The Calabrian Stage redefined

The name Calabrian was introduced in the geological literature by the French stratigrapher Maurice Gignoux in 1910, and later described in his important monograph （633 pages） ＂Les formations marines pliocknes et quaternaires de l＇ltalie du sud et de la Sicile ＂published in 1913. Detailed data were provided on several sections （Santa Maria di Catanzaro, Caraffa, Monasterace, Palermo） and on their fossil content. The Calabrian Stage has commonly been used for over fifty years as the oldest subdivision of the Qua- ternary, notably in the time scales of Berggren ＆ van Cou- vering （1974） and Haq ＆ Eysinga （1987）. However, after the GSSP for the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary （P/P） was approved by INQUA in 1982 and ratified by lUGS in 1984 at the Vrica section of Calabria, there was a decline in the usage of the stage name, and an increasing tendency by many Quaternary workers to question the boundary stratotype. This was because there was increasing evidence that it did not correspond to the beginning of the ＂ice age＂. In doing so, they were not complying with the recommendations presented at the 18th International Geological Congress （IGC） in London, 1948 （Oakley, 1950）.     

Summary of Italian marine stages of the Quaternary

Eight marine stages for the Quaternary have been defined in Italy starting from 1872 （Sicilian of Doderlein） to 1979 （Selinuntian of Ruggieri and Sprovieri）. The definition of all these stages was based essentially on invertebrate paleontology, initially from the study of pelecypods and gastropods, but also of corals, ostracods, benthic foraminifers and, more recently, on planktonic foraminifers and calcareous nannofossils. The 1948 International Geological Congress held in London decided to search for a locality in Italy to define the Neogene/Quaternary boundary in correspondence with the first appearance of the ＂northern guests＂ in the Mediterranean. The Vrica section of Calabria was selected for defining the GSSP of the Pleistocene in 1984.     

Quantifying the seasonal variations in fluvial and eolian sources of terrigenous material to Cariaco Basin,Venezuela

The varved sediments that accumulate in the Cariaco Basin provide a detailed archive of the region’s climatic history, including a record of the quantity of fluvial and wind-transported material. In this study, we examine the sedimentological characteristics (clay mineralogy and grain size) of both surface sediments and sinking lithogenic material collected from sediment trap samples over a three-year period from 1997 to 2000. Data from biweekly sediment trap samples show a tri-modal particle size distribution, with prominent peaks at 2, 22 and 80 μm, indicating sediment contributions from both eolian and fluvial sources. The clay mineralogy of the water column samples collected from 1997 to 1999 also shows distinctive characteristics of eolian and fluvial material. An examination of surface sediment samples from the Cariaco Basin indicates that the Unare River is the main source of riverine sediments to the eastern sub-basin. By combining these sedimentological proxies, we estimate that ～10% of the terrigenous material delivered to the Cariaco Basin is eolian, while ～90% is fluvial. This represents an annual dust accumulation rate of ～0.59 mg/cm²/yr. Since aerosols are closely linked to climate variability, the ability to quantify paleo-dust fluxes using sedimentological characteristics will be a useful tool for future paleoclimate studies looking at sub-Saharan aridity and latitudinal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.     

The 2013 Ibiza Calibration Campaign of Jason-2 and SARAL Altimeters

This study presents the results of the 2013 Ibiza (Western Mediterranean) calibration campaign of Jason-2 and SARAL altimeters. It took place from 14 to 16 September 2013 and comprised two phases: the calibration of the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) buoys to estimate the antenna height of each of them and the absolute calibration to estimate the altimeter bias (i.e., the difference of sea level measured by radar altimetry and GNSS). The first one was achieved in the Ibiza harbor at a close vicinity of the Ibiza tide gauge and the second one was performed at ～ 40 km at the northwest of Ibiza Island at a crossover point of Jason-2 and SARAL nominal groundtracks. Five buoys were used to delineate the crossover region and their measurements interpolated at the exact location of each overflight. The overflights occurred two consecutive days: 15 and 16 September 2013 for Jason-2 and SARAL, respectively. The GNSS data were processed using precise point positioning technique. The biases found are of (?0.1 ± 0.9) and (?3.1 ± 1.5) cm for Jason-2 and SARAL, respectively.     

