Application of Landsat-7 satellite data and a DEM for the quantification of thermokarst-affected terrain types in the periglacial Lena–Anabar coastal lowland

Extensive parts of Arctic permafrost-dominated lowlands were affected by large-scale permafrost degradation, mainly through Holocene thermokarst activity. The effect of thermokarst is nowadays observed in most periglacial lowlands of the Arctic. Since permafrost degradation is a consequence as well as a significant factor of global climate change, it is necessary to develop efficient methods for the quantification of its past and current magnitude. We developed a procedure for the quantification of periglacial lowland terrain types with a focus on degradation features and applied it to the Cape Mamontov Klyk area in the western Laptev Sea region. Our terrain classification approach was based on a combination of geospatial datasets, including a supervised maximum likelihood classification applied to Landsat-7 ETM+ data and digital elevation data. Thirteen final terrain surface classes were extracted and subsequently characterized in terms of relevance to thermokarst and degradation of ice-rich deposits. 78% of the investigated area was estimated to be affected by permafrost degradation. The overall classification accuracy was 79%. Thermokarst did not develop evenly on the coastal plain, as indicated by the increasingly dense coverage of thermokarst-related areas from south to north. This regionally focused procedure can be extended to other areas to provide the highly detailed periglacial terrain mapping capabilities currently lacking in global-scale permafrost datasets.     

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An inverse method of modeling thermal histories from apatite fission-track data

Apatite fission-track (FT) ages and track length distributions are important sources of information about the thermal histories of rocks. Recent advances in the understanding of track annealing in apatite provide a solution to the forward problem of predicting FT ages and track length distributions that result from a given thermal history. In this paper, a method is presented to address the inverse problem—estimation of the thermal history from FT data. The inverse method uses an iterative approach (the downhill simplex) to systematically modify a starting thermal history to achieve satisfactory statistical agreement between the predicted and observed FT age and track length distribution. However, because of analytical uncertainties, a unique thermal history does not exist. Monte Carlo simulations are used to take into account the uncertainties in the data and yield a spectrum of possible thermal histories. The results are based on the isothermal annealing model of Laslett et al. ([1], Chem. Geol. Isot. Geosci. Sect., Vol. 65) but because the method uses forward predictions and not an analytical formula specific to a single annealing model, alternative annealing models could be used within the same framework. This method is an improvement in interpreting fission-track data because the range of thermal histories permitted by the data can be evaluated.To demonstrate the method, it is applied to several sets of test data created by forward modeling of idealized thermal histories. The results show that the age at which the sample cooled through its closure temperature and the most general features of the thermal history are revealed. However, data from partially annealed samples have wide spectra that reflect large uncertainties in the form of the thermal history. For such samples, FT data alone are not likely to provide strong tests of geologic hypotheses. Conversely, geologic information may play a crucial role in constraining the thermal history spectrum. In application to uplift-related cooling, this inverse method can provide much more realistic assessments of the cooling rate and its uncertainty than are otherwise possible.     

Population Belongs on the Johannesburg Agenda

The forthcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg (August 26-September 4, 2002) has been set by the United Nations to consider strategies toward sustainable development in all its dimensions. Hence, its mandate is broader than that of the Rio 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Population issues have so far been discussed in a separate series of World Population Conferences (Bucharest 1974, Mexico City 1984, Cairo 1994). With no new World Population Conference scheduled for 2004 and Johannesburg having a mandate that is stated to explicitly include social and economic aspects, population as a key component of sustainable development should figure prominently on the Johannesburg agenda. Yet, after the third of four preparatory meetings for Johannesburg (which ended in New York on April 5th), consideration of population is completely absent. The reasons for this are not entirely clear. We assume that they have to do with the fear of entering into political controversies over abortion. We are concerned that, despite its broader mandate, in most countries inputs to Johannesburg are being prepared mainly by environment ministries who have little experience in dealing with population questions. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Further Characterisation of the 91500 Zircon Crystal

This paper reports the results from a second characterisation of the 91500 zircon, including data from electron probe microanalysis, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and laser fluorination analyses. The focus of this initiative was to establish the suitability of this large single zircon crystal for calibrating in situ analyses of the rare earth elements and oxygen isotopes, as well as to provide working values for key geochemical systems. In addition to extensive testing of the chemical and structural homogeneity of this sample, the occurrence of banding in 91500 in both backscattered electron and cathodoluminescence images is described in detail. Blind intercomparison data reported by both LA-ICP-MS and SIMS laboratories indicate that only small systematic differences exist between the data sets provided by these two techniques. Furthermore, the use of NIST SRM 610 glass as the calibrant for SIMS analyses was found to introduce little or no systematic error into the results for zircon. Based on both laser fluorination and SIMS data, zircon 91500 seems to be very well suited for calibrating in situ oxygen isotopic analyses.     

