Corrections policy paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Corrections policy - Research Paper Example The policy sought to effect the probation on the nonviolent crime offenders by holding them accountable and thus provision of effective supervision. The policy has indeed seen a sharp decline in the crime rate in the whole state and more so in Houston town that was notorious for worst crime rate among the state tourneys. The policy involved the appropriation of a sizable budget into prison detention alternatives. This included provision of drug courts, intermediate sanctions, treatment of mental cases rather than imprison them and smarter incarceration (Roberts, 2009). This correction policy was effected back then in 2007 that had the state use intensive resource directly paid by the citizens of the state. The upgrading package came due to the growing concerns with the court system as well as the civil society for need to have adequate facilities in the correction system. The budget was then approved by the legislature, which they projected would be sufficient for the coming years Th e need for other alternatives in the correctional system that bore the adult correction reform, was as a response to the many alternatives and waiting lists in the corrections system. The statements by the judges and data from correction officials were vital to the implementation of this policy. The effects of the policy are without doubt beneficial to Houston residents and the state of Texas at large. Identification and evaluation The correction policy identified is the â€Å"Adult Corrections Reform: Lower Crime, Lower Costs †. The policy was established with the purpose of giving smarter alternatives to the incarnation that would lower the costs used but still hold the offenders accountable for their crimes. The policy has over the last years resulted in the expansion of alternative capacity in the corrections system in our town. The nonviolent offenders have in the process been put on probation with strict and effective supervision by the correction officials. This is con trary to the previous policies that required them to be detained in the prisons thus congesting it. At the same time this had led to increases in prison capacity that meant more costs. The policy has seen a significant reduction of crime rate in Texas and in particular our Houston town. Texas had been ranked among the states with a higher crime rate in the late 70s coming 4th in the survey done by the FBI. The policy has helped the state to record the lowest ever crime rate at 12.8% decrease between 2005 1nd 2010. The incarceration rate among the adults in the same period of time has been reduced by a significant 9%. This has marked a great milestone in the correction policy implementation. The strategies have a low crime rate enabled the state to reduce crime significantly and hence avoid building of new more prison facilities. The expense was to involve the addition of more than 17,000 new beds in the prisons across the state. The policy used $55million in probation departments ai med at reducing the revocation rate among adult offenders and increasing supervision on the sanctions applied. The policy implementation led to a decrease in the rate of revocation in the prison departments thus saving the taxpayers a massive $119 million (Legislative Budget Board, 2011). Earlier on, parole and

Horizontal and Vertical Financial Analysis - PepsiCo vs Coca-Cola Essay

Horizontal and Vertical Financial Analysis - PepsiCo vs Coca-Cola - Essay Example The structure of this article is framed in such a manner that firstly income statements of both the companies are analyzed on horizontal and then on vertical basis. Next section is based on the analysis of balance sheets for the two companies on horizontal basis and then followed by vertical analysis. The major components of income statements are analyzed for both the companies in respect of cost of goods sold, operating income, income before taxes and finally net income. Cost of sales for PepsiCo is around 43% of the sales whereas the same for Coca-Cola is around 35% of the sales which is substantially lower than that of PepsiCo. In respect of operating profits, Coca-Cola has also an edge over PepsiCo such that its operating income is around 26% of the sales whereas PepsiCo remained behind and has the operating profit of just around 18%. Coca-Cola remained successful in maintaining a healthy position in respect of its income before taxes such that it managed to earn income before ta xes around 28% of the sales whereas PepsiCo hardly managed to earn income before taxes of around hardly 19% of the sales. Net income for Coca-Cola has remained on a stronger side pursuing around 21% of its sales. On the other hand, PepsiCo just managed to earn net income of 13% of its sales in the three years. Following are the attached tables for percentage change on horizontal basis for two companies.... s 19.60 18.95 18.51 Provision for Income Taxes 7.08 4.69 5.28 Income from Continuing Operations 12.52 14.26 13.23 Tax Benefit from Discontinued Operations 0.00 0.13 0.00 Net Income 12.52 14.39 13.23 Coca Cola Inc.                