Nutrient (P, N) dynamics in the southwestern Kattegat, Scandinavia: sedimentation and resuspension effects

 The yearly nutrient supply from land and atmosphere to the study area in SW Kattegat is 10 900 tons of N and 365 tons of P. This is only few percent of the supply from adjacent marine areas, as the yearly transport through the study area is 218 000 tons of N and 18 250 tons of P. Yearly net deposition makes up 1340 tons of N (on average 2.5 g m^–2 yr^–1) and 477 ton of P (on average 0.9 g m^–2 yr^–1). Shallow-water parts of the study area have no net deposition because of frequent (>35% of the year) resuspension. Resuspension frequency in deep water is <1% of the year. Resuspension rates, as averages for the study area, are 10–17 times higher than net deposition rates. Because of resuspension, shallow-water sediments are coarse lag deposits with small amounts of organic matter (1.1%) and nutrients (0.04% N and 0.02% P). Deep-water sediments, in contrast, are fine grained with high levels of organic matter (11.7%) and nutrients (0.43% N and 0.15% P). Laboratory studies showed that resuspension changes the diffusive sediment water fluxes of nutrients, oxygen consumption, and penetration into the sediment. Fluxes of dissolved reactive phosphate from sediment to water after resuspension were negative in organic-rich sediments (13.2% organic matter) with low porosity (56) and close to zero in coarse sediments with a low organic matter content (2.3%) and high porosity (73). Fluxes of inorganic N after resuspension were reduced to 70% and 0–20% in relation to the rates before resuspension, respectively. Received: 10 July 1995 · Accepted: 19 January 1996     

Flood seasonality across Scandinavia—Evidence of a shifting hydrograph?

Fluvial flood events have substantial impacts on humans, both socially and economically, as well as on ecosystems (e.g., hydroecology and pollutant transport). Concurrent with climate change, the seasonality of flooding in cold environments is expected to shift from a snowmelt‐dominated to a rainfall‐dominated flow regime. This would have profound impacts on water management strategies, that is, flood risk mitigation, drinking water supply, and hydro power. In addition, cold climate hydrological systems exhibit complex interactions with catchment properties and large‐scale climate fluctuations making the manifestation of changes difficult to detect and predict. Understanding a possible change in flood seasonality and defining related key drivers therefore is essential to mitigate risk and to keep management strategies viable under a changing climate. This study explores changes in flood seasonality across near‐natural catchments in Scandinavia using circular statistics and trend tests. Results indicate strong seasonality in flooding for snowmelt‐dominated catchments with a single peak occurring in spring and early summer (March through June), whereas flood peaks are more equally distributed throughout the year for catchments located close to the Atlantic coast and in the south of the study area. Flood seasonality has changed over the past century seen as decreasing trends in summer maximum daily flows and increasing winter and spring maximum daily flows with 5–35% of the catchments showing significant changes at the 5% significance level. Seasonal mean daily flows corroborate those findings with higher percentages (5–60%) of the catchments showing statistically significant changes. Alterations in annual flood occurrence also point towards a shift in flow regime from snowmelt‐dominated to rainfall‐dominated with consistent changes towards earlier timing of the flood peak (significant for 25% of the catchments). Regionally consistent patterns suggest a first‐order climate control as well as a local second‐order catchment control, which causes inter‐seasonal variability in the streamflow response.     

斯堪的那维亚臭氧亏损和地面加热

对ＮＡＳＡ的ＴＯＭＳ臭氧资料进行分析后指出：冬季在北极的斯堪的那维亚地区存在一个明显的臭氧亏损区，亏损区的中心值达－５０ ＤＵ，相当于该区域平均值的 １５％。对臭氧亏损和北大西洋海温的东西向差异作相关分析得到：其季节变化的相关系数为－０．９６，逐月（ １６８个月）变化的相关系数为－０．７０。同样对臭氧亏损与地面加热进行相关分析后指出：斯堪的那维亚地区的臭氧亏损和该地区地面的热通量关系极其密切，其相关系数均在－０．８７以上。由此我们认为：北大西洋暖流向北输送能量，引起斯堪的纳维亚地区地面加热，由此造成了冬季该地区的臭氧亏损。     

