A finite-volume ELLAM for three-dimensional solute-transport modeling

A three-dimensional finite-volume ELLAM method has been developed, tested, and successfully implemented as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) MODFLOW-2000 ground water modeling package. It is included as a solver option for the Ground Water Transport process. The FVELLAM uses space-time finite volumes oriented along the streamlines of the flow field to solve an integral form of the solute-transport equation, thus combining local and global mass conservation with the advantages of Eulerian-Lagrangian characteristic methods. The USGS FVELLAM code simulates solute transport in flowing ground water for a single dissolved solute constituent and represents the processes of advective transport, hydrodynamic dispersion, mixing from fluid sources, retardation, and decay. Implicit time discretization of the dispersive and source/sink terms is combined with a Lagrangian treatment of advection, in which forward tracking moves mass to the new time level, distributing mass among destination cells using approximate indicator functions. This allows the use of large transport time increments (large Courant numbers) with accurate results, even for advection-dominated systems (large Peclet numbers). Four test cases, including comparisons with analytical solutions and benchmarking against other numerical codes, are presented that indicate that the FVELLAM can usually yield excellent results, even if relatively few transport time steps are used, although the quality of the results is problem-dependent.     

River dissolved and solid loads in the Lesser Antilles: New insight into basalt weathering processes

We present here the first available estimations of chemical weathering and associated atmospheric CO₂ consumption rates as well as mechanical erosion rate for the Lesser Antilles. The chemical weathering (100–120 t/km²/year) and CO₂ consumption (1.1–1.4 × 10⁶ mol/km²/year) rates are calculated after subtraction of the atmospheric and hydrothermal inputs in the chemical composition of the river dissolved loads. These rates thus reflect only the low-temperature basalt weathering. Mechanical erosion rates (approx. 800–4000 t/km²/year) are estimated by a geochemical mass balance between the dissolved and solid loads and mean unaltered rock. The calculated chemical weathering rates and associated atmospheric CO₂ consumption rates are among the highest values worldwide but are still lower than those of other tropical volcanic islands and do not fit with the HCO₃⁻ concentration vs. 1/T correlation proposed by Dessert et al. (2001). The thick soils and explosive volcanism context of the Lesser Antilles are the two possible keys to this different weathering behaviour; the development of thick soils limits the chemical weathering and the presence of very porous pyroclastic flows allows an important water infiltration and thus subsurface weathering mechanisms, which are less effective for atmospheric CO₂ consumption.     

Decompression experiments as an insight into ascent rates of silicic magmas

An experimental study of H₂O exsolution, bubble growth and microlite crystallisation during ascent (decompression) of silicic magmas in the volcanic conduit is presented. Isobaric and decompression experiments were performed on a rhyolitic melt at 860 °C, NNO+1, H₂O saturation, and pressures between 15 and 170 MPa. Two sets of decompression experiments were performed, with decompression rates varying between 0.001 and 960 MPa/min: (1) from 150 to 50 MPa (high-pressure decompression), and (2) from 50 to 15 MPa (low-pressure decompression). The experiments highlight incomplete H₂O exsolution for decompression rates>100 MPa/min, incomplete bubble growth for decompression rates>0.1 MPa/min, crystal nucleation time lags, and incomplete chemical re-equilibration to final pressures. The observed crystallisation process, i.e. growth versus nucleation, depends on the decompression range. Indeed, decompression-induced crystallisation during high-pressure decompressions is dominated by growth of existing crystals, whereas during low-pressure decompressions crystal nucleation is the dominating process. This study provides a means to infer magma ascent rates in eruptions of silicic magmas through a combined petrologic and experimental approach.     

Meteorological inventory of rain-on-snow events in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and satellite detection assessment using passive microwave data

The spatial and temporal distributions of rain-on-snow (ROS) events across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) remain poorly understood owing to their sporadic nature in time and space. This situation motivated the development of remote sensing detection algorithms. This paper uses a large meteorological dataset across the CAA to adapt an existing ROS-detection algorithm developed in a previous study by our group. Results highlight the spatial distribution and evolution of ROS occurrences reported since 1985 at 14 weather stations across the CAA. Results show that >600 ROS events were inventoried since 1985, for which >70% were classified as pure rain (liquid form) and 30% as mixed precipitation (solid/liquid). Of the pure rain events, 75% occurred during spring, 14% during fall, 8% during summer and <1% during winter. Such events can have significant impacts on ungulate grazing conditions through the creation of ice layers, causing serious problems for caribou calf survival, especially during the migration period. This paper introduces an adaptation for larger scale Arctic application of a detection algorithm (sensitivity analysis on the detection threshold) with an error of ~5%. The validation, however, remains limited due to a short study period and limited number of sites.     

