Industrial accidents triggered by earthquakes,floods and lightning: lessons learned from a database analysis

Natural hazards and disasters can cause major accidents in chemical and process installations. These so-called Natech accidents can result in hazardous-materials releases due to damage to process and storage units, or pipes. In order to understand the dynamics of Natech events, accidents triggered by earthquakes, floods and lightning recorded in industrial accident databases were analysed. This allowed the identification of the most vulnerable equipment types, their modes of failure due to natural-event impact and the final accident scenarios. Moreover, lessons learned for future accident prevention and mitigation were derived. The analysis showed that pipes and storage tanks are the most vulnerable equipment for earthquakes, floods and lightning, calling for more research of equipment behaviour under natural-event loading. The damage modes and states are strongly dependent on the characteristics of the impacting natural event. Toxic dispersion, fires and explosions were observed as a consequence of all three types of analysed natural events. In the case of floods, two additional scenarios were identified. These are water contamination and the formation of toxic and/or flammable vapours upon reaction of the released chemicals with the floodwaters. The overall number of recorded Natech accidents was found to range from 2 to 5% of all reported accidents in the analysed databases.     

The Forgotten Nutrient——The Role of Nitrogen in Permafrost Soils of Northern China

<正>1.Introduction:permafrost carbon and nitrogen feedback to climate change Permafrost refers to any ground, including soils, sediments and rocks, with a temperature at or below the freezing point of water (0℃) for two or more consecutive years (Biskaborn et al., 2019). Permafrost soils of the Northern Hemisphere store vast amounts of both organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N)(Tarnocai et al., 2009; Harden et al., 2012; Mueller et al.,     

Pollen‐based biome reconstructions for Colombia at 3000, 6000, 9000, 12 000, 15 000 and 18 000 14C yr ago: Late Quaternary tropical vegetation dynamics

Colombian biomes are reconstructed at 45 sites from the modern period extending to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The basis for our reconstruction is pollen data assigned to plant functional types and biomes at six 3000‐yr intervals. A reconstruction of modern biomes is used to check the treatment of the modern pollen data set against a map of potential vegetation. This allows the biomes reconstructed at past periods to be assessed relative to the modern situation. This process also provides a check on the a priori assignment of pollen taxa to plant functional types and biomes. For the majority of the sites, the pollen data accurately reflect the potential vegetation, even though much of the original vegetation has been transformed by agricultural practices. At 18 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, a generally cool and dry environment is reflected in biome, assignments of cold mixed forests, cool evergreen forests and cool grassland–shrub; the latter extending to lower altitudes than presently recorded. This signal is strongly recorded at 15 000 and 12 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, the vegetation at these times also reflecting a relatively cool and dry environment. At 9000 ¹⁴C yr BP there is a shift to biomes thought to result from slightly cooler environmental conditions. This trend is reversed by 6000 ¹⁴C yr BP; most sites, within a range of different environmental settings, recording a shift to more xeric biome types. There is an expansion of steppe and cool mixed‐forest biomes, replacing tropical dry forest and cool grassland–shrub biomes, respectively. These changes in biome assignments from the modern situation can be interpreted as a biotic response to mid‐Holocene climatic aridity. At 3000 ¹⁴C yr BP the shift is mainly to biomes characteristic of slightly more mesic environmental conditions. There are a number of sites that do not change biome assignment relative to the modern reconstruction, although the affinities that these sites have to a specific biome do change. These ‘anomalies’ are interpreted on a site‐by‐site basis. Spatially constant, but differential response of the vegetation to climatic shifts are related to changes in moisture sources and the importance of edaphic controls on the vegetation. The Late Quaternary reconstruction of large‐scale vegetation dynamics in Colombia allows an understanding of the environmental controls on these to be developed. In particular, shifts in the character of the main climatic systems that influence Colombian vegetation are described. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lacustrine Sedimentary Organic Matter Records of Late Quaternary Paleoclimates

