Increased Precipitation in the Norwegian Arctic: True or False?

Results from the WMO Solid Precipitation MeasurementIntercomparison and parallel precipitationmeasurements from Svalbard are used to evaluate andadjust models for estimating true precipitation underArctic conditions. The conclusion is that trueprecipitation in the Arctic may be estimatedreasonably well when the wind speed at gauge height isless than 7 m/s. It is possible to give good estimatesof true annual and seasonal precipitation at Svalbard,as only a small part of the precipitation is fallingat wind speeds above 7 m/s. For rough calculations,the correction factors for liquid precipitation isestimated to be 1.15 and for solid precipitation1.85.The developed correction models are used to estimateamounts and trends of true precipitation for two sitesin the Norwegian Arctic. In Ny-Ålesund the trueannual precipitation is more than 50% higher than themeasured amount. As the aerodynamic effects leading toprecipitation undercatch are dependent onprecipitation type and temperature, the observed andprojected increase in the air temperature in theArctic would also affect the measured precipitation,even if the true precipitation was unchanged. Sincethe mid 1960s the temperature at Svalbard Airport hasincreased by 0.5 °C per decade, resulting in areduced fraction of annual precipitation falling assnow. In the same period, the measured precipitationhas increased by 2.9% per decade and the `true' by1.7% per decade. Estimates are made of the fictitiousprecipitation increase that would result from ageneral temperature increase of 2, 4 and 6 °C. The increase in the measured annual precipitationwould be 6, 10 and 13%, respectively. The expectedfictitious precipitation increase is thus of the samemagnitude as the real precipitation increase whichaccording to recent GCM projections may be expected inNorthern Europe as a result of a doubling of theatmospheric CO₂ content.     

Twenty of the most thermophilous vascular plant species in Svalbard and their conservation state

An aim for conservation in Norway is preserving the Svalbard archipelago as one of the least disturbed areas in the Arctic. Information on local distribution, population sizes and ecology is summarized for 20 thermophilous vascular plant species. The need for conservation of northern, marginal populations in Svalbard is reviewed, using World Conservation Union categories and criteria at a regional scale. Thirteen species reach their northernmost distribution in Svalbard, the remaining seven in the western Arctic. Nine species have 1-8 populations in Svalbard and are assigned to Red List categories endangered or critically endangered: Campanula rotundifolia, Euphrasia frigida, Juncus castaneus, Kobresia simpliciuscula, Rubus chamaemorus, Alchemilla glomerulans, Ranunculus wilanderi, Salix lanata and Vaccinium uliginosum , the last four species needing immediate protective measures. Five species are classified as vulnerable: Betula nana, Carex marina ssp. pseudolagopina, Luzula wahlenbergii, Ranunculus arcticus and Ranunculus pallasii . Six species are considered at lower risk: Calamagrostis stricta, Empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum, Hippuris vulgaris (only occurring on Bjørnøya), Juncus triglumis, Ranunculus lapponicus and Rhodiola rosea . The warmer Inner Arctic Fjord Zone of Spitsbergen supports most of the 20 target species and is of particular importance for conservation. Endangered or vulnerable species were found in a variety of edaphic conditions; thus, several kinds of habitats need protection.     

Studies on silica-scaled chrysophytes from Fujian Province, China

rmDUCTIONEXtensiveinvestigaionsonthemphicaldistributionofsilica-scaledchrysoPhytesinChinahaVebeeninprogresssincel988.Kristiansen(l989,199o),Kristiansen&TOng(l988,l989a,l989bandl99l)andWei&Kristiansen(1994)rePOrtedtheirre-sultsofstUdiesonsilica-scaledchrysoPhyteshantheeastem,northeasern,western,southwsternandcentndPaItsofChina(includingllprovinces).kltogether6ltaxawererecoIded,mostofthembelongingtothegenusMallomonas.Al993tol994simultaneousstirveyofthephytoplankonandstUdyofthesilica-sc…     

The evolution of disk galaxies in clusters

We are carrying out a programme to measure the evolution of the stellar and dynamical masses and M/L ratios for a sizeable sample of morphologically-classified disk galaxies in rich galaxy clusters at 0.2 < z < 0.9. Using FORS2 at the VLT we are obtaining rotation curves for the cluster spirals so that their Tully-Fisher relation can be studied as a function of redshift and compared with that of field spirals. We already have rotation curves for ∼ 10 cluster spirals at z = 0.83, and 25 field spirals at lower redshifts and we plan to increase this sample by one order of magnitude. We present here the first results of our study, and discuss the implications of our data in the context of current ideas and models of galaxy formation and evolution. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

State-space representation of radiation forces in time-domain vessel models

The paper presents a method for generating a new and efficient time-domain formulation of the equations of motion for a vessel with frequency-dependent hydrodynamic coefficients. Previous work on this topic has relied on the use of convolution terms, whereas in this work state-space models are used. This leads to a model formulation that is well suited for controller design and simulation.     

