Two Creeks Interstade Dated through Dendrochronology and AMS

Dendrochronological analysis of fossil wood from Two Creeks, Wisconsin, reveals that the Two Creekan Intetstade lasted at least 252 yr. The sites crossdated by tree rings cover an area of about 970 km². AMS determinations from the beginning and end of the chronology open a ¹⁴ C time window for the episode from 12,050 to 11,750 yr B.P. The interval is contemporaneous with the Older Dryas in northern Europe. The development of a forest covering at least 970 km² on the western shore of Lake Michigan indicates a water level about as low as in modern times. Glacier retreat must have opened drainage channels either through the Straits of Mackinac or via the Indian River Plateau into the eastern lakes. The beginning of the tree-ring chronology coincides with the peak of meltwater pulse 1A at 12,000 yr B.P. Increased amounts of meltwater seem to have disturbed the heat exchange between the waters and the atmosphere in the North Atlantic off the Gulf of St. Lawrence or affected the δ¹⁸O-ratio of the evaporation, causing the climatic or isotopic reversal of the Older Dryas in Greenland and northern Europe.     

Modifications in aerosol physical,optical and radiative properties during heavy aerosol events over Dushanbe,Central Asia

The location of Central Asia,almost at the center of the global dust belt region,makes it susceptible for dust events.The studies on atmospheric impact of dust over the region are very limited despite the large area occupied by the region and its proximity to the mountain regions(Tianshan,Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalayas,and Tibetan Plateau).In this study,we analyse and explain the modification in aerosols'phys-ical,optical and radiative properties during various levels of aerosol loading observed over Central Asia utilizing the data collected during 2010-2018 at the AERONET station in Dushanbe,Tajikistan.Aerosol epi-sodes were classified as strong anthropogenic,strong dust and extreme dust.The mean aerosol optical depth(AOD)during these three types of events was observed a factor of～3,3.5 and 6.6,respectively,higher than the mean AOD for the period 2010-2018.The corresponding mean fine-mode fraction was 0.94,0.20 and 0.16,respectively,clearly indicating the dominance of fine-mode anthropogenic aerosol during the first type of events,whereas coarse-mode dust aerosol dominated during the other two types of events.This was corroborated by the relationships among various aerosol parameters(AOD vs.AE,and EAE vs.AAE,SSA and RRI).The mean aerosol radiative forcing(ARF)at the top of the atmosphere(ARFTOA),the bottom of the atmosphere(ARFBOA),and in the atmosphere(ARFATM)were-35±7,-73±16,and 38±17 Wm-2 during strong anthropogenic events,-48±12,-85±24,and 37±15 Wm-2 during strong dust event,and-68±19,-117±38,and 49±21 Wm-2 during extreme dust events.Increase in aerosol loading enhanced the aerosol-induced atmospheric heating rate to 0.5-1.6 K day-1(strong anthropogenic events),0.4-1.9 K day-1(strong dust events)and 0.8-2.7 K day 1(extreme dust events).The source regions of air masses to Dushanbe during the onset of such events are also identified.Our study con-tributes to the understanding of dust and anthropogenic aerosols,in particular the extreme events and their disproportionally high radiative impacts over Central Asia.     

Nano‐Powdered Calcium Carbonate Reference Materials: Significant Progress for Microanalysis?

Homogeneity, mass fractions of about forty trace elements and Sr isotope composition of Ca carbonate reference materials (RMs) between original and nano‐powdered pellets are compared. Our results using nanosecond and femtosecond LA‐(MC)‐ICP‐MS show that the nano‐pellets of the RMs MACS‐3NP, JCp‐1NP and JCt‐1NP are about a factor of 2–3 more homogeneous than the original samples MACS‐3, JCp‐1 and JCt‐1, and are therefore much more suitable for microanalytical purposes. With the exception of Si, the mass fractions of the synthetic RM MACS‐3 agree with its fine‐grained analogue MACS‐3NP. Very small, but significant, differences between original and nano‐pellets are observed in the RMs JCp‐1 and JCt‐1 for some trace elements with very low contents, indicating the need for re‐certification. Strontium mass fractions in the analysed RMs are high (1500–7000 mg kg^?1), and their isotope compositions determined by LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS in the original and the nano‐pellets agree within uncertainty limits.     

