Shock‐induced formation of wüstite and fayalite in a magnetite‐quartz target rock

Projectile–target interactions as a result of a large bolide impact are important issues, as abundant extraterrestrial material has been delivered to the Earth throughout its history. Here, we report results of shock‐recovery experiments with a magnetite‐quartz target rock positioned in an ARMCO iron container. Petrography, synchrotron‐assisted X‐ray powder diffraction, and micro‐chemical analysis confirm the appearance of wüstite, fayalite, and iron in targets subjected to 30 GPa. The newly formed mineral phases occur along shock veins and melt pockets within the magnetite‐quartz aggregates, as well as along intergranular fractures. We suggest that iron melt formed locally at the contact between ARMCO container and target, and intruded the sample causing melt corrosion at the rims of intensely fractured magnetite and quartz. The strongly reducing iron melt, in the form of μm‐sized droplets, caused mainly a diffusion rim of wüstite with minor melt corrosion around magnetite. In contact with quartz, iron reacted to form an iron‐enriched silicate melt, from which fayalite crystallized rapidly as dendritic grains. The temperatures required for these transformations are estimated between 1200 and 1600 °C, indicating extreme local temperature spikes during the 30 GPa shock pressure experiments.     

Stable isotope fractionations in the evaporation of water: The wind effect

We performed pan evaporation experiments with the objective of exploring the behaviour of the long-standing Craig–Gordon (C–G) stable isotope model for evaporation under different conditions of air turbulence. The water lost through evaporation was automatically replenished so that a steady isotopic composition was reached, the value of which depended on the isotopic composition of the replenishment water and environmental parameters like temperature, relative humidity and isotopic composition of the atmospheric vapour, and the air turbulence index. The pans were exposed to artificial winds ranging from 0 to 2.5 m/s to change the air turbulence index, which governs the repartition between vapour transported by molecular diffusion and turbulent diffusion. Our data revealed that for wind speeds >0.5 m/s the isotopic composition of the evaporating water deviated from that predicted by the C–G model. This deviation was hypothetically attributed to microdroplets of liquid water removed by the wind without any isotopic fractionation. Isotope mass balance equations allowed us to quantify this water loss, which at wind speeds of ~2 m/s reached 10% of the total evaporation losses. An alternative kinetic evaporation model was proposed whereby the equilibrium layer and the atmospheric laminar layer above the evaporating water of the C–G model were destroyed by the wind and evaporated water molecules were directly injected into the atmosphere. In this model, the isotopic fractionations were due to the slower kinetics of hydrogen bond breakage between molecules in liquid water when heavy isotopes are involved. Accordingly, our data suggested that for isotope water balance studies where winds are frequently above 2 m/s, the C–G model may be inadequate without appropriate corrections for spray vaporization, or the introduction of appropriate kinetic isotope fractionation factors.     

Regional climate model simulation of the AMMA Special Observing Period #3 and the pre-Helene easterly wave

The study examines results of dynamic downscaling of two global analyses: the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis II and the Global Forecast System final analysis (FNL). Downscaling to a 0.5° grid over West Africa and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean is accomplished by each of two regional models, the Regional Model, version 3 (RM3) of the Center for Climate Systems Research and the Weather, Research and Forecasting model (WRF). Simulations are for September 2006, the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) Special Observing Period #3 (SOP-3). The aim of this study is to exploit the increased spatial detail in the simulations and representations of climate fields by the regional models to analyze meteorological systems within the SOP-3 area of interest and time frame. In particular, the paper focuses on the regional models’ representations of the structure and movement of a prominent easterly wave during September 10–13th, the precursor of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Helene. It describes the RM3 simulated structure of the developing storm in terms of circulation, precipitation, vertical motion, cumulus heating rates, and cross-sections of wind and geopotential height anomalies. Simulated cumulus heating rates within the wave’s main precipitation area imply a lowering of the bases of active cumulus in the transition from the African continent to the Atlantic, indicating that the ocean environment promotes greater upward latent heat flux that in turn intensifies overlying storms. RM3 circulation, precipitation patterns, and storm trajectory are reasonably consistent with observational evidence. Experiments show that precipitation rates near 6°N over the eastern North Atlantic are sensitive to vertical thermal stability, such that they are enhanced by warmer in situ sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) and diminished by colder SSTs. However, prescribing colder SST causes increases in precipitation north of 9°N within areas of large scale upward vertical motion where rainfall rates are less sensitive to in situ SSTs. The evaluation of WRF indicates that its storm propagation is too fast over West Africa, where associated WRF precipitation rates are exaggerated, but its performance is improved over the Atlantic.     

