Neoproterozoic/Lower Palaeozoic Events in Central Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica)

New geochronological data indicate that central Dronning Maud Land in East Antarctica underwent polyphase Neoproterozoic/Lower Palaeozoic metamorphism that can be correlated with the final amalgamation of E- and W-Gondwana. Central Dronning Maud Land most probably represents part of the southern continuation of the Mozambique Belt into E-Antarctica. The Neoproterozoic/Lower Palaeozoic metamorphism is preceded by a period of anorogenic anorthosite-charnockite magmatism at ca. 600 Ma. Polyphase metamorphism is recorded from ca. 580 to 515 Ma. Voluminous syntectonic magmatism has been documented at ca. 530 Ma, which is probably the most voluminous Neoproterozoic/Lower Palaeozoic syntectonic magmatism so far recorded in E-Antarctica. The Neoproterozoic/Lower Palaeozoic structural evolution evolved in an overall sinistral transpressional setting, and thus can be correlated with the broad tectonic setting of the Mozambique Belt in Africa.     

The Small Unmanned Meteorological Observer SUMO: Recent developments and applications of a micro-UAS for atmospheric boundary layer research

During the last 5 years, the Small Unmanned Meteorological Observer SUMO has been developed as a flexible tool for atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) research to be operated as sounding system for the lowest 4 km of the atmosphere. Recently two main technical improvements have been accomplished. The integration of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) into the Paparazzi autopilot system has expanded the environmental conditions for SUMO operation. The implementation of a 5-hole probe for determining the 3D flow vector with 100 Hz resolution and a faster temperature sensor has enhanced the measurement capabilities.     

The science of European marine reserves: Status,efficacy, and future needs

The ecologically and socio-economically important marine ecosystems of Europe are facing severe threats from a variety of human impacts. To mitigate and potentially reverse some of these impacts, the European Union (EU) has mandated the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in order to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) in EU waters by 2020. The primary initiative for achieving GES is the implementation of coherent networks of marine protected areas (MPAs). Marine reserves are an important type of MPA in which no extraction is allowed, but their usefulness depends upon a number of ecological, management, and political factors. This paper provides a synthesis of the ecological effects of existing European marine reserves and the factors (social and ecological) underlying their effectiveness. Results show that existing European marine reserves foster significant positive increases in key biological variables (density, biomass, body size, and species richness) compared with areas receiving less protection, a pattern mirrored by marine reserves around the globe. For marine reserves to achieve their ecological and social goals, however, they must be designed, managed, and enforced properly. In addition, identifying whether protected areas are ecologically connected as a network, as well as where new MPAs should be established according to the MSFD, requires information on the connectivity of populations across large areas. The adoption of the MSFD demonstrates willingness to achieve the long-term protection of Europe's marine ecosystems, but whether the political will (local, regional, and continent wide) is strong enough to see its mandates through remains to be seen. Although the MSFD does not explicitly require marine reserves, an important step towards the protection of Europe's marine ecosystems is the establishment of marine reserves within wider-use MPAs as connected networks across large spatial scales.     

Retrieval of chlorophyll and nitrogen in Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) using imaging spectroscopy

The research evaluated the information content of spectral reflectance (laboratory and airborne data) for the estimation of needle chlorophyll (C_AB) and nitrogen (C_N) concentration in Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) needles. To identify reliable predictive models different types of spectral transformations were systematically compared regarding the accuracy of prediction. The results of the cross-validated analysis showed that C_AB can be well estimated from laboratory and canopy reflectance data. The best predictive model to estimate C_AB was achieved from laboratory spectra using continuum-removal transformed data (R²cv = 0.83 and a relative RMSEcv of 8.1%, n = 78) and from hyperspectral HyMap data using band-depth normalised spectra (R²cv = 0.90, relative RMSEcv = 2.8%, n = 13). Concerning the nitrogen concentration, we observed somewhat weaker relations, with however still acceptable accuracies (at canopy level: R²cv = 0.57, relative RMSEcv = 4.6%). The wavebands selected in the regression models to estimate C_AB were typically located in the red edge region and near the green reflectance peak. For C_N, additional wavebands related to a known protein absorption feature at 2350 nm were selected. The portion of selected wavebands attributable to known absorption features strongly depends on the type of spectral transformation applied. A method called “water removal” (WR) produced for canopy spectra the largest percentage of wavebands directly or indirectly related to known absorption features. The derived chlorophyll and nitrogen maps may support the detection and the monitoring of environmental stressors and are also important inputs to many bio-geochemical process models.     

