Influence of glacial isostatic adjustment upon current sea level variations in the Mediterranean

Present-day sea level variations in the Mediterranean depend on various factors, including recent climatic forcing, tectonic activity, anthropogenic effects, and glacio-isostatic adjustment. The latter is governed by mantle rheology and the spatio–temporal distribution of the late-Pleistocene ice sheets and it is expected to produce a long-wavelength pattern of sea level variations across the Mediterranean, mostly determined by the response of the solid earth and of the geoid to loading effects of melt water since the end of deglaciation. Modeling glacio-isostatic effects in this region is necessary for a correct interpretation of tide gauge and GPS time-series, and thereby to constrain both the present-day climate-related sea level rise and regional or local geological, tectonic and human-driven displacements. By an exhaustive exploration of the parameter space of mantle rheology and ice sheet chronologies, in this work we outline upper and lower bounds on the current rate of sea level variation associated with glacial isostatic adjustment in the Mediterranean. This may contribute to a full assessment of coastal vulnerability by sea level rise on a regional and local scale.     

Trends in global and regional sea level from satellite altimetry within the framework of auto-SSA

The sea level change is a crucial indicator of our climate. The spatial sampling offered by satellite altimetry and its continuity during the last 18 years are major assets to provide an improved vision of the sea level changes. In this paper, we analyze the University of Colorado database of sea level time series to determine the trends for 18 large ocean regions by means of the automatic trend extraction approach in the framework of the singular spectrum analysis technique. Our global sea level trend estimate of 3.19 mm/year for the period from 1993 to 2010 is comparable with the 3.20-mm/year sea level rise since 1993 calculated by AVISO Altimetry. However, the trends from the different ocean regions show dissimilar patterns. The major contributions to the global sea level rise during 1993–2010 are from the Indian Ocean (3.78?±?0.08 mm/year).     

Tsunamigenic zones in the Mediterranean Sea

A list of 300 tsunamis and similar phenomena known in the Mediterranean is given. Data reliability and wave intensity are estimated; mechanisms of tsunami generation are indicated and data from literature sources on the coordinates and magnitudes of tsunamigenic earthquakes are cited. Eighteen zones of excitation and manifestation of tsunamis are identified which can be integrated into four groups with respect to the recurrence period and maximum intensity of the tsunamis. The strongest tsunamis are excited in the Aegean Sea, and the Hellenic and Calabrian island arcs. The focal depth of the earthquake-generating tsunamis in the Mediterranean is, on average, less than that in the Pacific. Correspondingly, the magnitude of tsunamigenic earthquakes is lower. According to preliminary estimates, the Mediterranean tsunamis attenuate with distance more rapidly than do those in the Pacific Ocean.     

Geoid model in the Western Mediterranean Sea

In this work a geoid model is presented over the Western Mediterranean area. It has been computed using marine and terrestrial gravimetric data. Differences between results including several kinds of data are also studied. Altimetric data from a year of ERS-1 mission are used to test the precision of the results, overall close to the coastal line. A first approximation to the sea surface topography in the area is made with both results: altimetric mean sea surface and gravimetric geoid.     

Sea level changes in the holocene

Over the last 30 years the emphasis in studies of the recovery from low last glaciation sea levels has changed significantly. The search for a eustatic sea level curve having global relevance has ended. Studies into the rheology of the earth's crust, and recognition that the geoid has not remained stable over time, have resulted in the recognition that there must have been regional differences in eustatic response to deglaciation. As a part of this re-appraisal there has been a growing appreciation that crustal isostatic response to the removal of the weight of ice sheets has been accompanied by a consequential hydro-isostatic response, particularly in the areas of the shelf seas. In the later part of the post-war period attention has additionally been focussed on the much greater potential for error over the whole field of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in the Holocene, including not only errors in dating, but also a large number of possible sources of errors in heighting. As a result of this, an increasing number of scientists are withholding judgement on the nature of sea level rise and, more particularly, on the problem of higher than present late Holocene eustatic sea levels. The problems outstanding in the early 1960s have not yet been resolved but the bases of uncertainty have changed.     

