Detection of a new interstellar molecular ion, H2COH+ (protonated formaldehyde)

A new interstellar molecular ion, H2COH+ (protonated formaldehyde), has been detected toward Sgr B2, Orion KL, W51, and possibly in NGC 7538 and DR21(OH). Six transitions were detected in Sgr B2(M). The 1(1,0)-1(0,1) transition was detected in all sources listed above. Searches were also made toward the cold, dark clouds TMC-1 and L134N, Orion (3N, 1E), and a red giant, IRC + 10216, without success. The excitation temperatures of H2COH+ are calculated to be 60-110 K, and the column densities are on the order of 10(12)-10(14) cm-2 in Sgr B2, Orion KL, and W51. The fractional abundance of H2COH+ is on the order of 10(-11) to 10-(9), and the ratio of H2COH+ to H2CO is in the range 0.001-0.5 in these objects. The values in Orion KL seem to be consistent with the "early time" values of recent model calculations by Lee, Bettens, & Herbst, but they appear to be higher than the model values in Sgr B2 and W51 even if we take the large uncertainties of column densities of H2CO into account. We suggest production routes starting from CH3OH may play an important role in the formation of H2COH+.     

Evidence for Multiple Mechanisms of Crustal Contamination of Magma from Compositionally Zoned Plutons and Associated Ultramafic Intrusions of the Alaska Range

Models of continental crustal magmagenesis commonly invoke theinteraction of mafic mantle-derived magma and continental crustto explain geochemical and petrologic characteristics of crustalvolcanic and plutonic rocks. This interaction and the specificmechanisms of crustal contamination associated with it are poorlyunderstood. An excellent opportunity to study the progressiveeffects of crustal contamination is offered by the compositeplutons of the Alaska Range, a series of nine early Tertiary,multiply intruded, compositionally zoned (Peridotite to granite)plutons. Large initial Sr and Nd isotopic contrasts betweenthe crustal country rock and likely parental magmas allow evaluationof the mechanisms and extents of crustal contamination thataccompanied the crystallization of these ultra-mafic throughgranitic rocks. Three contamination processes are distinguishedin these plutons. The most obvious of these is assimilationof crustal country rock concurrent with magmatic fractionalcrystallization (AFC), as indicated by a general trend towardcrustal-like isotopic signatures with increasing differentiation.Second, many ultramafic and mafic rocks have late-stage phenocrystreaction and orthocumulate textures that suggest interactionwith felsic melt. These rocks also have variable and enrichedisotopic compositions that suggest that this felsic melt wasisotopically enriched and probably derived from crustal countryrock. Partial melt from the flysch country rock may have reactedwith and contaminated these partly crystalline magmas followingthe precipitation and accumulation of the cumulus phenocrystsbut before complete solidification of the magma. This suggeststhat in magmatic mush (especially of ultramafic composition)crystallizing in continental crust, a second distinct processof crustal contamination may be super imposed on AFC or magmamixing involving the main magma body. Finally, nearly all rocks,including mafic and ultramafic rocks, have (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i thatare too high, and (T) _Nd that are too low, to represent theexpected isotopic composition of typical depleted mantle. However,gabbro xenoliths with typical depicted-mantle isotopic compositionsare found in the plutons. This situation requires either anadditional enriched mantle component to provide the parentalmagma for these plutons, or some mechanism of crustal contaminationof the parent magma that did not cause significant crystallizationand differentiation of the magma to more felsic compositions.Thermodynamic modeling indicates that assimilation of alkali-andwater-rich partial melt of the metapelite country rock by fractionating,near-liquidus basaltic magma could cause significant contaminationwhile suppressing significant crystallization and differentiation. KEY WORDS: crustal contamination; Alaska Range; isotope geochemistry; zoned plutons; assimilation ^*Corresponding author. e-mail: preiners{at}u.washington.edu; fax: (206) 543-3836.     

Springs of Great Britain

Predictably, in a country such as Britain, with its preponderance of consolidated, sedimentary, mainly fissure-flow aquifers, there is a very large number of springs, many of which are, or have been, used for public supply. Migratory springs are a feature of the British (Ur. Cretaceous) Chalk, the most important British aquifer. The Chalk's low specific yield and high capillary moisture retention together give rise to very considerable fluctuations (more than 33 m in some areas) of the unconfined water table. Along the gentle dip slopes of the Chalk (North and South Downs of southern and southeastern England) springs may migrate laterally for several miles, giving rise to seasonal streams locally known as bournes or lavants. However, springs such as at Duncton, West Sussex, at the base of the much steeper scarp slopes of the Chalk, form point sources, the flows from which tend to be relatively steady; such springs commonly supply and are the original reason for the existence of many of the small towns and villages which nestle along the bases of the chalk scarps of Sussex and Kent.Where the Chalk forms coastal cliffs, a number of springs break out at the base of the cliff between high and low tide levels; there are major chalk coastal springs, for instance, at St. Margaret's Bay (Kent) and at Arish Mells, east of Lulworth Cove, Dorset. Such springs are not used for direct supply (their salinity is usually too high) but are indicators of the presence of local reserves of groundwater for possible future development.     

