Near‐surface temperatures and heat balance of bare outcrops exposed to solar radiation

Subsurface temperatures in rocks naturally fluctuate under the influence of local meteorological conditions. These fluctuations play a role in mechanical weathering, thus creating the environmental conditions conducive to natural hazards such as rockfalls and providing important sediment source terms for landscape evolution. However, the physics that control heat penetration into rocks are not fully understood, which makes the underground thermal state difficult to interpret when temperature measurements are available and even more difficult to estimate for unmonitored sites. This is an important lacuna given possible impacts of future climate change on mechanical weathering processes. The natural daily variations of subsurface temperatures were investigated on a bare gneiss outcrop exposed to solar radiation, where temperatures at various depths (up to 50 cm), as well as the solar radiation reaching a pyranometer, were monitored hourly for several months. This detailed times series of thermal data was used to gain insight into the heat balance at the inclined free surface of the rock mass. Attention was focused on two major contributors to the heat balance; the heat flux entering the rock mass through conduction and the incoming shortwave (solar) radiation. A Fourier decomposition of the temperature measurements provided an estimate of the in situ thermal conductivity of the rock and was used to calculate the conductive term. The shortwave radiation term was determined on the basis of the pyranometer measurements adjusted to account for the angle of incidence of the sun. It is shown that, throughout clear‐sky periods, heat exchanges at the surface are mainly controlled by direct solar radiation during the day, and by a roughly constant outgoing heat flux during the night. Subsurface temperatures can be reliably estimated with a semi‐infinite medium model whose boundary condition is derived from an analytical insolation model that takes atmospheric attenuation into account. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The April 2010 North African heatwave: when the water vapor greenhouse effect drives nighttime temperatures

Climate Dynamics - North Africa experienced a severe heatwave in April 2010 with daily maximum temperatures ( $$T_{max}$$ ) frequently exceeding $$40\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$$ and daily minimum...     

Petrology and provenance of a very‐low‐titanium picrite clast in lunar highland regolith breccia 15295

Clast 100 in regolith breccia 15295 could be a key to resolving the relationship(s) between mare basalts and lunar picritic glasses. The clast is basaltic, with texture, mineralogy, mineral compositions, and calculated bulk composition suggesting that it crystallized in a thick lava flow or shallow intrusive body from a very‐low‐titanium (VLT) basaltic magma. The estimated bulk composition of clast 15295,100 is primitive (i.e., magnesian) compared to those of known VLT basalts, and is very close to those of VLT picritic green glasses, especially the Apollo 14 A green glass. From these similarities, we infer that clast 15295,100 is a crystalline product of a picritic magma similar to the Apollo 14 A glass. Clementine and M³ remotely sensed data of the lunar surface were used to find areas that have chemical compositions consistent with those of clast 15295,100, not only near the Apollo 15 site, but in a broad region surrounding the site. Two regions are consistent with clast's 15295,100 compositional data. The larger region is in southern Mare Imbrium, and a smaller region is in the eastern half of Sinus Aestuum. These locations should be considered as candidates for future missions focusing on sample science.     

WAVERYS: a CMEMS global wave reanalysis during the altimetry period

Ocean Dynamics - As part of the Copernicus Marine Service, WAVERYS is the multi-year wave reanalysis that provides global wave data with a fine grid resolution of 1/5°. This wave reanalysis...     

Assessment of the coastal dynamics in a nested zoom and feedback on the boundary current: the North-Western Mediterranean Sea case

The Northern Current (hereafter NC), the major current in the North-Western Mediterranean (hereafter NWM) basin, has been largely investigated in the litterature for its mesoscale features. Its behaviour in the Var region can strongly condition the downstream flow along the Gulf of Lions shelf and Spain coast, making this zone a key area. However, the sub-mesoscale dynamics of the area and its potential impacts on the rest of the flow are not well known. This work reveals the potential interest of better simulating high-resolution dynamics in a restricted area and how this could improve the circulation representation in a larger area. To address this question, a very high resolution configuration (1/192^°) nested in an already existing high-resolution configuration (1/64^°) has been developed, using the NEMO model. Comparisons with observations show that the very high-resolution changes only weakly the mean NC characteristics but can significantly modify individual mesoscale events such as eddies and meanders occurring in the zoomed area. Furthermore, the coastal dynamics and episodic intrusions of a NC secondary branch inside a semi-enclosed bay appear to be significantly enhanced. In a second stage, the assessment of the feedback of this improved dynamics on the regional mesoscale dynamics is shown, this being allowed by the two-way coupling option of the embedded configuration using AGRIF.     

