Composition and properties of glacigenic sediments in the southwestern Barents Sea

Abstract

The composition and properties of glacigenic sediments in the southwestern Barents Sea are described based on data from 33 shallow boreholes (< 143 m below seabed) and 11 seabed cores (<4.2m below seabed). The cores are tied into a regional seismostratigraphic framework, illustrating the relationships between different boreholes.

A massive, muddy diamicton (silty, sandy clay with scattered gravel) is found in nearly all cores. Average clay content (<2 pm) of this lithology is about 38%, but varies between about 25% and 50%. Short intervals of finely laminated, waterlain sediments or gravelly sand are cored in a few occasions. A high content of sand and gravel in the cores from near the Norwegian coast shows an influence of sediment input from the mainland, while material eroded from sedimentary rocks dominates farther offshore.

The data presented on physical properties include undisturbed and remolded undrained shear strength, natural water content, bulk density, compressional sound velocity (P waves), Atterberg consistency limits, effective preconsolidation pressure, and consolidation coefficient.

Prediction of overconsolidation from seismic mapping of erosional surfaces is confirmed by the borehole cores. High compaction is found both in Weichselian and older deposits, with a general increase in compaction toward the east as well as toward shallower water. Cores that are “underconsolidated” at their present burial depth are also reported.

The average compressional sound velocity is about 1780 m/s for the borehole cores, 1550 m/s for the seabed cores, and increases with increasing shear strength and consolidation. Both horizontal and vertical sound velocities are measured in several cores, and although the data have a considerable scatter, a slightly aniso‐tropic sound velocity is indicated.     

Ensemble Kalman filtering for non-linear likelihood models using kernel-shrinkage regression techniques

One of the major limitations of the classical ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is the assumption of a linear relationship between the state vector and the observed data. Thus, the classical EnKF algorithm can suffer from poor performance when considering highly non-linear and non-Gaussian likelihood models. In this paper, we have formulated the EnKF based on kernel-shrinkage regression techniques. This approach makes it possible to handle highly non-linear likelihood models efficiently. Moreover, a solution to the pre-image problem, essential in previously suggested EnKF schemes based on kernel methods, is not required. Testing the suggested procedure on a simple, illustrative problem with a non-linear likelihood model, we were able to obtain good results when the classical EnKF failed.     

Arctic versus temperate comparison of risk assessment metrics for 2-methyl-naphthalene

Reliable risk assessment approaches for Arctic environments are requested to manage potential impacts associated with increased activities in Arctic regions. We performed toxicity tests on Arctic and temperate species exposed to the narcotic acting oil component, 2-methyl naphthalene. The experimental results were used to quantify concentration causing lethality to 50% of exposed individuals and no-effect concentration (individual level). For estimates at community level, the hazardous concentrations affecting 5% and 50% of the species were calculated from sensitivity distribution curves. These survival metrics were then used to elucidate whether temperate toxicity data used in risk assessment are sufficiently representative for the Arctic. Taking data uncertainty into consideration, we found no regional difference in tolerances to 2-methyl naphthalene either at the species level or at the community level. Hence these data support a conclusion that values of survival metrics for temperate regions are transferrable to the Arctic for the chemical 2-methyl naphthalene, as long as extrapolation techniques are properly applied and uncertainties are taken into consideration.     

The dependence of animal evolution on geotectonic stages and the 2n model

Conclusions In terms of synergetics, animal evolution necessarily seems: to be dependent on the evolutional stages of the Earth, ie on the geotectonic stages and their phases. The detailed causes of and interrelations between the extinction of certain species: and the evolution of new superior types of organisms on the one hand and the phases of geotectonic stages on the other hand still remain to be examined. Undoubtedly this is a task for paleontologists whose attention should focus on additional non-traditional investigations. From a philosophical viewpoint it seems noteworthy that, in the field of geosciences, we again arrive at the significance of the role of numbers as suggested by classical philosophers, eg Pythagoras or Plato, more than 2,000 years ago. As a matter of fact, Plato, in his work called Thimaios, even derived the 2ⁿ and 3ⁿ models as basic models to be used for examinations of the Earth.     

