An electron spin resonance spectrometric investigation of natural,extracted and thermally altered kerogenous materials

Core cuttings from three wells representing a 1000–7000-ft range of depths were examined by ESR spectroscopy. The spectral parameters of some of the series of samples follow trends, as suggested by the ESR kerogen method for paleotemperature estimation, while the spectral parameters of other series of samples do not. Samples extracted with mineral acids exhibit spectra parameters which follow the proposed trends somewhat better, but show large local variations which appear to be due to factors other than paleotemperature. Thermally treated samples show a general increase in free radical concentration, although there are several anomalies. While the ESR-kerogen method of paleotemperature estimation appears to have potential due to the large variations in some of the observed parameters, factors such as mineral acid extraction and sample lithology, among others, need further investigation to refine the technique.     

Seasonal and Interannual Sea Surface Temperature Variability in the Coastal Cities of Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal

The sea surface temperature (SST) variations play a veryimportant role in the genesis and maintenance of meteorological and oceanographic processessuch as monsoon depressions and subsequent floods, large-scale sea level fluctuationsand genesis of tropical cyclones. Many low lying coastal regions of South Asia are adjacentto river deltas and have large population. The dense population, poor economy and severalother socio-economic factors make these areas most vulnerable to the impact of climate change.Variability of sea surface temperature (SST) is importantas the duration and intensity of SST provide the basis for studies related to climatic changescenario. In this study an attempt has been made to estimate the recent SST trends in the coastalwaters of some cities, which lie on the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. The annual andinterannual variability has also been studied. The SST variations have then been linkedwith the El Nino and La Nina events.The NOAA-NASA Pathfinder Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) SST fields from 1985-1998, created in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL), USA are used in this study. Here the quality of data is an important factor toobtain reliable estimates of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) trends and other related parameters.However, this is not possible with the conventional type data, due to low quality as wellas sparse data in the region. Though the satellite based SST climatologies have shorterobservation lengths, they can provide reliable estimates of recent SST variability overa large oceanic areas with sparse or no data.Increasing trend of SST is observed throughout all theseasons in the northern Arabian Sea extending from Oman to Karachi and Mumbai and furthersouth to Salalah and Colombo. However, in coastal islands stations further south ofIndia such as at Colombo the increment is not significant. Though the increasing trend in SSTduring winter is not significant, nevertheless it shows the increasing influence of coldspells on this Island. An interesting situation has been observed in the Bay of Bengal. On anaverage, increasing trends in the annual SST were observed in Visakhaputnam. But at thestations located in the northeastern part of Bay of Bengal, namely Hiron Point and Cox'sBazar reverse conditions are observed. In the Southern Bay of Bengal variations in SST isnot significant which reflects in the SST analysis of Chennai and Port Blair stations. Locationof these stations at lower latitudes (near by equator) probably is the reason for this insignificantchange. It has been found that the interannual mode of SST variations dominate the linear SSTtrends which is characterized by the El Nino Southern Oscillations (ENSO) scale cycle.     

Rapid warming in mid-latitude central Asia for the past 100 years

Surface air temperature variations during the last 100 years (1901–2003) in mid-latitude central Asia were analyzed using Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs). The results suggest that temperature variations in four major sub-regions, i.e. the eastern monsoonal area, central Asia, the Mongolian Plateau and the Tarim Basin, respectively, are coherent and characterized by a striking warming trend during the last 100 years. The annual mean temperature increasing rates at each sub-region (representative station) are 0.19°C per decade, 0.16°C per decade, 0.23°C per decade and 0.15°C per decade, respectively. The average annual mean temperature increasing rate of the four sub-regions is 0.18°C per decade, with a greater increasing rate in winter (0.21°C per decade). In Asian mid-latitude areas, surface air temperature increased relatively slowly from the 1900s to 1970s, and it has increased rapidly since 1970s. This pattern of temperature variation differs from that in the other areas of China. Notably, there was no obvious warming between the 1920s and 1940s, with temperature fluctuating between warming and cooling trends (e.g. 1920s, 1940s, 1960s, 1980s, 1990s). However, the warming trends are of a greater magnitude and their durations are longer than that of the cooling periods, which leads to an overall warming. The amplitude of temperature variations in the study region is also larger than that in eastern China during different periods.     

