Mapping of Climate Change in the Bottom Waters of the Subarctic Atlantic during in situ Observations

Doklady Earth Sciences - The results of continuous year-long in situ observations of the circulation of currents and temperatures in the bottom Arctic regions of the energy-active zone of the...     

Retail ribbon development in the industrial area of Haifa, Israel

Retail ribbon developments specializing in the automobile, furniture and food trades arise mainly along highways. Such a ribbon development has evolved during the last few years in the industrial area of Haifa, located between the core city and the suburbs, and specializing mainly in the automobile and furniture businesses. with two concentrations near major junctions. This ribbon development does not represent competition with the city's CBDs, and is balanced by government industrial location policies.     

Spectral Observations of the Eruption of a Filament

Results of studies of motions in a filament during its slow ascent and eruption based on spectral observations obtained at the Sayan Solar Observatory are presented. SDO/HMI data on the longitudinal magnetic field and SDO/AIA images in the EUV are also considered. Short-period (∼5 min) vertical oscillations of the filament as a whole were detected during its ascent. An acceleration of the rise of the filament was accompanied by the rupture of an orthogonal loop above the filament, which was observed in 193 A EUV images obtained with SDO/AIA over a long time preceding the event. Two hours before the partial eruption of the filament, SDO/HMI data indicate an increase in the magnetic flux by 2 × 10¹⁹ Mx at the footpoints of the loop. The emission from the loop rupture piont propagated toward the east and west along a neutral line, and brightenings were observed at the boundaries of the filament channel. Emission loops were visible in all SDO/AIA channels, testifying to strong heating of the filament plasma. During the rapid phase of the eruption, the filament moved with an acceleration ∼21 m/s². Hα images show the filament splitting into fragments parallel to its axis during the eruption. The results of these studies of the eruption of the filament are in agreement with other results in the literature, and are supplemented by new observational facts. Vertical oscillations (∼5 min) of the filament as a whole are observed before the ascent phase. During the ascent phase, an interaction of the filament with a higher-lying coronal loop is observed.

     

First record of a pectinariid-like (Polychaeta,Annelida) agglutinated worm tube from the Late Cretaceous of Colombia

The earliest agglutinated pectinariid-like tube with a modern appearance is described from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian, ∼84 My) of Colombia. The rare agglutinated fossil tube is composed of sorted skeletal material, quartz sand, and unidentified carbonaceous fragments. It's solitary and non–encrusting life mode, the straight conical shape, and the agglutinated tube wall composed of sand-sized grains, supports affinity with the tube-building Family Pectinariidae. This finding suggests that Pectinariidae might have first appeared in the Neotropics at least by the late Mesozoic.     

Tectonic evolution of the Iceland region,North Atlantic

Major hypotheses on the formation of the Iceland region are considered. It is noted that plate- and plume-tectonic genesis is the most substantiated hypothesis for this region. Model estimations of the effect of hot plume on the formation of genetically different oceanic ridges are obtained. Computer calculations are performed for the thermal subsidence rate of aseismic ridges (Ninetyeast and Hawaiian-Emperor) in the asthenosphere of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Comparative analysis of the calculated subsidence rates of these ridges with those in the Iceland region (Reykjanes and Kolbeinsey ridges) is performed. The results suggest that the thermophysical processes of formation of the spreading Reykjanes and Kolbeinsey ridges were similar to those of the aseismic Ninetyeast and Hawaiian-Emperor ridges: the genesis of all these ridges is related to the functioning of a hotspot. Analysis of the heat flux distribution in the Iceland Island and Hawaiian Rise areas is carried out. Analysis and numerical calculations indicate that the genesis of Iceland was initially characterized by the plume-tectonic transformation of a continental rather than oceanic lithosphere. The level of geothermal regime near Iceland was two times higher (100 mW/m²) relative to the Hawaiian Rise area (50 mW/m²) because the average lithosphere thickness of the Reykjanes and Kolbeinsey ridges near the Iceland was approximately two times less (40 km) relative to the thickness of the Pacific Plate (80 km) in the Hawaiian area. The main stages of evolution of the Iceland region are based on geological and geothermal data and numerical thermophysical modeling. The Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the region is considered. Paleogeodynamic reconstructions of the North Atlantic in the hotspot system at 60, 50, and 20 Ma are obtained.     

Estimating the Contributions of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and Variations in the Atmospheric Concentration of Greenhouse Gases to Surface Air Temperature Trends from Observations

We have quantitatively estimated the contributions of anthropogenic forcing characterized by variations in the atmospheric content of greenhouse gases and of natural variability characterized by the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation to the trends of global surface air temperature from observations since the middle of the nineteenth century on the basis of three-component autoregressive models.     

