Y/Ho Ratios in the Late Cenozoic Basalts from the Eastern Tuva, Russia: An ICP-MS Study with Enhanced Data Quality

A set of forty seven Late Cenozoic basaltic rocks from the Eastern Tuva (southern Siberia, Russia) have been studied by ICP-MS using In as an internal standard. Yttrium and Ho concentrations, determined along with other trace elements, varied systematically from one analytical run to another and covered the entire charge-and-radius-controlled field within the range 24 < Y/Ho < 34, so obscuring any geochemical interpretation. A correction procedure was therefore developed in which the Y/Ho ratios were recalculated using concentrations of these elements determined in international and in-house reference materials (BHVO-1, AGV-1, BIR-1 and U-94-5). Statistical analysis of the recalculated data set revealed two groups of samples not related by their genesis but rather by their respective analytical runs. Fourteen samples originally analysed in five different runs were then re-measured by the same instrument in peak-hopping mode using only specific mass peaks (m/z = 89, 115 and 165). All of these samples yielded Y/Ho ratios in a narrow range between 29 and 31, thus illustrating how analytical problems in the determination of Y and Ho by routine ICP-MS procedures can be overcome. Finally, a mean value of Y/Ho = 30.3 ± 1.1 (1s) was derived for the basaltic rocks of the Eastern Tuva. This is close to the value of 28.8 accepted for chondrites and for ocean island basalts. Despite the uniform Y/Ho ratio, the element concentrations in basaltic rocks from the Eastern Tuva show systematic enrichment in heavy rare earth elements and yttrium from the Miocene to the Quaternary.     

In-situ assessment of the spatial arrangement of step–pool units on eroded rills

Rills are generated on homogeneous hillslopes by the action of different discharges and evolve morphologically over short timescales due to a strong interaction between the flow and bed morphology. Such an interaction generates a reconfiguration of the bed geometry. Previous works suggest that bed geometry is often characterized by alternation between pools and flat reaches (steps). Each step–pool unit may contribute to hydraulic resistance and affects flow behaviour. The objectives of this work are (i) to assess different (innovative) techniques for the in-situ assessment of rill bed geometry, (ii) to use these techniques to assess the geometry of eroded rills in situ in order to determine the spatial arrangement in the bed macro-scale roughness and (iii) finally to analyse the role of slope and discharge as driving factors associated with the development of these macroforms. Roughly rectilinear, long rills were formed in the field as a result of combining different slope and discharges. Photogrammetry provided detailed digital elevation models (DEMs) before and after the experiments. The rills were morphologically characterized from the DEMs. In each rill, the presence of step–pools was identified from long profiles according mainly to morphological criteria published elsewhere, but with ad hoc critical threshold values more appropriate for small eroded channels. The minimum slope required for the development of step–pool units seems to be somewhere between 5 and 15%. Discharge seems to affect pool size or roughness amplitude. There does not seem to be a clear step–pool periodicity. However, external factors could have affected the normal growth and alternation of these structures. Identification of steps and pools from longitudinal elevation profiles can be objectively accomplished using a series of geometric rules originally proposed for rivers and large channels, and adapted to rills. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Growth and physiological state of the microalgae <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaeodactylum tricornutum</Emphasis> Bohlin (Bacillariophyta) in the water taken from peter the Great Bay

Bioassay of water from different parts of the Peter the Great Bay using microalgae P. tricornutum revealed that water quality influences not only the growth but also the physiological state of the microalgae. There was no difference in the cell size between control and experimental cultures. Inhibition of microalgae growth was revealed in water with low phosphates concentration, for example, in the Marine Reserve. High phosphates concentration and moderate organic pollution caused the stimulation of miñroalgae growth in such sites as the Tumen, the Partizanskaya and the Vtoraya rechka rivers mouths.     

Fate of the Black Sea Acartia clausi and Acartia tonsa (Copepoda) penetrating into the Marmara Sea through the Bosphorus

In October 2005 spatial distribution of live and dead Acartia clausi and Acartia tonsa was studied in the Black and Marmara Seas and near the Marmara Sea inlet of the Bosphorus, in order to understand their fate upon transportation between two seas. The morphometric characteristics in both species from all studied areas, and the decreased abundance of A. clausi and A. tonsa from the Black Sea towards the Marmara Sea indicate that the Marmara Sea Acartia populations are formed by recruitment from the Black Sea. We observed mass mortality of A. clausi in the Marmara Sea near the Prince Islands. The majority of carcasses (66% of total A. clausi numbers in the Marmara Sea) were found in the salinity gradient layer.     

The Fifth Edition of the General Catalogue of Variable Stars:experiences in the constellation Centaurus

We have recently announced that the General Catalogue of Variable Stars enters the stage of its fifth, purely electronic edition(GCVS 5.1). We have included 1408 variable stars in the constellation Centaurus in this new version, GCVS 5.1. Working on this revision, we applied current possibilities from data mining, suggested new variability types for many variable stars and found new light elements for a large number of periodic variables. This paper describes the work completed during the preparation of GCVS 5.1 for Centaurus and discusses in detail a number of the most astrophysically significant cases.     

Valuing the recovery of overexploited fish stocks in the context of existence and option values

The current reduction in commercial fish stocks is a problem of global concern. In response to this situation, administrations around the world are attempting to recover critical stocks by implementing new regulations based on catching restrictions and recovery plans. These restrictions have negative effects on local economies, but species recovery also brings important benefits to society in the long term. Given that the recovery of endangered species also results in considerable non-use economic value, this paper employs contingent valuation techniques to measure individual preferences for different recovery levels. We distinguish primarily between existence and option values linked to various levels of the desired stocks and discuss how these values influence willingness to pay (WTP) estimates. Our results show that recovered stocks for hake and Norwegian lobster increase local welfare, and show that the median household WTP is about 17.73€ for a recovery programme regulated by the European Union.     

