A note on the computation of Meissl’s smoothing coefficients βℓ

This note gives a new, short and non-recursive formula for Meissl’s smoothing coefficients β_?.     

Seed-like hydroptilid larval cases (Insecta: Trichoptera) from Holocene freshwater deposits

The seed-like larval cases of hydroptilid caddis flies may be mistaken for plant remains in subfossil studies. However, being correctly identified, they may be important for the interpretation of former freshwater environments. Two such subfossil caddis fly remains from Holocene lake sediments and river deposits are described morphologically and their palaeoecological significance interpreted.     

Fluorine in Twenty-Two International Reference Rock Samples and a Compilation of Fluorine Values for the USGS Reference Samples

Fluorine in 22 international reference samples has been determined with an ion selective electrode following fusion with a Na₂bCO₃-ZnO mixture. To eliminate the effect of fluorine complexes in the solutions, the results presented are means of fluoride determinations from a standard calibration curve and from the method of standard addition. Together with these new determinations an updated compilation of USGS-I reference samples is presented.     

Geological indications for Palaeogene uplift in the eastern North Sea Basin

The timing and effect of the Cenozoic uplift of Scandinavia has been investigated using a multi-disciplinary approach involving sedimentological, seismic and biostratigraphic data from the Danish and the adjacent Norwegian parts of the North Sea Basin. It is concluded that significant uplift took place periodically throughout the Palaeogene possibly marking an earlier onset of the so-called “Neogene uplift” of Scandinavia. This conclusion is based on a number of sedimentological observations, including smectite content, grain-size variations, kaolinite thermal stabilities and T_max values supported by seismic reflection geometries and biostratigraphic data. These data indicate several phases of re-working of Palaeogene and older sediments situated further to the east and northeast during the middle to late Eocene and during the middle to late Oligocene. The tectonic patterns were similar during the late Paleocene and the Oligocene with some inversion taking place, whereas no inversion has been observed during the Eocene. Main provenance areas were to the north and northeast during the Paleocene and Oligocene, whereas the Eocene sediments originate mainly from the British Isles to the west. It is proposed that Palaeogene uplift of Scandinavia was associated with regional tectonic movements along crustal zones of weakness, which were reactivated as they accommodated strain induced by the Alpine Orogeny and the opening of the North Atlantic.     

Capturing the two‐way hydromechanical coupling effect on fluid‐driven fracture in a dual‐graph lattice beam model

Fluid‐driven fractures of brittle rock is simulated via a dual‐graph lattice model. The new discrete hydromechanical model incorporates a two‐way coupling mechanism between the discrete element model and the flow network. By adopting an operator‐split algorithm, the coupling model is able to replicate the transient poroelasticity coupling mechanism and the resultant Mandel‐Cryer hydromechanical coupling effect in a discrete mechanics framework. As crack propagation, coalescence and branching are all path‐dependent and irreversible processes, capturing this transient coupling effect is important for capturing the essence of the fluid‐driven fracture in simulations. Injection simulations indicate that the onset and propagation of fractures is highly sensitive to the ratio between the injection rate and the effective permeability. Furthermore, we show that in a permeable rock, the borehole breakdown pressure, the pressure at which fractures start to grow from the borehole, depends on both the given ratio between injection rate and permeability and the Biot coefficient.     

Effects of topography and land use on woody plant species composition and beta diversity in an arid Trans-Himalayan landscape,Nepal

Distribution patterns of plant species are believed to be impacted by small-scale habitat heterogeneity. However, there have been few comparative studies examining how woody vegetation composition and diversity varies with aspects of different orientations in the Trans-Himalayan region at a local scale. Here, we examined the effects of incoming solar radiation on variation in woody species composition and compared the diversity between the northeast- and southwest-facing slopes in a Trans-Himalayan valley of Nepal. We also examined the implicit interactions between slope orientation and land use in determining the compositional variations between the slopes. We selected two pairs of northeast- and southwest-facing slopes where the first pair has a similar land use and differs in exposure only（Pisang site） while the other pair has clear differences in land use in addition to slope exposure（Braka site）. In each site, we sampled 72 plots（36 on each slope） in which the presence and absence of woody species, environmental variables, and disturbance were recorded. Correspondence Analysis（CA） results suggested that the woody species composition significantly varied between northeast- and southwest-facing slopes at both sites, and was significantly correlated with measured environmental variables such as radiation index, altitude, and canopy openness. In the Braka site,mean alpha diversity was significantly higher on southwest-facing slopes. In contrast, beta diversity and gamma diversity were greater on northeast-facing slopes at both sites. Our results suggest that topographic variables（e.g., radiation index） affect species composition between the slopes, likely due to their influence on small scale abiotic environmental variables. However, the effects of land use, such as livestock browsing/grazing may interact with the effects of slope exposure, effectively reducing differences in species composition within slopes but enhancing the differences in beta diversity between contrasting slopes in the Br     

Is climate change a driver of armed conflict?

The world is generally becoming less violent, but the debate on climate change raises the specter of a new source of instability and conflict. In this field, the policy debate is running well ahead of its academic foundation—and sometimes even contrary to the best evidence. Although comparative research on security implications of climate change is rapidly expanding, major gaps in knowledge still exist. Taken together, extant studies provide mostly inconclusive insights, with contradictory or weak demonstrated effects of climate variability and change on armed conflict. This article reviews the empirical literature on short-term climate/environmental change and intrastate conflict, with special attention to possible insecurity consequences of precipitation and temperature anomalies and weather-related natural disasters. Based on this assessment, it outlines priorities for future research in this area.