Geochemistry at the sulfate reduction-methanogenesis transition zone in an anoxic aquifer—A partial equilibrium interpretation using 2D reactive transport modeling

The study addresses a 10 m deep phreatic postglacial sandy aquifer of vertically varying lithology and horizontally varying infiltration water chemistry, displaying calcite dissolution, ion-exchange, and anaerobic redox processes. The simple variations in lithology and infiltration combine into a complex groundwater chemistry, showing ongoing Fe-oxide reduction, sulfate reduction and methanogenesis. Rates of sulfate reduction, methanogenesis and methane oxidation were measured directly using radiotracers. Maximum rates were 1.5 mM/yr for sulfate reduction, 0.3 mM/yr for methanogenesis, and only 4.5 μM/yr for methane oxidation. The overlap of sulfate reduction and methanogenesis was very small. The important intermediates formed during the degradation of the organic matter in the sediment, formate and acetate, had concentrations around 2 μM in the sulfate reducing zone, increasing to 10 and 25 μM in the methanogenic part. The concentration of H₂ was around 0.25 nM in the Fe-reducing zone, 0.4 nM in the sulfate reducing zone, and increased to 6 nM in the methanogenic zone. Using in situ concentrations of products and reactants the available energies for a range of different reactions could be calculated. The results of the calculations are in accordance with the observed distribution of the ongoing redox processes, implying that the system is well described using a partial equilibrium approach. A 2D numerical PHAST model of the system based on the partial equilibrium approach, extended by implementing specific energy yields for the microbial redox processes, could explain most of the observed groundwater geochemistry as an expression of a closely coupled system of mineral equilibria and redox processes occurring at partial equilibrium.     

Deformation Behavior of Chalk Studied Close to In Situ Reservoir Conditions

A laboratory test program, which simulated reservoir conditions of pressure and temperature, was conducted on outcrop and reservoir chalk samples of various porosities. All the samples experienced a stress path following uniaxial strain condition K ₀ that led to compaction failure, i.e. pore collapse. The experiments were loaded by depletion of pore pressure conducted under load controlled conditions. This depletion phase was followed by a creep period, where time-dependent deformation was monitored. The intention of creating such reservoir condition in these laboratory experiments was to gain knowledge of the nature of chalk compaction. Chalk is an important reservoir rock for the oil and gas industry with unique storage capability with porosities up toward 50%. However, this rock is also very weak which has resulted in significant reservoir compaction and in turn severe seabed subsidence and casing failure. Mapping of the mechanical behavior of chalk in terms of deformation is thus decisive for a proper understanding of these reservoirs. The results of this study show that chalk is indeed a rate-dependent material under laboratory loading conditions as time effects were revealed as the loading rate was varied. However, the results raise uncertainty about the importance of rate dependency for chalk under completely drained conditions. Further, such high-porosity chalk suffers for substantial plastic strains and obvious strain hardening. Indeed, a relation between deformation/porosity and hardening is proposed by the introduction of real-time modulus values. Time-dependent deformation, also called creep was influenced by the depletion phase, as consolidation or transient creep influenced the deformation response for as much as 175 h after a change in load. This indicates that transient creep is dependent on the stress history. However, observations suggest the existence of a universal mechanism for steady state creep, governed by neither the initial porosity nor the stress history or chalk type, which thus seems to be an independent strain contributor. Finally, time dependence is found on the K ₀ development for chalk tested at typically laboratory rates, which has been discussed as a reflection of the nature of the grain re-arrangement during failure and plastic deformation. Ultimately, such time dependence of the K ₀ may contribute to the understanding of stress path data deduced from field data.     

Ecological consequences of land use change: Forest structure and regeneration across the forest-grassland ecotone in mountain pastures in Nepal

The ecotone, the spatial transition zone between two vegetation communities, is claimed to have more species than the adjoining communities. However, empirical studies do not always confirm higher richness at the ecotone. The ecotone position and structure are dynamic over time and space and it is driven by the changes in climate, land use or their interaction. In this context, we assessed the forest- grassland ecotone of temperate mountains in central Nepal by i） comparing species composition and richness across the ecotone, ii） analyzing if the forestgrassland ecotone is shifting towards the grassland center by colonizing them with trees, and iii） discussing the consequence of changed disturbance regime in the dynamics of this ecotone and the surrounding grasslands. We analyzed vegetation data sampled from belt transects laid across the forest- grassland ecotone in semi-natural grassland patches. Vegetation data consisting of species richness and composition, and size structure and regeneration of the two most dominant tree species, namely Rhododendron arboreum and Abies spectabilis, from the transects, were used to analyze the trend of the forest-grassland ecotone. Forest and grasslands were different in terms of floristic composition and diversity. Vascular plant speciesrichness linearly increased while moving from forest interior to grassland center. Spatial pattern of tree size structure and regeneration infers that forest boundary is advancing towards the grasslands at the expense of the grassland area, and tree establishment in the grasslands is part of a suceessional process. Temporally, tree establishment in grasslands started following the gradual decline in disturbance. We argue that local processes in terms of changed land use may best explain the phenomenon of ecotone shift and consequent forest expansion in these grasslands. We underpin the need for further research on the mechanism, rate and spatial extent of ecotone shift by using advaneed tools to understand the process indepth.     

Late Quaternary sediments and stratigraphy on the continental shelf off Troms and west Finnmark, northern Norway

Lithologic, paleontologic, and chronostratigraphic investigation of 13 gravity cores indicates the following environmental evolution: a high- (mid-) arctic period with a slight influx of ice-rafted debris occurred during the early middle Weichselian followed by a mid- (high-) arctic environment with a high influx of iceberg-rafted debris during the remainder of the middle Weichselian. The continental ice sheet probably did not extend beyond the inner shelf during middle Weichselian and a minimum relative sea level was ca. −120 m. A low-arctic environment occurred during (parts of) the late Weichselian with an initial winnowing of the sediments. The Norwegian Current entered the area during this substage. A high- (mid-) boreal environment occurred during the Holocene with high winnowing activity in the early Holocene. Winnowing is still very active on the shallower banks in contrast to the deeper banks where it has ceased. Relatively high percentages of carbonate in the form of biogenic skeletal remains occur in the Holocene sediments.