The long-term succession of high-altitude cladoceran assemblages: a 9000-year record from Sägistalsee (Swiss Alps)

Cladoceran remains were analysed in a 1344 cm long sediment core from Sägistalsee (Swiss Alps, 1935 m asl) which covered the last 9000 years. Planktonic Cladocera were almost exclusively represented by Daphnia species, which occurred throughout the core. The chydorid fauna consisted of four species: Alona quadrangularis, Alona affinis, Acroperus harpae and Chydorus sphaericus of which the former was by far the most frequent species. The chydorid succession was characterised by disappearance and re-appearance of Acroperus harpae and Chydorus sphaericus at about 8400 and 3340 cal. BP, respectively. As a result, there was a long period of about 5000 years in which only two chydorid species were present with strong predominance (88.9%) of Alona quadrangularis. There was also a long-term trend of an increase of Alona affinis at the expense of Alona quadrangularis throughout the core.     

ppb-PIXE analysis of the trace-element content in precipitation

PIXE is a well established and valuable method for quantitative and qualitative aerosol elemental analysis. Using this method, we have developed a technique to simultaneously analyse the trace-element content in precipitation for elements with Z> 12. Freeze-drying and leaching was used as a nonselective preconcentration technique. A special backing foil to take up the sample liquid to be dried was developed for these experiments. By careful adjustment of the experimental parameters, we reached a detection limit lower than 1 ppb for most detected elements. Thus, it will be possible to analyze precipitation at low concentrations of trace elements which are important for air chemistry and environmental studies.Supported by DFG/Bonn under Sonderforschungsbereich 233.     

Wärmestrom,Massenstrom und Volumstrom

Zusammenfassung Ausgehend von der Gleichung eines mit einem Massenstromm=v mitgeführten WärmestromesL=m i wird gezeigt, daß der Wärmestrom nur dann willkürfrei angegeben werden kann, wenn der Massenstrom im Mittel verschwindet, da die spezifische Enthalpiei nur bis auf eine Konstante bestimmt ist. Auch bei abgeglichenem Massenstromm=0 herrscht eine dem mittleren Austauschwärmestrom proportionale mittlere Windgeschwindigkeitv senkrecht zur Zählfläche, wobei in der Luftv/L=2 mm sec^–1/cal cm^–2 min^–1 ist.

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Summary Proceeding from the equation of a heat fluxL=m i carried along by a mass fluxm=v, it is shown that the heat flux can only be given without arbitrary assumptions, if the mass flux disappears in the mean, since the specific enthalpyi is determined only up to a constant. Also for a balanced mass fluxm=0 there exists an average wind velocityv normal to the surface of reference, which is proportional to the mean heat exchange flux, whereby for airv/L=2 mm sec^–1/cal cm^–2 min^–1.

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Résumé Partant de l'équation d'un flux de chaleurL=m i entraîné dans un courant de massem=v, on montre qu'il ne peut être dêterminé sans arbitraire que lorsque le courant de masse disparaît en moyenne, puisque l'enthalpiei spécifique n'est déterminée qu'à une constante près. Même par courant de massem=0 neutralisé, il existe une vitesse moyenne de ventv normale à la surface envisagée, proportionnelle au flux moyen d'échange turbulent de chaleur, avecv/L=2 mm sec^–1/cal cm^–2 min^–1 dans l'air.

     

Zur Darstellung der spektralen Verteilung der Strahlungsenergie

Zusammenfassung Durch passende Umformung und Darstellung desPlanckschen Strahlungsgesetzes wird eine anschauliche Rechtfertigung für die in der Meteorologie übliche Trennung der Strahlungsströme in kurz- und langwellige versucht. Es zeigt sich, daß die Trennung zwischen 2 und 7 gemacht werden muß, da in diesem Bereich relativ wenig meteorologisch bedeutsame Strahlung vorkommt.

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Summary An attempt is made to justify, by conveniently transforming and representingPlancks radiation law, the separation of radiation into a short-wave and a long-ware flux as is usual in meteorology. It is shown that the separation must be made between 2 and 7 in this range occurring only relatively few radiation of meteorological importance.

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Résumé Par une transformation convenable de la loi de rayonnement dePlanck, l'auteur tente de justifier la distinction faite en météorologie entre le rayonnement à courte et à longue longueur d'onde. Il constate que la séparation doit se faire entre 2 et 7 , puisque dans cet intervalle le rayonnement n'a que peu d'importance du point de vue météorologique.

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Mit 4 Textabbildungen.     

Die Tektonik des Bayerischen Pfahls

The dyke-quartz-masses of the Bavarian “Pfahl” are embedded in schists striking NW-SE. The Pfahl consists of numerous individual veins arranged en echelon and represents a system of feather joints which originated during a weak phase of compression normal to a NW-SE-striking axis. The age of these movements is possibly Sudetic. Post-Cretaceous movements along the north edge of the Bodenwöhr-Basin had little or no effect upon the Pfahl. There is no post-Cretaceous quartz-precipitation.     

