Biomarker lipids of the freshwater fern Azolla and its fossil counterpart from the Eocene Arctic Ocean

Eocene sediments recovered from the Lomonosov Ridge in the central Arctic Ocean during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 302 contain high amounts of fossil remains of the free floating freshwater fern Azolla. Both extant Azolla and the sediments from the Arctic Azolla interval were found to contain relatively high quantities of compounds identified as 1,ω20 C₃₀–C₃₆ diols. Furthermore, structurally related mid-chain hydroxy fatty acids, long chain n-alkanols and keto-ols were discovered. The different series have a common feature: there is always a hydroxy group at the ω20 position. In addition, structurally related C₂₉ ω20,ω21 diols, C₂₉ 1,20,21 triols, C₂₉ dihydroxy fatty acids as well as a series of wax esters containing these mono- and dihydroxy lipids are reported. Selective extraction of Azolla surface lipids revealed that these compounds are most likely present in the leaf waxes of the fern. The suite of long-chain, mid-chain ω20 hydroxy wax constituents is described for the first time. As they are well preserved in the Eocene sediments, these lipids may serve as palaeo-environmental indicators of the Arctic Azolla interval and as markers for the past occurrence of Azolla in general.     

DNA-based methods in paleolimnology: new opportunities for investigating long-term dynamics of lacustrine biodiversity

We reconstructed 150 years of ecological change in a shallow boreal lake located on the east shore of the Baltic Sea by integrating different types of environmental evidence: paleolimnological records (XRF-measured elements, fossil pigments and Cladocera assemblages), information from historical limnological surveys and archival maps. We assessed the role of biomanipulation by liming and fish-removal in the disappearance of submerged macrophytes, such as Lobelia dortmanna L., and their replacement by persistent cyanobacterial blooms. The combination of different strands of evidence revealed that the shift from macrophyte to cyanobacterial dominance was part of a long-term ecological response to eutrophication and increased sediment load from catchment disturbances. The findings demonstrate that a gradual loss of wetlands and increase of ditches in a catchment had a more significant effect on the lake ecosystem, compared to the direct, but short-term impact of biomanipulation. The study highlights the importance of catchment land-use and disturbance by ditches in changing the ecology of boreal water bodies. Also, it illustrates that a thorough understanding of the long-term ecosystem dynamics and differentiation among responses to multiple anthropogenic impacts are essential preconditions for addressing the deterioration of habitats and change in aquatic environments.     

On the aftershock sequence of a 4.6 mb earthquake of the Garhwal Himalaya

Locally recorded data for eighteen aftershocks of a magnitude(m_b) 4.6 earthquake occurring near Ukhimath in the Garhwal Himalaya were analysed. A master event technique was adopted to locate seventeen individual aftershock hypocentres relative to the hypocentre of the eighteenth aftershock chosen as the master event. The aftershock epicentres define an approximately 30 km² rupture zone commensurate with the magnitude of the earthquake. The distribution of epicentres within this zone and the limited amount of first motion data support the view that a group of parallel, sub-vertical, sinistral strike-slip faults oriented N46°, transverse to the regional NW-SE trend of the Garhwal Himalaya, was involved in this seismic episode. Since the estimated focal depth range for aftershocks of this sequence is 3–14 km, we infer that this transverse fault zone extends through the upper crustal layer to a depth of 14 km at least.     

Climate change or nuclear power—No thanks! A quantitative study of public perceptions and risk framing in Britain

The UK is witnessing a new line in political debate around new nuclear energy generation as one potential feature of future energy policy, specifically for contributing to climate change mitigation alongside energy security. Little is known about how ordinary citizens might be responding to this reframing. This paper reports the results from a major British survey (n=1491) undertaken in the autumn of 2005. The consistent message is that while higher proportions of the British public are prepared to accept nuclear power if they believe it contributes to climate change mitigation, this is a highly conditional view, with very few actively preferring this over renewable sources given the choice. People see both climate change and nuclear power as problematic in terms of risks and express only a ‘reluctant acceptance’ of nuclear power as a ‘solution’ to climate change. The combined data from this survey can also be interpreted as an indication of the complexity surrounding beliefs about energy futures and the difficulty of undertaking simplistic risk–risk tradeoffs within any single framing of the issues; such as nuclear energy versus climate change. The results also indicate that it would be unwise, in the UK as elsewhere, to simplistically assume that there exists any single or stable public ‘opinion’ on such complex matters. We conclude with a discussion of the role and implications of the survey evidence for the policy process.     