Monitoring of seismic events from a specific source region using a single regional array: A case study

In the monitoring of earthquakes and nuclear explosions using a sparse worldwide network of seismic stations, it is frequently necessary to make reliable location estimates using a single seismic array. It is also desirable to screen out routine industrial explosions automatically in order that analyst resources are not wasted upon detections which can, with a high level of confidence, be associated with such a source. The Kovdor mine on the Kola Peninsula of NW Russia is the site of frequent industrial blasts which are well recorded by the ARCES regional seismic array at a distance of approximately 300 km. We describe here an automatic procedure for identifying signals which are likely to result from blasts at the Kovdor mine and, wherever possible, for obtaining single array locations for such events. Carefully calibrated processing parameters were chosen using measurements from confirmed events at the mine over a one-year period for which the operators supplied Ground Truth information. Phase arrival times are estimated using an autoregressive method and slowness and azimuth are estimated using broadband f{-}k analysis in fixed frequency bands and time-windows fixed relative to the initial P-onset time. We demonstrate the improvement to slowness estimates resulting from the use of fixed frequency bands. Events can be located using a single array if, in addition to the P-phase, at least one secondary phase is found with both an acceptable slowness estimate and valid onset-time estimate. We evaluate the on-line system over a twelve month period; every event known to have occured at the mine is detected by the process and 32 out of 53 confirmed events were located automatically. The remaining events were classified as “very likely” Kovdor events and were subsequently located by an analyst. The false alarm rate is low; only 84 very likely Kovdor events were identified during the whole of 2003 and none of these were subsequently located at a large distance from the mine. The location accuracy achieved automatically by the single-array process is remarkably good, and is comparable to that obtained interactively by an experienced analyst using two-array observations. The greatest problem encountered in the single array location procedure is the difficulty in determining arrival times for secondary phases, given the weak Sn phase and the complexity of the P-coda. The method described here could be applied to a wide range of locations and sources for which the monitoring of seismic activity is desirable. The effectiveness will depend upon the distance between source and receiver, the nature of the seismic sources and the level of regional seismicity.     

The beginning of geography didactics in Norway

At the end of the 19th century geography became a mandatory subject in primary and secondary schools in Norway. Geography was seen as a useful subject that contributed to the modernization of society, but also as a subject that strengthened the national ideology. A need for better education in geography arose and consequently some authors of geography textbooks wrote about teaching geography. In order to strengthen teachers’ education, geography was taught at university level, and to develop the subject it became necessary to relate it to other subjects, especially geology. The author shows that there are several similarities between the content of geography taught in Norwegian schools in the late 19th century and geography taught in schools today.     

Mitochondrial DNA variation reveals distinct lineages in Penaeus semisulcatus (Decapoda,Penaeidae) from the Indo‐West Pacific Ocean

Penaeus semisulcatus, the green tiger prawn, is an ecologically and economically important penaeid shrimp in the Indo‐West Pacific region, especially in rice‐shrimp farming and capture fisheries in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, respectively. Genetic variation and phylogeography of samples of this species from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were studied utilizing different mitochondrial DNA markers, i.e. cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1), control region (CR) and 16S rRNA genes. No evidence of population structure was observed in Bangladesh, but distinct variations were found among the Sri Lankan samples (Φ_ST = 0.04, p = .002; F_ST = 0.07, p = .001), with the western sample differing from the northwestern and southern samples. The Bangladesh population had lower genetic diversity than two of the three Sri Lanka populations. The phylogeography of P. semisulcatus revealed two distinct mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages, one in the Western Pacific Ocean and second in the Indian Ocean. The Bangladesh samples showed highest levels of similarity with samples from Sri Lanka, India and Malaysia, with the Bangladesh and Sri Lanka populations sharing the most common recent ancestry. Among the Indian Ocean samples, high levels of variation were observed in the samples from Iran, indicating admixture of two distinct mtDNA lineages, one shared by the populations from the Bay of Bengal and the other possibly originating from Eastern Africa. The genetic and phylogeographic information obtained in this study will be useful in appropriate planning for management and conservation of shrimp fisheries in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and in the Indo‐West Pacific region.     