Identification of the sources of organic matter in sedimentary records provides important paleolimnologic information. As the types and abundances of plant life in and around lakes change, the composition and amount of organic matter delivered to lake sediments changes. Despite the extensive early diagenetic losses of organic matter in general and of some of its important biomarker compounds in particular, bulk identifiers of organic matter sources appear to undergo minimal alteration after sedimentation. Age-related changes in the elemental, isotopic, and petrographic compositions of bulk sedimentary organic matter therefore preserve evidence of past environmental changes.We review different bulk organic matter proxies of climate change in tropical and temperate sedimentary records ranging in age from 10-500 ka. Times of wetter climate result in enhanced algal productivity in lakes as a consequence of greater wash-in of soil nutrients, and these periods are recorded as elevated Rock-Eval hydrogen indices, lowered organic C/N ratios, less negative organic 13C values, and increased organic carbon mass accumulation rates. Lowering of lake water levels, which typically depresses algal productivity, can also cause an apparent increase in organic carbon mass accumulation rates through suspension of sediments from lake margins and redeposition in deeper basins. Alternations between C3 and C4 watershed plants accompany climate changes such as glacial/interglacial transitions and wet/dry cycles, and these changes in land-plant types are evident in 13C values of organic matter in lake sediments. Changes in climate-driven hydrologic balances of lakes are recorded in D values of sedimentary organic matter. Visual microscopic examination of organic matter detritus is particularly useful in identifying changes in bulk organic matter delivery to lake sediments and therefore is important as an indicator of climate changes.     

Morphological and molecular analysis of bloom-forming Cyanobacteria in two eutrophic, shallow Mediterranean lakes

We investigated the diversity of Cyanobacteria by microscopic observation and sequencing of cyanobacterial-specific amplified 16S rRNA genes in the water column of two shallow, eutrophic lakes (Doirani and Kastoria, northern Greece) during summer blooms. Previous phytoplankton studies in these lakes have shown that prolonged cyanobacterial blooms can occur, which are dominated by known toxic species, as well as other less known, co-occurring species. A total of 118 clones were sequenced which were grouped in 23 Cyanobacteria and 11 chloroplast-like phylotypes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that each library included several unique phylotypes, as well as members of all common bloom-forming Cyanobacteria. Most of the phylotypes belonged to the genera Microcystis, Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, Cylindrospermopsis-Raphidiopsis group, Limnothrix and Planktothrix, comprising most of the diversity previously recognized by morphological observations in cyanobacterial morphospecies in these lakes. In addition, novel phylotypes belonging to the Chroococcales were recognized in both lakes. The structure of the cyanobacterial communities of the lakes were very similar, as revealed by the diversity index H (2.06 and 2.01 for L. Doirani and Kastoria, respectively) and LIBSHUFF analysis (XY₁₂P-value = 0.122 and YX₁₂P-value = 0.536), due to occurrence of groups of common phylotypes. This study gives an example for successful cyanobacterial bloom analysis by the combination of morphological and phylogenetic methods useful for monitoring cyanobacteria and water quality in freshwaters.     

Late slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during the Last Glacial Inception: New constraints from sedimentary (231Pa/230Th)

Our study gives new constraints on the response of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) export to various forcings during the Last Glacial Inception. The decay corrected excess sedimentary (²³¹Pa/²³⁰Th) activity ratio (hereafter referred to as (Pa/Th)) has been measured over that period in two deep cores from the Western (SU90-11, 44°04′N, 40°01′W, 3645 m) and Eastern (MD01-2446, 39°03′N, 12°37′W, 3547 m) basins of the North Atlantic. Both records display significant changes despite the relatively short half-life of ²³¹Pa (～ 32 kyr) compared to the period we investigate. The (Pa/Th) variability does not correlate to changes in local opal flux normalized to ²³⁰Th. Moreover, the (Pa/Th) profiles display a high degree of coherency with indirect proxies of AMOC activity such as the benthic foraminifera δ¹³C and the mid-latitude summer Sea Surface Temperature in nearby reference cores. These additional pieces of evidence support our interpretation of the (Pa/Th) as reflecting AMOC export. The (Pa/Th) repeatedly underwent rapid changes during the Last Glacial Inception associated with the extension of ice rafted detritus in the North Atlantic, highlighting the control of ice-sheet dynamics through freshwater forcing on AMOC export. AMOC export remains large during periods of ice-sheet growth and its decreases lag the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation forcing. AMOC modulation appears driven by ice-sheet dynamics, itself driven by the seasonal insolation gradient between low and high Northern Hemisphere latitudes and the associated intensity of the meridional oceanic and atmospheric circulation.     