Seasonal and Diurnal Ozone Variations: Observations and Modeling

Ozone mixing ratios observed by the Bordeaux microwave radiometer between 1995 and 2002 in an altitude range 25–75 km show diurnal variations in the mesosphere and seasonal variations in terms of annual and semi-annual oscillations (SAO) in the stratosphere and in the mesosphere. The observations with 10–15 km altitude resolution are presented and compared to photochemical and transport model results.Diurnal ozone variations are analyzed by averaging the years 1995–1997 for four representative months and six altitude levels. The photochemical models show a good agreement with the observations for altitudes higher than 50 km. Seasonal ozone variations mainly appear as an annual cycle in the middle and upper stratosphere and a semi-annual cycle in the mesosphere with amplitude and phase depending on altitude. Higher resolution (2 km) HALOE (halogen occultation experiment) ozone observations show a phase reversal of the SAO between 44 and 64 km. In HALOE data, a tendancy for an opposite water vapour cycle can be identified in the altitude range 40–60 km.Generally, the relative variations at all altitudes are well explained by the transport model (up to 54 km) and the photochemical models. Only a newly developed photochemical model (1-D) with improved time-dependent treatment of water vapour profiles and solar flux manages to reproduce fairly well the absolute values.     

An anticlockwise P–T–t path at high‐pressure,high‐temperature conditions for a migmatitic gneiss from the island of Fjørtoft,Western Gneiss Region,Norway, indicates two burial events during the Caledonian orogeny

The Blåhø Nappe on the island of Fjørtoft, which represents an isolated portion of the Seve Nappe Complex in the Western Gneiss Region, Norway, has been suggested to have experienced two deep burial cycles during the Caledonian orogeny. However, evidence on this multiple burial process by the derivation of a pressure–temperature–time (P–T–t) path has never been given in the literature. In this study, the ‘diamondiferous’ kyanite–garnet gneiss from the Blåhø Nappe on Fjørtoft was revisited to determine if such a process was correct. Two types of garnet, porphyroblastic garnet‐1 and fine‐grained garnet‐2, were recognized in the gneiss. The core of garnet‐1 is poor in Ca and documents P–T conditions of 1.2–1.3 GPa at c. 880°C based on pseudosection modelling. The inner rims of garnet‐1 and the core of garnet‐2 are both richer in Ca, recording P–T conditions of 1.35–1.45 GPa and 770–820°C. Application of conventional geothermobarometry on the outer rim of garnet‐1 and the rim of garnet‐2 yielded retrograde P–T conditions of 0.75–0.90 GPa and 610–685°C. These estimates define an anticlockwise P–T path at pressures below 1.5 GPa. Accessory monazite was dated with the electron microscope. Relicts of detrital monazite in the gneiss point to Sveconorwegian and possibly also Cryogenian provenance for the detritus of the sedimentary protolith. Metamorphic monazite in the gneiss records a wide age range from 460 to 380 Ma, with a peak c. 435 Ma and a shoulder at 395 Ma. These data suggest that the original (Ediacaran?) Baltica margin sediment (gneiss protolith) was transported to the base of an overlying plate during the early Caledonian (pre‐Scandian) orogeny. A long residence time of the metasedimentary rock at this base caused its heating to 880°C and homogenization of the early garnet chemistry. The late Caledonian (Scandian) collision between Baltica and Laurentia led to further burial, during which the studied gneiss was close to the former surface of the downgoing continental plate and, thus, cooled. The reconstructed P–T–t path confirms the multiple burial history of the Blåhø Nappe but contradicts previous ideas of deep burial of the Fjørtoft gneiss to more than 100 km.