Fractionation change of hydrogen isotopes in trees due to atmospheric pollutants

Atmospheric pollution effects on hydrogen fractionation in trees are demonstrated for the first time in this study. The δ²H ring-cellulose series obtained for black spruce trees at a site near a SO₂-emitting smelter display short-term fluctuations superimposed on a first order −11‰ shift coincident with the onset of smelter operations. The isotopic depletion in trees exposed to various levels of SO₂ diminish with increasing distance relative to the location of the smelter, and it is not detected at the most distant selected stand, 116 km downwind from the point source. Both the spatial and temporal isotopic trends likely result from the combined effects of leaf transpiration, biochemical processes and water uptake by the root system. The spatial and temporal trends of δ²H values are the reverse of the δ¹³C trends previously obtained for the same tree ring series. These coupled isotopic fractionations underline an important response of trees to pollution stresses likely generated by ambient atmospheric SO₂ concentrations. The degradation of global air quality during the last 150 yr likely generated large scale modifications in the way terrestrial vegetation grows. In this respect, hydrogen dendrogeochemistry combined with other tracers such as C isotope ratios constitutes a new tool to evaluate the past behavior of forest ecosystems in terms of C uptake and acclimation to various types of atmospheric pollution.     

Development of crystallographic preferred orientations by nucleation and growth of new grains in experimentally deformed quartz single crystals

Deformation experiments have been carried out to investigate the effect of dynamic recrystallisation on crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) development. Cylindrical samples of natural single crystals of quartz were axially deformed together with 1 vol.% of added water and 20 mg of Mn₂O₃ powder in a Griggs solid medium deformation apparatus in different crystallographic orientations with compression direction: (i) parallel to <c>, (ii) at 45° to <c> and 45° to <a> and (iii) parallel to <a>. The experiments were performed at a temperature of 800 °C, a confining pressure of 1.2 GPa, a strain rate of  10^− 6 s^− 1, to bulk finite strains of  14–36%. The deformed samples were analysed in detail using optical microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two different microstructural domains were distinguished in the deformed samples: (i) domains with undulatory extinction and deformation lamellae, and (ii) domains with new recrystallised grains. Within the domains of undulatory extinction, crystal-plastic deformation caused gradual rotations of the crystal lattice up to  30° away from the host orientation. New recrystallised grains show a strong CPO with c-axis maxima at  45° to the compression direction. This is the case in all experiments, irrespective of the initial crystallographic orientation. The results show that c-axes are not continuously rotated towards the new maxima. The new grains thus developed through a mechanism different from subgrain rotation recrystallisation. New grains have a subeuhedral shape and numerous microcavities, voids, fluid channels and fluid inclusions at their grain boundaries. No host control is recorded in misorientation axes across their large angle grain boundaries. New grains might have been created by nucleation from solution in the μm-scale voids and microfractures. The CPO most likely developed due to preferred growth of the freshly precipitated grains with orientations suitable for intracrystalline deformation at the imposed experimental conditions.     

Stress, failure and fluid flow deduced from earthquakes accompanying eruptions at Piton de la Fournaise volcano

In the present episode of eruptive activity, evidence from seismicity for sustained magma inflow from depth into the edifice of Piton de la Fournaise is lacking. Pre-eruptive main deformation and shallow seismicity help to identify very small volumes of magma that are in motion beneath the rim of the Dolomieu summit crater, and oriented along the azimuth of the future vents. Small magma pockets may reside in the cone above sea level, or may be expelled repeatedly, due to crystallisation in a small, low-velocity, aseismic region below sea level under the high-velocity central plug of the cone in which pre-eruptive earthquake swarms are located. In cross-section the hypocentres define two steep sheets diverging from the aseismic zone at sea level towards 1.5 km above sea level (or 1 km beneath the 2632 m high cone). However, failure induced by increased pressure in the suggested chamber does not account for the observed focal mechanisms.The occurrence and timing of magma transport are attested by eruption, and seismic activity may be related to magma transport. Focal mechanisms document strike-slip, not normal faulting or tensile failure. Vertical propagation of the edge of a feeder dike may enhance strike-slip motion above the edge, in a region where effective normal stress is decreased by thermally induced groundwater flow. The strike-slip mechanisms could also be caused by a tensile-shear widening of the horizontal section of vertical conduits.Fournaise strike-slip earthquakes occur in two orientations, with P axes orthogonal between them, within a single pre-eruptive event. Earthquakes are distributed in the same volume but mechanisms switch from one to another type systematically with time, indicating a reversal of stress conditions. The orientations of P axes with respect to the epicentral trend suggest that in the later parts of events leading to eruptions, a compression of the medium occurs after a dilation in the first part. The activated zone might respond successively to the arrival and the departure of the magma on its way from the reservoir at depth to the vent, radial to the cone.     

Organotin accumulation in an estuarine food chain: comparing field measurements with model estimations

The bioaccumulation model OMEGA (optimal modelling for ecotoxicological applications) is used to explore accumulation of organotins in the Western Scheldt food chain, consisting of herbi-detritivores, primary and secondary carnivorous fish and a piscivorous bird. Organotins studied are tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT) and the respective di- and mono-organotin metabolites. Empirical elimination rate constants are compared to model predictions for organic substances and metals. It is found that field bioaccumulation ratios are higher than predicted based on elimination kinetics relevant for organic compounds. The results indicate that uptake of organotins mainly occurs via hydrophobic mechanisms, whereas elimination may occur via metal-like kinetics. This results in very low elimination rates, which are comparable to model predictions for metals.     