广东河源断裂带地热成因及与构造关系初探

广东省河源断裂带位于中国东南沿海地热异常区,地热资源十分丰富,但其形成机制和利用前景尚不确定。为此文章开展了多学科综合分析,获得以下初步认识:温泉是断裂带内深循环地下水被地温加热而成,断裂剪切热和花岗岩浆残余热的贡献基本可以排除;沿断裂展布的厚层硅化带是古水热活动的产物;硅化带形成时期的挤压应力方向为北东-南西,与河源断裂及河源盆地晚白垩世以来的伸展活动对应,现代构造应力场为北西西-南东东方向挤压,与古应力场相比发生了明显变化;现今构造应力场使得北东向河源断裂呈右旋挤压运动,而北西向断裂则发生左旋张剪,导致地下水循环格局也发生相应改变;目前温泉沿河源断裂呈带分布,沿北西向断裂呈线性溢出,断裂交汇部位是热泉上升的主要通道。总体而言,河源地区拥有令人鼓舞的地热资源及应用前景,有可能达到建设地热发电厂的目标。建议继续深入开展地质学、地球物理、水文地质学和地热成因机理等多学科综合研究,从而更好地定量评价地热潜能与开发前景。     

Seismic attenuation and velocity dispersion in fractured rocks: The role played by fracture contact areas

The presence of fractures in fluid‐saturated porous rocks is usually associated with strong seismic P‐wave attenuation and velocity dispersion. This energy dissipation can be caused by oscillatory wave‐induced fluid pressure diffusion between the fractures and the host rock, an intrinsic attenuation mechanism generally referred to as wave‐induced fluid flow. Geological observations suggest that fracture surfaces are highly irregular at the millimetre and sub‐millimetre scale, which finds its expression in geometrical and mechanical complexities of the contact area between the fracture faces. It is well known that contact areas strongly affect the overall mechanical fracture properties. However, existing models for seismic attenuation and velocity dispersion in fractured rocks neglect this complexity. In this work, we explore the effects of fracture contact areas on seismic P‐wave attenuation and velocity dispersion using oscillatory relaxation simulations based on quasi‐static poroelastic equations. We verify that the geometrical and mechanical details of fracture contact areas have a strong impact on seismic signatures. In addition, our numerical approach allows us to quantify the vertical solid displacement jump across fractures, the key quantity in the linear slip theory. We find that the displacement jump is strongly affected by the geometrical details of the fracture contact area and, due to the oscillatory fluid pressure diffusion process, is complex‐valued and frequency‐dependent. By using laboratory measurements of stress‐induced changes in the fracture contact area, we relate seismic attenuation and dispersion to the effective stress. The corresponding results do indeed indicate that seismic attenuation and phase velocity may constitute useful attributes to constrain the effective stress. Alternatively, knowledge of the effective stress may help to identify the regions in which wave induced fluid flow is expected to be the dominant attenuation mechanism.     

Trends in extreme temperature indices in the Poyang Lake Basin,China

Based on daily maximum and minimum temperature records at 78 meteorological stations in the Basin of China’s largest fresh water lake (Poyang Lake Basin), the temporal and spatial variability of 11 extreme temperature indices are investigated for the period 1959–2010. The analysis indicates that the annual mean of daily minimum temperature (T_min) has increased significantly, while no significant trends were observed in the annual mean of daily maximum temperature (T_max), resulting in a significant decrease in the diurnal temperature range. Trends and percentages of stations with significant trends in T_min-related indices are generally stronger and higher than those in T_max-related indices; however, no significant trends can be found in T_max-related indices (TXMean, TX90p, TXx and TX10p) at both seasonal and annual time scale. Low correlations with Global-SST ENSO index are also detected in T_max-related indices. Significant positive relationships can be found in T_min-related indices (TNMean, TNx, TNn and TN90p), however, the most significant negative coefficient was also found in cold nights (TN10p) with the Global-SST ENSO index. Singular value decomposition (SVD) correlating extreme temperatures over the Poyang Lake Basin and the North Pacific SST indicates the East China Sea, Western Pacific and Bering Sea to be stronger linked with T_min than T_max with the first mode (SVD-1) explaining 90 and 94 % of annual T_max and T_min respectively.     

Historical variability and feedbacks among land cover,stream power,and channel geometry along the lower Canadian River floodplain in Oklahoma

In 1820, the lower Canadian River meandered through a densely forested floodplain. By 1898, most of the floodplain had been cleared for agriculture and changes in channel geometry and specific stream power followed, particularly channel widening and straightening with a lower potential specific stream power. In 1964, a large upstream hydropower dam was constructed, which changed the flow regime in the lower Canadian River and consequently the channel geometry. Without destructive overbank floods, the channel narrowed rapidly and considerably due to encroachment by floodplain vegetation. The lower Canadian River, which was once a highly dynamic floodplain‐river system, has now been transformed into a relatively static river channel. These changes over the past 200 years have not been linear or independent. In this article, we use a variety of data sources to assess these historical changes along the lower Canadian River floodplain and identify feedbacks among floodplain cultivation, dam construction, specific stream power, and channel width, slope, and sinuosity. Finally, we combine the results of our study with others in the region to present a biogeomorphic response model for large Great Plains rivers that characterizes channel width changes in response to climate variability and anthropogenic disturbances. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.