Evidence for a mid‐Pleistocene shift of ice‐drift pattern in the Nordic seas

Sediment proxy records from a continuous, 1.5 million year long deep‐sea sediment core from a site in the western Norwegian Sea were used to obtain new insights into the nature of palaeoceanographic change in the northern North Atlantic (Nordic seas) during the climatic shift of the Mid‐Pleistocene Revolution (MPR). Red‐green sediment colour and magnetic susceptibility records both reveal significant differences in their mean values when comparing the intervals older than 700 000 yr (700 ka) with those from the past 500 kyr. The timing and duration of these changes indicates that the MPR in the Nordic seas is characterised by a gradual transition lasting about 200 kyr. Together with further sedimentological evidence this suggests that the mid‐Pleistocene climate shift was accompanied by a general change in ice‐drift pattern. It is further proposed that prior to the onset of the major late Pleistocene glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere a significant proportion of the ice in the eastern Nordic seas originated from a southern provenance, whereas later it dominantly came from the surrounding landmasses. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dust metamorphosis in the galaxy

Summary Cosmic dust grains play an important role for the thermal, dynamical, and chemical structure of the interstellar medium. This is especially true for the star formation process and the late stages of stellar evolution. Dust grains determine the spectral appearance of protostars, very young stellar objects with disk-like structures as well as of evolved stars with circumstellar envelopes.In this review, we will demonstrate that solid particles in interstellar space are both agent and subject of galactic evolution. We will especially discuss the different dust populations in circumstellar envelopes, the diffuse interstellar medium, and the molecular clouds with strong emphasis on the evolutionary aspects and the metamorphosis of these populations.     

The influence of synoptic airflow on UK daily precipitation extremes. Part II: regional climate model and E-OBS data validation

We investigate how well the variability of extreme daily precipitation events across the United Kingdom is represented in a set of regional climate models and the E-OBS gridded data set. Instead of simply evaluating the climatologies of extreme precipitation measures, we develop an approach to validate the representation of physical mechanisms controlling extreme precipitation variability. In part I of this study we applied a statistical model to investigate the influence of the synoptic scale atmospheric circulation on extreme precipitation using observational rain gauge data. More specifically, airflow strength, direction and vorticity are used as predictors for the parameters of the generalised extreme value (GEV) distribution of local precipitation extremes. Here we employ this statistical model for our validation study. In a first step, the statistical model is calibrated against a gridded precipitation data set provided by the UK Met Office. In a second step, the same statistical model is calibrated against 14 ERA40 driven 25?km resolution RCMs from the ENSEMBLES project and the E-OBS gridded data set. Validation indices describing relevant physical mechanisms are derived from the statistical models for observations and RCMs and are compared using pattern standard deviation, pattern correlation and centered pattern root mean squared error as validation measures. The results for the different RCMs and E-OBS are visualised using Taylor diagrams. We show that the RCMs adequately simulate moderately extreme precipitation and the influence of airflow strength and vorticity on precipitation extremes, but show deficits in representing the influence of airflow direction. Also very rare extremes are misrepresented, but this result is afflicted with a high uncertainty. E-OBS shows considerable biases, in particular in regions of sparse data. The proposed approach might be used to validate other physical relationships in regional as well as global climate models.     

Detrital zircon geochronology of Palaeozoic Novaya Zemlya – a key to understanding the basement of the Barents Shelf

The Novaya Zemlya fold‐and‐thrust‐belt is the northern continuation of the late Palaeozoic Uralide Orogen. Little is known about its deeper structure and the basement history of the adjacent Barents and Kara shelves. Based on geological evidence and detrital zircon analysis of 28 samples from the northeastern and stratigraphically deepest part of the archipelago, we demonstrate that Cambro‐Ordovician turbidite‐dominated deposition was almost exclusively sourced from rocks consolidated during the Timanian orogeny (Timanian basement). A profound change in provenance occurred near the end of the Ordovician. Over 90% of the zircons from Silurian and about 80% from Devonian strata have ages characteristic of the Sveconorwegian Orogen, implying uplift of these rocks in the vicinity of Novaya Zemlya. The presence of Sveconorwegian and Grenvillian rocks in the high Arctic suggests revision of recent reconstructions of the Rodinia supercontinent, its break‐up and subsequent Caledonian orogeny.     

