Preferred orientation of plagioclase—neutron diffraction and U-stage data

Pole figures of anorthosite mylonite (An 65) from San Juan Bautista, California, were determined with neutron diffraction using a 23 position sensitive detector. This novel technique enables us to deconvolute the complex diffraction spectrum of this triclinic mineral into fifteen separate peaks hkl which are measured simultaneously. All pole figures display strong preferred orientation with complicated triclinic distributions from which it appears that (001) poles are concentrated normal to the schistosity plane of the specimen. The triclinic mineral is well suited to discuss some fundamental issues of texture representation. If crystals are measured individually (e.g., on the U-stage), positive and negative ends of directions can be unequivocally identified and the whole sphere, rather than a hemisphere, is necessary to represent the distribution of positive axes. This is illustrated for a plagioclase-rich amphibolite from Ornö Huvud, Sweden.     

Geotomographic imaging in the study of mining induced seismicity

Geotomographic imaging is a technique which allows seismic waves to be used to gain information about the internal structure of rock masses, in a way conceptually similar to medical CAT scanning. Traditional approaches to the study of mining-induced seismic phenomena have concentrated on using passive monitoring methods. This paper gives an overview of the developments in the acquisition, processing and interpretation of geotomographic data and outlines how images can be used in conjunction with passive techniques to study mining-induced seismicity.Presented at the Fred Leighton Memorial Workshop on Mining Induced Seismicity, Montreal 1987.     

Derivation ofK-indices using magnetograms constructed from digital data

The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of deriving the traditionalK index from magnetograms plotted from recorded digital data. Digital magnetic data from Ottawa Observatory are available for theX, Y, andZ components in the form of 1 min averaged values and spot values at selected sampling intervals of 1 sec or greater. It is found that the lowerK values tend to be biased downward by one level when a digitizing interval greater than 30 sec is used for construction of the artificial magnetograms. However, for digitizing intervals of 30 sec or less the reconstructed analogue plots are just as reliable as standard-run Ruska magnetograms for the derivation ofK.Contribution from the Earth Physics Branch No. 1132.     

Abundance and size distribution of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) in a coccolithophorid bloom in the northern Bay of Biscay

The distribution of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) was investigated during a coccolithophorid bloom in the northern Bay of Biscay (North Atlantic Ocean) in early June 2006. MODIS chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and reflectance images before and during the cruise were used to localize areas of important biological activity and high reflectance (HR). TEP profiles along the continental margin, determined using microscopic (TEP_micro) and colorimetric (TEP_color) methods, showed abundant (6.1×10⁶–4.4×10⁷ L^?1) and relatively small (0.5–20 μm) particles, leading to a low total volume fraction (0.05–2.2 ppm) of TEP_micro and similar vertical profiles of TEP_color. Estimates of carbon content in TEP (TEP-C) derived from the microscopic approach yielded surface concentration of 1.50 μmol C L^?1. The contribution of TEP-C to particulate organic carbon (POC) was estimated to be 12% (molar C ratio) during this survey. Our results suggest that TEP formation is a probable first step to rapid and efficient export of C during declining coccolithophorid blooms.     

Using hourly measurements to explore the role of secondary inorganic aerosol in PM2.5 during haze and fog in Hangzhou,China

This paper explores the role of the secondary inorganic aerosol （SIA） species ammonium,NH4＋,nitrate,NO3-,and sulfate,SO24-,during haze and fog events using hourly mass concentrations of PM2.5 measured at a suburban site in Hangzhou,China.A total of 546 samples were collected between 1 April and 8 May 2012.The samples were analyzed and classified as clear,haze or fog depending on visibility and relative humidity （RH）.The contribution of SIA species to PM2.5 mass increased to ～50％ during haze and fog.The mass contribution of nitrate to PM2.5 increased from 11％ during clear to 20％ during haze episodes.Nitrate mass exceeded sulfate mass during haze,while near equal concentrations were observed during fog episodes.The role of RH on the correlation between concentrations of SIA and visibility was examined,with optimal correlation at 60％-70％ RH.The total acidity during clear,haze and fog periods was 42.38,48.38 and 45.51 nmol m-3,respectively,indicating that sulfate,nitrate and chloride were not neutralized by ammonium during any period.The nitrate to sulfate molar ratio,as a function of the ammonium to sulfate molar ratio,indicated that nitrate formation during fog started at a higher ammonium to sulfate molar ratio compared to clear and haze periods.During haze and fog,the nitrate oxidation ratio increased by a factor of 1.6-1.7,while the sulfur oxidation ratio increased by a factor of 1.2-1.5,indicating that both gaseous NO2 and SO2 were involved in the reduced visibility.     

