Impact of the Darjeeling–Bhutan Himalayan front on rainfall hazard pattern

Multiscale interaction between monsoonal circulation and the local topography causes the southern front of the Darjeeling–Bhutan Himalaya to receive one of the highest annual rainfalls (3000–6000 mm) and most frequent heavy rains (up to 800 mm day^?1) along the whole southern Himalayan margin. An examination of the patterns of annual rainfall, rainfall concentration, overland flow generation and slope instability indices in the Darjeeling–Bhutan Himalaya for 1986–2015 indicates that the mountain front disturbs rainfall gradient between the Bay of Bengal and the Tibetan Plateau. The results show that the precipitation concentration indices are lowest at the Himalayan front where the annual rainfall and the number of rainy days are highest. The Himalayan front has the highest predisposition to produce overland flow compared to adjacent foreland and the mountain interior. The average probability of the rainfall initialising the shallow landslides increases from 0.6% for a 1-day rainfall threshold of 144 mm to 6.1% for a 4-day rainfall threshold of 193 mm in the study area. The highest probability (up to 10%) of 2-day and longer low-intensity storms at the mountain front indicate that its area is threatened with particularly larger and deeper landslides. The multivariate regression analysis reveals statistically significant linear relationships of rainfall hazard indices with elevation and the distance to the mountain front in the mountain foreland and Himalaya, respectively. Regionally, the Darjeeling Himalaya reveals lower values of rainfall hazard indices, in comparison to the Bhutan Himalaya.     

Why is global warming slowing down?

It is established that the slowing down of global warming, which has been observed during the past decade, is due to the counteraction of natural factors and, primarily, to the reduction in solar activity and transition of the North Atlantic Oscillation to the regular negative phase. Warming is supposed to resume in the years to come, although at a lower rate than during the past 30 years.     

Is global ozone recovering?

Thanks to the Montreal Protocol, the stratospheric concentrations of ozone-depleting chlorine and bromine have been declining since their peak in the late 1990s. Global ozone has responded: The substantial ozone decline observed since the 1960s ended in the late 1990s. Since then, ozone levels have remained low, but have not declined further. Now general ozone increases and a slow recovery of the ozone layer is expected. The clearest signs of increasing ozone, so far, are seen in the upper stratosphere and for total ozone columns above Antarctica in spring. These two regions had also seen the largest ozone depletions in the past. Total column ozone at most latitudes, however, does not show clear increases yet. This is not unexpected, because the removal of chlorine and bromine from the stratosphere is three to four times slower than their previous increase. Detecting significant increases in total column ozone, therefore, will require much more time than the detection of its previous decline. The search is complicated by variations in ozone that are not caused by declining chlorine or bromine, but are due, e.g., to transport changes in the global Brewer–Dobson circulation. Also, very accurate observations are necessary to detect the expected small increases. Nevertheless, observations and model simulations indicate that the stratosphere is on the path to ozone recovery. This recovery process will take many decades. As chlorine and bromine decline, other factors will become more important. These include climate change and its effects on stratospheric temperatures, changes in the Brewer–Dobson circulation (both due to increasing CO₂), increasing emissions of trace gases like N₂O, CH₄, possibly large future increases of short-lived substances (like CCl₂H₂) from both natural and anthropogenic sources, and changes in tropospheric ozone.     

Is geographical proximity necessary in the innovation networks in the era of global economy?

In the analysis of geographical spillovers, a commonly accepted hypothesis is that the different actors of innovation need to be physically closed to one another because the transfer of tacit knowledge implies frequent face-to-face relations. This hypothesis is put under closer examination in this paper. The first section analyses the need for economic agents to be closely located to develop research and innovative activities, starting with the analysis of their need for co-ordination and using some case studies. Based on the example of three French regions, the second section examines the importance given by the local development policies to geographical proximity in order to support the rapid development of local networks favouring innovation. In both sections, nonlocal relations appear as a key factor to develop innovation. As a conclusion, nonlocal relations should be encouraged by local development policies in the same way as local relations.     

Was Himalayan normal faulting triggered by initiation of the Ramgarh–Munsiari thrust and development of the Lesser Himalayan duplex?

