The extreme diversity of uranium deposits

Most available classifications of uranium deposits are based on the characteristics of the host rocks or on the morphology of the ore deposits. The aim of the present paper is to propose the basis for a genetic classification of these deposits. After a short introduction on the geochemical behavior of uranium in fluids and silicate melts and on the main uranium fractionation mechanisms operating in uranium-rich peraluminous, metaluminous, and peralkaline melts, the most recent metallogenic models of the main types of uranium deposits are shortly reviewed.     

Probabilistic life cycle analysis model for evaluating electric power infrastructure risk mitigation investments

One effect of climate change may be increased hurricane frequency or intensity due to changes in atmospheric and geoclimatic factors. It has been hypothesized that wetland restoration and infrastructure hardening measures may improve infrastructure resilience to increased hurricane frequency and intensity. This paper describes a parametric decision model used to assess the tradeoffs between wetland restoration and infrastructure hardening for electric power networks. We employ a hybrid economic input–output life-cycle analysis (EIO-LCA) model to capture: construction costs and life-cycle emissions for transitioning from the current electric power network configuration to a hardened network configuration; construction costs and life-cycle emissions associated with wetland restoration; and the intrinsic value of wetland restoration. Uncertainty is accounted for probabilistically through a Monte Carlo hurricane simulation model and parametric sensitivity analysis for the number of hurricanes expected to impact the project area during the project cycle and the rate of wetland storm surge attenuation. Our analysis robustly indicates that wetland restoration and undergrounding of electric power network infrastructure is not preferred to the “do-nothing” option of keeping all power lines overhead without wetland protection. However, we suggest a few items for future investigation. For example, our results suggest that, for the small case study developed, synergistic benefits of simultaneously hardening infrastructure and restoring wetlands may be limited, although research using a larger test bed while integrating additional costs may find an enhanced value of wetland restoration for disaster loss mitigation.     

Nowcasting with INCA During SNOW-V10

A Central-European nowcasting system which has been developed for use in mountainous terrain is tested in the Whistler/Vancouver area as part of the SNOW-V10 experiment. The integrated nowcasting through comprehensive analysis system provides hourly updated gridded forecasts of temperature, humidity, and wind, as well as precipitation forecasts which are updated every 15 min. It is based on numerical weather prediction (NWP) output and real-time surface weather station and radar data. Verification of temperature, relative humidity, and wind against surface stations shows that forecast errors are significantly reduced in the nowcasting range compared to those of the driving NWP model. The main contribution to the improvement comes from the implicit bias correction due to use of the latest observations. Relative humidity shows the longest lasting effect, with >50 % reduction of mean absolute error up to +4 h. For temperature and wind speed this percentage is reached after +2 and +3 h, respectively. Two cases of precipitation nowcasting are discussed and verified qualitatively.     

Automated Image Registration for Hydrologic Change Detection in the Lake-Rich Arctic

Multitemporal remote sensing provides a unique tool to track lake dynamics at the pan-Arctic scale but requires precise registration of thousands of satellite images. This is a challenging task owing to a dearth of stable features to be used as tie points [(TPs), i.e., control points] in the dynamic landscapes. This letter develops an automated method to precisely register images in the lake-rich Arctic. The core premise of the method is that the centers of lakes are generally stable even if their shorelines are not. The proposed procedures first extract lakes in multitemporal satellite images, derive lake centroids and match them between images, and then use the centroids of stable lakes as TPs for image registration. The results show that this approach can achieve subpixel registration accuracy, outcompeting the conventional manual methods in both efficiency and accuracy. The proposed method is fully automated and represents a feasible way to register images for lake change detection at the pan-Arctic scale.      

Numerical modeling of the Rideau Valley Watershed

Using the Mike11 modeling system by the Danish Hydraulic Institute, a detailed model of the Rideau Valley Watershed was constructed. It includes 532 km of rivers and lakes, 106 basins, 122 bridges and culverts, and 20 water control structures. The model was calibrated using measured streamflow data for a time period of 5 years; additional 5 years of data was used for validation. Various methods, both qualitative and quantitative, were used to evaluate the model performance. It was found that the model can simulate the hydrological response with a reasonable to high degree of accuracy. This model is now being used for various watershed management purposes, including flood forecasting, dam safety assessment, quantification of wetland functions, and derivation of design flows.     