Non-integrability of the three-body problem

We consider the planar problem of three bodies which attract mutually with the force proportional to a certain negative integer power of the distance between the bodies. We show that such generalisation of the gravitational three-body problem is not integrable in the Liouville sense.     

Spatio‐temporal distribution of near‐surface and root zone soil moisture at the catchment scale

Soil moisture is highly variable both spatially and temporally. It is widely recognized that improving the knowledge and understanding of soil moisture and the processes underpinning its spatial and temporal distribution is critical. This paper addresses the relationship between near‐surface and root zone soil moisture, the way in which they vary spatially and temporally, and the effect of sampling design for determining catchment scale soil moisture dynamics. In this study, catchment scale near‐surface (0–50 mm) and root zone (0–300 mm) soil moisture were monitored over a four‐week period. Measurements of near‐surface soil moisture were recorded at various resolutions, and near‐surface and root zone soil moisture data were also monitored continuously within a network of recording sensors. Catchment average near‐surface soil moisture derived from detailed spatial measurements and continuous observations at fixed points were found to be significantly correlated (r² = 0·96; P = 0·0063; n = 4). Root zone soil moisture was also found to be highly correlated with catchment average near‐surface, continuously monitored (r² = 0·81; P < 0·0001; n = 26) and with detailed spatial measurements of near‐surface soil moisture (r² = 0·84). The weaker relationship observed between near‐surface and root zone soil moisture is considered to be caused by the different responses to rainfall and the different factors controlling soil moisture for the soil depths of 0–50 mm and 0–300 mm. Aspect is considered to be the main factor influencing the spatial and temporal distribution of near‐surface soil moisture, while topography and soil type are considered important for root zone soil moisture. The ability of a limited number of monitoring stations to provide accurate estimates of catchment scale average soil moisture for both near‐surface and root zone is thus demonstrated, as opposed to high resolution spatial measurements. Similarly, the use of near‐surface soil moisture measurements to obtain a reliable estimate of deeper soil moisture levels at the small catchment scale was demonstrated. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Kepler problem: A unifying view

This paper is an attempt to bring unity in the study of the classical Kepler problem by combining, through simple vectorial and quaternionic techniques, its two peculiar aspects: the determination of the constants of the motion and the regularization at the origin.Research supported by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche of Italy (C.N.R.-G.N.F.M.).     

Estimation of net accumulation rate at a Patagonian glacier by ice core analyses using snow algae

Snow algae in a 45.97-m-long ice core from the Tyndall Glacier (50°59′05″S, 73°31′12″W, 1756 m a.s.l.) in the Southern Patagonian Icefield were examined for potential use in ice core dating and estimation of the net accumulation rate. The core was subjected to visual stratigraphic observation and bulk density measurements in the field, and later to analyses of snow algal biomass, water isotopes (¹⁸O, D), and major dissolved ions. The ice core contained many algal cells that belonged to two species of snow algae growing in the snow near the surface: Chloromonas sp. and an unknown green algal species. Algal biomass and major dissolved ions (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻) exhibited rapid decreases in the upper 3 m, probably owing to melt water elution and/or decomposition of algal cells. However, seasonal cycles were still found for the snow algal biomass, ¹⁸O, D-excess, and major ions, although the amplitudes of the cycles decreased with depth. Supposing that the layers with almost no snow algae were the winter layers without the melt water essential to algal growth, we estimated that the net accumulation rate at this location was 12.9 m a^− 1 from winter 1998 to winter 1999, and 5.1 m from the beginning of winter to December 1999. These estimates are similar to the values estimated from the peaks of ¹⁸O (17.8 m a^− 1 from summer 1998 to summer 1999 and 11.0 m from summer to December 1999) and those of D-excess (14.7 m a^− 1 from fall 1998 to fall 1999 and 8.6 m a^− 1 from fall to December 1999). These values are much higher than those obtained by past ice core studies in Patagonia, but are of the same order of magnitude as those predicted from various observations at ablation areas of Patagonian glaciers.