Income Statement    Horizontal Analysis 2005    2004    2003 Net Operating Revenues 100.00 100.00 100.00 Cost of Goods Sold 35.47    35.30    37.28 GROSS PROFIT 64.53 64.70 62.72 Selling, general and administrative expenses 37.82 36.29 34.94 Other operating charges 0.37    2.21    2.75 OPERATING INCOME 26.34 26.21 25.03 Interest income 1.02 0.72 0.84 Interest expense 1.04 0.90 0.85 Equity income — net 2.94 2.86 1.95 Other loss — net (0.40) (0.38) (0.66) Gains on issuances of stock by equity investees 0.10    0.11    0.04 INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 28.96 28.62 26.35 Income taxes 7.87 6.32 5.50 NET INCOME 21.09    22.29    20.84                   Income Statement Analysis on Vertical Basis In respect of vertical analysis, PepsiCo is found to have earned much more growth as compared to Coca-Cola such that PepsiCo’s revenues increased by 8% and 11% respectively as compared to previous years whereas Coca-Cola’s revenues increased with 4% and 6% during the same periods. Operating profits of PepsiCo increased by around 10% and 12% as compared to previous years, however, only 9% and 7% increase in operating income for Coca-Cola can be observed. Net income of PepsiCo decreased by 3.18% as compared to previous year but Coca-Cola managed to increase its net income by 0.52%. Following tables highlight the comparative vertical analysis for both companies. PepsiCo Inc.       Income Statement    Vertical Analysis 2005 2004 Net Revenue 11.28 8.49 Cost of sales 11.85 8.41 Selling, general and administrative expenses 11.63 8.70 Amortization of intangible

What is the difference between civic nationalism and ethnic Essay

What is the difference between civic nationalism and ethnic nationalism Can the former exist without the latter - Essay Example In terms of self-determination, it is referred to â€Å"as having full statehood with complete authority on domestic and internal affairs† Miscevic, Nenad (01 Jun 2010 Whereupon, we come into the two theories of nationalism: the civic nationalism and the ethnic nationalism. What makes them different from each other, and could it be rightly expressed that the former can exist without the other? I believe that although the two kinds of nationalism are different from each other; civic nationalism emanates from ethnic nationalism because the former is a heritage that existed during the times of our forefathers; and that civic nationalism has gathered its principles from the experience of ethnic nationalism. Kuzio, Taras (January 2002, pp. 20-39) supports my assertion that civic nationalism could not exist without ethnic nationalism. He believes that the country’s ethnicity and civic universalism â€Å"is dependent on the evolution of its history from ethnic to civic state and nationhood and the depth of democratic consolidation† (Kuzio, Taras). He concluded in his study that evolution from ethnic to civic states does not depend on geogra phy but rather on the positive influence of international institutions, domestic democratic consolidation and civic institution building†. The West, he said has a long history of ethnic states, and that this factor makes its evolution also similar to the states in the East. Drawn from the explanations of Nikolas 2001, ethnic nationalism has ideological bonds from the native history and its people. It is differentiated from civic nationalism because its nationhood is described by its customs and traditions, religion and language (Hill, Richard C. 2003). Accordingly, the ethnic nationalists believe that â€Å"it is not the state that creates the nation but the nation that creates the state†. What make them stay together are the

Online social entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Online social entrepreneurship - Essay Example Eden project currently employs 650 people and offers 300 people the opportunity to volunteer for them. The Eden project works as a social enterprise as all the profits made are re-invested back into the project. The project itself works on behalf of a trust by Eden Project Limited; this trust is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Eden trust. The Eden project is also a registered charity in the UK (number 1093070). The largest funds which helped built the project came through The Millennium Commission which raised over  £56 million adding on the EU and Southwest Regional Development Agency also raised approximately  £50 million between them. In the financial year 2012-2013 notable companies like Rio Tinto, MasterCard and EDF Energy helped donate funds that financed the Edens projects short-term and long-term costs. The project has helped build the local economy by contributing over  £1 Billion since 2001. The overall cost of building the Eden project is  £140 million. After a lot of consideration as a group we decided to work on the Eden Project mainly because most of us had an interest towards the environment and had prior knowledge about different species of plants. We also believed the Eden project was very relevant towards us as the Eden project mainly targets students that want to explore and learn about the environment. Nowadays, social entrepreneurship is becoming more popular. As a matter of fact, many theories have been written about social entrepreneurship and its shared values. Even though there is a wide selection of literature concerning these theories, the aim of this review will be focusing on three areas that appear often in the literature reviewed. The first area will be the nature of social entrepreneurship, then the online part of the social entrepreneurship and the enhancement of the social value throughout different frameworks. However, the literature reviewed

