The Lower Permian Wasp Head Formation,Sydney Basin: high‐latitude,shallow marine sedimentation following the late Asselian to early Sakmarian glacial event in eastern Australia

The Lower Permian Wasp Head Formation (early to middle Sakmarian) is a ～95 m thick unit that was deposited during the transition to a non‐glacial period following the late Asselian to early Sakmarian glacial event in eastern Australia. This shallow marine, sandstone‐dominated unit can be subdivided into six facies associations. (i) The marine sediment gravity flow facies association consists of breccias and conglomerates deposited in upper shoreface water depths. (ii) Upper shoreface deposits consist of cross‐stratified, conglomeratic sandstones with an impoverished expression of the Skolithos Ichnofacies. (iii) Middle shoreface deposits consist of hummocky cross‐stratified sandstones with a trace fossil assemblage that represents the Skolithos Ichnofacies. (iv) Lower shoreface deposits are similar to middle shoreface deposits, but contain more pervasive bioturbation and a distal expression of the Skolithos Ichnofacies to a proximal expression of the Cruziana Ichnofacies. (v) Delta‐influenced, lower shoreface‐offshore transition deposits are distinguished by sparsely bioturbated carbonaceous mudstone drapes within a variety of shoreface and offshore deposits. Trace fossil assemblages represent distal expressions of the Skolithos Ichnofacies to stressed, proximal expressions of the Cruziana Ichnofacies. Impoverished trace fossil assemblages record variable and episodic environmental stresses possibly caused by fluctuations in sedimentation rates, substrate consistencies, salinity, oxygen levels, turbidity and other physio‐chemical stresses characteristic of deltaic conditions. (vi) The offshore transition‐offshore facies association consists of mudstone and admixed sandstone and mudstone with pervasive bioturbation and an archetypal to distal expression of the Cruziana Ichnofacies. The lowermost ～50 m of the formation consists of a single deepening upward cycle formed as the basin transitioned from glacioisostatic rebound following the Asselian to early Sakmarian glacial to a regime dominated by regional extensional subsidence without significant glacial influence. The upper ～45 m of the formation can be subdivided into three shallowing upward cycles (parasequences) that formed in the aftermath of rapid, possibly glacioeustatic, rises in relative sea‐level or due to autocyclic progradation patterns. The shift to a parasequence‐dominated architecture and progressive decrease in ice‐rafted debris upwards through the succession records the release from glacioisostatic rebound and amelioration of climate that accompanied the transition to broadly non‐glacial conditions.     

States of maximum entropy production in a one-dimensional vertical model with convective adjustment

We investigate the hypothesis that the atmosphere is constrained to maximize its entropy production by using a one-dimensional (1-D) vertical model. We prescribe the lapse rate in the convective layer as that of the standard troposphere. The assumption that convection sustains a critical lapse rate was absent in previous studies, which focused on the vertical distribution of climatic variables, since such a convective adjustment reduces the degrees of freedom of the system and may prevent the application of the maximum entropy production (MEP) principle. This is not the case in the radiative-convective model (RCM) developed here, since we accept a discontinuity of temperatures at the surface similar to that adopted in many RCMs.
For current conditions, the MEP state gives a difference between the ground temperature and the air temperature at the surface ≈10 K. In comparison, conventional RCMs obtain a discontinuity ≈2K only. However, the surface boundary layer velocity in the MEP state appears reasonable (≈m s⁻¹). Moreover, although the convective flux at the surface in MEP states is almost uniform in optically thick atmospheres, it reaches a maximum value for an optical thickness similar to current conditions. This additional result may support the maximum convection hypothesis suggested by Paltridge (1978 ).     

