Variability and propagation of Labrador Sea Water in the southern subpolar North Atlantic

The variability of two modes of Labrador Sea Water (LSW) (upper and deep Labrador Sea Water) and their respective spreading in the interior North Atlantic Ocean are investigated by means of repeated ship surveys carried out along the zonal WOCE line A2/AR19 located at 43–48°N (1993–2007) and along the GOOS line at about 48–51°N (1997–2002). Hydrographic section data are complemented by temperature, salinity, and velocity time series recorded by two moorings. They have been deployed at the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) in the Newfoundland Basin during 1996–2004. The analysis of hydrographic anomalies at various longitudes points to a gradual eastward propagation of LSW-related signals, which happens on time scales of 3–6 years from the formation region towards the MAR. Interactions of the North Atlantic Current (NAC) with the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) close to Flemish Cap point to the NAC being the main distributor of the different types of LSW into the interior of the Newfoundland Basin. Comparisons between the ship data and the mooring records revealed that the mooring sites are located in a region affected by highly variable flow. The mooring time series demonstrate an elevated level of variability with eddy activity and variability associated with the NAC considerably influencing the LSW signals in this region. Hydrographic data taken from Argo profiles from the vicinity of the mooring sites turned out to mimic quite well the temporal evolution captured by the moorings. There is some indication of occasional southward flow in the LSW layer near the MAR. If this can be considered as a hint to an interior LSW-route, it is at least of minor importance in comparison to the DWBC. It acts as an important supplier for the interior North Atlantic, distributing older and recently formed LSW modes southward along the MAR.     

Fresh Ammonia Ice Clouds in Jupiter: I. Spectroscopic Identification, Spatial Distribution, and Dynamical Implications

We report the first spectroscopic detection of discrete ammonia ice clouds in the atmosphere of Jupiter, as discovered utilizing the Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS). Spectrally identifiable ammonia clouds (SIACs) cover less than 1% of the globe, as measured in complete global imagery obtained in September 1996 during Galileo's second orbit. More than half of the most spectrally prominent SIACs reside within a small latitudinal band, extending from 2° to 7° N latitude, just south of the 5-μm hot spots. The most prominent of these are spatially correlated with nearby 5-μm-bright hot spots lying 1.5°-3.0° of latitude to the north: they reside over a small range of relative longitudes on the eastward side of hot spots, about 37% of the longitudinal distance to the next hot spot to the east. This strong correlation between the positions of hot spots and the most prominent equatorial SIACs suggests that they are linked by a common planetary wave. Good agreement is demonstrated between regions of condensation predicted by the Rossby wave model of A. J. Friedson and G. S. Orton (1999, Bull. Am. Astron. Assoc31, 1155-1156) and the observed longitudinal positions of fresh ammonia clouds relative to 5-μm hot spots. Consistency is also demonstrated between (1) the lifetime of particles as determined by the wave phase speed and cloud width and (2) the sedimentation time for 10-μm radius particles consistent with previously reported ammonia particle size by T. Y. Brooke et al. (1998, Icarus136, 1-13). A young age (<two days) for most SIAC cloud particles is indicated. To the south, the most prominent SIACs are located to the northwest of the Great Red Spot, in a region where a westward flow of jovian air, diverted approximately 10° of latitude northward by the Great Red Spot, encounters a large eastward flow. SIACs have been observed repeatedly by NIMS at this location during Galileo's first four years in Jupiter orbit. It is speculated that due to the three-dimensional interactions of these flows, relatively large amounts of ammonia gas are steadily transported from the sub-cloud troposphere (below the ∼600-mbar level) to the high troposphere, nearly continuously forming fresh ammonia ice clouds to the northwest of the Great Red Spot.     

The unusual and large drawdown response of buried-valley aquifers to pumping

The buried-valley aquifers that are common in the glacial deposits of the northern hemisphere are a typical case of the strip aquifers that occur in many parts of the world. Pumping from a narrow strip aquifer leads to much greater drawdown and much more distant drawdown effects then would occur in a sheet aquifer with a similar transmissivity and storage coefficient. Widely used theories for radial flow to wells, such as the Theis equation, are not appropriate for narrow strip aquifers. Previously published theory for flow to wells in semiconfined strip aquifers is reviewed and a practical format of the type curves for pumping-test analysis is described. The drawdown response of strip aquifers to pumping tests is distinctive, especially for observation wells near the pumped well. A case study is presented, based on extensive pumping test experience for the Estevan Valley Aquifer in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Evaluation of groundwater resources in such buried-valley aquifers needs to take into account the unusually large drawdowns in response to pumping.     

