How robust are global conservation priorities to climate change?

International conservation organisations have identified priority areas for biodiversity conservation. These global-scale prioritisations affect the distribution of funds for conservation interventions. As each organisation has a different focus, each prioritisation scheme is determined by different decision criteria and the resultant priority areas vary considerably. However, little is known about how the priority areas will respond to the impacts of climate change. In this paper, we examined the robustness of eight global-scale prioritisations to climate change under various climate predictions from seven global circulation models. We developed a novel metric of the climate stability for 803 ecoregions based on a recently introduced method to estimate the overlap of climate envelopes. The relationships between the decision criteria and the robustness of the global prioritisation schemes were statistically examined. We found that decision criteria related to level of endemism and landscape fragmentation were strongly correlated with areas predicted to be robust to a changing climate. Hence, policies that prioritise intact areas due to the likely cost efficiency, and assumptions related to the potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change, require further examination. Our findings will help determine where additional management is required to enable biodiversity to adapt to the impacts of climate change.     

The last 750 ka in loess–palaeosol sequences from northern France: environmental background and dating of the western European Palaeolithic

This study presents an overview of Middle Pleistocene loess–palaeosol sequences (LPS) in northern France and discusses the palaeoclimatic significance of the pedosedimentary record in the context of western European LPS and of global climatic cycles for the last 750 ka. In this area, the oldest loess deposits (early Middle Pleistocene) are preserved in sedimentary traps (leeward scarps of fluvial terraces and dissolution sinkholes). They result from local deflation processes reworking Pleistocene sandy fluvial deposits or relicts of Tertiary sands. A large extension of typical calcareous loess over the landscape, the Loess Revolution, is then observed during MIS 6, with heavy mineral assemblages testifying to long-distance transport from the polar desert area of the dried eastern Channel. A correlation scheme is proposed between the global records of northern France in continental environments and both global palaeoclimatic records and other main western European LPS. After 30 years of research, northern France LPS stand as a fundamental archive of the impact of interglacial–glacial climatic cycles as well as millennial events. Finally, these works provide a robust chronoclimatic framework for the study of the western European Late Acheulean and Middle Palaeolithic and for the relative dating of the various fluvial terraces that they fossilise.     

The Holocene tufa at Daours (Somme Valley,northern France): Malacological succession and palaeohydrological implications

One of the thickest and most extensive tufa deposits in northern France occurs at Daours, about 8 km upstream of Amiens at the confluence of the River Somme and its tributary the Hallue. It covers an area of about 80 ha and reaches 10 m above the level of the present valley, probably owing to the construction of a tufa barrage, which caused periodic damming of the valley. The molluscan succession from a 4‐m section through the Daours tufa provides an unusually detailed record of environmental change during the Holocene. The faunal record, supported by four radiocarbon dates, indicates that the tufa sequence at this location does not extend back to the early Holocene but began c. 7340 cal. a BP and ceased to form shortly after c. 4938 cal. a BP, consistent with the notion of a NW European ‘late Holocene tufa decline’. The molluscan record is divisible into six zones that define three aquatic phases separated by three terrestrial episodes, when the tufa surface dried out sufficiently to allow colonization by dry‐ground species, including some shade‐demanding elements. These events are also reflected by differences in the lithology of the tufa. The earliest aquatic phase at the base of the sequence represents the most stable and permanent water‐body. The two subsequent aquatic phases appear to represent smaller, more ephemeral, water‐bodies surrounded by marsh. The land snail assemblages show ecological changes within each terrestrial episode, as well as faunal differences between them. These events, which reflect changes in the local hydrology, were short‐lived, each lasting for only a few hundred years. The tufa at Daours has also yielded flint artefacts and pottery, but it seems unlikely that the dynamic environmental record of the site results from anthropogenic activity.     

