Influence of instruments on the H/V spectral ratios of ambient vibrations

For an optimal analysis of the H/V curve, it appears necessary to check the instrument signal to noise ratio in the studied frequency band, to ensure that the signal from the ground noise is well above the internal noise. We assess the reliability and accuracy of various digitizers, sensors and/or digitizer-sensor couples. Although this study is of general interest for any kind of seismological study, we emphasize the influence of equipment on H/V analysis results. To display the impact of the instrumental part on the H/V behavior, some series of tests have been carried out following a step-by-step procedure: first, the digitizers have been tested in the lab (sensitivity, internal noise...), then the three components sensors, still in the lab, and finally the usual user digitizers-sensors couple in lab and outdoors. In general, the digitizer characteristics, verified during this test, correspond well to the manufacturer specifications, however, depending on the digitizer, the quality of the digitized waveform can be very good to very poor, with variation from a channel to another channel (gain, time difference etc.). It appears very clearly that digitizers need a warming up time before the recording to avoid problems in the low-frequency range. Regarding the sensors, we recommend strongly to avoid the use of “classical” accelerometers (i.e., usual force balance technology). The majority of tested seismometers (broadband and short period, even 4.5 Hz) can be used without problems from 0.4 to 25 Hz. In all cases, the instrumentation should be checked first to verify that it works well for the defined study aim, but also to define its limit of use (frequency, sensitivity...).     

Seismically reactivated Hattian slide in Kashmir, Northern Pakistan

The Pakistan 2005 earthquake, of magnitude 7.6, caused severe damage on landscape and infrastructure, in addition to numerous casualties. The event reactivated Hattian Slide, creating a rock avalanche in a location where earlier mass movements had happened already, as indicated by satellite imagery and ground investigation. The slide originated on Dana Hill, in the upper catchment area of Hattian on Karli Stream, a tributary of Jhelum River, Pakistan, and buried the hamlet Dandbeh and several farms nearby. A natural dam accumulated, impounding two lakes, the larger one threatening parts of downstream Hattian Village with flooding. An access road and artificial spillways needed to be constructed in very short time to minimize the flooding risk. As shown by this example, when pointing out the risk of large-scale damage to population and infrastructure by way of hazard indication maps of seismically active regions, and preparing for alleviation of that risk, it is advisable to consider the complete Holocene history of the slopes involved.     

Evaluation of cosmogenic 3He and 21Ne production rates in olivine and pyroxene from two Pleistocene basalt flows,western Grand Canyon,AZ, USA

Combining cosmogenic ³He and ²¹Ne (³He_c and ²¹Ne_c) measurements on both pyroxene and olivine from the Pleistocene Bar Ten flows (85–107 ka) greatly increases our ability to evaluate the accuracy of ³He_c and ²¹Ne_c production rates and, therefore, ³He_c and ²¹Ne_c surface exposure ages. Comparison of ³He_c and ²¹Ne_c age-pairs yielded by experimentally determined production rates and composition-based model calculations indicates that the former give more accurate surface exposure ages than the latter in this study. However, experimental production rates should be adjusted to the composition of the minerals being analyzed to obtain the best agreement between ³He_c and ²¹Ne_c ages for any given sample. ²¹Ne_c/³He_c values are 0.400 ± 0.029 and 0.204 ± 0.014 for olivine and pyroxene, respectively, in Bar Ten lava flows, in agreement with previously published values, and indicate that ²¹Ne_c/³He_c in olivine and pyroxene is not affected by erosion and remains constant with latitude, elevation, and time (up to 10 Myr). Samples with ²¹Ne_c/³He_c that do not agree with these values may indicate the presence of non-cosmogenic helium and/or neon. The neon three-isotope diagram can also indicate whether or not all excess neon in mineral separates comes from cosmogenic sources. An error-weighted regression for olivine defines a spallation line [y = (1.033 ± 0.031)x + (0.09876 ± 0.00033)], which is indistinguishable from that for pyroxene (Schäfer et al., 1999). We have derived a production rate of 25 ± 8 at/g/yr for ²¹Ne_c in clinopyroxene (En_43–44) based on the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of the upper Bar Ten flow. Our study indicates that the production rate of ²¹Ne_c in olivine may be slightly higher than previously determined. Cosmogenic ³He and ²¹Ne remain extremely useful, particularly when paired, in determining accurate eruption ages of young olivine- and pyroxene-rich basaltic lava flows.     

