Rječina River sediments (Croatia): from captured spring to polluted prodelta

Surface sediments (fraction <63 μm) from the source to the mouth of the Rječina, short (18.3 km) karst allogenic river in Croatia, which is an important source of drinking water, were studied to investigate their mineral (by XRD) and chemical (by ICP-MS) composition to check possible anthropogenic influence at the lower course due to paper industry and mills, and in the prodelta area from untreated municipal sewage and the large harbor of Rijeka town. In all analyzed sediment samples and in the sandstone source, rock quartz is a major mineral, while feldspar and mica group minerals are less abundant. Chlorite is a minor or trace mineral in all samples. Calcite and dolomite are abundant in the river prodelta, reflecting changes in bedrock lithology from flysch to carbonates. In river sediments, Fe is the most abundantly analyzed element, while Ca is the most abundant in prodelta sediments. Concentrations of Al, Mn, Ni, Cr, Co, La and Nd decrease downstream, while Mg, S, Na, B, Pb, Zn, As, Sn, U, Mo, Hg and Ag have relatively higher concentration in prodelta sediments. The results are compared with sediments of other rivers in the area: Raša, Rižana and Dragonja, as well as with those of the Rosandra Creek (Italy). Sediments in the Raša River showed similar behavior as those in the Rječina, as the highest concentration of metals was found in the restricted upper part of the estuary, characterized by rapid deposition of clay particles and terrestrial sedimentary organic matter. The comparison also showed that the most contaminated were the sediments from the Rižana, followed by those from the Rječina and Rosandra Creek, which had similar results. Among the studied elements, As was present in all sediment samples at concentrations >6 ppm that might have the lowest toxic effects. At the lower Rječina and in prodelta sediments, Pb was also present at slightly elevated concentrations (>31 ppm) that could cause such effects. Concentrations of Zn in the prodelta correspond to those occurring in moderately polluted sediments (90–200 ppm). In the prodelta sediments, Hg is slightly below toxicity threshold (1 ppm), while Ag is present at toxicity threshold (0.5 ppm) or close to it. Rječina River could act as a good illustrative example for behavior of toxic metals in allogenic karstic rivers, in which accumulation of anthropogenically introduced pollutants usually occurs in their estuaries, as a result of transport and deposition of fine particles.     

Ontogenic variation and effect of collection procedure on leaf biomechanical properties of Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile

Leaf mechanical traits are important to understand how aquatic plants fracture and deform when subjected to abiotic (currents or waves) or biotic (herbivory attack) mechanical forces. The likely occurrence of variation during leaf ontogeny in these traits may thus have implications for hydrodynamic performance and vulnerability to herbivory damage, and may be associated with changes in morphologic and chemical traits. Seagrasses, marine flowering plants, consist of shoot bundles holding several leaves with different developmental stages, in which outer older leaves protect inner younger leaves. In this study we examined the long‐lived seagrass Posidonia oceanica to determine ontogenic variation in mechanical traits across leaf position within a shoot, representing different developmental stages. Moreover, we investigated whether or not the collection procedure (classical uprooted shoot versus non‐destructive shoot method: cutting the shoot without a portion of rhizome) and time span after collection influence mechanical measurements. Neither collection procedure nor time elapsed within 48 h of collection affected measurements of leaf biomechanical traits when seagrass shoots were kept moist in dark cool conditions. Ontogenic variation in mechanical traits in P. oceanica leaves over intermediate and adult developmental stages was observed: leaves weakened and lost stiffness with aging, while mid‐aged leaves (the longest and thickest ones) were able to withstand higher breaking forces. In addition, younger leaves had higher nitrogen content and lower fiber content than older leaves. The observed patterns may explain fine‐scale within‐shoot ecological processes of leaves at different developmental stages, such as leaf shedding and herbivory consumption in P. oceanica.     

Diagenesis and fracturing of Paleocene–Eocene carbonate turbidite systems in the Ionian Basin: The example of the Kelçyra area (Albania)

The Kelçyra area is emplaced in a foreland fold-and-thrust belt (FFTB), characterized by a westward thrusting with the Triassic evaporites as the major décollement level. Several secondary features related with this evolution, like backthrusting, folding, duplex structures, evaporite diapirism are present. During the FFTB evolution, the study area has been subjected to several fracturing events with associated stages of fluid migration. During the pre-deformational stage, complex textures such as crack-and-seal features most likely reflect expulsion of overpressured fluids. These fluids were dominantly host-rock buffered. Within the post-deformational stage, a meteoric fluid caused cementation and development of a karst network during a period of emergence after the thrust emplacement. Subsequently, Mg calcite reprecipitated in the more stable carbonate phase calcite and dolomite, which filled part of the karts network. The latter is finally dedolomitized and locally partially dissolved by a second meteoric fluid flow, which greatly increased the secondary porosity.     