Implications of climatic variability and climate change for water resources availability and management in West Africa

The paper examines: (a) trends in climatic variations and variability with particular emphasis on rainfall (b) the characteristics of climatic events, including floods and droughts, (c) seasonal variations in river flows, (d) mean annual trends in river flows and discharges, (e) local variations of extremes of rainfall and river discharges, (f) the effects of climatic variability and climate change on ground water variations, (g) the problems of acute shortage of freshwater, and (h) the prevalence of water stress whose characteristics would be worsened with the projected impacts of climate change. The results show that: (i) there are a lot of spatial and temporal variations in the characteristics of rainfall and the hydrological systems locally and regionally, although in general, there have been downward trends in rainfall and increases in water deficits and drought events, (ii) that flood events, which also have impacted adversely in many parts of the region, have also been witnessed. The paper then produces projections for future urban and rural water supplies in Nigeria, which is an epitome of West Africa and examines the two main categories of adaptation measures needed to improve water management, namely, those involving the water supply and water demand systems in the study region. Finally, the paper discusses the need to address a number of mechanisms for implementation of the various adaptation measures including: (a) building capacity and manpower, (b) promoting education and public awareness, (c) public participation and the involvement of stakeholders, (d) the establishment of both national and regional co-operation, and (e) the need for climatic and other environmental data collection and monitoring. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Two anisotropic layers in the Slave craton

Four years of recording global earthquakes using a broadband seismometer located at the Ekati diamond mine revealed variations with earthquake azimuth in the arrival of SKS phases. These variations can be modeled assuming two distinct layers of anisotropy in the lithosphere. The lower layer probably lies in the mantle, and the anisotropy aligns with both North American plate motion and the strike of mantle structures identified by previous conductivity and geochemical analyses, at ˜N50°E. The upper layer is hypothesized to result from regional structures in the uppermost mantle and the crust; these trends are distinct from the mantle trends.     

Spatial variations and controls of acid mine drainage generation

Spatial variations of historical and ongoing pyrite oxidation rates were quantified near the Nanisivik Mine on Baffin Island in northern Canada. The variations observed depend mainly on the degree of water saturation, pH and temporal trends in mineral reactivity. Maximum oxidation rates were observed in an untreated tailings spill, while minimum oxidation rates were noted for tailings deposited under water. Spatial trends in oxidation rates were in the order of three orders of magnitude. Spatial trends were only possible to quantify by a combination of closed chambers (well-drained conditions) and micro sensors (water-covered conditions). Oxygen uptake rates in tailings at various ages (up to 7 years) indicate a decrease by more than a factor of 3 over time. Total oxygen uptake over 7 years was calculated and found to be in a fair agreement with the overall pyrite depletion evaluated as high-resolution mineral mass balance (by quantitative powder X-ray diffraction).     

Mapping groundwater storage variations with GRACE: a case study in Alberta,Canada

The applicability of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to adequately represent broad-scale patterns of groundwater storage (GWS) variations and observed trends in groundwater-monitoring well levels (GWWL) is examined in the Canadian province of Alberta. GWS variations are derived over Alberta for the period 2002–2014 using the Release 05 (RL05) monthly GRACE gravity models and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) land-surface models. Twelve mean monthly GWS variation maps are generated from the 139 monthly GWS variation grids to characterize the annual GWS variation pattern. These maps show that, overall, GWS increases from February to June, and decreases from July to October, and slightly increases from November to December. For 2002–2014, the GWS showed a positive trend which increases from west to east with a mean value of 12 mm/year over the province. The resulting GWS variations are validated using GWWLs in the province. For the purpose of validation, a GRACE total water storage (TWS)-based correlation criterion is introduced to identify groundwater wells which adequately represent the regional GWS variations. GWWLs at 36 wells were found to correlate with both the GRACE TWS and GWS variations. A factor f is defined to up-scale the GWWL variations at the identified wells to the GRACE-scale GWS variations. It is concluded that the GWS variations can be mapped by GRACE and the GLDAS models in some situations, thus demonstrating the conditions where GWS variations can be detected by GRACE in Alberta.     

Reconstructing historical trends in metal input in heavily-disturbed,contaminated estuaries: studies from Bilbao,Southampton Water and Sicily