The Ramgarh–Munsiari thrust is a major orogen-scale fault that extends for more than 1,500 km along strike in the Himalayan fold-thrust belt. The fault can be traced along the Himalayan arc from Himachal Pradesh, India, in the west to eastern Bhutan. The fault is located within the Lesser Himalayan tectonostratigraphic zone, and it translated Paleoproterozoic Lesser Himalayan rocks more than 100 km toward the foreland. The Ramgarh–Munsiari thrust is always located in the proximal footwall of the Main Central thrust. Northern exposures (toward the hinterland) of the thrust sheet occur in the footwall of the Main Central thrust at the base of the high Himalaya, and southern exposures (toward the foreland) occur between the Main Boundary thrust and Greater Himalayan klippen. Although the metamorphic grade of rocks within the Ramgarh–Munsiari thrust sheet is not significantly different from that of Greater Himalayan rock in the hanging wall of the overlying Main Central thrust sheet, the tectonostratigraphic origin of the two different thrust sheets is markedly different. The Ramgarh–Munsiari thrust became active in early Miocene time and acted as the roof thrust for a duplex system within Lesser Himalayan rocks. The process of slip transfer from the Main Central thrust to the Ramgarh–Munsiari thrust in early Miocene time and subsequent development of the Lesser Himalayan duplex may have played a role in triggering normal faulting along the South Tibetan Detachment system.     

Tectonic Evolution of the Himalayan Collision Belt

This paper discusses the tectonic divisions of the Himalayan collision belt anddeals with the tectonic evolution of the collision belt in the context of crustal accretion in thefront of the collision belt, deep diapirism and thermal-uplift extension and deep material flow-ing of the lithosphere-backflowing. Finally it proposes a model of the tectonic evolution-progressive intracontinental deformation model-of the Himalayan belt.     

Why would sea-level rise for global warming and polar ice-melt?

Two major causes of global sea level rise such as thermal expansion of the oceans and the loss of landbased ice for increased melting have been claimed by some researchers and recognized by the IPCC.However, other climate threat investigators revealed that atmosphere-ocean modeling is an imperfect representation, paleo-data consist of proxy climate information with ambiguities, and modern observations are limited in scope and accuracy. It is revealed that global warming and polar ice-melt although a reality would not contribute to any sea level rise. Floating-ice of the polar region on melting would reoccupy same displaced volume by floating ice-sheets. Land-ice cover in the polar region on melting can reduce load from the crust to activate elastic rebound that would raise land for its isostatic equilibrium.Such characteristics would not contribute to sea level rise. Equatorial bulge, polar flattening, elevation difference of the spheroidal surface between equator and pole with lower in the pole, strong gravity attraction of the polar region and week gravity attraction of the equatorial region, all these phenomena would play dominant role in preventing sea level rise. Palaeo-sea level rise and fall in macro-scale(10-100 m or so) were related to marine transgression and regression in addition to other geologic events like converging and diverging plate tectonics, orogenic uplift of the collision margin, basin subsidence of the extensional crust, volcanic activities in the oceanic region, prograding delta buildup, ocean floor height change and sub-marine mass avalanche. This study also reveals that geophysical shape, gravity attraction and the centrifugal force of spinning and rotation of the earth would continue acting against sea level rise.     

Why would sea-level rise for global warming and polar ice-melt?

Two major causes of global sea level rise such as thermal expansion of the oceans and the loss of landbased ice for increased melting have been claimed by some researchers and recognized by the IPCC.However, other climate threat investigators revealed that atmosphere-ocean modeling is an imperfect representation, paleo-data consist of proxy climate information with ambiguities, and modern observations are limited in scope and accuracy. It is revealed that global warming and polar ice-melt although a reality would not contribute to any sea level rise. Floating-ice of the polar region on melting would reoccupy same displaced volume by floating ice-sheets. Land-ice cover in the polar region on melting can reduce load from the crust to activate elastic rebound that would raise land for its isostatic equilibrium.Such characteristics would not contribute to sea level rise. Equatorial bulge, polar flattening, elevation difference of the spheroidal surface between equator and pole with lower in the pole, strong gravity attraction of the polar region and week gravity attraction of the equatorial region, all these phenomena would play dominant role in preventing sea level rise. Palaeo-sea level rise and fall in macro-scale(10-100 m or so) were related to marine transgression and regression in addition to other geologic events like converging and diverging plate tectonics, orogenic uplift of the collision margin, basin subsidence of the extensional crust, volcanic activities in the oceanic region, prograding delta buildup, ocean floor height change and sub-marine mass avalanche. This study also reveals that geophysical shape, gravity attraction and the centrifugal force of spinning and rotation of the earth would continue acting against sea level rise.     

Did glaciers exist during Pleistocene in the Midyan region, northwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula?

