A multi-proxy approach for revealing recent climatic changes in the Russian Altai

For the first time we present a multi-proxy data set for the Russian Altai, consisting of Siberian larch tree-ring width (TRW), latewood density (MXD), δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O in cellulose chronologies obtained for the period 1779–2007 and cell wall thickness (CWT) for 1900–2008. All of these parameters agree well between each other in the high-frequency variability, while the low-frequency climate information shows systematic differences. The correlation analysis with temperature and precipitation data from the closest weather station and gridded data revealed that annual TRW, MXD, CWT, and δ¹³C data contain a strong summer temperature signal, while δ¹⁸O in cellulose represents a mixed summer and winter temperature and precipitation signal. The temperature and precipitation reconstructions from the Belukha ice core and Teletskoe lake sediments were used to investigate the correspondence of different independent proxies. Low frequency patterns in TRW and δ¹³C chronologies are consistent with temperature reconstructions from nearby Belukha ice core and Teletskoe lake sediments showing a pronounced warming trend in the last century. Their combination could be used for the regional temperature reconstruction. The long-term δ¹⁸O trend agrees with the precipitation reconstruction from the Teletskoe lake sediment indicating more humid conditions during the twentieth century. Therefore, these two proxies could be combined for the precipitation reconstruction.     

The BEAM-project: prediction and assessment of mixture toxicities in the aquatic environment

Freshwater and marine ecosystems are exposed to various multi-component mixtures of pollutants. Nevertheless, most ecotoxicological research and chemicals regulation focus on hazard and exposure assessment of individual substances only, the problem of chemical mixtures in the environment is ignored to a large extent. In contrast, the assessment of combination effects has a long tradition in pharmacology, where mixtures of chemicals are specifically designed to develop new products, e.g. human and veterinary drugs or agricultural and non-agricultural pesticides. In this area, two concepts are frequently used and are thought to describe fundamental relationships between single substance and mixture effects: Independent Action (Response Addition) and Concentration Addition. The question, to what extent these concepts may also be applied in an ecotoxicological and regulatory context may be considered a research topic of major importance, as the concepts would allow to make use of already existing single substance toxicity data for the predictive assessment of mixture toxicities. Two critical knowledge gaps are identified: (a) There is a lack of environmental realism, as a huge part of our current knowledge about the applicability of the concepts is restricted to artificial situations with respect to mixture composition or biological effect assessment. (b) The knowledge on what exactly is needed for using the concepts as tools for the predictive mixture toxicity assessment is insufficient. Both gaps seriously hamper the necessary, scientifically sound consideration of mixture toxicities in a regulatory context.In this paper, the two concepts will be briefly introduced, the necessity of considering the toxicities of chemical mixtures in the environment will be demonstrated and the applicability of Independent Action and Concentration Addition as tools for the prediction and assessment of mixture toxicities will be discussed. An overview of the specific aims and approaches of the BEAM project to fill in the identified knowledge gaps is given and first results are outlined.     

A GIS-based glacier inventory for the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands —A first case study on King George Island

The aim of the international project “Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS)” headed by the US Geological Survey is to establish a world wide glacier inventory based on satellite imagery. This data set will form a first digital baseline study for future glacier monitoring. The presented GIS-based glacier inventory for King George Island is a case study for the area of the Antarctic Peninsula. In the database of the glacier inventory topographic information, specific glaciological parameters as well as metadata will be included. The topographic data consists of drainage basin limits, basin areas, altitudinal ranges, perimeters and mean lengths. Glaciological data sets should comprise information on glacier retreat in different periods, glacier velocities, ice thickness and bedrock topography as well as derived parameters. Modelled and measured mass balance parameters could be included as additional data layers. In particular, these metadata records must comprise background information on data accuracy and data sources and should be compatible with a future data model for the King George Island GIS (KGIS). Three examples illustrate that the GLIMS database will not only contain information valuable for glaciological applications, but also other environmental studies on the island will benefit from this standardised remote sensing data sets. Therefore, a very close link between the data models of KGIS and GLIMS has to be established to enable these synergisms. Finally, better access to historic aerial photography would enable a continuous record of glacier retreat from the beginning of the 1950's onward.     

Reference Materials in Geoanalytical Research -Review for 2004 and 2005

This review gives an overview of the use and development of reference materials of geochemical and environmental interest in the literature of the years 2004 and 2005. In these years the performance of existing methods has been improved and new geochemical applications using new techniques have been developed. Accordingly, there was an increasing need for new reference materials, especially for in situ microanalysis and for precise stable isotope measurements. In addition, there was a notable trend for further characterisation of existing reference materials, mainly for the platinum-group elements. This review focuses on five topics: reference materials for platinum-group elements, reference glasses for in situ microanalysis, zircon reference materials, isotopic reference materials, and the development and certification of reference materials.     

Tailoring spatial reference in early warning systems to administrative units

This paper presents a novel approach for early warning systems to transform the spatial reference of dispersion models into addressable administrative units enabling an intelligible warning message reception and spatial awareness. The spatial reference along the entire information chain from sensor measurements via dispersion model to warning dissemination is discussed. Core concept behind this approach is the application of the Egenhofer-Model for analysis of binary topologic relations. It is used to identify topologic relations between dispersion model forecasts and administrative units. The result set of intersection matrices defines the relations that are counted for area classification with hazard specific parameters. Following the design for a generic and hazard-independent web service based on Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards is presented in combination with results of the reference implementation.     

