Cretaceous and Paleogene geologic history of coastal Ecuador

Following a general review of the Cretaceous and Paleogene geology of Ecuador, we propose a geologic history from early Cretaceous through Oligocene time with emphasis on the coastal part of the country that is based on the interpretive interaction of three oceanic plates (the Bolívar, proto-Nazca, and Nazca) and the continental South American plate. The proposed history invokes large lateral displacements, the intervention of the previously unrecognized Bolívar plate, the development of three successive subduction zones, the formation of a distant oceanic island arc and its subsequent collision with the South American plate, the emplacement of a major olistostrome complex, and an intricate record of displacement on a currently inactive transform fault. The proposed history offers a viable solution to four major problems of the geology of coastal Ecuador.

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Zusammenfassung Aus der Kreide- und Paläogen-Geschichte Ecuadors läßt sich die Entwicklung der Küstenregion ableiten. Sie wird vom Zusammenwirken von drei ozeanischen Platten (Bolivar, Proto-Nazca und Nazca) und der kontinentalen Platte Südamerikas bestimmt. Die Entwicklung umfaßt ausgedehnte Seitenverschiebungen, das Auftreten einer bisher nicht erkannten Bolivar-Platte, die Anlage von drei aufeinanderfolgenden Subduktionszonen, die Bildung eines Inselbogens und die folgende Kollision mit der Südamerikanischen Platte, die Ablagerung eines großen Olisthostrom-Komplexes und die Verschiebungen entlang einer heute inaktiven Transform-Verwerfung. Damit sind eine Reihe von Problemen der Geologie des Küstenabschnittes Ecuadors gelöst.

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Résumé Passant en revue la géologie de l'Equateur au Crétacique et Paléogène, les auteurs proposent une histoire géologique allant depuis le Crétacique inférieur à l'Oligocène en mettant l'accent sur la région cÔtière, et en se basant sur l'interaction de trois plaques océaniques (bolivienne, proto-Nasca et Nasca) et de la plaque continentale de l'Amérique du Sud. L'histoire proposée fait appel à de grands déplacements, à l'intervention de la plaque bolivienne non reconnue antérieurement, au développement de trois zones de subduction successives, à la formation d'une guirlande d'Îles océaniques distante et sa collision subséquente avec la plaque de l'Amérique du Sud, à la mise en place d'un grand complexe olistostromique et à un déplacement sur une faille transformante inactive. L'histoire proposée apporte une solution viable à quatre problèmes de la géologie de la Région cÔtière de l'Equateur.

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. (, protoNazca Nazca) . : , , , , , Olistostrome . .

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Contribution No. 6 A, Departamento de Geología, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador.     

Downscaling of South America present climate driven by 4-member HadCM3 runs

The objective of this work is to evaluate climate simulations over South America using the regional Eta Model driven by four members of an ensemble of the UK Met Office Hadley Centre HadCM3 global model. The Eta Model has been modified with the purpose of performing long-term decadal integrations and has shown to reproduce “present climate”—the period 1961–1990—reasonably well when forced by HadCM3. The global model lateral conditions with a resolution of 2.5° latitude?×?3.75° longitude were provided at a frequency of 6?h. Each member of the global model ensemble has a different climate sensitivity, and the four members were selected to span the range of uncertainty encompassed by the ensemble. The Eta Model nested in the HadCM3 global model was configured with 40-km horizontal resolution and 38 layers in the vertical. No large-scale internal nudging was applied. Results are shown for austral summer and winter at present climate defined as 1961–90. The upper and low-level circulation patterns produced by the Eta-CPTEC/HadCM3 experiment set-up show good agreement with reanalysis data and the mean precipitation and temperature with CRU observation data. The spread in the downscaled mean precipitation and temperature is small when compared against model errors. On the other hand, the benefits in using an ensemble is clear in the improved representation of the seasonal cycle by the ensemble mean over any one realization. El Ni?o and La Ni?a years were identified in the HadCM3 member runs based on the NOAA Climate Prediction Center criterion of sea surface temperature anomalies in the Ni?o 3.4 area. The frequency of the El Ni?o and La Ni?a events in the studied period is underestimated by HadCM3. The precipitation and temperature anomalies typical of these events are reproduced by most of the Eta-CPTEC/HadCM3 ensemble, although small displacements of the positions of the anomalies occur. This experiment configuration is the first step on the implementation of Eta-CPTEC/HadCM3 upcoming experiments on climate change studies that are discussed in a companion paper.     

