Pollen records of vegetation and inferred climate change in southwestern Madhya Pradesh during the last ca. 3800 years

Pollen analysis of 1.5m deep sediment core from Sapna Lake, Betul District (M.P.) has demonstrated that between 3,800 and 2,700 yr BP, open Acacia-dominant scrub forests interspersed with stretches of herbaceous vegetation comprising grasses, sedges, Asteraceae, Cheno/Am, etc., occurred in the region under a regime of dry climate. A few trees of Madhuca indica, Holoptelea, Shorea robusta, Lagerstroemia parviflora, etc. were also sparingly distributed therein. The vicinity of the lake was under cereal-based agricultural practice as portrayed by the presence of Cerealia and other culture pollen taxa viz., Cheno/Am, Caryophyllaceae, Artemisia and Cannabis sativa. Around 2,700 to 1,260 yr BP the Acacia-dominant scrub forests were succeeded by the open mixed deciduous forests as evidenced from the improvement in frequencies of Madhuca indica, Sapotaceae, Holoptelea, Shorea robusta as well as sporadic invasion of Terminalia, Mitragyna, Flacourtia, Grewia, Lannea coromandelica, etc. This enhancement in the forest floristic reflects the initiation of a warm and humid climate possibly in response to increasing monsoon precipitation. Owing to the prevailing favourable climatic condition there was acceleration in the agricultural practice as indicated by the rising trend of Cerealia and other culture pollen taxa. Since 1,260 yr BP onwards the depletion in the prominent forest constituents such as Madhuca indica, Sapotaceae, Shorea robusta, Holoptelea and other associated trees implies that the forests turned more sparse and less diversified due to the inception of a warm and less humid climate, attributable to reduced monsoon precipitation. However, the agricultural practice continued with almost same intensity as before, because the Cerealia and other culture pollen taxa remain unchanged.     

Smallholder groundwater irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa: an interdisciplinary framework applied to the Usangu plains, Tanzania

A simple but comprehensive framework for analysing the potential for and constraints to groundwater development for irrigated agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is proposed. The framework, based on food value chain principles, is applied to the sub-Saharan context and a specific catchment in Tanzania, the Usangu plains, where groundwater has been proposed as a strategic resource for augmenting food production and smallholder livelihoods and to alleviate seasonal water scarcity. The novel contribution of the work is the presentation of a tool that can be applied to support an interdisciplinary approach to systematically identify most significant barriers and most critical water management and development interventions for sustainable development of groundwater irrigation. The result of the case study shows that farmer economics, capacity, and pump and well drilling market constraints limit groundwater irrigation in the Usangu plains rather than hydrogeological conditions.     

Indications of an extreme event deposits along the west coast of India: evidences from GPR investigations

The ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was used to trace the subsurface details in the Palshet coastal zone (Maharashtra) as it exhibits an interesting array of geomorphological features. Furthermore, our main goal was to identify and locate features that might have formed during a reported extreme event and its effects on the flow of the nearby Sundri River. Two profiles (8 and 4 m depth) were collected across the beach and along the backshore, respectively. While the 8-m depth profile (west to east; across the beach) indicates a series of coastline regression in this area, the 4-m depth profile along the coastline (north to south) in the backshore zone reveals two significant incidents viz., (1) stages of development of the paleo-channels that indicate the migration of the Sundri River towards south and (2) huge sediment deposits up to 2.5-m thick in the backshore area. The erosional relict surface (~2.5 m depth) was traced along with various spells of sediments that perhaps occurred due to an extreme event. Sand samples were collected from two trial pits along the GPR profiles to understand the sedimentology and mineralogy in the backshore area. These data together with beach profiles and geomorphological maps suggest that the sands were deposited by an extreme event perhaps during the 1854 cyclonic storm. The sands were trapped in suitable geomorphological sites along the Palshet coast and these sand deposits of about 2.5 m thickness forced the River Sundri to shift its course towards the south. This new revelation facilitates a further study that could focus on the nearby coastal areas to document such extreme event deposits and their influence on the geomorphic set-up.     