Assessment of salinity status in intensively cultivated soils under semiarid climate, Murcia, SE Spain

This research presents the results from the assessment of the salinity status of a highly productive agricultural area, under a semiarid climate. The objectives were to: identify the origin of salts, assess seasonal changes of salt contents, and examine spatio-temporal and vertical variability of the presence and composition of salts. Soil samples from the surface horizon, and topsoil samples, soil profiles, water samples and salt precipitates on aggregates were collected in January and July 2009. High electrical conductivity was mainly the result of the poor low quality irrigation water. However, ions responsible for salinity were chlorides, sulfates, calcium, magnesium and sodium, while phosphates, ammonium, nitrates, and potassium were associated with fertilizers. SEM-EDX (scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray) analyses suggested that calcium sulfate came from both irrigation water and from a pedogenic source, as indicated by differences in crystal morphology and seasonal occurrence, which indicates that primary salinization is also a contributor to soil salinity in the area studied. Significant differences were reported between seasons. The electrical conductivity and concentrations of chloride, sulfates, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and nitrite are significantly higher in July. The observed differences were caused by the effect of soluble salt movement through evaporation and capillary rise, resulting in precipitation of salts on the surface. Multivariable, GIS and advanced laboratory analysis have confirmed to be useful techniques to identify the salts sources, spatial distribution of anions, and identification of vulnerable areas.     

Quaternary stratigraphy of the fladen area,central North Sea: A multidisciplinary study

Based on detailed stratigraphic investigations on a 200.6m long core (BGS borehole No. 81/26) from the Fladen Ground area (British sector), core material from the Sleipner field (Norwegian sector) and shallow seismic profiles between the core-sites, the following conclusions are drawn: (1) The North Sea was glaciated sometime during th elaterpart of Matuyama reversed period. A complete glacial-interglacial-glacial cycle is recorded in these sediments. (2) In a period of marine sedimentation in the Middle Pleistocene, a transgression-regression cycle under boreal-arctic regime is recorded. (3) The Fladen area has subsided between 0.9 and 0.6 m/ka through the later parts of the Quaternary (4) A major glacial event dated at between 130 and 200 ka is recorded as a thick till unit in 81/26. This till, which was deposited by ice moving from the southwest (Scotland), probably represents a period when the Scandinavian and British ice sheets coalesced in the North Sea. (5) Based on the seismic data and the stratigraphy of the Sleipner core, an ice-free, open embayment/dry land is favoured for the central North Sea during the Late Weichselian. (6) From the amino-acid data, it is shown that there has been an episodic style of sedimentation through the Quaternary. (7) of the investigated sediments (which span the last 1 mill. year) ca 98% have been deposited under arctic to boreal-arctic conditions.     

Variations in temperature and extent of Atlantic Water in the northern North Atlantic during the Holocene

We compare six high-resolution Holocene, sediment cores along a S–N transect on the Norwegian–Svalbard continental margin from ca 60°N to 77.4°N, northern North Atlantic. Planktonic foraminifera in the cores were investigated to show the changes in upper surface and subsurface water mass distribution and properties, including summer sea-surface temperatures (SST). The cores are located below the axis of the Norwegian Current and the West Spitsbergen Current, which today transport warm Atlantic Water to the Arctic. Sediment accumulation rates are generally high at all the core sites, allowing for a temporal resolution of 10–10² years. SST is reconstructed using different types of transfer functions, resulting in very similar SST trends, with deviations of no more than ±1.0/1.5 °C. A transfer function based on the maximum likelihood statistical approach is found to be most relevant. The reconstruction documents an abrupt change in planktonic foraminiferal faunal composition and an associated warming at the Younger Dryas–Preboreal transition. The earliest part of the Holocene was characterized by large temperature variability, including the Preboreal Oscillations and the 8.2 k event. In general, the early Holocene was characterized by SSTs similar to those of today in the south and warmer than today in the north, and a smaller S–N temperature gradient (0.23 °C/°N) compared to the present temperature gradient (0.46 °C/°N). The southern proxy records (60–69°N) were more strongly influenced by slightly cooler subsurface water probably due to the seasonality of the orbital forcing and increased stratification due to freshening. The northern records (72–77.4°N) display a millennial-scale change associated with reduced insolation and a gradual weakening of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC). The observed northwards amplification of the early Holocene warming is comparable to the pattern of recent global warming and future climate modelling, which predicts greater warming at higher latitudes. The overall trend during mid and late Holocene was a cooling in the north, stable or weak warming in the south, and a maximum S–N SST gradient of ca 0.7 °C/°N at 5000 cal. years BP. Superimposed on this trend were several abrupt temperature shifts. Four of these shifts, dated to 9000–8000, 5500–3000 and 1000 and 400 cal. years BP, appear to be global, as they correlate with periods of global climate change. In general, there is a good correlation between the northern North Atlantic temperature records and climate records from Norway and Svalbard.     

Challenges in adjoint-based optimization of a foam EOR process

We apply adjoint-based optimization to a surfactant-alternating gas foam process using a linear foam model introducing gradual changes in gas mobility and a nonlinear foam model giving abrupt changes in gas mobility as function of oil and water saturations and surfactant concentration. For the linear foam model, the objective function is a relatively smooth function of the switching time. For the nonlinear foam model, the objective function exhibits many small-scale fluctuations. As a result, a gradient-based optimization routine could have difficulty finding the optimal switching time. For the nonlinear foam model, extremely small time steps were required in the forward integration to converge to an accurate solution to the semi-discrete (discretized in space, continuous in time) problem. The semi-discrete solution still had strong oscillations in gridblock properties associated with the steep front moving through the reservoir. In addition, an extraordinarily tight tolerance was required in the backward integration to obtain accurate adjoints. We believe the small-scale oscillations in the objective function result from the large oscillations in gridblock properties associated with the front moving through the reservoir. Other EOR processes, including surfactant EOR and near-miscible flooding, have similar sharp changes and may present similar challenges to gradient-based optimization.     

Shell Middens,Cultural Chronologies,and Coastal Settlement on the Rhode River Sub‐Estuary of Chesapeake Bay,Maryland, USA

North America's Atlantic Coast has been a focus of human settlement and subsistence for millennia, but sea‐level rise, sedimentation, and other processes pose significant challenges for archaeological research. Radiocarbon dating of 31 shell middens near the Rhode River Estuary, Maryland provides an opportunity to evaluate human land use, settlement, and cultural chronologies on the Chesapeake Bay. Sixty calibrated radiocarbon dates on eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) shell and charcoal demonstrate that Native Americans, colonial, and historic peoples harvested oysters and other shellfish from at least 3200 years ago through the 19th century. The number of dated sites increases during the Late Woodland period after about 1000 cal yr B.P., a factor probably related to greater site visibility and preservation, as well as increased human exploitation of the watershed. Accumulation rates for five of the shell middens provide preliminary indications that some of the sites accumulated rapidly suggesting, along with other evidence, that many of the region's shell middens were logistical or perhaps seasonal camps. Our study demonstrates the importance of regional watershed surveys and radiocarbon dating programs to help build and refine cultural chronologies in coastal regions threatened by sea‐level rise and other processes.