Changes in landuse/landcover patterns and human population growth in the Lake Chivero catchment,Zimbabwe

The land use and land cover pattern of a region is a consequence of natural and socio-economic factors and their utilization by man in time and space. In this study, we hypothesized that land use and land cover change patterns in the Lake Chivero catchment, Zimbabwe, were related to its human population dynamics. Using nonparametric correlation coefficients (Spearman’s rho, ρ), we found that bareland, cropland and built-up land had positive relations with human population growth of ρ = 0.7, ρ = 0.9 and ρ = 1, respectively. Grassland/shrubland, water and forest, on the other hand, had a negative relationship with human population growth of ρ = ?0.9, ρ = ?0.7 and ρ = ?0.667, respectively. However, these relationships were only significant (p < 0.05) for cropland, grassland/shrubland and built-up land. Human population dynamics in the Lake Chivero catchment could be one of the major drivers of land use and land cover change in the catchment between 1986 and 2014.     

Crustal assimilation during turbulent magma ascent (ATA); new isotopic evidence from the Mull Tertiary lava succession,N. W. Scotland

Assimilation of crustal rocks with concomitant fractional crystallisation (AFC) is a well documented phenomenon in many igneous suites, but geochemical evidence from the Tertiary Mull lava succession suggests that in these magmas crustal contamination occurred by a distinctly different mechanism. Lavas from the lower half of the Mull Plateau group (MPG) can be divided into two broad sub-types; high (>8%) MgO basalts with elevated Ba and K; and lower MgO (<8%) basaltic-hawaiites with lower Ba and K. The lower crust and most of the upper crust beneath Mull is probably of Lewisian age. The Sr-, Nd-and Pb-isotope compositions of local Lewisian crustal samples yield the following ranges: ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.71002–0.72348, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd=0.51045–0.51058 and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=14.0–14.6. Ten lavas have also been analysed and yield the following ranges: ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7028–0.7042, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd=0.51214–0.51230 and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=15.1–17.9. However, within this range, it is predominantly the more primitive mafic compositions, with elevated Mg, Ba and K, that show the lowest Nd- and Pb-, and the highest Sr-isotope values. Modelling of these isotopic results, in conjunction with major and trace element data, show that: (1) contamination by Lewisian lower crustal material does occur; (2) that the process involved was not one of assimilation with concomitant fractional crystallisation (AFC). The proposed contamination process is one whereby the hottest (most MgO rich) magmas have assimilated acidic partial melts of Lewisian lower crust during turbulent ascent (ATA) through thin, poorly connected dyke- and sill-like magma chambers. The chemical composition of the contaminated lavas can be modelled successfully through addition of 5% acidic Lewisian crust to an uncontaminated lava. In contrast, the more evolved magmas — which probably fractionated at sub-crustal levels — were either not hot enough to molt significant amounts of crust, or did not ascend turbulently because of their higher viscosity, and so are less contaminated with crust.     

Evaluation of the effects of alteration and leaching on Sm–Nd and Lu–Hf systematics in submarine mafic rocks

Nd and Hf isotope systematics of oceanic basaltic rocks are often assumed to be largely immune to the effects of hydrothermal alteration. We have tested this assumption by comparing Nd and Hf isotope data for acid-leached Cretaceous oceanic basalts from Gorgona and DSDP Leg 15 with unleached data on the same rocks. Hf isotope values and Lu/Hf ratios are relatively unaffected by leaching, but ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values of leached samples are significantly higher than those of unleached fractions of the same sample in most cases. Furthermore, the Sm/Nd ratios of the majority of leached samples are 10–40% greater than those of unleached samples. X-ray diffraction studies indicate that selective removal of secondary minerals, such as smectite, during the acid leaching process is responsible for the fractionation of Sm/Nd ratios. These results have implications for interpretation of the Hf–Nd isotope systematics of ancient submarine rocks (older than ~ 50 Ma), as (1) the age-corrected ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio may not be representative of the primary magmatic signature and (2) the uncertainty of the age-corrected ε_Nd value may exceed the assumed analytical precision.     

