Climate change,economic growth and energy policy: A recommended U.S. strategy for the coming decades an editorial

Alan D. Hecht Director of the National Climate Program Office, an Office created by Congress in 1978 to coordinate a U.S. program of climate research and services. The office is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the Department of Commerce; Bo R. Döös Member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences, is a visiting UCAR scientist (University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) in the NCPO. Views expressed in this editorial are of the authors and do not reflect any official views of UCAR or NOAA, DOC, or other federal agencies within the NCP.     

Layer-stripping reverse-time migration1

We present a layer-stripping method of migration for irregularly layered media in which first-order velocity discontinuities separate regions of constant or smoothly varying velocity. We use the reverse-time method to migrate seismic data layer by layer, from the surface downwards. As part of the migration of a given layer, the bottom boundary of the layer is defined based on power in the migrated signal, and a seismic section is collected along it. This new section serves as the boundary condition for migration in the next layer. This procedure is repeated for each layer, with the final image formed from the individual layer images. Layer-stripping migration consists of three steps: (1) layer definition, (2) wavefield extrapolation and imaging, and (3) boundary determination. The migration scheme when used with reverse-time extrapolation is similar to datuming with an imaging condition. The reverse-time method uses an explicit fourth-order time, tenth-order space, finite-difference approximation to the scalar wave equation. The advantages of layer-stripping reverse-time migration are: (1) it preserves the benefits of the reverse-time method by handling strong velocity contrasts between layers and steeply dipping structures; (2) it reduces computer memory and saves computation time in high-velocity layers, and (3) it allows interpretational control of the image. Post-stack layer-stripping reverse-time migration is illustrated with a synthetic CMP data example. Prestack migration is illustrated with a synthetic data set and with a marine seismic reflection profile across the Santa Maria Basin and the Hosgri Fault in central California.     

Physical,chemical, and biological conditions associated with the early stages of the Lake Michigan vernal thermal front

An investigation of the thermal front in southeastern Lake Michigan during April 1988 revealed a dynamic physical, chemical, and biological environment. The front was observed approximately 4 km from the coast as a distinct gradient separating cold open-lake waters from warmer nearshore waters. Surface isotherms near the front were generally parallel to one another but skewed with respect to shore. Comparison between April 22 and 29 showed that the surface isothern pattern was modulated by wind stress. The pattern from April 29 showed signs of flow instabilities with horizontal scales of 1 km to 5 km. Surface drifter trajectories provided estimates of horizontal convergence at the fron which varied from 7×10^?6 s^?1 to 20×10^?6 s^?1. Inferred rates of downwelling, which ranged from 9.5 m d^?1 to 20.7 m d^?1, were sufficient to move a water parcel from the surface to the bottom in 2 to 6 d at the front. Convergent circulation was observed on both sampling dates despite contrasts in wind stress. Concentrations of chloride, soluble silica, and chlorophyll, which were always higher inshore, were 5% to 82% larger than offshore mean values. The aquatic environment just inshore of the thermal front was characterized by chlorphyll concentrations which exceeded 5.0 μg 1^?1 while concentrations offshore were between 1.0 μg 1^?1 and 2.0 μg 1^?1. A relatively uniform vertical structure in chlorophyll concentrations in the frontal zone was consistent with the observed convergence and inferred downwelling near the front.     

Determination of part-per-trillion levels of atmospheric dimethyl sulfide by isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Stable isotopic dilution was applied to the determination of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in ambient air at the low part-per-trillion by volume (pptrv) levels. Perdeuterated DMS was used as an internal standard in the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry determination. The isotopically labelled internal standard provided insensitivity to possible losses of DMS in sampling and analysis. The lower limit of detection (LLD) was 1 pptrv with a sample acquisition time of 2 min.     

Eolian evidence for spatial variability of late Quaternary climates in tropical Africa

Study of the eolian fraction of late Quaternary sediments from the tropical Atlantic reveals that two modes of long-term climate variability have existed in tropical Africa during the last 150,000 yr. Tropical northwest Africa (i.e., the southwestern Sahara and Sahel) was driest during glaciations and stades, but wetter than at present during interglaciations and interstades. This may be a response to ice sheets at higher latitudes, via equatorward displacement of the westerlies and the subtropical high. In contrast, central equatorial Africa (southeast of the Sahara) was most arid during interstades and times of ice growth, and most humid during deglaciation. Wet periods in this area correspond to insolation maxima in northern hemisphere summer. A 23,000-yr precessional rhythm is suggested, supporting a direct link between African Monsoon intensity and orbitally modulated insolation. The late Holocene is the only time observed when both areas are arid during an interglacial episode. This may reflect, in part, anthropogenic disturbance of late Holocene climates.     

Response of the uppermost mantle to Indo-Eurasian collisional tectonics

The rheological law for the power law creep field of peridotite suggested by Chopra and Paterson (1981, 1984) is combined with theoretically modelled thermal and stress perturbations for continent-continent collisions (Bird et al., 1975; Bird, 1978a) to determine the effect of such collisions on the uppermost mantle below the zone of convergence. The model predicts a change from continental to oceanic geotherms during the oceanic subduction phase, followed by a rapid rise in differential stress during the collisional phase.These perturbations, when combined, cause a cyclical change in the steady state flow of the uppermost mantle ending with a re-equilibration of thermal and stress regimes. The thermal re-equilibration proceeds at a much slower rate, with a suggested total re-equilibration period of about 100 m.y. after collision has ceased. The combination of the flow law with the model predicts that the perturbations in the mantle are limited in depth with no changes in mantle behavior below about 100 km.     

Hydrologic and geochemical properties of the San Andreas fault at the Stone Canyon well

The Stone Canyon well penetrates 600 m of highly fractured and severely altered quartz diorite intimately associated with the creeping segment of the San Andreas fault of central California. Geophysical logs reveal a complex hydrology dominated by major fractures. Fluid pressure in some fractures is sufficient to prevent invasion of the formation by heavy drilling mud, implying pore pressures at least 10% higher than hydrostatic ones. At least three chemically distinct waters are encountered, including a chloride brine clearly segregated from the shallow, potable groundwater. Chemical alteration of the quartz diorite persists throughout the well, far below the depth where the water-rock reactions responsible for the ubiquitous chlorite and mixed-layer clays can be considered weathering. Whole-rock ¹⁸O analyses indicate significant interaction of the rocks with a low ¹⁸O fluid within some of the fractured and altered zones, whereas a deeper sample shows¹⁸O enrichment. High pore pressures encountered in Stone Canyon may be due to tectonic compression. Measurements of temporal variations in the pore pressure at the well may provide a means of predicting earthquakes along this segment of the San Andreas fault.     

Pressure-temperature conditions in the Wadi Kid metamorphic complex: Implications for the pan-african event in SE Sinai

Geothermobarometry using continuous equilibria in pelitic rocks of the central and northeastern Wadi Kid areas, Sinai, yields pressure estimates of 320 MPa (3.2 kbar) and temperature estimates of 565° C and >620° C for staurolite-andalusite zone assemblages and anatectic rocks, respectively. This corresponds to geothermal gradients of 47° C/km and 50° C/km. TheseP-T conditions are shown to be compatible with burial under a volcanic cover. The principal heat source for high-grade metamorphism and anatexis is thought to be rising magmatic diapirs. Uplift was relatively slow and the final stages of heating and early stages of cooling probably occurred isobarically. The data imply a high heat flow regime for the Pan-African event in Sinai.