Small-scaled environmental changes: indications from stable isotopes of gastropods (Early Miocene, Korneuburg Basin, Austria)

The Korneuburg Basin, with mainly upper Lower Miocene (Karpatian) sediment filling, is divided by the Mollmannsdorf–Obergänserndorf Swell into two sub-basins characterised by different environmental settings. Paleoecological data indicate a marine northern part and a mainly estuarine southern part. Nevertheless, short-termed marine ingressions from the north allowed marine faunas (ostracods, molluscs, and echinoids) to temporarily settle the southern part of the basin. The carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of gastropod shells from these different environmental settings were investigated. Highest δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values are found in Turritella shells from the northern part of the basin, and in Turritella shells from layers interpreted as a marine ingression in the south. Generally, components of the mudflat fauna (Tympanotonos cinctus, Granulolabium bicinctum, Terebralia bidendata, and Ocenebra crassilabiata) have slightly lower isotope values. Considerable freshwater influx in the southern part is documented by abundant freshwater genera such as Melanopsis, which show low carbon and oxygen isotope values. Data of identical taxa, especially Turritella and Granulolabium, reflect a trend from higher isotope values at the marine northern part to slightly lower values in the mainly estuarine southern part of the basin. Differences in δ¹⁸O between the marine and the estuarine assemblages are interpreted to be caused by changes in salinity and isotopic composition of ambient water rather than by temperature. Paleotemperature estimates derived from oxygen isotope data are in good agreement with existing paleoclimatic proxies for the Korneuburg Basin. Hence, an annual range of the sea-surface temperature from 13 to 26°C can be predicted within that protected basin.     

Sulphur behaviour in forest soils near the largest SO2 emitter in northern Europe

The impact of 60 a of SO₂ emissions from a Ni–Cu plant in the Kola Peninsula (Russia) on soil S contents was assessed in podzols under pine forests. Sulphate desorption and the possible delay of acidification reversal was investigated, because the plant will be reconstructed in 2006 with an expected emission reduction of 90%. Sites were sampled along a pollution gradient in the prevailing wind direction from 1 to 66 km. The investigated podzols stored S mostly in the organic form. The concentrations of total and organic S in soil organic horizons tended to be higher near the smelter but were only weakly correlated with S deposition. No relationship between distance to smelter and S contents was found for the mineral horizons. Sulphate content and desorption behavior were highly variable due to natural variations of texture and extractable Al and Fe contents of the soils. The lack of a clear strong trend with distance from the smelter except in the organic layer indicated that long range transport and diffuse input of SO₄ played a major role rather than point source impact. It was concluded that biological turnover is most likely the regulating process in these soils and thus low to medium release of SO₄ is expected under decreasing deposition scenarios because organic S was the dominant fraction of total S in all soils.     

Hydrodynamics in the Gulf of Aigues-Mortes,NW Mediterranean Sea: In situ and modelling data

The Gulf of Aigues-Mortes (NW Mediterranean Sea) is a midshelf zone whose scale is an intermediate between the nearshore scale (0–10 m depth) and the coastal scale (including the whole continental shelf). Its hydrodynamics is investigated for the first time. ADCP, CTD and thermosalinograph data were collected during three short cruises (HYGAM; March 6–7, 20–21, April 5–6, 2005). They were scheduled approximately every 15 days to sample the gulf circulation under different weather conditions. Moreover, the cruise data were used to validate the Symphonie model, a 3D primitive equations circulation model. The circulation features displayed by in situ data were well reproduced by Symphonie. A downscaling modelling approach was implemented, the largest scale being obtained by the replay of the MFSTEP regional model of the North-Western Mediterranean Sea.     

