Petrology and geochemistry of the 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption,central Iceland: compositional and mineralogical characteristics,temporal variability and magma storage

The 2014–2015 Holuhraun fissure eruption provided a rare opportunity to study in detail the magmatic processes and magma plumbing system dynamics during a 6-month-long, moderate- to large-volume basaltic fissure eruption. In this contribution, we present a comprehensive dataset, including major and trace elements of whole-rock and glassy tephra samples, mineral chemistry, and radiogenic and oxygen isotope analyses from an extensive set of samples (n?=?62) that were collected systematically in several field campaigns throughout the entire eruptive period. We also present the first detailed chemical and isotopic characterization of magmatic sulfides from Iceland. In conjunction with a unique set of geophysical data, our approach provides a detailed temporal and spatial resolution of magmatic processes before and during this eruption. The 2014–2015 Holuhraun magma is compositionally indistinguishable from recent basalts erupted from the Bárðarbunga volcanic system, consistent with seismic observations for magma ascent close to the Bárðarbunga central volcano, followed by dyke propagation to the Holuhraun eruption site. Whole-rock elemental and isotopic compositions are remarkably constant throughout the eruption. Moreover, the inferred depth of the magma reservoir tapped during the eruption is consistently 8?±?5 km, in agreement with geodetic observations and melt inclusion entrapment pressures, but inconsistent with vertically extensive multi-tiered magma storage prior to eruption. The near constancy in the chemical and isotopic composition of the lava is consistent with the efficient homogenization of mantle-derived compositional variability. In contrast, occurrence of different mineral populations, including sulfide globules, which display significant compositional variability, requires a more complex earlier magmatic history. This may include sampling of heterogeneous mantle melts that mixed, crystallized and finally homogenized at mid- to lower-crustal conditions.     

Summer nanophytoplankton chlorophyll and carbon fixation in two neighbouring sea lochs

The Gareloch and Loch Long, neighbouring sea lochs opening off the Firth of Clyde, are of different morphometries with the smaller Gareloch receiving over four times the sewage ‘load’ of the other. Plant nutrient levels in the Gareloch in August 1976 were much higher than in Loch Long, but thermal stratification was more permanent in Loch Long. The nanophytoplankton (<20 μm) fraction of the phytoplankton in Loch Long remained a fairly constant and significant component over a two week period, both in its contribution to total biomass (measured as chlorophyll a) and in its carbon fixation. In the Gareloch the contribution of the nanophytoplankton component was less significant in the absence of thermal stratification, but increased in importance with establishment of the thermocline.     

Mapping land cover change of the Luvuvhu catchment, South Africa for environmental modelling

Considerable land cover changes have occurred in the Luvuvhu catchment in northeastern South Africa in the past two decades. These changes are associated with human population growth and may be contributing to observed reductions in winter river baseflows and increased episodes of river drying within Kruger National Park. Six-class land cover maps of the catchment were created from 1978 (MSS) and 2005 (TM) Landsat imagery using an iterative technique. Results indicate a 1,000 km² (12%) increase in Bare Ground between 1978 and 2005, with a concomitant decrease in shrubland and indigenous forest cover. Overall classification accuracy in the 2005 image was 80%. Classification was most accurate for Water and Pine classes (100 and 92%) and least accurate for Indigenous Forest (46%), primarily due to misclassification as Shrubland. These maps are suitable for land cover change and landscape modeling analyses, and can serve as baseline data for further research.     

River temperature regimes of England and Wales: spatial patterns,inter‐annual variability and climatic sensitivity

Identification of the most sensitive hydrological regions to a changing climate is essential to target adaptive management strategies. This study presents a quantitative assessment of spatial patterns, inter‐annual variability and climatic sensitivity of the shape (form) and magnitude (size) of annual river/stream water temperature regimes across England and Wales. Classification of long‐term average (1989–2006) annual river (air) temperature regime dynamics at 88 (38) stations within England and Wales identified spatially differentiable regions. Emergent river temperature regions were used to structure detailed hydroclimatological analyses of a subset of 38 paired river and air temperature stations. The shape and magnitude of air and water temperature regimes were classified for individual station‐years; and a sensitivity index (SI, based on conditional probability) was used to quantify the strength of associations between river and air temperature regimes. The nature and strength of air–river temperature regime links differed between regions. River basin properties considered to be static over the timescale of the study were used to infer modification of air–river temperature links by basin hydrological processes. The strongest links were observed in regions where groundwater contributions to runoff (estimated by basin permeability) were smallest and water exposure time to the atmosphere (estimated by basin area) was greatest. These findings provide a new large‐scale perspective on the hydroclimatological controls driving river thermal dynamics and, thus, yield a scientific basis for informed management and regulatory decisions concerning river temperature within England and Wales. © 2013 The Authors. Hydrological Processes published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Origin of silicic volcanic rocks in Central Costa Rica: a study of a chemically variable ash-flow sheet in the Tiribí Tuff