The seasonal cycle in coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation models

We examine the seasonal cycle of near-surface air temperature simulated by 17 coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP). Nine of the models use ad hoc “flux adjustment” at the ocean surface to bring model simulations close to observations of the present-day climate. We group flux-adjusted and non-flux-adjusted models separately and examine the behavior of each class. When averaged over all of the flux-adjusted model simulations, near-surface air temperature falls within 2?K of observed values over the oceans. The corresponding average over non-flux-adjusted models shows errors up to ～6?K in extensive ocean areas. Flux adjustments are not directly applied over land, and near-surface land temperature errors are substantial in the average over flux-adjusted models, which systematically underestimates (by ～5?K) temperature in areas of elevated terrain. The corresponding average over non-flux-adjusted models forms a similar error pattern (with somewhat increased amplitude) over land. We use the temperature difference between July and January to measure seasonal cycle amplitude. Zonal means of this quantity from the individual flux-adjusted models form a fairly tight cluster (all within ～30% of the mean) centered on the observed values. The non-flux-adjusted models perform nearly as well at most latitudes. In Southern Ocean mid-latitudes, however, the non-flux-adjusted models overestimate the magnitude of January-minus-July temperature differences by ～5?K due to an overestimate of summer (January) near-surface temperature. This error is common to five of the eight non-flux-adjusted models. Also, over Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude land areas, zonal mean differences between July and January temperatures simulated by the non-flux-adjusted models show a greater spread (positive and negative) about observed values than results from the flux-adjusted models. Elsewhere, differences between the two classes of models are less obvious. At no latitude is the zonal mean difference between averages over the two classes of models greater than the standard deviation over models. The ability of coupled GCMs to simulate a reasonable seasonal cycle is a necessary condition for confidence in their prediction of long-term climatic changes (such as global warming), but it is not a sufficient condition unless the seasonal cycle and long-term changes involve similar climatic processes. To test this possible connection, we compare seasonal cycle amplitude with equilibrium warming under doubled atmospheric carbon dioxide for the models in our data base. A small but positive correlation exists between these two quantities. This result is predicted by a simple conceptual model of the climate system, and it is consistent with other modeling experience, which indicates that the seasonal cycle depends only weakly on climate sensitivity.     

Atmospheric Pb and Cd input into the Baltic Sea: a new estimate based on measurements

Bulk deposition samples were collected during a summer (1997) and a winter (1998) measurement campaign at four coastal stations along the southern Baltic Sea coast and on the Island of Gotland. The data were used to construct Pb and Cd deposition fields over the Baltic Sea. A weak gradient with decreasing deposition rates from the southwest towards the east and north was obtained for Pb. In the case of Cd, the spatial distribution pattern was characterized by an extreme deposition maximum at the Polish station on the Hel Peninsula. The total atmospheric input of Pb and Cd into the Baltic Sea was 550 and 33 t/year, respectively, and exceeds the riverine input by approximately about 50%. Previous measurement-based estimates were higher by a factor 2–3 and indicate a decrease of the atmospheric deposition during the past 10–15 years. The comparison with modelled deposition data yielded partly large differences and was impaired by the fact that 1990 emission inventories were used whereas our measurements were performed in 1997/1998.Relating our deposition estimate and the Pb/Cd input by rivers to the mean concentrations in Baltic Sea water, residence times of 0.29 and 3.6 years were obtained for Pb and Cd, respectively.     

