Der Einfluß der Vegetation auf die Schwankungen des CO2-Gehaltes der Atmosphäre

Zusammenfassung Mit Hilfe des Ultrarot-Absorptionsschreibers wurden Tagesgänge des CO₂-Gehaltes in verschiedenen Höhen über einem Weizenfeld registriert. Während sich nachts durch die Atmung der Vegetation CO₂ am Boden anreichert, verarmt die bodennahe Luftschicht tagsüber infolge der Assimilation an CO₂. Das CO₂-Gefälle wechselt demnach zweimal täglich (morgens und abends) sein Vorzeichen. Infolge größerer Turbulenz ist das Gefälle bei Tag kleiner als bei Nacht; nach Multiplikation mit der Windgeschwindigkeit als Relativmaß des Austausches ergeben sich aber glaubhafte Relativwerte für den vertikalen CO₂-Strom und damit für die Kohlenstoffbindung und-entbindung durch die Pflanzendecke.

---

Summary With the help of an infrared absorption-recorder the daily variation of CO₂ content in different heights above a wheat field has been recorded. During the night the CO₂ content is accumulated at the plant level by respiration, during the day diminished by photosynthesis. The CO₂ gradient thus changes its sign (+ or –) twice a day in the morning and evening. The CO₂ gradient is smaller during the day than in the night due to the stronger turbulence of the air. In multiplying gradients with wind velocities (used as a measure for the eddy exchange) one gets reasonable relative values for the vertical CO₂-stream, and thus also for photosynthesis and respiration of vegetation.

---

Résumé La variation diurne de la teneur de l'air en CO₂ a été mesurée à différentes hauteurs au-dessus d'un champ de froment à l'aide d'un appareil enregistreur de l'absorption à l'infra-rouge. Tandis que cette teneur augmente de nuit au voisinage du sol par la respiration végétale, elle diminue au cours du jour par suite de l'assimilation. Le gradient vertical de la teneur en CO₂ change par conséquent de signe deux fois par jour, le matin et le soir; il est plus faible de jour à cause de la turbulence accrue que de nuit. Après multiplication par la vitesse du vent, mesure relative de l'échange turbulent, on obtient des valeurs relatives mais vraisemblables du courant vertical de CO₂ et par conséquent de la fixation et de la libération du carbone par la végétation.

---

---

Mit 7 Textabbildungen.

---

Nach einem am 15. Oktober 1951 auf der Meteorologentagung in Bad Kissingen gehaltenen Vortrag.     

Climate control on stacked paleosols in the Pleistocene of the Po Basin (northern Italy)

Paleosols are recurrent features in alluvial successions and provide information about past sedimentary dynamics and climate change. Through sedimentological analysis on six sediment cores, the mud-dominated succession beneath the medieval ‘Two Towers’ of Bologna was investigated down to 100 m depth. A succession of weakly developed paleosols (Inceptisols) was identified. Four paleosols (P1, P2, P3 and PH) were radiocarbon-dated to 40–10 cal ka bp . Organic matter and CaCO₃ determinations indicate low groundwater levels during soil development, which spanned periods < 5 ka. The development and burial of soils, which occurred synchronously in the Bologna region and in other sectors of the Po Plain, are interpreted to reflect climatic and eustatic variations. Climatic oscillations, at the scale of the Bond cycles, controlled soil development and burial during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (P1 and P2). Rapid sea-level oscillations probably induced soil development at the MIS 3/2 transition (P3) and favored burial of PH after 10 ka bp . Weakly developed paleosols in alluvial successions can provide clues to millennial-scale climatic and environmental variations. In particular, the paleosol-bearing succession of the Po Plain represents an unprecedent record of environmental changes across the Late Pleistocene (MIS 3 and 2) in the Mediterranean region.     