Chemical heterogeneities of pumice clasts in an ash-flow sheet can be used to determine processes that occur in the magma chamber because they represent samples of magma that were erupted at the same time. The dominant ash-flow sheet in the Tiribí Tuff contains pumice clasts that range in composition from 55.1 to 69.2 wt% SiO₂. It covers about 820 km² and has a volume of about 25 km³ dense-rock equivalent (DRE). Based on pumice clast compositions, the sheet can be divided into three distinct chemical groupings: a low-silica group (55.1-65.6 wt% SiO₂), a silicic group (66.2-69.2 wt% SiO₂), and a mingled group (58.6-67.7 wt% SiO₂; all compositions calculated 100% anhydrous). Major and trace element modeling indicates that the low-silica magma represents a mantle melt that has undergone fractional crystallization, creating a continuous range of silica content from 55.1-65.6 wt% SiO₂. Eu/Eu*, MREE, and HREE differences between the two groups are not consistent with crystal fractionation of the low-silica magma to produce the silicic magma. The low-silica group and the silicic group represent two distinct magmas, which did not evolve in the same magma chamber. We suggest that the silicic melts resulted from partial melting of relatively hot, evolved calc-alkaline rocks that were previously emplaced and ponded at the base of an over-thickened basaltic crust. The mingled group represents mingling of the two magmas shortly before eruption. Electronic supplementary material to this paper can be obtained by using the Springer LINK server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00445-001-0188-8.     

Methylmercury Bioaccumulation in an Urban Estuary: Delaware River,USA

Spatial variation in mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) bioaccumulation in urban coastal watersheds reflects complex interactions between Hg sources, land use, and environmental gradients. We examined MeHg concentrations in fauna from the Delaware River estuary, and related these measurements to environmental parameters and human impacts on the waterway. The sampling sites followed a north to south gradient of increasing salinity, decreasing urban influence, and increasing marsh cover. Although mean total Hg in surface sediments (top 4 cm) peaked in the urban estuarine turbidity maximum and generally decreased downstream, surface sediment MeHg concentrations showed no spatial patterns consistent with the examined environmental gradients, indicating urban influence on Hg loading to the sediment but not subsequent methylation. Surface water particulate MeHg concentration showed a positive correlation with marsh cover whereas dissolved MeHg concentrations were slightly elevated in the estuarine turbidity maximum region. Spatial patterns of MeHg bioaccumulation in resident fauna varied across taxa. Small fish showed increased MeHg concentrations in the more urban/industrial sites upstream, with concentrations generally decreasing farther downstream. Invertebrates either showed no clear spatial patterns in MeHg concentrations (blue crabs, fiddler crabs) or increasing concentrations further downstream (grass shrimp). Best-supported linear mixed models relating tissue concentration to environmental variables reflected these complex patterns, with species specific model results dominated by random site effects with a combination of particulate MeHg and landscape variables influencing bioaccumulation in some species. The data strengthen accumulating evidence that bioaccumulation in estuaries can be decoupled from sediment MeHg concentration, and that drivers of MeHg production and fate may vary within a small region.     