Determination of source and palaeoclimate from the comparison of grain and clay fractions in sandstones: A case study

The Paleogene Ke?an Formation of southwestern Turkish Thrace (Alpine Ergene basin) which is dominantly a sandy facies, comprises the Çinarlidere (Lower) and ?aplidere (Upper) members. The turbidite sandstones of the Formation are petrologically defined as multicycle, moderately sorted, angular to subrounded, coarse-skewed, submature graywackes with a detrital clayey matrix of over 15%.The quantitative analyses of light, heavy and clay fractions of sandstone samples from the Ke?an Formation showed marked petrographic variations with grouping of these sediments as Lower- and Upper-member mineralogical facies and led to the following conclusions: a southern terrain with a relatively warm and tropical climate on a terrestrial source of a peneplain topography provided detrital material for the Lower-member sediments (the Biga Massif), while the Upper-member sediments were derived from a rapid erosion of an area of high relief with a uniform supply and continuous infilling of the basin of deposition (a western source terrain: the Rhodope Massif).     

Normal fault growth and linkage in the Gediz (Alaşehir) Graben,Western Turkey,revealed by transient river long‐profiles and slope‐break knickpoints

The Gediz (Ala?ehir) Graben is located in the highly tectonically active and seismogenic region of Western Turkey. The rivers upstream of the normal fault‐bounded graben each contain a non‐lithologic knickpoint, including those that drain through inferred fault segment boundaries. Knickpoint heights measured vertically from the fault scale with footwall relief and documented fault throw (vertical displacement). Consequently, we deduce these knickpoints were initiated by an increase in slip rate on the basin‐bounding fault, driven by linkage of the three main fault segments of the high‐angle graben bounding fault array. Fault interaction theory and ratios of channel steepness suggest that the slip rate enhancement factor on linkage was a factor of 3. We combine this information with geomorphic and structural constraints to estimate that linkage took place between 0.6 Ma and 1 Ma. Calculated pre‐ and post‐linkage throw rates are 0.6 and 2 mm/yr respectively. Maximum knickpoint retreat rates upstream of the faults range from 4.5 to 28 mm/yr, faster than for similar catchments upstream of normal faults in the Central Apennines and the Hatay Graben of Turkey, and implying a fluvial landscape response time of 1.6 to 2.7 Myr. We explore the relative controls of drainage area and precipitation on these retreat rates, and conclude that while climate variation and fault throw rate partially explain the variations seen, lithology remains a potentially important but poorly characterised variable. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A critical evaluation of using bulk sediment instead of fine fraction in environmental marine studies, investigated on example of Rijeka harbor, Croatia

This work tested the preferential use of fine (<63 μm) or bulk sediment (<2 mm) in environmental research of marine sediments in the Eastern Adriatic. Fine fraction sediment containing silt and clay (<63 μm), predominating in the studied area, was examined to evaluate past and present anthropogenic inputs and to test our hypothesis that investigation of bulk sediment should be preferred. Following aqua regia digestion, chemical analyses of 58 elements were performed by ICP/OES, ICP-MS and cold vapor AAS, and statistical analysis was performed. The concentrations of the majority of the analyzed elements increased with age of the sediment, except for Ag and Sn, which had higher concentrations in recent sediments. The previous main sources of metal contamination in Rijeka harbor were now abandoned municipal-sewage outflow and oil refinery, and continuing harbor activities and antifouling paint use. All activities except of antifouling paint use have been decreasing significantly. Anomalies of selected elements were determined by the box-plot method. More anomalies were found in the bulk sediment than in the fine fraction. Results of Q-modality clustering and factor analysis in the fine fraction almost correlate with that applied on bulk sediments. Thus, it can be said that the differences between the element distribution in the bulk and fine fraction are not statistically significant. Our conclusion is that analysis of bulk marine sediment gives a better insight into the state of pollution and supports previous recommendations to use bulk sediment as a chosen media for environmental studies.     

