Imaging a shallow salt diapir using ambient seismic vibrations beneath the densely built-up city area of Hamburg,Northern Germany

Salt diapirs are common features of sedimentary basins. If close to the surface, they can bear a significant hazard due to possible dissolution sinkholes, karst formation and collapse dolines or their influence on ground water chemistry. We investigate the potential of ambient vibration techniques to map the 3-D roof morphology of shallow salt diapirs. Horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectral peaks are derived at more than 900 positions above a shallow diapir beneath the city area of Hamburg, Germany, and are used to infer the depth of the first strong impedance contrast. In addition, 15 small-scale array measurements are conducted at different positions in order to compute frequency-dependent phase velocities of Rayleigh waves between 0.5 and 25 Hz. The dispersion curves are inverted together with the H/V peak frequency to obtain shear-wave velocity profiles. Additionally, we compare the morphology derived from H/V and array measurements to borehole lithology and a gravity-based 3-D model of the salt diapir. Both methods give consistent results in agreement with major features indicated by the independent data. An important result is that H/V and array measurements are better suited to identify weathered gypsum caprocks or gypsum floaters, while gravity-derived models better sample the interface between sediments and homogeneous salt. We further investigate qualitatively the influence of the 3-D subsurface topography of the salt diapir on the validity of local 1-D inversion results from ambient vibration dispersion curve inversion.     

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.     

Decision bias in marine spatial planning of offshore wind farms: Problems of singular versus cumulative assessments of economic impacts on fisheries

The current approval procedure for wind farm proposals in the German EEZ only considers site specific conflict analysis between the wind farm and fisheries. Due to the relatively small spatial coverage of the sites potential opportunity losses to the fisheries are always considered as low or negligible. Cumulative effects on fisheries that will occur once all proposed wind farms are in place are not yet considered adequately. However, those cumulative effects will be quite substantial because, in particular, opportunities to catch such valuable species as flatfish will be considerably reduced.     

有机组分土-水分配系数的确定(英文)

有机组分的土水分配系数(Kd)是描述有机组分在地下系统中吸附特征的重要参数。同时,它也是物质运移模拟和环境评价中的主要参数之一。影响Kd的因素可概括为三个方面:土壤性质、有机组分本身特征及水相的物理化学性质。一般而言,对于非极性和弱极性有机组分,土壤中的有机质含量(foc )是影响Kd的最主要因素。但是,对于极性有机组分(POCs), 特别是在土壤有机质含量较低的情况下,土壤中矿物的种类和含量、水化学组分特征(pH、离子力等)经常在吸附过程中起重要作用。实验室内测定Kd的方法包括批实验和柱实验方法。批实验法适用于研究Kd较高情况下的吸附。在Kd较低的情况下,如低有机质土壤对极性有机污染物的吸附,土柱色谱法(SCC)是更适宜的选择。另外,可用土柱色谱法快速了解各种因素对吸附过程的影响,并获取详细的吸附和解吸信息。应用土柱色谱法时应当注意非平衡吸附和可能的柱堵塞问题。很多文献中提到结合柱实验和已有的吸附数据来预测土壤有机碳标准化的分配系数Koc(=Kd/foc)。但是,如果没有考虑吸附中特定的作用过程(如矿物吸附),对极性有机组分Koc的预测将会产生很大的误差。在环境评价中,将从一种土壤测定的Koc 应用到不同性质的土壤中,可能会导致错误的认识。在进行室内实验时,应把标准土(如Eurosoi     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Luminescence dating of lacustrine sediments from Tangra Yumco (southern Tibetan Plateau) using post‐IR IRSL signals from polymineral grains

Radiocarbon dating of bulk organic matter is the most commonly used method for establishing chronologies of lake sediments for palaeoclimate reconstructions on the Tibetan Plateau. However, this method is likely to be problematic because the dated material often suffers from old carbon contamination. Recently, advances in luminescence‐based chronological techniques have provided new options for dating lacustrine sediments. In the current study, we tested for the first time the applicability of a new post‐IR IRSL (pIRIR) measurement protocol for dating fine‐grained polymineral material from a deep‐lake sediment core from the central part of Tangra Yumco, on the southern Tibetan Plateau. Our results show that: (i) radioactive disequilibria in the uranium decay chain were observed in the studied lake sediments, and thus taken into account for dose rate calculation by using a dynamic modelling approach; (ii) the suitability and robustness of the pIRIR protocol measured at 150°C (pIRIR₁₅₀) for our samples are confirmed by a set of luminescence characteristic tests as well as the agreement with an independent age control; (iii) turbidite deposition partly caused an insufficient resetting of luminescence signals and thus apparent overestimation in luminescence dating; (iv) compared with the luminescence‐based age‐depth model, the ¹⁴C ages of bulk organic matter from the studied core generally yielded an age difference of ～2 ka, which is attributed to hardwater reservoir effects in Tangra Yumco. This study highlights the need for multi‐dating approaches of lake sedimentary archives on the Tibetan Plateau.