What is the difference between civic nationalism and ethnic Essay

What is the difference between civic nationalism and ethnic nationalism Can the former exist without the latter - Essay Example In terms of self-determination, it is referred to â€Å"as having full statehood with complete authority on domestic and internal affairs† Miscevic, Nenad (01 Jun 2010 Whereupon, we come into the two theories of nationalism: the civic nationalism and the ethnic nationalism. What makes them different from each other, and could it be rightly expressed that the former can exist without the other? I believe that although the two kinds of nationalism are different from each other; civic nationalism emanates from ethnic nationalism because the former is a heritage that existed during the times of our forefathers; and that civic nationalism has gathered its principles from the experience of ethnic nationalism. Kuzio, Taras (January 2002, pp. 20-39) supports my assertion that civic nationalism could not exist without ethnic nationalism. He believes that the country’s ethnicity and civic universalism â€Å"is dependent on the evolution of its history from ethnic to civic state and nationhood and the depth of democratic consolidation† (Kuzio, Taras). He concluded in his study that evolution from ethnic to civic states does not depend on geogra phy but rather on the positive influence of international institutions, domestic democratic consolidation and civic institution building†. The West, he said has a long history of ethnic states, and that this factor makes its evolution also similar to the states in the East. Drawn from the explanations of Nikolas 2001, ethnic nationalism has ideological bonds from the native history and its people. It is differentiated from civic nationalism because its nationhood is described by its customs and traditions, religion and language (Hill, Richard C. 2003). Accordingly, the ethnic nationalists believe that â€Å"it is not the state that creates the nation but the nation that creates the state†. What make them stay together are the

Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment Essay Example for Free

Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment Essay The most severe of all sentences: that of death. Also known as the death penalty, capital punishment is the most severe form of corporal punishment. It has been banned in many countries, in the United States, an earlier move to eliminate capital punishment has now been reversed and more and more states are resorting to capital punishment for serious offenses such as murder. An Eye for and eye, a life for a life, who has never heard of the famous Lex Talionis? The Bible mentions it, and people have been using it regularly for centuries. We use it in reference to burglary, adultery, love and many other situations. However, some people use it on a different level, some people use it in reference to death. One steals from those who have stolen from him, one wrongs those who have wronged him, but do we really have the right to kill those who have killed. Today, there is a big controversy over capital punishment whether or not it works, or if it is morally right. We have a certain privilege on our own lives, but do the lives of others belong to us as well? Do we have the right to decide the kind of lives others can or cannot live? We find someone guilty of murder and sentence him to death, does that not make murderers out of ourselves? Can justice justify our acts? Those who assist in the death penalty are they not partners in crime? Is the death penalty a Cruel and Unusual punishment or is it now a necessary tool in the war on crime? With the increase in crime and violence in our society, how does the death penalty affect a North American family. Use of the death penalty has declined throughout the industrial Western World since the 19th century. In 1972, movement in America to have the death penalty declared unconstitutional during the landmark case of Furman v. Georgia, which declared the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment. However, after a supreme court decision in 1975, Gregg v. Georgia, which stated capital punishment did not violate the eighth Amendment, executions commenced again under state supervision. (Van der Haag, 1975, 3-4). There are seven main types of execution: Hanging, where the prisoner is blindfolded and stands on a trap door, with a rope around his neck. The trap door is opened suddenly. The weight of the prisoner’s body below the neck causes traction separating the spinal cord from the brain. The second most widely used technique is shooting, where a firing quad shoots the prisoner from some meters away. Another method is Guillotine, a device consisting of a heavy blade held aloft between upright guides and dropped to behead the victim below. Then there was garroting, in which a tightened