Mass transfer in eccentric binaries: the new oil-on-water smoothed particle hydrodynamics technique

To measure the onset of mass transfer in eccentric binaries, we have developed a two-phase smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) technique. Mass transfer is important in the evolution of close binaries, and a key issue is to determine the separation at which mass transfer begins. The circular case is well understood and can be treated through the use of the Roche formalism. To treat the eccentric case, we use a newly developed two-phase system. The body of the donor star is made up from high-mass water particles, whilst the atmosphere is modelled with low-mass oil particles. Both sets of particles take part fully in SPH interactions. To test the technique, we model circular mass-transfer binaries containing a  0.6 M_⊙  donor star and a  1 M_⊙  white dwarf; such binaries are thought to form cataclysmic variable (CV) systems. We find that we can reproduce a reasonable CV mass-transfer rate, and that our extended atmosphere gives a separation that is too large by approximately 16 per cent, although its pressure scale height is considerably exaggerated. We use the technique to measure the semimajor axis required for the onset of mass transfer in binaries with a mass ratio of   q = 0.6  and a range of eccentricities. Comparing to the value obtained by considering the instantaneous Roche lobe at pericentre, we find that the radius of the star required for mass transfer to begin decreases systematically with increasing eccentricity.     

40Ar/39Ar ages of blueschist facies pelitic schists from Qingshuigou in the Northern Qilian Mountains, western China

Abstract   Pelitic schists from Qingshuigou in the Northern Qilian Mountains of China contain mainly glaucophane, garnet, white mica, clinozoisite, chlorite and piemontite. Isotopic age dating of these schists provides new constraints on the formation of the high-grade blueschists at Qingshuigou. White mica ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages range from 442.1 to 447.5 Ma (total fusion age of single grain) and from 445.7 to 453.9 Ma (integrated age of white mica concentrates). These ages (442.1–453.9 Ma) represent the peak metamorphic ages or cooling ages of the blueschists during exhumation shortly after peak metamorphism. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates in the present study are similar to ages previously reported for eclogites and blueschists in the area; this suggests that both the eclogites and pelitic sediments underwent high-grade metamorphism during the same subduction event. From this chronological evidence and the presence of well-developed Silurian remnant-sea flysch and Devonian molasse, it is concluded that the Northern Qilian Ocean had closed by the end of the Ordovician, and rapid orogenic uplift followed in the Devonian.     

柴达木盆地北缘晚中生代—新生代构造应力场——来自构造节理分析的证据

柴达木盆地的构造演化,尤其是中、新生代的构造演化历史及其影响程度一直存在争议。在冷湖0号、冷湖4号、鄂博梁、结绿素等剖面开展了野外构造节理测量,应用地层恢复技术,分析了柴北缘晚中生代—新生代构造应力场的演化过程。结果表明：晚侏罗世之后,柴北缘主要受东西方向的挤压,这与区域上的研究结果一致;早白垩世北西—南东向的挤压应力可能再次影响了侏罗系;晚白垩世受南北挤压应力的影响,地层隆升遭受剥蚀;始新世下干柴沟期至上新世狮子沟期,柴北缘处于弱活动时期,接受稳定沉积;上新统狮子沟组沉积之后,由于阿尔金山的隆升,盆地北缘主体受北西—南东向应力的影响,涉及地层包括上干柴沟组、下油砂山组和上油砂山组;早、中更新世七个泉期之后,受南北向构造应力场的强烈影响,在狮子沟组、上油砂山组和下油砂山组中都有其分量,较老地层的地表露头中也有记录,这期构造运动对柴北缘油气运聚具有破坏和二次成藏的作用。因此,围绕柴北缘其他地质剖面开展更进一步的构造节理测量和分析工作,对油气资源勘探具有指导意义。     

Holocene aeolian dynamics in the European sand‐belt as indicated by geochronological data

Aeolian sands are widespread in the European sand‐belt. While there is a consensus about the timing of increased aeolian activity and, in contrast, of surface stabilization during the Lateglacial, knowledge about Holocene aeolian dynamics is still very sparse. It is generally assumed that aeolian processes have been closely connected to human activities since at least the Neolithic period. A compilation of 189 luminescence dates from aeolian sands of Holocene age and 301 ¹⁴C‐dates from palaeo‐surfaces, comprising palaeosols, buried peats and archaeological features from the whole sand‐belt, is plotted as histograms and kernel density plots and divided into sub‐phases by cluster analysis. This is also done separately for the dates from the areas west and east of the river Elbe. Our results show that aeolian activity did not cease with the end of the Younger Dryas but continued in the whole European sand‐belt until the Mid‐Atlantic (c. 6500 a BP), presenting evidence of vegetation‐free areas at least at the local scale. During the subsequent time period evidence of aeolian sedimentation is sparse, and surface stabilization is indicated by a cluster of palaeo‐surfaces ascribed to the early Subboreal (c. 5000 cal. a BP). The agglomeration of luminescence ages around 4000 years is probably connected with intensified land use during the Late Neolithic. Younger phases of aeolian sedimentation are indicated by clusters of luminescence ages around 1800 years, a group of luminescence ages from the Netherlands and NW Germany around 900 years, and a group of ages around 680 years in Germany. Among the dates from palaeo‐surfaces, clusters were identified around 2700, 1300 and 900 cal. a BP as well as around 690 cal. a BP in the western part and 610 cal. a BP in the eastern part of the sand‐belt. The clusters within the luminescence ages and the ¹⁴C‐dates coincide with phases where increased human impact can be deduced from archaeological and historical sources as well as from environmental history.     

