Snowmelt variability in Polar Bear Pass,Nunavut, Canada,from QuikSCAT: 2000–2009

Snowmelt onset and end date estimates are made from QuikSCAT scatterometer measurements in the Canadian High Arctic wetland of Polar Bear Pass (PBP) and the surrounding region of Bathurst Island, Nunavut. In situ data within PBP is used to validate QuikSCAT snowmelt onset/end date estimates. Results indicate that within PBP from 2000 to 2009, the mean snowmelt onset date was Year Day (YD) 162, the mean snowmelt end date was YD179, and the mean snowmelt duration was 17 days. More interannual variability was apparent in snowmelt end date and duration compared with onset, and only snowmelt end date was significantly correlated with mean June air temperature at ?0.78. Cooler air temperatures in 2004 contributed to a long snowmelt duration of 24 days, and the very short snowmelt duration in 2007 of just 11 days was caused by rapid and sustained increases in air temperature. For snowmelt end date and duration the mean spatial pattern revealed two centres of later snowmelt end date/longer snowmelt duration over Bathurst Island. They were separated by early snowmelt end date/short snowmelt duration in PBP. These patterns are in agreement with the spatial distribution of mean May to July air temperature over Bathurst Island and are likely influenced by the local‐scale topography of Bathurst Island. Given the correlation between air temperature and snowmelt end date, we might expect quicker snowmelt under increased warming. The latter process may have implications for the sustainability of the PBP wetland under a warmer climate. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sampling of Chemical Constituents in Electrically Active Convective Systems: Results and Cautions

On flights of a P3-B turboprop and a WB-57F jet aircraft within thunderstorm systems, short term spikes (1–2 sec or less in duration) in NO and O₃ were recorded and are attributed to hot or cold discharges occurring on the aircraft fuselage or air sampling inlets. One such spike of only ∼300 msec duration reached 325 ppbv of NO on the flight of the jet aircraft while at 13.8 km altitude. In a lightning flash to the P3-B aircraft, production of NO (expected) and NO₂ (unexpected) were directly observed. The NO production was ∼ 1.7 x 10²² molecules/m of flash length. In the P3-B flight at 5.5 km altitude and over a distance of ∼ 275 km within a highly electrically active thunderstorm complex in the equatorial central Pacific Ocean, there was no evidence of production of O₃ or CO by lightning flashes or by any type of hot or cold discharge involved in the development of free-air lightning flashes.     

Trace element concentrations in the Mexico‐Belize ejecta layer: A link between the Chicxulub impact and the global Cretaceous‐Paleogene boundary

Abstract— Four exposures of Chicxulub impact ejecta along the Mexico‐Belize border have been sampled and analyzed for major and trace element abundances. The ejecta deposits consist of a lower spheroid bed, containing clay and dolomite spheroids, and an upper diamictite bed with boulders and clasts of limestone and dolomite. The matrix of both beds is composed of clay and micritic dolomite. The rare earth element (REE) compositions in the matrix of both units show strong similarities in concentrations and pattern. Furthermore, the Zr/TiO₂ scatter plot shows a linear correlation indicating one source. These results indicate that the basal spheroid bed has the same source and was generated during the same event as the overlying diamictite bed, which lends support to a single‐impact scenario for the Albion Formation ejecta deposits. The elevated concentrations of non‐meteoritic elements such as Sb, As, U, and Zn in the matrix of the lower spheroid bed are regarded to have been derived from the sedimentary target rocks at the Chicxulub impact site. The positive Eu and Ce anomalies in clay concretion and in the matrix of the lower part of the spheroid bed in Albion Island quarry is probably related to processes involved in the impact, such as high temperature and oxidizing conditions. Analogous trace element anomalies have been reported from the distal Cretaceous‐Paleogene (K/T) boundary clay layer at different sites. Thus, the trace element signals, reported herein, are regarded to support a genetic link between the Chicxulub impact, the ejecta deposits along the Mexico‐Belize border, and the global K/T boundary layer.     

Quantitative P-T paths from zoned minerals: Theory and tectonic applications

An analytical approach to the analysis of zoning profiles in minerals is presented that simultaneously accounts for all of the possible continuous reactions that may be operative in a given assemblage. The method involves deriving a system of simultaneous linear differential equations consisting of a Gibbs-Duhem equation for each phase, a set of linearly independent stoichiometric relations among the chemical potentials of phase components in the assemblage, and a set of equations describing the total differential of the slope of the tangent plane to the Gibbs free energy surface of solid solution phases. The variables are the differentials of T, P, chemical potentials of all phase components, and independent compositional terms of solid solution phases. The required input data are entropies, volumes, the compositions of coexisting phases at a reference P and T, and an expression for the curvature of the Gibbs functions for solid solution phases. Results derived are slopes of isopleths (dP/dT, dX/dT or dX/dP) which can be used to contour P-T diagrams with mineral composition.To interpret mineral zoning, T and P can be expressed as functions of n independent composition parameters, where n is the variance of the mineral assemblage. The total differentials of P and T are differential equations that can be solved by finite difference techniques using the derivatives obtained from the analytical formulation of phase equilibria.Results calculated from Zone I and Zone IV garnets of Tracy et al. (1976) indicate that Zone I garnets grew while T increased (T+72° C) and P decreased sharply (P–3 kb). Zone IV garnets zoned in response to decreasing T (T–17° C) and P (P–1 kb). A P-T path calculated for a zoned garnet from the Greinerschiefer series, western Tauern Window, Austria, also indicates growth during decompression (–3kb) and heating (T+15° C). A P-T path calculated for the Wissahickon schist (Crawford and Mark 1982) indicates growth during cooling and compression (T–25 C, P+2.2 kb). The calculated P-T paths differ according to structural environment and can be used to relate mineral growth to tectonic processes.     

