric Johnson
et al.
Common approaches to reverse the trend of tropical deforestation and loss of wildlife include systems of protected areas (PAs) such as national parks, payments for ecosystem services programs (PES) that provide financial reward to landowners protecting their forests, and ecotourism that attempts to increase local economic gains and protect biodiversity while minimizing detrimental ecological effects from tourists. For example, Costa Rica successfully reversed deforestation by restoring forest cover from 24.4% in 1985 to >50% by 2011 through implementation of national environmental protection policies in the 1990s that included a portfolio of PAs, PES, and ecotourism. However, the social-ecological effectiveness of this conservation portfolio in terms of interactions between deforestation, biodiversity, and community participation is not clear across local scales. Therefore, we conducted multitemporal geospatial analysis to determine forest cover change from 2001–2017, broad census surveys to determine primate species richness and group encounter rate, and surveyed private landowners to determine participation in PES and ecotourism across four regions of Costa Rica. Net forest loss varied seven-fold across regions and occurred in both protected and non-protected areas across all regions from 2001–2017, although rates were lower inside PAs. Primate group encounter rate varied significantly across all regions with an 11-fold difference between the region with the most primates compared to the region with the least. All but one region contained the full community of primate species present. Participation in conservation incentives also varied seven-fold across regions, with those reporting the highest participation having the highest primate density and diversity, as well as the lowest deforestation rates. These results suggest that the most effective strategy to simultaneously curb tropical deforestation, protect primates, and ensure community benefits may depend on a complete portfolio of PAs, PES, and ecotourism, rather than a subset of these strategies. Future studies will explore finer scale differences and similarities across PA, PES, and ecotourism forests, including measures of primate physiology and behavior, forest structure, and pesticide exposure.
Stefan Klettenhammer, Giovanna Ferrentino, Ksenia Morozova
et al.
In recent years, the demand for nutritive, functional and healthy foods has increased. This trend has induced the food industry to investigate novel technologies able to produce ingredients with enhanced functional and physicochemical properties. Among these technologies, one of the most promising is the encapsulation based on supercritical fluids. Thanks to the inherent absence of organic solvent, the low temperature of the process to reach a supercritical state and the capacity to dissolve lipid soluble bioactives, the encapsulation with supercritical carbon dioxide represents a green technology to produce several functional ingredients, with enhanced stability, high load and tailored protection from environmental factors. Furthermore, from the fine-tuning of the process parameters like temperature, pressure and flow rate, the resulting functional ingredient can be easily designed to tailor the controlled release of the bioactive, or to reach specific levels of taste, odor and color. Accordingly, the aim of the present review is to summarize the state of the art of the techniques based on supercritical carbon dioxide for the encapsulation of bioactive compounds of food interest. Pros and cons of such techniques will be highlighted, giving emphasis to their innovative aspects that could be of interest to the food industry.
Abstract Assessing metal distributions in cities is an important aspect of urban environmental quality management. Western honeybees (Apis mellifera) and their products are biomonitors that can elucidate small‐scale metal distribution within a city. We compare range and variations in trace element (TE) concentrations and lead (Pb) isotopic compositions of honey, bee tissue, bee pollen, and propolis collected throughout Metro Vancouver (BC, Canada). Honey, bee, and bee pollen results have similar TE and isotopic trends; samples collected in urban and industrialized areas exhibit elevated concentrations of anthropogenically influenced TE (e.g., Pb, Zn, V, and Ti) and a less radiogenic Pb isotopic composition (i.e., lower 206Pb/207Pb and elevated 208Pb/206Pb) relative to their suburban and rural counterparts. For example, 206Pb/207Pb, 208Pb/206Pb in honey range from 1.126, 2.131 and 1.184, 2.063; extremes measured in honey from urban and suburban/rural areas, respectively. Except for propolis, measured and interpolated (kriged) results in all materials reflect the immediate zoning or land use setting near the hive, providing kilometer‐scale geospatial resolution, suitable for monitoring urban systems. Statistical analysis reveals that no systematic variations or intra‐ or inter‐annual trends exist in TE concentrations or Pb isotopic compositions, including among sampling and field methods (i.e., old vs. new hive equipment and honey from the brood nest box vs. honey super). The results of this systematic study using honeybees and hive products in Metro Vancouver provide a robust, current baseline for future comparison of local land use and environmental policy change.