Utilisation and Management Changes in South Kyrgyzstan＇s Mountain Forests

Using political ecology as its conceptual framework, this paper focuses on the changes in forest utilisation and management of South Kyrgyzstan＇s walnut-fruit forests over the last century The aim of this study on human-environment interactions is to investigate the relationship between actors on the one side, their interests and demands, and the forests and forested lands on the other. Forest resource utilisation and management - and even the recognition of different forest products as resources - are connected with political and socioeconomic conditions that change with time. The walnut-fruit forests of South Kyrgyzstan are unique, characterised by high biodiversity and a multiplicity of usable products; and they have been utilised for a long time. Centralised and formal management of the forests started with the Russian occupation and was strengthened under Soviet rule, when the region became a part of the USSR. During this era, a state forest administration that was structured from Moscow all the way down to the local level drew up detailed plans and developed procedures for utilising the different forest products. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the socio-political and economic frame conditions have changed significantly, which has brought not only the sweeping changes in the managing institutions, but also the access rights and interests in the forest resources. At present, the region is suffering from a high unemployment rate, which has resulted in the forests＇ gaining considerable importance in the livelihood strategies of the local population. Political and economic liberalization, increased communication and transregional exchange relations have opened the door for international companies and agents interested in the valuable forest products. Today, walnut wood and burls, walnuts, wild apples and mushrooms are all exported to various countries in the world. Scientists and members of various international organisations stress the ecological value of the forests and are trying to establish nature conservation areas. Nevertheless, it is to fear that a multiplicity of interrelated factors - the present transformation and globalization processes, the appearance of new actors, the local population＇s insecure economic situation and the erosion of managing institutions - are all leading to an intensified and unregulated exploitation of the forests, resulting in their degradation.     

The mid-depth circulation of the northwestern tropical Atlantic observed by floats

A comprehensive analysis of velocity data from subsurface floats in the northwestern tropical Atlantic at two depth layers is presented: one representing the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW, pressure range 600–1050 dbar), the other the upper North Atlantic Deep Water (uNADW, pressure range 1200–2050 dbar). New data from three independent research programs are combined with previously available data to achieve blanket coverage in space for the AAIW layer, while coverage in the uNADW remains more intermittent. Results from the AAIW mainly confirm previous studies on the mean flow, namely the equatorial zonal and the boundary currents, but clarify details on pathways, mostly by virtue of the spatial data coverage that sets float observations apart from e.g. shipborne or mooring observations. Mean transports in each of five zonal equatorial current bands is found to be between 2.7 and 4.5 Sv. Pathways carrying AAIW northward beyond the North Brazil Undercurrent are clearly visible in the mean velocity field, in particular a northward transport of 3.7 Sv across 16°N between the Antilles islands and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. New maps of Lagrangian eddy kinetic energy and integral time scales are presented to quantify mesoscale activity. For the uNADW, mean flow and mesoscale properties are discussed as data availability allows. Trajectories in the uNADW east of the Lesser Antilles reveal interactions between the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) and the basin interior, which can explain recent hydrographic observations of changes in composition of DWBC water along its southward flow.     

Layering stratigraphy of eastern Coprates and northern Capri Chasmata, Mars

Distinct competent layers are observed in the slopes of eastern Coprates Chasma, part of the Valles Marineris system on Mars. Our observations indicate that the stratigraphy of Coprates Chasma consists of alternating thin strong layers and thicker sequences of relatively weak layers. The strong, competent layers maintain steeper slopes and play a major role in controlling the overall shape and geomorphology of the chasmata slopes. The topmost competent layer in this area is well preserved and easy to identify in outcrops on the northern rim of Coprates Chasma less than 100 m below the southern Ophir Planum surface. The volume of the topmost emplaced layer is at least 70 km³ and may be greater than 2100 km³ if the unit underlies most of Ophir Planum. The broad extent of this layer allows us to measure elevation offsets within the north rim of the chasma and in a freestanding massif within Coprates Chasma where the layer is also observed. Rim outcrop morphology and elevation differences between Ophir and Aurorae Plana may be indicative of the easternmost extent of the topmost competent layer. These observations allow an insight into the depositional processes that formed the stratigraphic stack into which this portion of the Valles Marineris is carved, and they present a picture of some of the last volcanic activity in this area. Furthermore, the elevation offsets within the layer are evidence of significant subsidence of the massif and surrounding material.     

Deep structure and kinematics of the Northern Calcareous Alps (TRANSALP Profile)

The Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA) of southern Bavaria and northern Tyrol constitute a carbonate-dominated polyphase fold-thrust wedge; together with its Grauwacken Zone Basement, it is the northernmost part of the far-travelled Upper Austroalpine thrust complex of the Eastern Alps. The present geometry developed in several kinematic stages. Jurassic extensional faults that affected large parts of the NCA and their basement originated when the main part of the NCA was still located southeast of the Central Alpine Ötztal-Silvretta complex. These faults and related facies transitions influenced the later style of detachment of the NCA thrust sheets. Mid to Late Cretaceous detachment, thrust-sheet stacking and motion over the Central Alpine complex are registered in clastic deposits of syntectonic basins. The latest Cretaceous to Cenozoic NNE- to N-directed motion of the NCA towards Europe in front of the Central Alpine complex created another set of significant contraction structures, which at depth overprinted all previous structures. During Cretaceous to Cenozoic deformation, the NCA experienced about 80 km of shortening, i.e., about 73% along the TRANSALP Profile. The European basement and autochthonous Mesozoic cover beneath the allochthonous NCA thrust sheets and flysch complexes seem to have remained relatively undeformed.