Estuaries may be important reservoirs for contaminants as they tend to act as sinks for fine, contaminant-reactive sediments, and, historically, they have acted as centres for industrial and urban development. Analysis of dated sediment cores from these areas may allow historical trends in heavy metal input to be reconstructed, and recent and historical inputs of metal contaminants to be compared. Undisturbed saltmarsh settings have been used widely in the reconstruction of historical trends in metal input as saltmarshes provide a stable, vegetated substrate of dominantly fine sediments, and are less prone to erosion and reworking than adjacent mudflat areas. In comparison, much less research on historical pollution trends has been undertaken at estuarine sites which are prone to severe local disturbance, such as intertidal areas which are routinely dredged or where sedimentary processes have been modified by human activities such as shipping, salt working, port activities, land claim etc. This paper assesses the usefulness of ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs dating, combined with geochemical studies, in reconstructing historical trends in heavy metal input and sediment accretion in 3 heavily-modified, industrialised estuarine areas in Europe: the Bilbao estuary (Spain), Southampton Water (UK), and the Mulinello estuary (Sicily). Of these sites, only a salt marsh core from the Mulinello estuary provides a high-resolution record of recent heavy metal inputs. In Southampton Water only a partial record of changing metal inputs over time is retained due to land-claim and possible early-diagenetic remobilisation, while at Bilbao the vertical distribution of heavy metals in intertidal flats is mainly controlled by input on reworked sediment particles and variations in sediment composition. Where ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb distributions with depth allow a chronology of sediment deposition to be established, and early-diagenetic remobilisation has been minimal, mudflat and saltmarsh cores from even the most heavily-disturbed estuarine sites can provide useful information on variations in historical contaminant input. When the sediments have been vigorously mixed or reworked, large-scale compositional variations are present, or significant early-diagenetic remobilisation has occurred, however, only general information on the scale of contamination can be obtained.     

Trend of total column ozone over Mexico from TOMS and OMI data (1978-2013)

Using satellite measurements from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) version 8, this work presents the total column ozone (TCO) trends over Mexico and, in particular, over the state of Zacatecas. Interannual variations and their statistical dispersion show a surprisingly systematic behavior. Yearly low values occur during December and January, while high values between April and May. A significant depletion of about 2.5% in TCO between 1978 and 1994 is derived from their statistical analysis, which also shows stabilization from 1996 to 2013. Although the depletion is merely significant, it is a sign that the studied regions, crossed by the Tropic of Cancer, have not escaped to the depletion of the ozone layer. The characterization described herein is important in terms of the correlation of TCO and ultraviolet radiation levels.     

TYPES OF FOLDING OBSERVED IN COAL DEPOSITS OF THE SOUTH URALIAN BASIN

If temperature and composition dependencies of partitioning are taken into account in modeling equilibrium processes, unexpected chemical trends are derived. Failure to consider variations in partition coefficients with temperature and composition in modeling equilibrium melting or crystallization processes leads to wildly erroneous results. Because of changes in partition coefficients with temperature and composition, incompatible elements can exhibit apparently compatible behavior, complex parallel or perpendicular trends can develop from a single process and bulk composition, and trends that appear to require several controlling phases can be explained with only one phase of variable composition. The exercises illustrated here demonstrate that complex trends can be misinterpreted if the variations in partition coefficients are not taken into account, and the “average” phase proportions and compositions controlling an evolutionary trend can be erroneously estimated. Complex trends, such as those in Apollo 15 green glass beads, can possibly be understood in terms of simple partial equilibrium melting of one or two phases.     

Correlation between chromite composition and PGE mineralization in the Critical Zone of the western Bushveld Complex

Detailed mineralogical investigations of chromite in the Lower and Critical Zones in the northwestern sector of the Bushveld Complex have revealed significant compositional variations with regard to modal proportions, host-rock lithology, and stratigraphic height. Superimposed on these variations are long-range systematic trends in the composition of chromite in the massive layers. These long-range trends are closely linked with the evolution of the silicate cumulates. The massive chromitite layers are divided into two types. Type 1 comprises the chromitites hosted entirely within ultramafic cumulates, while Type 2 chromitites are within cyclic units in which plagioclase cumulates occur. The types are also distinguishable by their respective contents of platinum-group elements (PGEs) and distribution patterns thereof, viz. the ratios between Ru + Os + Ir and Pt + Pd + Rh, or relative element proportions, both of which display a systematic change with height in accordance with chromite composition. The relation between silicate geochemistry, chromite composition, and PGE tenor, leads to the development of a model explaining the formation of PGE-mineralized, sulphide-poor chromitite layers in the Critical Zone of the Bushveld Complex. Presented at the International Conference for Applied Mineralogy, Pretoria, September 1991     

Variations in water clarity and chlorophylla in Tampa Bay, Florida, in response to annual rainfall, 1985–2004

