Fossil carotenoids and paleolimnology of meromictic Mahoney Lake,British Columbia,Canada

Vertical distribution of fossil carotenoids in a sediment core from meromictic Mahoney Lake was studied. Besides okenone and demethylated okenone, lutein and zeaxanthin and-carotene isomers were identified. No carotenoids typical for purple nonsulfur or green sulfur bacteria were detected. The ratio of zeaxanthin to lutein (above 1:1 in all samples) indicates a dominance of cyanobacteria over green algae in the phytoplankton assemblages of the past. Okenone, which is found exclusively in Chromatiaceae, was the dominating carotenoid in all sediment zones.The oldest sediment layers containing okenone were deposited 11 000 years ago. Between 9000 and 7000 and since 3000 years b.p., Chromatiaceae reached a considerable biomass in the lake. Vertical changes in okenone concentration were not related to changes of paleotemperatures. In contrast, okenone concentrations decreased during periods of volcanic ash input. During most of the lake history, however, mean okenone concentrations were positively correlated with sedimentation rates. This indicates that vertical changes of okenone concentration in the sediment reflect past changes of purple sulfur bacterial biomass in the lake.According to these results, the past limnology of Mahoney Lake resembled that of the present with a sulfide-containing monimolimnion and a well-developed population of okenone-bearing purple sulfur bacteria.     

Der Einfluß der Küstengestalt und des vorgelagerten Meeresbodens auf den windbedingten Anstau des Wassers,betrachtet am Beispiel der Westküste Schleswig-Holsteins

Zusammenfassung Die Einwirkung des Windes auf den Wasserstand bei Hochwasser entlang der deutschen Nordseeküste ist im allgemeinen verschieden. Die Gründe hierfür sind der ungleichmäßige Küstenverlauf und das von zahlreichen Prielen durchzogene flache Küstenvorland. Ausführliche Methoden zur Vorausberechnung des Windstaus unter Beachtung dieser morphologischen Bedingungen liegen noch nicht vor. Es wird deshalb ein Verfahren vorgeschlagen, den Windstau entlang der Küste im Anschluß an den Windstau eines geeigneten Bezugsortes zu bestimmen. Am Beispiel von acht Häfen der schleswig-holsteinischen Westküste wird gezeigt, daß dies mit gutem Erfolg möglich ist. Es wird eine Tabelle vorgelegt, die nach diesem Vorschlag beim Deutschen Hydrographischen Institut berechnet wurde und seit einiger Zeit für die Wasserstandsvorhersagen im Windstau- und Sturmflutwarndienst dieses Institutes verwendet wird. Die Tabelle enthält den Windstauunterschied der acht Orte gegen Cuxhaven in Abhängigkeit von Windrichtung und -stärke. Der Einfluß des Windes auf den Wasserstand wird für die Häfen einzeln besprochen. Die Untersuchung des Verhaltens der Häfen untereinander führt zur Aufstellung von sogenannten Normalgefällen. Abschließend werden Betrachtungen über die Genauigkeit des Verfahrens, die sich als befriedigend ergibt, angestellt.

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The influence exercised by the coast's shape and the topography of the tidal flats on the piling up of water due to stress of wind, exemplified by the conditions on the coast of Schleswig-Holstein

Summary The influences exercised by the wind on the water level at high water along the German North Sea coast show, in general, great differences which are due to the irregular coast line and the tidal flats with their numerous transversal tideways. Detailed methods of forecasting the piling up of water which take into consideration this sort of morphological conditions are so far not developed. Therefore, a method is proposed which permits to determine the piling up of water along the coast by relating it to the piling up at a suitable port of reference. Eight ports on the coast of Schleswig-Holstein are chosen as examples; they show that good results will be obtained from this method. A table is submitted which has been calculated by the German Hydrographic Institute in accordance with this proposal and which is used for the prediction of water level by the Storm Surge Warning Service of this institute. The table includes the difference in height of the piling up phenomenon at the eight places as compared with the data obtained at the port of Cuxhaven as a function of direction and strength of wind. The wind's influence on the water level at the different ports is discussed in detail. The behaviour of the eight ports is studied and a list of normal gradients is drawn up. In conclusion, the accuracy of the method is considered and is found to be satisfactory.