Neuer Tiefsee-fund eines rezenten Vertreters der kambro-silurischen Molluskengruppe Tryblidiacea

Zusammenfassung Die Dänische GALATHEA-Expedition erbeutete am 6. Mai 1952 vor der Südwestküste Costa Ricas aus 3590 m Tiefe einige Repräsentanten einer Weichtiergruppe, der Tryblidiaceen, die man Ende Silurs (oder in Devon) ausgestorben dachte. Die Tiere zeigen Spuren unverkennbarer Segmentierung wie bei den Ringelwürmern und Gliedertieren. Möglicherweise stammen die genannten drei Tiergruppen von gemeinsamen frühkambrischen Vorfahren ab, was eine beträchtliche Verkürzung der bisher vermuteten präkambrischen Phylogenie der Metazoen bedeuten würde.Die großen Meerestiefen haben sich nochmals als Zufluchtsstelle altertümlicher Formen erwiesen, und der neue Fund kann wohl als Zeichen dafür genommen werden, daß die letzte Überraschung noch nicht aus diesen Meerestiefen heraufgezogen ist.     

Meteorite stranding surfaces and the Greenland icesheet

Abstract— Thirty years of recoveries in East Antarctica have led to significant understanding of the regional characteristics associated with meteorite stranding surfaces. In Antarctica these sites are characterized by patches of snow‐free blue ice at high altitude on the icesheet in regions where iceflow is highly restricted. Melting is extremely rare or absent and sublimation rates are high, even though meteorite stranding surfaces are predominantly found within regions where accumulation typically dominates. Localized environmental conditions that persist for thousands of years or longer appear to be the dominant factor rather than shorter‐term or seasonal cycles. In this paper we describe our discovery of regions in Northeast Greenland with blue ice areas that exhibit many of the requisite characteristics, suggesting that they are excellent prospects for future meteorite recovery efforts.     

The nature of the 10 and 20 micrometer features in circumstellar dust shells

Photographic reduction techniques are compared using an iris photometer, GALAXY and PDS for measurement of two plates (B andV) of the globular cluster M15. The comparison shows that satisfactory results can be obtained by any of these methods in the outer areas of globular clusters, but in inner regions, due to crowding of stellar images and to the influence of the background density, the most appropriate technique is the procedure applied to PDS scans of the plates.     

Temperature of cometary dust

The variation of the dust temperature with heliocentric distance for a comet is calculated using the optical constants of an astronomically important silicate.     

Kontinentalverschiebungen und Polverschiebungen — Ursachen und Probleme

Zusammenfassung Die Kruste wird zergliedert von einem Gitter altgebahnter Lineamente, welche immer wieder als Blattverschiebungen fungierten. Die gro\en Gräben Ostafrikas und Europas setzen solchen Erdnähten auf. Die starren Rahmenschollen waren etwas auseinander gewichen. So konnten die von der Kluftreibung befreiten Keilschollen rasch absinken, antithetisch kippende Blöcke den überschüssigen Scitenraum schlie\en. Junge Füllmassen wurden aufgeladen, welche die Erosion den aufgestemmten Grabenschultern entnahm. Das granitische Substrat solcher Gräben ist geschwächt, im Graben des Roten Meeres sogar median geborsten. Ein abyssaler Spalt mit basaltischem Sockel klafft dort inmitten des Altgrabens. Die Abspaltung Südamerikas vom Gondwana-Kontinent bediente sich gleichfalls alter Lineamente. Der Atlantik erweiterte sich aus einem Grabensystem. Der seismisch aktive Mediangraben des mittelatlantischen Rückens demonstriert den Fortgang der Kontinentaldrift. Auch andere Kontinente kriechen auf einer Gleitschichte pazifikwärts, die pazifische Masse mit einer überschiebungsbahn und Blattverschiebungen bewältigend. Der übereinstimmende Baustil zirkumpazifischer Tektonik beweist periphere Einengungen des Pazifik. Die gro\en Urkontinente störten das irdische Rotationsgleichgewicht. Daher die Tendenz, den Störkörper zu spalten und die Erdoberfläche möglichst gleichmä\ig mit Kontinenten zu bestücken. Als Rei\nähte boten sich die Gräben und Lineamente an, welche angelegt waren, die Scherspannungen auszugleichen, wenn Polverschiebungen das Rotationsellipsoid zur Neujustierung zwangen. Die abdriftenden Kontinente induzierten sekundäre Gleichgewichtsstörungen und erneute Polverschiebungen. Wieder wurden Scherzonen lebendig, Kontinentaldrift setzte an und erweiterte sie zu Gräben, um schlie\lich ein weiteres Stück Kruste der Klammer kontinentaler Konsolidation zu entrei\en. So werden Polverschiebungen und Kontinentalverschiebungen als einander auslösende und steuernde Prozesse verstanden. Das orogene ZeitgesetzStilles wird unter diesem Aspekt diskutiert.