Metamictisation of natural zircon: accumulation versus thermal annealing of radioactivity-induced damage

Annealing of the radiation damage generated in !-decay events is a common phenomenon in natural zircons. We have studied relationships between radiation damage, age and radionuclide content of natural zircons on a micro-scale. The degree of metamictisation was estimated by means of confocal laser-Raman spectroscopic measurements. Raman band broadening in well-ordered to moderately metamict zircons that have not experienced significant healing of the radiation damage since the time of their growth, shows a nearly linear dependence on the !-fluence. This dependence is proposed as a calibration line for examining unknown zircons in order to consider complete or incomplete damage storage, which may contribute to the understanding of the low-T thermal history of their host rocks. Seven examples for the application are presented. Radiation damage may anneal heterogeneously, with preferred re-ordering in more damaged micro-areas. Results suggest that single point defects do not anneal continuously over geologic periods of time but are, in contrast, a comparably stable type of radiation damage. In contrast to recrystallisation processes, structural recovery due to simple thermal annealing is not necessarily connected with loss of radiogenic Pb. The most prominent example for this are concordant zircons from Sri Lanka. Although they are excellent standards for U-Pb dating, Sri Lankan zircons should not be used as standards for structural radiation damage. The experimental work is completed by Monte Carlo simulations of !-decay events in zircon.     

The strontium and oxygen isotopic record of hydrothermal alteration of syenites from the Abu Khruq complex,Egypt

Hydrothermal convection initiated by emplacement of the gabbro-syenite complex of Abu Khruq into the Egyptian basement 89 Ma ago systematically altered the trace element and isotopic compositions of the syenites. The scale of Sr transport in migrating solutions was far larger than the scale of Sr isotopic equilibration within rocks. As a result, Sr exchange was heterogeneous in the syenites, an effect which can be observed on three different scales. Within grains of a single mineral species, heterogeneities are related to grain boundaries and microfractures through which fluids migrated. Among minerals within rock samples, heterogeneities are related to differences in susceptibility to Sr alteration. Among samples within a single unit, heterogeneous alteration is apparently related to differences in permeability close to fracture zones.During the early stages of alteration radiogenic Sr derived from the country rocks was added to the syenites, causing small net changes in concentration (5 ppm ave.). Some Rb-Sr mineral isochrons from single rock samples yield the emplacement age because isotopic equilibration of this added Sr sometimes occurred within rock specimens. However, regressions of the whole-rock Rb-Sr data yield apparent ages that are about 10 Ma too old. Later stage alteration involved larger changes in whole-rock Sr concentration (45 ppm ave.) but had little further effect on the isotopic relationships because the Sr was derived from cogenetic gabbros rather than the country rocks.Alterations of Rb, Sr, and Sr isotopic compositions are not well correlated with changes in ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratio because mineralogy played an important role in decoupling trace element and oxygen isotopic alteration. In general, the absence of such correlations for whole-rock data is not diagnostic of rocks with unaltered trace element and isotopic compositions. Mineral-scale Sr isotopic heterogeneities associated with grain boundaries and microfractures may be the most unambiguous evidence of trace element mobility.Deceased on 9/81     

A resistance-law hypothesis for the non-stationary advective planetary boundary layer

The theoretical developments yielding the resistance law for the planetary boundary layer are summarized, including the refinements of the ageostrophic method. This leads to the hypothesis that the resistance law for the simple non-stationary, advective boundary layer is obtained from the one for a stationary, horizontally homogeneous boundary layer, if the modulous of the geostrophic wind in the latter is replaced with a generalized frictionless wind in the former. The generalized frictionless wind includes the inertial terms.Contribution from the Sonderforschungsbereich Meeresforschung Hamburg of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.