东地中海原型盆地演化

东地中海经历了伸展-聚敛的构造演化旋回,聚集了丰富的油气资源。基于2D地震、ODP Leg160、IHS及Tellus商业数据库和公开发表的文献资料,本文在建立东地中海及周缘构造-地层格架的基础上,恢复了东地中海12个关键地质历史时期的原型盆地,并以板块构造为切入点探讨了盆地演化机制。东地中海及周缘上三叠统以来地层可划分为新特提斯被动大陆边缘陆地及浅水区、新特提斯被动大陆边缘深水区和塞浦路斯弧前褶皱区3个地层分区,前两个地层分区均发育一套裂谷-被动大陆边缘层系,但是二者的岩相特征和不整合发育有明显的差异,而塞浦路斯弧前褶皱区发育一套大洋盆地-弧前盆地层系。研究认为东地中海经历了二叠纪—早侏罗世裂解期、中侏罗世巴柔期—晚白垩世土伦期漂移期和晚白垩世森诺期以来的汇聚改造期3个原型阶段,其中汇聚改造期又可细分为晚白垩世森诺期“双俯冲带”消减期、古近纪北部俯冲-碰撞期、中新世塞浦路斯岛弧带南侧俯冲-碰撞与黎凡特边缘活化期和中新世梅西期以来“弧-山碰撞”与“走滑逃逸”期4个阶段。东地中海盆地演化受控于图哈罗德-安纳托利亚板块以及凯里尼亚、特罗多斯和埃拉托色尼等微板块与冈瓦纳大陆北缘的分离、向北的漂移和与欧亚大陆汇聚拼贴的板块构造活动。     

Sea level in the late Quaternary: patterns of variation and implications

Studies of oxygen isotopes in foraminifers from deepsea sediments yield information about rates of change of sea level, for hundreds of thousands of years with a resolution of roughly 1,000 years. The statistics regarding fluctuations for the late Quaternary (the last 900,000 years) suggest that a rise of 10 m per 1,000 years (1 m per century) is not unusual, even when the system resides within a warm stage, as now. Values near 2 m per century, while rare, are well within the range of a warm system, beyond the 5-percentile of the overall range. Once sea level is near +10 m, further rise becomes highly unlikely within the conditions of the late Quaternary, suggesting the presence of some kind of natural barrier; that is, lack of vulnerable ice. The present volume of ice generally considered vulnerable (Greenland and West-Antarctic ice sheet) adds up (roughly) to the observed limit.     

Late Quaternary sapropel sediments in the eastern Mediterranean Sea: Faunal variations and chronology

Distinctive planktonic foraminiferal assemblages which characterize particular late Quaternary sapropel layers in deep basin sediments from the eastern Mediterranean Sea have been identified using cluster analysis. Three distinct clusters allow for identification and intercore correlation of the nine sapropels deposited during the last 250,000 yr. Cluster 1, representing sapropel layers S1 and S9, exhibits low abundances of Neogloboquadrina dutertrei and high abundances of Globigerinoides ruber; Cluster 2, which groups S3, S5, and S7, contains high abundances of G. ruber, N. dutertrei, and Globigerina bulloides, and Cluster 3, which includes samples from S4, S6, and S8, is marked by extremely abundant N. dutertrei and G. bulloides, and rare G. ruber. Analysis of sedimentation rates in 14 cores reveals the following approximate ages for the sapropel layers: S2 = 52,000 yr B.P.; S3 = 81,000–78,000 yr B.P.; S4 = 100,000–98,000 yr B.P.; and S5 = 125,000–116,000 yr B.P. As previously suggested, sedimentation rates on the Mediterranean Ridge were determined to be relatively constant during the last 127,000 yr. In contrast, basin sedimentation rates have fluctuated markedly from lower rates during interglacial stage 5 to higher rates during the last glacial episode. These glacial/interglacial differences are most pronounced in the northern Ionian Basin, because of increased terrigenous sediment deposition during glacial episodes. Unusually high biogenic sedimentation rates occurred in an arc south of Crete during the deposition of sapropel S5, probably due to higher productivity in this region.     

On the origin of the western Mediterranean Sea basins

This is a report of a symposium organized by the Netherlands Commission for the Upper Mantle Project. The data relative to the generation of the western Mediterranean Sea basins, presented during this symposium, are summarized in the Appendix.

Several modes of origin have been discussed:

1. (1) the basins are remnants of a former larger ocean;

2. (2) they are formed in the wake of drifting continental blocks;

3. (3) by an erosion and denudation of a continental crust;

4. (4) by an upheaval and later subsidence of an ocean floor; or

5. (5) by sub crustal erosion of a continental crust.

It is concluded that, although many data are in agreement with the drift model, this process cannot have been the sole agent in the generation of the basins.     

