Basic Law shall be vested in the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. Article 158(2) provides that the Standing Committee "shall authorize" the courts of the Region "to interpret on their own, in adjudicating cases, the provisions of this Law which are within the limits of the autonomy of the Region". It is clear, as is accepted by both counsel, that this contains the constitutional authorization. The words "on their own", in our view, emphasize the high degree of autonomy of the Region and the independence of its courts.

But the jurisdiction of the courts of the Region is not limited to interpreting such provisions. For Article 158(3) provides that the courts of the Region "may also interpret other provisions" of the Basic Law in adjudicating cases.

But theremist," said Marcus Bursik, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Geology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences, who led the study with several students who were investigating the plume for their graduate-degree projects. "Rather, our data show that it's air and water temperature that control the amount of mist.

"It turns out that the bigger the temperature difference between the air and the water, the higher and more substantial is the mist plume and the thicker is the mist at the Falls," he continued.

Bursik, a volcanologist who has studied atmospheric plumes at volcanoes, noted that plumes, regardless of their origin, have common features.

He was motivated to study the Niagara Falls plume back in 2002.

"I started wondering why the plume rose to different heights on different days," said