Recent trends of temperature change under hot and cold desert climates: Comparing the Sahara (Libya) and Central Asia (Xinjiang, China)

According to trend computations at three stations each in Sahara desert (Libya), characterized by a “hot” desert type (“BWh”, according to the Koeppen climate classification), and in Central Asia (Xinjiang, China) identified as a “cold” desert type (“BWk”, after Koeppen), increasing annual temperatures were detected over the period 1955-2005 corresponding with global temperature warming. From 1955-1978, negative (decreasing) temperature trends were, however, observed at all three hot desert stations and at two of the three cold desert stations. From 1979-2005, strikingly positive temperature trends were seen at all six stations. In seasonal respects, winter (December to February) and summer (June to August) show different temperature trends over the period 1955-2005: the hot desert experienced an increasing temperature trend at a greater extent in summer than in winter; vice-versa, in the cold desert positive trends were computed for winter and negative for summer. It can also be observed that mostly hot desert warming occurred in summer, opposite to cold desert warming in winter.     

中国黄海西岸海陆风循环结构研究

陆海风是由于海陆表面之间的比热容不同而导致的昼夜热量分布差异,从而在海岸附近引发的大气中尺度循环系统.本文利用多普勒风激光雷达Windcube100s首次对黄海西海岸的海陆风的循环结构进行了观测研究.在2018年8月31日至9月28日观测期间发现,海陆风发展高度一般在700 m至1300 m.海陆风转化持续的时间为6小时至8小时.在425m高度,海风水平风速出现最大值,平均为5.6 m s-1.陆风最大水平风速出现在370m,约为4.5 m s-1.最大风切变指数在1300m处,为2.84;在陆风向海风转换过程中,最大风切变指数在700m处,为1.28.在同一高度上,风切变指数在海风盛行和陆风盛行时的差值范围为0.2-3.6,风切变能反映出海陆风的发展高度.     

Dynamics of an outburst flood originating from a small and high-altitude glacier in the Arid Andes of Chile

The rise of total water levels at the coast is caused primarily by three factors that encompass storm surges, tides and wind waves. The accuracy of total water elevation (TWE) forecast depends not only on the cyclonic track and its intensity, but also on the spatial distribution of winds which include its speed and direction. In the present study, the cyclonic winds are validated using buoy winds for the recent cyclones formed in the Bay of Bengal since 2010 using Jelesnianski wind scheme. It is found that the cyclonic winds computed from the scheme show an underestimate in the magnitude and also a mismatch in its direction. Hence, the wind scheme is suitably modified based on the buoy observations available at different locations using a power law which reduces the exponential decay of winds by about 30%. Moreover, the cyclonic wind direction is also corrected by suitably modifying its inflow angle. The significance of modified exponential factor and inflow angle in the computation cyclonic winds is highlighted using statistical analysis. A hydrodynamic finite element-based Advanced Circulation 2D depth integrated (ADCIRC-2DDI) model is used here to compute TWE as a response to combined effect of cyclonic winds and astronomical tides. As contribution of wave setup plays an important role near the coast, a coupled ADCIRC + SWAN is used to perceive the contribution of wind waves on the TWE. The experiments are performed to validate computed surge residuals with available tide gauge data. On comparison of observed surge residuals with the simulations using modified winds from the uncoupled and coupled models, it is found that the simulated surge residuals are better compared, especially with the inclusion of wave effect through the coupled model.     

Assessing uncertainty in the integration of aeromagnetic data and structural observations in the Deering Hills region of the Musgrave Province

Integrated aeromagnetic and field-based structural analysis provides a method for establishing a constrained regional-scale tectonic model where insufficient outcrop, remoteness or restricted access precludes widespread structural mapping. In this method the different scales of observation lead to uncertainty in integrating the observations. An integrated analysis of the Deering Hills region of the Musgrave Province shows that this uncertainty is largely dependent on the magnetic data resolution, the scale of deformation, and mineralogy. In the Deering Hills, four deformation events are defined, each with different structural character. These differences in character result in different levels of uncertainty in integrating these observations with aeromagnetic data. D1 was only evident at small scales in outcrop, and therefore any correlation with aeromagnetic data is inherently uncertain. However, well-defined relative timing to D2, and the parallel nature of an S1 foliation and regional D1 structures identified in the aeromagnetic data permitted the derivation of a moderately reliable regional model indicating northwest to southeast directed shortening at a deep crustal level during the Musgravian Orogeny. This resulted in a pervasive gneissic foliation, and a regional array of northeast-trending reverse-shear zones and tight to isoclinal upright folds. A higher confidence regional model was derived for the second deformation event (D2), which was identified at the regional scale in outcrop and could be directly correlated with features in the aeromagnetic data. North–south-directed crustal shortening, either in the late Musgravian Orogeny or during deformation ca 1060 Ma resulting in east-southeast- and southeast-trending reverse- and dextral-reverse shear zones and southeast-trending recumbent isoclinal nappes. For the third and fourth deformation events, links could not be made between field observations and aeromagnetic data, and the regional models for these events are low in confidence. The regional setting of D3 is not defined, and D4 is interpreted to represent the development of shear zones during north–south compression in the Petermann Orogeny.     

