Insight into the Last Glacial Maximum climate and environments of the Baikal region

This study presents a multi‐proxy record from Lake Kotokel in the Baikal region at decadal‐to‐multidecadal resolution and provides a reconstruction of terrestrial and aquatic environments in the area during a 2000‐year interval of globally harsh climate often referred to as the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The studied lake is situated near the eastern shoreline of Lake Baikal, in a climatically sensitive zone that hosts boreal taiga and cold deciduous forests, cold steppe associations typical for northern Mongolia, and mountain tundra vegetation. The results provide a detailed picture of the period in focus, indicating (i) a driest phase (c. 24.0–23.4 cal. ka BP) with low precipitation, high summer evaporation, and low lake levels, (ii) a transitional interval of unstable conditions (c. 23.4–22.6 cal. ka BP), and (iii) a phase (c. 22.6–22.0 cal. ka BP) of relatively high precipitation (and moisture availability) and relatively high lake levels. One hotly debated issue in late Quaternary research is regional summer thermal conditions during the LGM. Our chironomid‐based reconstruction suggests at least 3.5 °C higher than present summer temperatures between c. 22.6 and 22.0 cal. ka BP, which are well in line with warmer and wetter conditions in the North Atlantic region inferred from Greenland ice‐cores. Overall, it appears that environments in central Eurasia during the LGM were affected by much colder than present winter temperatures and higher than present summer temperatures, although the effects of temperature oscillations were strongly influenced by changes in humidity.     

Indo‐Antarctic derived detritus on the northern margin of Gondwana: evidence for continental‐scale sediment transport

Provenance studies from Cambro‐Ordovician sediments of the North Gondwana passive margin typically ascribe a North African source, a conclusion that cannot be reconciled with all observations. We present new U‐Pb ages from detrital rutile and zircon from Late Ordovician sediments from Saxo‐Thuringia, Germany. Detrital zircons yield age populations of 500–800 Ma, 900–1050 Ma and 1800–2600 Ma. The detrital rutile age spectra are unimodal with ages between 500 and 650 Ma and likely represent, together with the 500–800 Ma and 1800–2600 Ma zircon populations, detritus sourced predominantly from North Africa. In contrast, the c. 950 Ma zircons, which are persistently found in Cambro‐Ordovician sediments of North Gondwana, have no obvious African source. We propose that these zircons are sourced from the Rayner Complex–Eastern Ghats regions of Antarctica and India. An Indo‐Antarctic source indicates either continental‐scale sedimentary transport from central Gondwana to its peripheries or multiple cycles of sediment reworking and redeposition.     

On the added value of regional climate modeling in climate change assessment

Regional climate models represent a promising tool to assess the regional dimension of future climate change and are widely used in climate impact research. While the added value of regional climate models has been highlighted with respect to a better representation of land-surface interactions and atmospheric processes, it is still unclear whether radiative heating implies predictability down to the typical scale of a regional climate model. As a quantitative assessment, we apply an optimal statistical filter to compare the coherence between observed and simulated patterns of Mediterranean climate change from a global and a regional climate model. It is found that the regional climate model has indeed an added value in the detection of regional climate change, contrary to former assumptions. The optimal filter may also serve as a weighting factor in multi-model averaging.     

Validation of boundary layer parameters of climate model REMO: estimation of leaf area index from NOAA-AVHRR data for the Baltimos region

The preparation of time- and space-dependent input surface parameters for the climate model REMO was one task of the Baltimos project “Validation of Boundary Layer Parameters and Extension of Boundary conditions of Climate Model REMO”. The leaf area index (LAI) is one of these parameters. It is used in REMO as defined value per month for each land-use class with a defined seasonal trend during the year. Since 1982 at the Institute of Meteorology of the Free University Berlin, a high-resolved AVHRR data set of the NOAA satellite has been available (1/100 degree, approximately 1?×?1 km at nadir in a geographic coordination system) (Koslowsky 1996). The vegetation periods of the years 1997 until 2001 were selected from the dataset to estimate the LAI within the Baltimos region on the basis of an algorithm by Sellers et al. (J Climate 9:706–737, 1996) and a modified United States Geological Survey (USGS) land-use classification. The calculated high-resolved NOAA LAI values were converted to the 1/6 degree grid of the REMO climate model. Then, they were compared to the fixed LAI values, which are used in the model.     