Impact of nitrogenous fertilizers on carbonate dissolution in small agricultural catchments: Implications for weathering CO2 uptake at regional and global scales

The goal of this study was to highlight the occurrence of an additional proton-promoted weathering pathway of carbonate rocks in agricultural areas where N-fertilizers are extensively spread, and to estimate its consequences on riverine alkalinity and uptake of CO₂ by weathering. We surveyed 25 small streams in the calcareous molassic Gascogne area located in the Garonne river basin (south-western France) that drain cultivated or forested catchments for their major element compositions during different hydrologic periods. Among these catchments, the Hay and the Montoussé, two experimental catchments, were monitored on a weekly basis. Studies in the literature from other small carbonate catchments in Europe were dissected in the same way. In areas of intensive agriculture, the molar ratio (Ca + Mg)/HCO₃ in surface waters is significantly higher (0.7 on average) than in areas of low anthropogenic pressure (0.5). This corresponds to a decrease in riverine alkalinity, which can reach 80% during storm events. This relative loss of alkalinity correlates well with the content in surface waters. In cultivated areas, the contribution of atmospheric/soil CO₂ to the total riverine alkalinity (CO_{2 ATM-SOIL}/HCO₃) is less than 50% (expected value for carbonate basins), and it decreases when the nitrate concentration increases. This loss of alkalinity can be attributed to the substitution of carbonic acid (natural weathering pathway) by protons produced by nitrification of N-fertilizers (anthropogenic weathering pathway) occurring in soils during carbonate dissolution. As a consequence of these processes, the alkalinity over the last 30 years shows a decreasing trend in the Save river (one of the main Garonne river tributaries, draining an agricultural catchment), while the nitrate and calcium plus magnesium contents are increasing.We estimated that the contribution of atmospheric/soil CO₂ to riverine alkalinity decreased by about 7-17% on average for all the studied catchments. Using these values, the deficit of CO₂ uptake can be estimated as up to 0.22-0.53 and 12-29 Tg¹ yr⁻¹ CO₂ on a country scale (France) and a global scale, respectively. These losses represent up to 5.7-13.4% and only 1.6-3.8% of the total CO₂ flux naturally consumed by carbonate dissolution, for France and on a global scale, respectively. Nevertheless, this loss of alkalinity relative to the Ca + Mg content relates to carbonate weathering by protons from N-fertilizers nitrification, which is a net source of CO₂ for the atmosphere. This anthropogenic CO₂ source is not negligible since it could reach 6-15% of CO₂ uptake by natural silicate weathering and could consequently partly counterbalance this natural CO₂ sink.     

Formation of U-depleted rhyolite from a basanite at El Hierro, Canary Islands

Phonolite and trachyte are the felsic magmas of the alkaline magma suites, which characterize the Canary Islands. The October 2011 submarine eruption off El Hierro, the westernmost island, nevertheless, produced a small volume of rhyolitic magma. The rhyolite occurred as highly vesicular, white coloured pumices enveloped in and mingled with darker coloured basanitic pumice. The basanitic pumice is relatively crystal poor with a few euhedral olivines (mostly Fo_77–79), clinopyroxenes and Fe-rich spinels, whereas very rare olivine of same composition is found together with equally rare Fe-sulphide and FeTi-rich oxides in the rhyolite. The Fe–Mg exchange equilibrium in the oxides permits to calculate an equilibrium temperature of 970–890 °C for the rhyolite, in agreement with quartz-melt equilibrium at ca. 930 °C. A striking mineralogical feature of the rhyolite is the presence of rounded to contorted grains of milky quartz, which are xenocrysts incorporated and partly dissolved into the magma. Analyses of residual volatile concentrations in the glasses show that the rhyolite melt was highly degassed, whereas the basanitic glass still has important halogen concentrations. Trace element patterns of the mafic glasses and their elevated incompatible element concentrations are typical of the western Canary Island basanites. In contrast, the trace element composition of the rhyolite shows surprisingly low concentrations for all elements except the most incompatible ones (e.g. Rb, Ba, K and Th). All other measured LILE, HFSE and REE have significantly lower concentration than the basanitic counterpart that can be explained by fractionation of accessory phases (1 % apatite, 1 % sphene and 0.1 % zircon). Surprisingly, low U concentration is presumably related to elevated oxygen fugacity in the rhyolite, causing U to be in a hexavalent state, and fluxing of F-rich gas leading to volatilization of UF₆, known to emanate at low temperature. The results suggest that a gas-rich basanitic melt remobilized a small volume of stagnant rhyolitic melt formed by incorporation of approximately 10 % quartz-rich sediment into a late differentiate of trachytic composition. Sediments at the interface of an old oceanic crust adjacent to a continental shield and younger volcanic island are likely to act as magma traps were sediment assimilation may alter the mantle-derived magma composition. Quartz assimilation thus explains the production of rhyolite magma in a volcanic island characterized by an alkaline magma series from primitive basanites to trachytes.     