Light and temperature effects on Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios in the scleractinian coral Acropora sp.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of light and temperature on Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios in the skeleton of the coral Acropora sp. for the purpose of evaluating temperature proxies for paleoceanographic applications. In the first experiment, corals were cultivated under three light levels (100, 200, 400 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹) and constant temperature (27 °C). In the second experiment, corals were cultivated at five temperatures (21, 23, 25, 27, 29 °C) and constant light (400 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹). Increasing the water temperature from 21 to 29 °C, induced a 5.7-fold increase in the rate of calcification, which induced a 30% increase in the Mg/Ca ratio. In contrast, by increasing the light level by a factor of 4, the rate of calcification was increased only by a factor of 1.7, with a corresponding 9% increase in the Mg/Ca ratio. Thus, the relative change in the calcification rate in the two experiments (5.7 vs. 1.7) scales with the corresponding relative change in Mg/Ca ratio (30% vs. 9%). We conclude that there is a strong biological control on the incorporation of Mg.For Sr/Ca, good correlations were also observed with water temperature and the calcification rate induced by temperature changes. However, in sharp contrast with the Mg/Ca ratio, a temperature-induced 5.7-fold increase in the calcification rate only induced a 4.5% change (decrease) in the Sr/Ca ratio. An important finding for paleoceanographic applications is that the Sr/Ca ratio did not appear to be sensitive to changes in the light level, or to changes in calcification rate induced by changes in the light level. Thus, in this study, water temperature was found to be the dominant parameter controlling the skeletal Sr/Ca ratio.     

Cryptotephras in the Lateglacial ICDP Dead Sea sediment record and their implications for chronology

Due to a lack of visible tephras in the Dead Sea record, this unique palaeoenvironmental archive is largely unconnected to the well-established Mediterranean tephrostratigraphy. Here we present first results of the ongoing search for cryptotephras in the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) sediment core from the deep Dead Sea basin. This study focusses on the Lateglacial (~15–11.4 cal. ka BP), when Lake Lisan – the precursor of the Dead Sea – shrank from its glacial highstand to the Holocene low levels. We developed a glass shard separation protocol and counting procedure that is adapted to the extreme salinity and sediment recycling of the Dead Sea. Cryptotephra is abundant in the Dead Sea record (up to ~100 shards cm^-3), but often glasses are physically and/or chemically altered. Six glass samples from five tephra horizons reveal a heterogeneous geochemical composition, with mainly rhyolitic and some trachytic glasses potentially sourced from Italian, Aegean and Anatolian volcanoes. Most shards likely originate from the eastern Anatolian volcanic province and can be correlated using major element analyses with tephra deposits from swarm eruptions of the Süphan Volcano ~13 ka BP and with ashes from Nemrut Volcano, presumably the Lake Van V-16 volcanic layer at ~13.8 ka BP. In addition to glasses that match the TM-10-1 from Lago Grande di Monticchio (15 820±790 cal. a BP) tentatively correlated with the St. Angelo Tuff of Ischia, we further identified a cryptotephra with glass analyses which are chemically identical with those of the PhT1 tephra in the Philippon peat record (13.9–10.5 ka BP), and also a compositional match for the glass analyses of the Santorini Cape Riva Tephra (Y-2 marine tephra, 22 024±642 cal. a BP). These first results demonstrate the great potential of cryptotephrochronology in the Dead Sea record for improving its chronology and connecting the Levantine region to the Mediterranean tephra framework.     

The influence of the early formation of human and social capital on inventiveness: perspectives from a Swedish case study

Analysing life-history narratives of Swedish inventors, this paper explores how family background influences upon the formation of social and human capital and demonstrates how these capital resources affect the creative abilities of inventors. The main findings of the paper are that the socio-economic position one is born into has important implications for the development of human and social capital, and that the nature and extent of an inventor’s capital assets strongly influences the nature of his or her inventiveness. Inventors who come from higher socio-economic backgrounds have greater endowments of formal human capital than those from more modest backgrounds, and the social networks they use in their inventive work link them to other actors with human capital endowments similar to their own. Therefore, inventors with high human capital endowments will benefit from their social networks, as they constitute important means of gaining access to innovative knowledge and business advice. In contrast, inventors from lower socio-economic backgrounds with limited formal human capital resources are more likely to have actors in their social networks who themselves possess limited formal human capital. However, these inventors may become prosperous inventors if they are endowed with great social capital resources from their formative backgrounds because, for inventors, high endowments of social capital can compensate for a lack of formal human capital.     