Integrated chronostratigraphy of Proterozoic-Cambrian boundary beds in the western Anabar region, northern Siberia

Carbonate-rich sedimentary rocks of the western Anabar region, northern Siberia, preserve an exceptional record of evolutionary and biogeochemical events near the Proterozoic/Cambrian boundary. Sedimentologically, the boundary succession can be divided into three sequences representing successive episodes of late transgressive to early highstand deposition; four parasequences are recognized in the sequence corresponding lithostratigraphically to the Manykal Formation. Small shelly fossils are abundant and include many taxa that also occur in standard sections of southeastern Siberia. Despite this coincidence of faunal elements, biostratigraphic correlations between the two regions have been controversial because numerous species that first appear at or immediately above the basal Tommotian boundary in southeastern sections have first appearances scattered through more than thirty metres of section in the western Anabar. Carbon- and Sr-isotopic data on petrographically and geochemically screened samples collected at one- to two-metre intervals in a section along the Kotuikan River, favour correlation of the Staraya Reckha Formation and most of the overlying Manykai Formation with sub-Tommotian carbonates in southeastern Siberia. In contrast, isotopic data suggest that the uppermost Manykai Formation and the basal 26 m of the unconformably overlying Medvezhya Formation may have no equivalent in the southeast; they appear to provide a sedimentary and palaeontological record of an evolutionarily significant time interval represented in southeastern Siberia only by the sub-Tommotian unconformity. Correlations with radiometrically dated horizons in the Olenek and Kharaulakh regions of northern Siberia suggest that this interval lasted approximately three to six million years, during which essentially all 'basal Tommotian' small shelly fossils evolved.     

Derivation of A-type Granites from a Dehydrated Charnockitic Lower Crust: Evidence from the Chaelundi Complex, Eastern Australia

Triassic I- and A-type granites of the Chaelundi Complex, NewEngland Fold Belt, eastern Australia, were generated in a subduction-relatedtectonic setting. Although isotopic ages of the suites are indistinguishable,field relations indicate that the A-type is younger. The mostmafic granitoids from each suite have similar silica contents(66–68% SiO₂), slightly LREE enriched patterns withoutEu anomalies, low Rb/Sr and K/Ba ratios, and high K/Rb ratios,suggesting that both represent parental magmas. The A-type isdistinguished mineralogically by abundant orthoclase and sodicplagioclase (total >60%), ferro-hornblende, annite and allanite.In contrast, the I-type has more hornblende and biotite, whichare more magnesian in composition, and less feldspar. The parentalmagmas of both suites have many similar geochemical characteristics,although the A-type has slightly higher alkalis, Zr, Hf, Znand LREE, and lower CaO, MgO, Sr, V, Cr, Ni and Fe³⁺/Fe. Thegeochemical properties characteristic of leucocratic A-typegranites, such as high Ga/Al, Nb, , HREE and F contents, areonly manifest in the more felsic members of the A-type suite.These features were produced by 70% fractional crystallizationof feldspar, hornblende, quartz and biotite. Both granite suites were generated by water-undersaturated partialmelting of a similar source, but the A-type parent magma resultedfrom lower aH₂O conditions during partial melting. Generationand rapid ascent of the earlier 1-type magma during disequilibriumpartial melting produced a relatively anhydrous, but not refractory,charnockitic lower crust. Continued thermal input from mantle-derivedmagmas, during continuing subduction, partially melted the ‘charnockitized’lower crust at temperatures in excess of 900C, to produce A-typemagmas. Charnockitic magmas (C-type) form in a similar way toA-type magmas, although their different composition reflectsvariations in the anhydrous lower-crustal mineral assemblagesthat remain after the previous (1-type) granite-forming event. The New England Fold Belt was a subduction—accretion complexuntil the late Carboniferous, when the deeper parts underwentpartial melting to produce S-type granites. As the I-and A-typegranites intruded penecontemporaneously, a tonalitic sourcemodel for genesis of the Chaelundi A-type is untenable. KEY WORDS: A-type; charnockitization; eastern Australia ^*Corresponding author.     

Total ozone variations in the tropical belt: An application for quality of ground based measurements

Summary The study of the regime of ozone variations in the huge tropical belt (25° S to 25° N), which are, in general, very small and zonally nearly symmetric, permits to establish a statistical model for estimating the ozone deviations using Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data. The equatorial stratospheric winds at 25 and 50hPa and the solar flux at 10.7 cm are used as major predictors and the linear trend was also estimated. The 10m/sec stratospheric wind change is related to1.2% ozone change at the equator, to practically no change in the 8–15° belts and up to 1.4% change with opposite phase over the tropics in spring but nearly zero change in fall. The solar cycle related amplitude is about 1.4% per 100 units of 10.7 cm solar flux. The ozone trends are negative: not significant over the equator and about –2% per decade (significant at 95% level) over the tropics. The latter could have been enforced by the 2 to 4% lower ozone values during 1991–1993, part of which might be related to the effects of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, but might also be due to the strong QBO. The estimated deviations are verified versus reliable observations and the very good agreement permits applying the model for quantitative quality control of the reported ozone data from previous years. The standard deviation of the difference between observed ozone deviations and those estimated from the model is only 0.9–1.6% for yearly mean, that means instruments used for total ozone observations in the tropical belt should have systematic error of less than 1%. Cases when the discrepancies between the model and reported observations at a given station exceed 2–3% for time interval of 2 or more years should be verified.With 17 Figures     