Interpretation of combined infrared,submillimeter, and millimeter thermal flux data obtained during the Rosetta fly-by of Asteroid (21) Lutetia

The European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft is the first Solar System mission to include instrumentation capable of measuring planetary thermal fluxes at both near-IR (VIRTIS) and submillimeter–millimeter (smm–mm, MIRO) wavelengths. Its primary mission is a 1 year reconnaissance of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko beginning in 2014. During a 2010 close fly-by of Asteroid 21 Lutetia, the VIRTIS and MIRO instruments provided complementary data that have been analyzed to produce a consistent model of Lutetia’s surface layer thermal and electrical properties, including a physical model of self-heating. VIRTIS dayside measurements provided highly resolved 1 K accuracy surface temperatures that required a low thermal inertia, I < 30 J/(K m² s^0.5). MIRO smm and mm measurements of polar night thermal fluxes produced constraints on Lutetia’s subsurface thermal properties to depths comparable to the seasonal thermal wave, yielding a model of I < 20 J/(K m² s^0.5) in the upper few centimeters, increasing with depth in a manner very similar to that of Earth’s Moon. Subsequent MIRO-based model predictions of the dayside surface temperatures reveal negative offsets of ～5–30 K from the higher VIRTIS-measurements. By adding surface roughness in the form of 50% fractional coverage of hemispherical mini-craters to the MIRO-based thermal model, sufficient self-heating is produced to largely remove the offsets relative to the VIRTIS measurements and also reproduce the thermal limb brightening features (relative to a smooth surface model) seen by VIRTIS. The Lutetia physical property constraints provided by the VIRTIS and MIRO data sets demonstrate the unique diagnostic capabilities of combined infrared and submillimeter/millimeter thermal flux measurements.     

Trace elements in world steam coal and their behaviour in Dutch coal-fired power stations: A review

Trace elements associated with the combustion of coal have received more attention recently, as can be seen from the increasing demands laid down in legislation and permits.Knowledge of the trace element content of coal is essential. Coal used in the Netherlands is imported from all over the world. As a consequence, Dutch power stations are designed to burn a wide range of bituminous coals. The largest share nowadays originates from South Africa, Colombia, and Indonesia, with these three countries accounting for more than 85% of the coal fired in the Netherlands in recent years. The coals, as imported in the Netherlands, have been monitored for their (trace) element content. At present the database contains results of own analyses of about 170 coals, originating from 14 different countries. An important uncertainty was the question of how homogeneous the imported lots are. It appears that the lots as imported from overseas are fairly homogeneous.The behaviour and fate of trace elements in coal-fired power stations has been studied in more than 40 mass balance studies since 1977. More than 50 test series have been completed during co-combustion of biomass and waste materials (up to 40% on mass base) since 1993. It has therefore been possible to establish a relationship between (trace) elements in the fuel and the ash, as well as with emissions into the atmosphere.     

Hydrogeological processes in seasonally frozen northern latitudes: understanding, gaps and challenges

The groundwater regime in seasonally frozen regions of the world exhibits distinct behavior. This paper presents an overview of flow and associated heat and solute transport processes in the subsurface, from the soil/vadose zone, through groundwater recharge to groundwater discharge processes in these areas. Theoretical developments, field studies and model development are considered. An illustrative conceptual model of the system is presented. From a groundwater perspective, the dominant effect is the extent of hydraulic isolation between the water above and that below the near-surface frozen zone. The spatial and temporal occurrences of this isolation are seasonally variable and may also be modified under a future changing climate. A good qualitative conceptual understanding of the system has been developed over numerous decades of study. A major gap is the inability to effectively monitor processes in the field, particularly unfrozen water content during freezing conditions. Modeling of field-scale behavior represents a major challenge, even while physically based models continue to improve. It is suggested that progress can be made by combining well-designed field experiments with modeling studies. A major motivation for improving quantification of these processes derives from the need to better predict the impacts of a future changing climate.     

Die Entstehung von Knollenkalken in eu- und miogeosynklinalen Gebieten

Zusammenfassung Kalkknollengesteine können in Eugeosynklinalen innerhalb von Rutschmassen, durch Beben, durch unterschiedliche Setzung und durch sedimentäre Boudinage entstehen. Daran gebunden sind syndiagenetische Zerbrechung und örtlich intensive syndiagenetische Faltung.Die mesozoischen Kalk-Mergel-Folgen der Miogeosynklinalen und der Innenbecken sind über weite Strecken dicht mit pseudonodules erfüllt. Die pseudonodules sind wahrscheinlich durch die Aufarbeitung einer älteren Schüttung durch eine jüngere Schüttung hervorgegangen. Vorausgesetzt wird ein unruhiges Relief infolge unterschiedlicher Setzung. Ein großer Teil der mesozoischen Kalke liegt auf zweiter Lagerstätte.

