Understanding El Niño — The importance of Grey Literature in Coastal Ecosystem Research and Management

Access to information about past states of the environment and social systems is fundamental to understand, and cope with, the challenges of climate change and over-exploitation of natural resources at the onset of the 21st century. The loss of (old) data is a major threat to understanding better and mitigating long-term effects of human activities and anthropogenic changes to the environment. Although this is intuitively evident for old and local literature of any kind, even present-day international publishing of papers without the underlying raw data makes access to basic information a crucial issue. Here, we summarise experience resulting from a EU-funded International Science & Technology Cooperation (INCO) project (CENSOR) addressing Coastal Ecosystem Research and Management in the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) context. We show that indeed “Grey Literature” is still one of the most important sources of knowledge about natural science research and management of natural resource systems in Latin American countries. We argue that public archiving of original data of present-day research and old (Grey) Literature and easy public access are important for appreciating today's global environmental challenges caused by human activities, both past and present.     

Geochemistry of the Uintjiesberg kimberlite, South Africa: petrogenesis of an off-craton, group I, kimberlite

The Uintjiesberg kimberlite diatreme occurs within the Proterozoic Namaqua–Natal Belt, South Africa, approximately 60 km to the southwest of the Kaapvaal craton boundary. It is a group I, calcite kimberlite that has an emplacement age of 100 Ma. Major and trace element data, in combination with petrography, are used to evaluate its petrogenesis and the nature of its source region. Macrocryst phases are predominantly olivine with lesser phlogopite, with very rare garnet and Cr-rich clinopyroxene. Geochemical variation amongst the macrocrystic samples (Mg# 0.85–0.87, SiO₂=27.0–29.3%, MgO=26.1–30.5%, CaO=10.9–13.5%) is shown to result from 10% to 40% entrainment and partial assimilation of peridotite xenoliths, whereas that shown by the aphanitic samples (Mg# 0.80–0.83, SiO₂=19.1–23.0%, MgO=17.9–23.9%, CaO=16.5–23.7%) is consistent with 7–25% crystal fractionation of olivine and minor phlogopite. Changing trajectories on chemical variation diagrams allow postulation of a primary magma composition with 25% SiO₂, 26% MgO, 2.3% Al₂O₃, 5%H₂O, 8.6% CO₂ and Mg#=0.85.

Forward melting models, assuming 0.5% melting, indicate derivation of the primary Uintjiesberg kimberlite magma from a source enriched in light rare earth elements (LREE) by 10× chondrite and heavy REE (HREE) by 0.8–2× chondrite, the latter being dependent on the proportion of residual garnet. Significant negative Rb, K, Sr, Hf and Ti anomalies present in the inferred primary magma composition are superimposed on otherwise generally smooth primitive mantle-normalized trace element patterns, and are inferred to be a characteristic of the primary magma composition. The further requirement for a source with chondritic or lower HREE abundances, residual olivine with high Fo content (Fo₉₄) suggests derivation from a mantle previously depleted in mafic melt but subsequently enriched in highly incompatible elements prior to kimberlite genesis. These requirements are interpreted in the context of melting of continental lithospheric mantle previously enriched by metasomatic fluids derived from a sublithospheric (plume?) source.     

High Precision Sr‐Nd‐Hf‐Pb Isotopic Compositions of USGS Reference Material BCR‐2

The Lamont‐Doherty Earth Observatory radiogenic isotope group has been systematically measuring Sr‐Nd‐Pb‐Hf isotopes of USGS reference material BCR‐2 (Columbia River Basalt 2), as a chemical processing and instrumental quality control monitor for isotopic measurements. BCR‐2 is now a widely used geochemical inter‐laboratory reference material (RM), with its predecessor BCR‐1 no longer available. Recognising that precise and accurate data on RMs is important for ensuring analytical quality and for comparing data between different laboratories, we present a compilation of multiple digestions and analyses made on BCR‐2 during the first author's dissertation research. The best estimates of Sr, Nd and Hf isotope ratios and measurement reproducibilities, after filtering at the 2s level for outliers, were ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.705000 ± 11 (2s, 16 ppm, n = 21, sixteen digestions, one outlier), ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.512637 ± 13 (2s, 25 ppm, n = 27, thirteen digestions, one outlier) and ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf = 0.282866 ± 11 (2s, 39 ppm, n = 25, thirteen digestions, no outliers). Mean Nd and Hf values were within error of those reported by Weis et al. (2006, 2007) in their studies of RMs; mean Sr values were just outside the 2s uncertainty range of both laboratories. Moreover, a survey of published Sr‐Nd‐Hf data shows that our results fall within the range of reported values, but with a smaller variability. Our Pb isotope results on acid leached BCR‐2 aliquots (n = 26, twelve digestions, two outliers) were ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.8029 ± 10 (2s, 55 ppm), ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.6239 ± 8 (2s, 52 ppm), ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.8287 ± 25 (2s, 63 ppm). We confirm that unleached BCR‐2 powder is contaminated with Pb, and that sufficient leaching prior to digestion is required to achieve accurate values for the uncontaminated Pb isotopic compositions.     

