Epikarst hydrology and implications for stalagmite capture of climate changes at Grotta di Ernesto (NE Italy): results from long‐term monitoring

Grotta di Ernesto is a cave site well suited for palaeoclimate studies because it contains annually laminated stalagmites and was monitored from 1995 to the end of 2008 for microclimate, hydrology and hydrochemistry. Long‐term monitoring highlighted that cave drips show three different hydrological responses to rainfall and infiltration: (1) fast seasonal drips in the upper part of the cave, which are mostly fed by fractures, (2) slow seasonal drips, located at mid‐depth in the cave characterized by mixed feeding and (3) slow drips, mostly located in the deeper gallery, which are fed by seepage flow from bulk porosity with a minor fracture‐fed component. The slow drips display daily cycles during spring thaw. Monitoring also indicated that drip waters are only slightly modified by degassing within the soil zone and aquifer and by prior calcite precipitation. Hydrochemical studies show a clear seasonality in calcite saturation index, which results in most cave calcite precipitation occurring during late autumn and winter with similar amounts of precipitated calcite on most stalagmites, regardless of drip rate (discharge) differences. Drip rate, and drip rate variability, therefore, has a minor role in modulating the amount of annual calcite formation. In contrast, drip rate, when associated with moderate reduction in calcite saturation index, clearly influences stalagmite morphology. Increasing drip rate yields a passage from candle‐, to cone‐ to dome‐shaped stalagmites. Very high drip rates feed speleothems with flowstone morphology. In summary, monitoring provides information about the karst aquifer and how hydrology influences those physical and chemical characteristics of speleothems which are commonly used as climate proxies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Land use and land transformation

Types and pattern of land use in the GDR are controlled both by the historical development and the strong influences of technological, social and political alterations during the last four decades. Owing to these factors and the favourable natural conditions the share of non-arable area is small. The two basic features of land transformation are land use alteration and intensification. Compared to other European countries the first process lies on the average. It is still remarkable because most alterations of land use drastically reduce the agricultural area. Intensification consequently is the main type of land transformation in all sections of regional development. In most cases the benefit of strong intensification serves to particular users. Therefore various by-effects arise like pollution, contamination, blocking and devastating of renewable natural resources. Under the auspices of long term rationalization land transformation must be accompanied by the development of a dense network of protective measures and reservation areas, and in addition by different types for multiple utilization of renewable natural resources. At present complicated systems of land use are in evolution.     

Volcanos and El Niño: signal separation in Northern Hemisphere winter

The frequent coincidence of volcanic forcing with El Niño events disables the clear assignment of climate anomalies to either volcanic or El Niño forcing. In order to select the signals, a set of four different perpetual January GCM experiments was performed (control, volcano case, El Niño case and combined volcano/El Niño case) and studied with advanced statistical methods for the Northern Hemisphere winter. The results were compared with observations. The signals for the different forcings are discussed for three variables (temperature, zonal wind and geopotential height) and five levels (surface, 850 hPa, 500 hPa, 200 hPa and 50 hPa). The global El Niño signal can be selected more clearly in the troposphere than in the stratosphere. In contrast, the global volcano signal is strongest in the stratospheric temperature field. The amplitude of the perturbation for the volcano case is largest in the Atlantic region. The observed effect of local cooling due to the volcanic reduction of shortwave radiation over large land areas (like Asia) in subtropical regions, the observed advective warming over Eurasia and the advective cooling over Greenland are well simulated in the model. The radiative cooling near the surface is important for the volcano signal in the subtropics, but it is weak in high latitudes during winter. A statistically significant tropospheric signal of El Niño forcing occurs in the subtropics and in the midlatitudes of the North Pacific. The local anomalies in the El Niño forcing region in the tropics, and the warming over North America in middle and high latitudes are simulated as observed. The combined signal is different from a simple linear combination of the separate signals. It leads to a climate perturbation stronger than for forcing with El Niño or stratospheric aerosol alone and to a somewhat modified pattern.     

The product spectra of gravity and barometric pressure in Europe

A total of 111 000 hourly values of gravity and barometric pressure from stations in Europe is analysed. The data consist of two sets of records from Brussels, an early set of 36 000 h length and a more recent set of 21 000 h length, a set of records from Bad Homburg of 24 000 h length, and a set of records from Strasbourg of 30 000 h length. All of the gravity measurements were made with similar superconducting instruments and the pressure data were recorded simultaneously at each superconducting gravimeter site. The four sets of records have different time bases, and to bring out common features and suppress individual station systematic errors, the product spectrum is introduced. Spectral density estimates are first computed for a common spectral window for each record, and the product spectrum is formed by multiplying individual spectral estimates across records. The cumulative distribution function is found for the product spectrum and confidence intervals are calculated from it by iteration. The product spectrum in gravity reveals a triplet of resonances in the subtidal band which are shown by an automated computer search to be uniquely associated with the translational modes of the solid inner core. The product spectrum in barometric pressure clearly reveals the first 10 solar heating tides in the atmosphere, but otherwise does not show common features with the gravity product spectrum. In particular, the triplet of resonances in the subtidal band of the gravity product spectrum do not show up in the product spectrum of barometric pressure, climinating the atmosphere as their source.     