The chemistry of detrital chromian spinels and its implications for the geodynamic evolution of the Eastern Alps

Detrital chromian spinel is a key mineral in paleogeographic reconstructions. The chemical compositions of the spinels provide even more specific information about their host ophiolites because their chemistry is related to the degree of melting of the mantle peridotite and thus to the geotectonic environment of ocean crust formation.Based on sedimentological evidence ophiolites arising from two different oceanic domains (the Ligurian-Piemont basin and the Vardar basin) supplied Eastern Alpine sediments as source terrains of the ophiohtic detritus. A tentative model of the development of the ophiolitic belts is infered from the chromian spinel chemical variability from a number of sample locations from nearly all chromian spinel-bearing formations of the Eastern Alps. The »Tethyan« spinels (with southern provenance) reflect the composition of the source area (analogous to the Dinaro-Hellenic ophiolite belt) of a harzburgite sub-province eroded during the Lower Cretaceous and a lherzolite sub-province which was additionally eroded since the mid-Cretaceous.The detrital spinels of northern provenance (»Penninic« spinels) and the present-day ophiolite outcrops in the Penninic windows of the Eastern-Alps indicate possibly a sequence of subduction/obduction stages and resulting ophiolite complexes, which is similar to the Dinarides.

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Zusammenfassung Detritischer Chromspinell hat sich als wichtiges Mineral für paläogeographische Rekonstruktionen erwiesen. Aus der chemischen Zusammensetzung können spezifische Informationen über die ophiolithischen Herkunftsgesteine abgeleitet werden, da die Spinellchemie vom Aufschmelzungsgrad des Mantelperidotits und damit vom geotektonischen Milieu der ursprünglichen Ozeankrustenbildung abhängt.Der ophiolithische Detritus in den ostalpinen Sedimenten muß aufgrund der sedimentologischen Daten aus zwei unterschiedlichen Zonen abgeleitet werden, die einerseits auf die Schließung des penninischen Ozeans, andererseits auf die Obduktionszone am Nordostrand des jurassischen Vardar-Ozeans zurückgeführt werden können. Aus der Spinellchemie-Verteilung einer Anzahl von Probenlokalitäten von nahezu allen chromspinellführenden Schichtgliedern der Ostalpen wird versuchsweise ein Modell der Entwicklung dieser Ophiolithzonen abgeleitet. In den Spinellen südlicher Herkunft (»Tethys-Spinelle«) widerspiegelt sich die Zusammensetzung des Liefergebietes in Analogie zu den dinarischen Ophiolithen. Dieses Liefergebiet bestand aus einer Harzburgit-Subprovinz, die während der Unterkreide erodiert wurde, sowie aus einer Lherzolith-Subprovinz, die zusätzlich ab der Mittelkreide der Erosion zugänglich war.Aus den detritischen Spinellen nördlicher Herkunft (»Pennin-Spinelle«) sowie Spinellen von Ophiolithen der penninischen Fenster läßt sich möglicherweise eine ähnliche Abfolge von Subduktions/Obduktionsstadien mit den entsprechenden Ophiolithtypen ableiten wie in den Dinariden.