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L'influence de la configuration de la côte et des bas-fonds sur la montée du niveau due à la pression du vent, phénomène étudié à l'exemple de la côte du Schleswig-Holstein

Résumé La montée du niveau de la mer à l'époque de la pleine mer qui est causée par le vent subit, en général, des variations tout le long de la côte allemande de la mer du Nord. Les causes en sont le contour irrégulier de la côte et les bas-fonds traversés par beaucoup de petits chenaux de marée. Il n'existe pas encore de méthodes précises qui permettent à la fois de prédire la montée du niveau en tenant compte de ces conditions morphologiques. Donc, pour déterminer la montée du niveau le long de la côte, l'auteur propose un procédé qui se base sur la montée de niveau dans un port de référence convenable. A l'exemple de huit ports sur la côte d'ouest du Schleswig-Holstein, il montre que ce procédé donne de bons résultats. Une table est présentée qui fut calculée à l'Institut Hydrographique Allemand en conformité de cette proposition et qui y est employée depuis quelque temps pour les prévisions quotidiennes du niveau de la mer. La table contient les différences en montée du niveau entre les huit ports et le port de Cuxhaven en fonction de la direction et de la force du vent. L'influence du vent sur le niveau d'eau de chacun de ces huit ports est discutée. Le comportement des huit ports est étudie et il en résulte une table de gradients normaux. Enfin, l'auteur considère la précision du procédé qu'il trouve satisfaisante.

     

Die Darstellung des geomagnetischen Potentials zur Epoche 1945,0 durch eine Entwicklung nach Kugelfunktionen bis zur 15. Ordnung

Zusammenfassung Es werden die Ergebnisse einer Berechnung des geomagnetischen Potentials in Form einer Reihenentwicklung nach Kugelfunktionen bis zur 15. Ordnung auf Grund der magnetischen Weltkarten für die Epoche 1945,0 vonE. H. Vestine und andern vorgelegt. Bei der Ableitung des Potentialausdrucks nach der Methode der kleinsten Quadrate wurden die Orthogonalitätseigenschaften der Kugelflächenfunktionen vollständig ausgenutzt.

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Summary The results of the analysis of the main geomagnetic field for the epoch 1945.0 in a series of spherical harmonics to the 15th degree are presented. The analysis is based on the world magnetic charts derived byVestine et al. The coefficients of the potential are calculated by least-squares approximation taking advantage of the orthogonality of the spherical harmonics over discrete ranges.

     

Die Einwirkung des Windes auf den mittleren Wasserstand der Deutschen Bucht vom 15. Februar bis 6. März 1951

Zusammenfassung Aus den Wasserstandsaufzeichnungen von zwölf Schwimmer-Schreibpegeln und sechs Hochseepegeln im Gebiet der inneren Deutschen Bucht wurden durch Eliminierung des Gezeitenanteils Windstaukurven bestimmt. Der Verlauf der Kurven wurde mit der Entwicklung des Windes über der mittleren und südlichen Nordsee verglichen und teilweise in topographischen Karten dargestellt, die von sechs zu sechs Stunden die Lage des mittleren Wasserstandes in der Deutschen Bucht an Hand von Linien gleichen Windstaus enthalten. Die Wirkung auflandiger und ablandiger Winde sowie des Luftdrucks wird besprochen. Die Ergebnisse werden mit den Untersuchungen anderer Autoren verglichen.

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The wind's effect on the mean water level in the German Bight as observed between February 15th and March 6th, 1951

Summary By eliminating the tidal portions from the records of twelve self recording tide gauges and six high sea tide gauges in the inner German Bight curves of the wind produced disturbance of the water level were found. The curves were compared with the development of the wind in the central and southern parts of the North Sea. Proceeding from the curves bearing on the periods from 17th to 23rd February and from 2nd to 5th March, 1951, topographical charts for every six hours were plotted on which the mean water level in the German Bight is represented by co-disturbance lines. The effects of on-shore and off-shore winds as well as the influence of atmospheric pressure are discussed and the results are compared with the investigations of other authors.

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Effet du vent sur le niveau moyen de la mer devant les côtes allemandes de la mer du Nord (du golfe Allemand) d'après les observations du 15 février au 6 mars 1951

Résumé En éliminant l'effet de la marée contenu dans les enregistrements de douze marégraphes enregistreurs et de six marégraphes plongeurs installés à l'intérieur du golfe Allemand on obtient les courbes de la montée du niveau de la mer due à la force du vent. Ces courbes sont comparées avec le développement du vent dans la zone centrale et la zone méridionale de la mer du Nord, et partant des courbes relatives à la période du 17 au 23 février et celle du 2 au 5 mars 1951, on a établi des cartes topographiques du niveau de la mer dans le golfe Allemand pour toutes les six heures à l'aide de lignes d'égale montée du niveau due à la force du vent. L'effet des vents de mer et celui des vents de terre ainsi que l'influence de la pression atmosphérique sont discutés. Les résultats de ce travail sont comparés avec les recherches faites par d'autres auteurs.