Spectacular erratic boulders, polymictic conglomerates, and sedimentary structures are discovered in many localities at the Midyan Peninsula, east of the Gulf of Aqaba. These deposits are discontinuous, and they unconformably overlie older lithological units of Proterozoic, Cretaceous, Paleogene, and Neogene ages. The erratic boulders are composed of basement rocks, sandstone, and limestone. Some of the boulders exceed 2?m (6?ft) in diameter. The boulders are sub-rounded to rounded, striated, polished, grooved, and faceted. The polymictics are composed of heterogeneous coarse clastics (ranging from boulders to conglomeratic sandstones) of various rock types and fill incised paleovalleys. The sedimentary structures include polished, faceted, and striated boulders, pavements, U-shaped valleys, slumps, and fan-shaped structures. These deposits are herein informally named the Midyan Formation. A Pleistocene age is assigned to the formation based on its stratigraphic position. The polymictic conglomerates are interpreted as glaciogenic tillite, and the erratic boulders and sedimentary structures are considered to have been deposited by glacial erosion, deposition, and possibly tectonics. This interpretation raises the question; did glaciers exist during Pleistocene in the Midyan region? If this interpretation is valid, then recognition of Pleistocene glaciation in Arabia fills a blank spot in the global map of the ??Ice Age??. Pleistocene glacial features were reported in Yemen and regions in north Iraq.     

How Alpine or Himalayan are the Central Andes?

 Although non-collisional mountain belts, such as the Andes, and collisional mountain belts, such as the Alps and the Himalayas–Tibet, have been regarded as fundamentally different, the Central Andes share several features with the Himalayas–Tibet. The most important of these are extremely thickened (≥70 km) continental crustal roots supporting high plateaus and mountain fronts characterized by large basement thrusts. The main prerequisite for very thick crustal roots and extreme mountainous topography appears to be large-scale underthrusting of continental crust of normal thickness, irrespective of whether the crustal thrusts are antithetic with respect to subduction as in the Andes, or synthetic with respect to preceding subduction of oceanic lithosphere as in the Himalayas. In both cases sole thrusts near the base of the continental crust nucleated in thermally anomalous zones of the hinterland and then propagated across ramps into shallower detachments located within thick sedimentary or metasedimentary cover rocks. In contrast to the Central Andes and the Himalayas, the Alps are characterized by intracrustal detachment which allowed both the subduction of lower crust and a stacking of relatively thin upper crustal slivers, which make up a narrow mountain chain with a more subdued topography. Received: 10 August 1998 / Accepted: 1 March 1999     

Are there any relict rock glaciers in the British mountains?

The existence of a small population of ‘relict rock glaciers’ scattered across the main British mountain areas has previously been inferred from published cases of individual sites or local clusters. Discrete debris accumulations (DDAs) of widely differing character have been identified as ice‐debris landforms (whether ‘rock glaciers’ or ‘protalus lobes’) partly from morphological, sedimentological and topo‐locational evidence, but principally by analogy with both active and relict examples in present‐day arctic/alpine environments, with consequent palaeoclimate inferences. However, re‐interpretation of several supposed rock glaciers as rock slope failures has cast doubt on both the palaeoclimatic reconstructions and the origin of the remaining features. Issues of polygenesis and mimicry/equifinality have contributed to some previous misidentifications. We re‐evaluate the 28 candidate cases based on new field and image‐analysis evidence and place them on a continuum from no ice presence through passive ice presence and glacial shaping to emplacement onto glacier ice with consequent melt‐out topography. A null hypothesis approach (that there are no relict rock glaciers in the British mountains) is pursued, and the evidence indicates that none of the 28 cases clearly warrants classification as a relict rock glacier; their characteristics can be explained without recourse to any significant forward debris movement controlled or facilitated by incorporated or underlying ice as it deforms and melts out. However, only one‐third of the candidate DDAs are attributed in whole or part to rock slope failure (sensu stricto), with other debris sources including incremental rockfall, bedrock knolls with coarse debris veneer, protalus rampart and moraine. A few cases deserve more detailed investigation of their structure, morphology and sediments within a broader local glaciological/topographical context, with multitemporal/polygenetic evolution in mind. But it is for future researchers to demonstrate that deforming ice played an incontestable part in shaping these often enigmatic DDAs, given that other causes are simpler and commoner. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How has coastal erosion affected the prehistoric settlement pattern of the boothbay region of maine?

Erosion of complex, rocky coasts has largely been neglected by geologists. Thus, a geo-archaeological study of coastal erosion was required before analysis of the prehistoric settlement pattern could be undertaken. Along the outer, wave-dominated coast of Maine, erosion is episodic, occurring when large storms raise water levels to new heights. Along the inner, tide-dominated coast, erosion occurs more frequently because unconsolidated sediments are exposed at low elevations in bedrock features. The shell midden archaeological sites of the Boothbay, Maine region are situated in the most rapidly eroding areas; therefore, it can be reasoned that localities without cultural deposits were never occupied. On the other hand, coastal erosion is widespread enough to insure that sites have been exposed to discovery by archaeological survey. Settlement pattern analysis of the study area is, therefore, not biased by differential preservation or discovery of archaeological sites.     