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Résumé Les spinelles chromifères jouent un rôle important dans les reconstitutions paléogéographiques. Leurs compositions chimiques fournissent des informations spécifiques sur les péridotites ophiolitiques dont elles proviennent; en effet le chimisme des spinelles dépend directement du degré de fusion partielle du manteau supérieur et, partant, de l'environnement géotectonique dans lequel la croûte océanique s'est formée.Dans les sédiments des Alpes Orientales, les observations sédimentologiques permettent d'attribuer à deux sources distinctes les éléments détritiques d'origine ophiolitique. Ces sources sont rapportées d'une part à l'océan pennique en cours de fermeture, d'autre part à la zone d'obduction du bord nord de l'océan jurassique Vardar. Les spinelles ont été échantillonés en divers points de presque toutes les formations sédimentaires à spinelles chromifères des Alpes Orientales; la répartition de leur chimisme suggère un modèle de l'évolution des deux régions-sources ophiolitiques.Les spinelles de provenance méridionale (»spinelles de Théthys«) reflètent la composition d'une région-source comportant une sub-province à harzburgites en voie d'érosion au Crétacé inférieur et une sub-province à lherzolites mise en évidence à partir de l'Aptien/Albien.Les spinelles de provenance septentrionale («spinelles penniques»), comme celles des ophiolites qui affleurent dans les fenêtres penniques, laissent supposer une suite de processus de subduction/obduction, avec les complexes ophiolitiques qui en résultent, comme dans les Dinarides.

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The contribution of microzooplankton to the diet of mesozooplankton in an upwelling filament off the north west coast of Spain

Incubation experiments were carried out daily during a Lagrangian experiment within an upwelled filament off the Galician coast to determine the importance of microzooplankton in the diet of calanoid copepods. Despite low chlorophyll concentrations the microzooplankton formed the minor component of the diet of the copepod community (7 to 15% of carbon ingested through autotrophic and heterotrophic prey). Ingestion of ciliates was greater than that of heterotrophic dinoflagellates, which reflected a higher abundance of ciliates in the water column. Heterotrophic nanoflagellates appeared also to be consumed by the copepods, although the very small size fraction (2–5μm) was probably not grazed by the larger copepods of Calanus spp. Grazing pressure by the copepods enumerated in the net samples was not sufficient to impact significantly the microzooplankton populations (2 to 51% of daily microzooplankton production was removed). Allometric relationships of grazing on microzooplankton for a range of numerically dominant copepod species are developed from the experimental results. The grazing pressure of the whole copepod community is estimated from these relationships. By considering the total mesozooplankton community we suggest that microzooplankton growth was probably restricted by metazoan grazers.     

Managing carbon in a multiple use world: The implications of land-use decision context for carbon management

Human land use contributes significantly to the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Changes in land management practices have been proposed as a critical and cost-effective mechanism for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting the storage of additional carbon in vegetation and soils. However many discussions of the potential for land use to mitigate climate change only take into account biophysical factors such as vegetation and land cover and neglect how the agency of land owners themselves affects whether additional carbon storage can be achieved. Unlike many potential REDD opportunities in developing countries, land management in the U.S. to enhance carbon sequestration would occur against a backdrop of clearly defined, legally enforceable land ownership. In addition, more than a third of the land surface in the U.S. is managed by federal agencies who operate under legal guidelines for multiple use and is subject to demands from multiple constituencies. We set out to investigate how the goal of enhancing carbon sequestration through land use is perceived or implemented in one region of the U.S., and how this goal might intersect the existing drivers and incentives for public and private land use decision making. We conducted a case study through interviews of the major categories of landowners in the state of Colorado, which represents a mixture of public and privately held lands. By analyzing trends in interview responses across categories, we found that managing for carbon is currently a fairly low priority and we identify several barriers to more widespread consideration of carbon as a management priority including competing objectives, limited resources, lack of information, negative perceptions of offsetting and lack of a sufficient policy signal. We suggest four avenues for enhancing the potential for carbon to be managed through land use including clarifying mandates for public lands, providing compelling incentives for private landowners, improving understanding of the co-benefits and tradeoffs of managing for carbon, and creating more usable science to support decision making.