Fecundity of Atlantic menhaden,Brevoortia tyrannus

Since the 1950’s the population structure of the Atlantic menhaden,Brevoortia tyrannus, has undergone dramatic changes. High rates of fishery exploitation during the 1960’s resulted in a drastic decline in the breadth of the age structure and numbers of spawning aged fish. The stock recovered under continued exploitation during the 1970’s in spite of these unfavorable conditions. Hence, the length and age at first spawning, the seasons and areas of spawning, and the potential number of ova produced as a function of length were reexamined during the 1978, 1979, and 1981 fishing seasons. No changes were detected in the reproductive biology of Atlantic menhaden. The size at first spawning, areas, and season of spawning were similar to results of previous studies. The minimum fork length of potential spawners was 180 mm. Few age-1 fish were mature but most females were mature at age-2. Analysis of the ovaries collected along the coast indicated some spawning occurred in the spring, a limited amount occurred in the summer, and most spawning occurred during the fall and winter. There was high intra-and interyear variability in the relationship between length and potential number of ova produced, and regression coefficients encompassed values from two previous studies, each based on a single fishing year. Data from this and the previous studies were combined and equally weighted to generate a representative predictive equation for the potential number of ova spawned as a function of length: eggs = 2563e^0.0150(FL).     

Rock glaciers on the Faeroe Islands,the North Atlantic

Three sites with alleged relict rock glaciers are described from southern Faeroe Islands, in the North Atlantic Ocean. The rock glaciers represent both talus-derived and glacier-derived types and were most likely initiated during the late Weichselian. One of the rock glaciers apparently became unstable at some point during degradation of permafrost and was subsequently transformed by a landslide. The age of the rock glaciers are not known precisely, but a Younger Dryas age is suggested, partly by considering contemporary local equilibrium line altitudes. The climatic background for rock glacier initiation on the Faeroe Islands during the Younger Dryas is investigated, using various types of palaeoclimatic information. The potential of using relict rock glaciers in palaeoclimatic reconstructions is discussed, and their implications for estimates on air temperature, precipitation, permafrost, rock weathering and the contemporary extent of the Weichselian Faeroe Ice Cap is outlined. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Brines in the Carboniferous Sydney Coalfield,Atlantic Canada

Formation waters within Upper Carboniferous sandstones in the sub-sea Prince and Phalen coal mines, Nova Scotia, originated as residual evaporative fluids, probably during the precipitation of Windsor Group (Lower Carboniferous) salts which underlie the coal measures. Salinity varies from 7800 to 176,000 mg/l, and the waters are Na–Ca–Cl brines enriched in Ca, Sr and Br and depleted in Na, K, Mg and SO₄ relative to the seawater evaporation curve. Br:Cl and Na:Cl ratios suggest that the brine composition corresponds to an evaporation ratio of as much as 30. The brines lie close to the meteoric line on H/O isotopic plots but with a compositional range of δ¹⁸O from −4.18 to −6.99 and of δD from −42.4 to −23.5, distant from modern meteoric or ocean water. Mine water composition contrasts with that of nearby salt-spring brines, which are inferred to have originated through dissolution of Windsor Group evaporites by modern meteoric waters. However, a contribution to the mine waters from halite dissolution and from Br in organic matter cannot be ruled out. Present concentrations of several elements in the brines can be explained by water–rock interaction. The original Windsor brines probably moved up into the overlying coal-measure sandstones along faults, prior to the Late Triassic. The high salinity and irregular salinity distribution in the Phalen sandstones suggests that the brines have undergone only modest dilution and are virtually immobile. In contrast, Prince waters show a progressive increase in salinity with depth and are inferred to have mixed with surface waters. Basinal brines from which these modern formation fluids were derived may have been important agents in base-metal and Ba mineralisation from the mid-Carboniferous onwards, as saline fluid inclusions are common in Zn–Pb sulphide deposits in the region.     

Architecture of an Oligocene fluvial ribbon sandstone in the Ebro Basin,North‐eastern Spain

Fluvial ribbon sandstone bodies are ubiquitous in the Ebro Basin in North‐eastern Spain; their internal organization and the mechanics of deposition are as yet insufficiently known. A quarrying operation in an Oligocene fluvial ribbon sandstone body in the southern Ebro Basin allowed for a three‐dimensional reconstruction of the sedimentary architecture of the deposit. The sandstone is largely a medium‐grained to coarse‐grained, moderately sorted lithic arenite. In cross‐section, the sandstone body is 7 m thick, occupies a 5 m deep incision and wedges out laterally, forming a ‘wing’ that intercalates with horizontal floodplain deposits in the overbank region. Three architectural units were distinguished. The lowest and highest units (Units A and C) mostly consist of medium‐grained to coarse‐grained sandstone with medium‐scale trough cross‐bedding and large‐scale inclined stratasets. Each of Units A and C comprises a fining‐up stratal sequence reflecting deposition during one flood event. The middle unit (Unit B) consists of thinly bedded, fine‐grained sandstone/mudstone couplets and represents a time period when the channel was occupied by low‐discharge flows. The adjoining ‘wing’ consists of fine‐grained sandstone beds, with mudstone interlayers, correlative to strata in Units A and C in the main body of the ribbon sandstone. In plan view, the ribbon sandstone comprises an upstream bend and a downstream straight reach. In the upstream bend, large‐scale inclined stratasets up to 3 m in thickness represent four bank‐attached lateral channel bars, two in each of Units A and C. The lateral bars migrated downflow and did not develop into point bars. In the straight downstream reach, a tabular cross‐set in Unit A represents a mid‐channel transverse bar. In Unit C, a very coarse‐grained, unstratified interval is interpreted as deposited in a riffle zone, and gives way downstream to a large mid‐channel bar. The relatively simple architecture of these bars suggests that they developed as unit bars. Channel margin‐derived slump blocks cover the upper bar. The youngest deposit is fine‐grained sandstone and mudstone that accumulated immediately before avulsion and channel abandonment. Deposition of the studied sandstone body reflects transport‐limited sediment discharges, possibly attaining transient hyperconcentrated conditions.     

