The Campanian Ignimbrite and Codola tephra layers: Two temporal/stratigraphic markers for the Early Upper Palaeolithic in southern Italy and eastern Europe

Tephra layers from archaeological sites in southern Italy and eastern Europe stratigraphically associated with cultural levels containing Early Upper Palaeolithic industry were analysed. The results confirm the occurrence of the Campanian Ignimbrite tephra (CI; ca. 40 cal ka BP) at Castelcivita Cave (southern Italy), Temnata Cave (Bulgaria) and in the Kostenki–Borshchevo area of the Russian Plain. This tephra, originated from the largest eruption of the Phlegrean Field caldera, represents the widest volcanic deposit and one of the most important temporal/stratigraphic markers of western Eurasia. At Paglicci Cave and lesser sites in the Apulia region we recognise a chemically and texturally different tephra, which lithologically, chronologically and chemically matches the physical and chemical characteristics of the Plinian eruption of Codola; a poorly known Late Pleistocene explosive event from the Neapolitan volcanoes, likely Somma–Vesuvius. For this latter, we propose a preliminary age estimate of ca. 33 cal ka BP and a correlation to the widespread C-10 marine tephra of the central Mediterranean. The stratigraphic position of both CI and Codola tephra layers at Castelcivita and Paglicci help date the first and the last documented appearance of Early Upper Palaeolithic industries of southern Italy to ca. 41–40 and 33 cal ka BP, respectively, or between two interstadial oscillations of the Monticchio pollen record – to which the CI and Codola tephras are physically correlated – corresponding to the Greenland interstadials 10–9 and 5. In eastern Europe, the stratigraphic and chronometric data seem to indicate an earlier appearance of the Early Upper Palaeolithic industries, which would predate of two millennia at least the overlying CI tephra. The tephrostratigraphic correlation indicates that in both regions the innovations connected with the so-called Early Upper Palaeolithic – encompassing subsistence strategy and stone tool technology – appeared and evolved during one of the most unstable climatic phases of the Last Glacial period. On this basis, the marked environmental unpredictability characterising this time-span is seen as a potential ecological factor involved in the cultural changes observed.     

The use of chemical dispersants to combat oil spills at sea: A review of practice and research needs in Europe

In order to better understand the practice of dispersant use, a review has been undertaken of marine oil spills over a 10 year period (1995-2005), looking in particular at variations between different regions and oil-types. This viewpoint presents and analyses the review data and examines a range of dispersant use policies. The paper also discusses the need for a reasoned approach to dispersant use and introduces past cases and studies to highlight lessons learned over the past ten years, focussing on dispersant effectiveness and monitoring; toxicity and environmental effects; the use of dispersants in low salinity waters; response planning and future research needs.     

Reservoir siltation in the semi‐arid highlands of northern Ethiopia: sediment yield–catchment area relationship and a semi‐quantitative approach for predicting sediment yield

Due to shortage of rainfall and its increasing variability, moisture stress is identified to be one of the most critical factors affecting agricultural productivity in the drylands of Ethiopia. To circumvent this problem, a strategy of supplemental irrigation through surface water harvesting was adopted by the government and several micro‐dams have been built in the semi‐arid parts of the country. However, the benefits from the water harvesting schemes are not sustainable because of rapid water storage loss due to siltation. There is, therefore, an urgent need for improved catchment‐based erosion control and sediment management strategies. The design and implementation of such strategies require data on the rate and magnitude of sediment deposition. To this end, reservoir surveys were conducted to estimate sediment deposition rate for 11 reservoirs identified to be representative of catchments in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. Two approaches were employed during the survey: one was based on measurement of sediment thickness in reservoirs while the other was based on comparing the original and existing topography of the reservoir‐beds. The average annual sediment yield estimated for the study sites was about 19 t ha^?1 y^?1. An equation of the type SSY = 3á36A^0á67 (with SSY = area specific sediment yield in t ha^?1 y^?1 and A = catchment area in km²) was also established for the study region, which is opposite to the ‘universal’ SSY–A relationship. In order to improve the sediment yield predictive capability of A, it was integrated with a factorial index that assesses the catchment's propensity to erosion and potential sediment yield. The effect of accelerated sediment deposition on water storage loss of reservoirs and possible controlling factors of the SSY–A relationship are outlined. The potential semi‐quantitative scoring approach to characterize catchments in terms of erosion sensitivity and the significance of the A‐index approach to predict SSY of similar catchments are also highlighted. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

