Fluid influence on mineral reactions in ultrahigh-pressure granulites: a case study in the Śnieżnik Mts. (West Sudetes, Poland)

Small tectonic slices of undeformed eclogites and ultrahigh-pressure granulites occur in three tectonic units of the Śnieżnik Mts. (SW Poland). Ultrahigh-pressure granulite/eclogite transitions with peak metamorphic conditions between 21 and 28 kbar at 800 to 1000 °C occur only in the Złote unit. Conventional U-Pb multigrain analyses of zircons from a mafic granulite provided ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages between 360 to 369 Ma which are interpreted to approximate timing of original crystallisation from a melt. Diffusion kinetics and the restricted availability of a fluid phase mainly controlled the conversion from granulite to eclogite, although some bulk-chemical differences were also recognised. The ultrahigh-pressure granulites from the Złote unit exclusively contain H₂O-rich inclusions with variable salinities which distinguishes them from high-temperature (HT)-granulites world-wide. This is also in contrast to the fluid regime (H₂O-N₂-CO₂) recognised in the lower-temperature eclogites (600–800 °C) from the closely associated Międzygórze and Śnieżnik units. The variation in fluid composition between the lower-temperature eclogites and ultrahigh-pressure granulites on the one hand and ultrahigh-pressure granulites and HT-granulites on the other hand probably indicates contrasting P-T-t paths as a result of different tectonic environments. Received: 15 June 1998 / Accepted: 2 March 1999     

Mixing Ratios and Photostationary State of NO and NO2 Observed During the POPCORN Field Campaign at a Rural Site in Germany

Ambient mixing ratios of NO, NO2, and O3 were determined together with the photolysis frequency of NO2, JNO2, at a rural, agricultural site in Germany. The data were collected during the POPCORN-campaign from August 1 to August 24, 1994, in a maize field 6 m above ground. The medians of the NO, NO2, and O3 mixing ratios between 10:00 and 14:00 UT were 0.25, 1.09, and 45 ppbv, respectively. The corresponding median of JNO2 was 6.0 · 10–3 s–1. NOx = NO + NO2 showed a strong diurnal variation with maximum mixing ratios at night, suggestive of a strong local surface source of NO, probably by microbial activity in the soil. The estimated average emission rate was 40 ng(N) m–2 s–1 of NOx, the major part of it probably in the form of NO. The available measurements allowed the estimation of the local NOx budget. At night the budget is almost closed and the measured NOx mixing ratios can be explained by the local source, local dry deposition of NO2, formation of NO3 and N2O5, and vertical exchange of air across the nocturnal inversion. During day-time, the local surface source of NO is not sufficient to explain the measured mixing ratios, and horizontal advection of NOx to the site must be included. The NO2/NO ratio during the morning und late afternoon is lower than predicted from the photostationary state owing to the local NO surface source, but is regulary higher during the hours around noon. For noon, August 10, 1994, the NO2/NO ratio was used to derive the momentary lower limit for the concentration of the peroxy-radicals of 2.2 · 109 cm–3 (86 pptv).     

The QBO signal in monthly precipitation fields over Europe

Summary Areal monthly precipitation totals of 24 West and Central European regions and of 74 regions of the European part of the former USSR are studied in respect to the westerly and easterly phases of the QBO for the longest available period from 1953 to the 1980s. A significant QBO signal has been detected in September and October in the region of the British Isles, in the Central European region and in Byelorussia (in the easterly phase more precipitation and its lower variability in September and higher variability in October), but also in small region of the south Ukraine in August and in October. Regions of the eastern Ukraine and adjoined regions of Russia had the significant QBO signal in May (more precipitation and its prevalent lower variability in the westerly phase). The observed effects are explained by circulation differences in the westerly and easterly phases of the QBO.With 2 Figures     

Globular Clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud: An Impact from GAIA Photometry