A comparative analysis of Vondrak and Gaussian smoothing techniques

Summary Smoothing time series of measurements is usually employed to remove high frequency noise when it is necessary to interpolate them for dates where no measurements are available, and also in an attempt to free the series from their short-term instability in order to provide an improved representation of the measured quantity. Two methods are currently used in connection with the Earth's rotation studies: Vondrak's algorithm and a moving average with a Gaussian weighting function [Gaussian smoothing). This study describes their behaviour in terms of frequency filtering and of the response in the time domain. Examples of their application to the Earth Rotation Parameters are given.     

Experimental transport of Si,Al and Mg in hydrothermal solutions: an application to vein mineralization during high-pressure,low-temperature metamorphism in the French Alps

A study of hydrothermal vein mineralization in meta-argillites subjected to high-pressure, low-temperature metamorphism reveals that ferromagnesian (e.g., chlorite) and pure aluminosilicate (e.g., pyrophyllite) mineralization can be correlated with regimes of increasing and decreasing temperature, respectively. An experimental study of the transport of silica, aluminum and magnesium in hydrothermal solutions has been undertaken to simulate variations in the physical conditions during metamorphism and the accompanying mass transport in a closed system. Thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of the experimental results indicates that local equilibrium among aqueous and mineral phases controls the distribution and composition of hydrothermal vein mineralization and that vein mineralogy can be used to infer the sense of variation of pressure and temperature during metamorphism.     

Ostracods and palaeobotany from the middle Permian of Oman: implications on Pangaea reconstruction

Discovery of a middle Permian ostracod fauna in the marine Khuff Formation (Sultanate of Oman), combined with palaeobotanical data from the immediately underlying continental Gharif Formation, supports new interpretations of the palaeobiogeography of the Tethys during the late Palaeozoic. A mixed ostracod fauna existed on the Arabian platform. This new record of Permian ostracods, combined with recent data obtained in other Tethyan areas, emphasizes the close relationship between the south-western Tethys realm and South China. The macro- and microfloral assemblages of the continental Gharif Formation demonstrate that this palaeoflora represents a true mixed association in which Gondwanan, Cathaysian and Euramerian elements are intermingled. Two main models exist for the reconstruction of Pangaea during the late Palaeozoic. Both ostracods and palaeobotanical evidence favour the reduction of the oceanic area between South China and Arabian plate as in the B Pangaea model favoured by recent palaeomagnetic data.     

Monthly trends and the corresponding altitudinal shift in the snowfall/precipitation day ratio

A better understanding of the impact of changing temperatures on snow amounts is very important for the ski industry, but it is difficult to measure, particularly at different times of the snow season and not only on an annual or seasonal basis. Here, we analyze the snow day vs precipitation day ratios on a monthly basis from November to April in Switzerland and at 52 meteorological stations located between 200 and 2,700 m above sea level over a 48-year time span. Our results show that the conditions measured in the 1960s in November and March correspond to the present ones in December, January, and February.     

Neutral Hydrogen and Its Emission Lines in the Solar Corona

Since the Lyman-\(\alpha\) rocket observations of Gabriel (Solar Phys. 21, 392, 1971), it has been realized that the hydrogen (H) lines could be observed in the corona and that they offer an interesting diagnostic for the temperature, density, and radial velocity of the coronal plasma. Moreover, various space missions have been proposed to measure the coronal magnetic and velocity fields through polarimetry in H lines. A necessary condition for such measurements is to benefit from a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio. The aim of this article is to evaluate the emission in three representative lines of H for three different coronal structures. The computations have been performed with a full non-local thermodynamic-equilibrium (non-LTE) code and its simplified version without radiative transfer. Since all collisional and radiative quantities (including incident ionizing and exciting radiation) are taken into account, the ionization is treated exactly. Profiles are presented at two heights (1.05 and 1.9 solar radii, from Sun center) in the corona, and the integrated intensities are computed at heights up to five solar radii. We compare our results with previous computations and observations (e.g. L\(\alpha\) from Ultraviolet Coronal Spectrometer) and find a rough (model-dependent) agreement. Since the H\(\alpha\) line is a possible candidate for ground-based polarimetry, we show that in order to detect its emission in various coronal structures, it is necessary to use a very narrow (less than 2 Å wide) bandpass filter.     

A geophysical transect of the Adélie Margin,East Antarctica

In 1982, a geophysical survey of the Antarctic margin, including multichannel seismic, gravity, magnetic and bathymetric surveying, was carried out off Adélie Coast-Wilkes Land and in the eastern Ross Sea. Of the 5000 km of lines recorded, 3000 km were in the Adélie Coast area. Lines ATC 101–102, approximately following meridian 138°E, show the first complete transect of the Adélie Coast margin from the Southeast Indian abyssal plain at DSDP Site 269 to the continental shelf. These lines reveal a thick sedimentary series divided into three main acoustic units by two major unconformities considered to be Upper Eocene (42 Ma) and late Oligocene (25 Ma). Oceanic or continental basement can be traced under the whole area, and the ocean-continent boundary clearly lies beneath the lower continental slope. A deep, high-amplitude, low-frequency horizon, extending under the oceanic basement for over 300 km of line, is considered to be the Moho. Our interpretation supports a recent revision be Cande and Mutter proposing an early Upper Cretaceous opening between Australia and East Antarctica.