Evidence for enhanced hydration on the northern flank of Olympus Mons, Mars

In this paper we report about a small region on the northern scarp of Olympus Mons showing an increase of the 3 μm hydration band in the OMEGA spectra, together with low superficial temperatures. Although water ice clouds can occurs on the flank of big martian volcanoes, radiative transfer modeling indicates that atmospheric water ice alone cannot justify the shape of the observed band. A fit of the 1.9–3 μm absorption features is obtained by hypothesizing that the study region consists of a mixture of dust and water ice covered by an optically thin (τ=0.08 at 3 μm) layer of dust. Thermal modeling also suggests that water ice in this region may be stable during most of the martian year due to the saturation of the atmosphere. If water ice is responsible for the observed spectral behavior, it might consist of a number of ice or snow patches possibly deposited in small depressions.     

An iodine mass-balance for Lake Constance, Germany: Insights into iodine speciation changes and fluxes

Lake Constance is one of Europe’s largest oligotrophic lakes and provides a water source for more than 4.5 million people in Germany and Switzerland. We present here a 12 month study on iodine concentrations, speciation and fluxes to and from the lake to gain a quantitative understanding of the limnic iodine cycle. Monthly water samples were obtained from all major tributaries (14) and the outflow to construct a mass-balance model. Sediment traps were also deployed in the lake for two years at two different stations. Total soluble iodine (TSI) in aqueous samples were analysed by ICP-MS and speciation (iodide, iodate and soluble organically bound iodine, SOI) by ion chromatography-ICP-MS. Iodine concentrations in the Alpine tributaries (1-2 μg l⁻¹) decreased over the summer months due to increasing proportions of snow and glacial melt water from the Alps, while iodine levels in the lowland rivers (∼2-10 μg l⁻¹) increased over the summer. Deposition of TSI to the catchment (16,340 kg I yr⁻¹) was similar to the TSI out-flux by rivers (16,000 kg I yr⁻¹). By also including the particulate riverine iodine flux out of the catchment (∼12,350 kg I yr⁻¹) it is shown that the catchment is a net source of iodine, with the highest particulate fluxes coming from the Alpine rivers. The total TSI flux to the lake was 16,770 kg I yr⁻¹, the largest proportion coming from the Alpenrhein (43%), followed by the Schussen (8%) and Bregenzer Ach (7.7%). Overall the mass-balance for TSI in the lake was negative, with more iodine flowing out of the lake than in (−2050 kg I yr⁻¹; 12% of TSI in-flux). To maintain mass-balance, 8.8 μg I m⁻² d⁻¹ from the Obersee and 23 μg I m⁻² d⁻¹ from the Untersee must be released from the sediments into the water column. Thus, in comparison with the total iodine flux to the sediments measured by the sediment traps (4762-8075 kg I yr⁻¹), up to 39% of the deposited iodine may be mobilised back into the lake. SOI was the dominant iodine fraction entering the lake, with a total flux of 10,290 kg I yr⁻¹ (64% of TSI input), followed by iodate (3120 kg I yr⁻¹) and iodide (2760 kg I yr⁻¹). Net formation of SOI from iodide and iodate was also noted within the lake, with an estimated production of 6560 kg I yr⁻¹, suggesting a strong role for biology in iodine cycling. In conclusion, organically bound iodine was the dominant iodine species in aqueous and solid phases in Lake Constance, despite low DOC concentrations (<2 mg l⁻¹), and thus is expected to play an important role in iodine cycling in most freshwater environments.     

Sulfur cycling at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: A multiple sulfur isotope approach

The role of sulfur in two hydrothermal vent systems, the Logatchev hydrothermal field at 14°45′N/44°58′W and several different vent sites along the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (SMAR) between 4°48′S and 9°33′S and between 12°22′W and 13°12′W, is examined by utilizing multiple sulfur isotope and sulfur concentration data. Isotope compositions for sulfide minerals and vent H₂S from different SMAR sites range from + 1.5 to + 8.9‰ in δ³⁴S and from + 0.001 to + 0.051‰ in Δ³³S. These data indicate mixing of mantle sulfur with sulfur from seawater sulfate. Combined δ³⁴S and Δ³³S systematics reveal that vent sulfide from SMAR is characterized by a sulfur contribution from seawater sulfate between 25 and 33%. This higher contribution, compared with EPR sulfide, indicates increased seawater sulfate reduction at MAR, because of a deeper seated magma chamber and longer fluid upflow path length, and points to fundamental differences with respect to subsurface structures and fluid evolution at slow and fast spreading mid-ocean ridges.Additionally, isotope data uncover non-equilibrium isotopic exchange between dissolved sulfide and sulfate in an anhydrite bearing zone below the vent systems at fluid temperatures between 335 and 400 °C. δ³⁴S values between + 0.2 to + 8.8‰ for dissolved and precipitated sulfide from Logatchev point to the same mixing process between mantle sulfur and sulfur from seawater sulfate as at SMAR. δ³⁴S values between ? 24.5 and + 6.5‰ and Δ³³S values between + 0.001 and + 0.125‰ for sulfide-bearing sediments and mafic/ultramafic host rocks from drill cores taken in the region of Logatchev indicate a clear contribution of biogenic sulfides formed via bacterial sulfate reduction. Basalts and basaltic glass from SMAR sites with Δ³³S = ? 0.008‰ reveal lower Δ³³S lower values than suggested on the basis of previously published isotopic measurements of terrestrial materials.We conclude that the combined use of both δ³⁴S and Δ³³S provides a more detailed picture of the sulfur cycling in hydrothermal systems at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and uncovers systematic differences to hydrothermal sites at different mid-ocean ridge sites. Multiple sulfur isotope measurements allow identification of incomplete isotope exchange in addition to isotope mixing as a second important factor influencing the isotopic composition of dissolved sulfide during fluid upflow. Furthermore, based on Δ³³S we are able to clearly distinguish biogenic from hydrothermal sulfides in sediments even when δ³⁴S were identical.     

