Calculating the two-dimensional magnetotelluric Jacobian in finite elements using reciprocity

To speed up the calculation of the field Jacobian for 2-D magnetoteliuric inversion using finite elements, the principle of electromagnetic reciprocity is applied. The governing relationship for the Jacobian of the field along strike is obtained by differentiating the Helmholtz equation with respect to the resistivity of each region in the finite-element mesh. The result is a similar Helmholtz equation for the Jacobian, with new sources distributed over all nodes within the parameter medium. However, according to the principle of electromagnetic reciprocity, the roles of sources and receivers are interchangeable. Utilizing reciprocity, the field values obtained from the original forward problem and for new unit sources imposed at the receivers are then utilized in the calculation of the Jacobian by simple multiplication and summation with finite-element terms at each rectangle in the mesh. For the auxiliary (across-strike) fields, the Jacobian terms are obtained by solving source vectors loaded with parabola coefficients used in the approximation to Maxwell's equations. Jacobian terms for the apparent resistivity ( p _a), the impedance phase (φ) and the vertical magnetic field ( K _zy) are then calculated utilizing the parallel- and auxiliary-field Jacobians. Comparison of Jacobian values obtained from reciprocity calculations and by differencing two forward solutions show that the reciprocity method is accurate and can be used to decrease the number of calculations required to obtain sensitivities by one to two orders of magnitude.     

Top-down and bottom-up modelling to support low-carbon scenarios: climate policy implications

Bottom-up and top-down models are used to support climate policies, to identify the options required to meet GHG abatement targets and to evaluate their economic impact. Some studies have shown that the GHG mitigation options provided by economic top-down and technological bottom-up models tend to vary. One reason for this is that these models tend to use different baseline scenarios. The bottom-up TIMES_PT and the top-down computable general equilibrium GEM-E3_PT models are examined using a common baseline scenario to calibrate them, and the extend of their different mitigation options and its relevant to domestic policy making are assessed. Three low-carbon scenarios for Portugal until 2050 are generated, each with different GHG reduction targets. Both models suggest close mitigation options and locate the largest mitigation potential to energy supply. However, the models suggest different mitigation options for the end-use sectors: GEM-E3_PT focuses more on energy efficiency, while TIMES_PT relies on decrease carbon intensity due to a shift to electricity. Although a common baseline scenario cannot be ignored, the models’ inherent characteristics are the main factor for the different outcomes, thereby highlighting different mitigation options.

Policy relevance

The relevance of modelling tools used to support the design of domestic climate policies is assessed by evaluating the mitigation options suggested by a bottom-up and a top-down model. The different outcomes of each model are significant for climate policy design since each suggest different mitigation options like end-use energy efficiency and the promotion of low-carbon technologies. Policy makers should carefully select the modelling tool used to support their policies. The specific modelling structures of each model make them more appropriate to address certain policy questions than others. Using both modelling approaches for policy support can therefore bring added value and result in more robust climate policy design. Although the results are specific for Portugal, the insights provided by the analysis of both models can be extended to, and used in the climate policy decisions of, other countries.     

Upper Limit of Iodine Oxide in the Lower Stratosphere

It has been suggested that iodine oxides, IOx, could play a significant role in the ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere. To investigate this suggestion, spectra from nine SAOZ uv-visible spectrometer balloon flights were examined for the IO absorption signature between 405 and 450 nm. IO was not detected, either at mid- or high latitude, in the morning or the evening, in summer or winter. An upper limit of 0.2 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) at 20 km and 0.1 pptv at 15 km at the 95% confidence level (2), was derived from the best measurements at 90° SZA at sunset and sunrise. Since a photochemical model shows that 70% of inorganic iodine should be in the form IO at that time, it is concluded that unless iodine chemistry is different from that assumed at the moment, the role of iodine in stratospheric ozone depletion is small.     

