Solar-, monsoon- and Kuroshio-influenced thermocline depth and sea surface salinity in the southern Okinawa Trough during the past 17,300 years

Factors influencing millennial-scale variability in the thermocline depth (vertical mixing) and sea surface salinity (SSS) of the southern Okinawa Trough (OT) during the past 17,300 years were investigated based on foraminifer oxygen isotope records of the surface dweller Globigerinoides ruber sensu stricto and the thermocline dweller Pulleniatina obliquiloculata in the AMS ¹⁴C dated OKT-3 core. The thermocline depth is influenced by surface thermal buoyancy (heat) flux, in turn controlled by the annual mean insolation at 30°N and the strength of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). Strong insolation and weak EAWM tend to increase buoyancy gain (decrease buoyancy loss), corresponding to shallow thermocline depths, and vice versa. Regional SSS is influenced by the global ice volume, the Kuroshio Current (KC), and vertical mixing. A deep thermocline coincides with a high SSS because strong vertical mixing brings more, saltier subsurface KC water to the surface, and vice versa. Local SSS (excluding the global ice volume effect) became lower in the northern OT than in the southern OT after ~9.2 ka, implying that Changjiang diluted water had stronger influence in the northern sector. SSS show no major changes during the Bølling/Allerød and Younger Dryas events, probably because the KC disturbed the North Atlantic signals. This argues against earlier interpretations of sea surface temperature records of this core. Wavelet and spectral analyses of the Δδ¹⁸O_P-G (δ¹⁸O of P. obliquiloculata minus G. ruber s.s.) and δ¹⁸O_local records display 1,540-, 1,480-, 1,050-, 860-, 640-, and 630-year periods. These are consistent with published evidence of a pervasive periodicity of 1,500 years in global climate as well as EAWM and KC signatures, and a fundamental solar periodicity of 1,000 years and intermediary derived periodicity of 700 years.     

BVOC emissions from mechanical wounding of leaves and branches of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus sideroxylon</Emphasis> (red ironbark)

Emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) from mechanical wounding of leaves and branches of plants can contribute to the atmospheric burden of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in both (a) urban airsheds (from urban garden maintenance) and (b) the global atmosphere (from large scale forest harvesting). These emissions of BVOCs are poorly understood and quantified, and their role in urban and global emissions inventories neglected. This paper presents measurements of the magnitude, duration and composition of emissions of BVOCs, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) from freshly cut leaf mulch and wood chips derived from a common eucalypt tree, Eucalyptus sideroxylon (red ironbark), found in southeastern Australian forests and gardens. The emissions of BVOCs from freshly cut and shredded leaves and wood of E. sideroxylon were found to be 2.3 ± 0.6 and 0.05 ± 0.04 mg g^-1 DM (Dry Mass) from leaf mulch and wood chips respectively and to last typically for 1 day following cutting. Three sampling techniques were used for VOC speciation and the 12 most abundant BVOCs released from the mulch materials were identified. The specific BVOCs emitted in order of decreasing abundance from leaf mulch are: (a) stored plant oils, 1,8-cineole, α–pinene and o-cymene which make up the major part of the emissions, (b) a minor contribution from chemicals associated with environmental stress and wound defence, (Z)–3–hexenyl acetate, (E)-2-hexenal and (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, and (c) a second minor contribution from metabolic products, acetaldehyde and acetone. The observed integrated emissions of BVOCs from leaves following mulching are equivalent to more than half and perhaps all of the likely stored plant oils in the leaves. For the two comparable studies available, one of a plant with stored oils (this study) and one of a plant without stored plant oils, the emissions of leaf wound defence BVOCs are in the same range for both plants. In the plant with stored plant oils, the plant oil emissions are about a factor of 11 larger in emission rate than the plant wound defence BVOCs. A compilation of available leaf wounding BVOC emission studies indicates that for plants with stored plant oils, plant oil emissions dominate, whereas with other plants, leaf wound defence BVOCs dominate the emissions.     

