Atmospheric mercury near Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir in southern Idaho

Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) and reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) were measured over 2-week seasonal field campaigns near Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir in south-central Idaho from the summer of 2005 through the fall of 2006 and over the entire summer of 2006 using automated Tekran Hg analyzers. GEM, RGM, and particulate Hg (HgP) were also measured at a secondary site 90 km to the west in southwestern Idaho during the summer of 2006. The study was performed to characterize Hg air concentrations in the southern Idaho area for the first time, estimate Hg dry deposition rates, and investigate the source of observed elevated concentrations. High seasonal variability was observed with the highest GEM (1.91 ± 0.9 ng m⁻³) and RGM (8.1 ± 5.6 pg m⁻³) concentrations occurring in the summer and lower values in the winter (1.32 ± 0.3 ng m⁻³, 3.2 ± 2.9 pg m⁻³ for GEM, RGM, respectively). The summer-average HgP concentrations were generally below detection limit (0.6 ± 1 pg m⁻³). Seasonally averaged deposition velocities calculated using a resistance model were 0.034 ± 0.032, 0.043 ± 0.040, 0.00084 ± 0.0017 and 0.00036 ± 0.0011 cm s⁻¹ for GEM (spring, summer, fall and winter, respectively) and 0.50 ± 0.39, 0.40 ± 0.31, 0.51 ± 0.43 and 0.76 ± 0.57 cm s⁻¹ for RGM. The total annual RGM + GEM dry deposition estimate was calculated to be 11.9 ± 3.3 μg m⁻², or about 2/3 of the total (wet + dry) deposition estimate for the area. Periodic elevated short-term GEM (2.2–12 ng m⁻³) and RGM (50–150 pg m⁻³) events were observed primarily during the warm seasons. Back-trajectory modeling and PSCF analysis indicate predominant source directions to the SE (western Utah, northeastern Nevada) and SW (north-central Nevada) with fewer inputs from the NW (southeastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho).     

The passivation of calcite by acid mine water. Column experiments with ferric sulfate and ferric chloride solutions at pH 2

Column experiments, simulating the behavior of passive treatment systems for acid mine drainage, have been performed. Acid solutions (HCl or H₂SO₄, pH 2), with initial concentrations of Fe(III) ranging from 250 to 1500 mg L⁻¹, were injected into column reactors packed with calcite grains at a constant flow rate. The composition of the solutions was monitored during the experiments. At the end of the experiments (passivation of the columns), the composition and structure of the solids were measured. The dissolution of calcite in the columns caused an increase in pH and the release of Ca into the solution, leading to the precipitation of gypsum and Fe–oxyhydroxysulfates (Fe(III)–SO₄–H⁺ solutions) or Fe–oxyhydroxychlorides (Fe(III)–Cl–H⁺ solutions). The columns worked as an efficient barrier for some time, increasing the pH of the circulating solutions from 2 to 6–7 and removing its metal content. However, after some time (several weeks, depending on the conditions), the columns became chemically inert. The results showed that passivation time increased with decreasing anion and metal content of the solutions. Gypsum was the phase responsible for the passivation of calcite in the experiments with Fe(III)–SO₄–H⁺ solutions. Schwertmannite and goethite appeared as the Fe(III) secondary phases in those experiments. Akaganeite was the phase responsible for the passivation of the system in the experiments with Fe(III)–Cl–H⁺ solutions.     

National flood discharge mapping in Austria

This article presents the approach and the results of a study in which 30, 100 and 200 year return period flood discharges were estimated for 26,000 km of Austrian streams. Three guiding principles were adopted: combination of automatic methods and manual assessments by hydrologists to allow speedy processing and account for the local hydrological situation; combination of various sources of information including flood peak samples, rainfall data, runoff coefficients and historical flood data; and involvement of the Hydrographic Services to increase the accuracy and enhance the acceptance of results. The flood discharges for ungauged catchments were estimated by the Top-kriging approach with manual adjustment to the local flood characteristics. The adopted combination approach proved to be very efficient both in terms of the project time required and in terms of the accuracy and acceptability of the estimated flood discharges of given return periods.     

The role of the volatile phase for REE and Y fractionation in low-silica carbonate magmas: implications from natural carbonatites, Namibia

Summary Two bimodal carbonatite complexes in Namibia of Cretaceous age are explored as to the presence and composition of a coexisting carbonatitic fluid. The Kalkfeld and Ondurakorume complexes contain both Ca- and Mg/Fe-carbonatites, composed of calcite alone or calcite with ferroan dolomite, fluorapatite and strontianite. The major element evolution in the bulk rocks from s?vites to beforsites is due to crystallization of calcite and fluorapatite. All carbonatites show a negative Y anomaly in normalised REE plots. Fractionation is accompanied by successively lower HREE contents between Tb and Yb, expressed by the ratios Nd/Ho and Ho/Lu. The evolution of this downward-facing hump goes along with decreasing Y contents in bulk rocks and minerals. All this requires an additional phase coexisting with the carbonate liquid during fractionation. Comparison between the bulk rocks and the expelled fluid shows that the latter had preferentially accumulated the HREE and Y. Further evidence for this process are hydrothermal, HREE, Y-rich fluorites in other carbonatite complexes which reflect the composition of the expelled fluid. The high strength of fluoride complexes suggests that fluoride complexing in the carbonatitic fluid is the process responsible for extracting HREE and Y from the carbonatite magma, leaving fractionated carbonatite rocks depleted in these elements. The geochemical evolution of carbonatite magmas along fractionation has therefore to be considered in a melt-mineral-fluid system. Correspondence: B. Bühn, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de Brasilia, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil     

Millennium-long recession of limestone facades in London

Historical data on the temperature and precipitation data for London has been combined with output from the Hadley Model to estimate the climate of London for the period 1100–2100 CE. This has been converted to other parameters such as freeze–thaw frequency and snowfall relevant to the weathering of stone facades. The pollutant concentrations have been estimated for the same period, with the historical values taken from single box modelling and future values from changes likely given current policy within the metropolis. These values are used in the Lipfert model to show that the recession from karst weathering dominates across the period, while the contributions of sulphur deposition seem notable only across a shorter period 1700–2000 CE. Observations of the late seventeenth century suggest London architects witnessed a notable increase in the recession rate and attributed “fretting quality” to “smoaks of the sea-coal”. The recession rates measured in the late twentieth century lend some support to the estimates from the Lipfert model. The recession looks to increase only slightly, and frost shattering will decrease while salt weathering is likely to increase.     