In the Tampa Bay region of Florida, extreme levels of annual and seasonal rainfall are often associated with tropical cyclones and strong El Niño episodes. We used stepwise multiple regression models to describe associations between annual and seasonal rainfall levels and annual, bay-segment mean water clarity (as Secchi depth [m]), chlorophylla (μg I^?1), color (pcu), and turbidity (ntu) over a 20-yr period (1985–2004) during which estimated nutrient loadings have been dominated by non-point sources. For most bay segments, variations in annual mean water clarity were associated with variations in chlorophylla concentrations, which were associated in turn with annual or seasonal rainfall. In two bay segments these associations with annual rainfall were superimposed on significant long-term declining trends in chlorophylla. Color was significantly associated with annual rainfall in all bay segments, and in one segment variations in color were the best predictors of variations in water clarity. Turbidity showed a declining trend over time in all bay segments and no association with annual rainfall, and was significantly associated with variations in water clarity in only one bay segment. While chlorophylla, color, and turbidity a affected water clarity to varying degrees, the effects of extreme rainfall events (El Niño events in 1998 and 2003, and multiple tropical cyclone events in 2004) on water clarity were relatively short-lived, persisting for periods of months rather than years. During the 20-yr period addressed in these analyses, declining temporal trends in chlorophylla and turbidity, produced in part by a long-term watershed management program that has focused on curtailing annual loadings of nitrogen and other pollutants, may have helped to prevent the bay as a whole from responding more adversely to the high rainfall periods that occurred in 1998 and 2003–2004.     

1961—2017年南极冰盖近地面风时空变化研究

基于19个人工气象站1961—2017年风速风向实测数据对南极冰盖近地面风速时空变化和风向进行了分析。结果表明：近50年来,南极冰盖近地面各季节平均风速和年平均风速变化的空间模式基本一致。东南极0°~120° E沿海地区风速呈显著上升趋势;南极半岛气象站风速变化趋势各异,且变化速率相差甚大,但从区域平均结果来看,南极半岛年和季节平均风速均呈上升趋势。这与近几十来局地气温、气压变化及南半球环状模趋向于正位相发展有关。东南极受下降风和绕极东风影响,大部分地区盛行偏南风或偏东风,且频率较高风向稳定;而受天气活动影响,南极半岛风向复杂,主风向频率低,风向多变。     

Regional variations in electricity demand elasticities: The situation in the Central United States

Within the sizable literature on electricity demand relatively little attention is given to regional variations in electricity demand elasticities. This paper investigates 39 electric utility companies having a total of 93 separate operating regions in order to assess the nature of regional electricity demand elasticity variations. Residential, commercial, and industrial demand functions are estimated for each operating region using a flow adjustment model of demand. The resulting electricity price, measure of economic activity, and natural gas price elasticities vary regionally, but not in a systematic manner. The demand elasticities found in each sector range from highly inelastic to highly elastic with the pattern of elasticity variations exhibiting few spatial trends or relationships. Comparisons between operating region results and more aggregated statewide results indicate that statewide and national analysis of electricity demand masks much regional detail — a result which has important implications for energy policy making.     

Salinity trends in Louisiana estuaries

If long-term trends in the character of the estuarine salinity field are contributing to land-loss in coastal Louisiana, then evidence of the presence of these trends may exist in historical salinity records. Nonparametric tests for the presence of a trend in the time series of various salinity statistics were performed. The results appear to be strongly influenced by climatological variations of decadal scale. Statistically significant trends were found at many stations. Both increasing and decreasing trends occurred with no apparent underlying spatial pattern. The observed changes during the time covered by the available records were generally too small to be lethal to the dominant marsh plants.     

Analysis of drivers governing temporal salinity and temperature variations in groundwater discharge from Altug Submarine Karst Cave (Kas-Turkey)

Salinity and temperature variations in groundwater discharge from the Altug submarine karst cave have been observed at 28 m below sea level for every 10 min between November 2004 and August 2005 to determine the drivers that govern the salinization. Comparisons between temporal trends of salinity and temperature with those of precipitation, air pressure, sea level and wind velocity revealed an apparent dominance of precipitation regime on the salinity and temperature variations. Spectral analyses applied to observations showed that the air pressure and sea level oscillations are affected by sun and moon tides which do not have an appreciable impact on the salinity and temperature variations. Annual rate of salinization in Altug cave seems inversely related to the inland groundwater head so that the maximum and minimum fresh water contributions occur at mid-spring and late-summer, respectively.     

Magnetic field observations of the Sabzevar ophiolitic complex of northeast Iran

Surface measurements of the total magnetic field intensity along three sections transverse to the structural trends of the Joghatay Mountains ophiolitic complex extended north and west of Sabzevar, northeast Iran, are analyzed. The observed variations of the magnetic field intensity are compared with the synthetic results computed for a block structure consisting of several east-west oriented vertical parallelepiped down to 10 km depth which is also in agreement with the mapped shallow structural features of the complex. Shoaling of the basement and/or Curie surface may explain the observed northward decrease of the mean field measurements. However, in this study the variations are modeled in terms of magnetic enrichment of southern blocks.     

