Spurious Clusters in Granulometric Data Caused by Logratio Transformation

The logratio transformation aims to eliminate spurious correlations between components of compositional data. When applying this method to granulometric data, there arise numerical problems with zero (empty) components. In this paper, the method of logratio transformation with zero replacement is examined using one natural and two simulated granulometric data sets. The results show that this method generates spurious clusters, and thus it is not appropriate for the investigation of grain-size data in particular, and of compositional data with zero components in general.     

Use of Magnet Technology for Phosphate Elimination from Municipal Sewage

The present report describes the set-up and first operation results of a novel carousel magnetic separator. This carousel magnetic separator is suitable for continuous separation of magnetized particles from water. Continuous operation is achieved by a segmented rotating separation matrix. This matrix also allows the use of low-cost permanent magnets, by means of which magnetic fields of up to 0.5 T can be generated without energy consumption. The suitability of a first prototype of this carousel magnetic separator was tested for elimination of magnetite-containing iron phosphate and iron hydroxide flocs. These flocs result from conventional precipitation/flocculation of municipal sewage with FeCl₃ and the addition of magnetite particles generated by wet-chemical processes. First results demonstrate that the carousel magnetic separator can reduce phosphate concentrations of up to 14 mg/L PO₄^3–-P in the inlet to below 1 mg/L PO₄^3–-P in the outlet at filtration rates of about 40 m/h. Magnetite dosage in the range of 50 mg/L affects phosphate precipitation positively via a slight reduction of the precipitant volume. However, the total amount of chemicals required for phosphate elimination is increased by the substances needed for magnetite production. Therefore, a further reduction of magnetite dosage must be achieved.     

Shallow Drilling of Seafloor Hydrothermal Systems Using the BGS Rockdrill: Conical Seamount (New Ireland Fore-Arc) and PACMANUS (Eastern Manus Basin), Papua New Guinea

ABSTRACT

From September to October 2002, shallow drilling, using the submersible (5 m) Rockdrill of the British Geological Survey and the German R/V Sonne revealed critical information on the subsurface nature of two distinct hydrothermal systems in the New Ireland fore-arc and the Manus Basin of Papua New Guinea. Drilling at Conical Seamount significantly extends the known surface extent of the previously discovered vein-style gold mineralization (up to 230 g/t Au) at this site. Drilling the conventional PACMANUS volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit recovered complexly textured massive sulfide with spectacular concentrations of gold in several core sections including 0.5 m @ 28 g/t Au, 0.35 m @ 30 g/t Au, and 0.20 m @ 57 g/t Au. Shallow drilling is a fast and cost efficient method that bridges the gap between surface sampling and deep (ODP) drilling and will become a standard practice in the future study of seafloor hydrothermal systems and massive sulfide deposits.     

An ecohydrological approach to predicting regional woody species distribution patterns in dryland ecosystems

This paper presents a quantitative ecohydrological framework for predicting regional distribution patterns of woody species in dryland ecosystems. The framework is based on an existing stochastic model for the daily mass balance of water that represents the interactions between soils, climate, and vegetation. Individual species selection is based on an optimality trade-off hypothesis, which states that dryland vegetation patterns are constrained by maximization of water use and simultaneous minimization of water stress. The relative importance of water use and stress avoidance to the overall fitness of three Acacia species is determined from the heterogeneous basin, the Upper Ewaso Ng’iro river basin, of the central Kenya highlands. The model results indicate that overall fitness is more strongly influenced by water use than stress avoidance but that consideration of both stress avoidance and water use is critical to predicting basin-scale patterns of species distribution. We identify a linear trend in the frequency and intensity of storms with the same annual total using a basin-wide gauge precipitation dataset. After calibration, we apply the basin average linear trends in time for average rain per storm and storm arrival rates. The model results indicate the upslope migration of two species, Acacia tortilis and Acacia xanthophloea to areas with higher total rainfall. Lastly, we explore the modeled changes of species cover in the basin influenced by changes in rainfall total holding growing season rainfall variability constant and changes in growing season rainfall variability holding total rainfall constant. We find that changes in dryland species distribution patterns and relative abundance may be as sensitive to growing season rainfall variability as they are to changes in total rainfall amounts.     

