Introduction

An ICES Symposium on The Influence of Climate Change on NorthAtlantic Fish Stocks was held in Bergen, Norway, from 11 to14 May 2004. The Symposium, sponsored by the ICES/GLOBEC WorkingGroup on Cod and Climate Change (WGCCC) as part of their synthesisactivities, was convened to address the issue of climate variabilityand its impact on cod and other fish stocks in the North Atlantic.It followed 11 years after the first WGCCC-sponsored ICES Symposiumon Cod and Climate (ICES, 1994) in Reykjavík, Iceland,which was convened to gather together the then current knowledgeof the influence of climate variability on cod. The 2004 Symposiumwas timely     

Vibrational spectra of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under high pressure: implications for stabilities of PAHs during accretion

Infrared and Raman spectra of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, and pyrene have been examined up to 10–55 GPa at 300 K, to probe structural changes in these materials under high-pressures, and to relate these to shock measurements on these materials. The goal is to develop an understanding of how such hydrocarbons might be processed during planetary accretion. A range of phase transitions in PAHs are observed and, in accord with previous investigations, these typically initiate at relatively low pressures (0.3–4.0 GPa): the lower-pressure transitions are likely associated with inter-molecular changes such as changes in symmetry and/or molecular orientation, charge transfer processes, or changes in π electron density, and are often sluggish. Higher-pressure (7–10 GPa) phase transitions in PAHs are likely associated with profound structural changes like dimerization, which are not always reversible. Laser-induced luminescence is encountered at pressures well below those at which PAHs amorphize, and a strong pressure-induced Fermi resonance is identified between the highest-lying inter-molecular modes and lowest-lying intra-molecular modes in each PAH examined. It is the increased strength of inter-molecular interactions under pressure that likely generates increasing overlap of π orbitals and leads to cross-linking (dimerization) of the molecules and the destruction of their planar symmetry. The first step in the amorphization of these compounds is likely dimerization, and amorphization occurs when long-range order is lost and a greater diversity of local structural environments is introduced into these materials, such as carbons being shared between rings, embayed structures, sp, sp², and sp³ hybridized carbon atoms, a broad range of C–H bonding environments, and fewer residual resonance-stabilized C–C units. Our results are consistent with pressure producing amorphous, hydrogenated carbon material from PAH precursors: hence, impact phenomena, coupled with post-shock hydrogen loss, could provide an alternate pathway to produce amorphous carbon assemblages of the type observed within a range of meteorites. Additionally, smaller PAHs tend to be most stable under compression; as these are the most volatile of the PAHs, the combination of shock during accretion, coupled with trends in volatility, may limit the presence of PAHs within objects formed in the early solar system.     

Decadal change of the south Atlantic ocean Angola–Benguela frontal zone since 1980

Climate Dynamics - High-resolution simulations with a regional atmospheric model coupled to an intermediate-level mixed layer ocean model along with multiple atmospheric and oceanic reanalyses are...     

Responses of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spartina alterniflora</Emphasis> to Multiple Stressors: Changing Precipitation Patterns,Accelerated Sea Level Rise,and Nutrient Enrichment

Coastal wetlands, well recognized for their ecosystem services, have faced many threats throughout the USA and elsewhere. While managers require good information on the net impact of these combined stressors on wetlands, little such information exists. We conducted a 4-month mesocosm study to analyze the multiple stressor effects of precipitation changes, sea level rise, and eutrophication on the salt marsh plant Spartina alterniflora. Pots containing plants in an organic soil matrix were positioned in tanks and received Narragansett Bay (RI, USA) water. The study simulated three precipitation levels (ambient daily rain, biweekly storm, and drought), three levels of tidal inundations (high (15 cm below mean high water (MHW)), mean (MHW), and low (15 cm above MHW)), and two nutrient enrichment levels (unenriched and nutrient-enriched bay water). Our results demonstrate that storm and drought stressors led to significantly less above- and belowground biomass than those in ambient rain conditions. Plants that were flooded at high inundation had less belowground biomass, fine roots, and shoots. Nutrients had no detectable effect on aboveground biomass, but the enriched pots had higher stem counts and more fine roots than unenriched pots, in addition to greater CO₂ emission rates; however, the unenriched pots had significantly more coarse roots and rhizomes, which help to build peat in organogenic marshes. These results suggest that multiple stressors of altered precipitation, sea level rise, and nutrient enrichment would lead to reduced marsh sustainability.     

New insights on Late Quaternary Asian palaeomonsoon variability and the timing of the Last Glacial Maximum in southwestern China

A ～6.35 m core (06SD) was retrieved from Lake Shudu, Yunnan Province, China. The sediments spanning the period ～22.6–10.5 kcal. yr BP (6.35–1.44 m) were analysed using a combination of variables including pollen, charcoal, particle size, magnetic susceptibility and loss-on-ignition. The resulting palaeorecord provides a high-resolution reconstruction of Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene climatic and environmental changes in southwestern China. Our findings indicate that from c. 22.6 to 17.7 kcal. yr BP, vegetation assemblages were primarily aligned to sparse xerophytic grassland/tundra or cold-tolerant boreal Pinus forest, indicating that climatic conditions in southwestern China were cold and dry. However, from c. 17.7 to 17.4 kcal. yr BP, the Lake Shudu record is punctuated by marked environmental changes. These include the establishment of denser vegetation cover, a marked expansion of boreal Pinus forest and enhanced hydrological activity in the catchment over centennial timescales, perhaps suggesting that stepwise variations in the Asian Monsoon were triggering fundamental environmental changes over sub-millennial timescales. Thereafter, the pollen record captures a period of environmental instability reflected in fluctuations across all of the variables, which persists until c. 17.1 kcal. yr BP. After c. 17.1 kcal. yr BP, the expansion of steppe vegetation cover and cold–cool mixed forest consisting of mesophilous vegetation such as Tsuga and Picea, thermophilous trees including Ulmus and deciduous Quercus inferred from the Lake Shudu pollen record point to the establishment of warmer, wetter and perhaps more seasonal conditions associated with a strengthening Asian Summer Monsoon during the shift from Pleistocene to Holocene climatic conditions.     

Estimating groundwater discharge to rivers from river chemistry surveys

Environmental tracer methods have been used to quantify groundwater discharge to rivers for the past few decades. A number of different tracers have been used in these studies, including individual ion concentrations, electrical conductivity, stable isotopes ²H and ¹⁸O, and the dissolved gases helium, chlorofluorocarbons and radon. This paper discusses the assumptions of the method, as well as its resolution and accuracy. The method will be most accurate when the tracer concentration in groundwater is very distinct from that in the river. On the basis of typical parameters, groundwater inflow rates as low as 5 mm/day can usually be estimated with electrical conductivity and ion tracers. A lower limit of resolution of approximately 2 mm/day is usually possible with radon, principally because the ratio of the river concentration to the groundwater concentration will be higher. However, hyporheic exchange can also contribute radon to the river. Where this process is significant, it is more difficult to estimate groundwater inflow from radon activities in the river, thus reducing the accuracy of the method. For CFCs, the lower limit of resolution is approximately 30 mm/day. Helium has not been widely used but can potentially be very accurate if the groundwater is old. The method assumes steady‐state conditions and so can only be applied when river flows are stable. Sampling resolution is also particularly important for dissolved gases, and uncertainty in where groundwater inflow occurs between sampling points can cause large uncertainty in inflow rates if the distance between sample locations is large. Poor mixing of solutes within the river can limit the method if the river is wide and shallow. When correctly applied, however, the environmental tracer method is able to provide robust estimates of groundwater discharge at a scale and accuracy that is not possible with most other methods. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.