Groundwaters of the Central Ethiopian Rift: diagnostic trends in trace elements, δ<Superscript>18</Superscript>O and major elements

The Ethiopian Rift (a major portion of the Great East African Rift) is characterized by a narrow elongated depression bounded by highlands from both sides. This topographic configuration leads to a monsoon redistribution which resulted in an arid rift floor and humid high rainfall highlands. The rifting and associated volcanism also caused a thinning of the crust and facilitates influx of CO₂ and other mantle gases as diffuse sources or along faults from deeper sources. Groundwaters in the rift floor are usually of high mineral content (high F, U, As and salinity) while those on the plateau are of low mineral content. Among many factors, groundwater availability and quality in the rift floor aquifers is the function of their connection to the aquifers in the high rainfall plateau and the residence time of groundwater prior to reaching the rift floor. This entails the need for addressing one basic hydrologic question in such a setting: at what depth and rate does recharge from the high rainfall highland reach the lowland rift aquifers? This study uses spatial variations in trace elements and relates them to ¹⁴C variations, thereby investigating the suitability of using trace elements as proxies for residence time estimation of groundwaters of relatively short (1,000–2,000 years) residence time. This work also investigates the behavior of trace element trends along the groundwater flow path in a rifted setting and compares them with such trends in sedimentary aquifers elsewhere. The comparison shows a clear difference in behavior of trace elements along the groundwater flow path when compared with such variations in big sedimentary basins with no prominent rifting and volcanism, suggesting the need of calibrating the relation between trace elements and any direct residence time indicators. An integrated use of major elements, trace elements, and environmental isotopes reveals that the main recharge of the aquifers originates from mountain blocks and that recharge takes place via fractures with no evidence of evaporation prior to recharge. Redox processes appear to play a limited role in trace element geochemistry of groundwaters in the region. Progressive trends in trace element composition along the groundwater flow path suggest continuous groundwater flow from the plateau.     

A comparative study of melt-rock reactions in the mantle: laboratory dissolution experiments and geological field observations

Systematic variations in mineralogy and chemical composition across dunite-harzburgite (DH) and dunite-harzburgite-lherzolite (DHL) sequences in the mantle sections of ophiolites have been widely observed. The compositional variations are due to melt-rock reactions as basaltic melts travel through mantle peridotite, and may be key attributes to understanding melting and melt transport processes in the mantle. In order to better understand melt-rock reactions in the mantle, we conducted laboratory dissolution experiments by juxtaposing a spinel lherzolite against an alkali basalt or a mid-ocean ridge basalt. The charges were run at 1 GPa and either 1,300°C or 1,320°C for 8–28 h. Afterward, the charges were slowly cooled to 1,200°C and 1 GPa, which was maintained for at least 24 h to promote in situ crystallization of interstitial melts. Cooling allowed for better characterization of the mineralogy and mineral compositional trends produced and observed from melt-rock reactions. Dissolution of lherzolite in basaltic melts with cooling results in a clinopyroxene-bearing DHL sequence, in contrast to sequences observed in previously reported isothermal-isobaric dissolution experiments, but similar to those observed in the mantle sections of ophiolites. Compositional variations in minerals in the experimental charges follow similar melt-rock trends suggested by the field observations, including traverses across DH and DHL sequences from mantle sections of ophiolites as well as clinopyroxene and olivine from clinopyroxenite, dunite, and wehrlite dikes and xenoliths. These chemical variations are controlled by the composition of reacting melt, mineralogy and composition of host peridotite, and grain-scale processes that occur at various stages of melt-peridotite reaction. We suggest that laboratory dissolution experiments are a robust model to natural melt-rock reaction processes and that clinopyroxene in replacive dunites in the mantle sections of ophiolites is genetically linked to clinopyroxene in cumulate dunite and pyroxenites through melt transport and melt-rock reaction processes in the mantle.     

The identification and assessment of spurious trends in Pearce-type ratio variation diagrams: a discussion of some statistical arguments

Spurious trends in Pearce-type ratio variation diagrams are constrained to go through the origin and the average composition of the data set. A valid trend has a significant (nonzero) y-intercept and a meaningful slope. The two types of trends are thus easily distinguished. Numerical simulation is a useful, perhaps even necessary, method of checking the effects of random variations. Calculations of probability suggest that the odds against purely random data mimicking an olivine trend in komatiites are great — perhaps as much as 100 00 0000 to 1. That such original igneous trends are descernible through the veil of metamorphic overprinting is a powerful demonstration of the usefulness of this technique.