Flexural isostatic response of the Alps to increased Quaternary erosion recorded by foreland basin remnants,SE France

We test the hypothesis that flexural isostatic compensation of the mass removed by enhanced Quaternary erosion is responsible for uplift of the Western European Alps and their forelands. We use two well‐preserved and well‐dated (1.8 Ma) abandonment surfaces of foreland basin remnants in SE France (the Chambaran and Valensole plateaux) as passive benchmarks for tilting of the foreland. Estimating their initial slope from morphometric scaling relationships, we determine bulk post‐depositional tilting of 0.5–0.8% for these surfaces. The calculated isostatic response of the Alpine lithosphere to erosional unloading, using the method recently proposed by Champagnac et al. [Geology 35 (2007) 195–198] , yields a predicted tilting of 0.3–0.4% in the considered areas, explaining approximately half of the determined post‐depositional tilting. Such long‐term deformation being insensitive to cyclic loading/unloading because of glaciations, we suspect the other half to be related to as yet undetermined long‐wavelength and long‐lived tectonic process(es).     

The delay between solar activity and density changes in the upper atmosphere

Since 1958 it is known that there exists a response time of the upper atmosphere to changes in solar activity. This response time is best described as the lag between the 27-day variation of solar decimeter flux and the observed density changes of the upper atmosphere. Roemer obtained as a mean observational value for this lag 1.0 ± 0.12 days. Volland's simplified version of the Harris-Priester model of the upper atmosphere is used to calculate the delay which can be expected from theory. Only the effect of solar EUV radiation is taken into account. A possible influence of the corpuscular component of the solar radiation is not included in our estimate.

The calculations are carried out for the Harris-Priester model with solar activity index and a variation of . The resulting delay is 0.6 days. The calculated amplitude of the variations of the diurnal average temperatures during the solar 27-days cycle is in very good agreement with Jacchia's empirical formula.     

Die Windverhältnisse im Davoser Hochtal

Zusammenfassung Die Davoser Windverh?ltnisse werden in ihrem tages- und jahreszeitlichen Ablauf sowie in ihrer Abh?ngigkeit von verschiedenen typischen Wetterlagen untersucht. Neben den ungest?rten Sch?nwetterlagen mit ihrem ausgepr?gten Talwind, der wie der Malojawind talabw?rts weht, werden die F?hnstr?mung aus Südwest und die Nordoststr?mung bei Staulagen und Bise kurz besprochen. Gegenüber dem benachbarten Dischmatal zeigt sich ein sp?terer Beginn des Talwindes bei Sch?nwetterlagen, w?hrend im Vergleich zu anderen T?lern, z. B. zum Wallis, ein früheres und schw?cheres nachmitt?gliches Windmaximum auftritt.

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Summary The wind at Davos is analysed in his diurnal and annual variation and in the depence on the different weather types. The fair and undisturbed weather shows a typical valley breeze during the day, but not in the normal direction towards the higher part of the valley, but downstream, similar to the Malojawind in the Engadine. The opposite wind direction, from southwest, characterises the foehn-situation. Northeasterly winds develop in the case of higher pressure north of the Alps (e. g. in situations of barrage). The valley-breeze begins later than in the adjacent Dischma Valley, but it is weaker and reaches the highest intensity earlier than in other valleys, as e. g. in the Valais.

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Résumé Les vents de Davos sont analysés selon leurs variations diurnes et annuelles et selon des types de temps caractéristiques. La situation de beau temps montre un vent de vallée assez accentué, soufflant du haut en bas, donc dans une direction anormale, mais analogue au vent de la Maloja en Engadine. En cas de ?foehn? le vent souffle du sud-ouest tandis qu'un vent du nord-est se manifeste par situations de surpression au nord des Alpes. Le vent de vallée se met à souffler plus tard à Davos que dans la vallée de Dischma toute proche. Il y atteint par contre sa vitesse maximale plus t?t que les vents correspondants d'autres vallées p. ex. du Valais. Le maximum y est cependant moins élevé.

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Mit 6 Textabbildungen

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Herrn Dr.W. M?rikofer zu seinem 70. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

Neue ZnS-Polytypen (9R, 12R und 21R) in mesozoischen Sedimenten NW-Deutschlands

Summary Argillaceous sediments of jurassic and lower cretaceous age in NW-Germany contain in several localities authigenous ZnS-polytypes. The crystals with a maximum height of 2 mm exhibit hexagonal-pyramidal and trigonal-pyramidal habit.With X-ray rotation and precession technique the following polytypes could be identified: Sphalerite (3 R = 3 C) 211, 411, 6H 9R, 12R, 15R and 21R.The 9 R-, 12 R- and 21 R-polytypes have not until now been described elsewhere.The structures of the new polytypes were determined as 9R=(21), 12R=(13) and 21R=(3112).Oriented intergrowths of R- and H-polytypes were frequently observed. From the intergrowth-phenomena arguments for the environmental conditions of formation can be deducted.[/p]