Composition and origin of holotype Al‐Cu‐Zn minerals in relation to quasicrystals in the Khatyrka meteorite

We investigated the khatyrkite–cupalite holotype sample, 1.2 × 0.5 mm across. It consists of khatyrkite (Cu,Zn)Al₂, cupalite (Cu,Zn)Al, and interstitial material with approximate composition (Zn,Cu)Al₃. All mineral phases of the holotype sample contain Zn and lack Fe that distinguishes them from khatyrkite and cupalite in the Khatyrka meteorite particles (Bindi et al. 2009 , 2011 , 2012 , 2015 ; MacPherson et al. 2013 ; Hollister et al. 2014 ). Neither highly fractionated natural systems nor geo‐ or cosmochemical processes capable of forming the holotype sample are known so far. The bulk chemistry and thermal history of khatyrkite–cupalite assemblage in the holotype sample hint for its possible industrial origin. Likewise, the aluminides in the Khatyrka meteorite particles may also be derived from industrial materials and mixed with extraterrestrial matter during gold prospecting in the Listvenitovy Stream valley.     

Non-singular expression for the gradient of the Earth gravitational potential in the local north-oriented ellipsoidal reference frame

In this contribution we continue our earlier research, concerning the ellipsoidal harmonic expansions of the Earth disturbing gravitational potential and its derivatives on an external reference ellipsoid confocal with respect to the normal ellipsoid and close to it. One of the results of the previous investigation is represented by a new expression for the derivative of the Jekeli’s Legendre function of the second kind, entering the ellipsoidal harmonics in the potential derivative. The derived expression depends on two Gauss hypergeometric functions which converge better than the hypergeometric functions of other authors. In the present paper we construct another expression for the derivative of the Jekeli’s Legendre function, depending on two alternative hypergeometric functions. While our earlier hypergeometric series in the expression for the derivative of this function converge better when the orders of the terms do not exceed a half of their degrees, the series constructed in the present paper converge more rapidly when the orders surpass a half of the degrees. We deduce an improved expression for the derivative of the Jekeli’s Legendre function by combining these results and then construct a corresponding new expression for the derivative of the disturbing potential. This expression is applied for constructing non-singular expressions for the components of the gradient of the potential in the local north-oriented ellipsoidal reference frame. The new expressions for these components have no these deficiencies and the expression for the potential gradient depends on very quickly convergent hypergeometric series.     

SHEBA flux–profile relationships in the stable atmospheric boundary layer

Measurements of atmospheric turbulence made during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean Experiment (SHEBA) are used to examine the profile stability functions of momentum, φ _m , and sensible heat, φ _h , in the stably stratified boundary layer over the Arctic pack ice. Turbulent fluxes and mean meteorological data that cover different surface conditions and a wide range of stability conditions were continuously measured and reported hourly at five levels on a 20-m main tower for 11 months. The comprehensive dataset collected during SHEBA allows studying φ _m and φ _h in detail and includes ample data for the very stable case. New parameterizations for φ _m (ζ) and φ _h (ζ) in stable conditions are proposed to describe the SHEBA data; these cover the entire range of the stability parameter ζ = z/L from neutral to very stable conditions, where L is the Obukhov length and z is the measurement height. In the limit of very strong stability, φ _m follows a ζ ^1/3 dependence, whereas φ _h initially increases with increasing ζ, reaches a maximum at ζ ≈ 10, and then tends to level off with increasing ζ. The effects of self-correlation, which occur in plots of φ _m and φ _h versus ζ, are reduced by using an independent bin-averaging method instead of conventional averaging.     

Time-scale and state dependence of the carbon-cycle feedback to climate

Climate and atmospheric CO₂ concentration are intimately coupled in the Earth system: CO₂ influences climate through the greenhouse effect, but climate also affects CO₂ through its impact on the amount of carbon stored on land and in the ocean. The change in atmospheric CO₂ as a response to a change in temperature ( $\varDelta CO_{2}/\varDelta T$ ) is a useful measure to quantify the feedback between the carbon cycle and climate. Using an ensemble of experiments with an Earth system model of intermediate complexity we show a pronounced time-scale dependence of $\varDelta CO_{2}/\varDelta T$ . A maximum is found on centennial scales with $\varDelta CO_{2}/\varDelta T$ values for the model ensemble in the range 5–12 ppm °C^?1, while lower values are found on shorter and longer time scales. These results are consistent with estimates derived from past observations. Up to centennial scales, the land carbon response to climate dominates the CO₂ signal in the atmosphere, while on longer time scales the ocean becomes important and eventually dominates on multi-millennial scales. In addition to the time-scale dependence, modeled $\varDelta CO_{2}/\varDelta T$ show a distinct dependence on the initial state of the system. In particular, on centennial time-scales, high $\varDelta CO_{2}/\varDelta T$ values are correlated with high initial land carbon content. A similar relation holds also for the CMIP5 models, although for $\varDelta CO_{2}/\varDelta T$ computed from a very different experimental setup. The emergence of common patterns like this could prove to usefully constrain the climate–carbon cycle feedback.     