From Shiny Shoes to Muddy Reality: Understanding How Meso-State Actors Negotiate the Implementation Gap in Participatory Forest Management

Recent research on participatory forest management (PFM) in the global south has highlighted the existence of a widespread “implementation gap” between the ambitious intent enshrined in legislation and the often partial, disappointing rollout of devolved forest governance on the ground. Here, through an ethnographic case study of forest officers (FOs) in Kenya, we draw on a framework of critical institutionalism to examine how key meso-level actors, or “interface bureaucrats,” negotiate and challenge this implementation gap in everyday forest governance. We go beyond consideration of institutional bricolage in isolation or as an aggregate category, to analyze how bricolage as aggregation, alteration, and/or articulation is variously driven, shaped, and constrained by FOs’ multiple accountabilities and agency. Our analysis highlights the locally specific, contingent, and mutually reinforcing nature of accountability, agency and bricolage, and their explanatory power in relation to the performance and nature of “actually existing” PFM.     

Abundance and size distribution of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) in a coccolithophorid bloom in the northern Bay of Biscay

The distribution of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) was investigated during a coccolithophorid bloom in the northern Bay of Biscay (North Atlantic Ocean) in early June 2006. MODIS chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and reflectance images before and during the cruise were used to localize areas of important biological activity and high reflectance (HR). TEP profiles along the continental margin, determined using microscopic (TEP_micro) and colorimetric (TEP_color) methods, showed abundant (6.1×10⁶–4.4×10⁷ L^?1) and relatively small (0.5–20 μm) particles, leading to a low total volume fraction (0.05–2.2 ppm) of TEP_micro and similar vertical profiles of TEP_color. Estimates of carbon content in TEP (TEP-C) derived from the microscopic approach yielded surface concentration of 1.50 μmol C L^?1. The contribution of TEP-C to particulate organic carbon (POC) was estimated to be 12% (molar C ratio) during this survey. Our results suggest that TEP formation is a probable first step to rapid and efficient export of C during declining coccolithophorid blooms.     

The Meteoritical Bulletin,No. 92, 2007 September

Abstract— In this edition of The Meteoritical Bulletin, 1394 recognized meteorites are reported, 27 from specific locations within Africa, 133 from Northwest Africa, 1227 from Antarctica (from ANSMET, PNRA, and PRIC expeditions), and 7 from Asia. The Meteoritical Bulletin announces the approval of four new names series by the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society, two from Africa and one from Asia, including Al Haggounia, from Al Haggounia, Morocco, which is projected to be on the order of 3 metric tons of material related to enstatite chondrites and aubrites. Approved are two falls from Africa, Bassikounou (Mauritania) and Gashua (Nigeria). Approved from areas other than Antarctica are one lunar, two Martian, 32 other achondrites, three mesosiderites, two pallasites, one CM, two CK, one CR2, two CV3, one CR2, and four R chondrites. The Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society announces 48 newly approved relict meteorites from two new name series, Österplana and Gullhögen (both from Sweden).     

Equilibration Scales in Silicic to Intermediate Magmas Implications for Experimental Studies

Experimental phase equilibrium studies are increasingly beingused for the determination of intensive variables (P, T, fH₂O,fO₂ ) in silicic to intermediate magmas. In contrast, silicicigneous bodies are now perceived as open, periodically recharged,systems involving only limited chemical equilibration. Thus,the use of laboratory-determined crystal–liquid equilibriumdata needs clarification. Here we review the field, petrologicaland geochemical evidence concerning states and scales of chemicalequilibrium in silicic magma bodies. It is concluded that totalchemical equilibrium is generally not the rule. However, a subsystemin local equilibrium (the reactive magma) can be identified.Equilibration scales in silicic magmas are rate-limited eitherby diffusive flux in crystals (DICL regime) or by diffusiveflux in the melt (MD regime). The recognition that equilibriumin magmas is limited to a reactive subsystem requires phaseequilibrium studies to be chemically scaled. Experiments, eitherof total or partial equilibrium type, should aim at a closereproduction of equilibrium states specific to natural systems.The laboratory reconstruction of the natural equilibrium statesguarantees a precise determination of the pre-eruptive parametersand a reliable application of the experimental data to activevolcanic systems. KEY WORDS: silicic magmas; chemical equilibrium; timescales; experimental studies     

The organizational paradox in advertising and the reconfiguration of project cooperation

In recent literature, projects are mostly seen as an efficient form of organization which is particularly suited for mastering tasks of high complexity and creativity and adapting to changing economic and institutional conditions. This paper challenges the assumption that inter-firm projects are persistent organizational arrangements of production in the advertising industry and presents a novel argument about the potential threats to forms of project organization in crisis situations. By exploring the cases of Frankfurt/Main and Leipzig (East Germany), we show that the organization of production is substantially affected by periods of economic crisis or political transformation. We demonstrate that inter-firm projects might be replaced by more durable organizational configurations or might not be viewed as viable options in situations of severe rupture. This applies particularly to the cooperative arrangements in the creative process and leads to an organizational paradox. Although creativity is often a pivotal force to gain competitive advantage, the advertising agencies respond to the challenges of crises by reducing cooperation with external partners to a minimum and sometimes fully rely on in-house personnel. This threatens the potential of the respective firms to develop innovative and creative ideas which would enable the firms to acquire new customers and market segments. Instead of trying to overcome crises by focusing on their creative capabilities, many advertising agencies develop a cost-cutting strategy and rely on more durable network-forms of organization instead of inter-firm projects.