Three-dimensional forward modeling of DC resistivity using the aggregation-based algebraic multigrid method

To speed up three-dimensional (3D) DC resistivity modeling, we present a new multigrid method, the aggregation-based algebraic multigrid method (AGMG). We first discretize the differential equation of the secondary potential field with mixed boundary conditions by using a seven-point finite-difference method to obtain a large sparse system of linear equations. Then, we introduce the theory behind the pairwise aggregation algorithms for AGMG and use the conjugate-gradient method with the V-cycle AGMG preconditioner (AGMG-CG) to solve the linear equations. We use typical geoelectrical models to test the proposed AGMG-CG method and compare the results with analytical solutions and the 3DDCXH algorithm for 3D DC modeling (3DDCXH). In addition, we apply the AGMG-CG method to different grid sizes and geoelectrical models and compare it to different iterative methods, such as ILU-BICGSTAB, ILU-GCR, and SSOR-CG. The AGMG-CG method yields nearly linearly decreasing errors, whereas the number of iterations increases slowly with increasing grid size. The AGMG-CG method is precise and converges fast, and thus can improve the computational efficiency in forward modeling of three-dimensional DC resistivity.     

Preliminary comparison of trace metals in coastal aerosols between Qingdao and Liverpool

Aerosol samples were collected at two coastal suburban stations, Qingdao （China） in 1995-1996 and Liverpool （U.K.） in 1995, respectively. The samples were analyzed to determine the concentrations of trace metals （Cr, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni, Pb, V, and Cd） as well as A1, Fe and Mn. Data were examined to understand the difference of trace metals in aerosols between coastal zones downwind the developing area （near the Yellow Sea） and developed region （near the Irish Sea）. The results show that most elements at Qingdao have levels 4-5 times higher than those at Liverpool, particularly for the crust-dominated elements （e.g. Al, Fe and Mn）. Moreover, the aerosol composition at Qingdao is higher in spring than in summer, underlying the influence of westerlies and local emissions in combination, whereas seasonal change of aerosol composition is not significant at Liverpool. The enrichment factors for the crustal source elements （EFcrust） at Liverpool are much higher than those at Qingdao. The contributions from the pollutant source （Rp） for some trace metals like Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd are 〉90% at Qingdao and Liverpool, suggesting overwhelming anthropogenic contributions to these metals. The contributions from crustal source （Re） for trace metals tend to increase with higher aerosol levels and Al concentration at Qingdao, indicating a good correlation between the crust-dominated component and the air mass. At Liverpool, the Rc values for trace metals are positively correlated with Al concentrations instead of with aerosol mass, suggesting that Al in aerosols represents the crustal component even though the aerosols come from different sources.     

∼3,850 Ma tonalites in the Nuuk region,Greenland: geochemistry and their reworking within an Eoarchaean gneiss complex

