Repeated thermal resetting of phengites in the Mulhacen Complex (Betic Zone, southeastern Spain) shown byAr/Ar step heating and single grain laser probe dating

This study reports the results of the first⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar combined induction furnace and laser probe dating of phengites from the Mulhacen HP/LT metamorphic complex in the Betic Cordilleras, southern Spain. Laser step heating and spot fusion analyses on different halves of a split single grain were made with a continuous laser probe. Spot fusion analysis resulted in ages of about 30–31 Ma in the core and ages as low as 25–26 Ma in the rim. Laser step heating on the other half of the grain gave a spectrum with apparent ages increasing from about 25 Ma to 29.5 Ma. The age spectrum and the decreasing ages towards the rim of the grain may imply that resetting essentially occurred by volume diffusion of radiogenic⁴⁰Ar due to late stage reheating resulting from extensional tectonics. Ages around 30 Ma in the core of the grain are interpreted as minimum estimates of the cooling age of the main tectono-metamorphic phaseD₂.

Induction furnace step heating on phengite separates from mica schists and one gneiss resulted in two types of age spectra. Type I spectra show monotonously rising apparent ages from14.5 ± 1.9 Ma to20.7 ± 0.2 Ma, and in a second sample from16.9 ± 0.7 to29.7 ± 0.2 Ma. Type II spectra are characterized by plateaus of14.4 ± 0.1 Ma (the gneiss sample),17.3 ± 0.1 Ma and17.6 ± 0.1 Ma. Type II spectra show low temperature apparent ages significantly below the plateau age, implying resetting subsequent to initial cooling. Modelling of the age spectra demonstrated that the plateau ages are possibly the result of strong resetting (75–85% of argon loss) of an older isotope system. Total fusion of a number of phengite single grains from marbles taken close to type II mica schists yielded ages of15.4 ± 1.2 Ma and17.0 ± 0.7 Ma. The observed repeated resetting is coeval with major volcanic activity in basins adjacent to the metamorphic ranges, pointing to a resetting by advective fluid transport related to volcanism.     

Water use efficiency in an arid watershed: a case study

Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) becomes increasingly important in arid watersheds, where water resources are scarce and demands are rising under increased population pressure. In this case study, we present the results from the Elqui Valley in Chile, where water resources are shared between agriculture, mining operations, hydropower generation and drinking water for nearby cities. An IWRM model was applied to visualize water resources distribution in the catchment and determine irrigation and water use efficiencies. After calibration with observed surface and groundwater measurements, the model showed large differences in efficiencies between different irrigation sectors. Most notably, irrigation sectors with the highest irrigation security, i.e., higher water rights per hectare, were characterized with lower water use efficiencies. Frequent water deficits were present in sectors downstream of the main reservoir, which was related to limited water rights per hectare, lower irrigation efficiencies and higher water demands due to larger agricultural areas. In subsequent scenario analyses, the model was used to evaluate the impact of improved irrigation and water use efficiencies in these downstream sectors, to confirm an important reduction in water deficits, except for drought years when surface water resources are insufficient. In a third scenario, groundwater resources were allowed to compensate for water deficits, effectively reducing these in most irrigation sectors, especially during droughts. Expansion of the current agricultural area by 37% was evaluated, as a future scenario, and was found to be unsustainable, as aquifer levels are lowered to such levels that make annual recharge insufficient.     

A Note on Tree Deaths during the Current (2001–?) Drought in South-eastern Australia

Tree deaths over large areas during droughts are uncommon. In the semi-arid zone of New South Wales (NSW) such events were last reported during the prolonged droughts of 1895–1903 and 1939–45, though whether caused solely by drought is open to question. Anecdotal and quantitative evidence during the current prolonged drought (2001–?) in NSW's sub-humid zone (where deaths are localised) and semi-arid zone (where deaths are more extensive) suggest that climatic conditions are comparable to, and perhaps more severe than, those of the earlier prolonged droughts. It is suggested that lack of access to deep soil moisture due to inherent shallow rooting, or due to site conditions, is the most likely cause; and that this may be associated with higher than optimal tree densities in cohorts of trees that arose from previous regeneration events during periods of well above average rainfall. A more thorough examination of the extent and severity of this event is warranted.     

Statistical tests for changes in the amplitude, frequency or phase of a sinusoidal variation

The problem considered is that of testing for small changes over time in the properties of a sinusoidal signal contaminated by noise. Two test statistics are proposed. The first is a frequency domain statistic based on the spectrum of the data, while the second is a time domain statistic due to Nyblom. Power studies are used to show that the Nyblom statistic is generally the better. The form of the Nyblom statistic appropriate for phase-change tests also performs well in testing for frequency changes.     

Is there evolution in the infrared Tully–Fisher relation? Comparing two linear regressions

In a recent paper, Puech and co-workers compared K -band Tully–Fisher relations derived for nearby and distant galaxies, respectively. They concluded that the two relations differ, and deduced that there is evolution in the Tully–Fisher relations. The statistical comparison between the two regression lines is re-examined, and it is shown that the statistical test used gives non-significant results. It is argued that better results can be obtained by comparing the 'inverse' Tully–Fisher relations, and it is demonstrated by two different methods that the nearby- and distant-sample relations do indeed differ at a very high significance level. One of the statistical methods described is non-parametric, and can be applied very generally to compare linear regressions from two different samples.     

The numerical determination of the eigenfrequencies of a rotating star

A technique for finding the oscillation spectrum of a rotating star based on the solution of two simultaneous ordinary differential equations is described. Results are presented for someg-modes of the polytrope of index 2. It appears that the functional dependence of frequency on rotational velocity is different for different azimuthal wave numbersm.