iron collar is used to strangle or break the neck of a condemned person. One of the more recent is Electrocution where the prisoner is fastened to a chair by his chest, groin, arms and legs. Electrodes are placed around a band around the head, then jolts of 4-8 amperes at voltage between 500 and 2000 volts are applied at half a minute at a time. The newest forms of execution are Lethal Injection where a lethal poison is injected into the prisoners arm or the Gas Chamber where the prisoner is placed in a room with Sodium Cyanide crystals and left to die. (Meltser, 1973, 21-26) There are four major issues in the capital punishment debate, the first being deterrence. A major purpose of criminal punishment is to deter future criminal conduct. The deterrence theory suggests that a rational person will avoid criminal behavior if the severity of the punishment outweigh the benefits of the illegal conduct. It is believed that fear of death deters people from committing crimes. Most criminals would think twice before committing murder if they knew their own lives was at stake. That if attached to certain crimes, the penalty of death exerts a positive moral influence by placing a stigma on certain crimes like manslaughter, resulting in attitudes of disgust and horror to such acts. (McCuen, 1985, 11) Studies of the deterrent effect of the death penalty have been conducted for several years, with varying results. Most of these studies have failed to produce evidence that the death penalty deterred murders more effectively then the threat of imprisonment. The reason for this is that few people are executed and so the death penalty is not a satisfactory deterrent. If capital punishment were carried out more it would prove to be the crime deterrent it was partly intended to be. During highly publicized death penalty cases the homicide rate is found to go down but it goes back up when the case is over. (Bailey, 1994, 42) When comparisons are made between states with the death penalty and states without, the majority of death penalty states show murder rates higher than non-death penalty states. The average murder rate per 100,000 population in 1996 among death penalty states was 7.1, the average murder rate among non-death penalty states was only 3.6. A look at neighboring death penalty and non-death penalty states show similar trends. Death penalty states usually have a higher murder rate than their neighboring non- death penalty states. (Death Penalty Information Center) The second issue in the capital punishment debate is retribution. The need for society to express sufficient condemnation for heinous murders. Supporters of the death penalty contend that the only proper response to the most vile murders is the most sever punishment possible. Therefore, society should literally interpret the â€Å"eye for an eye† principle when an individual takes a life, society’s moral balance will remain upset until the killer’s life is also taken. (Block, 1983, 112) Although death penalty opponents disagree society should be able to express its outrage with a vile crime by inflicting capital punishment. They suggest that they are showing outrage for taking a life by talking the life of another. (Bedau, 1982, 88) Use of the death penalty as intended by law could actually reduce the number of violent murders by eliminating some of the repeat offenders thus being used as a system of justice, not just a method of deterrence. Modern supporters of capital punishment no longer view the death penalty as a deterrent, but just as a punishment for the crime, one source said, in recent years the appeal of deterrence has been supplanted by a frank desire for what large majorities see as just vengeance.† (Bailey, 1994, 55) The third major issue is arbitrariness determined by or arising from whim or impulse rather than judgment or reason. â€Å"From the days of slavery in which black people were considered property, through the years of lynching and Jim Crow laws, capital punishment has always been deeply affected by race. Unfortunately, the days of racial bias in the death penalty are not a remnant of the past.† (NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund) Fairness requires that people who break the same law under similar circumstances should meet with the same punishment, however the justice system is not consistent. Statistics show that a black man who kills a white person is 11 times more likely to receive the death penalty than a white man who kills a black person. And blacks who kill blacks have even less to worry about. Its almost like we kind of say, Oh, well, he needed killing anyhow.† (NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund) The fourth debate is the danger of mistake. In the past, there were many people wrongfully executed for crimes that they did not commit all in the name of justice. It has happened that after the execution of the alleged guilty party, the real murderer confessed to elevate his guilty conscience. â€Å"No matter how careful courts are, the possibility of perjured testimony, mistaken honest testimony, and human error remain all too real. We have no way of judging how many innocent persons have been executed, but we can be certain there were some.