The LMDZ4 general circulation model: climate performance and sensitivity to parametrized physics with emphasis on tropical convection

The LMDZ4 general circulation model is the atmospheric component of the IPSL–CM4 coupled model which has been used to perform climate change simulations for the 4th IPCC assessment report. The main aspects of the model climatology (forced by observed sea surface temperature) are documented here, as well as the major improvements with respect to the previous versions, which mainly come form the parametrization of tropical convection. A methodology is proposed to help analyse the sensitivity of the tropical Hadley–Walker circulation to the parametrization of cumulus convection and clouds. The tropical circulation is characterized using scalar potentials associated with the horizontal wind and horizontal transport of geopotential (the Laplacian of which is proportional to the total vertical momentum in the atmospheric column). The effect of parametrized physics is analysed in a regime sorted framework using the vertical velocity at 500 hPa as a proxy for large scale vertical motion. Compared to Tiedtke’s convection scheme, used in previous versions, the Emanuel’s scheme improves the representation of the Hadley–Walker circulation, with a relatively stronger and deeper large scale vertical ascent over tropical continents, and suppresses the marked patterns of concentrated rainfall over oceans. Thanks to the regime sorted analyses, these differences are attributed to intrinsic differences in the vertical distribution of convective heating, and to the lack of self-inhibition by precipitating downdraughts in Tiedtke’s parametrization. Both the convection and cloud schemes are shown to control the relative importance of large scale convection over land and ocean, an important point for the behaviour of the coupled model.     

Fracturation tertiaire et évolution des contraintes en Bavière orientale: le Jura franconien et la forêt bavaroise (R.F.A.)

Résumé L'analyse géométrique et cinématique de la fracturation dans le Jura franconien et la bordure occidentale du Massif bohémien met en évidence les mécanismes de la tectonique cassante d'âge teriaire, essentiellement ceux des grands accidents SE-NW (lignes de Pfahl et de Franconie) qui ont présenté successivement des jeux en coulissement dextre, en faille normale et en faille inverse. Cinq états de contrainte ont été caractérisés et comparés à ceux définis antérieurement dans le Jura souabe, en liaison avec la cinématique des plaques Europe et Afrique: compression N-S, distension E-W, compression NE-SW puis E-W, distension N-S.

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The analysis of both the geometric and the kinematic cenozoic faulting in the Franconian Jura and in western Bohemia enables to characterize the mechanisms of cenozoic tectonics. More especially dextral strike-slip, normal fault and reverse fault have successively occurred along large SE-NW fault line, as the Pfahl and the Franconian fault systems. Five main stress patterns have thus been identified and then compared with those previously described in Swabian Jura. They are related to the kinematic of Europe and Africa plates, i. e.: (1) N-S compression, (2) E-W distension, (3) SW-NE compression, (4) E-W compression, (5) N-S distension.

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Zusammenfassung Durch die geometrische und kinematische Analyse der Brüche wird die tertiäre Bruchtektonik (tectonique cassante) im Fränkischen Jura und am westlichen Rand des Böhmischen Massifs belegt. Es handelt sich im wesentlichen um die großen SE-NW orientierten Störungen der Linie von Pfahl und der Fränkischen Linie, die nacheinander als dextrale Blattverschiebungen, als Normalverwerfungen und als inverse Verwerfungen wirkten. Fünf Spannungszustände können charakterisiert und mit jenen, die bereits im Schwäbischen Jura definiert wurden, verglichen werden. Sie spiegeln die verschiedenen Stadien der kinematischen Entwicklung der europäischen und afrikanischen Platte wider: Kompression N-S, Zerrung E-W, Kompression NE-SW, sodann E-W, Zerrung N-S.

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Production of radionuclides by cosmic rays at mountain altitudes

Production rates of²²Na (T_1/2 = 2.6years) from aluminium by the action of cosmic rays are measured at the Mont Blanc (altitude 4600 m), the Aiguille du Midi (3840 m), and the Col du Lautaret (2070 m). They are2.3 ± 0.5,1.8 ± 0.3,and0.77 ± 0.18 atoms min^?1 kg^?1, respectively, in good agreement with the calculated production rates, 2.4, 1.7 and 0.6 atoms min^?1 kg^?1, respectively, at the three stations.Production rates of²⁴Na (T_1/2 = 15hours) from aluminium and magnesium are also measured at the Aiguille du Midi; the observed rates of3.4 ± 0.4and6.0 ± 1.7 atoms min^?1 kg^?1, respectively, agree well with the theoretically expected rates of 3.7 and 5.6 atoms min^?1 kg^?1.The production rates of³H,⁷Be,¹⁰Be,¹⁴C,²²Na,²⁶Al,³⁶Cl,³⁷Ar,³⁹Ar,⁵³Mn,⁵⁴Mn, and⁵⁵Fe in terrestrial rocks by the action of cosmic rays are calculated in order to show the possibility of applying the measurements of these cosmogenic radionuclides to the earth science.