Using meteorological observer data to compare wind erosion during two great droughts in eastern Australia; the World War II Drought (1937–1946) and the Millennium Drought (2001–2010)

Australian meteorological observers started using the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) weather coding system in the 1950s. This system is still in use around the world today. However, observing and recording the weather in an organized and systematic manner had been ongoing for over 100 years prior to the adoption of this coding system, and much like Australia, most countries will have historical meteorological records. In this paper we compare the wind erosion of two of the greatest droughts in Australian recorded history; the World War II (WWII) Drought (1937–1945) and the Millennium Drought (2001–2009). To do this we analysed previously unavailable meteorological observer records from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABM). Wind erosion records, mostly in long‐hand written form, were translated to the modern WMO coding system for the WWII Drought and compared with the wind erosion of Australia's recently‐ended Millennium Drought, one of the longest and harshest on record. We quantify wind erosion using Dust Event Days (DED) and a modified version of a published Dust Storm Index (DSI) to show that wind erosion during the WWII Drought was up to 4.6 times higher than during the Millennium Drought. This study has international significance because it demonstrates a methodology for tracking changes in wind erosion over the past 75 years based on observer records available in every country with a history of organized weather observation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantifying the rate and depth dependence of bioturbation based on optically‐stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates and meteoric 10Be

Both the rate and the vertical distribution of soil disturbance modify soil properties such as porosity, particle size, chemical composition and age structure; all of which play an important role in a soil's biogeochemical functioning. Whereas rates of mixing have been previously quantified, the nature of bioturbation's depth dependence remains poorly constrained. Here we constrain, for the first time, the relationship between mixing rate and depth in a bioturbated soil in northeast Queensland, Australia using a novel method combining OSL (optically‐stimulated luminescence) ages and meteoric beryllium‐10 (¹⁰Be) inventories. We find that the best fit mixing rate decreases non‐linearly with increasing soil depth in this soil and the characteristic length scale of 0.28 m over which the mixing coefficient decays is comparable to reported rooting depth coefficients. In addition we show that estimates of surface mixing rates from OSL data are highly dependent on erosion rate and that erosion rate must be constrained if accurate mixing rates are to be quantified. We calculate surface diffusion‐like mixing coefficients of 1.8 × 10^?4 and 2.1 × 10^?4 m² yr^?1 for the studied soil for two different estimates of soil erosion. © 2014 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

The statistics of a passive scalar in field-guided magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

A variety of studies of magnetised plasma turbulence invoke theories for the advection of a passive scalar by turbulent fluctuations. Examples include modelling the electron density fluctuations in the interstellar medium, understanding the chemical composition of galaxy clusters and the intergalactic medium, and testing the prevailing phenomenological theories of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. While passive scalar turbulence has been extensively studied in the hydrodynamic case, its counterpart in MHD turbulence is significantly less well understood. Herein we conduct a series of high-resolution direct numerical simulations of incompressible, field-guided, MHD turbulence in order to establish the fundamental properties of passive scalar evolution. We study the scalar anisotropy, establish the scaling relation analogous to Yaglom’s law, and measure the intermittency of the passive scalar statistics. We also assess to what extent the pseudo Alfvén fluctuations in strong MHD turbulence can be modelled as a passive scalar. The results suggest that the dynamics of a passive scalar in MHD turbulence is considerably more complicated than in the hydrodynamic case.     

Submicron-sized fluid inclusions and distribution of hydrous components in jadeite,quartz and symplectite-forming minerals from UHP jadeite–quartzite in the Dabie Mountains,China: TEM and FTIR investigation

Fluid inclusions and clusters of water molecules at nanometer-to submicron-scale in size have been investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in jadeite, quartz and symplectite aegirine–augite, albite, taramite and magnetite corona minerals from ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) jadeite–quartzite at Shuanghe, the Dabie Mountains, China. Fluid inclusions from 0.003 μm to 0.78 μm in size occur in jadeite and quartz crystals, and a small number of fluid inclusions from 0.001 μm to 0.25 μm have also been detected in symplectite-forming minerals. Most of the fluid inclusions have round or negative crystal morphology and contain aqueous fluids, but some contain CO₂-rich fluids. They are usually connected to dislocations undetectable at an optical scale. The dislocations represent favorable paths for fluid leakage, accounting for non-decrepitation of most fluid inclusions when external pressure decreased at later stages, although there was partial decrepitation of some fluid inclusions unconnected to defect microstructures resulting from internal overpressure. Non-decrepitation and partial decrepitation of fluid inclusions resulted in changes of original composition and/or density. It is clear that identification of hidden re-equilibration features has significant implications for the petrological interpretation of post-peak metamorphic processes. Micro-FTIR results show that all jadeite and quartz samples contain structural water occurring as hydroxyl ions (OH⁻) and free water (H₂O) in the form of clusters of water molecules. The H₂O transformed from OH⁻ during exhumation and could have triggered and enhanced early retrograde metamorphism of the host rocks and facilitated plastic deformation of jadeite and quartz grains by dislocation movement, and thus the H₂O released during decompression might represent early-stage retrograde metamorphic fluid. The nominally anhydrous mineral (NAM) jadeite is able to transport aqueous fluids in concentrations of at least several hundred ppm water along a subduction zone to mantle depths in the form of clusters of water molecules and hydroxyl ions within crystals.     