The Eoarchaean (>3,600 Ma) Itsaq Gneiss Complex of southern West Greenland is dominated by polyphase orthogneisses with a complex Archaean tectonothermal history. Some of the orthogneisses have c. 3,850 Ma zircons, and they vary from rare single phase metatonalites to more common complexly banded migmatites. This is due to heterogeneous strain, in situ anatexis and granitic veining superimposed during younger tectonothermal events. In the single-phase tonalites with c. 3,850 Ma zircon, oscillatory-zoned prismatic zircon is all 3,850 Ma old, but shows patchy ancient loss of radiogenic Pb. SHRIMP spot analyses and laser ablation ICP-MS depth profiling show that thin (usually < 10 μm) younger (3,660–3,590 Ma and Neoarchaean) shells of lower Th/U metamorphic zircon are present on these 3,850 Ma zircons. Several samples with this simple zircon population occur on islands near Akilia. In contrast, migmatites usually contain more complex zircon populations, with often more than one generation of igneous zircon present. Additional zircon dating of banded gneisses across the Complex shows that samples with c. 3,850 Ma igneous zircon are not just a phenomenon restricted to Akilia and adjacent islands. For example, migmatites from Itilleq (c. 65 km from Akilia) contain variable amounts of oscillatory-zoned 3,850 Ma and 3,650 Ma zircon, interpreted, respectively, as the rock age and the time of crustal melting under Eoarchaean metamorphism. With only 110–140 ppm Zr in the tonalites and likely magmatic temperatures of >850°C, zircon solubility–melt composition relationships show that they were only one-third saturated in zircon. Any zircon entrained in the precursor magmas would thus have been highly soluble. Combined with the cathodoluminesence imaging, this demonstrates that the c. 3,850 Ma oscillatory zoned zircon crystallised out of the melt and hence gives a magmatic age. Thus the rare well-preserved tonalites and palaeosome in migmatites testify that c. 3,850 Ma quartzo–feldspathic rocks are a widespread (but probably minor) component in the Itsaq Gneiss Complex. C. 3,850 Ma zircon with negative Eu anomalies (showing growth in felsic systems) also occurs as detrital grains in rare c. 3,800 Ma metaquartzites and as inherited grains in some 3,660 Ma granites (sensu stricto). These demonstrate that still more c. 3,850 Ma rocks were present, but were recycled into Eoarchaean sediments and crustally derived granites. The major and trace element characteristics (e.g. LREE enrichment, HREE depletion, low MgO) of the best-preserved c. 3,850 Ma rocks are typical of Archaean TTG suites, and thus argue for crust formation processes involving important contributions from melting of hydrated mafic crust to the earliest Archaean. Five c. 3,850 Ma tonalites were selected as the best preserved on the basis of field criteria and zircon petrology. Four of these samples have overlapping initial ɛ_Nd (3,850 Ma) values from +2.9 to +3.6± 0.5, with the fourth having a slightly lower value of +0.6. These data provide additional evidence for a markedly LREE-depleted early terrestrial mantle reservoir. The role of c. 3,850 Ma crust should be considered in interpreting isotope signatures of the younger (3,800–3,600 Ma) rocks of the Itsaq Gneiss Complex. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Equatorial electrojet in the south Atlantic anomaly region

Features of the equatorial electrojet are studied at Sao Luiz (2.6°S, 44.2°W, inclination −0.25°) in eastern Brazil and Sikasso (11.3°N, 5.7°W, inclination 0.1°) in the western African sector. The stations are situated on either side of the lowest magnetic field intensity in the region of rapid changes in the declination. The daily variations of ΔX at the two stations are almost similar with the peak around noon with maximum values during equinoxes and minimum values during J-solstices. Daily variations of ΔY differ with the maximum deviation of about −35 nT around noon at Sao Luiz and much smaller value of about −10 nT around 14 h LT for Sikasso. The direction of the H vector varies from 15°W of north at 08 h to more than 30°W of north at 17 h for Sao Luiz and from 14°E of north to 25°W of north at 18 h for Sikasso. The plot of the deviations in ΔX and ΔY at different hours for the two stations shows the points along narrow ellipses with major axis aligned along 22°W of north for Sao Luiz and along 3°W of north for Sikasso as compared to declination of 20°W for Sao Luiz and 6°W for Sikasso. The deviations in ΔX at the two stations are fairly well correlated.     

Remote effects of mixed layer development on ocean acidification in the subsurface layers of the North Pacific

