The Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS critical zone observatory M-TROPICS dataset I: The Nyong River Basin,Cameroon

Simultaneously acquiring time series of climate, hydrology and hydrochemical data over decades on river systems is pivotal to understand the complex interactions involving rock, soil water, air and biota in the Critical Zone, to build integrated modelling and to propose predictive scenarios. Among the Critical Zone Observatories (CZOs) implemented in the past 25 years, only a few are located in the humid Tropics despite the importance of these regions in terms of population density, fast-changing land use, biodiversity hotspots, biomass stock on continents, size of river systems, etc. Since 1994, weathering and erosion processes and fluxes have been investigated at both local (experimental watershed) and regional scales in the Nyong River Basin (Cameroon) which belongs to the Critical Zone Observatories network named Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS (M-TROPICS). The data shared by M-TROPICS in Cameroon are: (1) rainfall; (2) air temperature, air relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and global radiation; (3) stream and river water level; (4) pH, electrical conductivity, water temperature and suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration; (5) major ion, alkalinity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations. The dataset already contributed to describe the water partitioning in these tropical humid watersheds, to better understand the factors controlling chemical weathering and physical erosion in tropical ecosystems, particularly the role of organic matter. The dataset also contributed to calculate elemental weathering fluxes and saprolite production rate and to propose denudation rates on tropical cratonic landscapes. Hydrological modelling allowed quantification of the geographical water sources contributing to streamflow. DOC data were used to determine greenhouse-gas emissions and carbon budgets from African inland waters. However, long-term solute concentrations at the outlet of a small tributary of the Nyong River exhibit non-stationary behaviour over the last 26 years. The processes governing those fluctuations are not yet fully understood and might be related to changes in the hydrological regime, land-cover and land-use. The latter highlights the need for longer time-series and continued support for CZOs particularly in the humid tropics.     

Assimilation of preexisting Pleistocene intrusions at Long Valley by periodic magma recharge accelerates rhyolite generation: rethinking the remelting model

Rhyolite flows and tuffs from the Long Valley area of California, which were erupted over a two-million-year time period, exhibit systematic trends in Nd, Hf, and Pb isotopes, trace element composition, erupted volume, and inferred magma residence time that provide evidence for a new model for the production of large volumes of silica-rich magma. Key constraints come from geochronology of zircon crystal populations combined with a refined eruption chronology from Ar–Ar geochronology; together these data give better estimates of magma residence time that can be evaluated in the context of changing magma compositions. Here, we report Hf, Nd, and Sr isotopes, major and trace element compositions, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages, and U–Pb zircon ages that combined with existing data suggest that the chronology and geochemistry of Long Valley rhyolites can be explained by a dynamic interaction of crustal and mantle-derived magma. The large volume Bishop Tuff represents the culmination of a period of increased mantle-derived magma input to the Long Valley volcanic system; the effect of this input continued into earliest postcaldera time. As the postcaldera evolution of the system continued, new and less primitive crustal-derived magmas dominated the system. A mixture of varying amounts of more mafic mantle-derived and felsic crustal-derived magmas with recently crystallized granitic plutonic materials offers the best explanation for the observed chronology, secular shifts in Hf and Nd isotopes, and the apparently low zircon crystallization and saturation temperatures as compared to Fe–Ti oxide eruption temperatures. This scenario in which transient crustal magma bodies remained molten for varying time periods, fed eruptions before solidification, and were then remelted by fresh recharge provides a realistic conceptual framework that can explain the isotopic and geochemical evidence. General relationships between crustal residence times and magma sources are that: (1) precaldera rhyolites had long crustal magma residence times and high crustal affinity, (2) the caldera-related Bishop Tuff and early postcaldera rhyolites have lower crustal affinity and short magma residence times, and (3) later postcaldera rhyolites again have stronger crustal signatures and longer magma residence times.     

