The Water Framework Directive: Can more information be extracted from groundwater data? A case study of Seewinkel,Burgenland, eastern Austria

Water protection is one of the most important goals in environmental protection. The Clean Water Act in the USA and the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in Europe are the legal frameworks to facilitate the achievement of this goal. The question is raised of whether more information can be extracted from WFD-related groundwater data. To answer it, a methodology has been developed that is easy to use and could be implemented into official practice. A case study is presented in which the groundwater data of a sodic area in Austria (Seewinkel) is assessed. Eighteen parameters in groundwater sampled from 23 wells (1991–2011) were analyzed. With basic statistics, trend-, cluster-, Wilks’ λ and spatial sampling density analysis, local phosphorus and boron phenomena were described, along with the determining role of sulphate, groundwater flow, and the oxygen gradient in the area. As a final step, the spatial sampling density was determined. Regarding the current set of parameters, all the sampling sites are necessary and only in the case of certain parameters (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, NO₃ ^?, pH) could one sampling site be abandoned. The methodology applied brings a new perspective to exploring groundwater data collected according to the requirements of the WFD.     

Holocene paleohydrological reconstruction of Lake Strzeszyńskie (western Poland) and its implications for the central European climatic transition zone

Western Poland is located in the central European climatic transition zone, which separates the mild and humid Atlantic climate of Western Europe and the East European continental climate. This region is sensitive to lateral shifts of the European climate zones and is particularly suitable for reconstructing Holocene climate variability. This paper presents detailed analyses of the sedimentary record from Lake Strzeszyńskie since the Late Pleistocene. These include smear-slide and thin-section observations, X-ray fluorescence core scanning, magnetic susceptibility measurements, pollen analyses, and radiocarbon dating. The sediment record reveals three distinct sedimentary units consisting of: (1) an alternation of sand layers and laminated silt and clay deposits accumulated prior to 14,600 cal yr BP; (2) faintly laminated calcareous sediments intercalated with organic matter-rich layers deposited between 14,600 and 10,200 cal yr BP; and (3) massive calcareous mud deposited after 10,200 cal yr BP. The Holocene period is marked by nine phases of organic-rich sedimentation and enhanced Fe deposition, which occurred at ca. 10.1, 9.3, 6.4–6.1, 5.5–5.1, 4.7–4.5, 2.7–2.4, 1.3–1.2, 0.8–0.6, 0.4–0.2 kyr cal BP. These phases are associated with high lake levels and correspond with wet periods recognized in several other records from Poland and central Europe. These phases partly coincide with North Atlantic cold periods, which may suggest that high lake levels are triggered by an ocean-continent linking mechanism.     

Instruments, Detectors and the Future of Astronomy with Large Ground Based Telescopes

Results of a survey of instrumentation and detector systems, either currently deployed or planned for use at telescopes larger than 3.5 m, in ground based observatories world-wide, are presented. This survey revealed a number of instrumentation design trends at optical, near, and mid-infrared wavelengths. Some of the most prominent trends include the development of vastly larger optical detector systems (> 10⁹ pixels) than anything built to date, and the frequent use of mosaics of near-infrared detectors – something that was quite rare only a decade ago in astronomy. Some future science applications for detectors are then explored, in an attempt to build a bridge between current detectors and what will be needed to support the research ambitions of astronomers in the future.     

The influence of mussel beds on nutrients in the Western Wadden Sea and Eastern Scheldt estuaries

The uptake and release of materials by intertidal mussel beds were directly measured in two cultivated Dutch estuaries. Generally, chlorophylla, seston, and particulate organic carbon were taken up, while ammonium, orthophosphate, and silicate were released. The observed rates were higher than values computed from organismic observations and similar to those observed for intertidal oyster reefs in South Carolina. Specific estuarine material turnover rates varied from 1 week to 38 weeks when calculated with mussel bed fluxes. The fastest turnover rates were for chlorophylla and ammonium. These results support the idea that dense assemblages of bivalves are major components in the recycling of nutrients in estuaries.     