Water surface mapping from airborne laser scanning using signal intensity and elevation data

In recent years airborne laser scanning (ALS) evolved into a state‐of‐the‐art technology for topographic data acquisition. We present a novel, automatic method for water surface classification and delineation by combining the geometrical and signal intensity information provided by ALS. The reflection characteristics of water surfaces in the near‐infrared wavelength (1064 nm) of the ALS system along with the surface roughness information provide the basis for the differentiation between water and land areas. Water areas are characterized by a high number of laser shot dropouts and predominant low backscatter energy. In a preprocessing step, the recorded intensities are corrected for spherical loss and atmospheric attenuation, and the locations of laser shot dropouts are modeled. A seeded region growing segmentation, applied to the point cloud and the modeled dropouts, is used to detect potential water regions. Object‐based classification of the resulting segments determines the final separation of water and non‐water points. The water‐land‐boundary is defined by the central contour line of the transition zone between water and land points. We demonstrate that the proposed workflow succeeds for a regulated river (Inn, Austria) with smooth water surface as well as for a pro‐glacial braided river (Hintereisfernerbach, Austria). A multi‐temporal analysis over five years of the pro‐glacial river channel emphasizes the applicability of the developed method for different ALS systems and acquisition settings (e.g. point density). The validation, based on real time kinematic (RTK) global positioning system (GPS) field survey and a terrestrial orthophoto, indicate point cloud classification accuracy above 97% with 0·45 m planimetric accuracy (root mean square error) of the water–land boundary. This article shows the capability of ALS data for water surface mapping with a high degree of automation and accuracy. This provides valuable datasets for a number of applications in geomorphology, hydrology and hydraulics, such as monitoring of braided rivers, flood modeling and mapping. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An ocean observation system for monitoring the affects of climate change on the ecology and sustainability of pelagic fisheries in the Pacific Ocean

Climate change presents an emerging challenge to the sustainable management of tuna fisheries, and robust information is essential to ensure future sustainability. Climate and harvest affect tuna stocks, populations of non-target, dependent species and the ecosystem. To provide relevant advice we need an improved understanding of oceanic ecosystems and better data to parameterise the models that forecast the impacts of climate change. Currently ocean-wide data collection in the Pacific Ocean is primarily restricted to oceanographic data. However, the fisheries observer programs that operate in the region offer an opportunity to collect the additional information on the mid and upper trophic levels of the ecosystem that is necessary to complement this physical data, including time-series of distribution, abundance, size, composition and biological information on target and non-target species and mid trophic level organisms. These observer programs are in their infancy, with limited temporal and spatial distribution but recent international and national policy decisions have been made to expand their coverage. We identify a number of actions to initiate this monitoring including: consolidating collaborations to ensure the use of best quality data; developing consistency between sub-regional observer programmes to ensure that they meet the objectives of ecosystem monitoring; interrogating of existing time series to determine the most appropriate spatial template for monitoring; and exploring existing ecosystem models to identify suitable indicators of ecosystem status and change. The information obtained should improve capacity to develop fisheries management policies that are resilient and can be adapted to climate change.     

Low-frequency variability of the arctic climate: the role of oceanic and atmospheric heat transport variations

Changes in meridional heat transports, carried either by the atmosphere (HTRA) or by the ocean (HTRO), have been proposed to explain the decadal to multidecadal climate variations in the Arctic. On the other hand, model simulations indicate that, at high northern latitudes, variations in HTRA and HTRO are strongly coupled and may even compensate each other. A multi-century control integration with the Max Planck Institute global atmosphere-ocean model is analyzed to investigate the relative role of the HTRO and HTRA variations in shaping the Arctic climate and the consequences of their possible compensation. In the simulation, ocean heat transport anomalies modulate sea ice cover and surface heat fluxes mainly in the Barents Sea/Kara Sea region and the atmosphere responds with a modified pressure field. In response to positive HTRO anomalies there are negative HTRA anomalies associated with an export of relatively warm air southward to Western Siberia and a reduced inflow of heat over Alaska and northern Canada. While the compensation mechanism is prominent in this model, its dominating role is not constant over long time scales. The presence or absence of the compensation is determined mainly by the atmospheric circulation in the Pacific sector of the Arctic where the two leading large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns determine the lateral fluxes with varying contributions. The degree of compensation also determines the heat available to modulate the large-scale Arctic climate. The combined effect of atmospheric and oceanic contributions has to be considered to explain decadal-scale warming or cooling trends.     