Magnetotelluric image of the crust and upper mantle in the backarc of the northwestern Argentinean Andes

Magnetotelluric data from the backarc of the Central Andes in NW Argentinawere re-examined by employing impedance tensor decomposition and 2-D inversion and modelling techniques. The data in the period range of 50–15 000 s were collected on a profile of 220 km length reaching from the Eastern Cordillera across the Santa Barbara System to the Andean foreland of the Argentinean Chaco.
After a dimensionality analysis, data from most sites were treated as regional 2-D. The exception was the eastern section of the profile, where the magnetotelluric transfer functions for periods ≤ 1000 s reflect a 3-D earth. Application of two tensor decomposition schemes yielded a regional strike direction of N–S, which is the azimuth of the Central Andean mountain chains. Several 2-D models were obtained by pseudo- and full 2-D Occam inversion schemes. Special emphasis was placed on the inversion of phase data to reduce the influence of static shifts in the apparent resistivity data. The smooth inversion models all show a good conductor at depth. A final model was then calculated using a finite element forward algorithm.
The most prominent feature of the resulting model is a conductor which rises from depths of 180 km below the Chaco region to 80 km beneath the Santa Barbara System and the Eastern Cordillera. Its interpretation as a rise of the electrical asthenosphere is supported by seismic attenuation studies. Magnetotelluric results, surface heat-flow distribution in the area, and the electrical properties of crustal and mantle rocks suggest that the upper mantle is predominantly ductile beneath the Eastern Cordillera and the western Santa Barbara System. This generally agrees with anelastic seismic attenuation models of the area and is useful in discriminating between models of Q quality factor distribution.     

The role of endolithic cyanobacteria in the formation of lithified laminae in Bahamian stromatolites

The microboring activity of endolithic cyanobacteria plays a major role in the formation of the dominant lithified laminae in modern marine stromatolites in the Exuma Cays, Bahamas. These stromatolites are composed primarily of fine-grained carbonate sand that is trapped and bound by the filamentous cyanobacteria Schizothrix sp.. Periodic introduction of coccoid endolithic cyanobacteria Solentia sp. during hiatuses in stromatolite growth associated with very low rates of sedimentation results in the formation of lithified horizons, 200–1000 μm thick. These layers consist of micritized grains that are welded together at point contacts. The micritization is caused by extensive microboring and carbonate precipitation within boreholes concurrent with endolithic activity. Grain welding occurs when boreholes cross from one grain to another at point contacts. Thus, microboring destroys original grain textures but, at the same time, plays a constructional role in stromatolite growth by forming lithified layers of welded grains. These lateral bands of fused carbonate grains help to stabilize and preserve the stromatolite deposits.     

Growing new generations of critical zone scientists

Critical zone (CZ) science is entering its second decade. A new generation of scientists is emerging trained specifically in CZ science and are contributing to advances in environmental science across disciplines. Concurrently, the global scope of CZ science is being elevated as new countries invest in CZ observatories. Global CZ science has great potential to address a diverse array of questions beyond any single discipline. In this commentary we discuss a series of CZ science grand challenges that should be targeted by early‐career researchers: understanding water availability in the CZ; expanding CZ science into new environments; communicating the societal relevance of CZ science including earthcasting to the public; seamlessly integrating biological sciences within the CZ framework; and scaling CZ processes over large spatial and temporal gradients. Targeting these grand challenges will push CZ science well into the future. We also highlight mechanisms for increased leadership within the CZ community. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparative toxic effects of copper-based nanoparticles and their microparticles in Daphnia magna by using natural freshwater media

Copper-based nanoparticles (NPs) are being widely used in different application fields and their health impacts to aquatic environments represent a current concern. Few studies are available about their comparative toxicity with their bulks and ions under natural exposition in aquatic organisms. Thus, the toxicity of Cu and CuO NPs and their microparticle and ionic forms was assayed in the acute immobilisation test of Daphnia magna by using freshwater media. Electronic microscopy, laser doppler velocimetry, and dynamic laser scattering methodologies were used to NPs characterisation. The results indicated that CuNPs and CuONPs were more toxic than their microparticles. Among NPs, CuNPs showed higher toxicity than CuONPs. Copper-based nanoparticles showed similar hydrodynamic particle size and were agglomerated in culture media, suggesting toxic-ionic release relationship and corroborated by the high toxicity induced by CuSO₄. Additionally, water chemistry of natural freshwater used in the experiments also favoured the ion release of these NPs.     