Biogeochemical conditions in sediments enriched by organic matter from net-pen fish farms in the Bolinao area, Philippines

Sedimentation and sediment metabolism was measured at eight active milkfish fish pens and at one abandoned site in the Bolinao area, Philippines in order to examine the interactions between sediment and water in this shallow coastal zone. The rates of sedimentation were high in the area due to siltation, but the activities in the fish pens also contributed to enhanced sedimentation as indicated by the difference between the abandoned and active sites. The sediment metabolism appeared to decrease with increasing rates of sedimentation indicating that the microbial activity reached a saturation level in the fish pen sediments. Anaerobic processes dominated the organic matter decomposition, and sulfate reduction rates are among the highest measured in fish farm sediments. The rates decreased with increasing organic loading despite high concentrations of sulfate (>10 mM) at all sites. Presence of methane bubbles in the sediments suggests that sulfate reduction and methanogenesis were coexisting. The sediment metabolism was significantly reduced at the abandoned site indicating that the stimulation of microbial activities is due to active fish production. The anaerobic activity remained high at the abandoned site indicating that the sediment biogeochemical conditions remain affected long time after fish production has ceased.     

Hydraulic fracturing: a toxicological threat for groundwater and drinking-water?

This paper deals with the possible impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), employed in the exploitation of unconventional shale gas and tight gas reservoirs, on groundwater, which is the most important source of drinking-water in Germany and many other European countries. This assessment, which is part of an interdisciplinary study by a panel of neutral experts on the risks and environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing, is based mainly on data obtained from three ExxonMobil drilling sites in northern Germany. First, the basic technical aspects of fracking and its relevant water fluxes are explained. The type, purpose and fate of the constituents of the fracking fluids are discussed. The chemicals used in the fracking fluids are assessed with regard to their hazardous properties according to the Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP regulation) and the German “Water Hazard Classes”. Contamination of groundwater by ingredients of fracking fluids may occur from under ground or may result from above-ground accidents associated with the transport, storage and handling of hazardous substances used as additives in fracking fluids. The degree of groundwater contamination cannot be predicted in a general way. Therefore, different dilutions of the fracking fluid in groundwater are considered. It is shown that the concentrations of most ingredients resulting from a 1:10,000 up to 1:100,000 dilution of the fracking fluid in groundwater are below health-based reference values such as the limit values of the European Drinking Water Directive, the WHO Guideline Values for Drinking-water Quality, and other health-based guide values for drinking-water. Regarding the salinity of fracking fluids, a dilution of 1:1,000 is sufficient to reach concentrations which are acceptable for drinking-water. From the human-toxicological point of view, the constituents of flowback water are more problematic with respect to drinking-water produced from groundwater than those of the fracking fluids. The few reliable data which have become available, as well as hydrogeological considerations, point in the direction of considerable salt concentrations and toxic constituents, e.g., Hg, As, Pb, Zn, Cd, BTX, PAHs, or even radioactive elements. The identification and assessment of reaction products and metabolites, which are produced as a result of the fracking operation and the metabolic activity of microorganisms, are important topics for further research. The recommendations include the need for a better understanding of the environmental impact of fracking operations, especially with regard to the development of sustainable rules for planning, permission, performance and management of fracking, and for the monitoring of groundwater quality around fracked drilling sites.     

Morphometric and hypsometric analysis in the Tierra Nueva Basin,San Luis Potosí, México

In areas with long periods of drought, it is essential to implement strategies to manage the available water resource. Tierra Nueva Basin is affected by this situation, consequently the farm production and livestock holdings are affected and the people don’t have access to enough water. In this paper, we propose an integrative methodology based on mathematical tools such as hypsometric and morphometric analysis applying geographic information systems. The proposal is strengthened with the aggregation of geological-structural, morphometrical, hypsometrical parameters and climatological information through a precipitation analysis provided by the National Water Commission from 1962 to 2010. According to the available data and the results obtained through the implemented proposal, an acceptable level of reliability is inferred allowing to determine areas structurally suitable for the use of surface water and its uptake. The methodology that we propose facilitates and simplifies the processes of searching and exploring locations suitable for surface water capture in arid and semi-arid zones, identifying in a qualitative and quantitative manner the optimal zone. For the case study, test-and-validation of the methodology the Tierra Nueva Basin in San Luis Potosí, México was selected. Tierra Nueva is a semi-arid site where “La Muñeca” dam is located. The results obtained in this work confirm the location of the “La Muñeca” dam as one of the most suitable areas for water collection. The methodology that we propose is a useful tool for the studies of water capturing purposes in arid and semi-arid zones.