Plastic ingestion by petrels breeding in Antarctica

Plastic particles were found to be common pollutants in stomachs of Wilson's Storm Petrels and Cape Petrels breeding on the Antarctic continent. Highest incidence of plastics was found in chicks of Wilson's Storm Petrels that had died before fledging. Few or no plastics were found in Snow Petrels and Antarctic Petrels. Evidence suggests that most plastics originate from wintering areas outside the Antarctic, and that relatively few plastics are available in Antarctic waters. Possible hazards of plastic levels observed in Wilson's Storm Petrels are discussed.     

Experimental investigation of turbulent processes in a complex terrain

In the present paper the first results of the international KOPEX-86 experiment are presented. The experiment took place at the Kopisty Atmospheric Observatory of the Institute of Physics of the Atmosphere in Prague as part of a special project of the Commission of the Academy of Sciences in Planetary Geophysics (KAPG) in June and July 1986. Using 4 ultrasonic anemometers at 4 levels up to 80 m, Doppler-SODAR and wind-, temperature- and radiation balance gradients from 2 to 80 m, a complex investigation of the atmospheric boundary layer in an industrial area was made. The authors present the first results of

A study of presolar material in hydrated lithic clasts from metal-rich carbonaceous chondrites

We report on the investigation of presolar grain inventories of hydrated lithic clasts in three metal-rich carbonaceous chondrites from the CR clan, Acfer 182 (CH3), Isheyevo (CH3/CB_b3), and Lewis Cliff (LEW) 85332 (C3-un), as well as the carbon- and nitrogen-isotopic compositions of the fine-grained clast material. Eleven presolar silicate grains as well as nine presolar silicon carbide (SiC) grains were identified in the clasts. Presolar silicate abundances range from 4 to 22 parts per million (ppm), significantly lower than in pristine meteorites and interplanetary dust particles (IDP), and comparable to recent findings for CM2s and CR2 interchondrule matrix. SiC concentrations lie between 9 and 23 ppm, and are comparable to the values for CI, CM, and CR chondrites. The results of our investigation suggest similar alteration pathways for the clast material, the interchondrule matrix of the CR2 chondrites, and the fine-grained fraction of CM2 chondrites. Fine-grained matter of all three meteorites contains moderate to high ¹⁵N-enrichments (~50‰ ≤ δ¹⁵N ≤ ~1600‰) compared to the terrestrial value, indicating the presence of primitive organic material. We observed no correlation between ¹⁵N-enrichments and presolar dust concentrations in the clasts. This is in contrast to the findings from a suite of primitive IDPs, which display in several cases enhanced bulk ¹⁵N/¹⁴N ratios and high presolar grain abundances of several hundred or even thousand ppm. The bulk ¹⁵N/¹⁴N ratios of the clasts are comparable to the range for primitive IDPs, suggesting a nitrogen carrier less susceptible to destruction by aqueous alteration than silicate stardust.     

Ground Surface Temperature History in Poland in the 16th–20th Centuries Derived from the Inversion of Geothermal Profiles

Ground Surface Temperature (GST) history in Poland was derived from the inversion of temperature-depth profiles in over 20 wells. Temperature histories for the period 1500 A.D. through 1977 A.D. agree well with the instrumental record of the surface-air temperature available for the last two centuries. A statistical correlation of the reconstructed histories (from the well temperature data) with the instrumental record (air temperature) from the homogeneous Warsaw series is high (>0.8). Functional space inversion (FSI) of the temperature data with depth shows that beginning in the early 19th century, temperatures warmed by 0.9 ± 0.1°C following a long period of colder climate before. The last number could be a minimal as higher warming was calculated using a simple model based on surface temperature for the observational period (homogenized Warsaw surface temperature series, Lorenc, 2000) and POM (pre-observational mean; Harris and Chapman, 1998) of –1.53^oC below the 1951–1980 mean temperature level.     

Reduction of surface subsidence risk by fly ash exploitation as filling material in deep mining areas

The possibility of filling empty underground spaces, which exist owing to the extraction of mineral raw materials, with fly ash and cement fly ash mixes has been studied for the purpose of reducing the impact of deep mining on the surface. The method of physical modelling was used to study the behaviour of fly ash mixes deposited in extracted mine spaces. The models were constructed for two different geometries of underground extracted mine spaces: into cavities of the type of large slits created in the course of mining in steeply lode deposits without subsequently filling the empty space and in vertical shafts of rectangular or circular cross-section with horizontal side headings that have partly caved in due to mine shocks or other seismic events.     

Re–Os age of non-mineralized black shale from the Kupferschiefer, Poland, and implications for metal enrichment

Six samples of non-mineralized black shale from a Kupferschiefer section in the northern part of the Polish Zechstein Basin (Zdrada IG-8 drill hole: 1026.16–1026.90 m) were studied for Re–Os isotopes and selected major and trace elements. These black shales, averaging 5.82 wt.% C_org and 1.69 wt.% S_tot, display very low base metal values (up to 106 ppb Cu, 792 ppb Pb, and 144 ppb Zn) and have abundances of 64–1376 ppb Re and 0.37–1.25 ppb Os, with a ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio of 6.95–22.5. The regression of all Re–Os data yields an age of 247 ± 20 Ma, which is within the range of uncertainties of previous Rb–Sr and K–Ar geochronological studies. The scatter in the Re–Os data can be explained in terms of fluctuations in sedimentary conditions, i.e., restricted basin with terrestrial influence.     

北半球平流层臭氧的时空分布特征

利用1963－1985年北半球的平流层臭氧观测资料，采用自然平交分解方法，初步分析了北半球、特别是东亚地区大气臭氧层的时空分布特征。结果表明：（1）北半球大气臭氧的空分间分布可能与下垫面的性能有关；（2）东亚地区大气臭氧的时间分布主要具有2年和11年变化的周期特征，这与太阳黑子的准2年和准11年变化有一定的对应关系；（3）北美地区的臭氧变化则主要包含4年和7年的周期变经成分。     

The Plio-Pleistocene glaciation of the Barents Sea–Svalbard region: a new model based on revised chronostratigraphy

Based on a revised chronostratigraphy, and compilation of borehole data from the Barents Sea continental margin, a coherent glaciation model is proposed for the Barents Sea ice sheet over the past 3.5 million years (Ma). Three phases of ice growth are suggested: (1) The initial build-up phase, covering mountainous regions and reaching the coastline/shelf edge in the northern Barents Sea during short-term glacial intensification, is concomitant with the onset of the Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (3.6–2.4 Ma). (2) A transitional growth phase (2.4–1.0 Ma), during which the ice sheet expanded towards the southern Barents Sea and reached the northwestern Kara Sea. This is inferred from step-wise decrease of Siberian river-supplied smectite-rich sediments, likely caused by ice sheet blockade and possibly reduced sea ice formation in the Kara Sea as well as glacigenic wedge growth along the northwestern Barents Sea margin hampering entrainment and transport of sea ice sediments to the Arctic–Atlantic gateway. (3) Finally, large-scale glaciation in the Barents Sea occurred after 1 Ma with repeated advances to the shelf edge. The timing is inferred from ice grounding on the Yermak Plateau at about 0.95 Ma, and higher frequencies of gravity-driven mass movements along the western Barents Sea margin associated with expansive glacial growth.