Extensive-Dilatancy Anisotropy (Eda) Inferred From Observations of Crustal Shear Waves Generated By A Refraction Experiment In Northern Scandinavia

Summary. Particle-motion plots of shear waves have been studied for the section FG of the FENNOLORA seismic experiment. Shear-wave splitting is observed on some records and the polarization of the first arriving shear waves show two peaks at about N35°W and N65°E. These results can be interpreted as being due to crack-induced anisotropy with the crack direction dominated by a (dominant) horizontal stress around N35°W. This is consistent with in situ stress measurements and focal mechanism studies in Scandinavia. the results show that seismic refraction experiments may be useful in providing evidence of crack-induced anisotropy in the stable continental crust.     

Using a GIS filtering approach to replicate patterns of glacial erosion

In order to extend our knowledge of glacial relief production in mountainous areas new methods are required for landscape reconstructions on a temporal resolution of a glacial cycle and a spatial resolution that includes the most important terrain components. A generic data set and a 50 m resolution digital elevation model over a study area in northern Sweden and Norway (the present day landscape data set) were employed to portray spatial patterns of erosion by reconstructing the landscape over successive cycles of glacial erosion. A maximum‐value geographic information system (GIS) filtering technique using variable neighbourhoods was applied such that existing highpoints in the landscape were used as erosional anchor points for the reconstruction of past landscape topography. An inherent assumption, therefore, is that the highest surfaces have experienced insignificant down‐wearing over the Quaternary. Over multiple reconstruction cycles, proceeding backwards in time, the highest summits increase in area, valleys become shallower, and the valley pattern becomes increasingly simplified as large valleys become in‐filled from the sides. The sum of these changes reduces relief. The pattern of glacial erosion, which is to 60% correlated to slope angle and to 70% correlated to relative relief, is characterized by (i) an abrupt erosional boundary below preserved summit areas, (ii) enhanced erosion in narrow valleys, (iii) restricted erosion of smooth areas, independently of elevation, (iv) eradication of small‐scale irregularities, (v) restricted erosion on isolated hills in low‐relief terrain, and (vi) a valley widening independent of valley directions. The method outlined in this paper shows how basic GIS filtering techniques can mimic some of the observed patterns of glacial erosion and thereby help deduce the key controls on the processes that govern large‐scale landscape evolution beneath ice sheets. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

云南1月降水异常的气候成因分析

在云南旱季降水稀少的气候背景下发生的异常旱涝气候事件是短期气候预测面临的难点之一。开展旱季降水异常的气候成因分析,对于提高气候预测准确率具有重要意义。1月是云南隆冬季节的主要时段,降水变化具有明显的偏态分布特征,年际波动非常显著。云南1月降水偏多年与偏少年大气环流有明显差异,500 hPa高度场上有四个区域位势高度与云南1月降水显著相关,中高纬的三个区域分别与斯堪的纳维亚(SCA)型遥相关的三个活动中心对应,低纬阿拉伯海的高度异常与孟加拉湾印缅槽活动有密切联系。当SCA为正(负)位相且阿拉伯海高度负(正)异常时云南1月降水偏少(多)。海洋上两个显著海温影响区域分别位于东南太平洋和北大西洋中西部,海温异常主要通过影响东亚和南亚地区的环流进而对云南1月降水产生影响。利用高度场和海温场的关键区域的数据分别合成高度场和海温场的组合序列,组合序列与云南1月降水有更高的相关性和更好的距平符号对应关系。在高度场和海温场组合序列的散点图上,近80%的年份位于第一和第三象限,这两个区域高度场和海温场的配置对云南1月降水作用一致,落区位置与降水距平符号对应关系很好;其余约20%的年份位于第二和第四象限,高度场和海温场的作用相反,落区位置与降水距平符号对应关系较差。     