Country and regional staple food price indices for improved identification of food insecurity

Large price increases over a short time period can be indicative of a deteriorating food security situation. Food price indices developed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization are often used to monitor food price trends at a global level, but largely reflect supply and demand conditions in export markets. However, reporting by the United States Agency for International Development's Famine Early Warning Systems Network indicates that staple cereal prices in many markets of the developing world, especially in regions that are food insecure areas, are isolated from international export market price trends. Here we present country and regional staple food price indices compiled for improved food security monitoring and assessment, and specifically for monitoring conditions of food access across diverse food insecure regions. We examine the market integration of regional and country level staple food price indices for 35 countries in West, East and Southern Africa and in Central Asia and Central America. We found that cereal price indices constructed using local market prices of within a food insecure region showed significant differences from the international cereals price, and had a variable price dispersion across markets within each marketshed. This work supports the need for improved decision-making about targeted aid and humanitarian relief, by providing earlier warning of food security crises.     

Quantitative observations of a major coral bleaching event in Barbados, Southeastern Caribbean

In late summer 2005 a mass coral bleaching event occurred in the Caribbean. Here we quantify coral bleaching in Barbados at six sites on the island’s sheltered west and exposed southwest coasts, including nearshore fringing and patch reefs and offshore bank reef habitats. Onset of coral bleaching occurred in late August 2005 and persisted for many months after temperatures cooled. All reef habitats and virtually all coral taxa were affected, with an average of 70.6% of all colonies bleaching. Nearshore reefs (<10 m depth) were affected more severely than offshore deeper reefs (>15 m) with an average of 80.6% of all coral colonies bleaching compared with 60.5% on the latter. Inter-species variation in susceptibility to bleaching was marked with >90% of colonies bleaching in some species whilst <10% bleached in others. Follow-up surveys revealed low coral mortality, with an overall mean of 3.8% partial colony death across all species and reefs by February 2006. However, bleached condition has persisted with a mean of 37.7% of all coral colonies still bleached after 5 1/2 months, indicating that loss of live coral is likely to continue for some time. This event represents the most severe bleaching episode ever witnessed on Barbados’ reefs and emphasises the vulnerability of small island states, with a high reliance on healthy coral reef ecosystem services, to elevated sea water temperatures associated with climate variability and global climate change.     

Origins of cold-wet-oxidizing to hot-dry-reducing rhyolite magma cycles and distribution in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

Slab-derived aqueous fluid components (Ba, Cl) correlate well with oxygen fugacity, and other well-defined characteristics of silicic magmas in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) between a cold-wet-oxidizing magma type [R1: amphibole ± biotite; high Sr, low Zr and FeO*/MgO, depleted middle rare-earth elements (MREE)] and a hot-dry-reducing magma type (R2: orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene; low Sr, high Zr, and FeO*/MgO, less depleted MREE). Oxygen fugacity was obtained from analysis of Fe–Ti oxides and ranges between −0.04 and +2.1 log units (ΔQFM, where QFM = quartz + fayalite + magnetite buffer) and is positively correlated with the bulk-rock Ba/La ratio, indicating that slab-derived fluid is the oxidizing agent in the rhyolites. Chlorine contents in hornblende also correlate with the bulk-rock Ba/La ratio. Hence, high-fluid flux typically correlates with the R1 and low-fluid flux with R2 rhyolite magma types. A geochemical evolution and distribution can be tracked in time and space throughout the central region of the TVZ from 550 ka to present and has revealed two distinct magmatic cycles that vary in length. The first cycle included widespread R1 type magmatism across the central TVZ beginning ca. 550 ka and was directly associated with previously unreported dome-building and ignimbrite-forming volcanism, and led to a voluminous (>3,000 km³) ignimbrite ‘flare-up’ between ca. 340 and 240 ka. The second cycle began roughly 180 ka, erupting ca. 800 km³ of magma, and continues to the present. The duration, rate, and composition of magma production within these cycles appears to be governed by the flux of fluid released from the subducting slab, while the distribution of magmas may be governed more by extension along the central rift axis. Shorter cycles have also been identified and are unrelated to subduction processes, but occur following large, caldera-forming events.