Trace metals in sediments from the inner continental shelf of the western Beaufort Sea

Increased development and changing climate have enhanced global interest in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas. Using a large, 3-yr data base, we have determined the distribution of trace metals in sediments from the inner shelf of the western Beaufort Sea. Metal concentrations in these sediments reflect pristine conditions, consistent with those for most coastal areas in the Arctic and with predictions based on average continental crust. Geographic variations in metal values are primarily related to sediment grainsize distribution. However, grain-size patterns are a complex function of several variables including source areas, ice and water movement, as well as physical and chemical weathering. Future identification of any metal contamination in Beaufort Sea sediments will be simplified by understanding the predictable natural patterns.     

Instrumental neutron activation in geoanalysis

Theoretical aspects of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) are discussed. Various applications of INAA to exploration geochemistry are described demonstrating its capabilities and its limitations.Cost, turnaround time, high sensitivity for certain elements, the non-destructive nature of analysis and its precision and accuracy have combined to make INAA an indispensible method for multielement determination on virtually all geological matrices. Humus, vegetation, heavy minerals, lake bottom sediments as well as rocks and soils comprise the major sample types analyzed by INAA. As many as 50 elements can be determined routinely and easily by INAA.     

Impact of tunneling on regional groundwater flow and implications for swelling of clay–sulfate rocks

Tunnels play a key role in many transportation concepts. The swelling of clay–sulfate rocks leads to serious damage to many tunnels crossing such rock, producing great difficulties and high extra costs in tunnel engineering. The swelling is caused by the transformation of the sulfate mineral anhydrite into gypsum, entailing a 60% volume increase. The transformation involves anhydrite dissolution in water, transport of the solution with groundwater flow, and gypsum precipitation at a different location. Therefore, the knowledge of groundwater flow systems at the tunnel and adjacent areas is essential to better understand the swelling processes. The present study investigates the groundwater flow systems at the Chienberg tunnel in Switzerland before and after the tunnel excavation, based on numerical flow modeling. The models include faults and the hydrostratigraphic layering in the subsurface to assess the role of the hydrogeological setting. The results of this study indicate effects on groundwater flow caused by the tunneling, which may trigger rock swelling by favoring anhydrite dissolution and gypsum precipitation, including (1) increase of flow rates around the tunnel, (2) broadened, shifted and more distributed capture zones leading to a change in origin and age of groundwater, (3) access of groundwater from preferential flow paths (e.g. faults) due to the drainage effect of the tunnel, and (4) change in geochemical equilibrium conditions because of decreased pore water pressures in the tunnel area.     

Editorial

Abstract

With the increase in volume of spatial data now available, more effective ways must be found of storing and processing these data. This paper presents a compacted version of the linear quadtree and a spatially-referenced index method that can significantly reduce the storage requirements of a set of images and the time taken to process spatial queries. The index acts as a high-level summary of a regular-sized portion of the underlying image and so can be used to avoid examining areas of the image where none of the required features is present. Some example results are given. A method for the optimization of spatial searches is presented which takes into account the area and distribution of features within an image. Finally, a method for directly associating the edges of features with the individual nodes of a quadtree is reported. This is important since the edges of objects are no longer explicitly present in linear quadtrees and so must be recalculated when they are required for part of a query. Recalculation of object edges or boundaries is expensive; it is best, therefore, to perform the operation once only, and then save the results.     

Lowland Canterbury landscapes in the making

Abstract: This article explores environmental imaginaries of colonization in lowland Canterbury. In 1844 Edward Shortland observed that his Māori companions had an exceptionally detailed geographical knowledge of the area and its resources, yet a few years later European settlers were viewing it as an empty stage on which to envision newly‐constructed landscapes. The terrain was contested, but colonial ‘improvement’, through the creation of spaces of modernity, took no cognizance of this. The legacies of that transformation are a simplified, orderly landscape, and fractured but persistent memories of indigenous ecosystems that are now being revived.     

Regional climate of hazardous convective weather through high-resolution dynamical downscaling

We explore the use of high-resolution dynamical downscaling as a means to simulate the regional climatology and variability of hazardous convective-scale weather. Our basic approach differs from a traditional regional climate model application in that it involves a sequence of daily integrations. We use the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model, with global reanalysis data as initial and boundary conditions. Horizontal grid lengths of 4.25?km allow for explicit representation of deep convective storms and hence a compilation of their occurrence statistics over a large portion of the conterminous United States. The resultant 10-year sequence of WRF model integrations yields precipitation that, despite its positive bias, has a diurnal cycle consistent with observations, and otherwise has a realistic geographical distribution. Similarly, the occurrence frequency of short-duration, potentially flooding rainfall compares well to analyses of hourly rain gauge data. Finally, the climatological distribution of hazardous-thunderstorm occurrence is shown to be represented with some degree of skill through a model proxy that relates rotating convective updraft cores to the presence of hail, damaging surface winds, and tornadoes. The results suggest that the proxy occurrences, when coupled with information on the larger-scale atmosphere, could provide guidance on the reliability of trends in the observed occurrences.     