Apatite solubility in carbonatitic liquids and trace element partitioning between apatite and carbonatite at high pressure

We have measured apatite solubility in calcic carbonatitic liquids and determined apatite/melt partition coefficients for a series of trace elements, including the rare earth elements (REE), high field strength elements (HFSE), Rb, Sr, U-Th-Pb. Experiments were performed between 4 and 6 GPa, from 1200 to 1380 °C, using the multianvil apparatus. Trace element concentrations were determined by laser ablation ICP-MS and electron microprobe. In addition, a specific protocol was designed to measure carbon concentration in the apatites, using the electron microprobe. Two starting apatite samples were used in order to test for the effect of apatite chemistry on partitioning behavior.Apatite solubility is lower in calcitic melts by a factor 3-5 compared to dolomitic melts (3-5.5 vs. 10-18 wt.% P₂O₅ in melt). We interpret this difference in terms of solubility product in the liquid and propose an empirical model for apatite saturation that takes into account melt calcium content. We conclude that calcitic melts that may form by melting of carbonated eclogites could be saturated with residual apatite, contrary to dolomitic melts formed in carbonated peridotites.Compatibility behavior of the REE depends on apatite silica content: REE are compatible in apatites containing 3.5-5 wt.% SiO₂, with values between 1.5 and 4, whereas REE are incompatible in apatites containing 0.2 wt.% SiO₂. HFSE, U, Th, and Y are compatible in silica-rich apatite, with while . Strontium is always retained in the melt, with of the order of 0.5. Lead appears to be incompatible in apatite, although this finding is weakened by almost complete Pb loss to sample container. High silica concentration favors REE incorporation in apatite by allowing for charged balanced coupled substitution. Sulfur and carbonate may also favor REE incorporation in apatite. Our results allow to reconcile previously published experimental determinations of REE partitioning. We use our experimentally determined partition coefficients to investigate the impact of residual apatite during partial melting of recycled carbonated material (eclogite + sediments) and discuss how the chemical characteristics of the produced liquids can be affected by residual apatite.     

Centennial-scale climate change from decadally-paced explosive volcanism: a coupled sea ice-ocean mechanism

Northern Hemisphere summer cooling through the Holocene is largely driven by the steady decrease in summer insolation tied to the precession of the equinoxes. However, centennial-scale climate departures, such as the Little Ice Age, must be caused by other forcings, most likely explosive volcanism and changes in solar irradiance. Stratospheric volcanic aerosols have the stronger forcing, but their short residence time likely precludes a lasting climate impact from a single eruption. Decadally paced explosive volcanism may produce a greater climate impact because the long response time of ocean surface waters allows for a cumulative decrease in sea-surface temperatures that exceeds that of any single eruption. Here we use a global climate model to evaluate the potential long-term climate impacts from four decadally paced large tropical eruptions. Direct forcing results in a rapid expansion of Arctic Ocean sea ice that persists throughout the eruption period. The expanded sea ice increases the flux of sea ice exported to the northern North Atlantic long enough that it reduces the convective warming of surface waters in the subpolar North Atlantic. In two of our four simulations the cooler surface waters being advected into the Arctic Ocean reduced the rate of basal sea-ice melt in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic Ocean, allowing sea ice to remain in an expanded state for?>?100 model years after volcanic aerosols were removed from the stratosphere. In these simulations the coupled sea ice-ocean mechanism maintains the strong positive feedbacks of an expanded Arctic Ocean sea ice cover, allowing the initial cooling related to the direct effect of volcanic aerosols to be perpetuated, potentially resulting in a centennial-scale or longer change of state in Arctic climate. The fact that the sea ice-ocean mechanism was not established in two of our four simulations suggests that a long-term sea ice response to volcanic forcing is sensitive to the stability of the seawater column, wind, and ocean currents in the North Atlantic during the eruptions.