Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of ancient buried wood—II. Observations on the origin of coal from lignite to bituminous coal

Coalified logs ranging in age from Late Pennsylvania to Miocene and in rank from lignite B to bituminous coal were analyzed by ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) utilizing the cross-polarization, magic-angle spinning technique, as well as by infrared spectroscopy. The results of this study indicate that at least three major stages of coalification can be observed as wood gradually undergoes transformation to bituminous coal. The first stage involves hydrolysis and loss of cellulose from wood with retention and differential concentration of the resistant lignin. The second stage involves conversion of the lignin residues directly to coalified wood of lignitic rank, during which the oxygen content of intermediate diagenetic products remains constant as the hydrogen content and the carbon content increases. These changes are thought to involve loss of methoxyl groups, water, and C₃ side chains from the lignin. In the third major stage of coalification, the coalified wood increases in rank to subbituminous and bituminous coal; during this stage the oxygen content decreases, hydrogen remains constant, and the carbon content increases. These changes are thought to result from loss of soluble humic acids that are rich in oxygen and that are mobilized during compaction and dewatering. Relatively resistant resinous substances are differentially concentrated in the coal during this stage. The hypothesis that humic acids are formed as mobile by-products of the coalification of lignin and function only as vehicles for removal of oxygen represents a dramatic departure from commonly accepted views that they are relatively low-molecular-weight intermediates formed during the degradation of lignin that then condense to form high-molecular-weight coal structures.     

Spatial distribution of surface properties,runoff generation and landscape development in the Zin Valley Badlands,northern Negev,Israel

In?ltration tests, soil mapping and soil property analysis were used to assess the effect of within‐storm rainfall conditions on spatial patterns of surface characteristics relevant for runoff generation, continuity and erosion in the Zin Valley Badlands. Runoff and erosion differ strongly between ridges and slopes. Soils at both locations are susceptible to sealing, but on the sideslopes deep desiccation cracks inhibit continuous ?ow, even during high magnitude rainstorms. The discontinuous nature of runoff has a feedback on surface conditions. Erosion on the ridges maintains shallow soils prone to sealing while in?ltration and deposition on the sideslopes enhance soil depth, a prerequisite for stable desiccation cracks. Some runoff generated on the ridges is transmitted to the valley via rills. On straight sideslopes, rills are single and often discontinuous, indicating limited frequency of continuous runoff. Along concave valley heads, rill systems are well integrated and continuous, concentrating runoff and reducing in?ltration losses along slopes. The longitudinal, V‐shaped valley morphology of small catchments in the Zin Valley Badlands re?ects the long‐term effect of different erosion rates in valley heads and on sideslopes. Over time, valley incision lengthened the sideslopes, reducing the portion of annual rainfall that was runoff‐effective. Once sideslopes reached a critical length that inhibited frequent continuous ?ow, a colluvium with an increased in?ltration capacity developed, reducing runoff frequency even further. Consequently, erosion on the valley sideslopes decreased. Continuous ?ow from ridges to the valley channel remained more common in integrated rill systems in concavities and valley heads, leading to more erosion and retreat of the valley heads. The spatial patterns of runoff and erosion in the Zin Valley Badlands demonstrate that landscape development is strongly affected by processes that lead to differentiation of soil properties on hillslopes with uniform lithology. The patterns of surface characteristics and their role in landscape development are strongly dependent on rainfall conditions, highlighting the need for geomorphologists to identify the dynamic spatial and temporal scales relevant for landscape development. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Middle Ordovician subduction of continental crust in the Scandinavian Caledonides: an example from Tjeliken,Seve Nappe Complex,Sweden

The Seve Nappe Complex of the Scandinavian Caledonides is thought to be derived from the distal passive margin of Baltica which collided with Laurentia in the Scandian Phase of the Caledonian Orogeny at 430–400 Ma. Parts of the Seve Nappe Complex were affected by pre-Scandian high- and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism, in a tectonic framework that is still unclear, partly due to uncertainties about the exact timing. Previous age determinations yielded between ~ 505 and ~ 446 Ma, with a general trend of older ages in the North (Norrbotten) than in the South (Jämtland). New age determinations were performed on eclogite and garnet–phengite gneiss at Tjeliken in northern Jämtland. Thermodynamic modelling yielded peak metamorphic conditions of 25–27 kbar/680–760 °C for the garnet–phengite gneiss, similar to published peak metamorphic conditions of the eclogite (25–26 kbar/650–700 °C). Metamorphic rims of zircons from the garnet–phengite gneiss were dated using secondary ion mass spectrometry and yielded a concordia age of 458.9 ± 2.5 Ma. Lu–Hf garnet-whole rock dating yielded 458 ± 1.0 Ma for the eclogite. Garnet in the eclogite shows prograde major-element zoning and concentration of Lu in the cores, indicating that this age is related to garnet growth during pressure increase, i.e. subduction. The identical ages from both rock types, coinciding with published Sm–Nd ages from the eclogite, confirm subduction of the Seve Nappe Complex in Northern Jämtland during the Middle Ordovician in a fast subduction–exhumation cycle.     