Modeling the impact of partial surface mulch on soil heat and water flow

Summary Surface residue is an integral part of many cropping systems, and there are opportunities to optimise its value as mulch by improving our understanding of how it affects the near surface soil physical environment. In this study we use field measurements and a coupled soil heat and water flow model to demonstrate the effects of partial surface mulch on the near surface soil physical environment. The model is based on general physical laws and allows analysis of general system behaviour in response to changes in both inputs and systems variables. The field measurements were obtained on both a clay and a sand soil from experiments carried out in the semi-arid tropics. The treatments included a bare soil surface and 0 (completely mulched), 5 cm and 15 cm bare row zones. Both measurements and simulations showed that partial surface mulch cover can have dramatic effects on the soil physical environment near the soil surface, with the development of very strong horizontal gradients across bare soil—mulched soil boundaries. They also show that bare row zones are able to act as either a source or sink for heat and water, and that the resultant soil environmental conditions will exert strong control of soil biological activity. Although model simulations did not always match exactly with the specific measurements, they did capture the major trends given by the field data. While this suggests a certain robustness about the way the processes are modeled, there are several areas in which the model needs improvement and these are highlighted in the paper.Journal Paper No. J16277 of the Iowa Agricultural Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, IA.With 9 Figures     

Observations of SN1988e: A mature supernova

We present the spectrum of the supernova SN1988e over the wavelength range 4750–9000 Å as recorded on 11 February, 1988. The spectrum was taken in one 2000 s exposure using the Faint Object Spectrograph on the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos.We conclude that SN1988e was a type I supernova, and that at the time of observation it had faded 7.5 mag from its predicted magnitude at maximum light. Spectra taken at such late stages in the light curve are comparatively rare, and are made possible only with the application of modern instrumentation.     

An investigation of the Eigenvalue Calibration Method (ECM) using GASP for non-imaging and imaging detectors

Polarised light from astronomical targets can yield a wealth of information about their source radiation mechanisms, and about the geometry of the scattered light regions. Optical observations, of both the linear and circular polarisation components, have been impeded due to non-optimised instrumentation. The need for suitable observing conditions and the availability of luminous targets are also limiting factors. The science motivation of any instrument adds constraints to its operation such as high signal-to-noise (SNR) and detector readout speeds. These factors in particular lead to a wide range of sources that have yet to be observed. The Galway Astronomical Stokes Polarimeter (GASP) has been specifically designed to make observations of these sources. GASP uses division of amplitude polarimeter (DOAP) (Compain and Drevillon Appl. Opt. 37, 5938–5944, 1998) to measure the four components of the Stokes vector (I, Q, U and V) simultaneously, which eliminates the constraints placed upon the need for moving parts during observation, and offers a real-time complete measurement of polarisation. Results from the GASP calibration are presented in this work for both a 1D detector system, and a pixel-by-pixel analysis on a 2D detector system. Following Compain et al. (Appl. Opt. 38, 3490–3502 1999) we use the Eigenvalue Calibration Method (ECM) to measure the polarimetric limitations of the instrument for each of the two systems. Consequently, the ECM is able to compensate for systematic errors introduced by the calibration optics, and it also accounts for all optical elements of the polarimeter in the output. Initial laboratory results of the ECM are presented, using APD detectors, where errors of 0.2 % and 0.1° were measured for the degree of linear polarisation (DOLP) and polarisation angle (PA) respectively. Channel-to-channel image registration is an important aspect of 2-D polarimetry. We present our calibration results of the measured Mueller matrix of each sample, used by the ECM, when 2 Andor iXon Ultra 897 detectors were loaned to the project. A set of Zenith flat-field images were recorded during an observing campaign at the Palomar 200 inch telescope in November 2012. From these we show the polarimetric errors from the spatial polarimetry indicating both the stability and absolute accuracy of GASP.     

The palaeobiogeography of Permian anomodonts

It is generally considered that the oldest anomodont mammal-like reptiles are known from Late Permian sediments of the USSR and that during the rest of the Late Permian distribution of these fossils widens to encompass nearly all geographical areas by the end of the Period.
This study reviews the occurrence of anomodont genera in Permian sediments and reassesses the conventionally accepted distribution pattern. A broad correlation of terrestrial Permian rocks from different continents is attempted. Using recent reconstructions of Permian continental positions the effect of latitude on anomodont distribution is investigated. Some explanations for the restrictions operating on anomodont distribution are suggested.     

The use of monitoring data for identifying factors influencing phytoplankton bloom dynamics in the eutrophic Taw Estuary, SW England

Using the Taw Estuary as an example, data routinely collected by the Environment Agency for England and Wales over the period 1990-2004 were interrogated to identify the drivers of excessive algal growth. The estuary was highly productive with chlorophyll concentrations regularly exceeding 100 μg L⁻¹, mostly during periods of low freshwater input from the River Taw when estuarine water residence times were longest. However, algal growth in mid estuary was often inhibited by ammonia inputs from the adjacent sewage treatment works. The reported approach demonstrates the value of applying conventional statistical analyses in a structured way to existing monitoring data and is recommended as a useful tool for the rapid assessment of eutrophication. However, future estuarine monitoring should include the collection of dissolved organic nutrient data and targeted high temporal resolution data because the drivers of eutrophication are complex and often very specific to a particular estuary.