Seismostratigraphy and structural framework of the SW Baltic Sea

The SW part of the Baltic Sea between Scania, Rügen, Bornholm and Mön constitutes a complex crustal transition between the Baltic Shield and the accreted Phanerozoic provinces of the West European Platform. An integrated interpretation of marine reflection seismic data sets from the BABEL AC line and two commercial surveys offshore NE Germany and S Sweden have resulted in a complete view of the structural framework in the area. The general seismic picture can best be detected by two characteristic sets of reflection phases. The lower set is dominated by slightly dipping and vertically displaced prominent reflectors corresponding to downfaulted Lower Palaeozoic strata on top of the Precambrian basement. The upper set represents Mesozoic and Cenozoic coherent reflection phases including a thick Upper Cretaceous unit. The Caledonian deformation front is identified in the southern part of the investigated area as the border against which basement rocks have been affected by Caledonian metamorphism and deformation. Major structural elements also include the N–S trending Agricola–Svedala Fault and North Rügen-Skurup Fault. Several NW–SE trending faults are also identified including the Nordadler–Kamien Fault, Jutland–Mön Fault, Carlsberg Fault, Romeleåsen Fault Zone and the Fyledalen Fault Zone. The sedimentary record from NE German offshore wells and Scanian boreholes is compared with the seismic data. The Cambro-Silurian strata are composed mainly of quartzitic sandstones, shales and biomicritic limestones. The Silurian is dominated by grey, micaceous shale and micaceous siltstone deposited in a marginal basin. Upper Palaeozoic strata are merely encountered in the southernmost part of the investigated area. These include Zechstein strata. The Mesozoic deposits are dominated by a thick Cretaceous sequence of mainly limestones with interbedded sandstones.     

Overpressure within upper continental slope sediments from CPTU data,Gulf of Lion,NW Mediterranean Sea

Data from in situ piezocone tests (CPTU) and laboratory analyses are utilized for the interpretation of the stress history of Quaternary sedimentary sequences in the upper continental slope of the Gulf of Lion, northwestern Mediterranean Sea. A CPTU based preconsolidation pressure profile referenced to the current effective stress indicates that the deposit is underconsolidated from 12 meters below the seafloor (mbsf) down to at least 150 mbsf. Excess pore pressure below 12 mbsf is further supported by results from oedometer and dissipation tests. Subseafloor pockmarks and indications of free gas in seismic reflection profiles reveal four main overpressure sources (SI–SIV) with overpressure ratios >0.3 at subseafloor depths coinciding with levels where the dominantly silty-clayey sediment contains increased proportions of sand. We relate the excess pore pressure related to free gas due to gas exsolution processes and sea level variations driven by Pleistocene sea level changes.     

Tsunami hazard in the Eastern Mediterranean: strong earthquakes and tsunamis in Cyprus and the Levantine Sea

A modern tsunami catalogue has been compiled for the region of Cyprus-Levantine Sea in which 24 certain or possible local tsunamis are listed from antiquity up to the present time, while six regional tsunamis, generated in the Hellenic arc, are documented which affected the region. Another set of 13 doubtful events not included in the catalogue are discussed. Tsunami intensities k and K were re-evaluated using the classic 6-grade and the new 12-grade intensity scales, respectively. The strongest tsunamis reported in the region of interest are those of 551 AD, 749, 1068, 1201, 1222, 1546 and 1759, all occurring along the Levantine coast from Gaza northward, with the exception of the 1222 wave which occurred in the Cyprean arc. The causative earthquakes, however, occur on land and are associated with the left-lateral strike-slip Levantine rift and, as such, remain unexplained. In this paper we speculate on the mechanism of these events. A second tsunami zone follows the Cyprean arc, where the situation of subaqueous seismogenic sources favours the generation of tsunamis by co-seismic fault displacements. Submarine or coastal earth slumping, however, may be an additional tsunamigenic component. Based on historical data, the average tsunami recurrence in the Cyprus-Levantine Sea region is roughly estimated to be around 30 years, 120 years and 375 years for moderate (k/K ≥ 2/3), strong (k/K ≥ 3/5) and very strong (k/K ≥ 5/8) events, respectively. The rate of tsunami occurrence equals 0.033, 8.3 × 10⁻³ and 2.7 × 10⁻³ events/year for intensity k/K ≥ 2/3, 3/5 and 5/8, respectively. For a Poissonian (random) process the probabilities of observing at least one moderate, strong or very strong tsunami are 0.28, 0.01 and 3 × 10⁻³ within 1 year, 0.81, 0.34 and 0.13 within 50 years and 0.96, 0.56 and 0.24 within 100 years, respectively. The tsunami potential in the Cyprus-Levantine Sea area is low relative to other Mediterranean tsunamigenic regions. However, the destructiveness of some historical events indicates the need to evaluate tsunami hazard by all available means. In addition, remote tsunamigenic sources, such as those of 1303 and 1481 in the eastern Hellenic arc, are able to threaten the coasts of the Cyprus-Levantine region and, therefore, such regional tsunamis should be taken into account in the evaluation of the tsunami risk of the region.     