Catalyzing mitigation ambition under the Paris Agreement: elements for an effective Global Stocktake

The Global Stocktake (GST) takes a central role within the architecture of the Paris Agreement, with many hoping that it will become a catalyst for increased mitigation ambition. This paper outlines four governance functions for an ideal GST: pacemaker, ensurer of accountability, driver of ambition and provider of guidance and signal. The GST can set the pace of progress by stimulating and synchronizing policy processes across governance levels. It can ensure accountability of Parties through transparency and public information sharing. Ambition can be enhanced through benchmarks for action and transformative learning. By reiterating and refining the long term visions, it can echo and amplify the guidance and signal provided by the Paris Agreement. The paper further outlines preconditions for the effective performance of these functions. Process-related conditions include: a public appraisal of inputs; a facilitative format that can develop specific recommendations; high-level endorsement to amplify the message and effectively inform national climate policy agendas; and an appropriate schedule, especially with respect to the transparency framework. Underlying information provided by Parties complemented with other (scientific) sources needs to enable benchmark setting for collective climate action, to allow for transparent assessments of the state of emissions and progress of a low-carbon transformation. The information also needs to be politically relevant and concrete enough to trigger enhancement of ambition. We conclude that meeting these conditions would enable an ideal GST and maximize its catalytic effect.

Key policy insights

• The functional argument developed in this article may inspire a purposeful design of the GST as its modalities and procedures are currently being negotiated.

• The analytical framework provided serves as a benchmark against which to assess the GST's modalities and procedures.

• Gaps and blind spots in the official GST can and should be addressed by processes external to the climate regime in academia and civil society.

     

European quaternary refugia: a factor in large carnivore extinction?

The extinction of large carnivores in Europe during the Quaternary is reviewed and the potential role of glacial refugia in these extinctions is investigated using the VORTEX model for population viability analysis. A model was built for a medium sized big cat similar to the extinct Panthera gombaszoegensis utilising life history data from the modern jaguar Panthera onca. This approach highlighted the potential importance of glacial refugia in the extinction process. Even model refugia the size of the Italian peninsula did not guarantee persistence of a population over a 1000 yr time span, illustrating the role of chance in survival in such a refugium. An area the size of the largest Mediterranean island was unable to support a big cat population for a period of 1000 yr. The models also demonstrated the importance of inbreeding as a mechanism for extinction in refugia. It is suggested that repeated genetic bottlenecks during successive glaciations would tend to remove lethal recessive alleles from the population, increasing the probability of survival in refugia in subsequent glaciations. The history of extinction of large carnivores in the European Quaternary is interpreted in the light of these results. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial and temporal water column and streambed temperature dynamics within an alpine catchment: implications for benthic communities

Despite the significant influence of temperature upon alpine stream benthic communities, thermal regimes of the water column and hyporheic zone of these mountain streams have received limited attention. This paper reports upon a detailed spatio‐temporal study of water column and streambed temperatures undertaken within the Taillon–Gabiétous catchment, French Pyrénées, that aims: (1) to characterize the nature and dynamics of alpine stream water column and streambed thermal patterns; (2) to investigate stream thermal variability under a range of hydroclimatological conditions; and (3) to consider the implications of (1) and (2) for alpine stream benthic communities. The catchment contains four highly dynamic hydrological sources and pathways: (1) two cirque glaciers (Taillon and Gabiétous); (2) seasonal snowpacks; (3) a karst groundwater system; and (4) hillslope aquifers. Water column temperatures were monitored continuously at four sites located along the Taillon glacial stream and at three groundwater springs (two karstic and one hillslope) over the 2002 summer melt season. An eighth site (Tourettes) was established on a predominantly groundwater‐fed stream with limited meltwater input. Bed temperatures (0·05, 0·20 and 0·40 m depth) and river discharge were measured at three sites: (1) the Taillon stream; (2) the Tourettes stream; and (3) below the confluence of (1) and (2). Air temperatures, incoming short‐wave radiation and precipitation were recorded to characterize atmospheric conditions. Glacial stream water column temperatures increased downstream, although groundwater tributaries punctuated longitudinal patterns. Karstic groundwater streams were cooler and more thermally stable than the glacial stream (except at the glacier snout). Hillslope groundwater stream temperatures were most variable and, on average, the warmest of all sites. Streambed temperatures in the glacial stream were coldest and most variable whilst the warmest and least variable streambed temperatures were recorded in an adjacent groundwater tributary. Temperature variability was strongly related to: (1) dynamic water source and pathway contributions; (2) proximity to source; and (3) prevailing hydroclimatological conditions. The high thermal heterogeneity within this catchment may sustain relatively diverse benthic communities, including some endemic Pyrénéan macroinvertebrate taxa. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.