The Arctic’s rapidly shrinking sea ice cover: a research synthesis

The sequence of extreme September sea ice extent minima over the past decade suggests acceleration in the response of the Arctic sea ice cover to external forcing, hastening the ongoing transition towards a seasonally open Arctic Ocean. This reflects several mutually supporting processes. Because of the extensive open water in recent Septembers, ice cover in the following spring is increasingly dominated by thin, first-year ice (ice formed during the previous autumn and winter) that is vulnerable to melting out in summer. Thinner ice in spring in turn fosters a stronger summer ice-albedo feedback through earlier formation of open water areas. A thin ice cover is also more vulnerable to strong summer retreat under anomalous atmospheric forcing. Finally, general warming of the Arctic has reduced the likelihood of cold years that could bring about temporary recovery of the ice cover. Events leading to the September ice extent minima of recent years exemplify these processes.     

安第斯埃达克岩 :三种成因模式

在安第斯埃达克岩是常见的。由这种岩石的痕量元素特征揭示的高压组成矿物 ,表明其有三种可能的成因。这三种成因按相对重要性依次为 :安第斯地壳的构造加厚 ;弧前壳的俯冲 -侵蚀 ;年轻洋壳的俯冲。在过去 30 Ma,每种成因模式的埃达克岩在智利 -阿根廷安第斯地区均有喷发。它们的产状与智利 -阿根廷边缘快速变化的构造背景中特定构造条件和事件相吻合。埃达克岩在过去安第斯边缘的产状可望成为矿化的优异构造标志 ,也可用于指导找矿     

Pb and Sr isotopes in volcanic rocks from the Aleutian Islands and Pribilof Islands,Alaska

The Pb and Sr isotope ratios of Plio-Pleistocene volcanic rocks from the Aleutian volcanic arc are used as tracers of the lithospheric subduction process at the converging Pacific and Bering plates. Aleutian arc lavas do not have the same Pb isotopic compositions as volcanic rocks of the subducted Pacific ocean crust or the nearby Pribilof Islands, but appear to contain an ‘old continental crustal component’ with high ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratio, as has been found in some other volcanic arcs.⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in the Aleutian volcanic arc rocks average 0.70322, slightly higher than fresh volcanic rocks from normal ridge segments, but within the range of values from ‘Icelandic’ ridge segments, oceanic islands and the Pribolof Islands. The Pb and Sr isotopic compositions of Aleutian lavas show a positive correlation and the range of values does not change for volcanoes distributed along strike in the arc, even though the crustal type in the hanging wall of the Benioff zone changes from oceanic in the west to continental in the east. Since the basement of the continental arc segment is older than the basement of the oceanic segment, and probably has a different isotopic character, the constancy of isotopic ratios along the arc argues against contamination by wall rocks of the type exposed in the arc.A sufficient explanation for the isotopic data is the mixture of several per cent of continent-derived sediment with melt derived from the underthrust oceanic crust and overlying mantle. This small amount of contaminant is difficult to document by geophysical observations. Such a model implies extensive recycling of Ba, Pb, K and Rb through volcanism at convergent plate margins like the Aleutians.     

长江河源地区河流水文特性分析

本文简要介绍了青藏高原长江河源地区冰川,冻土和地质构造对水系发育和河况的影响,初步分析了该地区河流的经流、洪水、枯水、水温和冰情的变化规律.文中着重阐明河流洪水形成的基本特征,并据观测资料和洪水调查资料,探讨了百年一遇洪峰流量的分布规律,该成果可供长江河源地区铁路,公路桥涵设计参照使用.     

