Vertical mixing in Überlinger See,western part of Lake Constance

Depth variable vertical eddy diffusion coefficients for heat (K _z) were calculated from continuously measured temperature profiles in Überlinger See (western part of Lake Constance). The temperatures were averaged over vertical intervals of 10 m yielding 14 discrete values (maximum depth of Überlinger See: 147 m). A linear fit from 10 June to 29 September 1987 was used to smooth the significant temperature fluctuations caused by internal seiches of Lake Constance.Assuming horizontal homogeneity for the smoothed data the Gradient-Flux-Method was applied to compute vertical diffusion coefficientsK _z at different depths using the depth variable volumes and surfaces of the 14 layers. The resulting mean diffusion coefficients for the period from June to September are 0.04 cm²/s near the thermocline and up to 0.8 cm²/s in deeper strata (accuracy: ± 50%). It is shown that horizontal mixing between Überlinger See and Obersee (main lake) alters the computation ofK _z by less than 50%.A relationship betweenK _z and stability (Brunt-Väisälä) frequencyN is found which corresponds well to the theory of internal wave induced turbulence.Combining the diffusion coefficients with measured phosphorus profiles, a phosphorus flux from the hypolimnion to the epilimnion of (0.7 ± 0.4) mg P m^–2 d^–1 was calculated, corresponding to about 20% of the average external loading per area of Lake Constance in 1986.     

The Isthmus of Panama as a Crossroad for Prehistoric Migration of Domesticated Plants

For thousands of years, Indian tribes have gathered, selected, domesticated and spread useful plants over the whole American continent while mostly practicing shifting forms of horti-agriculture. It has been argued that origin and domestication of New World crops could be traced back to essentially two independent, narrowly circumscribed core regions, (i.e. Vavilov's genecentres) one in the highlands of Mexico and the other in the Andes of Peru. Those alleged centers of origin and genetic diversity have been synchronized with the main cradles of American agriculture. Based on long periods of research work in South America, we disagree with this opinion which is maintained primarily by anthropologists, sociologists and ethnologists. Except for marginal desert and mountain environments, there are no real biogeographical restrictions for plant domestication. Apparent geographical barriers, like the Darien gap, did not represent insurmountable hindrances for the diffusion and migration of useful species in the hands of indigenous peoples.     

Geodetic networks along the Caribbean-South-American plate boundary

Three major fault zones form the Caribbean-South-American plate boundary; these are the Bocono, Moron, and Pilar fault zones. The first geodetic networks were explored and installed in 1972–1973. First measurements were realized in 1973 and remeasurements were made at several intervals up to date. In total 18 sites were studied and explored for local geodetic networks; of these, only five are completely operational, the others are still waiting for monumentation and operation. Nevertheless, for these latter, the main part of the installation, the exploration work and the feasibility studies in geology and topography have already been realized. In the operational networks, the field and point vectors show movements and deformations. Max. values: Yacambu 88 mm/2 years, Mucubaji 32 mm/5 years. The deformational parts of displacements show principally compression vectors from both sides towards the plate boundary.     

Hydraulic investigations on the utilization of geothermal water resources for energy production

The paper deals with hydraulic problems, arising with the development of geothermal deep ground-water flow. It begins with a brief comment upon the most important principles of flow, regarding the influence of temperature of water. Further it is explained what kind of hydraulic investigations on deep boreholes are necessary and how they have to be done.Finally, it will be reported about hydraulic investigations on particular geothermal water resources in Austria. Results of a pumping test, made at a deep well and lasting 15 months, show that by thermohydraulic investigations, particularly in connexion with geophysical measurements, fundamental statements can be made about available geothermal resources of the earth's crust for the technical planning and economic working of a geothermal energy production plant. The paper ends with a brief report about experiences made with the first geothermal heat supply plant that has been installed in Austria (Waltersdorf/East Styria).     

Phreatomagmatic volcanism during the Ordovician of the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain)

In the Barrios Formation of the southern Cantabrian Mountains pyroclastic rocks occur which have an Ordovician age. They form the filling of several craters and pipes, which are unconformably overlain by Ordovician respectively Silurian sediments. The pyroclastic material mainly consists of fractured quartz grains which are mixed with angular hydrothermally altered glas lapilli. The strong fragmentation of the volcanoclastic components, even in the lower parts of the pipes, is caused by phreatomagmatic eruptions under shallow marine conditions. The Barrios Formation which is disrupted by the volcanic necks, was deposited in a shallow marine environment with a very low sedimentation rate.Sills occur in the Oville-Formation below the Barrios Formation. They are partially older than the pyroclastic rocks. These older sills intruded into not yet lithified shales and sands where a high hydrostatic pressure prevented a phreatomagmatic explosion.Major and trace element analyses reveal that the sills in the Oville-Formation, volcanic bombs, subvolcanic xenoliths and a plug within the pyroclastic rocks belong to the alkali rock series. They are enriched in K, Ti, P and Zr and are similar to alkali olivine basalts and trachy-basalts.The Ordovician volcanism of the Cantabrian Mountains occured on continental crust which was subject to rifting in the Early Palaeozoic. The rifting processes are seen in connection with the separation of the Ibero-Armorican microplate from Gondwana.

