QUARTZ WEATHERING IN FREEZE–THAW CYCLES: EXPERIMENT AND APPLICATION TO THE EL'GYGYTGYN CRATER LAKE RECORD FOR TRACING SIBERIAN PERMAFROST HISTORY

The object of this study is to test the assumption that cryogenic weathering (here understood as in‐situ disintegration of rock under cold‐climate conditions including ice as a weathering agent) preferentially breaks up quartz grains. We apply the results of laboratory tests to a Quaternary sediment record. The combination of silt production, relative quartz enrichment in the silt fraction, and quartz grain micromorphology is traced in a multi‐100‐kyr lake sediment archive as indicator data for cryogenic weathering. Constant cryogenic weathering conditions are inferred for at least the last 220 000 years from a lake sediment core of El'gygytgyn Crater, northeast Russia. This is the longest continuous terrestrial archive currently known for the continental Arctic. Quartz enrichment in the fines evolves from seasonal freeze–thaw weathering as demonstrated in laboratory testing where over 100 freeze and thaw cycles crack quartz grains preferentially over feldspar. Microscopic grain features demonstrate that freeze–thaw cycling probably disrupts quartz grains along mineral impurities such as bubble trails, gas–liquid inclusions, or mineralogical sub‐grain boundaries. Single‐grain micromorphology (e.g. angular outlines, sharp edges, microcracks, brittle surfaces) illustrates how quartz becomes fragmented due to cryogenic cracking of the grains. The single‐grain features stemming from the weathering dynamics are preserved even after a grain is transported off site (i.e. in mobile slope material, in seasonal river run‐off, into a lake basin) and may serve as first‐order proxy data for permafrost conditions in Quaternary records.     

Implementing adaptation in developed countries: an analysis of progress and trends

Little attention has been paid thus far to the experiences of developed countries in adapting to climate change. This article addresses this research gap by providing an assessment of broad trends in progress on planning and implementing adaptation in developed countries. Primary inputs are the National Communications (NCs) by these countries to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), although the article also discusses illustrative examples of recent adaptation activities that have not been covered in the NCs. NCs reflect ‘whole government’ perspectives and follow a standardized reporting format, which facilitates cross-national comparisons. The analysis shows that impacts and adaptation receive limited attention within NCs. The discussion on impacts and adaptation has typically been dominated by climate scenarios and impacts analysis, while the discussion on adaptation is often limited to the identification of generic options. There are signs of recent progress, however, in the Third and especially the Fourth NCs, in which a growing number of developed countries report on establishing frameworks for adaptation and on efforts to implement adaptation measures that take future climate into account. Although an encouraging sign, it is still too early to assess the eventual impact of such measures.     

Sedimentology,palaeoenvironments and biostratigraphy of the Pliocene–Pleistocene carbonate platform of Grande‐Terre (Guadeloupe,Lesser Antilles forearc)

Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits from Grande‐Terre (Guadeloupe archipelago, French Lesser Antilles) provide a remarkable example of an isolated carbonate system built in an active margin setting, with sedimentation controlled by both rapid sea‐level changes and tectonic movements. Based on new field, sedimentological and palaeontological analyses, these deposits have been organized into four sedimentary sequences (S1 to S4) separated by three subaerial erosion surfaces (SB0, SB1 and SB2). Sequences S1 and S2 (‘Calcaires inférieurs à rhodolithes’) deposited during the Late Zanclean to Early Gelasian (planktonic foraminiferal Zones PL2 to PL5) in low subsidence conditions, on a distally steepened ramp dipping eastward. Red algal‐rich deposits, which dominate the western part of Grande‐Terre, change to planktonic foraminifer‐rich deposits eastward. Vertical movements of tens of metres were responsible for the formation of SB0 and SB1. Sequence S3 (‘Formation volcano‐sédimentaire’, ‘Calcaires supérieurs à rhodolithes’ and ‘Calcaires à Agaricia’) was deposited during the Late Piacenzian to Early Calabrian (Zones PL5 to PT1a) on a distally steepened, red algal‐dominated ramp that changes upward into a homoclinal, coral‐dominated ramp. Deposition of Sequence S3 occurred during a eustatic cycle in quiet tectonic conditions. Its uppermost boundary, the major erosion surface SB2, is related to the Cala1 eustatic sea‐level fall. Finally, Sequence S4 (‘Calcaires à Acropora’) probably formed during the Calabrian, developing as a coral‐dominated platform during a eustatic cycle in quiet tectonic conditions. The final emergence of the island could then have occurred in Late Calabrian times.     