Ejecta fragmentation in impacts into gypsum and water ice

Using the light gas gun at the Open University’s Hypervelocity Impact facility, a series of impact experiments exploring impacts into water ice and gypsum have been performed. Fragmentation of solid ejecta was recorded using two different methods, analysed and compared with the total ejecta. Preliminary results show that the size distribution of the ejecta fragments from water ice is very similar to those from gypsum. These results also represent a step towards a better understanding of ejecta fragmentation in geological materials, including icy surfaces in the Solar System.     

Mafic dykes derived from Early Cretaceous depleted mantle beneath the Dabie orogenic belt: implications for changing lithosphere mantle beneath Eastern China

SHRIMP zircon U–Pb geochronological, elemental and Sr–Nd isotopic data from Early Cretaceous mafic dykes in North Dabie orogenic belt elucidate a change of Mesozoic lithospheric mantle in eastern China. The dykes are predominantly dolerite with the major mineral assemblage clinopyroxene + hornblende + plagioclase and yield a SHRIMP zircon U–Pb age of 111.6 ± 5.3 Ma. They have a narrow range of SiO₂ from 46.16% to 49.78%, and relative low concentrations of K₂O (1.07−2.62%), Na₂O (2.45−3.54%), Al₂O₃ (13.04−14.07%), and P₂O₅ (0.42−0.55%) but relatively high concentration of MgO (5.94–6.61%) with Mg^# 52–54. All the samples are characterized by enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILE, e.g., Ba, Th) and high field strength elements (HFSE, e.g., Nb, Ti). (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i ratios from 0.704 to 0.705, ε_Nd values from 3.36 to 4.33 and mantle‐depletion Nd model ages (T_2DM) in the range 0.56–0.64 Ga indicate that the magma of the Baiyashan mafic dykes was derived from a young depleted mantle source. This finding is different from previous research on mafic dykes in the age range 120–138 Ma that revealed enrichment of LILE and depletion of HFSE, high initial Sr isotopic ratios and negative ε_Nd, value which represents an old enriched mantle source. Ours is the first report of the existence of Early Cretaceous depleted mantle in eastern China and it implies that changing of enriched mantle to depleted mantle occurred at ca. 112 Ma, associated with back‐arc extension which resulted from the subduction of the Palaeo‐Pacific Plate towards the Asian Continent. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pilot‐scale field validation of the long electrode electrical resistivity tomography method

A validation experiment, carried out in a scaled field setting, was attempted for the long electrode electrical resistivity tomography method in order to demonstrate the performance of the technique in imaging a simple buried target. The experiment was an approximately 1/17 scale mock‐up of a region encompassing a buried nuclear waste tank on the Hanford site. The target of focus was constructed by manually forming a simulated plume within the vadose zone using a tank waste simulant. The long electrode results were compared to results from conventional point electrodes on the surface and buried within the survey domain. Using a pole‐pole array, both point and long electrode imaging techniques identified the lateral extents of the pre‐formed plume with reasonable fidelity but the long electrode method was handicapped in reconstructing vertical boundaries. The pole‐dipole and dipole‐dipole arrays were also tested with the long electrode method and were shown to have the least favourable target properties, including the position of the reconstructed plume relative to the known plume and the intensity of false positive targets. The poor performance of the pole‐dipole and dipole‐dipole arrays was attributed to an inexhaustive and non‐optimal coverage of data at key electrodes, as well as an increased noise for electrode combinations with high geometric factors. However, when comparing the model resolution matrix among the different acquisition strategies, the pole‐dipole and dipole‐dipole arrays using long electrodes were shown to have significantly higher average and maximum values within the matrix than any pole‐pole array. The model resolution describes how well the inversion model resolves the subsurface. Given the model resolution performance of the pole‐dipole and dipole‐dipole arrays, it may be worth investing in tools to understand the optimum subset of randomly distributed electrode pairs to produce maximum performance from the inversion model.     