Mobility of heavy metals in harbour sediments: an environmental aspect for the reuse of contaminated dredged sediments

Different methods to determine the source strength of two harbour sediment fractions were applied and are discussed with a focus on As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Four different batch experiments were performed with both the sandy and the silty fractions of harbour sediments sampled at the disposal site for dredged material in Bremen Seehausen, north Germany. In addition to the batch experiments a modified centrifugation tube was used in order to obtain pore water from the unsaturated silty fraction. Column experiments were run with the sandy fraction of the material under saturated and unsaturated conditions, irrigated with artificial acid rain water. The results show that the legal threshold value applying to Mo and Pb is not exceeded in any of the methods applied to the sandy or the silty fractions. As for the sandy fraction, Cr and Co were also below this limit. Cd, Ni, Cu and Zn exceeded the threshold values in some of the batch experiments applied to both fractions, depending on the pH value and the elution agent used in the experiment. All results obtained from saturated column leaching were below the respective threshold values; however, it should be noted that the pH was between 7 and 8 throughout the entire experiment. This pH also applied to the unsaturated column, with the exception of the first flush. This first sample had a pH value of 3.8, which was due to sulphide oxidation at the beginning of the experiment and led to strong leaching of all the elements under study. As a consequence, arsenic, Cu and Ni values exceeded their respective threshold values.     

A Generation Mechanism for Mesoscale Eddies in the Kuril Basin of the Okhotsk Sea: Baroclinic Instability Caused by Enhanced Tidal Mixing

Mesoscale eddies, particularly anticyclonic ones, are dominant features in the Kuril Basin of the Okhotsk Sea. In 1999, both surface drifter and hydrographic observations caught the same anticyclonic eddy northwest of Bussol’ Strait, which has a diameter of ∼100 km, typical surface velocity of 0.2–0.3 m s⁻¹, and less dense core extending to a depth of ∼1200 m. Based on an idea that the generation of mesoscale eddies is caused by strong tidal mixing in and around Kuril Straits, we have conducted a series of three-dimensional numerical model experiments, in which strong tidal mixing is simply parameterized by increasing coefficients of vertical eddy viscosity and diffusivity along the eastern boundary. Initially, a regular series of disturbances with a wavelength of ∼70 km starts to develop. The disturbances can be clearly explained by a linear instability theory and regarded as the baroclinic instability associated with the near-surface front formed in the region between the enhanced mixing and offshore regions. In the mature phase, the disturbances grow large enough that some eddies pinch off and advect offshore (westward), with the scale of disturbances increasing gradually. Typical eddy scale and its westward propagation speed are ∼100 km and ∼0.6 km day⁻¹, respectively, which are consistent with the observations by satellites. The westward propagation can be explained partly due to nonlinear effect of self-offshore advection and partly due to the β-effect. With the inclusion of the upper ocean restoring, the dominance of anticyclonic eddy, extending from surface to a depth of ∼1200 m, can be reproduced.     

Influence of uranium (VI) on the metabolic activity of stable multispecies biofilms studied by oxygen microsensors and fluorescence microscopy

The effect of uranium added in ecologically relevant concentrations (1 × 10⁻⁵ and 1 × 10⁻⁶ M) to stable multispecies biofilms was studied by electrochemical oxygen microsensors with tip diameters of 10 μm and by confocal laser fluorescence microscopy (CLSM). The microsensor profile measurements in the stable multispecies biofilms exposed to uranium showed that the oxygen concentration decreased faster with increasing biofilm depth compared to the uranium free biofilms. In the uranium containing biofilms, the oxygen consumption, calculated from the steady-state microprofiles, showed high consumption rates of up to 61.7 nmol cm⁻³ s⁻¹ in the top layer (0-70 μm) and much lower consumption rates in the lower zone of the biofilms. Staining experiments with 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC) and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) confirmed the high respiratory activities of the bacteria in the upper layer. Analysis of the amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments showed that the addition of uranium in ecologically relevant concentrations did not change the bacterial diversity in the stable multispecies biofilms and is therefore not responsible for the different oxygen profiles in the biofilms. The fast decrease in the oxygen concentrations in the biofilm profiles showed that the bacteria in the top region of the biofilms, i.e., the metabolically most active biofilm zone, battle the toxic effects of aqueous uranium with an increased respiratory activity. This increased respiratory activity results in O₂ depleted zones closer to the biofilm/air interface which may trigger uranium redox processes, since suitable redox partners, e.g., extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and other organics (e.g., metabolites), are sufficiently available in the biofilm porewaters. Such redox reactions may lead to precipitation of uranium (IV) solids and consequently to a removal of uranium from the aqueous phase.     