     

Location and height of intertidal bars on macrotidal ridge and runnel beaches

Previous studies devoted to the morphology and hydrodynamics of ridge and runnel beaches highlight characteristics that deviate from those initially postulated by King and Williams (Geographical Journal, 1949, vol. 113, 70–85) and King (Beaches and Coasts, 1972, Edward Arnold). Disagreements on the morphodynamics of these macrotidal beaches include the position of the ridges relative to the mean neap and spring tide levels, the variation in the height of the ridges across the intertidal profile and, most importantly, whether the ridges are formed by swash or surf zone processes. The morphological characteristics of ridge and runnel beaches from three locations with varying wave, tidal and geomorphic settings were investigated to address these disagreements. Beach profiles from each site were analysed together with water‐level data collected from neighbouring ports. It was found that the ridges occur over the entire intertidal zone. On one site (north Lincolnshire, east England), the ridges are uniformly distributed over the intertidal beach, whereas on the two other sites (Blackpool beach, northwest England, and Leffrinckoucke beach, north France) there is some indication that the ridges appear to occur at preferential locations. Most significantly, the locations of the ridge crests were found to be unrelated to the positions on the intertidal profile where the water level is stationary for the longest time. It was further found that the highest ridges generally occur just above mid‐tide level where tidal non‐stationarity is greatest. These findings argue against the hypothesis that the ridges are formed by swash processes acting at stationary tide levels. It is tentatively suggested that the ridges are the result of a combination of swash and surf zone processes acting across the intertidal zone. Elucidation of the morphodynamic roles of these two types of processes, and other processes such as strong current flows in the runnels, requires further comprehensive field measurements complemented by numerical modelling. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of prescribed Arctic sea ice thickness in simulations of the present and future climate

This paper describes atmospheric general circulation model climate change experiments in which the Arctic sea-ice thickness is either fixed to 3 m or somewhat more realistically parameterized in order to take into account essentially the spatial variability of Arctic sea-ice thickness, which is, to a first approximation, a function of ice type (perennial or seasonal). It is shown that, both at present and at the end of the twenty-first century (under the SRES-A1B greenhouse gas scenario), the impact of a variable sea-ice thickness compared to a uniform value is essentially limited to the cold seasons and the lower troposphere. However, because first-year ice is scarce in the Central Arctic today, but not under SRES-A1B conditions at the end of the twenty-first century, and because the impact of a sea-ice thickness reduction can be masked by changes of the open water fraction, the spatial and temporal patterns of the effect of sea-ice thinning on the atmosphere differ between the two periods considered. As a consequence, not only the climate simulated at a given period, but also the simulated Arctic climate change over the twenty-first century is affected by the way sea-ice thickness is prescribed.     

Verification of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model when Forecasting Daily Surface Conditions in Southern Alberta

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was compared with daily surface observations to verify the accuracy of the WRF model in forecasting surface temperature, pressure, precipitation, wind speed, and direction. Daily forecasts for the following two days were produced at nine locations across southern Alberta, Canada. Model output was verified using station observations to determine the differences in forecast accuracy for each season.

Although there were seasonal differences in the WRF model, the summer season forecasts generally had the greatest accuracy, determined by the lowest root mean square errors, whereas the winter season forecasts were the least accurate. The WRF model generally produced skillful forecasts throughout the year although with a smaller diurnal temperature range than observed. The WRF model forecast the prevailing wind direction more accurately than other directions, but it tended to slightly overestimate precipitation amounts. A sensitivity analysis consisting of three microphysics schemes showed relatively minor differences between simulated precipitation as well as 2?m surface temperatures.     

The LMDZ4 general circulation model: climate performance and sensitivity to parametrized physics with emphasis on tropical convection

The LMDZ4 general circulation model is the atmospheric component of the IPSL–CM4 coupled model which has been used to perform climate change simulations for the 4th IPCC assessment report. The main aspects of the model climatology (forced by observed sea surface temperature) are documented here, as well as the major improvements with respect to the previous versions, which mainly come form the parametrization of tropical convection. A methodology is proposed to help analyse the sensitivity of the tropical Hadley–Walker circulation to the parametrization of cumulus convection and clouds. The tropical circulation is characterized using scalar potentials associated with the horizontal wind and horizontal transport of geopotential (the Laplacian of which is proportional to the total vertical momentum in the atmospheric column). The effect of parametrized physics is analysed in a regime sorted framework using the vertical velocity at 500 hPa as a proxy for large scale vertical motion. Compared to Tiedtke’s convection scheme, used in previous versions, the Emanuel’s scheme improves the representation of the Hadley–Walker circulation, with a relatively stronger and deeper large scale vertical ascent over tropical continents, and suppresses the marked patterns of concentrated rainfall over oceans. Thanks to the regime sorted analyses, these differences are attributed to intrinsic differences in the vertical distribution of convective heating, and to the lack of self-inhibition by precipitating downdraughts in Tiedtke’s parametrization. Both the convection and cloud schemes are shown to control the relative importance of large scale convection over land and ocean, an important point for the behaviour of the coupled model.     

