Numerical studies of gas hydrate systems: sensitivity to porosity-permeability models

The formation of sub-seafloor gas hydrates in marine environments can be described as a coupled transport and thermodynamic process inside a host sediment matrix undergoing structural evolution. The transport processes are driven by the sedimentary load and induced overpressure gradients, controlled by sediment permeability. In order to accurately model the resulting fluid flow profile, the decrease of sediment permeability during hydrate precipitation has to be taken into account, which affects both the transport of solutes and sediment compaction. In this paper, we investigate how total hydrate abundance is affected by regions of low permeability which deflect the flow field in their vicinity. For this purpose, a two-dimensional numerical hydrate system model was set up which permits to quantify this effect in scenarios where changes in water depth cause lateral variations of the thickness of the hydrate stability field, as well as of hydrate saturation and sediment permeability. The microscopic structure of gas hydrate crystals in the host sediment matrix defines the evolution of the permeability reduction during hydrate formation. Grain-coating precipitates have a stronger tendency to clog flow paths through pore throats than do pore-filling precipitates. Our results clearly show that these pore-scale processes affect the large-scale flow field and hydrate abundance. The sensitivity depends on the model geometry and, for a 5° slope of the seafloor, 4.1% relative difference is predicted for the hydrate saturation according to different porosity-permeability relationships.     

Late Cretaceous-Paleocene extension on the Vøring Volcanic Margin

High-quality seismic data document a Maastrichtian-Paleocene rift episode on the Vøring margin lasting for 20 m.y. prior to continental breakup. The rift structures are well imaged in the Fenris Graben and Gjallar Ridge region in the western Vøring Basin, and are characterized by low-angle detachment faults with variable fault geometries from south to north. The structural restoration has facilitated the division of pre- and syn-rift sediments across the extensional terrain, which is subsequently used to evaluate mode and mechanism for the lithospheric deformation. Extension estimates based on the structural restoration, subsidence analysis and crustal thickness evaluations yield stretching factors ranging between 1.5 to 2.3 across the main fault zone just landward of the early Tertiary flood basalts. The structural restoration also shows that a middle crustal dome structure, observed beneath the low-angle faults, can be explained by extensional unroofing. Thus, the dome structure may represent a possible metamorphic core complex. Calculations of the effects on vertical motion, assuming uniform and two-layer differential stretching models combined with the arrival of the Iceland mantle plume during rifting, indicate that the uniform extension model may account for both observed early rift subsidence and subsequent late rift uplift and erosion. Although the differential model can not be excluded, it implies early rift uplift which is not compatible with our seismic interpretation. The direct and indirect effects of the Iceland mantle plume may have caused as much as 1.2 km of late rift uplift. Comparison of the volcanic Vøring margin and the non-volcanic West Iberian margin shows similarities in terms of structural style as well as in mode and distribution of extension.     

Dichte der SchlammschneckenLymnaea auricularia undL. peregra im Zürichsee (Gastropoda: Basommatophora)

256 samples ofLymnaea spp., each sample containing one square meter of mud, were taken in the littoral zone in the lower part of Lake Zurich. I investigated the dependence of the snails' distribution on the content of organic matter in the mud and on the distribution of hard substrates. Factors limiting the density ofLymnaea spp. are discussed.      

Short-wavelength Spectral Properties of the Gravity Field from a Range of Regional Data Sets

The GRACE (gravity recovery and climate experiment) and GOCE (gravity field and steady-state ocean circulation explorer) dedicated gravity satellite missions are expected to deliver the long-wavelength scales of the Earth’s gravity field with extreme precision. For many applications in Earth sciences, future research activities will have to focus on a similar precision on shorter scales not recovered by satellite missions. Here, we investigate the signal power of gravity anomalies at such short scales. We derive an average degree variance and power spectral density model for topography-reduced gravity anomalies (residual terrain model anomalies and de-trended refined Bouguer anomalies), which is valid for wavelengths between 0.7 and 100  km. The model is based on the analysis of gravity anomalies from 13 test regions in various geographical areas and geophysical settings, using various power spectrum computation approaches. The power of the derived average topography-reduced model is considerably lower than the Tscherning–Rapp free air anomaly model. The signal power of the individual test regions deviates from the obtained average model by less than a factor of 4 in terms of square-root power spectral amplitudes. Despite the topographic reduction, the highest signal power is found in mountainous areas and the lowest signal power in flat terrain. For the derived average power spectral model, a validation procedure is developed based on least-squares prediction tests. The validation shows that the model leads to a good prediction quality and realistic error measures. Therefore, for least-squares prediction, the model could replace the use of autocovariance functions derived from local or regional data.     

The Influence of the TTC Concentration on the Determination of Activated Sludge Activity

For a correct determination of the activated sludge activity with the aid of TTC an optimum TTC concentration is required not only in the solution, but also as related to the biomass. Since TTC has toxic effects on bacteria, the selection of the optimum TTC concentration is connected with problems: in the suboptimal range the TTC concentration as referred to the existing bioactivity is too low, in the supraoptimal range the toxic effect does not permit any correct determination of activity. A generally optimum range cannot be stated due to the very different activities and sensitivities of the present bacterial populations. Therefore, the application of the TTC methods requires the simultaneous parallel application of different TTC concentrations and the determination of the activity in the plateau range of the relation between the TTC concentration and the formazan concentration formed.     

Toward a radiometric ice clock: uranium ages of the Dome C ice core

Ice sheets and deep ice cores have yielded a wealth of paleoclimate information based on continuous dating methods while independent radiometric ages of ice have remained elusive. Here we demonstrate the application of (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) measurements to dating the EPICA Dome C ice core based on the accumulation of ²³⁴U in the ice matrix from recoil during ²³⁸U decay out of dust bound within the ice. Measured (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) activity ratios within the ice generally increase with depth while the surface areas of the dust grains are relatively constant. Using a newly designed device for measuring surface area for small samples, we were able to estimate reliably the recoil efficiency of nuclides from dust to ice. The resulting calculated radiometric ages range between 80 ka and 870 ka. Measured samples in the upper 3100 m fall on the previously published age-depth profile. Samples in the 3200–3255 m section show a marked change from 723–870 ka to 85 ka indicating homogenization of the deep ice prior to resetting of the (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) age in the basal layers. The mechanism for homogenization is likely enhanced lateral ice flow due to high basal melting and geothermal heat flux.     

A large wet snow avalanche cycle in West Greenland quantified using remote sensing and in situ observations

Natural Hazards - On 11 April 2016 we observed high slushflow and wet snow avalanche activity at the environmental monitoring station Kobbefjord in W-Greenland. Snow avalanches released as a result...