Mitigative Anthropogeomorphology: a revived 'plan' for the Mediterranean Sea Basin and the Sahara

Since at least 1964 macro-engineering has proposed solutions for Earth-biosphere problems affecting mankind and its infrastructures. From 1929–1948 Herman Sorgel put forth his 'Atlantropa Macroproject, which was designed to lower the Mediterranean Sea by 1 m every year by natural evaporation and to irrigate the Sahara with diverted Zaire River freshwater. The present author has slightly modernized Sorgel's gift to Homo sapiens. Construction of 'Atlantropa' would provide Macro-engineering and Terraforming with a much-needed practice run for the remaking of our Solar System's planets.     

Groundwater protection in Mediterranean countries after the European water framework directive

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) has driven the protection of groundwater and characterization of water bodies. Development of appropriate and efficient approaches which consider the special features of the hydrologic regime is essential. The results of different projects that have been carried out to integrate characterization and protection of water bodies are summarized herein. In the Les eaux de la Mediterranée (AQUAMED) Project, applicability to the Mediterranean Region of guidelines provided by the European Commission to facilitate the WFD implementation has been verified. The Background criteria for the identification of groundwater thresholds (BRIDGE) Project developed a methodology to establish threshold values of pollutants contributing to the chemical status of groundwater bodies. This method has been applied to pollutants used to classify groundwater bodies as at risk of not achieving objectives of the WFD. Selected features of protection areas for drinking water and safeguard zones are analyzed, as well as the possibility of using wellhead protection areas.     

Analysis of long-term ozone trend over Delhi and its meteorological adjustment

Present study deals with the statistical analysis of long-term ground level ozone (O₃) trend and the influence of meteorological variables on its variation over Delhi, India. Daily mean and maximum of O₃ and meteorological data, obtained from India Meteorological Department, were arranged for the period of 9 years (1998–2006). Based on the preliminary correlation study of all the data with O₃, six variables viz. daily maximum temperature, daily average relative humidity, dew point, wind speed, visibility, and total sunshine were selected. Classical additive time series decomposition technique was used to obtain seasonally adjusted long-term trend. To analyze the masking effect of meteorology, adjustment was made using Kolmogorov–Zurbenko filters followed by stepwise regression analysis to the smoothed series of O₃ maximum and meteorological variables, which showed that long-term trend was independent of sunshine duration. Results indicate a significant increasing trend with annual increase of 1.13 % for O₃ mean and 3 % for O₃ maximum. Annual deseasonalized trend for seasonal cycle shows bimodal oscillations. About 43 % of O₃ variation was explained by the selected meteorological factors and rest of variation attributed to factors like emission of precursor gases, pollutant transport, policy changes, etc. Among the three tested regression models, performance of Model 2 with variable temperature, wind speed, and visibility was found to be best that resulted in lowering of O₃ trend. Large variability (23 %) was explained by the variable visibility depicted that the emission of primary pollutants not only provides the precursor gases but also control the local photochemical reactions.     

顶级豪宅的理念与趋势

1顶级豪宅的概念与分类——别墅与公寓都可能成为豪宅所谓豪宅应该是指比高档住宅在质量、档次、规模和售价等方面都更高的住宅。其豪华程度主要表现在其对资源的占有率方面。而不同类型的住宅所占有的资源类型可能完全不同,所谓豪宅仅是统称。     

The last glacial-interglacial transition and dinoflagellate cysts in the western Mediterranean Sea

Using the analysis of dinoflagellate cysts in three deep-sea sediments cores situated in the Sicilian-Tunisian Strait, in the Gulf of Lions and in the Alboran Sea, we reconstruct the paleoenvironmental changes that took place during the last glacial-interglacial transition in the western Mediterranean Sea. The development of the warm microflora Impagidinium aculeatum and especially Spiniferites mirabilis appears to be an important proxy for recognizing warm periods as the Bölling/Alleröd and the Early Holocene. Bitectatodinium tepikiense, Spiniferites elongatus and Nematosphaeropsis labyrinthus mark the end of the Heinrich event 1 and the Younger Dryas. This cold microfloral association confirms the drastic climate changes in the western Mediterranean Sea synchronous to the dry and cold climate which occurred in the South European margin. The dinocyst N. labyrinthus shows high percentages in all studied regions during the Younger Dryas. Its distribution reveals a significant increase from the South to the North of this basin during this cold brief event. Thus, we note that this species can be considered as a new eco-stratigraphical tracer of the Younger Dryas in the western Mediterranean Sea.     