Modeling climate change and biophysical impacts of crop production in the Austrian Marchfeld Region

Climate change affects major biophysical processes in agricultural crop production (e.g. evaporation of plants and soils, nutrient cycles, and growth of plants). This analysis aims to assess some of these effects by simulating regional climate projections that are integrated in the biophysical process model EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate). Statistical climate models have been developed for six weather parameters based on daily weather records of a weather station in the Austrian Marchfeld region from 1975 to 2006. These models have been used to estimate daily weather parameters for the period 2007–2038. The resulting projections have been compared to climate scenarios provided from the TYNDALL Centre for Climate Change Research, which are based on General Circulation Models (GCMs). The comparison indicates some differences, namely a smaller temperature increase and a higher precipitation amount in the TYNDALL data. Both climate datasets have been used to simulate impacts of climate change on crop yields, topsoil organic carbon content, and nitrate leaching with EPIC and thus to perform a sensitivity analysis of EPIC. Yield impacts have been assessed for four simulated crops, i.e. 6.2?t/ha for winter wheat for statistical climate projections compared to 5.7?t/ha for TYNDALL scenarios, 10.6?t/ha for corn compared to 10.5?t/ha, 3.9?t/ha for sunflower compared to 3.7?t/ha, and 4.5?t/ha for spring barley compared to 4.3?t/ha—all values as an average over the period 2007–2038. Smaller differences have been simulated for topsoil organic carbon content i.e. 55.1?t/ha for the statistical climate projections compared to 55.3?t/ha for the TYNDALL scenarios and nitrate leaching i.e. 7.1?kg/ha compared to 11.1?kg/ha. All crop yields as well as topsoil organic carbon content and nitrate leaching show highest sensitivity to temperature and solar radiation.     

The Sochi 2014 olympics: nationalism,globalized place-making and multiscalar legitimacy

The Olympics literature typically makes cities the predominant unit of analysis and investigates how and why certain cities host the Games. This article examines how the international and national self-seeking bureaucratic elites instrumentalize the Games across several spatial scales, with a host city functioning as a stage on which the multi-scalar actors use the Olympics to increase their legitimacy and to coopt large groups of populations and elites. The article offers the concept of multiscalar Olympics legitimacy necessary for the analysis of the organization of mega-events and their consequences for cities. It asks, how the actors at various geographical scales managed and exploited the Games? Drawing on the theories of legitimacy and mega-events, and data from interviews conducted in Russia between 2009 and 2015, I demonstrate that organizers used cooptation of professionals and nationalist legitimization as the instruments facilitating host city involvement in the Olympics.     

Spatio-temporal analysis of flowering using LiDAR topography

Spatio-temporal patterns of flowering in forest ecosystems are hard to quantify and monitor. The objectives of this study were to investigate spatio-temporal patterns(e.g. soilssimple slope classesslope aspectand flow accumulation) of flowering around Lake IssaqueenaSouth Carolina(SCUSA) using plant-flowering database collected with GPS- enabled camera(stored in Picasa 3 web albums and project website) on a monthly basis in 2012 and Li DAR-based topography. Pacolet fine sandy loam had the most flowering plantsfollowed by Madison sandy loamboth dominant soil types around the lake. Most flowering plants were on moderately steep(17%–30%) and gently sloping(4%–8%) slopes. Most flowering plants were on west(247.5°–292.5°)southwest(202.5°–247.5°)and northwest(292.5°–337.5°) aspects. Most flowering plants were associated with minimum and maximum flows within the landscape. Chi-square tests indicated differences in the distributions of the proportions of flowering plants were significant by soil typeslopeaspectand flow accumulation for each month(February-November)for all months(overall)and across months. The Chi-square test on area-normalized data indicated significant differences for all months and individual differences by each month with some months not statistically significant. Cluster analysis on flowering counts for nine plant families with the most flowering counts indicated no unique separation by clusterbut implied that the majority of these families were flowering on strongly sloping(9%–16%) slopeson southwest(202.5°–247.5°) aspectsand low flow accumulation(0–200). Presented methodology can serve as a template for future efforts to quantify spatio-temporal patterns of flowering and other phenological events.     

Direct and Inverse Problems in a Variational Concept of Environmental Modeling

A concept of environmental forecasting based on a variational approach is discussed. The basic idea is to augment the existing technology of modeling by a combination of direct and inverse methods. By this means, the scope of environmental studies can be substantially enlarged. In the concept, mathematical models of processes and observation data subject to some uncertainties are considered. The modeling system is derived from a specially formulated weak-constraint variational principle. A set of algorithms for implementing the concept is presented. These are: algorithms for the solution of direct, adjoint, and inverse problems; adjoint sensitivity algorithms; data assimilation procedures; etc. Methods of quantitative estimations of uncertainty are of particular interest since uncertainty functions play a fundamental role for data assimilation, assessment of model quality, and inverse problem solving. A scenario approach is an essential part of the concept. Some methods of orthogonal decomposition of multi-dimensional phase spaces are used to reconstruct the hydrodynamic background fields from available data and to include climatic data into long-term prognostic scenarios. Subspaces with informative bases are constructed to use in deterministic or stochastic-deterministic scenarios for forecasting air quality and risk assessment. The results of implementing example scenarios for the Siberian regions are presented.