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Zusammenfassung In der Barrios-Formation des südlichen Kantabrischen Gebirges treten pyroklastische Gesteine auf, die ein ordovizisches Alter haben. Sie bilden die Füllung mehrerer Krater und Schlote, die an ihrer Obergrenze diskordant von ordovizischen bzw. silurischen Sedimenten überlagert werden. Das pyroklastische Material besteht zum größten Teil aus zerbrochenen Quarzkörnern mit eingestreuten, scharfkantigen, hydrothermal veränderten Glaslapilli. Die starke Fragmentierung des vulkanoklastischen Anteiles selbst in den tieferen Bereichen der Schlote wurde durch phreatomagmatische Eruptionen unter flachmarinen Bedingungen verursacht. Der Barriosquarzit, der von den Schloten und Kratern durchschlagen wird, wurde in einem flachmarinen Bereich mit sehr niedriger Sedimentationsrate abgelagert.Lagergänge treten in der Oville-Formation im Liegenden der Barrios-Formation auf. Sie sind teilweise älter als die pyroklastischen Gesteine. Diese älteren Lagergänge intrudierten in die noch nicht verfestigten Tone und Sande, wo ein zu großer hydrostatischer Druck eine phreatomagmatische Explosion verhinderte.Haupt- und Spurenelementanalysen zeigen, daß die Lagergänge in der Oville-Formation, vulkanische Bomben, subvulkanische Xenolithe und ein Lavapfropfen innerhalb der Pyroklastika zu den Alkaligesteinen gehören. Sie sind angereichert an K, Ti, P und Zr und ähneln Alkaliolivinbasalten und Trachybasalten.Der ordovizische Vulkanismus des Kantabrischen Gebirges ereignete sich auf kontinentaler Krustenunterlage, welche im Altpaläozoikum einer Dehnung ausgesetzt war. Die Dehnungsprozesse werden im Zusammenhang mit der Abtrennung der ibero-amerikanischen Mikroplatte von Gondwana gesehen.

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Résumé Dans la formation de Barrios, dans les Monts Cantabriques méridionaux, existent des roches pyroclastiques d'âge ordovicien. Elles forment le remplissage de cratères et de cheminées surmontés en discordance par des sédiments ordoviciens ou siluriens. Pour leur plus grande part, ces matériaux pyroclastiques consistent en grains brisés de quartz mêlés de fragments hyaloclastiques anguleux altérés par des solutions hydrothermales. Les composants volcanoclastiques sont fortement fragmentés, même dans les zones les plus profondes des cheminées, phénomène causé par des explosions phréatomagmatiques dans une mer peu profonde. De fait, la formation du quartzite de Barrios, qui est percée par les cheminées, s'est déposée dans un milieu marin peu profond, à faible vitesse de sédimentation.La formation d'Orville, située sous la formation de Barrios, renferme des sills. Ces sills, en partie plus vieux que les roches pyroclastiques, se sont intrudés dans des pélites et des sables non encore lapidifiés, où la haute pression hydrostatique empêchait une explosion phréatomagmatique.Les analyses des éléments chimiques majeurs et en trace montrent que les sills, les bombes volcaniques, les xénolithes subvolcaniques et un culot de lave dans les roches pyroclastiques font partie de la séries alcaline. Ces roches sont enrichies en K, Ti, P, Zr et semblables aux basaltes alcalins à olivine et aux trachybasaltes.Le volcanisme ordovicien des Monts Cantabriques s'est manifesté dans une croûte continentale soumise à extension pendant le Paléozoque inférieur. Cette extension est mise en relation avec la séparation entre la micro-plaque ibéroarmoricaine et le continent de Gondwana.

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Metamorphic an magmatic events in the Uweinat — Bir Safsaf Uplift (Western Desert/Egypt)

The Uweinat — Bir Safsaf Uplift, Western Desert/Egypt, four episodes of deformation and related metamorphism and anatexis occurred until the final cratonisation during the Late Pan-African event was completed. From that time on, probably six independent (Table 4) magmatic episodes can be recognized up to the Quaternary. This anorogenic type of magmatism is mainly related to a fracture system which originated in the Late Precambrian as a result of intraplate block faulting. Periodical reactivation of these older fracture zones throughout the Phanerozoic gave way to the different types of plutonic and volcanic rock assemblages.