Zur Baugeschichte der Ardennen I

Zusammenfassung Die bereits kaledonisch gefalteten Massive in den Ardennen wurden von der variscisdien Tektogenese (asturische Phase) mehr oder weniger überprägt. Vorstellungen über diese Überprägung älterer Strukturen und deren Vergitterung mit jüngeren Verformungsrichtungen sowie über den Einfluß der kaledonischen Kerne (Unterstockwerk) auf das Faltenstreichen der devonischen Mantel-Schichten (Oberstockwerk) lassen sich vor allem in der Antiklinalzone der Hochardennen im Massiv von Rocroi, im Massiv von Serpont und im Massiv von Stavelot gewinnen.

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Résumé Les massifs des Ardennes, déjà plissés à l'ère caledonienne furent plus ou moins remaniés par la tectogénèse hercynienne (phase asturienne). C'est surtout dans la zone anticlinale des hautes Ardennes, dans le massif de Rocroi, dans le massif de Serpont et dans le massif de Stavelot qu'on peut se faire une idée en bons affleurements de ce remaniement de structures plus anciennes et de leurs interférences avec des directions de déformation plus jeunes ainsi que de l'influence des anciens massifs calédoniens (étage inférieur) sur la direction du plissement des couches de revêtement dévoniennes (étage supérieur).Dans ces massifs, les couches du dévonien sont plus ou moins fortement plissés ou disposés par écailles avec le socle calédonien. Dans le massif de Rocroi, dans le massif de Serpont et dans la partie ouest du massif des Stavelot les couches du socle présentent des structures qui sont totalement différentes des couches de revêtement dévoniennes et coupé de façon discordante des couches gedinniennes inférieures.Dans le massif de Rocroi et surtout dans le massif de Serpont, la tectogénèse hercynienne a exercé le même effet que l'orogénèse calédonienne plus ancienne sous l'influence d'un plan d'efforts semblable orienté Nord-Sud. L'auteur, à l'aide d'un exemple, celui du massif de Serpont, essaye d'analyser la structure du plissement calédonien originel déroulement des plis des couches gedinniennes et reformation constructive de la déformation conditionnée par le clivage hercynien.A la différence des deux massifs occidentaux, dans le massif de Stavelot, les structures de plissement calédoniens orientées d'est en ouest furent remaniées sous angle oblique par la tectogénèse hercynienne. Ce mouvement a entraîné, à différents endroits, le déplacement des axes calédoniens en direction hercynienne. C'est ce qui a produit un style de mouvement et de structure étranger aux autres massifs. Le fort rétrécissement hercynien eut pour conséquence des charriages à différents endroits.

     

Ariégite,Spinell-Peridotite und Phlogopit-Klinopyroxenite aus dem Tuff von Tobaj im südlichen Burgenland

Zusammenfassung Der nephelinbasanitische Tuff von Tobaj im südlichen Burgenland führt Einschlüsse von Ariégiten, Spinell-Peridotiten und Phlogopit-Klinopyroxeniten. Chemische Untersuchungen an den Gesteinen und ihren koexistierenden Mineralphasen führen zu der Annahme, daß die Spinell-Peridotite und Ariégite in Bereichen des oberen Erdmantels im Zusammenhang mit der Bildung basischer Schmelzen entstanden sind. Die Bildung der Phlogopit-Klinopyroxenite fand dagegen unter Bedingungen, die tieferen Krustenbereichen entsprechen, statt.

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Ariégites, spinel-peridotites, and phlogopite-clinopyroxenites from the Tuff of Tobaj, southern Burgenland, Austria

Summary Nephelinbasanitic tuffs near Tobaj, Burgenland (Austria), contain inclusions of ariégites, spinel-peridotites, and phlogopite-clinopyroxenites. The chemical compositions of the rocks and of their coexisting minerals are indications for a probable formation from a basic magma of both the ariégites and the spinel-peridotites in the upper earth mantle. The phlogopiteclinopyroxenites were formed in the deeper part of the earth crust.

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Mit 3 Abbildungen

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Herrn Prof. DDr.H. Wieseneder zum 65. Geburtstag gewidmet.