Statistical analysis of isotopic ratios in MORB: the mantle blob cluster model and the convective regime of the mantle

A statistical examination of isotopic distributions for MORB from various ocean ridges leads to the “blob cluster model”, in which the oceanic crust accreting at ridges results from the mixing of two components within the ascending mantle. These are (1) upper mantle material and (2) discrete rising blobs of more radiogenic material. The blobs are fractionated to a variable degree and are distributed in the upper mantle circulation in a manner that is related to the spreading rate.(1) Themean values of the isotopic distributions allow us to calculate the probabilities of the two types of material within the mantle. The results show that theproportion of asthenospheric material in the mixtureincreases with the spreading rate, in agreement with the hypothesis of blob dilution within the upper mantle convection.Mass fluxes can be estimated for the rising blobs from these probabilities, which depend on the respective concentrations in the sources of the two types of material. If the blobs originate in the lower mantle, this flux estimation would suggest that a significant part of the lower mantle has been injected into the upper mantle during earth history.(2) Thestandard deviations of the distributions depend on the “efficiency” of the mixing process:the more imbricated are the asthenospheric and blob materials in the mixture,the smaller is theisotopic spread. This efficiency parameter is shown to increase with the spreading rate, as already suggested by previous comparisons between the East Pacific Rise and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Moreover, this feature may also be correlated with other data such as ridge bathymetric variations.     

Deformation patterns of upper Quaternary strata and their relation to active tectonics,Po Basin,Italy

Despite increased application of subsurface datasets below the limits of seismic resolution, reconstructing near‐surface deformation of shallow key stratigraphic markers beneath modern alluvial and coastal plains through sediment core analysis has received little attention. Highly resolved stratigraphy of Upper Pleistocene to Holocene (Marine Isotope Stage 5e to Marine Isotope Stage 1) alluvial, deltaic and coastal depositional systems across the southern Po Plain, down to 150 m depth, provides an unambiguous documentation on the deformation of previously flat‐lying strata that goes back in time beyond the limits of morphological, historical and palaeoseismic records. Five prominent key horizons, accurately selected on the basis of their sedimentological characteristics and typified for their fossil content, were used as highly effective stratigraphic markers (M1 to M5) that can be tracked for tens of kilometres across the basin. A facies‐controlled approach tied to a robust chronology (102 radiocarbon dates) reveals considerable deformation of laterally extensive nearshore (M1), continental (M2 and M3) and lagoon (M4 and M5) marker beds originally deposited in a horizontal position (M1, M4 and M5). The areas where antiformal geometries are best observed are remarkably coincident with the axes of buried ramp anticlines, across which new seismic images reveal substantially warped stratal geometries of Lower Pleistocene strata. The striking spatial coincidence of fold crests with the epicentres of historic and instrumental seismicity suggests that deformation of marker beds M1 to M5 might reflect, in part at least, syntectonically generated relief and, thus, active tectonism. Precise identification and lateral tracing of chronologically constrained stratigraphic markers in the ¹⁴C time window through combined sedimentological and palaeoecological data may delineate late Quaternary subsurface stratigraphic architecture at an unprecedented level of detail, outlining cryptic stratal geometries at the sub‐seismic scale. This approach is highly reproducible in tectonically active Quaternary depositional systems and can help to assess patterns of active deformation in the subsurface of modern alluvial and coastal plains worldwide.     

Analysis of Cassini/CIRS limb spectra of Titan acquired during the nominal mission II: Aerosol extinction profiles in the 600–1420 cm spectral range