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Zusammenfassung Die Grundgebirgsschwelle zwischen Gebel Uweinat und Bir Safsaf (Western Desert/ Ägypten) war während des Präkambriums durch vier Episoden von Deformation, Metamorphose und Anatexis gekennzeichnet. Die endgültige Kratonisierung erfolgte im Jungproterozoikum im Verlauf eines Pan-Afrikanischen Thermalereignisses. Die während des Jungproterozoikums als Folge großräumiger Intraplattentektonik entstandenen Bruchsysteme wurden während des Phanerozoikums periodisch reaktiviert. Die Platznahme anorogener Magmen erfolgte in mindestens sechs verschiedenen Zeiträumen hauptsächlich entlang dieser Bruchstrukturen.

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Résumé Le massif soulevé compris entre le Gebel Uweinat et Bir Safsaf, dans le Désert occidental de l'Egypte, a été le siège de 4 épisodes de déformations avec métamorphisme et anatexie jusqu'à sa cratonisation finale au cours de la Phase Pan-africaine tardive. A partir de ce moment, probablement six épisodes magmatiques indépendants peuvent être reconnus jusqu'au Quaternaire. Ce type anorogénique de magmatisme est principalement en relation avec un système de fractures qui a pris naissance au Précambrien supérieur comme le résultat d'une régime de fracturation intraplaque. La réactivation périodique des ces zones de fractures anciennes durant le Phanérozoïque a conduit à la formation de ces différents types d'associations de roches volcaniques et plutoniques.

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Five hundred years of gridded high-resolution precipitation reconstructions over Europe and the connection to large-scale circulation

We present seasonal precipitation reconstructions for European land areas (30°W to 40°E/30–71°N; given on a 0.5°×0.5° resolved grid) covering the period 1500–1900 together with gridded reanalysis from 1901 to 2000 (Mitchell and Jones 2005). Principal component regression techniques were applied to develop this dataset. A large variety of long instrumental precipitation series, precipitation indices based on documentary evidence and natural proxies (tree-ring chronologies, ice cores, corals and a speleothem) that are sensitive to precipitation signals were used as predictors. Transfer functions were derived over the 1901–1983 calibration period and applied to 1500–1900 in order to reconstruct the large-scale precipitation fields over Europe. The performance (quality estimation based on unresolved variance within the calibration period) of the reconstructions varies over centuries, seasons and space. Highest reconstructive skill was found for winter over central Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. Precipitation variability over the last half millennium reveals both large interannual and decadal fluctuations. Applying running correlations, we found major non-stationarities in the relation between large-scale circulation and regional precipitation. For several periods during the last 500 years, we identified key atmospheric modes for southern Spain/northern Morocco and central Europe as representations of two precipitation regimes. Using scaled composite analysis, we show that precipitation extremes over central Europe and southern Spain are linked to distinct pressure patterns. Due to its high spatial and temporal resolution, this dataset allows detailed studies of regional precipitation variability for all seasons, impact studies on different time and space scales, comparisons with high-resolution climate models as well as analysis of connections with regional temperature reconstructions. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Climate Variability-Observations, Reconstructions, and Model Simulations for the Atlantic-European and Alpine Region from 1500-2100 AD

A detailed analysis is undertaken of the Atlantic-European climate using data from 500-year-long proxy-based climate reconstructions, a long climate simulation with perpetual 1990 forcing, as well as two global and one regional climate change scenarios. The observed and simulated interannual variability and teleconnectivity are compared and interpreted in order to improve the understanding of natural climate variability on interannual to decadal time scales for the late Holocene. The focus is set on the Atlantic-European and Alpine regions during the winter and summer seasons, using temperature, precipitation, and 500 hPa geopotential height fields. The climate reconstruction shows pronounced interdecadal variations that appear to “lock” the atmospheric circulation in quasi-steady long-term patterns over multi-decadal periods controlling at least part of the temperature and precipitation variability. Different circulation patterns are persistent over several decades for the period 1500 to 1900. The 500-year-long simulation with perpetual 1990 forcing shows some substantial differences, with a more unsteady teleconnectivity behaviour. Two global scenario simulations indicate a transition towards more stable teleconnectivity for the next 100 years. Time series of reconstructed and simulated temperature and precipitation over the Alpine region show comparatively small changes in interannual variability within the time frame considered, with the exception of the summer season, where a substantial increase in interannual variability is simulated by regional climate models.