A Meta‐Analysis on the Return on Investment of Geospatial Data and Systems: A Multi‐Country Perspective

The availability, quality and accessibility of Geographic Information (GI) have significant socio‐economic and environmental benefits, but the collection and maintenance of GI require substantial investments. Cost‐benefit assessments (CBAs) attempt to justify the costs of geospatial data investments, applying different methodologies and focusing on diverse areas. Therefore, the Returns on Investment (ROI) vary considerably across studies, regions and sectors. The objective of this study is to explain some of the variation in the average ROI of GI by conducting a meta‐analysis of 82 cost‐benefit assessments between 1994 and 2013. In a first step, CBAs are systematically reviewed and relevant information is extracted. Particular emphasis is given to investment conditions and study characteristics. In a second step, multivariate regression methods are used to assess the size, significance and direction of individual effects. The results suggest that regional factors have the largest impact on the profitability of GI. Returns in Australia and New Zealand, for example, are four times larger than in Europe. In addition, small‐scale regional investments have a 2.5 times lower return than large‐scale international investments. Overall, the expected benefits of GI investments are approximately 3.2 times larger than the costs.     

Evidence for a single clay/temper source for the manufacture of Middle and Late Helladic Aeginetan pottery from Asine,Greece

In an effort to further characterize the Middle and Late Helladic pottery industry on Aegina, we have analyzed amphibole in 23 sherds imported to the coastal settlement of Asine. The sherds derive from vessels of different classes and shapes and range in age from MH I‐II to LH IIIB‐IIIC Early. All sherds come from vessels that carry manufacturing marks, and their amphiboles have compositions that are incompatible with those of Methana, Poros, and Melos. Twenty of the sherds have amphiboles that are identical in composition and overlap a narrow range of amphibole compositions found in specific lava flows on the northern portion of Aegina. Given that the dacites across Aegina contain amphiboles with a wide range in compositions, we suggest that the narrow range of amphibole compositions in the sherds indicates that they were derived from either a specific clay source on the island, located in a stream system southeast of the prehistoric settlement at Kolonna, or that the potters used a specific temper source along the same stream system. Multiple clay or temper sources would have produced sherds with a broader range of amphibole compositions reflecting the diversity of amphibole compositions found on Aegina. One sherd has amphibole compositions indicative of an additional Aeginetan component that is not found in the other sherds. Two sherds have amphiboles with compositions that do not match any known reference amphiboles for Aegina, Methana, Poros, or Melos. These may have been derived from still unsampled dacites on Aegina or have been manufactured from materials located outside the Saronic Gulf. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Distinguishing between naturally and culturally flaked cobbles: A test case from Alberta,Canada

Distinguishing between naturally and culturally produced, simply flaked cobbles has been a problem for proponents of a pre‐Clovis occupation in the Americas. Several sites in Alberta have been assigned a pre‐Clovis status based on the presence of simply flaked cobbles found in Late Pleistocene till deposits. Historically, these types of assemblages have been assigned a cultural status based on subjective criteria and appeals to the analyst's expertise. To determine the archaeological status of two such assemblages from Alberta (Varsity Estates and Silver Springs), they were compared to a known natural assemblage and two known cultural assemblages. Chi‐square testing was used to evaluate several lithic attributes. Only those attributes that statistically differentiated between natural and cultural assemblages were used for further analyses. All cobbles were then scored using these attributes. A point was awarded when a statistically significant attribute of human‐manufacture was present. These points were then totaled, providing an aggregate score for each cobble. These scores were plotted to determine whether the test assemblages had closer affinities with the known natural or known cultural assemblages. The results indicate that the proposed pre‐Clovis assemblages have closer affinities to known natural assemblages than to cultural assemblages. Our results suggest that these sites provide no evidence for a pre‐Clovis occupation in the Americas. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.