Sr-isotope stratigraphy of the Upper Jurassic of central Portugal (Lusitanian Basin) based on oyster shells

Strontium isotope stratigraphy was performed on oyster shells from the Late Jurassic of the Lusitanian Basin (central Portugal). This represents the first approach to obtain numerical ages for these strata. The new chronostratigraphic data provide a more precise age determination of several units. After a basin-wide hiatus sedimentation in the Late Jurassic is proven in the Cabo Mondego and Cabaços formations to resume as early as the Middle Oxfordian. The Alcobaça formation can be placed in the latest Late Oxfordian to Late Kimmeridgian, while data from the upper part of the Abadia Formation indicate an Early to Late Kimmeridgian age. The Farta Pao formation ranges from the latest Kimmeridgian to the latest Tithonian. The largely synchronous Sobral, Arranhó I, and Arranhó II members are overlain by the late Early to Late Tithonian Freixial Member. The brief, local carbonate incursion of the Arranhó I member marks the Kimmeridgian–Tithonian boundary. Oysters are shown once more to be suitable for strontium isotope studies. Their calcitic shells are often unaffected by diagenesis. In particular for marginal marine Jurassic and Cretaceous strata, where belemnites are usually absent, oysters may serve as a valuable tool for isotope stratigraphy.     

Trading in the dark – The medicinal plants production network in Uttarakhand

Medicinal plant cultivation and gathering can play a vital role in the course of livelihood diversification for the marginalized population living in remote areas. However, this requires an integration of the respective production networks that allows the producers a fair and reliable income and does not endanger rare plant species. This paper analyses the situation within the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and identifies structures and entities hindering medical plant cultivation and its potentials. Based on the broad network understanding of the Global Production Network approach, the case study focuses on the middlemen and their hidden embeddedness. It shows how governmental organizations and in particular non‐governmental organizations and farmers' institutions can help to overcome clandestine structures of illegal trade and contribute towards a redesign of the medicinal plant network in a more equitable and transparent way.     

Anomalous phosphorus episodes during Callovian-Oxfordian times in the Kachchh Basin,western India: Implications for palaeoclimate,productivity, and weathering

The Upper Callovian-Oxfordian strata of the Kachchh Basin, western India, record three positive excursions of phosphorus. They have been documented in three sections of the Chari Formation from different parts of the basin. Corroboration of field and petrographic data with trends of major and trace elemental data and elemental ratios of the strata revealed that these excursions were coeval with reduced chemical weathering in the source area and significant reduction of siliciclastic influx to the depositional sites. The study also revealed the intrabasinal source of P, and minor sea-level fluctuations and resultant episodic sediment recycling as the causative factors. Considering the geographic locations of the three sections, the phosphorus anomalies seem to be controlled by a regional and/or basin-scale process, if not linked with global signals. Temporal resolution of these anomalies suggests that the processes were episodic and related to short term climate/relative sea-level cycles, the durations of which could be unraveled with high-resolution biostratigraphic data.     

Using snakes for the registration of topographic road database objects to ALS features

For historical reasons many national mapping agencies store their topographic data in a dual system consisting of a Digital Landscape Model (DLM) and a Digital Terrain Model (DTM). The DLM contains 2D vector data representing objects on the Earth’s surface, such as roads and rivers, whereas the DTM is a 2.5D representation of the related height information, often acquired by Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS). Today, many applications require reliable 3D topographic data. Therefore, it is advantageous to convert the dual system into a 3D DLM. However, as a result of different methods of acquisition, processing, and modelling, the registration of the two data sets often presents difficulties. Thus, a straightforward integration of the DTM and DLM might lead to inaccurate and semantically incorrect 3D objects.In this paper we propose a new method for the fusion of the two data sets that exploits parametric active contours (also called snakes), focusing on road networks. For that purpose, the roads from a DLM initialise the snakes, defining their topology and their internal energy, whereas ALS features exert external forces to the snake via the image energy. After the optimisation process the shape and position of the snakes should coincide with the ALS features. With respect to the robustness of the method several known modifications of snakes are combined in a consistent framework for DLM road network adaptation. One important modification redefines the standard internal energy and thus the geometrical model of the snake in order to prevent changes in shape or position not caused by significant features in the image energy. For this purpose, the initial shape is utilized creating template-like snakes with the ability of local adaptation. This is one crucial point towards the applicability of the entire method considering the strongly varying significance of the ALS features. Other concepts related to snakes are integrated which enable our method to model network and ribbon-like characteristics simultaneously. Additionally, besides ALS road features information about context objects, such as bridges and buildings, is introduced as part of the image energy to support the optimisation process. Meaningful examples are presented that emphasize and evaluate the applicability of the proposed method.