Estimating trends of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation from long-term hydrographic data and model simulations

The ocean meridional overturning circulation (MOC) plays a central role for the climate in the Atlantic realm. Since scenarios for future climate change indicate a significant reduction of the MOC under global warming, an assessment of variations and trends of the real MOC is important. Using observations at ocean weather ship (OWS) stations and along oceanic sections, we examine the hydrographic information that can be used to determine MOC trends via its signature in water mass properties obtained from model simulations with the climate model ECHAM5/MPI-OM. We show that temperature trends at mid-latitudes provide useful indirect measure of large-scale changes of deep circulation: A mid-depth warming is related to MOC weakening and a cooling to MOC strengthening. Based on our model experiments, we argue that a continuation of measurements at key OWS sites may contribute to a timely detection of a possible future MOC slowdown and to separate the signal from interannual-to-multidecadal MOC variability. The simulations suggest that the subsurface hydrographic information related to MOC has a lower variability than the MOC trend measured directly. Based on our model and the available long-term hydrographic data, we estimate non-significant MOC trends for the last 80 years. For the twenty-first century, however, the model simulations predict a significant MOC decline and accompanied mid-depth warming trend.     

Trondhjemites,tonalites and diorites in the South Portuguese Zone and their relations to the vulcanites and mineral deposits of the Iberian Pyrite Belt

In the South Portuguese Zone close associations of diorites, tonalites and trondhjemites occur north of the Pyrite Belt. The period of their emplacement is Pre-Carboniferous and not, as has generally been assumed, Variscanpostorogen. The trondhjemitic intrusive suite and the Lower Carboniferous spilite-keratophyre association are related through their comagmatic derivation. Both series share sodium dominance, low concentrations of large-ion lithophile elements, indicators of a water-rich original magma and a deficient scorification of the element potential, which was acummulated in the sulphide and manganese deposits of the Pyrite Belt through post-volcanic hydrothermal processes. The mineralogically and geochemically primitive composition of both plutomtes and vulcanites, their mode of eruption from acid to basic facies as well as their position in the orogenic process indicate that they represent products of a successively proceeding partial melting of subducting oceanic crust. The trondhjemitic intrusives are the initialites in the magmatic-orogenic development.

---

Zusammenfassung In der Südportugiesischen Zone treten nördlich des Pyritgürtels enge Vergesellschaftungen von Dioriten, Tonaliten und Trondhjemiten auf. Der Zeitraum ihrer Platznahme ist päkarbonisch und nicht, wie bisher allgemein angenommen, variszisch-postorogen. Die trondhjemitische Intrusivsequenz und die unterkarbonische Spilit-Keratophyr-Assoziation sind in weiten Bereichen durch komagmatische Herkunft verbunden. Gemeinsamkeiten beider Abfolgen sind ihre Na-Dominanz, die niedrigen Gehalte an gro\ionigen Elementen, die Anzeichen für ein wasserreiches Ausgangsmagma und die mangelhafte Verschlackung des Elementpotentials, das in den Sulfid- und Manganlagerstätten des Pyritgürtels während postvulkanischer, hydrothermaler Proze\e angereichert wurde. Die mineralogisch wie geochemisch primitive Zusammensetzung sowohl der Plutonite wie der Vulkanite, ihr Eruptionsmodus von saurer zu basischer Fazies sowie ihre Position im orogenen Ablauf deuten darauf hin, da\ sie die Produkte einer sukzessiv fortschreitenden Aufschmelzung subduzierender, ozeanischer Kruste darstellen. Die trondhjemitischen Intrusiva sind die Initialite innerhalb der magmatisch-orogenen Entwicklung.

---

Résumé Dans la zone sud du Portugal, il existe, au nord de la ceinture pyriteuse, des associations étroites de diorites, de tonalites et de trondhjémites. Leur mise en place date de la période pré-carbonifère et non, comme on l'avait généralement admis jusqu'à présent, de la période varisque post-orogénique. Le faisceau intrusif trondhjémitique et l'association spilite-kératophyre du Carbonifère inférieur sont liés par une origine comagmatique. Les points communs des deux successions sont leur dominante sodique, les faibles teneurs en éléments à gros ions, les indices d'un magma de départ aquifère et la scorification réduite du potentiel d'éléments qui, dans les gisements de sulfure et de manganèse de la ceinture pyriteuse a été enrichi par des processus post-volcaniques et hydrothermaux. La composition primitive, tant minéralogique que géochimique, de la plutonite comme de la vulcanite, leur mode d'éruption qui va du type acide au type basique, ainsi que leur position dans le processus orogénique indiquent qu'il s'agit de produits successifs de la fusion partielle d'une croûte océanique en voie de subduction. Les intrusions trondhjémitiques représentent le stade initial dans l'évolution orogéno-magmatique.

---

, , , . - , , . - . ; , , , - . , , . - .