Strategic priorities for assessing ecological impacts of marine renewable energy devices in the Pentland Firth (Scotland,UK)

The Pentland Firth, located between the north coast of mainland Scotland (UK) and the Orkney Islands, is recognised as an excellent location for the utilisation of tidal stream technology. Potential ecological impacts associated with tidal stream technology may ultimately depend on device design, array size and deployment location. Available ecological data for the Pentland Firth is summarised and strategic priorities for assessing ecological impacts are provided. Baseline data on marine species and habitats in the Pentland Firth is severely lacking and consequently the integrity of any environmental impact assessment could be compromised by this lack of data.     

Determination of Te,As, Bi,Sb and Se (TABS) in Geological Reference Materials and GeoPT Proficiency Test Materials by Hydride Generation‐Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (HG‐AFS)

The study of Te, As, Bi, Sb and Se (TABS) has increased over the past years due to their use in the development of low‐carbon energy technologies. However, there is a scarcity of mass fraction values of TABS in geological reference materials. This underlines the difficulty in undertaking routine determinations of these elements. The mass fractions of TABS were determined in geological reference materials using hydride generation‐atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG‐AFS), calibrated with standard solutions. Comparisons with literature values were used to validate the method. Samples from the GeoPT proficiency test were also analysed. For most elements, there are no assigned or even provisional values for many of the GeoPT and reference materials because of the wide range of results reported. For mass fractions above the quantification limit of the method, our results are in good agreement with the median of GeoPT results. Thus, we propose GeoPT median values as informational values for these elements. In contrast, at mass fractions < 0.5 µg g^?1 median values of Se from GeoPT are systematically higher than our results. Our Se results are in agreement with the reference materials down to 0.02 µg g^?1, which suggest that many of the results for Se reported in GeoPT testing are too high.     

Overview of GIS Applications in Estuarine Monitoring and Assessment Research

Geographic information systems (GIS) tools are now considered integral in estuarine monitoring and assessment research. A synopsis is presented of our estuarine applications of GIS in the Northeast region of the U.S. The applications discussed cover sample site selection, support for field sampling activities, quality assurance of data, spatial display of geographic referenced information, quantitative spatial analysis of data, and communication of results.     

The nature of rainfall in the main drainage sub-basins of Uganda

Abstract

A study of rainfall trends and temporal variations within seven sub-basins of Uganda spanning from 1940 to 2009 has been made. Rainfall climatologies are constructed from observational data, using 36 station records which reflect hydroclimatic conditions. Long-term changes in rainfall characteristics were determined by non-parametric tests (Mann-Kendall and Sen’s T tests), coefficient of variation (CV), precipitation concentration index and drought severity index. Magnitude of change was estimated by applying Sen’s estimator of slope. Decadal variability of rainfall with marked seasonal cycles is evident. Temporal variability of drought patterns is detected. Variations in annual rainfall are low with no significant trends observed in the main drainage sub-basins. Significant trends occur in October, November, December and January. A noticeable decrease in the annual total rainfall was observed mostly in northwestern and southwestern sub-basins. Rainfall trend in the second normal of June–July–August (JJA) was decreasing in all the main drainage sub-basins.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor S. Yue

Citation Nsubuga, F.W.N., Botai, O.J., Olwoch, J.M., Rautenbach, C.J.deW., Bevis, Y., and Adetunji, A.O., 2014. The nature of rainfall in the main drainage sub-basins of Uganda. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (2), 278–299.     

Shell Middens,Cultural Chronologies,and Coastal Settlement on the Rhode River Sub‐Estuary of Chesapeake Bay,Maryland, USA

North America's Atlantic Coast has been a focus of human settlement and subsistence for millennia, but sea‐level rise, sedimentation, and other processes pose significant challenges for archaeological research. Radiocarbon dating of 31 shell middens near the Rhode River Estuary, Maryland provides an opportunity to evaluate human land use, settlement, and cultural chronologies on the Chesapeake Bay. Sixty calibrated radiocarbon dates on eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) shell and charcoal demonstrate that Native Americans, colonial, and historic peoples harvested oysters and other shellfish from at least 3200 years ago through the 19th century. The number of dated sites increases during the Late Woodland period after about 1000 cal yr B.P., a factor probably related to greater site visibility and preservation, as well as increased human exploitation of the watershed. Accumulation rates for five of the shell middens provide preliminary indications that some of the sites accumulated rapidly suggesting, along with other evidence, that many of the region's shell middens were logistical or perhaps seasonal camps. Our study demonstrates the importance of regional watershed surveys and radiocarbon dating programs to help build and refine cultural chronologies in coastal regions threatened by sea‐level rise and other processes.