Metabolised Tritium and Radiocarbon in Lichens and Their Use as Biomonitors

Lichens are now well known for their potential as bio-indicators of environmental pollution, but less is known about their suitability as quantitative biomonitors for atmospheric emissions of tritium (mainly as tritiated water, HTO) and radiocarbon (as ¹⁴CO₂) from nuclear facilities, although both radionuclides could result in non-trivial individual or collective radiation doses due to their high environmental mobility and their long half-lives. ³H and ¹⁴C are fixed in lichens mainly by the photosynthesis of the algal partner and then stored in the organic molecules of both alga and fungus. They have the advantage of allowing the monitoring of atmospheric water vapour without interference of soil water or soil organic substances as long as soil-inhabiting species are avoided. Lichens were collected in the surroundings of (military and civil) nuclear facilities, in areas away from any direct source of contamination and some were transplanted from a contaminated area to a non-contaminated one. The influence of the nuclear facilities can be clearly traced, sometimes in a spectacular way and the first results of analyses after transplants give a base for estimating the effective half-life of ³H in lichens.     

Quantifying initial and wind forcing uncertainties in the Gulf of Mexico

This study aims at analyzing the combined impact of uncertainties in initial conditions and wind forcing fields in ocean general circulation models (OGCM) using polynomial chaos (PC) expansions. Empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) are used to formulate both spatial perturbations to initial conditions and space-time wind forcing perturbations, namely in the form of a superposition of modal components with uniformly distributed random amplitudes. The forward deterministic HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) is used to propagate input uncertainties in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in spring 2010, during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and to generate the ensemble of model realizations based on which PC surrogate models are constructed for both localized and field quantities of interest (QoIs), focusing specifically on sea surface height (SSH) and mixed layer depth (MLD). These PC surrogate models are constructed using basis pursuit denoising methodology, and their performance is assessed through various statistical measures. A global sensitivity analysis is then performed to quantify the impact of individual modes as well as their interactions. It shows that the local SSH at the edge of the GoM main current—the Loop Current—is mostly sensitive to perturbations of the initial conditions affecting the current front, whereas the local MLD in the area of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is more sensitive to wind forcing perturbations. At the basin scale, the SSH in the deep GoM is mostly sensitive to initial condition perturbations, while over the shelf it is sensitive to wind forcing perturbations. On the other hand, the basin MLD is almost exclusively sensitive to wind perturbations. For both quantities, the two sources of uncertainty have limited interactions. Finally, the computations indicate that whereas local quantities can exhibit complex behavior that necessitates a large number of realizations, the modal analysis of field sensitivities can be suitably achieved with a moderate size ensemble.     

Stratigraphy and evolution of the trachy-rhyolitic volcanism of the Senafe area (Eastern Eritrean Plateau)

The Senafe area reveals a pile of stratoid volcanic rocks (“Senafe” ignimbrite), of considerable extent and thickness, which are the products of the first volcanic event which took place in this sector, close to the upper margin of the Afar escarpment.The Senafe ignimbrite is composed prevalently of trachyte with differing degrees of alkalinity: trachy-dacite of transitional series, and trachyte s.s. of mildly alkaline series. K/Ar radiometric measurements carried out on three samples give ages ranging between 21 and 23 Ma (Lower Miocene) and show that the Senafe ignimbrite with transitional character is an extension of the Serae rhyolite of the Central Eritrean Plateau, and may also be correlated with the Miocene Alaji rhyolite of the Central Ethiopian Plateau. In contrast, the more alkaline ignimbrite shows good correlations with the trachyte emitted by the Miocene Termaber alkaline central volcanoes of Ethiopia.It is noted that, in the course of the Miocene volcanism in Eritrea, the volumetric ratio between associated basalt and ignimbrite diminishes from west to east, i.e., approaching the Afar escarpment.The stratoid volcanic rocks are injected by thick trachytic and rhyolitic dykes. As radiometric measurements on them could not be performed, their age is unknown, but it is probably more recent than that of the injected ignimbrite, according to Merla and Minucci [Merla, G., Minucci, E., 1938. Missione geologica nel Tigrai. In: La serie dei terreni, vol. 1. Regia Accademia d’Italia, Centro Studi per l’Africa Orientale Italiana, Rome, Italy, pp. 1–362] for similar dykes and domes occurring in the Adwa-Axum area (Tigrai, Ethiopia), not far from Senafe.A section is devoted to the dyke feeders of the Eritrean and Adwa-Axum volcanism.     