2013年芦山地震序列震源机制与震源区构造变形特征分析

基于四川区域地震台网记录的波形资料,利用CAP波形反演方法,同时获取了2013年4月20日芦山M7.0级地震序列中88个M≥3.0级地震的震源机制解、震源矩心深度与矩震级,进而利用应变花（strain rosette）和面应变（areal strain）As值,分析了芦山地震序列震源机制和震源区构造运动与变形特征.获得的主要结果有：（1）芦山M7.0级主震破裂面参数为走向219°/倾角43°/滑动角101°,矩震级为M_W6.55,震源矩心深度15 km.芦山地震余震区沿龙门山断裂带走向长约37 km、垂直断裂带走向宽约16 km.主震两侧余震呈不对称分布,主震南西侧余震区长约27 km、北东侧长约10 km.余震分布在7~22 km深度区间,优势分布深度为9~14 km,序列平均深度约13 km,多数余震分布在主震上部.粗略估计的芦山地震震源体体积为37 km×16 km×16 km.（2）面应变As值统计显示,芦山地震序列以逆冲型地震占绝对优势,所占比例超过93%.序列主要受倾向NW、倾角约45°的近NE-SW向逆冲断层控制;部分余震发生在与上述主发震断层近乎垂直的倾向SE的反冲断层上;龙门山断裂带前山断裂可能参与了部分余震活动.P轴近水平且优势方位单一,呈NW-SE向,与龙门山断裂带南段所处区域构造应力场方向一致,反映芦山地震震源区主要受区域构造应力场控制,芦山地震是近NE-SW向断层在近水平的NW-SE向主压应力挤压作用下发生逆冲运动的结果.序列中6次非逆冲型地震均发生在主震震中附近,且主震震中附近P轴仰角变化明显,表明主震对其震中附近局部区域存在明显的应力扰动.（3）序列整体及不同震级段的应变花均呈NW向挤压白瓣形态,显示芦山地震震源区深部构造呈逆冲运动、NW向纯挤压变形.各震级段的应变花方位与形状一致,具有震级自相似性特征,揭示震源区深部构造运动和变形模式与震级无关.（4）不同深度的应变花形态以NW-NWW向挤压白瓣为优势,显示震源区构造无论是总体还是分段均以NW-NWW向挤压变形为特征.但应变花方位与形状随深度仍具有较明显的变化,可能反映了震源区构造变形在深度方向上存在分段差异.（5）芦山地震震源体尺度较小,且主震未发生在龙门山断裂带南段主干断裂上,南段长期积累的应变能未能得到充分释放,南段仍存在发生强震的危险.     

Hydrogeochemical and multi-tracer investigations of arsenic-affected aquifers in semi-arid West Africa

The semi-arid Sahel regions of West Africa rely heavily on groundwater from shallow to moderately deep(100 m b.g.l.)crystalline bedrock aquifers for drinking water production.Groundwater quality may be affected by high geogenic arsenic(As)concentrations(10μg/L)stemming from the oxidation of sulphide minerals(pyrite,arsenopyrite)in mineralised zones.These aquifers are still little investigated,especially concerning groundwater residence times and the influence of the annual monsoon season on groundwater chemistry.To gain insights on the temporal aspects of As contamination,we have used isotope tracers(noble gases,~3H,stable water isotopes(~2 H,~(18)O))and performed hydrochemical analyses on groundwater abstracted from tube wells and dug wells in a small study area in southwestern Burkina Faso.Results revealed a great variability in groundwater properties(e.g.redox conditions,As concentrations,water level,residence time)over spatial scales of only a few hundred metres,characteristic of the highly heterogeneous fractured underground.Elevated As levels are found in oxic groundwater of circum-neutral pH and show little relation with any of the measured parameters.Arsenic concentrations are relatively stable over the course of the year,with little effect seen by the monsoon.Groundwater residence time does not seem to have an influence on As concentrations,as elevated As can be found both in groundwater with short(50 a)and long(10~3 a)residence times as indicated by ~3He/~4He ratios spanning three orders of magnitude.These results support the hypothesis that the proximity to mineralised zones is the most crucial factor controlling As concentrations in the observed redox/pH conditions.The existence of very old water portions with residence times10~3 years already at depths of50 m b.g.l.is a new finding for the shallow fractured bedrock aquifers of Burkina Faso,suggesting that overexploitation of these relatively low-yielding aquifers may be an issue in the future.     