Divergent Perspectives on Water Security: Bridging the Policy Debate

Environmental policy discussion is replete with references to water security, food security, ecosystem health, community resilience, sustainable development, and sustainable urbanism. These terms are, by their very nature, ambiguous and difficult to define; they allow room, however, for a variety of actors to conceptualize water, food, ecological, economic, and urban problems in ways that allow them to move forward on contentious issues. This article focuses on the idea of water security and asks how it is conceptualized and used for regional policy debate in western Canada. We asked fifty-eight water stakeholders from the Saskatchewan River Basin to define water security, identify major barriers to security, and prioritize water problems. Responses showed there are myriad ways to think about water security, ranging from narrow conceptualizations, such as reliability, quality, and quantity, to broader sustainability perspectives about the nature of resource development and its social and economic consequences. The human dimensions of water security (governance, land use, and competing demands) were assigned higher priority than its biophysical aspects (flooding, droughts, and climate change). Framing water security to emphasize the human capacity to manage uncertain and rapid biophysical and societal change offers the opportunity to unite actors who otherwise would be separated by core environmental values, definitions of water security, provincial context (Alberta vs. Saskatchewan), and occupation.     

Seed germination of Southern Chihuahuan Desert plants in response to elevated temperatures

High temperature is one of the main factors that prevent germination, through premature aging of the embryo. The high temperatures reached in the soil of arid environments can affect seed survival and plant establishment. In this study we tested whether seed exposure to high temperature (40 °C and 70 °C) affected germination of eight species common to the Southern Chihuahuan Desert, and used for fodder, firewood and timber, fiber, edible flowers, fruits and stems. The responses to heat varied between species. Two of the tested species were not affected by heat exposure; for two other species germination was higher, and for the remaining four, germination was lower. There was also a delay of germination after heat exposure. Seeds of three species germinated >1 d slower after exposure to high temperatures. These results could help establish management programs for these Chihuahuan desert species under a climate change scenario.     

Dissolution of well and poorly ordered kaolinites by an aerobic bacterium

Previous research by our group (e.g., [Chem. Geol. 132 (1996) 25; Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 64 (2000) 1363]) has shown that an aerobic Pseudomonas mendocina bacterium enhances Fe(hydr)oxide dissolution in order to obtain Fe under Fe-limited conditions. The P. mendocina is incapable of utilizing Fe as a terminal electron acceptor and requires several orders of magnitude lower Fe concentrations than do dissimilatory Fe reducing bacteria. The research reported here compared the effects of the P. mendocina on dissolution of well and poorly ordered Clay Minerals Society Source Clay kaolinites KGa-1b and KGa-2, respectively, under Fe-limited conditions. KGa-1b and KGa-2 contain 0.04 and 0.94 bulk wt.% Fe, respectively, and their surface Fe/Si atomic RATIOS=0.008 and 0.012. Following strong cleaning of the kaolinites in 5.8 M HCl at 85 °C, the surface Fe/Si atomic ratios decreased to 0.004 and 0.008, respectively. Both kaolinites also developed a Si-enriched surface precipitate upon strong cleaning.

Because the P. mendocina take up Fe, we could not measure Fe release from the kaolinite directly, but rather had to monitor it indirectly by comparing microbial populations sizes under Fe-limited growth conditions. We found that microbial growth on uncleaned, weakly cleaned, and strongly cleaned kaolinites increased with the amount of Fe readily available to organic ligands as estimated by dissolution in 0.001 M oxalate (pH 3). This suggests that it is the amount of readily accessible Fe that controls Fe acquisition and hence microbial growth. The trend is based on only a relatively small range of kaolinite Fe contents, and the research thus needs to be expanded to include kaolinites with a broader range of bulk and surface Fe concentrations.

Significant enhancement of Al release was observed in the presence of the bacteria, along with generally some enhancement of Si release. This enhancement of kaolinite dissolution could be related to an observed pH increase from 7–8 to 9 in the presence of the bacteria and/or to production of Al chelating agents. The P. mendocina produce a variety of organic exudates, including siderophores [Chem. Geol. 132 (1996) 25; Geomicrobiology (2001b)], and further studies into the effects of the siderophores on Al complexation and on kaolinite dissolution are ongoing.     

Assessment of the acid drainage neutralization capacity and the toxic metals lixiviation of tailing from Guanajuato mining district,Mexico

In Mexico, many environmental problems are generated by large mining activities taking place in several mining districts. These mining activities produce great quantities of residues; large majorities of these have high sulfur content, which could generate acid drainage due to their interaction with the oxygen in the environment. The study area was located in the Mining District of Guanajuato, Mexico with abandoned tailings generated mainly by the gold and silver production. Two areas, called as Monte de San Nicolás (SN) and Peregrina (P) were selected for this study. The results study shows that there was no risk of production of acid drainage, since these tailings contained high amount of carbonates, which neutralized the generation of acidity and consequently decreased the possibility of leaching of some elements. However, not all elements leach in acid pH, as arsenic bound to oxyhydroxides, which is in a basic environment and its increased release by increasing the pH.     