Minor element and Ca isotope composition of calcareous dinoflagellate cysts of cultured Thoracosphaera heimii

We investigated the influences of temperature, salinity and pH on the calcium isotope as well as trace and minor element (uranium, strontium, magnesium) to Ca ratios on calcium carbonate cysts of the calcareous dinoflagellate species Thoracosphaera heimii grown in laboratory cultures. The natural habitat of this species is the photic zone (preferentially at the chlorophyll maximum depth) of temperate to tropical oceans, and it is abundant in deep-sea sediments over the entire Cenozoic. In our experiments, temperatures ranged from 12 to 30 °C, salinity from 36.5 to 38.8 and pH from 7.9 to 8.4. The δ^44/40Ca of T. heimii cysts resembles that of other marine calcifiers, including coccolithophores, foraminifers and corals. However, its temperature sensitivity is considerably smaller and statistically insignificant, and T. heimii might serve as a recorder of changes in seawater δ^44/40Ca over geologic time. The Sr/Ca ratios of T. heimii cysts show a pronounced temperature sensitivity (0.016 mmol/mol °C^? 1) and have the potential to serve as a palaeo-sea surface temperature proxy. No clear temperature- and pH-dependences were observed for Mg/Ca. U/Ca seems to be influenced by temperature and pH, but the correlations change sign at 23 °C and pH 8.2, respectively.     

The role of vegetation in mitigating the effects of landscape clearing upon dryland stream response trajectory and restoration potential

Dryland rivers are recognized for limited research and high uncertainties with respect to understanding biogeomorphic processes. This study uses aerial photography, sediment analysis, palynology indicators and hydraulic modelling to investigate the role of riparian vegetation in influencing the response of systems to disturbance, the trajectory of channel evolution and the potential for management. The study focuses on cleared and uncleared sites in the Yerritup catchment, along the south coast of Western Australia, that occur along a transect with a consistent stream gradient and landscape topographic setting. Downstream reaches show no gross botanical change, but gradual sediment deposition across the floodplain of up to 40 cm based on palynological and sedimentary indicators. Channel response in the cleared section by incision, widening and floodplain degradation began rapidly after land clearing, but is driven by large flood events. Degradation of riparian vegetation has significantly increased the sensitivity of the system. The cleared reaches have transformed from a low‐capacity channel, under‐adjusted to the prevailing flow regime, to the large present channel that is now over‐adjusted to the predominantly low to moderate seasonal (occasional flood) flow regime. Modelling of pre‐settlement erosive potential reveals that the entire system was naturally sensitive to change, and was primed to erode once riparian vegetation was removed. The trajectory of channel evolution and the role of riparian vegetation is examined in relation to undisturbed reaches in the system and an appreciation of the historical range of variability in geomorphic response. Analysis of the patterns of contemporary vegetation growth identify the potential to re‐establish vegetation where it is elevated from saline baseflow. However, the system is assessed as being close to a threshold where restoration is no longer possible and remediation options become more limited as eco‐hydraulic and hydrochemical changes continue. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Earth Surface Exchanges (ESEX) Commentary on ‘Plants as river system engineers’ by A. Gurnell. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 39: 4–25, 2014. DOI 10.1002/esp.3397

In a review of the role of plants in river systems, Gurnell (2014) explains how living riparian vegetation can moderate and manipulate river environments by trapping sediment and promoting longer‐term stability. Although the review concentrates on perennial plants in the humid temperate zone, this commentary acts as a reminder that some plants in other kinds of fluvial environment do not act in this way. This is done by describing how Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan Balsam), a highly invasive annual plant that is now found in many countries on three separate continents, may significantly increase soil erosion along riverbanks and the riparian zone of inland watercourses. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long-term statistics of potentially hazardous sea states in the North Sea 1958–2014

Significant wave height and mean wave period are two of the most commonly used parameters to describe wave climate, wave climate variability, and their potential long-term changes. While these parameters are generally useful to characterize the distribution of waves within a given sea state, they provide less information about potentially high-risk situations. Over the recent years, a number of criteria were suggested that are considered to better characterize high-risk situations and which could bear a potential for the development of safety warning indices. Based on a multi-decadal high-resolution wind-wave hindcast, a climatology of such parameters is developed for the North Sea covering the years 1958–2014. More specifically, average conditions, inter-annual variability and long-term changes for unusually steep, rapidly developing and crossing sea states are considered. Generally, there are pronounced spatial variations in the frequency of such sea states, while over time, there is some seasonal and inter-annual variability but no substantial long-term trend could be identified.