Mineralogical and geochemical alteration of Hitura sulphide mine tailings with emphasis on nickel mobility and retention

Weathering of Hitura (W Finland) nickel sulphide mine tailings and release of heavy metals into pore water was studied with mineralogical (optical and electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction) and geochemical methods (selective extractions). Tailings were composed largely of serpentine, micas and amphiboles with only minor carbonates and sulphides. Sulphides, especially pyrrhotite, have oxidized intensively in the shallow tailings in 10–15 years, but a majority of the tailings have remained unchanged. Oxidation has resulted in depletion of carbonates, slightly decreased pH, and heavy metal (Ni, Zn) release in pore water as well as in the precipitation of secondary Fe precipitates. Nevertheless, in the middle of the tailings area, where the oxidation front moves primarily downward, released heavy metals have been adsorbed and immobilized with these precipitates deeper in the oxidation zone. In contrast to what was seen in pore water pH, but in accordance with static tests of the previous studies, the neutralisation potential ratio (NPR) calculated based on the mineralogical composition and the total sulphur content suggested that tailings are ‘not potentially acid mine drainage (AMD) generating’. However, the calculated buffering capacity of the tailings resulted largely from the abundant serpentine because of the low carbonate content. Despite its slow weathering rate, serpentine may buffer the acidity to some extent through ion exchange processes in fine ground tailings. Nevertheless, in practice, acid production capacity of the tailings depends primarily on the balance between Ca–Mg carbonates and iron sulphides. NPR calculation based on carbonate and sulphur contents suggested, that the Hitura tailings are ‘likely AMD generating’. The study shows that sulphide oxidation can be significant in mobilisation of heavy metals even in apparently non-acid producing, low sulphide tailings. Therefore, prevention of oxygen diffusion into tailings is also essential in this type of sulphide tailings.     

Morphology of the Wadati-Benioff zone,andesitic volcanism,and active fracture zones in Central America

Summary The morphology of the Wadati-Benioff zone in the region of Central America, based on the distribution of 1377 earthquake foci, verified the existence of an intermediate aseismic gap and its relation to active andesitic volcanism, and the non-uniformity of subduction due to the hampering effect of the main structural features of the subducting Cocos plate. Four deep seismically active fracture zones, genetically connected with the process of subduction, and three fracture zones manifesting the possible boundary between the Americas and Caribbean plates were identified in the continental wedge.     

Otolith chemical signature and growth of Chaetodon speculum in coastal areas of New Caledonia

Coral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. They are currently exposed to increasing levels of anthropogenic perturbations. Several recent reviews point to the lack of good indicators for these perturbations especially to monitor their effects on fish populations or fish assemblages. The SW lagoon of New Caledonia is an ideal location to test indicator species in this context as contrasting sites are present within a small geographical range. This study analysed fish from four sites, one with heavy industrial pollution, another dominated by domestic waste, a third with historic mining activities, and the fourth as a control. The butterfly fish, Chaetodon speculum, was chosen to determine C. speculum's potential as an indicator species due to its link to coral, its sedentary behaviour and its wide geographical distribution. The size distribution, growth rate, age distribution and whole otolith composition were analysed at each site. Age and mean growth rate were analysed from daily increments of the otoliths. The concentrations of eight elements (Li, Mg, Co, Ni, Cu, Rb, Sr, and Ba) were measured by ICP-MS in the otoliths of a subset of individuals. The sites under anthropogenic impact were distinct from the control site by fish size frequencies, age distributions, and the chemical content of their otoliths. The chemical elements Mg, Co, Ni, Cu, and Rb showed differences amongst sites. Fish belonging to the sites furthest from Nouméa could be discriminated in nearly 80% of samples or 60% of the cases when otolith weight or fish age respectively were taken into account. Ni concentrations of the otoliths were also higher in the bays where water concentrations of this element were known to be higher, but these differences were no longer significant once corrected for otolith weight. These results should be mitigated by the fact that: (1) despite significant differences between sites in age distribution and size frequencies there were no differences in growth rates or body condition; (2) differences in age or size were not correlated to perturbation levels; and (3) discrimination between sites based on chemical levels in the otoliths, even though significant, was not sufficient to identify the origin of the fish at a level useful for screening tests. The hypothesis that environmental differences between sites would be reflected in the otolith chemical composition is therefore not fully supported by our results.     

Changes in climatic characteristics of Northern Hemisphere extratropical land in the 21st century: Assessments with the IAP RAS climate model