西湖硅藻对桡足类浮游动物繁殖的影响

本文报道从杭州西湖筛选分离的两种淡水硅藻,即尖针杆藻Ｓｙｎｅｄｒａａｃｕｓ和谷皮菱形藻Ｎｉｔｚｓｃｈｉａｐａｌｅａ对西湖两种淡水浮游桡足类,即近亲拟剑水蚤Ｐａｒａｃｙｃｌｏｐｓａｆｆｉｎｉｓ和大尾真剑水蚤Ｅｕｃｙｃｌｏｐｓｍｕｃｒｒｏｉｄｅｓ卵孵化率的影响。结果表明,在较高密度的硅藻培养液（１．２×１０４～５．４×１０４个／ｃｍ３）中培养的桡足类动物,其卵的孵化率比生活在自然水体中的有明显降低,并发现该密度的实验硅藻对其摄食者——桡足类的母体也产生一定的毒害作用。该实验结果与已报道的某些海洋硅藻对海洋桡足类存在毒害作用的结果,对水域生态系食物链（网）中硅藻作用的传统概念提出了挑战,对水域生态学研究提出了新课题。     

The Morávka meteorite fall: 3. Meteoroid initial size,history, structure,and composition

Abstract— The properties and history of the parent meteoroid of the Morávka H5–6 ordinary chondrites have been studied by a combination of various methods. The pre‐atmospheric mass of the meteoroid was computed from fireball radiation, infrasound, seismic signal, and the content of noble gases in the meteorites. All methods gave consistent results. The best estimate of the pre‐atmospheric mass is 1500 ± 500 kg. The fireball integral bolometric luminous efficiency was 9%, and the acoustic efficiency was 0.14%. The meteoroid cosmic ray exposure age was determined to be (6.7 ± 1.0) × 10⁶ yr. The meteorite shows a clear deficit of helium, both ³He and ⁴He. This deficit can be explained by solar heating. Numerical backward integration of the meteoroid orbit (determined in a previous paper from video records of the fireball) shows that the perihelion distance was probably lower than 0.5 AU and possibly as low as 0.1 AU 5 Ma ago. The collision which excavated Morávka probably occurred while the parent body was on a near‐Earth orbit, as opposed to being confined entirely to the main asteroid belt. An overview of meteorite macroscopic properties, petrology, mineralogy, and chemical composition is given. The meteorites show all mineralogical features of H chondrites. The shock level is S2. Minor deviations from other H chondrites in abundances of trace elements La, Ce, Cs, and Rb were found. The ablation crust is enriched with siderophile elements.     

Shear Wave Anisotropy of the Upper Mantle Beneath the Region from Tingri of Tibet to Golmud of Qinghai

Measurements of shear wave splitting at 43 three-component seismic stationsshow very big difference in anisotropy on both sides of the Indus-Yarlung Zangbo suture(ITS), but little difference on both sides of the older Bangong-Nujiang suture (BNS) and theJinsha River suture (JS) to its north. Obvious discrepancy exists between the anisotropy direc-tion and the superficial tectonic trends, which is not explicable directly by the coherent uppermantle deformation usually supposed to occur in consistency with the trend of a collisional belt.On the other hand, strong spatial relationships are observed from the anisotropy results, such asthe orthogonal directions of anisotropy on both sides of ITS and the good correlation betweenthe region of larger magnitude of anisotropy and the zone of inefficient Sn propagation ofQiangtang as well as the systematic rotation of the directions of anisotropy, which should testifysome much more complicated aspects of the continental convergence mechanism. To the best ofour data, we tend to suppose that the Qinghai-Tibet plateau might result from a mechanismcomplicated by the coexistence of Argand's underthrusting and Dewey's diffuse deformation.     

Wastage features of the inland ice sheet in central South Norway

Detailed field mapping of different lateral phenomena, striae, texture and till fabric forms the basis of a reconstruction of five deglaciation phases in the east Jotunheimen-Gudbrandsdalen area, a land scape with moderate relief in the vicinity of the ice divide. During wastage, the inland ice sheet separated into several ice lobes situated in valleys enclosed by large ice-free uplands. The slope of the ice surface varied with local changes in the ice movement pattern and with the breaking of ice dams, which caused reversal of drainage from ice-dammed lakes. Non-climatic, large margianl moraines are thought to have fomed as a result of locally increased steepness of the ice surface. By tracing the deglaciation phases through two different valley systems which converge in the lake Mjøsa area, deglaciation events in the ice divide zone are correlated with marginal deposits at the front of the ice lobes.     

ISOTOPE RECORDS FROM MONGOLIAN AND ALPINE ICE CORES AS CLIMATE INDICATORS

The link between long term changes in the isotopic composition of precipitation and surface air temperature at a given location is of exceptional importance for paleoclimatic studies, as ahs been demonstrated by many recent publications based on the isotope records from polar ice cores. By means of direct comparison with instrumental data, this paper evaluates the potential of the deuterium and oxygen-18 records from two continental glaciers for monitoring climatic trends. The isotopic data presented characterize climatically contrasted enviroments. The records from the Swiss glacier show distinct seasonal variations. Oxygen-18 is fairly well correlated with the instrumental record of atmospheric temperature; the seasonal differences in deuterium excess reflect nearness to the oceanic moisture source. By contrast, the isotope data from the Mongolian site show poor correlation with atmospheric temperature. The seasonal variations in deuterium excess, with higher values during summer time, indicate that precipitation largely originates from re-evaporated continental moisture sources. In both cases however, the correlation with temperature is significantly improved by the elimination of values derived from years where major changes in seasonal distribution and/or snow loss obviously have occurred, thereby distoring the isotopic ratios for that particular year. Depending on the site selected for study, the stable isotope composition of ice cores should therefore be viewed not only as a proxy for atmospheric temperature, but also as an additional hydrometeorological parameter and source indicator for atmospheric moisture.