Diurnal variation of outgoing longwave radiation associated with high cloud and UTH changes from Meteosat-5 measurements

Diurnal variations of outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) are examined in conjunction with diurnal variations of high cloud and upper tropospheric humidity (UTH) over the Indian Ocean and surrounding land areas using Meteosat-5 measurements. Most land areas exhibit a significant diurnal variation of OLR with the largest amplitude over the Arabian Peninsula, whereas the diurnal variation of OLR is much weaker over the Indian Ocean. While diurnal maxima of OLR are found in the early afternoon over many regions of the analysis domain following the diurnal cycle of solar heating, convectively active regions of both land and ocean where high cloud and UTH exhibit distinct diurnal variations show OLR maxima before local noon. These results indicate that high cloud development in the afternoon induces a shift in local time of OLR maxima over convective regions. In agreement with earlier studies it is shown that UTH diurnal variations are less important in regard to their impact on the OLR variations.     

CO2 sequestration and extreme Mg depletion in serpentinized peridotite clasts from the Devonian Solund basin, SW-Norway

The conglomerates of the Solund Devonian basin of SW-Norway contain numerous (locally up to 20 vol.%) peridotitic clasts with concentric mm- to 10-cm thick zones of varying red to black color. The peridotite clasts show a clear, alteration-related textural evolution. The least-altered rocks are partly serpentinized peridotites, showing a typical mesh texture with veins of serpentine, magnesite and Ni-rich magnetite surrounding olivine (Fo₉₁) relicts and its Mg-depleted, clay-like alteration product (deweylite assemblage). In the more advanced ophicarbonate stage, the mesh cells contain calcite, silica and are surrounded by talc. In the final stage, quartz, calcite, and hematite dominate the mineralogy and occur together with minor amounts of chromite, talc, Cr-chlorite, and Cr-hydroandradite. In tandem with this textural evolution is a decrease in MgO from 40 to 2.5 wt% and a CaO increase from 1 to 35 wt%. All peridotite clasts are characterized by high Cr and Ni concentrations. The chemistry and the textural evolution show that the clasts formed by an extreme Mg-mobilization from the peridotite, with development of secondary porosity and subsequent precipitation of calcite. MgO removed from the clasts after burial is in part consumed by replacement reactions in the sediment matrix around the clasts where Mg-free minerals (e.g., almandine) are replaced by Mg-bearing minerals (e.g., talc). Calculated apparent ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of the clasts at 385 Ma (0.7124-0.7139), corresponding to the inferred age of sediment deposition and incipient clast alteration, indicate interaction with diagenetic basinal fluids. We explain the reaction history as a three stage process involving (a) partial serpentinization of olivine in an oceanic environment (b) breakdown of olivine relicts to the deweylite assemblage resulting in mobilization of MgO under (near-) surface conditions in a tropical Devonian climate and (c) further Mg-mobilization and replacement of the deweylite assemblage by calcite and quartz after diagenesis. Sedimentary basins with abundant weathered peridotite represent potential sites for a permanent CO₂ storage by formation of calcite in a low-temperature environment.     

Behavior of planetary dynamos under the influence of external magnetic fields: Application to Mercury and Ganymede

For planets with strong intrinsic magnetic fields such as Earth and Jupiter, an external magnetic field is unlikely to affect the internal dynamo, but for bodies with weak intrinsic fields in appropriate environments, such as Mercury and Ganymede, the interaction with nearby field sources may determine the internal dynamics and overall behavior of their liquid iron cores. On the basis of simulations of such interactions using numerical models for fluid flow and dynamo generation, the parameter regimes for stable dipolar and multipolar reversing dynamo magnetic fields established for isolated systems can be substantially changed by the action of external sources. Relatively weak external background fields (as low as 2% of the averaged undisturbed field at the core-mantle boundary) may change the energy balance and alter the regime over which natural isolated dynamos operate.     

Navigating the dilemmas of climate policy in Europe: evidence from policy evaluation studies

Climate change is widely recognised as a ‘wicked’ policy problem. Agreeing and implementing governance responses is proving extremely difficult. Policy makers in many jurisdictions now emphasise their ambition to govern using the best available evidence. One obvious source of such evidence is the evaluations of the performance of existing policies. But to what extent do these evaluations provide insights into the difficult dilemmas that governors typically encounter? We address this question by reviewing the content of 262 evaluation studies of European climate policies in the light of six kinds of dilemma found in the governance literature. We are interested in what these studies say about the performance of European climate policies and in their capacity to inform evidence-based policy-making. We find that the evaluations do arrive at common findings: that climate change is framed as a problem of market and/or state failure; that voluntary measures tend to be ineffective; that market-based instruments tend to be regressive; that EU-level policies have driven climate policies in the latecomer EU Member States; and that lack of monitoring and weak enforcement are major obstacles to effective policy implementation. However, we also conclude that the evidence base these studies represent is surprisingly weak for such a high profile area. There is too little systematic climate policy evaluation work in the EU to support systematic evidence-based policy making. This reduces the scope for sound policy making in the short run and is a constraint to policy learning in the longer term.     