Trends,drivers and impacts of changes in swidden cultivation in tropical forest-agriculture frontiers: A global assessment

This meta-analysis of land-cover transformations of the past 10–15 years in tropical forest-agriculture frontiers world-wide shows that swidden agriculture decreases in landscapes with access to local, national and international markets that encourage cattle production and cash cropping, including biofuels. Conservation policies and practices also accelerate changes in swidden by restricting forest clearing and encouraging commercial agriculture. However, swidden remains important in many frontier areas where farmers have unequal or insecure access to investment and market opportunities, or where multi-functionality of land uses has been preserved as a strategy to adapt to current ecological, economic and political circumstances. In some areas swidden remains important simply because intensification is not a viable choice, for example when population densities and/or food market demands are low. The transformation of swidden landscapes into more intensive land uses has generally increased household incomes, but has also led to negative effects on the social and human capital of local communities to varying degrees. From an environmental perspective, the transition from swidden to other land uses often contributes to permanent deforestation, loss of biodiversity, increased weed pressure, declines in soil fertility, and accelerated soil erosion. Our prognosis is that, despite the global trend towards land use intensification, in many areas swidden will remain part of rural landscapes as the safety component of diversified systems, particularly in response to risks and uncertainties associated with more intensive land use systems.     

Analyse des Standards de L'U.S.G.S. : GXR-1 a GXR-6 par Activation Neutronique et Fluorescence X

Six roches standards de I'USGS : GXR-1 à GXR-6 ont été analysées par activation neutronique instrumentale (INAA) pour le dosage de 17 éléments traces et par fluorescence X (XRF) pour les autres éléments difficiles à doser par activation neutronique. Les travaux précédemment publiés par Gladney et al. ont été pris comme référence en particulier les valeurs recommandées (R.V.) qui sont généralement en bon accord avec nos résultats. Quelques remarques et corrections sont proposées pour expliquer certaines disparités.
Six United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Geochemical Exploration References Samples (GXR) have been analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for the determination of seventeen trace elements and by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRFS) for other trace elements difficult to determine by INAA. Our results compare favourably with the values recommended by E.S. Gladney et al. Some suggestions and corrections are proposed to explain some discrepancies.     

Major Addition of Magma at the Pyroxenite Marker in the Western Bushveld Complex, South Africa

A major, but gradual, reversal in the cryptic variation patternof the plagioclase and pyroxenes, of 13 mol% anorthite and 10mol% Mg/ (Mg + Fe) respectively, is documented in the Main Zoneof the western Bush veld Complex. These changes are accompaniedby a decrease in initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio from > 0.708 to< 0.707. The Pyroxenite Marker, a distinctive orthopyroxenitelayer, occurs close to the top of this reversed differentiationsequence. This is attributed to addition of less differentiatedmagma. On the basis of a mass balance calculation of the initial⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶Sr ratios, it is estimated that the volume of magmaadded was comparable to that of the resident magma. Increases in the Fe₂O₃, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, and Na₂O contents of thepyroxenes above the level of magma addition indicate that thenew magma had a lower silica activity and higher fO₂ than theresident magma. Quantification of the trace element and REEcontent of the two magmas is hampered by the very low proportionof trapped intercumulus component in these adcumulate rocks.However, semi-quantitative modelling indicates that the traceand REE signatures of the two magmas were similar, with moderateLREE enrichment and flat HREE profiles. The new magma had aslightly higher La/ Sm ratio than the resident magma, consistentwith its more alkaline nature. The new magma was probably added gradually, while 100–150m of cumulates formed. It probably intruded at an intermediatelevel within an existing stratified magma chamber, where itcooled and crystallized, and composite packets of liquid pluscrystals plunged to the base of the chamber. The cores of plagioclasegrains formed during this mixing interval show a wider rangeof compositions than in other sections, and plagioclase primocrystsfrom both magmas may be preserved within single samples. Therefore,although intimate physical mixing of packets of unknown sizeof the two magmas occurred, re-equilibration of the major oxidecomposition of the plagioclase primocrysts was not achieved.However, the data and calculations based on diffusion ratesindicate that partial Sr isotopic resetting of plagioclase mayhave occurred.     

SOME REMARKS ON NOISE STABILITY IN DYNAMIC INVERSION OF REFLECTION SEISMIC DATA1

The dynamic inversion of reflection seismic data is investigated with reference to the influence of noise on pseudo-impedance logs. Model traces are calculated with 0, 5, 15 and 50% noise, respectively. In solving the inversion problem, the algorithm of Marquardt and Levenberg is used in connection with singular value decomposition (SVD). The results are within a 1% error range so that there was no visible change in the logs. Further signal analysis show that there is no dependence on the phase content of the wavelet used if all other parameters of the model are known.     

TWO STRUCTURAL MODELS FOR THE WESTERN FLANK OF THE BRABANT MASSIF*

This paper is concerned with an interpretation of the Bouguer anomaly on the Western flank of the Brabant Massif (Belgium). The position, shape, and density contrast of elementary bodies in the upper part of the earth's crust are determined in a purely numerical manner. A batholith-like body and a basin-type structure both adequately account for the observed surface field, at least from a one-sided geophysical and mathematical point of view. Since seismological control is lacking the two models are representative of the ambiguity and indeterminacy of the definitions of the geologic cause of the anomalous features, if the data are restricted to gravity information alone.