Using the outputs of projections under the highest emission scenario of the representative concentration pathways performed by Earth system models (ESMs), we evaluate the ocean acidification rates of subsurface layers of the western North Pacific, where the strongest sink of atmospheric CO₂ is found in the mid-latitudes. The low potential vorticity water mass called the North Pacific Subtropical Mode Water (STMW) shows large dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration increase, and is advected southwestward, so that, in the sea to the south of Japan, DIC concentration increases and ocean acidification occurs faster than in adjacent regions. In the STMW of the Izu-Ogasawara region, the ocean acidification occurs with a pH decrease of ~0.004 year^?1 , a much higher rate than the previously estimated global average (0.0023 year^?1), so that the pH decreases by 0.3–0.4 during the twenty-first century and the saturation state of calcite (Ω_Ca) decreases from ~4.8 down to ~2.4. We find that the ESMs with a deeper mixed layer in the Kuroshio Extension region show a larger increase in DIC concentration within the Izu-Ogasawara region and within the Ryukyu Islands region. Comparing model results with the mixed layer depth obtained from the Argo dataset, we estimate that DIC concentration at a depth of ~200 m increases by 1.4–1.6 μmol kg^?1 year^?1 in the Izu-Ogasawara region and by 1.1–1.4 μmol kg^?1 year^?1 in the Ryukyu Islands region toward the end of this century.     

Soil moisture dynamics under different land uses on karst hillslope in northwest Guangxi,China

Temporal and spatial dynamics of soil moisture are little known on karst hillslope with shallow soil in subtropical region. The objectives of this paper were (1) to investigate the temporal dynamics of soil moisture at depth of 0–10 cm under different land uses; and (2) to understand the relationship between mean and coefficient of variation (CV) of moisture contents on karst hillslope in northwest Guangxi, China. Soil moisture contents had a moderate variation (CV 17.5–30.3%) over an 8-month period and they had a significant difference among different land uses at the 0.01 level with a decreasing order: native scrubland > abandoned cropland and sloping cropland > economic forestland. There were higher mean and lower CV of moisture contents in rainy season than those in drought season. Mean and CV of moisture contents had a significant negative linear relationship except in abandoned cropland with higher soil and vegetation heterogeneity. This suggested that spatial variability of soil moisture within sampling sites would decrease when soils were wet and increase when soils were arid. Compared with rainy season, more soil samples may be needed and the interval for sampling should be shortened in drought season. Such information provided some insights to better understand the dynamics and variability of soil moisture at a larger scale in karst region of southwest China.     

Identifying influence areas with connectivity analysis – application to the local perturbation of heterogeneity distribution for history matching

Numerical representations of a target reservoir can help to assess the potential of different development plans. To be as predictive as possible, these representations or models must reproduce the data (static, dynamic) collected on the field. However, constraining reservoir models to dynamic data – the history-matching process – can be very time consuming. Many uncertain parameters need to be taken into account, such as the spatial distribution of petrophysical properties. This distribution is mostly unknown and usually represented by millions of values populating the reservoir grid. Dedicated parameterization techniques make it possible to investigate many spatial distributions from a small number of parameters. The efficiency of the matching process can be improved from the perturbation of specific regions of the reservoir. Distinct approaches can be considered to define such regions. For instance, one can refer to streamlines. The leading idea is to identify areas that influence the production behavior where the data are poorly reproduced. Here, we propose alternative methods based on connectivity analysis to easily provide approximate influence areas for any fluid-flow simulation. The reservoir is viewed as a set of nodes connected by weighted links that characterize the distance between two nodes. The path between nodes (or grid blocks) with the lowest cumulative weight yields an approximate flow path used to define influence areas. The potential of the approach is demonstrated on the basis of 2D synthetic cases for the joint integration of production and 4D saturation data, considering several formulations for the weights attributed to the links.     

Breadth and depth in research on health disparities: commentary on the work of Nancy Krieger

Geocoding and spatial analysis of data describing populations and health events are important methods in health social science now carried out using GIS technology. This commentary considers Nancy Krieger’s work on health disparities in light of the various ways individuals and organizations use geocoded population and health data: analyzing spatial patterns of health and disease including health disparities, aggregating data spatially, assessing health status of individuals based on characteristics of aggregates, modeling neighborhood contextual factors affecting health, designing observation and intervention studies, and delivering health interventions and services. The extent to which her work addresses each of these purposes is considered. The strengths and limitations of the research including choice of spatial analytic units and techniques as reported in the published work are discussed. Krieger’s work, with her colleagues, has used standard methods of spatial analysis to raise the profile of GIS and spatial analysis in the public health community.