We have analyzed the continuum emission of limb spectra acquired by the Cassini/CIRS infrared spectrometer in order to derive information on haze extinction in the 3–0.02 mbar range (∼150–350 km). We focused on the 600–1420 cm⁻¹ spectral range and studied nine different limb observations acquired during the Cassini nominal mission at 55°S, 20°S, 5°N, 30°N, 40°N, 45°N, 55°N, 70°N and 80°N. By means of an inversion algorithm solving the radiative transfer equation, we derived the vertical profiles of haze extinction coefficients from 17 spectral ranges of 20-cm⁻¹ wide at each of the nine latitudes. At a given latitude, all extinction vertical profiles retrieved from various spectral intervals between 600 and 1120 cm⁻¹ display similar vertical slopes implying similar spectral characteristics of the material at all altitudes. We calculated a mean vertical extinction profile for each latitude and derived the ratio of the haze scale height (H_haze) to the pressure scale height (H_gas) as a function of altitude. We inferred H_haze/H_gas values varying from 0.8 to 2.4. The aerosol scale height varies with altitude and also with latitude. Overall, the haze extinction does not show strong latitudinal variations but, at 1 mbar, an increase by a factor of 1.5 is observed at the north pole compared to high southern latitudes. The vertical optical depths at 0.5 and 1.7 mbar increase from 55°S to 5°N, remain constant between 5°N and 30°N and display little variation at higher latitudes, except the presence of a slight local maximum at 45°N. The spectral dependence of the haze vertical optical depth is uniform with latitude and displays three main spectral features centered at 630 cm⁻¹, 745 cm⁻¹ and 1390 cm⁻¹, the latter showing a wide tail extending down to ∼1000 cm⁻¹. From 600 to 750 cm⁻¹, the optical depth increases by a factor of 3 in contrast with the absorbance of laboratory tholins, which is generally constant. We derived the mass mixing ratio profiles of haze at the nine latitudes. Below the 0.4-mbar level all mass mixing ratio profiles increase with height. Above this pressure level, the profiles at 40°N, 45°N, 55°N, at the edge of the polar vortex, display a decrease-with-height whereas the other profiles increase. The global increase with height of the haze mass mixing ratio suggest a source at high altitudes and a sink at low altitudes. An enrichment of haze is observed at 0.1 mbar around the equator, which could be due to a more efficient photochemistry because of the strongest insolation there or an accumulation of haze due to a balance between sedimentation and upward vertical drag.     

SARG: The High Resolution Spectrograph of TNG

SARG is a cross dispersed echelle spectrograph in operation since late spring 2000 at the Italian Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) 3.5 m telescope, La Palma. SARG offers both single object and long slit (up to 26 arcsec) observing modes covering a spectral range from λ = 0.37 up to1 μm, with resolution ranging from R = 29,000 up to R = 164,000. Cross dispersion is provided by means of a selection of four grisms; interference filters may be used for the long slit mode (up to 26 arcsec). A dioptric camera images the cross dispersed spectra onto a mosaic of two 2048 × 4096 EEV CCDs (pixel size: 13.5 μm) allowing complete spectral coverage at all resolving power for λ < 0.8 μm. In order to reach a high wavelength calibration precision an iodine-absorbing cell is provided. A Distributed Active Temperature Control System (DATCS) maintains constant the temperature of all spectrograph components at a preset value. Early results show that SARG works according to original specifications in terms of wavelength coverage, efficiency (measured peak efficiency is about 13%),resolution (maximum resolution R = 164,000 using a 0.3 arcsec slit, R ∼144,000 using an image slicer), and stability (preliminary estimates of radial velocity accuracy is ∼3 m/s using the iodine cell and ±150 m/s without the iodine cell). This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A minimal dynamical model for tidal synchronization and orbit circularization

We study tidal synchronization and orbit circularization in a minimal model that takes into account only the essential ingredients of tidal deformation and dissipation in the secondary body. In previous work we introduced the model (Escribano et al. in Phys. Rev. E, 78:036216, 2008); here we investigate in depth the complex dynamics that can arise from this simplest model of tidal synchronization and orbit circularization. We model an extended secondary body of mass m by two point masses of mass m/2 connected with a damped spring. This composite body moves in the gravitational field of a primary of mass M ≫ m located at the origin. In this simplest case oscillation and rotation of the secondary are assumed to take place in the plane of the Keplerian orbit. The gravitational interactions of both point masses with the primary are taken into account, but that between the point masses is neglected. We perform a Taylor expansion on the exact equations of motion to isolate and identify the different effects of tidal interactions. We compare both sets of equations and study the applicability of the approximations, in the presence of chaos. We introduce the resonance function as a resource to identify resonant states. The approximate equations of motion can account for both synchronization into the 1:1 spin-orbit resonance and the circularization of the orbit as the only true asymptotic attractors, together with the existence of relatively long-lived metastable orbits with the secondary in p:q (p and q being co-prime integers) synchronous rotation.     