U-Th chronology and paleoceanographic record in a Fe-Mn crust from the NE Atlantic over the last 700 ka

Hydrogenetic ferromanganese crusts (Fe-Mn crusts) provide a secular record of the variations of seawater composition responding to changes in ocean circulation and erosion processes. In this respect, the acquisition of an absolute and reliable chronology in Fe-Mn crusts is a prerequisite. Here we combine four different and complementary chronometers (¹⁰Be, ²³⁰Th_ex, ²³⁰Th_ex/²³²Th, ²³⁴U/²³⁸U) in a Fe-Mn crust dredged at ∼2000 m depth in the east Atlantic to first establish a reliable chronology over the Quaternary period. Then, we use EDS chemical analysis to look for correlation between major element chemistry and climate changes. (²³⁰Th_ex), (²³⁰Th_ex/²³²Th), and Be data give very consistent growth rates. In particular, the good match between (²³⁰Th_ex) and (²³⁰Th_ex/²³²Th) data indicates that at the location of crust 121DK, ²³⁰Th and ²³²Th fluxes in the water column change simultaneously and suggests that the normalization of ²³⁰Th_ex to ²³²Th makes (²³⁰Th_ex/²³²Th) a better chronometer. Our best-fit model suggests that crust 121DK experienced changes in growth rates at ∼122 and 312 ka and a growth with a constant ²³⁰Th initial flux. This chronology returns an age of 680 ka for the uppermost 1.5 mm. The (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) depth profile, however, was clearly affected by diffusion of ²³⁴U in the porous crust and can therefore not be used to derive a reliable chronology. One part of the crust seems isolated from pore water diffusion and can be physically recognized as a zone of very small porosity. On the basis of the (²³⁰Th_ex/²³²Th) chronology, major element chemistry is shown to be linked to climate change. Mn/Fe variations compare well with those in a Fe-Mn crust from the Pacific, showing systematic maxima during glacial stages 2 and 4. High Mn/Fe are tentatively interpreted to reflect expansion of the oxygen minimum zone during glacial periods, resulting from higher bioproductivity. In addition we note that the surface (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) activity ratio of crust 121DK is entirely consistent with advection of deep water from the western toward the eastern Atlantic basin.     

The marineOs/Os record of the past 80 million years

We report new¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁶Os data and Re and Os concentrations in metalliferous sediments from the Pacific to construct a composite Os isotope seawater evolution curve over the past 80 m.y. Analyses of four samples of upper Cretaceous age yield¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁶Os values of between 3 and 6.5 and¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁶Os values below 55. Mass balance calculations indicate that the pronounced minimum of about 2 in the Os isotope ratio of seawater at the K-T boundary probably reflects the enormous input of cosmogenic material into the oceans by the K-T impactor(s). Following a rapid recovery to¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁶Os of 3.5 at 63 Ma, data for the early and middle part of the Cenozoic show an increase in¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁶Os to about 6 at 15 Ma. Variations in the isotopic composition of leachable Os from slowly accumulating metalliferous sediments show large fluctuations over short time spans. In contrast, analyses of rapidly accumulating metalliferous carbonates do not exhibit the large oscillations observed in the pelagic clay leach data. These results together with sediment leaching experiments indicate that dissolution of non-hydrogenous Os can occur during the hydrogen peroxide leach and demonstrate that Os data from pelagic clay leachates do not always reflect the Os isotopic composition of seawater.

New data for the late Cenozoic further substantiate the rapid increase in the¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁶Os of seawater during the past 15 Ma. We interpret the correlation between the marine Sr and Os isotope records during this time period as evidence that weathering within the drainage basin of the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system is responsible for driving seawater Sr and Os toward more radiogenic isotopic compositions. The positive correlation between⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and U concentration, the covariation of U and Re concentrations, and the high dissolved Re, U and Sr concentrations found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra river waters supports this interpretation. Accelerating uplift of many orogens worldwide over the past 15 Ma, especially during the last 5 Ma, could have contributed to the rapid increase in¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁶Os from 6 to 8.5 over the past 15 Ma. Prior to 15 Ma the marine Sr and Os record are not tightly coupled. The heterogeneous distribution of different lithologies within eroding terrains may play an important role in decoupling the supplies of radiogenic Os and Sr to the oceans and account for the periods of decoupling of the marine Sr and Os isotope records.     

Critical issues for long-term climate monitoring

Climatic Change - Even after extensive re-working of past data, in many instances we are incapable of resolving important aspects concerning climate change and variability. Virtually every...     

Influence of pore pressure on velocity in low-porosity sandstone: Implications for time-lapse feasibility and pore-pressure study

As seismic data quality improves, time‐lapse seismic data is increasingly being called upon to interpret and predict changes during reservoir development and production. Since pressure change is a major component of reservoir change during production, a thorough understanding of the influence of pore pressure on seismic velocity is critical. Laboratory measurements show that differential pressure (overburden minus fluid pressure) does not adequately determine the actual reservoir conditions. Changes in fluid pressure are found to have an additional effect on the physical properties of rocks. The effective‐stress coefficient n is used to quantify the effect of pore pressure compared to confining pressure on rock properties. However, the current practice in time‐lapse feasibility studies, reservoir‐pressure inversion and pore‐pressure prediction is to assume that n= 1. Laboratory measurements, reported in both this and previous research show that n can be significantly less than unity for low‐porosity rocks and that it varies with porosity, rock texture and wave type. We report the results of ultrasonic experiments to estimate n for low‐porosity sandstones with and without microcracks. Our results show that, for P‐waves, n is as low as 0.4 at a differential pressure of 20 MPa (about 3000 psi) for a low‐porosity sandstone. Thus, in pore‐pressure inversion, an assumption of n= 1 would lead to a 150% underestimation of the pore pressure. Comparison of the effective‐stress coefficient for fractured and unfractured samples suggests that the presence of microfractures increases the sensitivity of P‐wave velocity to pore pressure, and therefore the effective‐stress coefficient. Our results show that the effective‐stress coefficient decreases with the differential pressure, with a higher differential pressure resulting in a lower effective‐stress coefficient. While the effective‐stress coefficient for P‐wave velocity can be significantly less than unity, it is close to one for S‐waves.