Soil carbon stock of the Central-East Asia in the climate warming

Water samples from the Wujiang River, a typical karst river system, were analyzed for major ion concentrations and δ^34S values of dissolved sulfate in order to identify the sources of sulfate, quantify the sulfate export flux and understand the role of sulfur cycling in chemical weathering rate of carbonate. Spatial variations in sulfate concentration and sulfur isotopic composition of tributaries over the catchment area are obvious, allowing to decipher S sources between rocks and atmosphere. According to the variations in sulfate concentration and isotopic composition, it is inferred that sulfate ions in the upper-reach river waters may have three sources, rain water, sulfate resultant from oxidation of pyrite in coal, and sulfate from sulfide deposits. In the lower reaches, the S isotopic composition of the samples lies mainly on a mixing trend between evaporite sulfate and rainwater sulfate, the contribution of sulfate from oxidation of pyrite being lesser. A pronounced seasonal variation in both content and isotopic composition of sulfate characterizes the Wujiang River. The average sulfate concentration of the waters is 0.65 mmol/L in winter, 0.17 mmol/L higher than that in summer. River water δ^34S values range from -15.7‰ to 18.9‰ in winter, while the δ^34S values of river waters in summer vary to a lesser extent than in winter, from -11.5‰ to 8.3‰. The δ^34S values of the main stream range from -6.7‰ to -3.9‰ in summer, averaging 3‰ lower than in winter. This indicates that in summer, when the discharge increases, the contribution of a source enriched in light isotopes to the atmosphere or the oxidation of pyrite in coal is more important.     

Permafrost warming under the earthen roadbed of the Qinghai–Tibet Railway

This paper investigates the stability of the earthen roadbed built in the warm and ice-rich permafrost region. The varying thermal regime of the subgrade and the ongoing settlement of the roadbed were observed at field. The temperature data demonstrate that in warm and ice-rich permafrost regions, adoption of earthen roadbed results in warming of the underlying permafrost. It is primarily because the earthen roadbed traps the warm-season absorbed heat in the natural ground. In addition, the carried heat of the earthen roadbed that was constructed in warm season propagates downward to warm the underlying soil. The warming permafrost layer promotes the roadbed settlement, which was mostly linearly developed in the past five service years. A comprehensive analysis for the varying thermal regime and the ongoing settlement shows that the unfrozen water liberated from the warming, undrained layer experiences consolidation. The deformation of the undrained soils is mainly responsible for settlement of the roadbed. In comparison, the temperature variation of this warming permafrost layer is found to be less beneath roadbeds protected by thermosyphons or crushed rock revetments. The installation of thermosyphons into the earthen roadbed is recommended to prevent the further degradation of the underlying permafrost.     

Is Climate Change Shifting the Poleward Limit of Mangroves?

Ecological (poleward) regime shifts are a predicted response to climate change and have been well documented in terrestrial and more recently ocean species. Coastal zones are amongst the most susceptible ecosystems to the impacts of climate change, yet studies particularly focused on mangroves are lacking. Recent studies have highlighted the critical ecosystem services mangroves provide, yet there is a lack of data on temporal global population response. This study tests the notion that mangroves are migrating poleward at their biogeographical limits across the globe in line with climate change. A coupled systematic approach utilising literature and land surface and air temperature data was used to determine and validate the global poleward extent of the mangrove population. Our findings indicate that whilst temperature (land and air) have both increased across the analysed time periods, the data we located showed that mangroves were not consistently extending their latitudinal range across the globe. Mangroves, unlike other marine and terrestrial taxa, do not appear to be experiencing a poleward range expansion despite warming occurring at the present distributional limits. Understanding failure for mangroves to realise the global expansion facilitated by climate warming may require a focus on local constraints, including local anthropogenic pressures and impacts, oceanographic, hydrological, and topographical conditions.     

