Effect of an environmental flow on vegetation growth and health using ground and remote sensing metrics

Understanding the effectiveness of environmental flow deliveries along rivers requires monitoring vegetation. Monitoring data are often collected at multiple spatial scales. For riparian vegetation, optical remote sensing methods can estimate growth responses at the riparian corridor scale, and field-based measures can quantify species composition; however, the extent to which these different measures are duplicative or complementary is important to understand when planning monitoring programmes with limited resources. In this study, we analysed riparian vegetation growth in the delta of the Colorado River in response to an experimental pulse flow. Our goal was to compare ground-based measurements of vegetation structure and composition with satellite-based Landsat radiometric variables, such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). We made this comparison in 21 transects following the delivery of 131.8 million cubic meters (mcm) of water in the stream channel during the spring of 2014 as a pulse flow and 38.4 mcm as base flows. Vegetation cover increased 14% and NDVI increased 0.02 (15%) by October 2015, and both variables returned to pre-pulse flow values in October 2016. Observed changes in vegetation structure and composition did not persist after the second year. The highest increase in vegetation cover in October 2014 and October 2015 resulted from species that could respond rapidly to additional water such as reeds (Arundo donax and Phragmites australis), cattail (Typha domingensis), and herbaceous plants. Dominant shrubs, saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) and arrowweed (Pluchea sericea), both indicative of nonrestored habitats showed variable increases in cover, and native trees (Salicaceae family) presented low increases (1%). The strong NDVI–vegetation cover relationship indicates that NDVI is appropriate to detect changes at the riparian corridor scale but needs to be complemented with ground data to determine the contributions by different species to the observed trends.     

Der Bau der rumänischen Ölgebiete

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

北部湾东北部2000年以来高分辨率粘土矿物记录及古环境意义

北部湾东北部 GC19-28 孔260BC~1480A.D. 粘土矿物学的高分辨率（平均分辨率为15年）分析表明,该孔的粘土矿物主要由蒙脱石（50%~61%）组成,含中等含量的伊利石（13%~18%）、高岭石（13%~18%）和绿泥石（11%~16%）,在该时间序列上蒙脱石与其他3种粘土矿物变化趋势基本相反。物源区分析显示,GC19-28 孔粘土矿物中的蒙脱石主要由红河提供,伊利石、高岭石和绿泥石主要来源于珠江。该孔高岭石/蒙脱石比值可以反映华南珠江流域季风降雨变化,比值增加表明珠江流域降雨增强;反之亦然。研究结果发现,GC19-28 孔的4种粘土矿物整体表现2个阶段性变化：1）260BC~1200A.D.,4种粘土矿物的相对含量基本保持不变,高岭石/蒙脱石比值同样保持不变;2）从 1200~1480A.D.,蒙脱石相对含量逐渐降低,伊利石、高岭石和绿泥石相对含量逐渐增加,高岭石/蒙脱石比值开始增加。结合贵州董哥洞石笋、广东湖光岩、西沙东岛湖泊沉积物和西太平洋暖池区海表古温度等高分辨率地质记录,推断华南珠江流域由中世纪暖期向小冰期转换过程中,降雨逐渐增加。     

南海南部巽他陆架氧同位素3期粘土矿物记录及其古环境意义

南海南部低海平面时期巽他陆架陆源碎屑的物源区变化,对于研究海陆变迁过程古环境演化具有重要意义.选择巽他陆架外缘对海平面变化影响非常敏感的氧同位素3期岩心记录(18282-2孔),开展高分辨率陆源碎屑粘土矿物分析,以期获得海平面变化影响下的物源区演化历史.研究结果显示,在氧同位素3期44.5～36.0 cal ka BP期间,巽他陆架外缘含有较高的蒙脱石(29%～44%)与中等含量的高岭石(21%～27%)、伊利石(19%～27%)和绿泥石(14%～20%).物源区分析表明,这个时期的蒙脱石主要由苏门答腊岛和泰国中部河流提供,高岭石主要由马来半岛、苏门答腊岛和婆罗洲西部河流提供,而伊利石和绿泥石主要由湄公河提供.在此期间,海平面长时间位于-80 m以下,巽他出露陆架上发育的大型古河流(北巽他河、古昭披耶河及古湄公河)可将来自周边物源区的陆源碎屑物质直接输送到陆架外缘.研究岩心的蒙脱石/(伊利石+绿泥石)比值与海平面变化具有良好的对应关系:当海平面下降时,蒙脱石/(伊利石+绿泥石)比值增大;反之亦然.这一现象表明海平面变化是影响巽他陆架外缘氧同位素3期沉积环境演化的最重要因素,即海平面升降...     

