Evidence for delayed poleward expansion of North Atlantic surface waters during the last interglacial (MIS 5e)

The Last Interglacial (Marine Isotopic Stage or MIS 5e) surface ocean heat flux from the Rockall Basin (NE Atlantic) towards the Arctic Ocean was reconstructed by analysing dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) assemblages in four sediment cores. Together with records of stable isotopes and ice-rafted detritus, the assemblage data reflect the northward retreat of ice(berg)-laden waters and the gradual development towards interglacial conditions at the transition from the Saalian deglaciation (Termination II) into MIS 5e. At the Rockall Basin, this onset of the Last Interglacial is soon followed by the appearance of the thermophilic dinocyst species Spiniferites mirabilis, with relative abundances higher than those observed at present in the area. North of the Iceland-Scotland Ridge, however, S. mirabilis only appears in significant numbers during late MIS 5e, between ～118 and 116.5 ka. Hence, fully marine Last Interglacial conditions with most intense Atlantic surface water influence occurred during late MIS 5e in the Nordic seas, and consequently also farther north in the Arctic Ocean, and at times when northern hemisphere summer insolation was already significantly decreased. The stratigraphic position of this Late Interglacial optimum is supported by planktic foraminifers and contrasts with the timing of the early Holocene climatic optimum in this area. We interpret the delayed northward expansion of Atlantic waters towards the polar latitudes as a result of the Saalian ice sheet deglaciation and its specific impact on the subsequent water mass evolution in this region.     

The challenge of dating early pleistocene fossil teeth by the combined uranium series–electron spin resonance method: the Venta Micena palaeontological site (Orce,Spain)

The palaeontological site of Venta Micena (Orce, Andalusia, Spain) lies in the eastern sector of the Guadix–Baza basin, one of the best documented areas in Europe for Plio‐Pleistocene biostratigraphy. The combination of biochronological and palaeomagnetic results, combined with the radiometric data obtained for Atapuerca Sima del Elefante, indicated that the Venta Micena stratum was formed between the Jaramillo and Olduvai palaeomagnetic events, most likely between 1.22 and 1.77 Ma. Five fossil teeth from two outcrops (sites A and B) were selected to assess the potential of combined uranium series–electron spin resonance (US‐ESR) dating of Early Pleistocene sites. Although the US‐ESR results of the first outcrop showed a large scatter between the three teeth, the mean age of 1.37 ± 0.24 Ma can be considered a reasonable age estimate for Venta Micena. The mean ESR age of 0.62 ± 0.03 Ma obtained for site B seems to be a severe underestimation when compared with the independent age control. This underestimation is attributed to a relative recent U‐mobilization event that led to some U‐leaching. The results show that any ESR age calculations of old samples are extremely sensitive to variations in the measured ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U ratios in dental tissues. Although the results demonstrate that ESR can in principle be applied to Early Pleistocene sites, they also reveal the complexity of dating such old teeth. It is necessary to continue research in several directions, such as study of the behaviour of ESR signals in old teeth and understanding recent U‐mobilization processes, to improve the reliability of the combined US‐ESR dating method applied to Early Pleistocene times, a period for which the number of available numerical dating techniques is very limited. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Properties and Comparison of Some Kriging Sub-model Aggregation Methods

Mathematical Geosciences - Kriging is a widely employed technique across computer experiments, machine learning and geostatistics. An important challenge for kriging is its high costs when dealing...     

大数据对人文—经济地理学研究的促进与局限

大数据技术的诞生不仅快速推动着社会的进步,而且也将科学研究不断引向新的高度。以人类社会经济活动为主要研究对象的人文—经济地理学与当前大数据建设和发展趋势具有高度一致性,大数据的发展对丰富和完善人文—经济地理学势必起到积极的推动作用,同时也对人文—经济地理学的学科思维和研究方法提出了新的挑战。梳理和分析了目前大数据在人文—经济地理学主要研究领域,包括城市内部空间研究、交通与消费行为、社会空间与社会网络研究中的最近进展,以及大数据对参与式研究和决策平台的作用。着重剖析了大数据对人文—经济地理学数据获取,研究思维与范式,研究内容、研究时空尺度与研究目标等方面的促进作用与存在问题,特别是由于大数据自身发展的不完善,在数据收集特别是数据属性方面还存在很大的局限,缺乏理论基础将会使得大数据与实际应用受到很大限制,同时,数据本身也不能替代研究者思维和决策过程。因此,人文—经济地理学者应该科学对待大数据所带来的机遇,弥补和丰富以往发展中的短板,即完善学科数据建设、建立大数据应用较为完善的研究方法体系,促进跨域数据整合和跨域研究,以及推进研究对象和研究目的的转变。