El Ni?o as a consequence of the global oscillation in the dynamics of the earth’s climatic system

During study of the physical nature and potential precursor features of the El Ni?o phenomenon in the Pacific, it was found that a negative large-scale temperature anomaly on the Indian Ocean surface may be one of its significant precursors. This anomaly appears prior to the occurrence of El Ni?o and is accompanied by growth in atmospheric pressure. It gradually extends eastwards along the equator until the zone of planetary convection in the area of the Indonesian Region. The west wind that emerges on the eastern peripherals of the mentioned pressure anomaly leads to reversal of the Pacific segment of the Walker equatorial atmospheric circulation and to a subsequent change in the zonal thermal dipole polarity in the tropical zone of the Pacific (the latter means culmination of the El Ni?o phenomenon). In addition to the mentioned thermobaric anomaly in the Indian Ocean, other obvious signs of large-scale pressure anomalies have been found in the global atmospheric pressure field; these anomalies may be interpreted as manifestations of the intradecadal global oscillation in the dynamics of the modern climatic system. It is suggested that the whole known complex of events related to the El Ni?o phenomenon in the Pacific is a consequence and a regional link of the planetary structure of this global atmospheric phenomenon.     

Change trend of natural gas hydrates in permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (1960–2050) under the background of global warming and their impacts on carbon emissions

Global warming and the response to it have become a topic of concern in today’s society and are also a research focus in the global scientific community. As the world’s third pole, the global warming amplifier, and the starting region of China’s climate change, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is extremely sensitive to climate change. The permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is rich in natural gas hydrates (NGHs) resources. Under the background of global warming, whether the NGHs will be disassociated and enter the atmosphere as the air temperature rises has become a major concern of both the public and the scientific community. Given this, this study reviewed the trend of global warming and accordingly summarized the characteristics of the temperature increase in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Based on this as well as the distribution characteristics of the NGHs in the permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, this study investigated the changes in the response of the NGHs to global warming, aiming to clarify the impacts of global warming on the NGHs in the permafrost of the plateau. A noticeable response to global warming has been observed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Over the past decades, the increase in the mean annual air temperature of the plateau was increasingly high and more recently. Specifically, the mean annual air temperature of the plateau changed at a rate of approximately 0.308–0.420°C/10a and increased by approximately 1.54–2.10°C in the past decades. Moreover, the annual mean ground temperature of the shallow permafrost on the plateau increased by approximately 1.155–1.575°C and the permafrost area decreased by approximately 0.34×10⁶ km² from about 1.4×10⁶ km² to 1.06×10⁶ km² in the past decades. As indicated by simulated calculation results, the thickness of the NGH-bearing permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has decreased by 29–39 m in the past 50 years, with the equivalent of (1.69 – 2.27)×10¹⁰–(1.12–1.51)×10¹² m³ of methane (CH₄) being released due to NGHs dissociation. It is predicted that the thickness of the NGH-bearing permafrost will decrease by 23 m and 27 m, and dissociated and released NGHs will be the equivalent of (1.34–88.8)×10¹⁰ m³ and (1.57–104)×10¹⁰ m³ of CH₄, respectively by 2030 and 2050. Considering the positive feedback mechanism of NGHs on global warming and the fact that CH₄ has a higher greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide, the NGHs in the permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will emit more CH₄ into the atmosphere, which is an important trend of NGHs under the background of global warming. Therefore, the NGHs are destructive as a time bomb and may lead to a waste of efforts that mankind has made in carbon emission reduction and carbon neutrality. Accordingly, this study suggests that human beings should make more efforts to conduct the exploration and exploitation of the NGHs in the permafrost of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, accelerate research on the techniques and equipment for NGHs extraction, storage, and transportation, and exploit the permafrost-associated NGHs while thawing them. The purpose is to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere and mitigate the atmospheric greenhouse effect, thus contributing to the global goal of peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality.©2022 China Geology Editorial Office.     

Is the tilt of the Thames valley towards the east caused by a distal lobe of the Icelandic mantle plume?

Over the last 30 years, a growing body of research has shown that first-order control of the elevation of Earth's surface is exercised by thermal anomalies in the upper asthenosphere. One line of research is to test models and observations of mantle behaviour against the sedimentary record. A second line of research is to use the sedimentary record to further understanding of mantle behaviour. Here this second line of research is adopted: a particular hypothesis of mantle behaviour is tested against the Quaternary sedimentary record of the Thames valley, England. Schoonman et al. (2017) have proposed that a warm finger of mantle material extending from the Icelandic plume underlies southern England at the present day. That warm finger would represent the distal end of the influence of the Icelandic plume in this area, and would have advanced broadly from west to east, causing a progressive tilt of the surface of the Thames valley towards the east. The warm-finger hypothesis is supported by the evidence reviewed here. That evidence consists of two main sets of observations, both sets established beyond reasonable doubt by many researchers over many years. First, there is the progressive increase in elevation westward from the present-day coast of the North Sea of the 2.5–2 Ma shallow-marine Red and Norwich Crags. Second, there is the subsequent Quaternary record of progressive eastward tilting of the Thames valley shown in the river terraces.