Isotopic fingerprints on lacustrine organic matter from Laguna Potrok Aike (southern Patagonia, Argentina) reflect environmental changes during the last 16,000 years

A combination of carbon-to-nitrogen ratios (TOC/TN), Rock Eval-analyses, and stable isotope values of bulk nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and organic carbon (δ¹³C_org) was used to characterize bulk organic matter (OM) of a piston core from the Patagonian maar lake Laguna Potrok Aike (Argentina) for the purpose of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Sedimentary data were compared with geochemical signatures of potential OM sources from Laguna Potrok Aike and its catchment area to identify the sources of sedimentary OM. Correlation patterns between isotopic data and TOC/TN ratios allowed differentiation of five distinct phases with different OM composition. Before 8470 calibrated ¹⁴C years before present (cal. yrs BP) and after 7400 cal. yrs BP, isotopic and organo-geochemical fingerprints indicate that the sediments of Laguna Potrok Aike consist predominantly of soil and diatom OM with varying admixtures of cyanobacterial and aquatic macrophyte OM. For a short phase of the early Holocene (ca. 8470–7400 cal. yrs BP), however, extremely high input of soil OM is implied by isotopic fingerprints. Previous seismic and geochronological results indicate a severe lake-level drop of 33 m below present-day shortly before 6590 cal. yrs BP. It is suggested that this lake level drop was accompanied by increased erosion of shore banks and channel incision enhancing soil OM deposition in the lake basin. Thus, isotopic data can be linked to hydrological variations at Laguna Potrok Aike and allow a more precise dating of this extremely low lake level. An isotopic mixing model was used including four different sources (soil, cyanobacteria, diatom and aquatic macrophyte OM) to model OM variations and the model results were compared with quantitative microfossil data.     

Late Pleistocene dust deposition in the Patagonian steppe - extending and refining the paleoenvironmental and tephrochronological record from Laguna Potrok Aike back to 55 ka

Paleoenvironmental records extending well into the last glacial period are scarce in the steppe regions of southern South America. Here, we present a continuous record for the past 55 ka from the maar lake Laguna Potrok Aike (51°58′ S, 70°23′ W, southern Patagonia, Argentina). Previous studies on a sedimentary core from a lake level terrace near the northern margin of the lake covered parts of Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 3 (59–29 ka) whereas a second core from the centre of the basin comprised the last 16 ka. Tephrostratigraphical constraints and OSL ages from a third core located below the lake level terrace provide the crucial piece to close the gap between the previous coring sites. High-resolution XRF and magnetic susceptibility as well as grain size data indicate a positive hydrological balance alongside with relatively high aeolian activity during the glacial which is contemporaneous with increased dust fluxes in Antarctica. This is therefore the first evidence for contemporaneity of aeolian deposition in both the target area (Antarctica) and in the major source area of Patagonia. During the Holocene climatic conditions driving sediment deposition seem to have been more variable and less dominated by wind compared to glacial times. The identification of a minor lake level lowering at approximately 4 cal ka BP allows to refine earlier paleoenvironmental reconstructions for the Holocene. Within error margins the OSL ages are consistent with published radiocarbon-dated records offering hence a valuable tool for further studies of the sediments from Laguna Potrok Aike. The new chronology confirms the age of three tephra layers up to now only found in Laguna Potrok Aike sediments and ascribed to OIS 3.     

Magmatic-dominated fluid evolution in the Jurassic Nambija gold skarn deposits (southeastern Ecuador)