Experimental Petrology of Melilite Nephelinites

Experimental study of natural melilite nephelinite lavas ofintermediate K/Na ratio at low pressure (fo₂ reveals the presenceof a peritectic ‘point’ of distributary type (1090?C)for liquids saturated with leucite, nepheline, and spinel. Withdecreasing temperature on the olivine + melilite cotectic, botholivine and melilite react with such liquids to produce high-calciumpyroxene at the peritectic. Both the olivine + high-calciumpyroxene and melilite + high-calcium pyroxene cotectics arestable at temperatures below the peritectic. Olivines coexistingwith such liquids are much more magnesian than those in comparabletholeiitic liquids. The olivine-liquid Fe-Mg distribution coefficient is a monotonically increasing function of silica activity over the composition range spannedby melilite nephelinite, ugandite, alkali basalt, and tholeiitebasalt liquids. The analogous Fe-Mg distribution coefficientfor melilite and liquid is effectively constant , while that for high-calcium pyroxene and liquidis highly dependent on the chemistry of high-calcium pyroxene(cf., Sack & Carmichael, 1984). Pseudoternary liquidus projectionsof multiply saturated liquids coexisting with nepheline, leucite,and spinel (?olivine?high-calcium pyroxene?melilite) have beenprepared to facilitate graphical analysis of the evolution oflava compositions during hypabyssal cooling. Major element chemicalanalyses and petrographic features of lavas from Mt. Nyiragongo,East Africa and Oahu, Hawaii (e.g., Denaeyer et al., 1965; Wilkinson& Stolz, 1983) confirm the validity of these diagrams andthe systematics established from the experimental data. ^*Reprint requests to R.O. Sack     

Suspension and calibration of a sediment trap

The aim of this technical note is to introduce a new, simple construction of a buoy-carried, suspended sediment trap that meets given demands concerning design (geometry of vessels) and stability during the registration period. The device is based on a ball-and-socket joint in the center and two Plexiglas cylinders (D=5cm, H=30cm) on PVC plastic arms. The suspension consists of only three parts. To determine the optimal construction, the apparatus has been calibrated in a circulating flume at various water velocities.     

运用上月各气象要素的特征来预告下月雨量——(沈阳夏季各月雨量作例)

一个地方下月的雨量,能不能从当地上月天气演变的结果所记录下来的各种气象要素的数值来推测呢?现在这篇报告的目的就想解答这个问题。关於这方面的研究,以前早有人注意,例如竺可桢教授研究过冬天温度与夏季雨量的关系,     

Intermediate time error growth and predictability: tropics versus mid-latitudes

The evolution of identical twin errors from an atmospheric general circulation model is studied in the linear range (small errors) through intermediate times and the approach to saturation. Between forecast day 1 and 7, the normalized error variance in the tropics is similar to that at higher latitudes. After that, tropical errors grow more slowly. The predictability time τ taken for tropical errors to reach half their saturation values is larger than that for mid-latitudes, especially for the planetary waves, thus implying greater potential predictability in the tropics.
The discrepancy between mid-latitude and tropical τ is more pronounced at 850 hPa than at 200 hPa, is largest for the planetary waves, and is more pronounced for errors arising from wave phase differences (than from wave amplitude differences).
The spectra of the error in 200 hPa zonal wind show that for forecast times up to about 5 d, the tropical error peaks at much shorter scales than the mid-latitude errors, but that subsequently tropical and mid-latitude error spectra look increasingly similar.
The difference between upper and lower level tropical τ may be due to the greater influence of mid-latitudes at the upper levels.     

On the selection of prognostic moments in parametrization schemes for drop sedimentation

Common parametrization models for cloud microphysical processes use condensate mass density and/or particle number density as prognostic properties. However, other moments of the particle size distribution can likewise be chosen for prediction. This study deals with parametrization models with one and two, respectively, prognostic moments for the sedimentation of drop ensembles. The spectral resolving model defines the reference solution.
The evolution of the vertical profiles of liquid water content, drop number density and rain rate strongly depend on the choice of the prognostic moments in the parametrization models. In models with a single prognostic moment, its vertical profile is copied by all other moments. The moment of most physical pertinence is recommended for prediction. In models with two prognostic moments, the vertical profiles of all moments differ. The orders of the prognostic moments should be chosen close to the order of moments of highest relevance. Otherwise large errors occur. For example, comparison of modelled versus observed radar reflectivity (6th moment with respect to diameter) does not tell much about the quality of other properties if reflectivity is diagnosed from for example, number density and mass density. Furthermore, mass conservation is fulfilled only if mass density is forecasted.     

沈积岩石学

沈积学,在二十世纪初叶始渐起而为地质学中之新支,近数十年来随着石油工业之发达,而日趋蓬勃;一变昔日仅以岩石性质研究为沈积原因之解说,而侧重沈积作用及沈积环境之