Zoning and exsolution in alkali feldspars from Laacher See volcano (Western Germany): constraints on temperature history prior to eruption

Compositional zoning and exsolution patterns of alkali feldspars in carbonatite-bearing cognate syenites from the 6.3 km³ (D.R.E) phonolitic Laacher See Tephra (LST) deposit in western Germany (12.9 ka) are reported. These rocks represent the cooler outer portion and crystal-rich products of a cooling magma reservoir at upper crustal levels. Major and trace-element difference between cores and rims in sanidine crystals represent two generations of crystal growth separated by unmixing of a carbonate melt. Trace-element differences measured by LA–ICP–MS are in accordance with silicate–carbonate unmixing. Across the core–rim boundary, we extracted gray-scale profiles from multiple accumulations of back-scattered electron images. Gray scales directly represent K/Na ratios owing to low concentrations of Ba and Sr (<?30 ppm). Diffusion gradients are modeled to solve for temperature using known pre-eruptive U–Th zircon ages (0–20 ky) of each sample (Schmitt et al., J Petrol 51:1053–1085, 2010). Estimated temperatures range from 630 °C to 670 °C. For the exsolution boundaries, a diffusive homogenization model is constrained by the solvus temperature of ~ 712^_725 °C and gives short time scales of only 15–50 days. Based on our results, we present a model for the temperature–time history of these rocks. The model also constrains the thermal variation across the cooling crystal-rich carapace of the magma reservoir over 20 ka and suggests a thermal reactivation of cumulates, the cooling carapace, and probably the entire system only a few years prior to the explosive eruption of the remaining molten core of the phonolitic magma reservoir.     

Internal morphology, habit and U-Th-Pb microanalysis of amphibolite-to-granulite facies zircons: geochronology of the Ivrea Zone (Southern Alps)

Several types of growth morphologies and alteration mechanisms of zircon crystals in the high-grade metamorphic Ivrea Zone (IZ) are distinguished and attributed to magmatic, metamorphic and fluid-related events. Anatexis of pelitic metasediments in the IZ produced prograde zircon overgrowths on detrital cores in the restites and new crystallization of magmatic zircons in the associated leucosomes. The primary morphology and Th-U chemistry of the zircon overgrowth in the restites show a systematic variation apparently corresponding to the metamorphic grade: prismatic (prism-blocked) low-Th/U types in the upper amphibolite facies, stubby (fir-tree zoned) medium-Th/U types in the transitional facies and isometric (roundly zoned) high-Th/U types in the granulite facies. The primary crystallization ages of prograde zircons in the restites and magmatic zircons in the leucosomes cannot be resolved from each other, indicating that anatexis in large parts of the IZ was a single and short lived event at 299 ± 5 Ma (95% c. l.). Identical U/Pb ages of magmatic zircons from a metagabbro (293 ± 6 Ma) and a metaperidotite (300 ± 6 Ma) from the Mafic Formation confirm the genetic context of magmatic underplating and granulite facies anatexis in the IZ. The U-Pb age of 299 ± 5 Ma from prograde zircon overgrowths in the metasediments also shows that high-grade metamorphic (anatectic) conditions in the IZ did not start earlier than 20 Ma after the Variscan amphibolite facies metamorphism in the adjacent Strona–Ceneri Zone (SCZ). This makes it clear that the SCZ cannot represent the middle to upper crustal continuation of the IZ. Most parts of zircon crystals that have grown during the granulite facies metamorphism became affected by alteration and Pb-loss. Two types of alteration and Pb-loss mechanisms can be distinguished by cathodoluminescence imaging: zoning-controlled alteration (ZCA) and surface-controlled alteration (SCA). The ZCA is attributed to thermal and/or decompression pulses during extensional unroofing in the Permian, at or earlier than 249 ± 7 Ma. The SCA is attributed to the ingression of fluids at 210 ± 12 Ma, related to hydrothermal activity during the breakup of the Pangaea supercontinent in the Upper Triassic/Lower Jurassic. Received: 7 July 1998 / Accepted: 4 November 1998