Objective measures of the information density of satellite data

Summary We propose and objective method whereby the density of Shannon's information associated with the retrieval of a profile of atmospheric variables from satellite-derived infrared radiance measurements may be estimated. The technique is a natural extension of one we previously proposed to estimate the effective data density in a profile. We test the method in a comparison of simulated satellite instruments to show that the method does indeed provide an objective summary of the spatial distribution of each instrument's information content. We propose that further extensions of the method be developed to include other more traditional data sources in a fully three-dimensional scheme. We also note that analogous and compatible methods may be used to diagnose the information content of meteorological analysis and forecast fields relative to the information contained in the covariance, at the appropriate season, of the corresponding climate fields.With 8 Figures     

Use of precipitation data for diabatic initialization to improve the tropical analysis of divergence and moisture

Summary First, we review the present status of diabatic initialization used for numerical weather prediction and conclude that the deficiency of diabatic initialization mostly stems from the shortcoming in evaluating diabatic heating rates accurately, particularly the release of latent heat by cumulus convection. This indicates the need to adjust the initial conditions for physical processes, and Krishnamurti and his colleagues introduced in 1984 the concept of physical initialization. Since cumulus convection is most sensitive to input data among many physical processes, the adjustment of atmospheric input data to a prediction model to produce desired initial precipitation rates is referred to as cumulus initialization.In this article we describe a general approach to diabatic initialization with a special emphasis on cumulus initialization. We present the results of forecasting experiments with a version of the NCAR Community Climate Model (CCM) to demonstrate the efficacy of a cumulus initialization procedure to ameliorate the spinup problern of precipitation. Finally, we discuss application of the present methodology of cumulus initialization for a stability-dependent mass-flux cumulus parameterization of CCM2 to pave the way to complete the diabatic normal mode initialization package for CCM2. Note that the present cumulus initialization scheme can be used to assimilate into the atmospheric analysis of the tropics the precipitation rates estimated by satellite radiometric imagery data.With 8 FiguresThe National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation     

Geochemical framework for water quality studies in sub-Saharan Africa

The scope for using hydrogeochemical techniques in water quality studies in Africa is reviewed as a background to a set of thematic papers. Water quality problems are emerging as a key issue in Africa either:

• 1. 

  i) in view of the pressures of man-made pollution on finite resources; or

• 2. 

  ii) the existence of regions with naturally induced geological problems, for example fluoride endemic areas.

Such natural problems are the focus of this paper and the following topics were emphasised during a workshop in Sodere, Ethiopia: the need to determine natural baselines as a means of recognizing anthropogenic pollution; the need for high quality samples and field data, but relatively basic analytical data; the use of chloride to assist in recharge estimation and water-balance studies; an understanding of depth stratification of water quality as part of the design of well/borehole drilling programmes; the use of hydrogeochemistry in geothermal studies; the recognition of health and/or acceptability problems, especially for F, Fe, Mn, As, I and Al. Water quality standards for African countries need to be considered in the context of local geochemical environments and some of the WHO limits, especially for major ions, may be unattainable owing to naturally high total mineralization.     

Trace metals in suspended particulate matter and in sediment trap material from a permanently anoxic fjord — Framvaren, South Norway

Geochemical studies of the trace metal concentrations in suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediment trap material from a permanently anoxic fjord, Framvaren, South Norway in 1989 and 1993 indicate that extremely high concentrations of zinc (max = 183920 mg/kg), copper (max = 4130 mg/kg), lead (max = 2752 mg/kg), and cadmium (max= 8.1 mg/kg) sometimes (1993) occur in the SPM collected in the anoxic water layer. The highest concentrations of Zn occur just below the redoxcline at 22 m water depth (in 1993), and copper, lead and cadmium have maximum concentrations between 30 and 80 m depth, where the amount of total SPM is at a minimum (about 0.3 mg/L). On a mass per volume (g/L) basis, the maximum concentrations of Cd, Cu and Fe occur at the interface (21m) and those of Zn occur just below the redoxcline (22 m depth). The SPM and sediment trap data suggest that the metals are precipitated as sulfide minerals in the anoxic water. The presence of particulate sulfides was confirmed by SEM studies that show the occurrence of discrete metal (Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn) sulfide particles in size from 10–20 m as well as framboidal pyrites (1–5 m in size). Higher levels of metal sulfides at intermediate depths rather than in the deep water of Framvaren (> 100 m), may be due to input of trace metals by water exchange over the sill in the upper part of the water column. In the deep water, less metal sulfide precipitation takes place due to depletion of trace metals, and the dilution of particulate metal concentrations by organic matter and by the chemogenic formation of calcite.