† J. Marshall (Bailey, 1994, 38) The unique thing about the death penalty is that it is final and irreversible. Since 1970, 77 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence. Researchers Radelet Bedau found 23 cases since 1900 where innocent people were executed, and the numbers are growing. With stories of people like Rolando Cruz, released after 10 years on Illinoiss death row, despite the fact that another man had confessed to the crime shortly after his conviction; and Ricardo Aldape Guerra, who returned to Mexico after 15 years on Texass death row because of a prosecution that a federal judge called outrageous and designed to simply achieve another notch on the prosecutors guns. (Death Penalty Information Center) There are safeguards guaranteeing protection of those facing the death penalty. These safeguards are : The defendant can not be insane, and the man’s real or criminal intent must be present. Also, minors very rarely receive the death penalty because they are not fully mature and might not know the consequences of their actions. Finally the mentally retarded are very seldom executed. The reason for not executing the retarded is that they often have difficulty defending themselves in court, have problems remembering details, locating witnesses, and testifying credibly on their own behalf. These safeguards are to try to insure that justice will be served without having it suffer. (Bailey, 1994, 147) It costs up to three times the amount to keep a prisoner on death row than it would be to keep them in prison for the rest of their lives. The expense comes from the long drawn out appeals process that we are giving our criminals, and the court appointed attorneys that the poor are receiving. (Death Penalty Information Center) The death penalty costs the state of North Carolina 2.6 million per execution while it costs the whole nation [United States] 700 million since 1976. And it’s the same everywhere, Florida spent an estimated $57 million on the death penalty from 1973 to 1988 to achieve 18 executions that is an average of $3.2 million per execution. (Miami Herald, July 10, 1988). In Texas, a death penalty case costs an average of $2.3 million, about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest security level for 40 years. However it is also a form of insurance that the criminal will never commit another crime again. (Death Penalty Information Center) In the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) the death penalty was required for a wide range of offenses, both civil and religious. In the following passages from the King James Version of the Bible, Jehovah required the state to execute a person for murder: Genesis 9:6 states: Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. If sufficient proof were provided that a person had committed a crime, the state imposed the death penalty on the guilty person(s). They were either stoned to death, impaled or burned alive. Witnesses who testified at the trial would often participate in the killing. To their credit, the courts of ancient Israel required very high levels of proof of criminality before they would order the death penalty (Horwitz, 1973, 36) Of course, a person may think it is immoral to kill someone no matter what they have done. When I say it is retributive justice to take the life in turn for the taking of another life, it could be argued that a criminal is not able to learn a lesson since he dies as an immediate result of the punishment. How can this be called punishment if no lesson is taught? In my opinion, the only way for justice to be served is to have the criminal pay with their life, â€Å" an eye for an eye.† Many people believe that capital punishment does not belong in a civilized society. I believe it is needed because we do not live in a civilized society, if we did there would be no crime. We live in a day and age where killing happens everyday, and many get away with it. Those who do get caught, don’t stay in a jail cell for the rest of their live. If we could rig our streets of murderers, it could mean a safer place for everyone. Men and women could feel safer jogging or doing errands at night. Single women could feel safer in their homes. Children could feel safe playing in their yards. No executed murderer has ever killed again. References The Death Penalty in America 256-63 (H. Bedau ed., 3d ed. 1982) E. Van den Haag, Punishment as a Device for Controlling the Crime Rate, 33 Rutgers L, Rev. 706, 719 (1981) H. Gross, A Theory of Criminal Justice 489 (1979) Ehrlich Gibbons, On the Measurement of the Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment and the Theory of Deterrence, 6 J. Legal Stud. 35 (1977). Bedau Radelet, Miscarriages of Justice in Potentially Capital Cases (1st draft, Oct. 1985) E. Van der Haag, Punishing Criminals 196-206 (1975). C.F. Phllips, The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: New Evidence on an Old Controversy, 86 Am. J. Soc. 139 (1980). Baumgart, R. A. McCuen, Gary E. Reviving the Death Penalty. Madison, WI: Gary McCuen, 1985: 22. Electrocution. Academic American Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Grolier, 1993: 113. Clark, Lesley. Florida execution of 350-pound inmate turns bloody. Miami Herald. 10 July 1988.