Progressive niedriggradige Metamorphose glaukonitführender Horizonte in den helvetischen Alpen der Ostschweiz

Glauconite-bearing formations of Cretaceous and Tertiary age in the Helvetic zone of the Glarus Alps have been investigated by microscopic, X-ray, wet chemical, electron microprobe, Mössbauer spectroscopic, and K-Ar dating methods. 3 different metamorphic zones with increasing grade can be distinguished (Fig. 3). Original, unmetamorphosed sediments containing glauconite-calcite-quartz±chlorite comprise zone I. The glauconite is very rich in potassium (8–9 wt.%) and the chlorite is Fe-rich. In zone II green stilpnomelane forms by the reaction: glauconite±chlorite + quartz = stilpnomelane + k-feldspar + H₂O + O₂. The green stilpnomelane contains as much as ten times the amount of K found in brown stilpnomelane, which is believed to be a weathering feature. In zone III biotite appears by the reaction: chlorite + k-feldspar = biotite + stilpnomelane + quartz + H₂O. Riebeckite is a possible additional phase in all three zones. Generally, zones I–III are arranged nearly parallel to the Alpine border with metamorphic grade increasing to the south. In the Glarnisch Massif, however, the transition from zone I to zone II is clearly controlled by the overburden of the nappe pile (Fig. 6). The beginning of zone II also seems to coincide with the middle of the anchizone, as defined by illite-crystallinity measurements in adjoining marly shales and slates; this corresponds approximately to the transition from the zeolite facies to the prehnitepumpellyite facies.K-Ar-ages on glauconites regularly decrease when approaching the zone I/II-transition. Field evidence and combined K-Ar age determinations on glauconites, stilpnomelanes and riebeckites point to a peak of the metamorphism during Lower to Middle Oligocene, shortly after the main orogenic phase in this part of the Helvetic Alps.

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Die Autoren danken Herrn Prof. E. Niggli für das fördernde Interesse an dieser Arbeit, die Überlassung der Probe EN 8999 sowie die kritische Durchsicht des Manuskriptes. Für wertvolle Diskussionen und Hinweise danken wir den Prof. E. Jäger, R. Herb und P. M. Orville sowie Dr. W. D. Brückner und Dr. N. Clauer. M.F. möchte Herrn E. Weber herzlich für die Einführung auf der Mikrosonde danken. Herrn Prof. Th. Hügi danken wir für die Benützung des geochemischen Labors, Herrn Prof. H. Schwander für einige Na-Bestimmungen auf der Basler Mikrosonde und Herrn Dr. F. Hofmann für die Bestimmung der C-Gehalte. Den Herren Theo Küpfer und J. Fuhrimann verdanken wir verschiedene Laborarbeiten. Diese Arbeit wurde durch die folgenden Stipendien des Schweizerischen Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung unterstützt: Nr. 5358.2 an M.F., Nr. 2.367.70 an J.H. sowie Nr. 2598 an P.R. Die Durchführung der Mikrosondenanalysen wurden zudem möglich dank eines Studienaufenthaltes von M. F. an der Yale Universität, New Haven, Connecticut, wofür dieser Autor der Forschungskommission der Universität Bern zu großem Dank verpflichtet ist.     

An interlaboratory comparison of piston-cylinder pressure calibration using the albite-breakdown reaction

The pressure of the reaction albite=jadeite and quartz was measured at 600° C by workers in six geophysical laboratories for the purpose of comparing pressure calibration procedures for the solid-pressure piston-cylinder apparatus. All groups used the same starting mix of crystalline reactant and products and all obtained hydrothermal reversals of the equilibrium. Solid pressure media used included talc, NaCl, boron nitride, pyrophyllite, pyrex glass and crushable ceramic. Various means of calibration were used, including internal standardization by transitions in indicator substances and the piston-in, piston-out bracketing method.There was agreement among all groups—the average preferred value of 16.3 kilobars at 600° C is enclosed by all of the error brackets assigned by the various investigators. This average preferred value is lower by nearly two kilobars than the often-quoted extrapolation of Birch and LeComte's data (1960). It will be important for both petrology and high-pressure technology to test this result in a very high gas pressure apparatus.     

