The action of borontrifluoride-methanol on isoprenoid alcohols

BF₃-methanol, commonly used for esterification of carboxylic acids, also reacts with some alcohols to give a mixture of methyl ethers. The reaction appears to be limited to allylic alcohols with an alkyl branch at the allylic alcohol group (e.g. phytol). Neither straight chain alcohols nor saturated isoprenoid alcohols react under the prescribed reaction conditions.     

The Bizielle vein (valle de Gistain): A case of iron oxide transformations at the Pyrenees of Spain

The Bizielle vein has some unique features among the Pyrenean alpine veins that allow us to address the question of the nature of iron oxides transformations under low temperature hydrothermal conditions, which is well known to prevailed over wide areas of western Europe between early Triassic to early Cretaceous times. Isotopic studies indicate a deep-seated origin of the ore-forming fluids and suggest that the metals were leached from the Variscan basement (mainly from granites). Isotopic geothermometry and regional evidences point to a 250 °C and reducing fluid, being SH₂ the predominant S specie. Under such conditions, the proposed in situ deposition of hematite is a consequence of Fe carbonates dissolution and oxidation involving dissolution/precipitation processes in the sense of Putnis. Non-redox model is a quite plausible origin for subsequent hematite to magnetite conversion.     

Evaluating the seismic hazard to the National Capital (Delhi) Region,India, from moderate earthquakes using simulated accelerograms

The National Capital Region (NCR) of India is exposed to high seismic hazard and risk due to a great earthquake in the central seismic gap of Himalaya and/or due to moderate-size earthquake within NCR. The high population density, rapid growth of infrastructure, and old engineering structures in the region make it more vulnerable to the human as well as economic loss due to moderate-size earthquakes also. The evaluation of seismic hazard is the first step to prepare a proper mitigation plan for the region. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the seismic hazard and risk due to moderate-size earthquakes in the vicinity of NCR. For this purpose, a suit of accelerograms have been generated from hypothetical moderate-size earthquakes (M 5.5 and 6.0) in the region. A basic fault-plane solution is assumed for this purpose. The ranges of the different parameters like depth of focus and stress drop values have been used in order to examine the effect of these parameters on hazard. The accelerograms have been synthesized using two basic velocity models, one representing a hard site and the other a site with a significant low-velocity cover. These two velocity models represent the ridge area and trans-Yamuna river area in the NCR. The decay of peak ground acceleration (pga) values with distance is fast in trans-Yamuna region (with low-velocity surface layer of 100 m) as compared to that of ridge area (with low-velocity surface layer of 1 m). Also, the decay of pga becomes slower if we increase the depth of focus from 10 to 20 km. The response spectra (5% damping) of the synthetic accelerograms for the three periods T = 0.4s, 0.75s, and 1.25s have been estimated and presented in the form of decay curves. The amplifications as a function of epicentral distance and stress drop have also been estimated. We note that the amplifications in 100-m layer case do not occur uniformly at all the distances, rather it is dependent on the angle of incidence of energy into the layers. The pga values are generally amplified by more than twice with increase in stress drop from 100 to 400 bars. The seismic exposure of the population in Delhi city has been presented. The results presented in this study may serve as an important input in the planning of mitigation and disaster management programs in the National Capital Region.     

On the Atlantic–Pacific Niños connection: a multidecadal modulated mode

Atlantic and Pacific El Niño are the leading tropical oceanic variability phenomena at interannual timescales. Recent studies have demonstrated how the Atlantic Niño is able to influence on the dynamical processes triggering the development of the Pacific La Niña and vice versa. However, the stationarity of this interbasin connection is still controversial. Here we show for the first time that the Atlantic–Pacific Niños connection takes place at particular decades, coinciding with negative phases of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). During these decades, the Atlantic–Pacific connection appears as the leading coupled covariability mode between Tropical Atlantic and Pacific interannual variability. The mode is defined by a predictor field, the summer Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature (SST), and a set of predictand fields which represent a chain of atmospheric and oceanic mechanisms to generate the Pacific El Niño phenomenon: alteration of the Walker circulation, surface winds in western Pacific, oceanic Kelvin wave propagating eastward and impacting on the eastern thermocline and changes in the Pacific SST by internal Bjerknes feedback. We suggest that the multidecadal component of the Atlantic acts as a switch for El Niño prediction during certain decades, putting forward the AMO as the modulator, acting through changes in the equatorial Atlantic convection and the equatorial Pacific SST variability. These results could have a major relevance for the decadal prediction systems.     