Micro- and macroseismicity of the Dead Sea rift and off-coast eastern Mediterranean

The seismicity of Israel has been evaluated from documented earthquake records of the present century and two years of routine monitoring of microearthquake activity by means of eleven stations spreading from the Gulf of Elat to northern Galilee.

The Dead Sea rift asserts itself as the tectonic feature that accounts for the seismicity of our region. The activity peaks at zones where the fault branches sideways or at a junction with other fault systems. In particular, the crescent fault of Wadi Faria seems to be a zone of high strain accumulation. This is probably the site of many historical earthquakes which caused inland and coastal damage. It is thus found that the most active fault today which constitutes the greatest seismic risk to Israeli metropolitan areas extends along the Dead Sea rift from 31.2°N to 33.4°N.

The seismicity around the Dead Sea conforms with the proposed movement along en-echelon faults. While the southwest segment is presently inactive, most of the seismic activity there is limited to the neighbourhood of its eastern shore with extreme seismicity at its southern tip near the prehistorical site of Bab-a-Dara'a. The seismicity of the Arava is much lower than the Jordan-Dead Sea section. The seismicity of the Israeli coast was found to be somewhat higher than that of the Arava.     

A model study of seasonal mixed-layer primary production in the Arabian Sea

We combined a surface irradiance model with a non-spectral photosynthesisirradiance model to estimate the daily, average rate of mixed-layer primary production in the Arabian Sea for the 15th day of months at the end of the northeast monsoon, the southwest monsoon, and the fall and spring inter-monsoons. Our model experiment uses climatologies of cloud cover, mixed-layer thickness, and satellite ocean-color observations of phytoplankton biomass. Modelled surface radiation is at an annual maximum in May beneath nearly cloud-free skies just prior to the summer solstice. The model estimate of surface radiation diminishes through the southwest monsoon over most of the northern Arabian Sea to an annual minimum in August due to intense cloudiness. In agreement with previous ship-based measurements, the photosynthesis-irradiance model predicts that the mixed-layer primary production in the Arabian Sea is extremely seasonal, and peaks annually during the southwest monsoon to the north-west of the atmospheric Findlater Jet and along the coast of Somalia. Northern Arabian Sea maxima predicted for both the summer and winter monsoons are separated by periods of low mixed-layer primary production, the fall and spring inter-monsoons. The annual cycles of modelled mixed-layer primary production differ by region in the Arabian Sea due to varying monsoon influence and circulation dynamics.     

Delivery of transuranic elements by rain to the Mediterranean Sea

The concentrations of ²³⁸Pu, ^{239 + 240}Pu, ²⁴¹Am and ¹³⁷Cs were determined in rain samples collected at Monaco in the course of 1978–1979. Based on these data, the annual deliveries of these radionuclides to the Mediterranean by rain are computed to be 0.18 ± 0.01 pCim^?2 for ²³⁸Pu, 8.1 ± 0.1 pCim^?2 for ^{239 + 240}Pu, 0.58 ± 0.02 pCim^?2 for ²⁴¹Am and 351 ± 4 pCim^?2 for ¹³⁷Cs.Comparing the delivery data with the mixed layer inventories of ^{239 + 240}Pu and ²⁴¹Am in the Mediterranean, the upper limits of the mean residence time of these radionuclides in the mixed layer were estimated to be 12.3 yr for ^{239 + 240}pu and 2.9 yr for ²⁴¹Am. These values are consistent with the conclusion deduced from the vertical distribution pattern of these transuranic elements in the Mediterranean.Based on delivery values, the annual activity ratios for ${}^{238}\text{pu}{}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{Pu}$, ${}^{241}\text{Am}{}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{Pu}$ and ${}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{pu}{}^{137}\text{Cs}$ are found to be 0,022, 0.072 and 0.023 respectively. The ${}^{238}\text{pu}{}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{pu}$ and ${}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{Pu}{}^{137}\text{Cs}$ activity ratios vary within relatively narrow ranges with time, while a much wider variation was observed for the ${}^{241}\text{Am}{}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{Pu}$ activity ratio. The cause of the wider variation of the ${}^{241}\text{Am}{}^{\mathrm{239\; +\; 240}}\text{Pu}$ ratio may be related to the difference in the mean age of fallout brought down in different seasons.