Edward Sabine,ein großer Geophysiker des 19. Jahrhunderts

Zusammenfassung Das soeben beendete dritte Internationale Geophysikalische Jahr, bisheriger Höhepunkt in der Erforschung der uns zugänglichen Hydro- und Atmosphäre der Erde, führt notwendigerweise zu der Frage nach der Vorgeschichte unserer heutigen geophysikalischen Erkenntnisse und Arbeitsmethoden. Als repräsentativ für die erste Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts dürfen wir den englischen Forscher Sir Edward Sabine ansehen, der als erster moderner All-round-Geophysiker gravimetrisch in den Tropen und in der Arktis tätig war, besonders hochgeschätzt von A. v. Humboldt, dessen erdmagnetisches Werk er ausbaute; auch durch wertvolle ozeanographische und meteorologische Untersuchungen rühmlich bekannt.

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Edward Sabine, a great geophysicist of the nineteenth century

Summary The past third International Geophysical Year, up to now culminating point in the research for the hydrosphere and the atmosphere of the earth, makes us, necessarily, desirous to learn something about the early development of to-day's geophysical knowledge and working methods. As representative of the first half of the nineteenth century we may regard the English explorer and scientist Sir Edward Sabine, who as the first all-round geophysicist in the modern sense of the word carried out gravimetric measurements in the tropics and in the arctic regions. Alexander von Humboldt whose geomagnetic work he has been developing, held him in high esteem; besides, he is famous for his research work in the oceanographic and meteorological fields.

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Edward Sabine, grand géophysicien au dix-neuvième siècle

Résumé La troisième Année géophysique internationale écoulée, jusqu'ici point culminant des recherches sur l'hydrosphère et l'atmosphère de la terre, fait nécessairement naître en nous le désir d'étendre nos connaissances du développement primaire de la science et des méthodes de travail de la géophysique actuelle. Nous sommes tenus de considérer l'explorateur et le savant anglais Sir Edward Sabine comme le représentant de la première moitié du dix-neuvième siècle. Il fut le premier à effectuer des mesures gravimétriques dans les tropiques et dans les zones arctiques en qualité de géophysicien universel au sens moderne de ce mot. Il jouissait de l'estime profond d'Alexander von Humboldt, dont il a développé l'uvre géomagnétique. De plus, Sabine est fameux pour ses études dans les domaines de l'océanographie et de la météorologie.

     

Grobkornsedimentation der pannonen Donau in Österreich am Beispiel der Mistelbacher Schotter

Zusammenfassung Die Mistelbacher Schotter sind fluviatile Grobkornsedimente eines unterpannonen Donauvorläufers, der im NE Niederösterreichs, im Bereich des namengebenden Ortes, zwischen der Flysch- und Waschbergzone im Westen und dem Gebiet um den heutigen Steinberg einen mächtigen Schotterkomplex aufbaute.Nach der Ausbildung und Beschaffenheit der Sedimente können zwei konkrete Schüttungsphasen unterschieden werden. Die erste entspricht den Ablagerungsbedingungen rasch sedimentierter, alluvialer Schuttfächer, die zweite folgt nach einem Übergang mit rein fluviatilen, feinkörnigeren Sedimenten, die auf die fortschreitende Auffüllung und Verlandung des Sammelbeckens verweisen.Der Schwerpunkt der gegenständlichen Untersuchungen wurde auf die Charakterisierung der Grobkornbereiche im Schotterkegel gelegt.Danach entsprechen die Ablagerungen in der Mehrzahl schlecht bis sehr schlecht sortierten sandigen Kiesen mit überwiegend positiven Schiefen. Zu ihrem Transport waren Strömungsgeschwindigkeiten erforderlich, die mit den heutigen Gegebenheiten der Donau verglichen werden können.Nach dem Geröll- und Schwermineralbestand der Proben liegt das Liefergebiet der Schotter bevorzugt in alpinen Bereichen. Die Ausbildung der Gerölle und ihr Abrollungsgrad stehen in Übereinstimmung zu den wesentlichen Komponenten der Schotter und entsprechen deren strukturbedingten Eigenschaften.

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Coarse-grained sediments of the Pannonian Danube in Austria demonstrated at the mistelbach gravel fan

Summary The so called Mistelbach gravels are coarse-grained fluvial sediments of a former Lower Pannonian Danube. Between the Flysch- and Waschberg zone and the region of the present Steinberg in the East a large gravel complex has been accumulated by the river.According to the formation and the structure of the sediments two different phases of accretion can be distinguished. The first one corresponds to the depositional environments of rapidly accumulated alluvial fans. The second one follows a transition period with somewhat finer-grained material due to the filling and warping of the collecting basin.The investigations were made to characterize the coarse-grained parts of the gravel fan in a sedimentological manner.The sediments have a mostly bad or very bad sorting and can be classified as sandy pebbles with a predominantly positive skewness. For the transport of the sediment material current velocities similar to the conditions of the present Danube were necessary.According to the rock- and heavy mineral content the collecting area of the gravels should be assumed within the Alpine regions. The shape of the gravels and their roundness agree with the physical properties of the essential typerocks and are due to their internal textures.

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Mit 8 Abbildungen

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Herrn Prof. DDr.H. Wieseneder zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet.