Comparison Between Early and Late 21~(st)C Phytoplankton Biomass and Dimethylsulfide Flux in the Subantarctic Southern Ocean

Time-series of chlorophyll-a(CHL),a proxy for phytoplankton biomass,and various satellite-derived climate indicators are compared in a region of the Subantarctic Southern Ocean(40°-60°S,110°-140°E)for years 2012-2014.CHL reached a minimum in winter(June)and a maximum in late summer(early February).Zonal mean CHL decreased towards the south.Mean sea surface temperature(SST)ranged between 8℃and 15℃and peaked in late February.CHL and SST were positively correlated from March to June,negatively correlated from July to September.CHL and wind speed(WIND)were negatively correlated with peak WIND occurred in winter.Wind direction(WIRD)was mostly in the southwest to westerly direction.The Antarctic Oscillation index(AAO)and CHL were negatively correlated(R=−0.58),indicating that as synoptic wind systems move southwards,CHL increases,and conversely when wind systems move northwards,CHL decreases.A genetic algorithm is used to calibrate the biogeochemical DMS model’s key parameters.Under 4×CO2(after year 2100)Regional mean SST increases 12%-17%,WIND increases 1.2ms−1,Cloud Cover increases 4.8%and mixed layer depth(MLD)decreases 48m.The annual CHL increases 6.3%.The annual mean DMS flux increase 25.2%,increases 37%from day 1 to day 280 and decrease 3%from day 288 to day 360.The general increase of DMS flux under 4×CO2 conditions indicates the Subantarctic regional climate would be affected by changes in the DMS flux,with the potential for a cooling effect in the austral summer and autumn.     

Himalayan metamorphic CO2 fluxes: Quantitative constraints from hydrothermal springs

Hot springs in the Marsyandi Valley, Nepal, vent CO₂ sourced from metamorphic fluids that mix with shallow groundwaters before degassing near the Earth's surface. The δ¹³C of spring waters ranges up to + 13‰, while that of the coexisting free gas phase is close to ? 4‰. Empirical and thermodynamic modelling of this isotopic fractionation suggests > 97 ± 1% CO₂ degassing. The calculated minimum total CO₂ degassing in the Marsyandi catchment is 5.4 × 10⁹ mol/yr from a Cl-based estimate of the spring water discharge to the Marsyandi River and the fraction of CO₂ degassed. Extrapolated to the whole of the Himalayas, this implies a probable minimum metamorphic CO₂ flux of 0.9 × 10¹² mol/yr, or ～ 13% of solid Earth CO₂ degassing. The calculated flux is a factor of three greater than the estimated CO₂ drawdown by silicate weathering in the Himalayas. Himalayan metamorphic degassing contributes a significant fraction of the global solid Earth CO₂ flux and implies that metamorphism may cause changes in long-term climate that oppose those resulting from the orogenic forcing of chemical weatherability.     

Baroclinic instability with variable static stability—a design study for a spherical atmospheric model experiment

Abstract

Exact solutions are obtained for a quasi-geostrophic baroclinic stability problem in which the rotational Froude number (inverse Burger number) is a linear function of the height. The primary motivation for this work was to investigate the effect of a radially-variable, dielectric body force, analogous to gravity, on baroclinic instability for the design of a spherical, synoptic-scale, atmospheric model experiment for a Spacelab flight. Such an experiment cannot be realized in a laboratory on the Earth's surface because the body force cannot be made strong enough to dominate terrestrial gravity. Flow in a rotating, rectilinear channel with a vertically variable body force and with no horizontal shear of the basic state is considered. The horizontal and vertical temperature gradients of the basic and reference states are taken as constants. Consequences of the body force variation and the other assumptions of the model are that the static stability (Brunt-Väisälä frequency squared) and the vertical shear of the basic state flow have the same functional form and that the transverse gradient of the potential vorticity of the basic state vanishes. The solutions show that the stability characteristics of the model are qualitatively similar to those of Eady's model. A short wavelength cutoff and a wavenumber of maximum growth rate are present. Further, the stability characteristics are quantitatively similar to Eady's results for parameters based on the vertically averaged Brunt-Väisälä: frequency. The solutions also show that the temperature amplitude distribution is particularly sensitive to the vertical variation of the static stability. For the static stability and shear decreasing (increasing) with height a relative enhancement of the temperature amplitude occurs at the lower (upper) surface. The other amplitudes and phases are only slightly influenced by the variation. The implication for the Spacelab experiment is that the variable body force will not significantly alter the dynamics from the constant gravity case. The solutions can be relevant to other geophysical fluid flows, including the atmosphere, ocean and annulus system in which the static stability undergoes variation with height.     