The marine controlled source electromagnetic response of a steel borehole casing: applications for the NEPTUNE Canada gas hydrate observatory

Gas hydrates are a potential energy resource, a possible factor in climate change and an exploration geohazard. The University of Toronto has deployed a permanent seafloor time‐domain controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) system offshore Vancouver Island, within the framework of the NEPTUNE Canada underwater cabled observatory. Hydrates are known to be present in the area and due to their electrically resistive nature can be monitored by 5 permanent electric field receivers. However, two cased boreholes may be drilled near the CSEM site in the near future. To understand any potential distortions of the electric fields due to the metal, we model the marine electromagnetic response of a conductive steel borehole casing. First, we consider the commonly used canonical model consisting of a 100 Ωm, 100 m thick resistive hydrocarbon layer embedded at a depth of 1000 m in a 1 Ωm conductive host medium, with the addition of a typical steel production casing extending from the seafloor to the resistive zone. Results show that in both the frequency and time domains the distortion produced by the casing occurs at smaller transmitter‐receiver offsets than the offsets required to detect the resistive layer. Second, we consider the experimentally determined model of the offshore Vancouver Island hydrate zone, consisting of a 5.5 Ωm, 36 m thick hydrate layer overlying a 0.7 Ωm sedimentary half‐space, with the addition of two borehole casings extending 300 m into the seafloor. In this case, results show that the distortion produced by casings located within a 100 m safety zone of the CSEM system will be measured at 4 of the 5 receivers. We conclude that the boreholes must be positioned at least 200 m away from the CSEM array so as to minimize the effects of the casings.     

Novel observations of benthic enrichment in contrasting flow regimes with implications for marine farm monitoring and management

We examine macrofaunal and physico-chemical responses to organic enrichment beneath salmon farms in contrasting flow environments, and reveal pronounced flow-related differences in the magnitude and spatial extent of effects. Total macrofaunal abundances at high flow sites were nearly an order of magnitude greater than at comparable low flow sites, representing a significant benthic biomass. These very high abundances occurred in conjunction with moderate-to-high species richness, and were evident in the absence of appreciable organic matter accumulation. Biological responses to increasing sulfide were variable; however a significant biological threshold was evident at 1500 μM. Macrofaunal responses at high flow sites differed substantially from the Pearson–Rosenberg model. The atypical ecological conditions were attributed to (i) limited accumulation of fine sediments, (ii) maintenance of aerobic conditions in near-surface sediments, and (iii) an abundant food supply. Thus, enhanced resilience to organic waste at well-flushed sites appears related to both biological and physical processes.     

Full 3D MHD calculations of accretion flow structure in magnetic cataclysmic variables with strong,complex magnetic fields

We have performed three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical calculations of stream accretion in cataclysmic variable stars for which the white dwarf primary possesses a strong, complex magnetic field. These calculations were motivated by observations of polars: cataclysmic variables containing white dwarfs with magnetic fields sufficiently strong to prevent the formation of an accretion disk. In this case, an accretion stream flows from the L1 point and impacts directly onto one or more spots on the surface of the white dwarf. Observations indicate that the white dwarfs in some binaries possess complex (non-dipolar) magnetic fields. We performed simulations of ten polars, with the only variable being the azimuthal angle of the secondary with respect to the white dwarf. These calculations are also applicable to asynchronous polars, where the spin period of the white dwarf differs by a few percent from the orbital period. Our results are equivalent to calculating the structure of one asynchronous polar at ten different spin-orbit beat phases. Our models have an aligned dipolar plus quadrupolar magnetic field centered on the whitedwarf primary. We find that, with a sufficiently strong quadrupolar component, an accretion spot arises near the magnetic equator for slightly less than half our simulations, while a polar accretion zone is active for most of the remaining simulations. For two configurations, accretion at a dominant polar region and in an equatorial zone occurs simultaneously. Most polar studies assume that the magnetic field is dipolar, especially for single-pole accretors. We demonstrate that, with the orbital parameters and magnetic-field strengths typical of polars, the accretion flow patterns can vary widely in the case of a complex magnetic field. This may make it difficult formany polars to determine observationally whether the field is pure dipolar or is more complex, but there shoulid be indications for some systems. In particular, a complex magnetic field should be suspected if there is an accretion zone near the white dwarf’s equator (assumed to be in the orbital plane) or if there are two or more accretion regions that cannot be fitted by dipolar magnetic field. Magnetic-field constraints are expected to be substantially stronger for asynchronous polars, with clearer signs of complex field geometry due to changes in the accretion flow structure as a function of azimuthal angle. These indications become clearer in asynchronous polars because each azimuthal angle corresponds to a different spin-orbit beat phase.