A simulation of earthquake induced undrained pore pressure changes with bearing on some soil liquefaction observations following the 2001 Bhuj earthquake

The Bhuj earthquake of January 26th, 2001, induced wide spread liquefaction within the Kachch peninsula. It has been pointed out that inundation due to soil liquefaction was short lived in some parts than in others in the affected region. Several geological, seismological and hydrological factors would have cumulatively contributed to these observed changes. We simulate in this article, undrained or short-term change in pore pressure in a poroelastic half space, in response to a simplified model of the Bhuj earthquake source. We find that the regions of relatively shorter lived inundation due to soil liquefaction may fall in the region where pore pressure responsible for soil liquefaction attributable to strong ground shaking was counteracted by pore pressure changes due to undrained poroelastic effect and vice versa.     

Global acceleration of lake sediment accumulation rates associated with recent human population growth and land-use changes

Journal of Paleolimnology - Sediment Accumulation Rate (SAR; measured as mm yr?1) and Mass Accumulation Rate (MAR; measured as g cm?2 yr?1) data were collected from...     

Biomarkers in upper Holocene Eastern North Sea and Wadden Sea sediments

Total extracts of sediment cores from five different stations in the North Sea and Wadden Sea were analysed for their biomarker composition. Only sediments of the Skagerrak contained significant amounts of marine biomarkers (mainly alkenones), other sites contained predominantly terrestrial biomarkers. Bioturbation in the Skagerrak is, however, far too high to determine sea surface temperature (SST) changes within short time intervals. These results indicate that biomarkers contained in these sediments are not useful to reconstruct climate fluctuations during the upper Holocene. High amounts of α-, β- and ω-hydroxy fatty acids as well as small amounts of α, β-dihydroxy fatty acids were released from the insoluble organic material of the sediments from the Wadden Sea station, indicating a significant input of the eelgrass Zostera marina. This was confirmed by microscopic observations. This is the first time the α,β-dihydroxy fatty acids have been found in a sediment core and they have proven to be potential biomarkers for these seagrass species.     

Interdisciplinary approaches: towards new statistical methods for phenological studies

The importance of global environmental questions has significantly advanced the impact of climate change phenology. Whilst spatial applications continue to be a core application of phenology; in recent years the temporal dimension has also been revisited, with studies showing that temporal changes, either with a natural or an anthropogenic origin, have significantly altered phenological rhythms and seasonal development—changes attributed now to an anthropogenically induced temperature increase. This paper explores and introduces recent and newly developing analytic methods in phenology; with a view to increasing an interdisciplinary perspective and dialogue. Of particular focus is how we can and best deal with nonlinearity of phenological change in time and with multiple location studies; rigorously model the inherent multivariate time series structures in climate-phenology data; further Bayesian and non-Bayesian methods, detect multiple change-points; map seasonality calendars; model de-synchronisation of species globally; invoke old fashioned, yet rarely used circular statistical methods; adapt new transitional state modelling of phenophases with respect to climate and progress a unified paradigm for meta analytic studies in phenology. The provision of uncertainty analysis is also still much needed in climate-related phenological research. Reaching consensus on design, method of data collection and comparable analytic methods is integral to advancing the generalisability of phenological results; as is a consensus on inclusion criterion for studies selected for phenological meta-analytic studies. A coherent nomenclature is critically required, but it is currently lacking in many areas of phenology.