Ecometrics and the paleoecological implications of Pleistocene faunas from the western coastal plains of the Cape Floristic Region,South Africa

The Pleistocene ungulate communities from the western coastal plains of South Africa's Cape Floristic Region (CFR) are diverse and dominated by grazers, in contrast to the region's Holocene and historical faunas, which are relatively species-poor and dominated by small-bodied browsers and mixed feeders. An expansion of grassy habitats is clearly implied by the Pleistocene faunas, but the presence of ruminant grazers that cannot survive the summer dry season typical of the region today suggests other important paleoecological changes. Here we use dental ecometrics to explore the paleoecological implications of the region's Pleistocene faunas. We show that the dental traits (hypsodonty and occlusal topography) of the ungulates that occurred historically in the CFR track annual and summer aridity, and we use these relationships to reconstruct past aridity. Our results indicate that the Pleistocene faunas signal paleoenvironments that were on average less arid than today, including during the summer, consistent with other lines of evidence that suggest a higher water table and expansion of well-watered habitats. Greater water availability can be explained by lower temperature and reduced evapotranspiration during cooler phases of the Pleistocene, probably coupled with enhanced groundwater recharge due to increased winter precipitation.     

Probing crustal anisotropy by receiver functions at the deep continental drilling site KTB in Southern Germany

Seismic anisotropy is a unique observational tool for remotely studying deformation and stress within the Earth. Effects of anisotropy can be seen in seismic data; they are due to mineral alignment, fractures or layering. Seismic anisotropy is linked to local stress and strain, allowing modern geophysics to derive geomechanical properties from seismic data for supporting well planning and fracking. For unravelling anisotropic properties of the crust, the teleseismic receiver functions methodology has started to be widely applied recently due to its ability in retrieving the three-dimensional characteristics of the media sampled by the waves. The applicability of this technique is tested here by a field test carried out around the Kontinental Tiefbohrung site in southeastern Germany. We compare our results to previous investigations of the metamorphic rock pile of the Zone Erbendorf-Vohenstrauss, drilled down to 9 km depth, which sampled an alternating sequence of paragneiss and amphibolite, in which a strong foliation has been produced by ductile deformation. The application of the receiver functions reveals the presence of two distinct anisotropic layers within the metamorphic rock pile at 0–4 km and below 6 km depth, with up to 8% anisotropy; the depth of these two layers corresponds to the location of mica-rich paragneiss which show intense foliation, and finally proves the relation between the signal in the receiver functions, rock texture and presence of cracks. We have now the capability of providing insights from passive seismic data on geomechanical properties of the rocks, useful for geological exploration and engineering purposes, which will help influencing expensive drilling decisions thanks to future application of this seismic technique.     

Holocene evolution of a rock‐bounded barrier‐lagoon system,Cíes Islands,northwest Iberia

Coastal geomorphology results from the combined effects of contemporary dynamics, sea‐level rise and the inherited geological framework, yet the relative importance of these driving mechanisms may change throughout the evolutionary history of coastal deposits. In this contribution, we analyse the depositional history of the Cíes Islands barrier‐lagoon system, based on lithofacies, radiocarbon ages, and pollen analysis. Our results reveal a sedimentary sequence that provides evidence for striking changes in the dynamical functioning of this complex since the mid‐Holocene. The sedimentary sequence commenced about 7700 cal years bp by fresh‐water ponding of an upland depression located about 4 m below present mean sea‐level. Fresh‐water ponds were infilled by aeolian sediments following a gradual lowering of the water‐table 4000 cal years bp . Post‐3600 cal years bp sea‐level rise allowed water oscillations to reach the elevation of the bedrock causing the inundation of fresh‐water ponds and subsequent lagoonal and marine sedimentation. Subsequently, landward and upward migration of a sand‐barrier led to overwash and deposition of sand in the newly formed lagoon. The resultant sedimentary sequence suggests that climatic conditions played an important role controlling the sedimentation regime during the entire history of the basin; changing water‐table levels during early stages of evolution and increasing storminess during more recent times. In addition, background sea‐level rise related to the Holocene transgression was a key factor in controlling the evolution of the system, yet its influence depended to an extent on the relative elevation of the bedrock topography. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of incorporating groundwater exchanges in hydrological models

In many catchments, the geographical demarcation does not coincide with the limits of the aquifers, so groundwater may be exchanged beyond their topographic boundaries. By studying groundwater exchanges, the natural resources of a catchment can be better assessed, and the divergences between hydrological models and measurements can be explained. The aim of this work is to reveal the importance of including groundwater exchanges in the hydrological modelling of some catchments, using a water balance model. For this purpose, a simple example is conducted. The so‐called parent model scheme is modified to only allow groundwater exchanges, and it is applied to the headwater of the Segura River Basin District, located in the southeast of Spain. This area is selected because groundwater plays an important role in surface hydrology. The results reveal that groundwater exchanges cannot be neglected in some catchments when assessing water resources because their integration in the hydrological model corrects errors in the water balance. Moreover, this paper proves that water balance models are a useful tool for estimating groundwater exchanges between catchments, which can be contrasted with more complex distributed models or isotopic tracers if there is enough information available. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.