冰封期达里诺尔湖同位素与营养盐分布特征及关系的定量分析

以内蒙古高原的达里诺尔湖为研究对象,对其在冰封期湖水不同相态下总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)浓度以及氢、氧同位素比值的分布特征和定量关系进行初步研究.结果表明:1)在冰封期,达里诺尔湖水体中营养盐的平均浓度相对较高,已远超过国家Ⅴ类水质标准.水体中TN、TP浓度均大于其在对应冰体中的浓度,均值分别是对应冰体中的9.91、3.11倍,说明低温冷冻过程对达里诺尔湖水体中的氮、磷具有浓缩效应.而通过与非冰封期的对比发现,湖冰的排氮效应强于磷.2)冰封期由于结冰过程中同位素热力学分馏明显,加之贡格尔河的入流补给,使得达里诺尔湖冰体中的氢、氧同位素比值远高于水体中的比值,同时,随冰层的加深,同位素逐渐偏重.3)冰封期达里诺尔湖水体及冰体中,同位素比值与营养盐浓度均呈显著负相关,水体的相关性较冰体要好,在冰层中,随着冰层的加深相关性越明显.利用SPSS统计软件分析发现同位素比值与营养盐浓度的相关关系显著,水体中最大相关系数达到0.991,冰体中达到0.988;氢同位素(D)与TN、TP浓度的关系式分别为:TN=-0.2825δD-6.0083和TP=-0.0805δD-1.2395,这为研究湖泊营养盐的时空变化规律提供新的手段和理论.     

The EU Directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues: the results of a second survey on the provision and uptake of facilities in North Sea ports

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the results of a survey of the availability and uptake of port reception facilities within the North Sea area. The evaluation is based primarily on original survey data from the autumn of 2002 which followed on from a similar survey conducted in the summer of 2000. The EU Directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste etc. (Directive 2000/59/EC) was due to enter into force in December 2002, and required all EU ports to provide reception facilities to meet the needs of the vessels normally calling in at them. This paper examines the readiness of North Sea ports to meet that requirement and also considers the actual uptake levels of facilities, where ports were able to provide such information.     

The build-up of the laboratory-generated dose-response curve and underestimation of equivalent dose for quartz OSL in the high dose region: A critical modelling study

The application of a regeneration procedure for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating requires that the dose-response curve (DRC) of a natural sample is the same as that of a laboratory-generated one. However, the build-up of the laboratory-generated DRCs of quartz has been widely reported in the literature, i.e., the laboratory-generated DRCs are significantly higher than the natural counterparts in the high dose region (above 150 or 200 Gy). This results in severe underestimation of equivalent dose (D_e) for quartz OSL in the high dose region during the application of a single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol. However, the potential mechanism governing the build-up of the laboratory-generated DRC is still unclear. In this study, we performed a comprehensive investigation of the natural and laboratory-generated OSL signals and DRCs using a kinetic model for quartz. We compared the differences in charge concentrations between natural and laboratory-irradiated aliquots following irradiation and monitored the competition for holes and electrons during preheat and stimulation, for the natural, regenerative, and test dose cycles. In the course of the modelling, we could see the build-up of laboratory-generated DRCs, the underestimation of D_e, and a double exponential saturation characteristic of the DRCs. We demonstrated a discrepancy in competition for electrons in the deep electron trap and recombination centres during stimulation between the natural, regenerative, and test dose cycles. The simulation results are directly relevant to quartz OSL D_e determination using the SAR protocol and reveal the mechanisms responsible for the experimentally observed different behaviours between natural and laboratory-generated DRCs.     

The Calculation Method for the Volume of Landslides and Dammed Lake Sediments Triggered by a Strong Historical Earthquake in the Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Qiuzigou, Gansu Province, Northwest China

The quantitative calculation of the volume of large earthquake-triggered landslides and related dammed lake sediments is of great significance in the study of secondary disasters and focal parameters of strong historical earthquakes. In this study, the dammed lake induced by Qishan M7 earthquake (Lingtai County, Gansu Province, Northwest China) is selected as the research object. Based on the information collected from the 4 boreholes in the dammed lake area, we further take advantage of the low-level Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry and the morphology recovery method,to calculate the volume of the dammed lake and landslides, respectively. Finally, major conclusions are obtained as follows:① the AMS-¹⁴C age at the bottom of the Qiuzigou Dammed Lake sediments is 2 890±30 BP, which coincides with the 780 BC Qishan earthquake; furthermore, the Qiuzigou Landslides seem to have been triggered by the earthquake, forming an enclosed dammed lake deposition environment after the upstream sediments accumulate;② the Qiuzigou landslides are opposite-sliding landslides that have blocked the river valley; in detail, landslide volumes at the right and left banks are 235×10⁴ m³ and 229×10⁴ m³, respectively. The length of the dammed lake is 2.6 km, with a thickness of approximately 43 m near the landslides, and the total sedimentary volume is 573×10⁴ m³; ③the erosion rate of Qiuzigou Landslide Dammed Lake is 0.44 mm/a, the accumulation rate is 15.05 mm/a, and the soil erosion modulus is 593 t/(km²/a), characterized as slight erosion. Quantitative research on the formation of landslides and dammed lakes from strong historical earthquakes is vital for increasing our understanding of the vibrational characteristics and surface action processes of these types of earthquakes.