Modelling European winter wind storm losses in current and future climate

Severe wind storms are one of the major natural hazards in the extratropics and inflict substantial economic damages and even casualties. Insured storm-related losses depend on (i) the frequency, nature and dynamics of storms, (ii) the vulnerability of the values at risk, (iii) the geographical distribution of these values, and (iv) the particular conditions of the risk transfer. It is thus of great importance to assess the impact of climate change on future storm losses. To this end, the current study employs—to our knowledge for the first time—a coupled approach, using output from high-resolution regional climate model scenarios for the European sector to drive an operational insurance loss model. An ensemble of coupled climate-damage scenarios is used to provide an estimate of the inherent uncertainties. Output of two state-of-the-art global climate models (HadAM3, ECHAM5) is used for present (1961–1990) and future climates (2071–2100, SRES A2 scenario). These serve as boundary data for two nested regional climate models with a sophisticated gust parametrizations (CLM, CHRM). For validation and calibration purposes, an additional simulation is undertaken with the CHRM driven by the ERA40 reanalysis. The operational insurance model (Swiss Re) uses a European-wide damage function, an average vulnerability curve for all risk types, and contains the actual value distribution of a complete European market portfolio. The coupling between climate and damage models is based on daily maxima of 10 m gust winds, and the strategy adopted consists of three main steps: (i) development and application of a pragmatic selection criterion to retrieve significant storm events, (ii) generation of a probabilistic event set using a Monte-Carlo approach in the hazard module of the insurance model, and (iii) calibration of the simulated annual expected losses with a historic loss data base. The climate models considered agree regarding an increase in the intensity of extreme storms in a band across central Europe (stretching from southern UK and northern France to Denmark, northern Germany into eastern Europe). This effect increases with event strength, and rare storms show the largest climate change sensitivity, but are also beset with the largest uncertainties. Wind gusts decrease over northern Scandinavia and Southern Europe. Highest intra-ensemble variability is simulated for Ireland, the UK, the Mediterranean, and parts of Eastern Europe. The resulting changes on European-wide losses over the 110-year period are positive for all layers and all model runs considered and amount to 44% (annual expected loss), 23% (10 years loss), 50% (30 years loss), and 104% (100 years loss). There is a disproportionate increase in losses for rare high-impact events. The changes result from increases in both severity and frequency of wind gusts. Considerable geographical variability of the expected losses exists, with Denmark and Germany experiencing the largest loss increases (116% and 114%, respectively). All countries considered except for Ireland (?22%) experience some loss increases. Some ramifications of these results for the socio-economic sector are discussed, and future avenues for research are highlighted. The technique introduced in this study and its application to realistic market portfolios offer exciting prospects for future research on the impact of climate change that is relevant for policy makers, scientists and economists.     

The Functions and Values of Fringing Salt Marshes in Northern New England,USA

We compared the functions and values of fringing salt marshes to those of meadow marshes along the southern Maine/New Hampshire coast. Differences included soil organic matter content, plant species richness, and percent cover of high and low-marsh species. More sediment was trapped per unit area in fringing marshes than in meadow marshes, but this difference was not significant. Similarities included aboveground and belowground peak season biomass and the ability to dampen wave energy. Both marsh types reduced the height of waves coming onto the marsh surface by 63% only 7 m into the marsh. Fringing marshes are diverse in terms of their physical characteristics (width, length, slope, elevation, soils). Despite their small size, they are valuable components of estuaries, performing many ecological functions to the same degree as nearby meadow marshes. More effort should be made to include them in regional efforts to conserve and restore coastal habitats.