Sir Archibald Geikie in memoriam

Ohne ZusammenfassungZum Gedächtnis anArchibald Geikie wurden im Museum der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Frankfurt am Main Handschriften und Bildnisse von Geologen ausgestellt, die inGeikies Buch 'The Founders of Geology erwähnt sind. Die Handschriften waren Leihgaben zweier Sammlungen. Für die großzügige Überlassung hervorragender Stücke danken wir der Generaldirektion der Preußischen Staatsbibliothek in Berlin sowie der Leitung ihrer Handschriften-Abteilung, welche dieDarmstaedtersche Sammlung betreut. Aus dieser stammt ein Teil der Leihgaben. Der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft danken wir für die Erlaubnis, die Sammlung in ihrem Museum auszustellen und für die große Mühe, eine Auswahl der Sammlung in ihren Schaukästen wirkungsvoll auszulegen. Daß dies mit großem ausstellungstechnischen Geschick geschah, war entscheidend für den starken Eindruck der Ausstellung.     

Stable isotope and trace element status of subsistence-hunted bowhead and beluga whales in Alaska and gray whales in Chukotka

Tissues of bowhead, beluga, and gray whales were analyzed for Ag, Cd, Cu, Se, Zn, THg and MeHg (belugas only). Delta15N and delta13C in muscle were used to estimate trophic position and feeding habitat, respectively. Trace element concentrations in tissues were significantly different among whale species. Hepatic Ag was higher in belugas than bowheads and gray whales. Gray whales had lower Cd concentrations in liver and kidney than bowhead and belugas and a sigmoid correlation of Cd with length was noted for all whales. Renal and hepatic Se and THg were higher in belugas than in baleen whales. The hepatic molar ratio of Se:THg exceeded 1:1 in all species and was negatively correlated to body length. Hepatic and renal Zn in subsistence-harvested gray whales was lower than concentrations for stranded whales. Se:THg molar ratios and tissue concentrations of Zn may show promise as potential indicators of immune status and animal health.     

Improved regional scale processes reflected in projected hydrological changes over large European catchments

For the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the recent version of the coupled atmosphere/ocean general circulation model (GCM) of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology has been used to conduct an ensemble of transient climate simulations These simulations comprise three control simulations for the past century covering the period 1860–2000, and nine simulations for the future climate (2001–2100) using greenhouse gas (GHG) and aerosol concentrations according to the three IPCC scenarios B1, A1B and A2. For each scenario three simulations were performed. The global simulations were dynamically downscaled over Europe using the regional climate model (RCM) REMO at 0.44° horizontal resolution (about 50 km), whereas the physics packages of the GCM and RCM largely agree. The regional simulations comprise the three control simulations (1950–2000), the three A1B simulations and one simulation for B1 as well as for A2 (2001–2100). In our study we concentrate on the climate change signals in the hydrological cycle and the 2 m temperature by comparing the mean projected climate at the end of the twenty-first century (2071–2100) to a control period representing current climate (1961–1990). The robustness of the climate change signal projected by the GCM and RCM is analysed focussing on the large European catchments of Baltic Sea (land only), Danube and Rhine. In this respect, a robust climate change signal designates a projected change that sticks out of the noise of natural climate variability. Catchments and seasons are identified where the climate change signal in the components of the hydrological cycle is robust, and where this signal has a larger uncertainty. Notable differences in the robustness of the climate change signals between the GCM and RCM simulations are related to a stronger warming projected by the GCM in the winter over the Baltic Sea catchment and in the summer over the Danube and Rhine catchments. Our results indicate that the main explanation for these differences is that the finer resolution of the RCM leads to a better representation of local scale processes at the surface that feed back to the atmosphere, i.e. an improved representation of the land sea contrast and related moisture transport processes over the Baltic Sea catchment, and an improved representation of soil moisture feedbacks to the atmosphere over the Danube and Rhine catchments.     

Holistic, adaptive management of the terrestrial carbon cycle at local and regional scales

Actions to manage carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gas) emissions at regional and local scales take place amid multiple requirements, participants, and agents. To address and solve tensions that emerge from diverse objectives and stakeholder needs, participatory decision processes and information tools are required. This paper explores how regional carbon budget information can contribute to the broader goal of holistic, adaptive regional development. We sketch the characteristics of a novel integrative framework for adaptive carbon management in the context of multiple criteria. An ex-post case study on carbon mitigation from Chiapas, Mexico, demonstrates challenges and trade-offs in a real-world setting.     

Spektrographische Untersuchungen des magnetischen Sterns α2CVn

The main purpose of this paper was the examination of the Cassegrain-spectrograph of the 2-m-universaltelescope at Tautenburg for investigations of magnetic stars. Therefore from 26 spectrograms of the well known magnetically variable star α²CVn taken with a reciprocal linear dispersion of 10 Å/mm variations of radial velocity and magnetic field strength for some lines of Eu II, Cr II, Si II, Mg II were determined. The results agree well with those of Babcock [5] and Struve and Swings [2], derived from spectrograms of higher dispersion. The large variation in the radial velocity of Eu II and Cr II is confirmed. In the oblique rotator model this requires a very strong concentration of Eu II at the poles and of Cr II at the equator.