Determination of bankfull discharge magnitude and frequency: comparison of methods on 16 gravel‐bed river reaches

Bankfull discharge is identified as an important parameter for studying river morphology, sediment motion, flood dynamics and their ecological impacts. In practice, the determination of this discharge and its hydrological characteristics is not easy, and a choice has to be made between several existing methods. To evaluate the impact of the choice of methods, five bankfull elevation definitions and four hydrological characterizations (determination of duration and frequency of exceedance applied to instantaneous or mean daily data) were compared on 16 gravel‐bed river reaches located in France (the catchment sizes vary from 10 km² to 1700 km²). The consistency of bankfull discharge estimated at reach scale and the hydraulic significance of the five elevation definitions were examined. The morphological definitions (Bank Inflection, Top of Bank) were found more relevant than the definitions based on a geometric criterion. The duration of exceedance was preferred to recurrence intervals (partial duration series approach) because it is not limited by the independency of flood events, especially for low discharges like those associated with the Bank Inflection definition. On average, the impacts of the choice of methods were very important for the bankfull discharge magnitude (factor of 1·6 between Bank Inflection and Top of Bank) and duration of exceedance or frequency (respectively a factor 1·8 and 1·9 between mean daily and instantaneous discharge data). The choice of one combination of methods rather than another can significantly modify the conclusions of a comparative analysis in terms of bankfull discharge magnitude and its hydrological characteristics, so that one must be cautious when comparing results from different studies that use different methods. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Atmosphärische und ozeanische lange Wellen und Wirbelstörungen und ihre Ähnlichkeit mit Trägheitsbewegungen

Zusammenfassung Die völlige Gleichheit der für die äquatoriale Zone der Erde abgeleiteten Trägheitsbewegungen bei F. J. W. Whipple mit den C. G. Rossbyschen langen Wellen in einem breiten stabilen Oststrom und mit den Wirbelstörungen in einer nach W gehenden instabilen Strömung erfordert eine Erklärung, um so mehr als die physikalischen Grundlagen in beiden Fällen völlig verschieden liegen. Eine solche Erklärung wird hier gegeben. Außerdem wird die Trägheitsbewegung auf der rotierenden Erde von solchen Bewegungen abgeleitet, die sich ganz auf einer Hemisphäre abspielen. Sie gelingt in mathematisch einfacher Form. Schließlich wird auf die verschiedene Strömungsstabilität westwärts und ostwärts gehender ozeanischer Ströme hingewiesen und ihr Zusammenhang mit den erwähnten langen Wellen und Wirbelstörungen nach Rossby hervorgehoben.

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Long waves and vorticity in the atmosphere and in the ocean and their resemblance to inertia motions

Summary The complete correspondence of the inertia motions, as derived by F. J. W. Whipple for the equatorial zone of the earth, with Rossby's long waves in a broad stable eastward setting current and with the vorticity phenomena in a westward directed instable current calls for an explanation, especially so as in both cases the underlying physical conditions are of a different nature. This explanation is given in the present paper. Besides, the inertia motion on the revolving earth is derived from motions occurring on one hemisphere only and a mathematically simple formula of this is given. Finally, in drawing attention to the different current stability of westward and eastward setting currents, emphasis is laid on their relation to the afore mentioned long waves and vorticity phenomena after Rossby.