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The crust of the earth is traversed by a lattice of tectonic lineaments which, since the Precambrian Era, were always and again acting as wrench faults. These shearing movements, independent of the specific crustal structure, are thought to be caused by the wandering of the poles. For the directions and movements of the lineaments correspond to the stress field that was induced by the readjustment of the geoid. The bursting lineaments caused a splitting of the continental masses. The great original continents of the Paleozoic Era disturbed the balance of revolution. There was a trend to separate the disturbing masses and to furnish the surface of the earth as proportionally as possible with continents. Thus, divergent forces started to work on the lineaments. The lineaments were stretched and became rift valleys. When the forces of the continental drift became overwhelming, the rift valleys burst along their median line. A new continent split off. The wandering continents endeavoured and are still endeavouring to reach, in the first place, the Pacific Ocean trying to confine it peripherically. From this trend comes the conformable architecture of the circumpacific tectonics. The drifting masses effected secondary disturbances of the balance of the rotating gyroscope. The poles tried to escape the wandering masses. Once more, lineaments became active, and the process of splitting continued. Consequently, the wandering of the poles and the continental drift are thought to be mutually initiating and controlling processes. The orogenic phases of the folding and the taphrogenic phases of the rift valley forming are in their global coincidence the display of this very process that concerns the entire crust of the earth.

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Résumé L'écorce terrestre est sillonnée d'un réseau de linéaments tectoniques, qui se remuaient à partir de temps précambriens et qui continuent de se remuer au sens de failles de décrochement. Les mouvements ne tiennent pas compte de la structure géologique de la région en question. On suppose que la cause des mouvements soit la dérive des pÔles, parceque les directions des linéaments tectoniques correspondent aux celles-ci de la tension de l'écorce provoquée par le ré-ajustage du géoid. En se fendant le longue des linéaments les masses des continents furent parcellées. - Les grands continents du Paléozoique dérangaient l'équilibre de la rotation. Cet dérangement causait la tendance de répartir les masses des continents et d'en garnir la surface du globe. Le longue des linéaments agissaient des forces séparentes. Les linéaments s'élargissaient et devenaient des fossés tectoniques. Si les forces de la dérive des continents se renforÇaient les fossés tectoniques se partagissaient le longue de ses médianes. Un nouveau continent était formé. Mises en translation les continents se tournaient vers la région de l'Océan Pacifique, et aussi à present les continents continuent de rétrecir la région marginale du Pacifique. C'est pourquoi le type de la construction tectonique est le mÊme dans toutes les guirlandes circumpacifiques. Les translations continentales causaient des dérangements secondaires de l'équilibre du géoid et les pÔles fuyaient les continents. De nouveau les linéaments tectoniques se remuaient et la division des continents se continuait. La dérive des pÔles et la dérive des continents sont des événements dont l'un provoque et dirige l'autre. L'expression de cet événement concernant l'écorce entière est la simultanéité des phases orogénétiques (plissement) et des phases taphrogéniques (formation des fossés tectoniques).