On the use of IPCC-class models to assess the impact of climate on Living Marine Resources

The study of climate impacts on Living Marine Resources (LMRs) has increased rapidly in recent years with the availability of climate model simulations contributed to the assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Collaboration between climate and LMR scientists and shared understanding of critical challenges for such applications are essential for developing robust projections of climate impacts on LMRs. This paper assesses present approaches for generating projections of climate impacts on LMRs using IPCC-class climate models, recommends practices that should be followed for these applications, and identifies priority developments that could improve current projections. Understanding of the climate system and its representation within climate models has progressed to a point where many climate model outputs can now be used effectively to make LMR projections. However, uncertainty in climate model projections (particularly biases and inter-model spread at regional to local scales), coarse climate model resolution, and the uncertainty and potential complexity of the mechanisms underlying the response of LMRs to climate limit the robustness and precision of LMR projections. A variety of techniques including the analysis of multi-model ensembles, bias corrections, and statistical and dynamical downscaling can ameliorate some limitations, though the assumptions underlying these approaches and the sensitivity of results to their application must be assessed for each application. Developments in LMR science that could improve current projections of climate impacts on LMRs include improved understanding of the multi-scale mechanisms that link climate and LMRs and better representations of these mechanisms within more holistic LMR models. These developments require a strong baseline of field and laboratory observations including long time series and measurements over the broad range of spatial and temporal scales over which LMRs and climate interact. Priority developments for IPCC-class climate models include improved model accuracy (particularly at regional and local scales), inter-annual to decadal-scale predictions, and the continued development of earth system models capable of simulating the evolution of both the physical climate system and biosphere. Efforts to address these issues should occur in parallel and be informed by the continued application of existing climate and LMR models.     

Jinshanjiangite and bafertisite from the Gremyakha-Vyrmes Alkaline Complex,Kola Peninsula

Jinshanjiangite (acicular crystals up to 2 mm in length) and bafertisite (lamellar crystals up to 3 × 4 mm in size) have been found in alkali granite pegmatite of the Gremyakha-Vyrmes Complex, Kola Peninsula. Albite, microcline, quartz, arfvedsonite, zircon, and apatite are associated minerals. The dimensions of a monoclinic unit cell of jinshanjiangite and bafertisite are: a = 10.72(2), b=13.80(2), c = 20.94(6) Å, β = 97.0(5)° and a = 10.654(6), b = 13.724(6), c = 10.863(8) Å, β = 94.47(8)°, respectively. The typical compositions (electron microprobe data) of jinshanjiangite and bafertisite are: (Na_0.57Ca_0.44)_Σ1.01(Ba_0.57K_0.44)_Σ1.01 (Fe_3.53Mn_0.30Mg_0.04Zn_0.01)_Σ3.88(Ti_1.97Nb_0.06Zr_0.01)_Σ2.04(Si_3.97Al_0.03O₁₄)O_2.00(OH_2.25F_0.73O_0.02)_Σ3.00 and (Ba_1.98Na_0.04K_0.03)_Σ2.05(Fe_3.43Mn_0.37Mg_0.03)_Σ3.83(Ti_2.02Nb_0.03)_Σ2.05 (Si_3.92Al_0.08O₁₄)(O_1.84OH_0.16)_Σ2.00(OH_2.39F_1.61)_Σ3.00, respectively. The minerals studied are the Fe-richest members of the bafertisite structural family.     

New data on paleontological characteristic of the Oligocene in the Il’pinskii Peninsula, northeastern Kamchatka

Fossil diatom algae first found in the Paleogene marine succession (Alugivayam Formation) of the Il’pinskii Peninsula, northeastern Kamchatka are studied, and new data on molluscan assemblages from the same sequences are presented. Some of the diatom forms identified suggest the Oligocene age of their host deposits. This is consistent with earlier inference from benthic groups of marine organisms.     

Paths and sequence of intrusion of alkaline rocks on Turja Peninsula

The Turja Peninsula consists of porphyritic granite overlain by sandstone, cut by numerous dikes and veins of varying composition, form, and orientation. The relative ages of the dikes and veins has been established by their mutual intersections, and correlation of these with compositions of the rocks demonstrates the existence of three periods of igneous activity. The dikes and veins of the first period strike predominantly NNE and dip ESE. Most of those of the second period strike E-W and dip N, but those of a subordinate group strike NNE and dip ESE. Those of the third period strike predominantly N-S and dip E. The first and third periods are characterized by fine grained rocks resembling effusives, the second by coarse grained typically intrusive rocks and intense metasomatism that altered both dikes and veins and the wall rocks. The difference in texture of rocks formed at the same depth horizon is attributed to a difference in temperature of the wall rocks and the rate of rise of the magma through them.