Assessments of future changes in the climate of Northern Hemisphere extratropical land regions have been made with the IAP RAS climate model (CM) of intermediate complexity (which includes a detailed scheme of thermo- and hydrophysical soil processes) under prescribed greenhouse and sulfate anthropogenic forcing from observational data for the 19th and 20th centuries and from the SRES B1, A1B, and A2 scenarios for the 21st century. The annual mean warming of the extratropical land surface has been found to reach 2–5 K (3–10 K) by the middle (end) of the 21st century relative to 1961–1990, depending on the anthropogenic forcing scenario, with larger values in North America than in Europe. Winter warming is greater than summer warming. This is expressed in a decrease of 1–4 K (or more) in the amplitude of the annual harmonic of soil-surface temperature in the middle and high latitudes of Eurasia and North America. The total area extent of perennially frozen ground S _p in the IAP RAS CM changes only slightly until the late 20th century, reaching about 21 million km², and then decreases to 11–12 million km² in 2036–2065 and 4–8 million km² in 2071–2100. In the late 21st century, near-surface permafrost is expected to remain only in Tibet and in central and eastern Siberia. In these regions, depths of seasonal thaw exceed 1 m (2 m) under the SRES B1 (A1B or A2) scenario. The total land area with seasonal thaw or cooling is expected to decrease from the current value of 54–55 million km² to 38–42 in the late 21st century. The area of Northern Hemisphere snow cover in February is also reduced from the current value of 45–49 million km² to 31–37 million km². For the basins of major rivers in the extratropical latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, runoff is expected to increase in central and eastern Siberia. In European Russia and in southern Europe, runoff is projected to decrease. In western Siberia (the Ob watershed), runoff would increase under the SRES A1B and A2 scenarios until the 2050s–2070s, then it would decrease to values close to present-day ones; under the anthropogenic forcing scenario SRES B1, the increase in runoff will continue up to the late 21st century. Total runoff from Eurasian rivers into the Arctic Ocean in the IAP RAS CM in the 21st century will increase by 8–9% depending on the scenario. Runoff from the North American rivers into the Arctic Ocean has not changed much throughout numerical experiments with the IAP RAS CM.     

The AquaDEB project (phase I): Analysing the physiological flexibility of aquatic species and connecting physiological diversity to ecological and evolutionary processes by using Dynamic Energy Budgets

The European Research Project AquaDEB (2007–2011, http://www.ifremer.fr/aquadeb/) is joining skills and expertise of some French and Dutch research institutes and universities to analyse the physiological flexibility of aquatic organisms and to link it to ecological and evolutionary processes within a common theoretical framework for quantitative bioenergetics [Kooijman, S.A.L.M., 2000. Dynamic energy and mass budgets in biological systems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge]. The main scientific objectives in AquaDEB are i) to study and compare the sensitivity of aquatic species (mainly molluscs and fish) to environmental variability of natural or human origin, and ii) to evaluate the related consequences at different biological levels (individual, population, ecosystem) and temporal scales (life cycle, population dynamics, evolution). At mid-term life, the AquaDEB collaboration has already yielded interesting results by quantifying bio-energetic processes of various aquatic species (e.g. molluscs, fish, crustaceans, algae) with a single mathematical framework. It has also allowed to federate scientists with different backgrounds, e.g. mathematics, microbiology, ecology, chemistry, and working in different fields, e.g. aquaculture, fisheries, ecology, agronomy, ecotoxicology, climate change. For the two coming years, the focus of the AquaDEB collaboration will be in priority: (i) to compare energetic and physiological strategies among species through the DEB parameter values and to identify the factors responsible for any differences in bioenergetics and physiology; and to compare dynamic (DEB) versus static (SEB) energy models to study the physiological performance of aquatic species; (ii) to consider different scenarios of environmental disruption (excess of nutrients, diffuse or massive pollution, exploitation by man, climate change) to forecast effects on growth, reproduction and survival of key species; (iii) to scale up the models for a few species from the individual level up to the level of evolutionary processes.     

Tortonian-Pleistocenic oceanic features in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea: magnetic inverse model of the Selli-Vavilov region

We show the magnetic model of the Selli-Vavilov region. The Selli Line is known as the northwestern edge of the southern Tyrrhenian Basin. The tectonic evolution of the Tyrrhenian Basin is dominated by a Tortonian-Quaternary extension through the eastward movement of the Apennine subduction system. This migration has generated a diffuse stretching of the continental crust with the emplacement of new oceanic material. This latter occurred in several localized zones where the eastward retreating of the Ionian subduction system produced a strong depletion of the crust with formation of basins and correlated spreading. Nowadays the presence of oceanic crust is confirmed through direct drilling investigation but a complete mapping of the oceanic crustal distribution is still lacking. The Selli-Vavilov region shows a differentiated crustal setting where seamount structures, the oceanic basement portions and continental crust blocks are superimposed. To this aim, a 2D inversion of the magnetic data of this region was conducted to define buried structures. The magnetic susceptibility pattern was computed by solving the least squares problem of the misfit between the predicted and real data for separated wavebands. This method produced two 2D models of the high and low frequency fields of the Selli-Vavilov region. The two apparent susceptibility maps provide different information for distinct ranges of depth. The results of the inversions were also combined with seismic data of the Selli region highlighting the position of the highly magnetized buried bodies. The results confirm a role for the Selli Line as a deep crustal boundary dividing the Sardinian passive domain from the easternmost active region where different oceanic structures are located. The Selli Line has worked as a detachment fault system which has moved eastward. Finally, the Selli-Vavilov region may be interpreted as a tectonic result due to a passive asymmetrical rift occurred between the Tortonian and Pliocene.