A modular injection system, multilevel sampler, and manifold for tracer tests

Ground water injection and sampling systems were developed for bacterial transport experiments in both homogenous and heterogeneous unconsolidated, surficial aquifers. Two types of injection systems, a large single tank and a dynamic mixing tank, were designed to deliver more than 800 L of amended ground water to the aquifer over 12 hours, without altering the ground water temperature, pH, Eh, or dissolved gas composition. Two types of multilevel samplers (MLSs) were designed and installed. Permanent MLSs performed well for the homogenous surficial aquifer, but their installation procedure promoted vertical mixing, which could obfuscate experimental data obtained from vertically stratified, heterogeneous aquifers. A novel, removable MLS was designed to fit in 2- and 4-inch wells. Expandable O-rings between each sampling port hydraulically isolated each port for sample collection when a nut was tightened at the land surface. A low-cost vacuum manifold system designed to work with both MLS designs used 50 mL centrifuge tubes to efficiently sample 12 MLS ports with one peristaltic pump head. The integrated system was developed and used during four field campaigns over a period of three years. During each campaign, more than 3000 ground water samples were collected in less than one week. This system should prove particularly useful for ground water tracer, injection, and push-pull experiments that require high-frequency and/or high-density sampling.     

UAS‐based remote sensing of fluvial change following an extreme flood event

The effects of large floods on river morphology are variable and poorly understood. In this study, we apply multi‐temporal datasets collected with small unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) to analyze three‐dimensional morphodynamic changes associated with an extreme flood event that occurred from 19 to 23 June 2013 on the Elbow River, Alberta. We documented reach‐scale spatial patterns of erosion and deposition using high‐resolution (4–5 cm/pixel) orthoimagery and digital elevation models (DEMs) produced from photogrammetry. Significant bank erosion and channel widening occurred, with an average elevation change of ?0.24 m. The channel pattern was reorganized and overall elevation variation increased as the channel adjusted to full mobilization of most of the bed surface sediments. To test the extent to which geomorphic changes can be predicted from initial conditions, we compared shear stresses from a two‐dimensional hydrodynamic model of peak discharge to critical shear stresses for bed surface sediment sizes. We found no relation between modeled normalized shear stresses and patterns of scour and fill, confirming the complex nature of sediment mobilization and flux in high‐magnitude events. However, comparing modeled peak flows through the pre‐ and post‐flood topography showed that the flood resulted in an adjustment that contributes to overall stability, with lower percentages of bed area below thresholds for full mobility in the post‐flood geomorphic configuration. Overall, this work highlights the potential of UAS‐based remote sensing for measuring three‐dimensional changes in fluvial settings and provides a detailed analysis of potential relationships between flood forces and geomorphic change. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Toxic volatile organic air pollutants across Canada: multi-year concentration trends,regional air quality modelling and source apportionment

A Unified Regional Air-quality Modelling System, AURAMS, was expanded to predict six toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) within a continental domain and two nested domains covering eastern and western Canada. The model predictions were evaluated against Environment Canada’s National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) data set to assess the predictive capability of the model at daily and seasonal time scales. The predictions were also evaluated with satellite-derived column total maps for formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide. In general, the model showed fair to good predictive skill in terms of both correlation (R) and normalized mean bias (NMB) for benzene (R = 0.53 NMB = 26 %), formaldehyde (R = 0.73, NMB = ?15 %) and acetaldehyde (R = 0.55, NMB = 29 %). For the other toxics VOCs, the model showed less predictive skill in the order 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene (R = 0.50, NMB = ?41 %), 1,3-butadiene (R = 0.26, NMB = 40 %) and acrolein (R = 0.052, NMB = ?51 %). The goal of this study was to apply an air quality model to assess the contribution of mobile sources to ambient levels of toxic VOCs at urban locations across Canada. The mobile source contribution varied in a complex manner for each species for different regions. For benzene and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, the mobile source contribution was in the range 40–65 % for major Canadian cities. The model predicted considerably lower mobile source contributions for rural locations in the Canadian Prairies, where other area sources dominate, such as the petrochemical industry. Measured concentration trends in toxics are also presented from 2004 to 2010. The primary emitted toxics declined gradually (13–16 % over 6 yr) whereas the toxic aldehydes showed no trend.     