The 1.10- and 1.18-μm nightside windows of Venus observed by SPICAV-IR aboard Venus Express

Observations of the 1.10- and 1.18-μm nightside windows by the SPICAV-IR instrument aboard Venus Express were analyzed to characterize the various sources of gaseous opacity and determine the H₂O mole fraction in the lower atmosphere of Venus. We showed that the line profile model of Afanasenko and Rodin (Afanasenko, T.S., Rodin, A.V. [2007]. Astron. Lett. 33, 203–210) underestimates the CO₂ absorption in the high-wavelength wing of the 1.18-μm window and we derived an empirical lineshape that matches this wing well. An additional continuum opacity is required to reproduce the variation of the 1.10- and 1.18-μm radiances with surface elevation as observed by the VIRTIS-M instrument aboard Venus Express. A constant absorption coefficient of 0.7 ± 0.2 × 10⁻⁹ cm⁻¹ am⁻² best reproduces the observed variation. We compared spectra calculated with different CO₂ and H₂O line lists. We found that the CDSD line list lacks the 5ν₁ + ν₃ series of CO₂ bands, which provide significant opacity in Venus’ deep atmosphere, and we have constructed a composite line list that best reproduces the observations. We also showed for the first time that HDO brings significant absorption at 1140–1190 nm. Using the best representation of the atmospheric opacity we could reach, we retrieved a water vapor mole fraction of ppmv, pertaining to the altitude range 5–25 km. Combined with previous measurements in the 1.74- and 2.3-μm windows, this result provides strong evidence for a uniform H₂O profile below 40 km, in agreement with chemical models.     

Scaling law of the reduced magnetic helicity in fast streams

The reduced magnetic helicity is a quantity related to the handedness of the magnetic field fluctuations. In the present paper we study the scaling law of the reduced magnetic helicity in fast streams in the solar wind by using high-resolution magnetic field data by the Ulysses spacecraft. We show that at high frequencies both the left-hand and the right-hand helicity survives, implying that there is no predominance of a single sign. In addition, the scaling law of the magnetic helicity exhibits a strong dependence on the data set analyzed and we do not observe any universal behavior.     

Local knowledge on plants and domestic remedies in the mountain villages of Peshkopia (Eastern Albania)

Ethnobotanical studies in the Balkans are crucial for fostering sustainable rural development in the region and also for investigating the dynamics of change of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), which has broad-sweeping implications for future biodiversity conservation efforts. A survey of local botanical and medical knowledge and practices was conducted in four mountainous villages of the Peshkopia region in northeast Albania, near the Macedonian border. Snowball sampling techniques were employed to recruit 32 informants for participation in semi-structured interviews regarding the use of the local flora for food, medicinal, veterinary and ritual purposes. The uses of 84 botanical taxa were recorded as well as a number of other folk remedies for the treatment of both humans and livestock. Comparison of the collected data with another ethnobotanical field study recently conducted among Albanians living on the Macedonian side of Mount Korab shows a remarkable divergence in medicinal plant uses, thus confirming the crucial role played by the history of the last century in transforming TEK. Most noteworthy, as a legacy of the Communist period, a relevant number of wild medicinal taxa are still gathered only for trade rather than personal/familial use. This may lead to unsustainable exploitation of certain taxa (i.e. Orchis and Gentiana spp.) and presents some important conservation challenges. Appropriate development and environmental educational frameworks should aim to reconnect local people to the perception of limitation and renewability of botanical resources.