Sinusoidal oscillations radiating from a cylindrical source in thermal conduction or groundwater flow: Closed‐form solutions

The diffusion equation governs thermal conduction and groundwater flow phenomena. In this paper, we study the two‐dimensional radial propagation of a sinusoidal perturbation radiating from a cylindrical source within an infinite slab of homogeneous material. The solution of this problem has several applications. For instance, it can be used to determine the hydraulic diffusivity of the subsurface based on measurements of the hydraulic head around a vertical well during its development. For thermal problems, it can be used to determine the thermal diffusivity based on measurements of the temperature distribution around a cylindrical heat source generating a sinusoidal power per unit length. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analytical solution of this problem and we compare these solutions with numerical solutions. Two approximate analytical solutions, which can be relevant in practice, are also presented. Finally, we give an upper bound for the survival time of the transient part of the solution and we provide an estimate of the radius of influence of the sinusoidal solicitation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The active fault system of SW Alps

Historical and active seismicity in the south-western Alps (France and Italy) shows the recurrence of relatively high-magnitude earthquakes (M ≥ 5.8), like the one that recently affected the Italian Apennine range (M = 6.3 on the 30th March 2009). However, up-to-date detailed mapping of the active fault network has been poorly established. The evaluation of seismological hazard in particular in the highly populated French and Italian coastal region cannot be done without this. Here, we present a detailed study of the main active fault system, based on geological observations along the south-western flank of the Alpine arc. This N140° right-lateral strike-slip active fault system runs along the edge of the Argentera-Mercantour range and can be followed down to the Mediterranean Sea. It is evidenced by (1) Holocene offsets of glacial geomorphology witnessing ongoing fault activity since 10 ka, (2) widespread recent (10–20 Ma) pseudotachylytes featuring long term activity of the faults, (3) active landslides along the main fault zone, (4) geothermal anomalies (hot springs) emerging in the active faults, (5) ongoing low-magnitude seismic activity and (6) localization of the main historical events. In the light of our investigations, we propose a new tectonic pattern for the active fault system in the south-western Alps.     

The loess sequence of Dolní Věstonice,Czech Republic: A new OSL‐based chronology of the Last Climatic Cycle

The Dolní Věstonice loess section in the Czech Republic is well known for its high‐resolution loess–palaeosol sequence of the last interglacial–glacial climatic cycle (Upper Pleistocene). The loess section is situated in a climatic transition zone between oceanic and continental climates and is therefore of great value in reconstructing past regional climate conditions and their interaction with climate systems, in particular that of the North Atlantic. Based on a combination of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages, stratigraphic field observations and magnetic susceptibility measurements, a chrono‐climatic interpretation of the Dolní Věstonice loess section is presented. To establish a reliable Upper Pleistocene chronology, a quartz OSL approach was applied for equivalent dose (D_e) determination. Monomineralic quartz extracts of three distinct grain sizes, fine (4–11 μm), middle (38–63 μm) and coarse (90–200 μm), were used and compared. Within error limits, the calculated OSL ages are the same for the different grain sizes, and the OSL ages are in stratigraphic order. The established OSL chronology is in agreement with a Weichselian litho‐ and pedostratigraphy. The Dolní Věstonice loess section is characterized by four pedosedimentary subsequences. At the base of the profile, subsequence I is characterized by a distinct Early Glacial soil complex, OSL‐dated to c. 110 to 70 ka, representing one of the most complete records of environmental change in the European loess belt. Subsequence II is allocated to the Lower Pleniglacial and is characterized by laminated sandy loess. Middle Pleniglacial subsequence III is represented by a brown soil complex, and is followed by the uppermost subsequence IV, characterized by a thick body of laminated sandy loess, indicating strong wind activity and a high sedimentation rate of more than ～1 mm a^?1 during the Upper Pleniglacial. According to the OSL chronology, as well as to the sedimentological and palaeopedological investigations, it is likely that the sequence at Dolní Věstonice has recorded most of the climatic events expressed in the NGRIP δ¹⁸O reference record between 110 and 70 ka.     

Minerals and design of new waste forms for conditioning nuclear waste

Safe storage of radioactive waste is a major challenge for the nuclear industry. Mineralogy is a good basis for designing ceramics, which could eventually replace nuclear glasses. This requires a new storage concept: separation-conditioning. Basic rules of crystal chemistry allow one to select the most suitable structures and natural occurrences allow assessing the long-term performance of ceramics in a geological environment. Three criteria are of special interest: compatibility with geological environment, resistance to natural fluids, and effects of self-irradiation. If mineralogical information is efficient for predicting the behaviour of common, well-known minerals, such as zircon, monazite or apatite, more research is needed to rationalize the long-term behaviour of uncommon waste form analogs.     