Managing carbon-intensive materials in a decarbonizing world without a global price on carbon

Emissions from the production of iron and steel could constitute a significant share of a 2°C global emissions budget (around 19% under the IEA 2DS scenario). They need to be reduced, and this could be difficult under nationally based climate policy approaches. We compare a new set of nationally based modelling (the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project) with best practice and technical limit benchmarks for iron and steel and cement emissions. We find that 2050 emissions from iron and steel and cement production represent an average 0.28?tCO₂ per capita in nationally based modelling results, very close to the technical limit benchmark of 0.21?tCO₂ per capita, and over 2.5 times lower than the best practice benchmark of 0.72?tCO₂ per capita. This suggests that national projections may be overly optimistic about achievable emissions reductions in the absence of global carbon pricing and an international research and development effort to develop low emissions technologies for emissions-intensive products. We also find that equal per capita emissions targets, often the basis of proposals for how global emissions budgets should be allocated, would be inadequate without global emissions trading. These results show that a nationally based global climate policy framework, as has been confirmed in the Paris Agreement, could lead to risks of overshooting global emissions targets for some countries and carbon leakage. Tailored approaches such as border taxes, sectoral emissions trading or carbon taxes, and consumption-based carbon pricing can help, but each faces difficulties. Ultimately, global efforts are needed to improve technology and material efficiency in emissions-intensive commodities manufacturing and use. Those efforts could be supported by technology standards and a globally coordinated R&D effort, and strengthened by the adoption of global emissions budgets for emissions-intensive traded goods.

Policy relevance

This article presents new empirical findings on global iron and steel and cement production in a low-carbon world economy, demonstrates the risks associated with a nationally based global climate policy framework as has been confirmed in the Paris Agreement, and analyses policy options to deal with those risks.     

Coupled atmosphere–ocean data assimilation experiments with a low-order climate model

A simple idealized atmosphere–ocean climate model and an ensemble Kalman filter are used to explore different coupled ensemble data assimilation strategies. The model is a low-dimensional analogue of the North Atlantic climate system, involving interactions between large-scale atmospheric circulation and ocean states driven by the variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC). Initialization of the MOC is assessed in a range of experiments, from the simplest configuration consisting of forcing the ocean with a known atmosphere to performing fully coupled ensemble data assimilation. “Daily” assimilation (that is, at the temporal frequency of the atmospheric observations) is contrasted with less frequent assimilation of time-averaged observations. Performance is also evaluated under scenarios in which ocean observations are limited to the upper ocean or are non-existent. Results show that forcing the idealized ocean model with atmospheric analyses is inefficient at recovering the slowly evolving MOC. On the other hand, daily assimilation rapidly leads to accurate MOC analyses, provided a comprehensive set of oceanic observations is available for assimilation. In the absence of sufficient observations in the ocean, the assimilation of time-averaged atmospheric observations proves to be more effective for MOC initialization, including the case where only atmospheric observations are available.     

Dating ancient wood by high-sensitivity liquid scintillation counting and accelerator mass spectrometry—Pushing the boundaries

It is critical that a comprehensive terrestrial radiocarbon (¹⁴C) calibration curve is developed beyond 26 ka for high-precision calibration and correlation of climatic, environmental and archaeological records. Abundant sub-fossil New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) wood, preserved in Oxygen Isotope Stage-2 and 3 peat swamps, provides an important resource for ¹⁴C calibration; nowhere else in the world does such an extensive collection of ancient wood exist. Although finite ¹⁴C ages beyond 50 ka are becoming routinely reported, few attempts have been made to demonstrate their accuracy or precision. Finite ages beyond 50 ka require optimization of all elements involved in sample preparation and ¹⁴C analysis. Here we discuss the methodology employed for optimizing the ¹⁴C dating of near-background wood samples by both benzene synthesis for liquid scintillation counting (LSC) or graphite synthesis for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). We report the mean background blank activities for both methods and present a statistical model for assigning blank standard errors when blank activity variation is over and above counting statistics. We also present duplicate analyses (using LSC and AMS) of nine successive samples of wood obtained from a sub-fossil kauri log near-background in age to investigate the significance of the measured blank levels and variability.     