The Jurassic (approximately 145 Ma) Nambija oxidized gold skarns are hosted by the Triassic volcanosedimentary Piuntza unit in the sub-Andean zone of southeastern Ecuador. The skarns consist dominantly of granditic garnet (Ad_20–98) with subordinate pyroxene (Di_46–92Hd_17–42Jo_0–19) and epidote and are spatially associated with porphyritic quartz-diorite to granodiorite intrusions. Endoskarn is developed at the intrusion margins and grades inwards into a potassic alteration zone. Exoskarn has an outer K- and Na-enriched zone in the volcanosedimentary unit. Gold mineralization is associated with the weakly developed retrograde alteration of the exoskarn and occurs mainly in sulfide-poor vugs and milky quartz veins and veinlets in association with hematite. Fluid inclusion data for the main part of the prograde stage indicate the coexistence of high-temperature (500°C to >600°C), high-salinity (up to 65 wt.% eq. NaCl), and moderate- to low-salinity aqueous-carbonic fluids interpreted to have been trapped at pressures around 100–120 MPa, corresponding to about 4-km depth. Lower-temperature (510–300°C) and moderate- to low-salinity (23–2 wt.% eq. NaCl) aqueous fluids are recorded in garnet and epidote of the end of the prograde stage. The microthermometric data (Th from 513°C to 318°C and salinity from 1.0 to 23 wt.% eq. NaCl) and δ¹⁸O values between 6.2‰ and 11.5‰ for gold-bearing milky quartz from the retrograde stage suggest that the ore-forming fluid was dominantly magmatic. Pressures during the early retrograde stage were in the range of 50–100 MPa, in line with the evidence for CO₂ effervescence and probable local boiling. The dominance of magmatic low-saline to moderately saline oxidizing fluids during the retrograde stage is consistent with the depth of the skarn system, which could have delayed the ingression of external fluids until relatively low temperatures were reached. The resulting low water-to-rock ratios explain the weak retrograde alteration and the compositional variability of chlorite, essentially controlled by host rock compositions. Gold was precipitated at this stage as a result of cooling and pH increase related to CO₂ effervescence, which both result in destabilization of gold-bearing chloride complexes. Significant ingression of external fluids took place after gold deposition only, as recorded by δ¹⁸O values of 0.4‰ to 6.2‰ for fluids depositing quartz (below 350°C) in sulfide-rich barren veins. Low-temperature (<300°C) meteoric fluids (δ¹⁸O_water between −10.0‰ and −2.0‰) are responsible for the precipitation of late comb quartz and calcite in cavities and veins and indicate mixing with cooler fluids of higher salinities (about 100°C and 25 wt.% eq. NaCl). The latter are similar to low-temperature fluids (202–74.5°C) with δ¹⁸O values of −0.5‰ to 3.1‰ and salinities in the range of 21.1 to 17.3 wt.% eq. CaCl₂, trapped in calcite of late veins and interpreted as basinal brines. Nambija represents a deep equivalent of the oxidized gold skarn class, the presence of CO₂ in the fluids being partly a consequence of the relatively deep setting at about 4-km depth. As in other Au-bearing skarn deposits, not only the prograde stage but also the gold-precipitating retrograde stage is dominated by fluids of magmatic origin.     

Camouflaged Galactic cosmic microwave background polarization foregrounds: total and polarized contributions of the kinetic Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect

We consider the role of the Galactic kinetic Sunyaev–Zeldovich (SZ) effect as a cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization foreground. While the Galactic thermal SZ effect has previously been studied and discarded as a potential CMB foreground, we find that the kinetic SZ effect is dominant in the Galactic case. We analyse the detectability of the kinetic SZ effect by means of an optimally matched filter technique applied to a simulation of an ideal observation. We obtain no detection, getting a signal-to-noise ratio of 0.1, thereby demonstrating that the kinetic SZ effect can also safely be ignored as a CMB foreground. However, we provide maps of the expected signal for inclusion in future high-precision data processing. Furthermore, we rule out the significant contamination of the polarized CMB signal by second scattering of Galactic kinetic SZ photons, since we show that the scattering of the CMB quadrupole photons by Galactic electrons is a stronger effect than the SZ second scattering, and has already been shown to produce no significant polarized contamination.     

Determination of flow exits in the Soultz borehole GPK2 by using the brine displacement method

The article presents a method to derive synthetic flow logs from low rate injection tests in wells, which are otherwise not accessible for logging. The tests were carried out in the 5 km deep geothermal well GPK2 in the Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) project of Soultz-sous-Forêts (France) and were aimed at characterizing the status of the well before chemical treatments. The method consists of injecting water at constant flow rates into the well initially filled with brine. The wellhead pressure record of this test is transformed into log of the flow velocity versus depth by a technique described in the paper. Applying this method to borehole GPK2, three outlets could be detected and quantified within the cased and uncased section of this borehole. The outlet in the cased section at 3860 m absorbed 15% of the total flow. This depth corresponds to a known casing restriction, which makes the borehole inaccessible for logging operations. The two other outlets are at the casing shoe at 4420 m (15%) and at 4670 m (70%).     

Discharge and transport processes along the German Baltic Sea Coast

The western Baltic Sea infront of the German coast is a highly variable dynamical system, dominated by a complex and small-scale morphometry, the water exchange between the Baltic and North Seas, and driven by local wind. Neither data collection, nor satellite images or model simulations alone were able to explain the observed spatial patterns and transport processes. Therefore, all these methods were combined to explain the dynamical features and to systematise them according to the typical local wind pattern and time series. The aim was to develop an instrument for regional authorities which supports the interpretation of coastal water monitoring data and forms a basis for an improved monitoring strategy. Satellite data of sea surface temperature and ocean colour from the sensors NOAA-AVHRR and SeaWiFS were applied for synoptic investigations in the entire region and Landsat-7-ETM+ for regional studies. Model simulations were performed for the western Baltic using a 3D model MOM-3 and for the Szczecin Lagoon using 2D model FEMFLOW. For the first time, regional particularities in the coastal dynamical features and processes are derived for the main wind directions and for transitions between dominant wind situations west and east as derived from wind statistics. The simulated transport of particles released from different coastal and open sea sources indicate the affected areas during changing forcing conditions. The results support the interpretation of acquired coastal monitoring data as well as the assessment and optimisation of the monitoring programme.     