Tritium�Chelium groundwater age used to constrain a groundwater flow model of a valley-fill aquifer contaminated with trichloroethylene (Quebec, Canada)

Tritium?Chelium groundwater dating was carried out in a trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated valley-fill aquifer system in Quebec, Canada, where a numerical groundwater flow model was developed. Forty seven discrete groundwater and dissolved gas samples were obtained along two flow paths originating from known TCE source zones whose related plumes converge down gradient to form a single plume. Sampling points in monitoring wells were projected onto vertical sections showing particle tracks along the two flow paths. At these points, simulated advective ages obtained from particle tracking were matched to tritium?Chelium ages using different porosity values; the best match was 0.35. Ages were also obtained above and below a prodeltaic silty aquitard in a portion of the aquifer where some source zones are located, which provide groundwater and TCE transit times through the aquitard as well as a mean vertical hydraulic conductivity that agrees with previous estimates used in the model. In certain locations, anomalously old ages associated with high terrigenic ⁴He indicate areas where groundwater from the underlying proglacial unit flows upward into the deltaic sand aquifer through aquitard windows. Upflow locations correspond with increased TCE concentrations, suggesting significant TCE provenance through the proglacial unit originating from a previously unrecognized TCE source zone.     

Fluid flow through the sedimentary cover in northern Switzerland recorded by calcite–celestite veins (Oftringen borehole,Olten)

Abundant veins filled by calcite, celestite and pyrite were found in the core of a 719 m deep borehole drilled in Oftringen near Olten, located in the north-western Molasse basin, close to the thrust of the Folded Jura. Host rocks are calcareous marl, argillaceous limestone and limestone of the Dogger and Malm. The δ¹⁸O values of vein calcite are lower than in host rock carbonate and, together with microthermometric data from fluid inclusions in vein calcite, indicate precipitation from a seawater-dominated fluid at average temperatures of 56–68°C. Such temperatures were reached at the time of maximum burial of the sedimentary pile in the late Miocene. The depth profile of δ¹³C and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values and Sr content of both whole-rock carbonate and vein calcite show marked trends towards negative δ¹³C, high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, and low Sr content in the uppermost 50–150 m of the Jurassic profile (upper Oxfordian). The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of vein minerals is generally higher than that of host rock carbonate, up to very high values corresponding to Burdigalian seawater (Upper Marine Molasse, Miocene), which represents the last marine incursion in the region. No evidence for internally derived radiogenic Sr (clay minerals) has been found and so an external source is required. S and O isotope composition of vein celestite and pyrite can be explained by bacterial reduction of Miocene seawater sulphate. The available data set suggests the vein mineralization precipitated from descending Burdigalian seawater and not from a fluid originating in the underlying Triassic evaporites.     

Geostatistical approach for the assessment of the water reservoir capacity in arid regions: a case study of the Akdarya reservoir,Uzbekistan

The paper presents the results of a new geostatistical approach to generate bathymetric surface models from point measurement converted into continuous contour surfaces of reservoir bottoms in Uzbekistan. Sedimentation of reservoirs raises engineering, environmental and economical issues for the communities around the world in areas affected by a strong water deficit. Because of Uzbekistan’s arid climatic conditions, and uneven spatial and temporal water resources distribution, responsive and innovative water availability assessment surveys of all major water reservoirs are required. Bathymetric surveying is a traditional method that is carried out for the estimation of reservoir volumes and surface areas of the corresponding reservoir stages in order to assess the water availability. Volume and surface area differences derived from multiple surveys of a reservoir provide storage loss estimates over time due to sedimentation. However, two main factors, such as intensive field data measurement and post data-processing, often limit the frequency of these surveys. Alternatively, innovative depth measurement technologies coupled with contouring and surface mapping programs provide automated reservoir volume and surface area calculations. This significantly reduces time, workload and financial burdens for reservoir sedimentation projects. This research proposes the use of geostatistical approach to assess the reservoir sedimentation in the Akdarya reservoir of Uzbekistan. The geostatistical approach includes (semi-) variogram analysis and interpolation (kriging and simulations—turning bands) techniques predicting values at unsampled locations for generating digital bathymetric surface models of reservoir bottom conditions in order to calculate the volume and surface area at a given water elevation. The simulation enables to have range of reservoir volumes and surface areas with the same probability, in comparison to the kriging and traditional methods. This gives a real estimation of the resource availability for water operators to manage natural resources and hydraulic infrastructure in a sustainable manner.