The goal of this work is to assess the expected scientific output from the photometric studies of globular clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud with ESA's astrometric space mission GAIA. For this purpose we simulate GAIA photometry of individual stars in synthetic cluster populations, covering a large range of cluster ages and metallicities. We find that accurate effective temperatures (Δ T _eff<10%) can be obtained from GAIA photometry down to V ∼ 18 for stars in populations within the studied metallicity range ([M/H] = -0.4 ... -1.7). GAIA will also provide photometric metallicities (Δ [M/H] ≲ 0.3 dex) for the cluster giants brighter than V ∼ 17.5. The knowledge of the effective temperature sand metallicities will allow to obtain accurate ages of stellar populations younger than about 1 Gyr using the usual procedure of main sequence turn-off point fitting. Ages of older stellar populations (≳ 1 Gyr) may be constrained from the isochrone fits to the giant branches in the observed CMDs. We conclude that GAIA will provide excellent opportunities for studying star formation histories far beyond the Milky Way, providing means for better understanding of stellar and galactic evolution in different astrophysical environments. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Damage Potential and Losses Resulting from Snow Avalanches in Settlements of the Canton of Grisons,Switzerland

In the field of natural hazards, risk is usually expressed as a function of probability of occurrence and damage potential. A key factor in the development of avalanche risk is a change in damage potential. In this paper, the development of damage potential and losses is analysed for settlements in the canton of Grisons, Switzerland for the period between 1950 and 2000. The spatial development patterns of the residential population and the insured value of buildings on a municipal level are described. These patterns are overlain by an accentuated occurrence of avalanches that caused damage to buildings. Extensive results from areas threatened by avalanches in the municipality of Davos are presented. Although the natural avalanche activity remained constant during the last decades, the total amount of damage decreased due to mitigation measures. The example of the municipality of Davos shows that mitigation measures are able to compensate an increase of tangible assets which leads to a reduced avalanche risk compared to earlier decades.     

The Atmospheric Boundary Layer Over Baltic Sea Ice

A new parametrization for the surface energy balance of urban areas is presented. It is shown that this new method can represent some of the important urban phenomena, such as an urban heat island and the occurrence of a near-neutral nocturnal boundary layer with associated positive turbulent heat fluxes, unlike the traditional method for representing urban areas within operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. The basis of the new parametrization is simple and can be applied easily within an operational NWP model. Also, it has no additional computational expense compared to the traditional scheme and is hence applicable for operational forecasting requirements. The results show that the errors for London within the Met Office operational mesoscale model have been significantly reduced since the new scheme was introduced. The bias and root-mean-square (rms) errors have been approximately halved, with the rms error now similar to the model as a whole. The results also show that a seasonal cycle still exists in the model errors, but it is suggested that this may be caused by anthropogenic heat sources that are neglected in the urban scheme.The British Crowns right to retain a non-exclusive royalty-free license in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

Monitoring of Air Pollution in Latvia Between 1990 and 2000 Using Moss

The concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, V, Zn) in feather moss were estimated in national surveys in Latvia in 1990, 1995 and 2000. Hylocomium splendens was used as a biomonitor in 1990 and Pleurozium schreberi in the latter two years. Maps of the distributions of the metals in Latvia have been produced. The paper discusses the reasons underlying the distributions and also the temporal trends during the last ten years.     

Changes in Element Concentrations in Moss Segments After Cross-Transplanting Between a Polluted and Non-Polluted Site

To test the ability of Hylocomium splendens segments to retain absorbed heavy metals (Fe, V and Pb) and some physiological elements (Ca, Mg and K) over a period of some years, moss turf was cross-transplanted between polluted and background sites. Thereby it was possible to determine how quickly the concentrations in moss can reach chemical equilibrium with the atmospheric inputs. At a particular site (background or polluted), the physiological elements in transplanted material quickly reached the levels in the non-transplanted moss. For the heavy metals, the concentrations remained stable over 3 years in moss cross-transplanted from a polluted to a background site. There appeared to be inherent differences between moss at the background and polluted sites in the ability to absorb and accumulate heavy metals.