Efficient block preconditioners for the coupled equations of pressure and deformation in highly discontinuous media

Large‐scale simulations of flow in deformable porous media require efficient iterative methods for solving the involved systems of linear algebraic equations. Construction of efficient iterative methods is particularly challenging in problems with large jumps in material properties, which is often the case in geological applications, such as basin evolution at regional scales. The success of iterative methods for this type of problems depends strongly on finding effective preconditioners. This paper investigates how the block‐structured matrix system arising from single‐phase flow in elastic porous media should be preconditioned, in particular for highly discontinuous permeability and significant jumps in elastic properties. The most promising preconditioner combines algebraic multigrid with a Schur complement‐based exact block decomposition. The paper compares numerous block preconditioners with the aim of providing guidelines on how to formulate efficient preconditioners. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quaternary volcanic ash zones on the Iceland Plateau,southern Norwegian Sea

Four Quaternary volcanic ash zones in the southern Norwegian Sea have been investigated in core P57-7 from the Iceland Plateau. Both the geochemical composition and morphological variation of each ash layer have been studied. The four volcanic ash zones appear in the light oxygen isotope stages 1, 5, 7 and 11. The ash zones are composed of transparent platy grains, light brown transparent grains, brown blocky and black blocky grains and white/transparent pumice, and each zone shows a distinct stratigraphic evolution. The geochemical results show a mixture of basaltic and silicic grains in each ash zone, and that each zone contains grains from more than one eruption. The geochemical investigations strongly suggest that all the ashes are derived from Iceland. The youngest ash zone includes two layers, which based on their geochemical composition and stratigraphic position are correlated with the ¹⁴C-dated Vedde Ash (10 600 yr BP) and Saksunarvatn Ash (9 100 yr BP). Possible sources on Iceland for these layers are discussed.     

Three-frequency BDS precise point positioning ambiguity resolution based on raw observables

All BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) satellites are transmitting signals on three frequencies, which brings new opportunity and challenges for high-accuracy precise point positioning (PPP) with ambiguity resolution (AR). This paper proposes an effective uncalibrated phase delay (UPD) estimation and AR strategy which is based on a raw PPP model. First, triple-frequency raw PPP models are developed. The observation model and stochastic model are designed and extended to accommodate the third frequency. Then, the UPD is parameterized in raw frequency form while estimating with the high-precision and low-noise integer linear combination of float ambiguity which are derived by ambiguity decorrelation. Third, with UPD corrected, the LAMBDA method is used for resolving full or partial ambiguities which can be fixed. This method can be easily and flexibly extended for dual-, triple- or even more frequency. To verify the effectiveness and performance of triple-frequency PPP AR, tests with real BDS data from 90 stations lasting for 21 days were performed in static mode. Data were processed with three strategies: BDS triple-frequency ambiguity-float PPP, BDS triple-frequency PPP with dual-frequency (B1/B2) and three-frequency AR, respectively. Numerous experiment results showed that compared with the ambiguity-float solution, the performance in terms of convergence time and positioning biases can be significantly improved by AR. Among three groups of solutions, the triple-frequency PPP AR achieved the best performance. Compared with dual-frequency AR, additional the third frequency could apparently improve the position estimations during the initialization phase and under constraint environments when the dual-frequency PPP AR is limited by few satellite numbers.     

Developing country perspectives on ‘mitigation actions’, ‘NAMAs’, and ‘LCDS’

The MAPS programme, which seeks to deepen mitigation ambition in developing countries, is engaged in exploring the concepts of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and Low Carbon Development Strategies (LCDS) from a developing country perspective. Here, climate mitigation practitioners in six developing countries were surveyed for their understanding of these concepts (anonymous, personal communications with climate mitigation practitioners in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, and South Africa). It is found that there is much scope for clarity and conceptual elaboration in this policy space. NAMAs are largely interpreted as mitigation activities packaged for submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) registry, but are not held to constitute the full set of mitigation activity in a developing country. New terminology may be needed to describe this broader set. A tighter interpretation of LCDS to distinguish between a strategic or coordinating policy action may be useful. Other themes arising include the way ‘national appropriateness’ is reflected in the concepts, and the role of international policy in deepening mitigation action in developing countries.