Aspects of human physical and behavioural evolution during the last 1 million years

This paper reviews some of the main advances in our understanding of human evolution over the last 1 million years, presenting a holistic overview of a field defined by interdisciplinary approaches to studying the origins of our species. We begin by briefly summarizing the climatic context across the Old World for the last 1 million years before directly addressing the fossil and archaeological records. The main themes in this work explore (i) recent discoveries in the fossil record over the last 15 years, such as Homo naledi and Homo floresiensis; (ii) the implications of palaeogenetics for understanding the evolutionary history of, and relationships between, Neanderthals, Denisovans and Homo sapiens; (iii) the interplay between physiology and metabolic demand, landscape use, and behavioural adaptations in the evolution of morphological and behavioural innovation; and (iv) recent advances in archaeological understanding for the behavioural record, in particular that of the Neanderthals. This paper seeks to provide a broad‐scale, holistic perspective of our current understanding of human evolution for the last 1 Ma, providing a reference point for researchers that can be built upon as new discoveries continue to develop the landscapes of human evolution. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Petrogenesis of peralkaline granite dykes of the Straumsvola complex,western Dronning Maud Land,Antarctica

Peralkaline syenite and granite dykes cut the Straumsvola nepheline syenite pluton in Western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The average peralkalinity index (PI?=?molecular Al/[Na?+?K]) of the dykes is 1.20 (n?=?29) and manifests itself in the presence of the Zr silicates eudialyte, dalyite and vlasovite, and the Na–Ti silicate, narsarsukite. The dykes appear to have intruded during slow cooling of the nepheline syenite pluton, and the petrogenetic relationship of the dykes and the pluton cannot be related to closed-system processes at low pressure, given the thermal divide that exists between silica-undersaturated and oversaturated magmas. Major and trace element variations in the dykes are consistent with a combination of fractional crystallization of parental peralkaline magma of quartz trachyte composition, and internal mineral segregation prior to final solidification. The distribution of accessory minerals is consistent with late-stage crystallization of isolated melt pockets. The dykes give an Rb–Sr isochron age of 171?±?4.4 Ma, with variable initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio (0.7075?±?0.0032), and have an average ε _Nd of ? 12.0. Quartz phenocrysts have δ¹⁸O values of 8.4–9.2‰, which are generally in O-isotope equilibrium with bulk rock. Differences in the δ¹⁸O values of quartz and aegirine (average Δ_{quartz?aegirine} = 3.5‰) suggest aegirine formation temperatures around 500 °C, lower than expected for a felsic magma, but consistent with poikilitic aegirine that indicates subsolidus growth. The negative ε _Nd (< ? 10) and magma δ¹⁸O values averaging 8.6‰ (assuming Δ_quartz?magma = 0.6‰) are inconsistent with a magma produced by closed-system fractional crystallization of a mantle-derived magma. By contrast, the nepheline syenite magma had mantle-like δ¹⁸O values and much less negative ε _Nd (average ??3.1, n?=?3). The country rock has similar δ¹⁸O values to the granite dykes (average 8.0‰, n?=?108); this means that models for the petrogenesis of the granites by assimilation are unfeasible, unless an unexposed high-δ¹⁸O contaminant is invoked. Instead, it is proposed that the peralkaline syenite and granite dykes formed by partial melting of alkali-metasomatised gneiss that surrounds the nepheline syenite, followed by fractional crystallization.     

Petrogenesis of the Swaziland and Northern Natal Rhyolites of the Lebombo Rifted Volcanic Margin, South East Africa

The Jozini and Mbuluzi rhyolites and Oribi Beds of the southernLebombo Monocline, southeastern Africa, have geochemical characteristicsthat indicate they were derived by partial melting of a mixtureof high-Ti/Zr and low-Ti/Zr Sabie River Basalt Formation types.Compositional variations within the different rhyolite typescan largely be explained by subsequent fractional crystallization.The Sr- and Nd-isotope composition of the rhyolites is uniqueamongst Gondwana silicic large igneous provinces, having _Ndvalues close to Bulk Earth (–0·94 to 0·35)and low, but more variable, initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0·7034–0·7080).Quartz phenocryst ¹⁸O values indicate that the rhyolite magmashad ¹⁸O values between 5·3 and 6·7, consistentwith derivation from a basaltic protolith with ¹⁸O values between4·8 and 6·2. The low-¹⁸O rhyolites (< 6·0)come from the same stratigraphic horizon and are overlain andunderlain by rhyolites with more ‘normal’ ¹⁸O magmavalues. These low-¹⁸O rhyolites cannot have been produced byfractional crystallization or partial melting of mantle-derivedbasaltic material. The rhyolites have low water contents, makingit unlikely that the low ¹⁸O values are the result of post-emplacementalteration. Modification of the source by fluid–rock interactionat elevated temperatures is the most plausible mechanism forlowering the ¹⁸O magma value. It is proposed that the low-¹⁸Orhyolites were derived by melting of earlier altered rhyolitein calderas situated to the east, which were not preserved afterGondwana break-up. KEY WORDS: rhyolite; Lebombo; stable and radiogenic isotopes; low-¹⁸O magmas; partial melting