Lake ice and temperature trends for Ontario and Manitoba: 2001 to 2014

Lakes are a prominent geographic feature in northern landscapes and play an important role in understanding regional climate systems. In order to better model changes within climate systems, it is important to study lake ice processes. Although the availability of records for lake ice through ground measurements has declined in recent years, the increased use of remote sensing provides an alternative to this. Using a preclassified snow and ice remote sensing product with a 500‐m resolution, based on images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS/MOD10A1), and the use of measured and reanalysis temperature data, this study evaluated lake ice phenology dates in connection to recent trends in temperature and 0 °C isotherms within Ontario and Manitoba between 2001 and 2014. Temperature trends indicated both regional warming and cooling, with significant cooling observed in Southern Ontario (p < .05) and significant warming in Southern Manitoba (p < .1) during the fall. Spatial analysis of the trends in the lake ice data showed significant clustering of significant trends in ice on dates (p < .01). When analysing the trends in ice phenology in connection to the trends in temperature, it was found that 70% of lakes experienced a change in the ice on date with the expected change in temperature and 85% of lakes for ice off date. When shifting ice on and ice off dates are investigated in relation to 0 °C isotherms, it was seen that 80% of ice on dates and 100% of ice off dates shifted in sync with the isotherm dates. This demonstrates that the ice phenology of lakes in Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, is responding to short‐term variability in temperature. The MODIS product could be used to investigate ice phenology on a large scale and contribute towards expanding existing records of ice phenology. Establishing long‐term ice records could be a valuable asset for other research ranging from water balance studies to the response of lake biota under changing climate.     

On the control of subantarctic stratification by the ocean circulation

Climate Dynamics - A shallow mixed layer depth bias in Austral winter in the Subantarctic Zone is a common feature of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) models, including the Community...     

U‐Pb zircon dating of metaigneous rocks from the Nordbreen Nappe of Svalbard’s Ny‐Friesland suggests their affinity to Northeast Greenland

SIMS U‐Pb zircon dating of metaigneous rocks of the Nordbreen Nappe from the West Ny‐Friesland terrane (Eastern Basement Province of Svalbard) yields crystallization ages of 1,761 ± 4 Ma for a felsic metatuff and 1,373 ± 4 Ma for a metagabbro dyke. The Palaeoproterozoic age of the metatuff is similar to previously obtained ages for various felsic rocks from the study area, whereas the Mesoproterozoic age of the metagabbro has not been thus far documented on Svalbard. However, a similar age pattern has been reported from Northeast Greenland. Therefore, we conclude that the West Ny‐Friesland terrane can be correlated with age equivalent units of Northeast Greenland. We also explore similarities and dissimilarities between the study area and other terranes of Svalbard and speculate on regional‐scale correlations. Together, the presented new ages provide critical piercing points in palaeogeographic reconstructions of the relatively poorly understood circum‐Arctic region.     

New metric of microhabitat complexity predicts species richness on a rocky shore

Most habitat complexity–species diversity relationships are specific to the habitat type, taxonomic group and spatial scale investigated. There is a need for a biologically relevant metric of habitat complexity that is transferable across systems and scales. Here, we introduce a novel metric of landscape microhabitat complexity that may overcome such constraints. It is scaled to the size of individual organisms and it numerically captures structural elements of the habitat that are biologically relevant to individuals. Our model ecosystem to develop this metric was a rocky shore in Eastern Australia. Here species richness of invertebrates was linked to habitat complexity quantified by the new metric. Importantly, measurements made at the scale of the organism predicted species richness at the landscape scale. Testing the generality of this approach across different systems may prove useful in a broader conservation biology context.