Laboratory simulation experiments on the solid-state greenhouse effect in planetary ices

Icy surfaces like the polar caps of Mars, comets, Edgeworth-Kuiper belt objects or the surface areas of many moons in the outer Solar System behave different than rock and soil surfaces when irradiated by solar light. The latter ones absorb and reflect incoming solar radiation immediately at the surface. In contrast, ices are partially transparent in the visible spectral range and opaque in the infrared. Due to this fact it is possible for the solar radiation to reach a certain depth and increase the temperature of the sub-surface layers directly. This internal temperature rise is called “solid-state greenhouse effect,” in analogy to the classical greenhouse effect in an atmosphere. It may play an important role in the energy balance of various icy bodies in the Solar System. Within the scope of a project conducted at the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Graz the solid-state greenhouse effect was investigated experimentally and theoretically. A number of experiments with diverse materials, focussing mainly on layered samples with a surface cover consisting of transparent H₂O-ice, were performed. The samples were irradiated under cryo-vacuum conditions by a solar simulator. The temperature distributions inside the samples were measured and compared with the results of numerical model calculations. We found that the predicted sub-surface temperature maximum is very clearly measurable in glass beads samples with various particle size distributions, but can also be detected in transparent compact surface ice layers. However, in the latter case it is less distinct than originally expected. Measuring the effect by laboratory methods turned out to be a difficult task due to the shallow depth where the temperature maximum occurs.     

In situ U–Pb SIMS (IN-SIMS) micro-baddeleyite dating of mafic rocks: Method with examples

An in situ U–Pb SIMS (IN-SIMS) method to date micro-baddeleyite crystals as small as 3 μm is presented with results from three samples that span a variety of ages and geologic settings. The method complements ID-TIMS geochronology by extending the range of dateable crystals to sizes smaller than can be recovered by physical separation. X-ray mapping and BSE imaging are used to locate target grains in thin section, followed by SIMS analysis on a CAMECA ims 1270, using the field aperture in the transfer column to screen out ions from host phases. Internal age precisions for the method are anticipated to range from 0.1% for Precambrian rocks to 3–7% for Phanerozoic rocks. Results establish a 2689 ± 5 Ma age for mafic dikes in the Wyoming craton, USA, a 1540 ± 30 Ma age for a subaerial lava flow from the Thelon Basin of northern Canada, and a 457 ± 34 Ma age for mafic dikes in the platform sequence of southeastern Siberia. The method is ideal for relatively non-destructive dating of small samples such as extraterrestrial rocks and precious terrestrial samples.     

生态干扰度:一种评价植被天然性程度的方法

地球上现存的植物或森林群落都是植被与其环境长期适应及人类长期干扰影响的结果 ,因此 ,现实的植被反映着历史上人类对它们不同程度的影响。‘生态干扰’的概念常常被用来描述历史上人类对植被或森林影响的大小 ,即‘生态干扰度’;或用来表示现实植被离开它的‘天然植被’的距离 ,即现实植被的‘天然性程度’。如此的‘天然植被’可以是 :( 1 )历史上从未受过人类任何干扰的‘原始植被’;( 2 )基于当前立地的‘潜在的自然植被’。然而 ,成百上千年以来人类对自然的利用干扰 ,致使真正的‘原始植被’现在几乎无处可寻。因此 ,‘潜在的自然植被’被用来作为生态干扰度估计或植被天然性程度评价的参照系。作为一种很实用的生态分析手段 ,生态干扰度的方法已被广泛地应用在农、林、水、景观、城市及自然保护等诸多领域的生态评价上。为此 ,本文论述了生态干扰度的概念、原理、方法和应用实例。     

Authigenic sericite record of a fossil geothermal system: the Offenburg trough,central Black Forest,Germany

A fossil geothermal area is hosted by the Carboniferous, Permian and Bunter sandstones of the Offenburg intramontane trough in the central Black Forest. The hydrothermal alteration is identified on the basis of newly formed sericites, which appear as pseudomorphs after feldspar and filling of pore spaces. According to K–Ar dating of sericite, serititization occurred about 145 Ma ago (Jurassic). On the basis of ¹⁸O analyses of sericite, sericite composition and vitrinite reflectance, the hydrothermal fluids had temperatures of 150–210 °C. Because their electrolyte content was low, these fluids are assumed to have derived from meteoric water. A second pulse of electrolyte-rich hydrothermal fluids resulted in quartz overgrowths. Fluid mobilization seems to be linked to the disintegration of Pangaea and to reactivated fault systems extending from the crystalline basement into the intramontane sediments.