National-scale analysis of low flow frequency: historical trends and potential future changes

The potential impact of climate change on hydrological extremes is of increasing concern across the globe. Here, a national-scale grid-based hydrological model is used to investigate historical trends and potential future changes in low flow frequency across Great Britain. The historical analyses use both observational data (1891–2015) and ensemble data from a regional climate model (1900–2006). The results show relatively few significant trends in historical low flows (2- or 20-year return period), whether based on 7- or 30-day annual minima. Significant negative trends seen in some limited parts of the country when using observational data are generally not seen when using climate model data. The future analyses use climate model ensemble data for both near future and far future time periods (2020–2049 and 2070–2099 respectively), which are compared to a baseline sub-period from the historical ensemble (1975–2004). The results show future reductions in low flows, which are generally larger in the south of the country, at the higher (20-year) return period, and for the later time period. Reductions are more limited if the estimates of future potential evaporation include the effect of increased carbon dioxide concentrations on stomatal resistance. Such reductions in river flow could have significant impacts on the aquatic environment and on agriculture, and present a challenge for water managers, especially as reductions in water supply are likely to occur alongside increases in demand.     

The self-organising of youth volunteers during the Rena oil spill in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

This study explores the communication and organising of youth volunteers during a crisis, focusing on how they conceived, framed, and executed self-organising efforts during the 2011 Rena oil spill in New Zealand. It offers insights into the intersections of self-organising, youth volunteering and crisis events which have not been researched before. The study addresses two core research questions: 1. how was ‘volunteering’ conceptualised by youth volunteers involved in the Rena crisis; and 2. how did these volunteers communicate and self-organise during this crisis? The findings indicate that self-organising emerged out of a resistance towards structured responses and as a reaction to the inability of the official volunteer response to meet the needs of the community. Self-organised efforts were particularly attractive among youth volunteers because they offered flexibility, required minimal administrative processes, and fostered an environment of innovation and creativity. The volunteers’ youthful energy and technological aptitude additionally drove their self-organised responses. The study identifies the considerable challenges that crisis officials faced in utilising youth volunteers despite the significant advantages of self-organising.     

The impact of climate change on U. K. river flows: A preliminary comparison of two generations of probabilistic climate projections

The impacts of climate change on future river flows are a growing concern. Typically, impacts are simulated by driving hydrological models with climate model ensemble data. The U.K. Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09) provided probabilistic projections, enabling a risk-based approach to decision-making under climate change. Recently, an update was released—UKCP18—so there is a need for information on how impacts may differ. The probabilistic projections from UKCP18 and UKCP09 are here applied using the change factor method with catchment-based hydrological modelling for 10 catchments across England. Projections of changes in median, mean, high, and low flows are made for the 2050s, using the A1B emissions scenario from UKCP09 and UKCP18 as well as the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 emissions scenarios from UCKP18. The results show that, in all catchments for all flow measures, the central estimate of change under UKCP18 is similar to that from UKCP09 (A1B emissions). However, the probabilistic uncertainty ranges from UKCP18 are, in all cases, greater than from UKCP09, despite UKCP18 having a smaller ensemble size than UKCP09. Although there are differences between the central estimates of change using UKCP18 RCP4.5, RCP8.5 and A1B emissions, there is considerable overlap in the uncertainty ranges. The results suggest that existing assessments of hydrological impacts remain relevant, though it will be necessary to evaluate sensitive decisions using the latest projections. The analysis will aid development of advice to users of current guidance based on UKCP09 and help make decisions about the prioritization of further hydrological impacts work using UKCP18, which should also apply other products from UKCP18 like the 12-km regional data.