Improved mappint of the Lake Agassiz Herman strandline by integrating geological and soil maps

Several discontinuous, segmented strandlines that mark the former shores of Lake Agassiz can be found in eastern North Dakota. These strandlines are difficult to map and correlate because of their segmented nature. Better mapping would benefit researchers working on a number of problems involving Lake Agassiz including dating the strandlines, reconstructing the lake's history, and calculation of asthenosphere viscosity beneath the Lake Agassiz basin. Elongated soil delineations representing beach-indicative soils with a north-northwest trend and extending from currently mapped areas of the Herman strandline were identified on Grand Forks County soil maps. This information was combined with the geologic map of Grand Forks County in an attempt to better define the location of the Herman strandline in the southern part of the county. This approach worked well, and it is recommended that similar studies be attempted on other Lake Agassiz strandlines in North Dakota and the surrounding area.     

Estimation of Mining Project Values Through Real Option Valuation Using a Combination of Hedging Strategy and a Mean Reversion Commodity Price

Cash flows generated from mining projects are typically highly volatile and significantly influenced by a number of exogenous factors including commodity price as one of the most influential uncertainties. In addition, mining projects are complex and many of their executed investment decisions are irreversible. Therefore, management needs to address this potential risk exposure before making an investment decision. Due to the deterioration and fluctuation of mineral commodity prices for a successful mining project acquisition or development, an important and appropriate investment strategy should include a hedging strategy for reducing potential losses suffered by a company. The discounted cash flow methods, which are commonly used to calculate mining project values, often fail to respond to this identified economic uncertainty and also to incorporate de-risking hedging strategies. Therefore, this study approximates the numerical value or value ranges of a mining project considering the combination of a mean reverting commodity price and hedging strategies using continuous time modeling. A novel time-dependent partial differential equation has been proposed using a continuous time, mean reverting model, and hedging strategy to approximate the mining project value. Application of a new real options valuation technique demonstrated its superiority by providing the advantage of mitigating financial losses and procuring financial gains. In this study, some key results are deferral option and expansion option enhanced the maximum values of the project which are, respectively, 2.51 % and 4.4 % compared to the base case. Furthermore, the country risk has a great impact on project values, as when we considered the country risk premium is zero in our model, the project value increases up to 0.97 %.     

Wetland development, permafrost history and nutrient cycling inferred from late Holocene peat and lake sediment records in subarctic Sweden

Permafrost in peatlands of subarctic Sweden is presently thawing at accelerated rates, which raises questions about the destiny of stored carbon and nutrients and impacts on adjacent freshwater ecosystems. In this study we use peat and lake sediment records from the Stordalen palsa mire in northern Sweden to address the late Holocene (5,000 cal BP-present) development of the mire as well as related changes in carbon and nutrient cycling. Formation, sediment accumulation and biogeochemistry of two studied lakes are suggested to be largely controlled by the development of the mire and its permafrost dynamics. Peat inception took place at ca. 4,700 cal BP as a result of terrestrialisation. Onset of organic sedimentation in the adjacent lakes occurred at ca. 3,400 and 2,650 cal BP in response to mire expansion and permafrost aggradation, respectively. Mire erosion, possibly due to permafrost decay, led to re-deposition of peat into one of the lakes after ca. 2,100 cal BP, and stimulated primary productivity in the other lake at ca. 1,900–1,800 cal BP. Carbonate precipitation appears to have been suppressed when acidic poor fen and bog (palsa) communities dominated the catchment mire, and permafrost-induced changes in hydrology may further have affected the inflow of alkaline water from the catchment. Elevated contents of biogenic silica and diatom pigments in lake sediments during periods of poor fen and bog expansion further indicate that terrestrial vegetation influenced the amount of nutrients entering the lake. Increased productivity in the lake likely caused bottom-water anoxia in the downstream lake and led to recycling of sediment phosphorous, bringing the lake into a state of self-sustained eutrophication during two centuries preceding the onset of twentieth century permafrost thaw. Our results give insight into nutrient and permafrost dynamics in a subarctic wetland and imply that continued permafrost decay and related vegetation changes towards minerotrophy may increase carbon and nutrient storage of mire deposits and reduce nutrient fluxes in runoff. Rapid permafrost degradation may on the other hand lead to widespread mire erosion and to relatively short periods of significantly increased nutrient loading in adjacent lakes.     

Social vulnerability indices: a comparative assessment using uncertainty and sensitivity analysis

Social vulnerability indices have emerged over the past decade as quantitative measures of the social dimensions of natural hazards vulnerability. But how reliable are the index rankings? Validation of indices with external reference data has posed a persistent challenge in large part because social vulnerability is multidimensional and not directly observable. This article applies global sensitivity analyses to internally validate the methods used in the most common social vulnerability index designs: deductive, hierarchical, and inductive. Uncertainty analysis is performed to assess the robustness of index ranks when reasonable alternative index configurations are modeled. The hierarchical design was found to be the most accurate, while the inductive model was the most precise. Sensitivity analysis is employed to understand which decisions in the vulnerability index construction process have the greatest influence on the stability of output rankings. The deductive index ranks are found to be the most sensitive to the choice of transformation method, hierarchical models to the selection of weighting scheme, and inductive indices to the indicator set and scale of analysis. Specific recommendations for each stage of index construction are provided so that the next generation of social vulnerability indices can be developed with a greater degree of transparency, robustness, and reliability.