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Ondes longues et le phénomène de vorticity dans l'atmosphère et dans l'océan et leur ressemblance avec des mouvements d'inertia

Résumé Il s'est montré nécessaire d'éclaircir la correspondance entre les mouvements d'inertia dérivés par F. J. W. Whipple pour la zone équatoriale de la terre d'une part, et les ondes longues d'après C. G. Rossby dans un large et stable courant orienté vers l'Est et entre le phénomène devorticity dans un courant instable orienté vers l'ouest, d'autre part. Cette explanation est d'autant plus nécessaire que les conditions physiques fondamentales en sont tout à fait différentes. Le travail suivant offre une telle explanation. En outre, on dérive des mouvements qui ne se produisent que sur un seul hémisphère le mouvement d'inertia sur la terre rotatoire et on réussit à trouver une solution mathématiquement simple. Enfin, on discute la forte différence en stabilité qui se présente dans des courants océaniques orientés vers l'Est et ceux orientés vers l'Ouest en soulignant leur relation avec des ondes longues et le phénomène devorticity d'après. Rossby.

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Herrn Professor Dr. Gerhard Schott zum 90. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

Application of EM algorithms for seismic facices classification

Identification of the geological facies and their distribution from seismic and other available geological information is important during the early stage of reservoir development (e.g. decision on initial well locations). Traditionally, this is done by manually inspecting the signatures of the seismic attribute maps, which is very time-consuming. This paper proposes an application of the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm to automatically identify geological facies from seismic data. While the properties within a certain geological facies are relatively homogeneous, the properties between geological facies can be rather different. Assuming that noisy seismic data of a geological facies, which reflect rock properties, can be approximated with a Gaussian distribution, the seismic data of a reservoir composed of several geological facies are samples from a Gaussian mixture model. The mean of each Gaussian model represents the average value of the seismic data within each facies while the variance gives the variation of the seismic data within a facies. The proportions in the Gaussian mixture model represent the relative volumes of different facies in the reservoir. In this setting, the facies classification problem becomes a problem of estimating the parameters defining the Gaussian mixture model. The EM algorithm has long been used to estimate Gaussian mixture model parameters. As the standard EM algorithm does not consider spatial relationship among data, it can generate spatially scattered seismic facies which is physically unrealistic. We improve the standard EM algorithm by adding a spatial constraint to enhance spatial continuity of the estimated geological facies. By applying the EM algorithms to acoustic impedance and Poisson’s ratio data for two synthetic examples, we are able to identify the facies distribution.     

The distribution of trace metals in Florida Bay sediments

The distribution of trace metals based on surface sediments collected at 40 stations across Florida Bay was done in June, November and February 2000-2001. Concentrations of Sc, V, Ba, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Mn, Ni, Zn, Al and Mg were determined by ICP-MS, and the total Fe was determined by spectrophotometry. Organic carbon (OC), nitrogen (N), and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) were also measured. Eleven of 13 metals showed a similar distribution pattern for the various months studied. Maximum concentrations of metals were lower than those found in most estuarine systems and were concentrated in the north-central and western zones of the Bay. The Mn and Fe concentrations, unlike the other metals, gradually decreased from north (Everglades) to south (Florida Keys). Some metals (Ni, Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb and Ba) associated with petroleum use showed high concentrations at stations near the Tavernier marina. Florida Bay sediments are predominately CaCO3 (65.9-92.5%). The greatest value for OC (5.5%) and the lowest value of CaCO3 (65.9%) were found in the western zone. Trace metal distribution patterns are similar to the OC and N in the sediments. There was a strong correlation between most metals (V>Cu>Ni>Cr>Al>Co>Ba>Zn>Pb>Mg) and the percentage of OC. The maximum C/N values (9-12) were observed at the stations with the highest OC, where dense colonies of seagrass are found and most of the metals are concentrated. All metals except Mg, Mn and Co showed a strong correlation with Al and the fine fraction of the sediments (aluminosilicates) associated with continental input and river runoff.     