A preliminary history of Holocene colluvial (debris-flow) activity,Leirdalen, Jotunheimen,Norway

A stratigraphic succession of alternating peat and minerogenic sediments at the foot of a steep mountain slope provides the basis for the reconstruction of a preliminary colluvial history from the alpine zone of Jotunheimen, southern Norway. Layers of silty sand and sandy silt, typically 5–10 cm thick and interpreted as distal debris-flow facies, are separated by layers of peat that have been radiocarbon dated. Deposition from at least 7500 to about 3800 ¹⁴C yr BP of predominantly minerogenic material suggests relatively infrequent but large-magnitude debris-flow events in an environment warmer and/or drier than today. Particularly low colluvial activity between about 6500 and 3900 ¹⁴C yr BP was terminated by a succession of major debris-flow events between about 3800 and 3400 ¹⁴C yr BP. Unhumified peats indicative of higher water tables, separate six debris-flows that occurred between about 3300 and 2300 ¹⁴C yr BP and signify a continuing high frequency of colluvial activity. Uninterrupted peat accumulation between about 2400 and 1600 ¹⁴C yr BP indicates reduced debris-flow activity; subsequent renewed activity appears to have culuminated in the ‘Little Ice Age’ after about 600 ¹⁴C yr BP. This pattern of colluvial deposition demonstrates a long history of natural Holocene low-alpine landscape instability, suggests an increase first in the magnitude and then in the frequency of debris-flow activity coincident with late Holocene climatic deterioration, and points to the potential of debris-flow records as a unique source of palaeoclimatic information related to extreme rainfall events. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of glacier hydrology on the dynamics of a large Quaternary ice sheet

The influence of glacier hydrology on the time-dependent morphology and flow behaviour of the late Weichselian Scandinavian ice sheet is explored using a simple one-dimensional ice sheet model. The model is driven by orbitally induced radiation variations, ice-albedo feedback and eustatic sea-level change. The influence of hydrology is most marked during deglaciation and on the southern side of the ice sheet, where a marginal zone of rapid sliding, thin ice and low surface slopes develops. Such a zone is absent when hydrology is omitted from the model, and its formation results in earlier and more rapid deglaciation than occurs in the no-hydrology model. The final advance to the glacial maximum position results from an increase in the rate of basal sliding as climate warms after 23000 yr BP. Channelised subglacial drainage develops only episodically, and is associated with relatively low meltwater discharges and high hydraulic gradients. The predominance of iceberg calving as an ablation mechanism on the northern side of the ice sheet restricts the occurrence of surface melting. Lack of meltwater penetration to the glacier bed in this area means that ice flow is predominantly by internal deformation and the ice sheet adopts a classical parabolic surface profile.     

Importance of sampling across an assemblage of glacial landforms for interpreting cosmogenic ages of deglaciation

Deglaciation chronologies for some sectors of former ice sheets are relatively poorly constrained because of the paucity of features or materials traditionally used to constrain the timing of deglaciation. In areas without good deglaciation varve chronologies and/or without widespread occurrence of material that indicates the start of earliest organic radiocarbon accumulations suitable for radiocarbon dating, typically only general patterns and chronologies of deglaciation have been deduced. However, mid-latitude ice sheets that had warm-based conditions close to their margins often produced distinctive deglaciation landform assemblages, including eskers, deltas, meltwater channels and aligned lineation systems. Because these features were formed or significantly altered during the last glaciation, boulder or bedrock samples from them have the potential to yield reliable deglaciation ages using terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCN) for exposure age dating. Here we present the results of a methodological study designed to examine the consistency of TCN-based deglaciation ages from a range of deglaciation landforms at a site in northern Norway. The strong coherence between exposure ages across several landforms indicates great potential for using TCN techniques on features such as eskers, deltas and meltwater channels to enhance the temporal resolution of ice-sheet deglaciation chronologies over a range of spatial scales.