Surface Water And Groundwater

Surface Water And Groundwater The hydrological cycle describes the continuous movement of water above, on, and below the surface of the earth. The water on the Earths surface surface water occurs as streams, lakes, rivers as well as bays and wetlands. The water below the surface of the Earth primarily is ground water, but it also includes soil water (Sphocleous, 2000). Interactions between groundwater and surface water play a critical role in the functioning of riparian ecosystems. These interactions can have significant implications for both water quantity and quality. Identifying potential exchange of water between the aquifer and stream channel has therefore been investigated by many researchers using a variety of methods (USGS Ground Water Information, 2008). Assessing groundwater-surface water interactions is often complex and difficult. There are many factors which influence groundwater-surface water interactions such as river bed characteristics, geology, geomorphology and climate. In general a number of methods have been used to ascertain the nature of groundwater surface water interactions across different catchments. These methods include several tracers used to identify the exchange of surface and groundwater, such as heat, ion chemistry, isotopes and viruses. Potential surface aquifer interactions have also been quantified using remote sensing and models (USGS, 2008; Kalbus et al, 2006). The purpose of this essay is to review the various techniques used to determine groundwater and surface water interactions and their importance whilst encompassing significant case studies from around the world and within Australia. Discussion Surface water and groundwater (GW-SW) have long been considered separate entities, and have been investigated individually. Although chemical, biological and physical properties of surface water and groundwater are indeed different, they are not isolated components of the hydrologic system, but instead interact in a variety of physiographic and climatic landscapes. Therefore development or contamination of one commonly affects the other (Kalbus et al, 2006). To understand GW-SW interactions, it is necessary to understand the effects of the hydrogeological environment on GW flow systems, that is the effects of topography, geology, and climate as these factors are the major influences on the type of techniques use to determine GW-SW interactions (see figures 1, 2 3) (USGS, 2008). Figure 1. Groundwater seepage into surface water Figure 2. Subaqueous springs resulting from ground water flow through highly permeable sediments (USGS, 2008) (USGS, 2008) Figure 3. Ground-water flow paths vary greatly in length, depth and travel time from points of recharge to points of discharge in the ground-water system (USGS, 2008) Many studies of GW-SW interactions involve the use of more than one technique in attempting to determine nature of exchanges. Environmental tracers are naturally occurring dissolved constituents, or physical properties of water that can be used to track water movement through water sheds. Often tracers such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), conservative and non-conservative ions, stable and radio-isotopes can be coupled with piezometric monitoring and computer modelling to aid in determining the movement and character of GW or SW (Hohener et al, 2003). CFCs are synthetic halogenated volatile organic compounds that have been manufactured since 1930 and can be detected analytically in water in small concentrations. Previous review articles have occasionally summarised the use of CFCs as tracers for dating pristine groundwater as a failure due to local CFC contamination in excess of the equilibrium with modern air. However, CFCs do provide hydrogeological tracers and dating tools for young groundwater on a time-scale of 50 years (Hohener et al, 2003). Since the mid 1970s, CFCs have been used routinely by hydrologists and various disciplines, for dating and tracing water masses. Using gas chromatographs and electron capture detectors, analytical methods for CFCs in water with detection limits for some particular CFCs, have been developed. Generally, the presence of detectable concentrations of CFCs in groundwater indicates recharge after the late 1940s, or mixing of older water with younger water. Groundwater samples with CFC concentrations between the analytical detection limit and the equilibrium with atmospheric concentrations at recharge temperature can potentially be used for age-dating. The use of CFCs dating techniques allows hydrologists and scientists alike to determine groundwater recharge and mixing aiding in detecting GW-SW interactions (Hohener et al, 2003; Schilling et al, 2010). Researchers utilize a wide variety of conservative and non-conservative tracers for hydrological studies. In addition, stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen, which are part of the water molecule, are used to determine the mixing of waters from different sources (USGS, 2008; Rodgers et al, 2004). This is successful because of the differences in the isotopic composition of precipitation among recharge areas, the changes in the isotoic composition of shallow subsurface water caused by evaporation and temporal variability in the isotopic composition of precipitation relative to groundwater. For example, 87Sr/86Sr ratios can be used to distinguish between groundwater discharge and surface mixing. Strontium isotopes used in combination with more conventional tracers such as deuterium and 18O have helped to establish the sources of differing groundwater types entering lakes (Rodgers et al, 2004). Radioactive isotopes are useful indicators for the amount of time that water has spent in the groundwater system. Deuterium and 18O have been used together with both radioactive tracers (3H/3He) and other non-conventional tracers like rare earth elements (REEs) to determine groundwater inflow and outflow from large lakes such as East African Rift Valley lakes (Ojiambo et al., in review). Lyons et al. (1998) also have used sources of both radioactive (36Cl) and non-radioactive (37Cl) tracers to ascertain sources of solutes for Antarctic lake systems (Lyons et al, 1998). Another useful indicator is 222Radon which is a chemically inert radioactive gas that has a half-life of only 3-4 days. It is produced naturally in groundwater as a product of the radioactive decay of 226radium in uranium-bearing rocks and sediments (Lyons et al, 1998). Several studies have documented that radon can be used to identify locations of significant groundwater input into a stream, such as from springs. In France a study was conducted where radon was used to determine stream-water loss to groundwater as a result of ground-water withdrawals (USGS, 2008). As shown in figure 4, sharp changes in chemical concentrations were detected over short distances as water from the Lot River in France moved into its contiguous alluvial aquifer in response to pumping from a well. An environmental tracer was used to determine the extent of mixing of surface water with ground water, and radon was used to determine the inflow rate of stream water. Then the rate at which dissolved metals reacted to form solid phase during movement of stream water toward the pumping well could be calculated (USGS, 2008). Conservative and non-conservative ions as tracers can also be used to parameterize groundwater models as well as to calculate the age and recharge location of ground waters. This can be done by directly introducing 3H in a groundwater system to determine groundwater flow paths which assists in the model parameterization coupled with the use of deuterium, 18O, 3H/3He ratios, and the recently developed 4He in-growth technique to guide parameterization of a groundwater model of a regional aquifer (Sophocleous, 2000). Familiarity with the use and limitations of numerous conservative and non-conservative tracers to ground water and surface water environments is an important component with potential applications of these techniques, GW-SW interactions can be inferred (Sphocleous, 2000; Schilling et al, 2010). In Australia, the transport of saline groundwater from local and regional aquifers to the lower River Murray is thought to be influenced by lagoons and wetlands present in adjacent floodplains. In the study by Banks et al, (2009), interactions between a saline lagoon and semi-confined aquifer at a floodplain on the River Murray were studied using hydrogeological techniques and environmental tracers (Cl-, ÃŽÂ ´2H and ÃŽÂ ´18O) (Banks et al, 2009). The results showed using piezometric surface monitoring that the lagoon acted as a flow-through system intercepting local and regional groundwater flow. The mass balance was determined using chloride, and showed that approximately 70% of the lagoons winter volume was lost due to evaporation. Next a stable isotope mass balance was used to estimate leakage from the lagoon to the underlying aquifer. This showed that approximately 0-38% of the total groundwater inflow into the lagoon was lost to leakage, as opposed to 62-100% groundwater inflow which was lost to evaporation (Banks et al, 2009). Through the use of piezometric surface monitoring and tracers, Banks et al, (2009), were able to determine GW-SW interactions. This allowed them to conclude that the floodplain wetland behaved as groundwater flow-through systems, intercepting groundwater discharge, concentrating it and eventually recharging more saline water to the floodplain aquifer. Being able to trace, determine and understand GW-SW interactions such as those presented here, ultimately benefits effective management of salinity in Australia (Banks et al, 2005). Further studies of the Murray River and the Murray Basin have concluded that salinity could also be contributed to by flow regulation and water diversion for irrigation as this could considerably impact the exchange of surface water between the Murray River and its floodplains (Allison et al, 1990; Lamontage et al, 2005). Through use of piezometric surface monitoring and environmental tracers (Cl-, ÃŽÂ ´2H and ÃŽÂ ´18O), Lamontagne et al, was able to conclude that Murray River was losing under low flow conditions. Environmental tracer data suggested that the origin of groundwater is principally bank recharge in the riparian zone and a combination of diffuse rainfall recharge elsewhere on the flood plain. This information was critical in deciphering that bank discharge occurred during some flood recession periods and understanding that the way in which the water table responded to changes in river level was a function of the type of stream bank present (Lamontage et al, 2005). In the Western Murray basin, the clearing of native vegetation in a semi-arid region of southern Australia is thought to have lead to increases in Groundwater recharge. Unsaturated zone chloride and matric suction profile estimates suggest there is a significant time delay in aquifer response to pre and post clearing recharge (Allison et al, 1990). Predictions of the time delay lag in aquifer response have been verified using bore hydrographs. The results show that in some areas of light soil and shallow water table the water is now rising, however in other areas of heavy soil the water is not yet beginning to rise. The effects of increased recharge on the salinity of the River Murray, a major water resource, have been predicted that the salinity of the river will increase about 1Â µS cm -1 year -1 over the next 50 years. These results show the crucial role hydrological analysis and environmental tracers play in major resource management throughout Australia and potentially the worl d (Allison et al, 1990). Conclusion Groundwater and Surface water are not isolated components of the hydrological system and therefore should not be studied or managed as such. There are many factors which influence and control both GW and SW flow paths and interactions within the hydrological cycle. Through use of monitoring systems, modelling, and environmental tracers a better understanding of the complex interactions between GW-SW can be gained. Although further study is needed and techniques can be improved upon, it is through a better understand of the hydrological cycle and its complex interactions that more appropriate management plans can be made to ensure the resource is available to all in the future.