Geology,geochemistry and 40Ar/39Ar dating of Sevan ophiolites (Lesser Caucasus,Armenia): Evidence for Jurassic Back-arc opening and hot spot event between the South Armenian Block and Eurasia

In the Lesser Caucausus the Sevan-Akera ophiolites of N Armenia have lithological features of a slow-spreading oceanic lithosphere: serpentinites are frequently exposed and hydrothermalized at sea-floor level, plutonic rocks and dykes are rare. A complete differentiation trend is observed from mafic norites evolving to diorites and plagiogranites. Normal faults have exposed some of the deep magmatic rocks at sea-floor level. Geochemically, two distinct lava flow series have been distinguished: (1) a contaminated Mid-Oceanic Ridge Basalt (MORB) series evolving from gabbros to plagiogranites and from basalts to basaltic andesites, exhibiting slight calc-alkaline features (enrichments in Large Ion Lithophile Elements (LILE); negative anomalies in Nb–Ta and Ti relative to N-MORB); (2) an alkaline series evolving from basanites to trachy-andesites (on anhydrous basis). ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age on amphibole-bearing gabbros evidence a Middle Jurassic age (165.3 ± 1.7 Ma, 2σ) for oceanic crust formation. Structural data, including geological cross-sections and logs of the ophiolite along the northern part of Sevan Lake allow discussing the geodynamic evolution of that segment of the Amassia-Sevan-Akera ophiolitic suture zone.     

青藏高原北部大型走滑断裂带近地表地质变形带特征分析

阿尔金断裂带、东昆仑断裂带和海原断裂带是青藏高原北部的大型左旋走滑断裂带,具有相对高的地质和GPS滑动速率,地表破裂型地震频发。在阿尔金断裂带阿克塞老城西和半果巴、东昆仑断裂带西大滩和玛沁、海原断裂带松山等地点的探槽地质剖面揭露了这些走滑断裂带累积地质变形带的基本特征。阿尔金断裂带半果巴探槽和阿克塞老城西探槽、东昆仑断裂带西大滩探槽和玛沁探槽揭露出的地质变形带宽度约12m左右;海原断裂带松山拉分盆地边界单条走滑断层地质变形带宽度不足10m,考虑到地震期间拉分盆地可能会出现较严重的变形,则拉分盆地本身也应作为强变形带处理。由此可见,经历过多个地震地表破裂循环的东昆仑断裂带、海原断裂带和阿尔金断裂带其地质变形带的宽度是有限的,具有变形局部化特征。单条走滑断层的地质变形带宽度一般为10余米,比较保守地估计应<30m,走滑断层斜列阶区的地质变形带宽度取决于阶区本身的宽度     

An original method for characterizing internal waves

This study consisted in the characterization of internal waves in the south of the Strait of Messina (Italy). The observational data consisted in thermistor string profiles from the Coastal Ocean Acoustic Changes at High frequencies (COACH06) sea trial.An empirical orthogonal function analysis is applied to the data. The first two spatial empirical modes represent over 99% of the variability, and their corresponding time-dependent expansion coefficients take higher absolute values during internal wave events. In order to check how the expansion coefficients vary during an internal wave event, their time derivative, called here changing rates, are computed. It shows that each wave of an internal wave train is characterized by a double oscillation of the changing rates. At the front of the wave, both changing rates increase in absolute value with opposite sign, and then decrease to become null at the maximum amplitude of the wave. At the rear of the wave, the changing rates describe another period, again with opposite sign. This double oscillation can be used as a detector of internal waves, but it can also give information on the width of the wave, by measuring the length of the oscillation, as this information may sometimes be hard to read straight out of the data. When plotting the changing rates one versus another, the resulting scatter diagram puts on a butterfly shape that illustrates well this behaviour.