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Rocks containing limestone nodules may develop in eugeosynclines within slump masses, by earthquakes, differential compaction and boudin-shaped sedimentary accumulations. Syndiagenetic fracturing and strongly developed syndiagenetic folding are related to these structures.Pseudonodules are densely distributed throughout extensive areas of the mesozoic limestone-marl series within the miogeosynklines and the interior basins. They probably resulted from the reworking of an older sediment. An uneven relief, produced by differential compaction can be assumed. A large portion of the mesozoic limestone occurs within this reworked type of deposit.

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Résumé Il est possible que des calcaires noduleux se forment dans des eugéosynclines au milieu d'éboulements ou par des tremblements de terre ou par un tassement differencié ou bien par un boudinage sédimentaire. En relation avec ces phénomènes on trouve une tectonique syndiagénétique de style cassant et localement une tectonique syndiagénétique de plis intenses.Les successions calcaro-marneuses du Mésozoique des miogéosynclines ainsi que des bassins intérieurs contiennent bien des pseudonodules à longues distances. Il est probable que ces pseudonodules résultent de la reprise d'une ancienne par une nouvelle couche de sédimentation sous la condition d'un relief accentué à cause d'un tassement differencié. Une grande partie des calcaires mésozoiques se trouve maintenant en gîte secondaire.

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Assessing the Vibrational Frequencies of the Cathedral of Cologne (Germany) by Means of Ambient Seismic Noise Analysis

Ambient seismic noise measurements were conducted inside the Cathedral of Cologne (Germany) for assessing its frequencies of vibration and for checking whether these occur in the range where soil amplification is expected. If this is the case, damages may increase in case of an earthquake due to an increased structural response of the building. Analysis of the ratio between the horizontal and vertical components of the spectra recorded at stations located inside the building as well as the ratio between the corresponding components of the spectra recorded simultaneously inside the building and at a reference station placed in the basement of the cathedral indicated several modes of vibration. Facilitated by these results an assessment of the seismic vulnerability was attempted for a 2D ground motion scenario using the finite element method.     

The Triassic in Thailand

The tectonic movements which occurred in Thailand between the Permian and the Jurassic (Indosinian Orogeny) caused the uplifting and subsidence of areas which were dominant paleogeographic features during the Triassic. The strong orogenic movements during the Norian caused an alteration of the paleogeographic conditions.The two sedimentation cycles of the Triassic comprised a marine facies development from the Skythian to the early Norian and a terrestrial one from the later Norian to the Rhaetian/Liassic.The development of the facies and structure of the Triassic sediments, as well as the intrusion and effusion of igneous rocks, are due to the subduction of oceanic crust beginning in the Carboniferous and to the collision of the Eurasian with the Indochina Plate during the Norian.

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Zusammenfassung Die zwischen Perm und Jura in Thailand auftretenden tektonischen Bewegungen (Indosinische Orogenese) führten zur Bildung von Hebungs- und Senkungsgebieten, die die Paläogeographie in der Trias beherrschten. Die starken orogenen Bewegungen im Nor führten zu einer Umgestaltung der paläogeographischen Verhältnisse.Die beiden während der Trias auftretenden Sedimentationszyklen bestehen aus einer marinen Faziesentwicklung vom Skyth bis zum unteren Nor und einer terrestrischen vom oberen Nor bis zum Rhät/Lias.Die fazielle und strukturelle Entwicklung der Triassedimente sowie die Intrusion bzw. Effusion von Eruptivgesteinen sind auf die seit dem Karbon erfolgende Subduktion ozeanischer Kruste und die Kollision der Eurasiatischen Platte mit der Indochinesischen Platte im Nor zurückzuführen.

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Résumé Les mouvements tectoniques («Orogenèse Indosinienne») intervenus entre le Permien et le Trias en Thaïlande se sont traduits en soulèvements et affaissements qui ont dominé la paléogéographie du Trias. Les forts mouvements orogéniques du Norien ont conduit à transformer les rapports paléogéographiques.Les deux cycles sédimentaires du Trias consistent dans le développement d'un faciès marin du Scythien au Norien inférieur, et d'un faciès continental du Norien supérieur au Rhétien/Lias. L'évolution du faciès et de la structure des sédiments du Trias, l'intrusion et l'effusion des roches ignées sont attribuées à la subduction de la croute océanique consécutive au Carbonifère, et à la collision de la «Plaque Euroasiatique» avec la «Plaque Indochinoise» au Norien.

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