A stratigraphic network across the Subtropical Front in the central South Atlantic: Multi-parameter correlation of magnetic susceptibility, density, X-ray fluorescence and δO records

Computer aided multi-parameter signal correlation is used to develop a common high-precision age model for eight gravity cores from the subtropical and subantarctic South Atlantic. Since correlations between all pairs of multi-parameter sequences are used, and correlation errors between core pairs (A, B) and (B, C) are controlled by comparison with (A, C), the resulting age model is called a stratigraphic network. Precise inter-core correlation is achieved using high-resolution records of magnetic susceptibility κ, wet bulk density ρ and X-ray fluorescence scans of elemental composition. Additional δ¹⁸O records are available for two cores. The data indicate nearly undisturbed sediment series and the absence of significant hiatuses or turbidites. After establishing a high-precision common depth scale by synchronously correlating four densely measured parameters (Fe, Ca, κ, ρ), the final age model is obtained by simultaneously fitting the aligned δ¹⁸O and κ records of the stratigraphic network to orbitally tuned oxygen isotope [J. Imbrie, J. D. Hays, D. G. Martinson, A. McIntyre, A. C. Mix, J. J. Morley, N. G. Pisias, W. L. Prell, N. J. Shackleton, The orbital theory of Pleistocene climate: support from a revised chronology of the marine δ¹⁸O record, in: A. Berger, J. Imbrie, J. Hays, G. Kukla, B. Saltzman (Eds.), Milankovitch and Climate: Understanding the Response to Orbital Forcing, Reidel Publishing, Dordrecht, 1984, pp. 269-305; D. Martinson, N. Pisias, J. Hays, J. Imbrie, T. C. Moore Jr., N. Shackleton, Age dating and the orbital theory of the Ice Ages: development of a high-resolution 0 to 300.000-Year chronostratigraphy, Quat. Res. 27 (1987) 1-29.] or susceptibility stacks [T. von Dobeneck, F.Schmieder, Using rock magnetic proxy records for orbital tuning and extended time series analyses into the super-and sub-Milankovitch Bands, in: G. Fischer, G. Wefer (Eds.), Use of proxies in paleoceanography: Examples from the South Atlantic, Springer-Verlag, Berlin (1999), pp. 601-633.]. Besides the detection and elimination of errors in single records, the stratigraphic network approach allows to check the intrinsic consistency of the final result by comparing it to the outcome of more restricted alignment procedures. The final South Atlantic stratigraphic network covers the last 400 kyr south and the last 1200 kyr north of the Subtropical Front (STF) and provides a highly precise age model across the STF representing extremely different sedimentary regimes. This allows to detect temporal shifts of the STF by mapping δMn / Fe. It turns out that the apparent STF movements by about 200 km are not directly related to marine oxygen isotope stages.     

Assessment of the APCC coupled MME suite in predicting the distinctive climate impacts of two flavors of ENSO during boreal winter

Forecast skill of the APEC Climate Center (APCC) Multi-Model Ensemble (MME) seasonal forecast system in predicting two main types of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), namely canonical (or cold tongue) and Modoki ENSO, and their regional climate impacts is assessed for boreal winter. The APCC MME is constructed by simple composite of ensemble forecasts from five independent coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models. Based on a hindcast set targeting boreal winter prediction for the period 1982–2004, we show that the MME can predict and discern the important differences in the patterns of tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomaly between the canonical and Modoki ENSO one and four month ahead. Importantly, the four month lead MME beats the persistent forecast. The MME reasonably predicts the distinct impacts of the canonical ENSO, including the strong winter monsoon rainfall over East Asia, the below normal rainfall and above normal temperature over Australia, the anomalously wet conditions across the south and cold conditions over the whole area of USA, and the anomalously dry conditions over South America. However, there are some limitations in capturing its regional impacts, especially, over Australasia and tropical South America at a lead time of one and four months. Nonetheless, forecast skills for rainfall and temperature over East Asia and North America during ENSO Modoki are comparable to or slightly higher than those during canonical ENSO events.     

Fusulinid biostratigraphy of the Lower Permian Zweikofel Formation (Rattendorf Group; Carnic Alps,Austria) and Lower Permian Tethyan chronostratigraphy

The Zweikofel Formation of the Rattendorf Group in the Carnic Alps (Austria) is 95–102 m thick and consists of a cyclic succession of thin‐ to thick‐bedded fossiliferous limestone and intercalated thin intervals of siliciclastic sediment. The siliciclastic intervals were deposited in a shallow marine nearshore environment. The variety of carbonate facies indicates deposition in a shallow neritic, normal‐saline, low‐ to high‐energy environment. The Zweikofel Formation is characterized by a paracyclic vertical arrangement of facies and represents sedimentary sequences that are not well understood elsewhere in the Tethys. Fusulinids and conodonts from the upper Grenzland and Zweikofel formations in the Carnic Alps clearly suggest that what has been called ‘Sakmarian’ in the Tethys includes both the Sakmarian and Artinskian stages of the Global Time scale. Fusulinids from the lower part of the Zweikofel Formation at Zweikofel closely resemble those of the Grenzland Formation and approximately correlate with the upper part of the Sakmarian and lower part of the Artinskian of the Global Time scale. The upper part of the Zweikofel Formation correlates approximately with the lower‐middle (?) parts of the Artinskian Stage of the Global Time scale. A new regional Hermagorian Stage of the Tethyan scale is proposed between the Asselian and Yakhtashian. The lower boundary of the Hermagorian Stage is proposed to be located at the base of bed 81 in the 1015 section of Darvaz (Tadzhikistan). The boundary between the Hermagorian and Yakhtashian stages is placed at the base of bed 73 in the Zweikofel section at Zweikofel, Carnic Alps. In the Darvaz region, Tadzhikistan, the type area for the Yakhtashian Stage, this boundary has never been precisely defined. The entire fusulinid assemblage of the upper part of the Grenzland and Zweikofel formations reported herein includes 62 species of 18 genera, of which one subgenus and 12 species and subspecies are new. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.