Velocity variations in carbonate rocks due to dual porosity and wave-induced fluid flow

Stiffness variations in carbonates may be described as resulting from different concentrations of flat compliant pores or cracks, which can have a significant effect on the effective stiffness and acoustic properties (e.g., velocities and attenuations) of dry as well as saturated carbonates, although they carry extremely little porosity. As shown in this paper, the effects of dual porosity and wave-induced fluid flow or pore pressure communication may also play a significant role. On the basis of a previously published T-matrix approach to model the effective viscoelastic properties of cracked porous media, we illustrate the (frequency-dependent) effects of wave-induced fluid flow (mainly squirt flow) or pore pressure communication for a model structure consisting of a mixture of fluid-saturated porous grains and fluid-saturated cavities (vugs, etc.) that are embedded in a solid matrix associated with carbonates. We assume that the pores within the porous grains are decoupled from the pores in the solid matrix (and possibly saturated with different fluids) but that each pore system at the micro and/or mesoscale may or may not be connected. For each of four different connectivity models, we present numerical results for four different cases of microstructure (that emphasize the importance of cracks and flat compliant pores). Our numerical results indicate that the velocity and attenuation spectra of carbonates vary significantly, even when the crack density and all other volume concentrations are constant.     

Coastal lagoons and beach ridges as complementary sedimentary archives for the reconstruction of Holocene relative sea‐level changes

Coastal lagoons and beach ridges are genetically independent, though non‐continuous, sedimentary archives. We here combine the results from two recently published studies in order to produce an 8000‐year‐long record of Holocene relative sea‐level changes on the island of Samsø, southern Kattegat, Denmark. The reconstruction of the initial mid‐Holocene sea‐level rise is based on the sedimentary infill from topography‐confined coastal lagoons (Sander et al., Boreas, 2015b). Sea‐level index points over the mid‐ to late Holocene period of sea‐level stability and fall are retrieved from the internal structures of a wide beach‐ridge system (Hede et al., The Holocene, 2015). Data from sediment coring, georadar and absolute dating are thus combined in an inter‐disciplinary approach that is highly reproducible in micro‐tidal environments characterised by high sediment supply. We show here that the commonly proximate occurrence of coastal lagoons and beach ridges allows us to produce seamless time series of relative sea‐level changes from field sites in SW Scandinavia and in similar coastal environments.     

Assessment of Erythemal UV Level in Nepal Based on Solar UV Estimates from Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer

Nepal lies on the southern slope of Himalaya in Asia. In a width ranging between 150 and 250 km, the altitude varies greatly from about 100 m at its southern border to a maximum of 8848 min the northern part. Like the variation in altitude, climatic condition varies quite a lot. Long-term monthly mean erythemal UV daily dose values for Nepal are evaluated using Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) estimation from the time of its overpass between 1996 and 2003. The results are presented as summer and winter maps of mean UV levels in each satellite grid. The mean winter erythemal UV daily dose ranges between 2.1 and 3.6 kJ m-2 whereas summer values are found to lie between 4.6 and 9.7 kJ m-2. The altitude variation increases the UV levels by about 0.2 kJ km-1 in winter months, and 0.9 kJ km-1 in summer. A multiyear monthly average erythemal daily dose in most of the areas shows that the summer value is about three times higher than that in winter. Although year-to-year variation is not pronounced in high- and mid-elevation regions, UV levels seemed to decrease from 1997 to 2002 in the southern part of the country in the low elevation region by about 5.35%. Due to the combined effects of the altitude, low ozone concentration in the troposphere, and thin air, surface UV radiation at higher altitudes is found to be higher than in the surrounding regions.     

A field study of coastal dynamics on a muddy coast offshore of Cassino beach,Brazil