Travel-times and Attenuation Relations for Regional Phases in the Barents Sea Region

A database containing 45 events in the Barents Sea region has been compiled and analyzed with the aim of evaluating crustal models, travel-times and attenuation relations in the context of performing regional detection threshold monitoring of this region. The 45 events are mostly located around the circumference of the study area due to the virtually aseismic nature of the Barents Sea itself. Regional P _n and S _n phases were observable for most events in the database, while P _g and L _g phases were only observable for events with raypaths that do not cross the tectonic structures in the Barents Sea. This corroborates a number of previous observations of L _g -wave blockage within the Barents Sea. Three existing velocity models were evaluated, with a model having slightly lower S velocities than earlier assumed in the upper mantle giving the overall best fit to the observed arrivals. In order to estimate magnitudes, short-term average (STA) and spectral amplitude values were calculated in several frequency bands for all phase arrivals in the database. There were no significant differences between spectral and STA amplitudes, so the latter were used as this parameter is more efficient to calculate in real-time processing. An inversion was performed in order to determine an attenuation relation specific for this region. The resulting magnitudes based on P _n , P _g , S _n and L _g phases gave an internally consistent, reasonably stable set of values, which can be calibrated towards any existing global or regional scale.     

Causal thinking and support for climate change policies: International survey findings

Few comparative international studies describe the climate change policies people are willing to support and the reasons for their support of different policies. Using survey data from 664 economics and business undergraduates in Austria, Bangladesh, Finland, Germany, Norway, and the United States, we explore how perceived risk characteristics and mental models of climate change influence support for policy alternatives. General green policies such as funding research on renewable technologies and planting trees were the overwhelmingly most popular policy alternatives. Around half the students support carbon reduction policies such as requiring higher car fuel efficiency and increasing taxes on fossil fuels. Least popular were engineering alternatives such as fertilizing the oceans and replacing fossil fuels with nuclear power. Variations among nations are generally small. Support for different policy alternatives corresponds with different causal thinking. Those who hold a pollution model of the causes of climate change, tend to blame environmental harms (e.g., air pollution from toxic chemicals), see general green policy alternatives as effective, and support general green policies. Support of carbon reduction strategies is associated with seeing carbon emissions as the cause and reducing carbon emissions as effective solutions. Support of engineering solutions increases with identifying volcanoes among causes and regarding engineering solutions as effective. Although these international students agree that climate change is a threatening problem, their causal thinking correlates with support for different mitigative policy actions, with the most popular ones not necessarily the most effective.     

Geochemical Responses to a Major Transgression in Giant African Lakes

Bulk organic matter (OM) in sediments that accumulated in Lakes Victoria, Albert and Tanganyika during the major transgression that transformed these basins from a desiccated or lowstand condition at the time of the Last Glacial Maximum to highstand with overflow in the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene, show some striking compositional trends. Sediment OM content (TOC) and Rock-Eval Hydrogen Index (HI) both rise markedly, reflecting increasing primary productivity during the transgression and enhanced conditions for the preservation of labile OM, In Lake Victoria rising sedimentary sulphur content tracks the change in HI. Over the same time interval in all three lakes, δ¹³C_OM shows a falling trend of 5–8‰ . Nitrogen isotopic and C/N trends are, in contrast, more variable. Relatively high δ¹⁵N values at an early stage in the transgression may reflect isotopic effects associated with ammonia loss from an alkaline waterbody, while high δ¹⁵N later in the transgression was probably due to periods when stratification-related denitrification had a particularly strong impact upon the lakes' N cycle. The observed changes are attributed to the influence of the landscape drowned during the transgression upon the nutrient budget of the lake, a rise in river-supplied nutrients as the climate became wetter, and an increasing tendency to stable chemical stratification as the water column deepened. In the case of δ¹³C, additional contributory factors were changes in the amount and isotopic composition of river-supplied dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) as runoff and soil–moisture turnover rates increased, and the replacement of a C4-grassland dominated flora by mixed woodland-grassland and forest with a significant presence of C3 plants. Distinct geochemical changes are also apparent in Lakes Victoria and Albert sediments at the end of the transgression which are consistent with a reduction in nutrient loading. In the case of N this resulted in biological N fixation becoming a major part of the lakes' N cycle, Some of the observed geochemical variations may be generally applicable as proxy indicators of major transgressions in large lakes. IDEAL Contribution No. 152.