Regional gravity modeling in terms of spherical base functions

This article provides a survey on modern methods of regional gravity field modeling on the sphere. Starting with the classical theory of spherical harmonics, we outline the transition towards space-localizing methods such as spherical splines and wavelets. Special emphasis is given to the relations among these methods, which all involve radial base functions. Moreover, we provide extensive applications of these methods and numerical results from real space-borne data of recent satellite gravity missions, namely the Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). We also derive high-resolution gravity field models by effectively combining space-borne and surface measurements using a new weighted level-combination concept. In addition, we outline and apply a strategy for constructing spatio-temporal fields from regional data sets spanning different observation periods.     

Indications for pedogenic formation of perylene in a terrestrial soil profile: Depth distribution and first results from stable carbon isotope ratios

Concentrations and isotope compositions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in natural soils of Southern Germany. In selected profiles perylene concentrations increased with soil depth when compared to the other PAH compounds present. However, its low solubility made vertical transport by seepage water unlikely. Therefore two mechanisms are discussed that could have caused the unusual distribution of perylene in these soils:

(a) Atmospheric deposition of combustion-derived (i.e. pyrogenic) perylene in the top-soil and

(b) in situ generation in the sub-soil of these specific terrestrial environments. This could have been caused by microbial activities or other catalytic processes yet unknown.

In order to distinguish between pyrogenic and natural generation compound-specific ¹³C/¹²C ratios (δ¹³C) were compared between perylene and other PAHs in samples from the top-soil and sub-soil. Despite successful clean-up of the extracts, low perylene concentrations and peak overlaps with benzo(e)pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene prevented determination of a unique δ¹³C value for perylene in the upper horizon. However, the δ¹³C value of perylene in the sub-soil was 5.7 permille more negative than other equal-mass PAHs (with m/z of 252) in the top-soil, which rather supports in situ generation of perylene in the sub-soil.     

Erosion and Flooding—Threats to Coastal Infrastructure in the Arctic: A Case Study from Herschel Island,Yukon Territory,Canada

Arctic coastal infrastructure and cultural and archeological sites are increasingly vulnerable to erosion and flooding due to amplified warming of the Arctic, sea level rise, lengthening of open water periods, and a predicted increase in frequency of major storms. Mitigating these hazards necessitates decision-making tools at an appropriate scale. The objectives of this paper are to provide such a tool by assessing potential erosion and flood hazards at Herschel Island, a UNESCO World Heritage candidate site. This study focused on Simpson Point and the adjacent coastal sections because of their archeological, historical, and cultural significance. Shoreline movement was analyzed using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) after digitizing shorelines from 1952, 1970, 2000, and 2011. For purposes of this analysis, the coast was divided in seven coastal reaches (CRs) reflecting different morphologies and/or exposures. Using linear regression rates obtained from these data, projections of shoreline position were made for 20 and 50 years into the future. Flood hazard was assessed using a least cost path analysis based on a high-resolution light detection and ranging (LiDAR) dataset and current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sea level estimates. Widespread erosion characterizes the study area. The rate of shoreline movement in different periods of the study ranges from ?5.5 to 2.7 m·a^?1 (mean ?0.6 m·a^?1). Mean coastal retreat decreased from ?0.6 m·a^?1 to ?0.5 m·a^?1, for 1952–1970 and 1970–2000, respectively, and increased to ?1.3 m·a^?1 in the period 2000–2011. Ice-rich coastal sections most exposed to wave attack exhibited the highest rates of coastal retreat. The geohazard map combines shoreline projections and flood hazard analyses to show that most of the spit area has extreme or very high flood hazard potential, and some buildings are vulnerable to coastal erosion. This study demonstrates that transgressive forcing may provide ample sediment for the expansion of depositional landforms, while growing more susceptible to overwash and flooding.     

On the automatic parameter calibration of a hypoplastic soil model

Acta Geotechnica - This paper presents an approach for the automatic parameter calibration (AC) of a hypoplastic constitutive soil model. The calibration software developed in this work simplifies...