Time and space distribution of megaripples and associated bedforms, Middle Atlantic Bight, North American Atlantic Shelf

Three genetically distinct size classes of lower regime transverse bedforms have long been known from laboratory studies, and from studies of the intertidal zone; ripples, megaripples, and sand waves. These features are also present on the subtidal shelf surface of the Middle Atlantic Bight, and their distribution in time and space allows us to draw inferences concerning the time and space pattern of sediment transport. Transverse bedforms in the Middle Atlantic Bight occur in response to tidal flows at estuary and inlet mouths and on tide-dominated banks; on the shelf surface, however, they are primarily responses to wind-driven flows. Ripples are the most widespread of the three classes. They are current-formed during peak storm flows, but are probably remade as oscillatory wave ripples as the flow wanes. Megaripples are found primarily on the inner shelf, also as responses to peak storm flows. Sand waves of several metres amplitude occur on the inner shelf in the vicinity of topographic highs; low amplitude sand waves (< 2m), solitary or in trains, are widespread on the inner shelf. They survive through many seasons of storm flows. Megaripples are especially interesting as records of specific flow events. They are widespread on the inner shelf during the winter, occurring in fields up to several kilometres in diameter. On a portion of the Long Island inner shelf during December 1976, megaripple fields covered approximately 15% of the shelf surface. They tend to be erased during the succeeding summer months. Both megaripples (short-term response elements) and sand waves (long-term response elements) indicate that sand transport in the Middle Atlantic Bight is directed to the southeast, parallel with the regional trend of the isobaths.     

Observations on the complexity of the east anatolian fault,turkey

That the East Anatolian fault is made up of discrete segments of different strike and diverse structural style is well illustrated by oblique hand-held photographs taken from the Space Shuttle. Linear and curvilinear faults plus major folds show the variable deformability of the collage of material that constitutes the Anatolian Plate, now undergoing the early stages of collision tectonics.     

New data on the structure of the Knipovich Ridge,North Atlantic

The Knipovich Ridge extends for 550–600 km between the Mohns Ridge and the demarcation Spitsbergen Fracture Zone. The structural features of this ridge are repeatedly mentioned in the literature; however, substantial discrepancies remain in the treatment of its tectonics. New data on the structure of this ridge presented in this paper are based on the results of continuous seismic profiling in the area studied by the expedition of the Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate on the R/V Akademik Nikolaj Strakhov in 2006; 56 seismic lines allow us to depict zones differing in seismic records that provide insights into their internal tectonic structure. Interpretation of the seismic data makes it possible to compile maps of the acoustic basement surface and sedimentary cover thickness in the studied area. These maps expand our knowledge of the geological history and geodynamics of the Knipovich Ridge at the neotectonic stage of its evolution.     

The duisburg method of metro-construction, a successful application of the gap freezing method

Between March 1977 and August 1979 contract No.4 of the Stadtbahnbau (Metro-construction) in Duisburg was executed, making successful use of gap freezing.

The gap freezing was necessary because the Metro-tunnel is crossed by a groundwater stream (flow velocity up to 15 m/d) and it had to be assured that open cut construction of the tunnel was possible and that the original situation could be reinstated as far as possible after completion.

The Duisburg building ground also made a special construction method necessary. Ground strata: from surface to 2–4 m, civilisation deposits; from ˜ 4 m to ≈ 25–28 m below surface, glacial sand and gravel deposits, containing stones with a diameter > 20 cm and even boulders of 1 m³ and more; from approximately 28 m below surface, layers of Tertiary clay and silt; the groundwater table is ˜ 8 m below the surface, the stream flowing within the sand and gravel deposits from SE to NW (towards the Rhine).

Installing a groundwater barrier, for instance by erecting a continuous diaphragm wall enclosure, was already ruled out in early design stages as was the use of driven steelpiles.

At the inception of the design in 1974, it was decided first to carry out a measuring scheme to establish the groundwater flow velocity. This was followed by a large scale (1:1) trial freezing to ascertain the feasibility of the gap-freezing method.

When these experiments were scientifically valued it was established, that the risk involved was acceptable. The contract documents were prepared prescribing a combination of “cover and cut” with gap-freezing, which is tentatively called the “Duisburg method of Metro-construction”.

During the construction a large scale measuring and scientific research programme was carried out.