Mud deposits near sandy beaches, found throughout the world, are of scientific and societal interest as they form important natural sea defenses by efficiently damping storm waves. A multi-national field experiment to study these phenomena was performed offshore Cassino beach in southern Brazil starting in 2004. This experiment aimed to investigate the formation of an offshore mud deposit, to characterize wave attenuation over potentially mobile muddy bottoms, and to evaluate the performance of models for wave transformation over heterogeneous beds through the measurement of water waves, near-bottom currents, bathymetry, and changes in bottom sediment characteristics. The main instrumentation was a set of wave sensors deployed in a transect from the shoreline across sandy and muddy deposits offshore to a depth of 25 m. Additional sensors, including current meters and optical backscatter sensors, were concentrated at stations in the middle of the mud deposit and in the surf zone to document aspects of the wave boundary layer and lutocline dynamics. This fieldwork also involved the geological and geotechnical characterization of the mud deposit using seismic equipment, echo-sounders, cores, surficial sampling and an in-situ density meter. These sediment samples were subsequently analyzed for density, grain size distribution, mineralogy, rheology and sedimentary structures. In addition, video and radar monitoring equipment were installed to measure the long-term aspects of surf zone damping by fluid mud and any associated morphodynamic responses. This paper provides a summary of environmental conditions monitored during the experiment and describes the major findings of the various investigations. Although data collection was more difficult than anticipated and dramatic wave attenuation involving the onshore transport of fluid mud into the surf zone region was not observed during the instrumented interval, the new methodologies developed and comprehensive observations obtained during this effort are being used to improve our understanding of shoaling wave dynamics and sediment transport in the coastal zone in regions with significant cohesive sediment deposits.     

High‐resolution stratigraphy of Scandinavian coastal archaeological settlements: the case of Håkonshella,W Norway

The stratigraphy of Scandinavian open‐air archaeological settlements is usually characterized as homogeneous, highly enriched in decomposing organic matter and poor in biogenic carbonates such as shells or bones. As a result, stratigraphies are often difficult to read in the field and settlement sequences may pass unnoticed by archaeologists. Here we show how the integration of bulk analyses, soil micromorphology, X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning and multivariate statistics can help in overcoming such limitations. We use the case study of Håkonshella 8, a Mesolithic hunter‐fisher‐gatherer settlement located in Bergen (W Norway). Fluctuations in the organic matter content, geochemical proxies (mainly P, Ga, Ti and the Si/Al ratio) and redoximorphic features highlight four cycles of site occupation and abandonment in an otherwise massive anthropogenic deposit. Following these settlement sequences, the site was covered by colluvium from nearby slopes over which a waterlogged soil formed. The approach used in Håkonshella has the potential to improve our capacity to interpret organically enriched anthropic deposits formed in coastal Scandinavia and in similar climatic regions.     

Variations in temperature and extent of Atlantic Water in the northern North Atlantic during the Holocene

We compare six high-resolution Holocene, sediment cores along a S–N transect on the Norwegian–Svalbard continental margin from ca 60°N to 77.4°N, northern North Atlantic. Planktonic foraminifera in the cores were investigated to show the changes in upper surface and subsurface water mass distribution and properties, including summer sea-surface temperatures (SST). The cores are located below the axis of the Norwegian Current and the West Spitsbergen Current, which today transport warm Atlantic Water to the Arctic. Sediment accumulation rates are generally high at all the core sites, allowing for a temporal resolution of 10–10² years. SST is reconstructed using different types of transfer functions, resulting in very similar SST trends, with deviations of no more than ±1.0/1.5 °C. A transfer function based on the maximum likelihood statistical approach is found to be most relevant. The reconstruction documents an abrupt change in planktonic foraminiferal faunal composition and an associated warming at the Younger Dryas–Preboreal transition. The earliest part of the Holocene was characterized by large temperature variability, including the Preboreal Oscillations and the 8.2 k event. In general, the early Holocene was characterized by SSTs similar to those of today in the south and warmer than today in the north, and a smaller S–N temperature gradient (0.23 °C/°N) compared to the present temperature gradient (0.46 °C/°N). The southern proxy records (60–69°N) were more strongly influenced by slightly cooler subsurface water probably due to the seasonality of the orbital forcing and increased stratification due to freshening. The northern records (72–77.4°N) display a millennial-scale change associated with reduced insolation and a gradual weakening of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC). The observed northwards amplification of the early Holocene warming is comparable to the pattern of recent global warming and future climate modelling, which predicts greater warming at higher latitudes. The overall trend during mid and late Holocene was a cooling in the north, stable or weak warming in the south, and a maximum S–N SST gradient of ca 0.7 °C/°N at 5000 cal. years BP. Superimposed on this trend were several abrupt temperature shifts. Four of these shifts, dated to 9000–8000, 5500–3000 and 1000 and 400 cal. years BP, appear to be global, as they correlate with periods of global climate change. In general, there is a good correlation between the northern North Atlantic temperature records and climate records from Norway and Svalbard.