Vulnerability assessment in urban areas exposed to flood risk: methodology to explore green infrastructure benefits in a simulation scenario involving the Cañaveralejo River in Cali,Colombia

Natural Hazards - Building resilient infrastructure is one of the major challenges faced by cities due to increasing urbanization rates and climate change. Furthermore, the application of...     

Aragonite and calcite preservation in sediments from Lake Iznik related to bottom lake oxygenation and water column depth

This study examines the forcing mechanisms driving long‐term carbonate accumulation and preservation in lacustrine sediments in Lake Iznik (north‐western Turkey) since the last glacial. Currently, carbonates precipitate during summer from the alkaline water column, and the sediments preserve aragonite and calcite. Based on X‐ray diffraction data, carbonate accumulation has changed significantly and striking reversals in the abundance of the two carbonate polymorphs have occurred on a decadal time scale, during the last 31 ka cal bp . Different lines of evidence, such as grain size, organic matter and redox sensitive elements, indicate that reversals in carbonate polymorph abundance arise due to physical changes in the lacustrine setting, for example, water column depth and lake mixing. The aragonite concentrations are remarkably sensitive to climate, and exhibit millennial‐scale oscillations. Extending observations from modern lakes, the Iznik record shows that the aerobic decomposition of organic matter and sulphate reduction are also substantial factors in carbonate preservation over long time periods. Lower lake levels favour aragonite precipitation from supersaturated waters. Prolonged periods of stratification and, consequently, enhanced sulphate reduction favour aragonite preservation. In contrast, prolonged or repeated exposure of the sediment–water interface to oxygen results in in situ aerobic organic matter decomposition, eventually leading to carbonate dissolution. Notably, the Iznik sediment profile raises the hypothesis that different states of lacustrine mixing lead to selective preservation of different carbonate polymorphs. Thus, a change in the entire lake water chemistry is not strictly necessary to favour the preservation of one polymorph over another. Therefore, this investigation is a novel contribution to the carbon cycle in lacustrine systems.     

Coastal Massachusetts pond development: edaphic,climatic, and sea level impacts since deglaciation

Kettle ponds in the Cape Cod National Seashore in southeastern Massachusetts differ in their evolution due to depth of the original ice block, the clay content of outwash in their drainage basins, and their siting in relation to geomorphic changes caused by sea-level rise, barrier beach formation, and saltmarsh development. Stratigraphic records of microfossil, carbon isotope, and sediment changes also document late-glacial and Holocene climatic changes.The ponds are separated into 3 groups, each of which follow different development scenarios. Group I ponds date from the late-glacial. They formed in clay-rich outwash, have perched aquifers and continuous lake sediment deposition. The earliest pollen and macrofossil assemblages in Group I pond sediments suggest tundra and spruce-willow parklands before 12 000 yr B.P., boreal forest between 12 000 and 10 500 yr B.P., bog/heath initiation and expansion during the Younger Dryas between 11 000 and 10 000 yr B.P., northern conifer forest between 10 500 and 9500 yr B.P., and establishment of the Cape oak and pitch pine barrens vegetation after 9500 yr B.P. Sedimentation rate changes suggest lowered freshwater levels between 9000 and 5000 yr B.P. caused by decreased precipitation on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Lake sediment deposition began in the middle Holocene in Group II ponds which formed in clay-poor outwash. These ponds date from about 6000-5000 yr B.P. In these ponds sediment deposition began as sea level rose and the freshwater lens intersected the dry basins. The basal radiocarbon dates of these ponds and stable carbon isotope analyses of the pond sediments suggest a sea-level curve for Cape Cod Bay. Holocene topographic changes in upland and the landscape surrounding the ponds is reconstructed for this coastal area.Group III ponds in the late Holocene landscape of the Provincelands dunes originated as interdunal bogs about 1000 yr B.P. and became ponds more recently as water-levels increased. Peat formation in the Provincelands reflects climatic changes evident on both sides of the Atlantic region.This is the 8th in a series of papers published in this special AMQUA issue. These papers were presented at the 1994 meeting of the American Quaternary Association held 19–22 June, 1994, at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Dr Linda C. K. Shane served as guest editor for these papers.