Monitoring viscosity changes from time‐lapse seismic attenuation: case study from a heavy oil reservoir

Heating heavy oil reservoirs is a common method for reducing the high viscosity of heavy oil and thus increasing the recovery factor. Monitoring of these viscosity changes in the reservoir is essential for delineating the heated region and controlling production. In this study, we present an approach for estimating viscosity changes in a heavy oil reservoir. The approach consists of three steps: measuring seismic wave attenuation between reflections from above and below the reservoir, constructing time‐lapse Q and Q^?1 factor maps, and interpreting these maps using Kelvin–Voigt and Maxwell viscoelastic models. We use a 4D relative spectrum method to measure changes in attenuation. The method is tested with synthetic seismic data that are noise free and data with additive Gaussian noise to show the robustness and the accuracy of the estimates of the Q‐factor. The results of the application of the method to a field data set exhibit alignment of high attenuation zones along the steam‐injection wells, and indicate that temperature dependent viscosity changes in the heavy oil reservoir can be explained by the Kelvin–Voigt model.     

The updated version of SPONSOR land surface scheme: PILPS-influenced improvements

The parameterization scheme SPONSOR (Semi-distributed ParameterizatiON Scheme of the ORography-induced hydrology) participating in PILPS (Project for Intercomparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes) experiments since 1993 is described in more detail than before, taking into account a range of recent modifications. Improvement of the scheme in several aspects (e.g., soil water movement) resulted in significantly improved results for the Cabauw site (used for PILPS (2a) experiments). Then, parameterization of cold seasons/regions processes (water phase transformations within soil and snow cover) was developed for PILPS (2d) experiments carried out with Valdai data. Testing of the scheme against the data of Kolyma water balance station shows that it is able to reproduce the main features of heat and water exchange at the land surface in the permafrost zone quite satisfactorily. It was found that the scheme results are rather sensitive to the soil heat conductivity, especially in the cold seasons. The original method for the calculation of this parameter was developed using a square root function. The surface temperature and dates of crossing the 0°C temperature threshold for Kolyma station were reproduced with satisfactory accuracy. The temporal variation of the deep soil layers' temperatures was modelled satisfactorily too, but the seasonal amplitude of deep soil temperatures was overestimated by the scheme. This disadvantage can possibly be improved by inclusion of vertical inhomogeneity of soil thermal and hydraulic properties in the model.     

Morphometry of upper cheek teeth of cave bears (Carnivora,Ursidae)

Univariate and multivariate statistics were applied to analyse the morphometrical variability of 4920 upper cheek teeth (P4, M1 and M2) of cave bears from 123 geographical sites (180 samples) of different Pliocene – Pleistocene ages. The analysed specimens included those belonging to the big cave bears Ursus kudarensis, U. deningeri, U. spelaeus (three subspecies) and U. kanivetz (including U. ingressus), as well as the small cave bear U. rossicus. The information‐theoretical parameters (Shannon entropy and orderliness (Von Foerster, 1960: On self‐organizing systems and their environments. In Self‐Organizing Systems, 31–50. Pergamon Press, London) were used to estimate tooth diversity in different teeth, different taxa and in selected local chrono‐populations. Multivariate allometry coefficients (Klingenberg, 1996: Multivariate allometry. In Advances in Morphometrics, 23‐49. Plenum Press, New York) were used to describe the relationships of different ‘parts’ of a tooth and to compare allometric patterns amongst species or selected local samples. A multivariate analysis showed a significant overlap of the size/shape parameter ranges in deningeroid and spelaeoid bears within morphological spaces. Within the cave bear lineage, the Deninger's bear has the greatest morphological diversity index (entropy) of all the teeth overall, and the lowest diversity is observed in the final taxon of this lineage – U. kanivetz (=ingressus). The P4 and M2 diversity showed multidirectional correlations with elevation above sea level amongst several ‘local’ populations of Late Pleistocene cave bears. The morphological disparities between the studied taxa are in close agreement with the distances in the available schemes of genetic differentiation based on ancient mitochondrial DNA. The split of U. kudarensis and U. deningeri has a good bootstrap support, which corresponds to the hypothesis about their parallel evolution. The small cave bear U. rossicus is placed between U. arctos and U. deningeri. The phylogenetic signal is more pronounced in the variability of teeth in comparison with other skeletal remains of cave bears (cranium, mandible, or metapodial bones).     

Climate projections over CORDEX Africa domain using the fifth-generation Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM5)

Following the CORDEX experimental protocol, climate simulations and climate-change projections for Africa were made with the new fifth-generation Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM5). The model was driven by two Global Climate Models (GCMs), one developed by the Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie and the other by the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, for the period 1950–2100 under the RCP4.5 emission scenario. The performance of the CRCM5 simulations for current climate is discussed first and compared also with a reanalysis-driven CRCM5 simulation. It is shown that errors in lateral boundary conditions and sea-surface temperature from the GCMs have deleterious consequences on the skill of the CRCM5 at reproducing specific regional climate features such as the West African Monsoon and the annual cycle of precipitation. For other aspects of the African climate however the regional model is able to add value compared to the simulations of the driving GCMs. Climate-change projections for periods until the end of this century are also analysed. All models project a warming throughout the twenty-first century, although the details of the climate changes differ notably between model projections, especially for precipitation changes. It is shown that the climate changes projected by CRCM5 often differ noticeably from those of the driving GCMs.