BACKGROUND:The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all United Nations (UN) member states in 2015, established a set of bold and ambitious health-related targets to achieve by 2030. Understanding China's progress toward these targets is critical to improving population health for its 1.4 billion people. METHODS AND FINDINGS:We used estimates from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2016, national surveys and surveillance data from China, and qualitative data. Twenty-eight of the 37 indicators included in the GBD Study 2016 were analyzed. We developed an attainment index of health-related SDGs, a scale of 0-100 based on the values of indicators. The projection model is adjusted based on the one developed by the GBD Study 2016 SDG collaborators. We found that China has achieved several health-related SDG targets, including decreasing neonatal and under-5 mortality rates and the maternal mortality ratios and reducing wasting and stunting for children. However, China may only achieve 12 out of the 28 health-related SDG targets by 2030. The number of target indicators achieved varies among provinces and municipalities. In 2016, among the seven measured health domains, China performed best in child nutrition and maternal and child health and reproductive health, with the attainment index scores of 93.0 and 91.8, respectively, followed by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) (69.4), road injuries (63.6), infectious diseases (63.0), environmental health (62.9), and universal health coverage (UHC) (54.4). There are daunting challenges to achieve the targets for child overweight, infectious diseases, NCD risk factors, and environmental exposure factors. China will also have a formidable challenge in achieving UHC, particularly in ensuring access to essential healthcare for all and providing adequate financial protection. The attainment index of child nutrition is projected to drop to 80.5 by 2025 because of worsening child overweight. The index of NCD risk factors is projected to drop to 38.8 by 2025. Regional disparities are substantial, with eastern provinces generally performing better than central and western provinces. Sex disparities are clear, with men at higher risk of excess mortality than women. The primary limitations of this study are the limited data availability and quality for several indicators and the adoption of "business-as-usual" projection methods. CONCLUSION:The study found that China has made good progress in improving population health, but challenges lie ahead. China has substantially improved the health of children and women and will continue to make good progress, although geographic disparities remain a great challenge. Meanwhile, China faced challenges in NCDs, mental health, and some infectious diseases. Poor control of health risk factors and worsening environmental threats have posed difficulties in further health improvement. Meanwhile, an inefficient health system is a barrier to tackling these challenges among such a rapidly aging population. The eastern provinces are predicted to perform better than the central and western provinces, and women are predicted to be more likely than men to achieve these targets by 2030. In order to make good progress, China must take a series of concerted actions, including more investments in public goods and services for health and redressing the intracountry inequities.
Kethek Ogleng is a unique factor that shapes the aesthetics of language learning. Unfortunately, the relation between Kethek Ogleng and language learning draws only a little attention. To reveal the phenomenon, the present qualitative descriptive study was performed by investigating Indonesian language learning based on Kethek Ogleng dance. The study was conducted in SMPN (State Junior High School) 3 Nawangan, to the second semester ninth grade students of the 2017/2018 academic year. The research findings reveal that the approach can build the level of ecological intelligence of the students. Based on the responses to the questionnaire distributed, the average level of ecological intelligence and environmental skills of the students shows signs of progress. The data indicate that the mean score was 3.2 and the percentage of ecological intelligence was 65%, indicating the attainment of knowledge and skills of school and home environment preservation. The indicators of the success of this approach can be seen in the changes of attitude and behavior of students in environmental management, covering clean and healthy classrooms and toilets, the use of recyclable materials, water and electricity conservation in the classroom, protection of trees and plants around the classrooms, proper treatment of trash, and organic and inorganic waste utilization.
In Kosovo, so far, there have been positive developments regarding environmental legislation framework, each passing day, this legislative framework has been developing in conformity with the situation and the possibility of human capacities of the country, but it is also worth stressing that a contribution during the composition of environmental legislation has been given by the EC, through technical assistance respectively TAIEX, the amendments made so far have been made conform governmental policies for environmental protection and based on the acquis communautaire and other demands of European Commission of the EU during the assessment of the institutions, through progress report. National legislation in power should guarantee the right on environmental information, public participation in decision making and the right to address the court for environmental issues, according to the international conventions on environment, especially based on the Aarhus Convention which is without doubt one of the most important environmental conventions for the fact that it defends the principal rights of the environment. Even though Kosovo is not a signing member of many international agreements, the responsible public institutions should work hard to ensure these rights in an efficient and effective way, because signing and ratification of these agreements in which these developments play key role and have a specific importance.
However, in Kosovo there is a huge number of the laws approved by the Ministry, government and parliament, but we are too far from the implementation practice. Environmental right in Kosovo has its basis from the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, Law of Access on Public documents Nr. 03/L-215, Penal Code of the Republic of Kosovo Nr. 04/L-082, Law on Environmental Protection Nr. 03/L-025, Waste Law Nr. 03/L-160, Law for protection of Air from Pollution Nr. 03/L-160, VNM Law Nr. 03/L-214, Administrative Order Nr. 09/2011 Information for participation of the public and interested parties in procedures of evaluation on environment impact, Law for Chemicals Nr. 02/L-116, Law for Waters Nr. 04/L147, Law for Nature Protection Nr. 03/L-233. The environmental right means access in all natural resources which enable survival of live organisms in biosphere, including earth, water, air, biodiversity, nature, food and habitats.
Reconstructions of the late-Holocene climate rely heavily upon proxies
that are assumed to be accurately dated by layer counting, such as
measurements of tree rings, ice cores, and varved lake sediments.
Considerable advances could be achieved if time-uncertain proxies
were able to be included within these multiproxy reconstructions, and if
time uncertainties were recognized and correctly modeled for proxies
commonly treated as free of age model errors.
<br><br>
Current approaches for accounting for time uncertainty are generally
limited to repeating the reconstruction using each one of an ensemble of
age models, thereby inflating the final estimated uncertainty – in
effect, each possible age model is given equal
weighting. Uncertainties can be reduced by exploiting the inferred
space–time covariance structure of the climate to re-weight the
possible age models. Here, we demonstrate how Bayesian hierarchical
climate reconstruction models can be augmented to account for time-uncertain proxies. Critically, although a priori all age models are
given equal probability of being correct, the probabilities
associated with the age models are formally updated within the
Bayesian framework, thereby reducing uncertainties. Numerical
experiments show that updating the age model probabilities decreases
uncertainty in the resulting reconstructions, as compared with the
current de facto standard of sampling over all age models, provided
there is sufficient information from other data sources in the
spatial region of the time-uncertain proxy. This approach can readily be
generalized to non-layer-counted proxies, such as those derived from
marine sediments.