The Use of Spatial Cognitive Abilities in Geographical Information Systems: The Map Overlay Operation

Spatial cognitive abilities play an important role in the use of GIS, although they have yet to be examined in a controlled experimental setting. This study aimed to develop an experimental design which measures spatial cognitive abilities in the use of GIS, specifically the map overlay operation. Subjects ( n = 134) received three map overlay tests in which they were given two of the following: input map layers, logical operator(s), or output map layer(s). Subjects were required to select the correct logical operator for Test 1, to select the correct output map layer for Test 2, and to select the correct input map layers for Test 3. Each test contained a total of 16 questions, based on a 4 ('and', 'or', 'xor', 'not' operators) × 2 (one or two polygons per map layer) × 2 (three or five polygon edges) factorial design. Results indicated a significant main effect of logical operators and number of polygons on performance; however, there was no effect of the number of polygon edges on performance. Significant two-way interactions revealed an effect of the number of polygon edges and the number of polygons using various logical operators on performance. In addition, performance was not significantly different between males and females or between GIS users and non-users. Overall, results show that map overlays in which a visual correspondence can be made between the same polygons in the input and output map layers are cognitively less demanding than map overlays in which the shape of the polygons have been radically transformed between the input and output map layers. This study helps further develop our understanding of the spatial cognitive abilities which are required in the use of GIS, and whether certain sub-populations differ in these cognitive abilities. These results may contribute to more effective and efficient GIS teaching and interface design by taking into account individual spatial cognitive abilities.     

Recent climatic trends and linkages to river discharge in Central Vietnam

In this study, change in rainfall, temperature and river discharge are analysed over the last three decades in Central Vietnam. Trends and rainfall indices are evaluated using non‐parametric tests at different temporal levels. To overcome the sparse locally available network, the high resolution APHRODITE gridded dataset is used in addition to the existing rain gauges. Finally, existing linkages between discharge changes and trends in rainfall and temperature are explored. Results are indicative of an intensification of rainfall (+15%/decade), with more extreme and longer events. A significant increase in winter rainfall and a decrease in consecutive dry days provides strong evidence for a lengthening wet season in Central Vietnam. In addition, trends based on APHRODITE suggest a strong orographic signal in winter and annual trends. These results underline the local variability in the impacts of climatic change at the global scale. Consequently, it is important that change detection investigations are conducted at the local scale. A very weak signal is detected in the trend of minimum temperature (+0.2°C/decade). River discharge trends show an increase in mean discharge (31 to 35%/decade) over the last decades. Between 54 and 74% of this increase is explained by the increase in precipitation. The maximum discharge also responds significantly to precipitation changes leading to a lengthened wet season and an increase in extreme rainfall events. Such trends can be linked with a likely increase in floods in Central Vietnam, which is important for future adaptation planning and management and flood preparedness in the region. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Landslide inventory validation and susceptibility mapping in the Gerecse Hills,Hungary

Landslides pose a threat to property both in the populated and cultivated areas of the Gerecse Hills (Hungary). The currently available landslide inventory database holds the records from many sites in the area, but the database is out-of-date. Here we address the problem of revising the National Landslides Cadastre landslide inventory database by creating a landslide suscept- ibility map with a multivariate model based on likelihood ratio functions. The model is applied to the TanDEM-X DEM (0.4″ res.), the current landslide inventory of the area, and data acquired from geological maps. By comparing the distributions of four variables in the landslide and non-landslide area with grid computation methods, the model yields landslide susceptibility estimates for the study area. The estimations show to what extent a certain area is similar to the sample areas, therefore, its likelihood to be affected by landslides in the future. The accuracy of the model predictions was checked in the field and compared to the results of our previous study using the SRTM-1 DEM for a similar analysis. The model gave accurate estimates when certain correction measures were applied to the input datasets. The limitations of the model, the input datasets, and the suggested correction measures are also discussed.