Modeling Dehalococcoides sp. Augmented Bioremediation in a Single Fracture System

A numerical reactive transport model was developed to simulate the bioremediation processes in a perchloroethene (PCE) contaminated single fracture system augmented with Dehalococcoides sp. (DHC). The model describes multispecies bioreactive transport processes that include bacterial growth and detachment dynamics, biodegradation of chlorinated species, competitive inhibition of various reactive species, and the loss of daughter products because of back‐partitioning effects. Two sets of experimental data, available in the study by Schaefer et al. (2010b) , were used to calibrate and test the model. The model was able to simulate both datasets. The simulation results indicated that the yield coefficient and the DHC maximum utilization rate coefficient were the two important process parameters. A detailed sensitivity study was completed to quantify the sensitivity of the model to variations in these two parameter values. The results show that an increase in yield coefficient increases bacterial growth and thus expedites the dechlorination process, whereas an increase in maximum utilization rate coefficient greatly increased dechlorination rates. The proposed model provides a mathematical framework for simulating remediation systems that employ DHC bioaugmentation for restoring chlorinated‐solvent contaminated groundwater aquifers.     

Fe(II) reduction of pyrolusite (β-MnO<Subscript>2</Subscript>) and secondary mineral evolution

Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) are the two most common redox-active elements in the Earth’s crust and are well known to influence mineral formation and dissolution, trace metal sequestration, and contaminant transformations in soils and sediments. Here, we characterized the reaction of aqueous Fe(II) with pyrolusite (β-MnO₂) using electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, aqueous Fe and Mn analyses, and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. We reacted pyrolusite solids repeatedly with 3 mM Fe(II) at pH 7.5 to evaluate whether electron transfer occurs and to track the evolving reactivity of the Mn/Fe solids. We used Fe isotopes (56 and 57) in conjunction with ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy to isolate oxidation of Fe(II) by Fe(III) precipitates or pyrolusite. Using these complementary techniques, we determined that Fe(II) is initially oxidized by pyrolusite and that lepidocrocite is the dominant Fe oxidation product. Additional Fe(II) exposures result in an increasing proportion of magnetite on the pyrolusite surface. Over a series of nine 3 mM Fe(II) additions, Fe(II) continued to be oxidized by the Mn/Fe particles suggesting that Mn/Fe phases are not fully passivated and remain redox active even after extensive surface coverage by Fe(III) oxides. Interestingly, the initial Fe(III) oxide precipitates became further reduced as Fe(II) was added and additional Mn was released into solution suggesting that both the Fe oxide coating and underlying Mn phase continue to participate in redox reactions when freshly exposed to Fe(II). Our findings indicate that Fe and Mn chemistry is influenced by sustained reactions of Fe(II) with Mn/Fe oxides.

Open image in new window

     

Towards a protocol for laser scanning of rock surfaces

The precision of height measurements derived from laser scanning a weathered rock surface was analysed. Different registration methods for comparing surfaces to deduce weathering were assessed and the most precise was found to be the method that used registration shapes as control, located in different planes relative to the scanned surface. In addition, the different sources of error in scanning precision were assessed by varying factors such as scan distance, lens configuration, scan angle and the nature of the topography being scanned. From this analysis it was possible to suggest what the optimal scanning conditions were for this particular experimental set‐up. The procedures outlined for assessing errors in the precision of height measurements are transferable to other scanning studies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heavy metal contamination in coastal sediments and soils near the Brazilian Antarctic Station, King George Island

This paper investigates the natural and anthropogenic processes controlling sediment chemistry in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica, emphasizing the area affected by the Brazilian Antarctic Station Comandante Ferraz (Ferraz). Total and bioavailable concentrations of sixteen elements were determined in 32 sediment and 14 soils samples. Factor analysis allowed us to distinguish three groups of samples: (1) Ferraz sediments, with higher content of total trace metals and organic matter; (2) control sediments, with intermediate characteristics; (3) Ferraz soils, with higher bioavailability of most metals due to its oxidizing condition and low organic matter content. Major elements such as Fe, Al, Ca and Ti presented similar levels in all three groups. Enrichment factor calculations showed that paints, sewage and petroleum contamination enhanced metal concentrations in Ferraz surface sediments as follows: B, Mo, and Pb (>90%); V and Zn (70-80%); Ni, Cu, Mg, and Mn (30-40%). Despite evidence of contamination in these sediments, the low bioavailability, probably caused by iron-sulfide, indicates small environmental risks.     

Rhenium–osmium systematics of the Mount Isa copper orebody and the Eastern Creek Volcanics,Queensland, Australia: implications for ore genesis

The syn-tectonic breccia-hosted Mount Isa Cu deposit in northwest Queensland is the largest sediment-hosted Cu deposit in Australia. Whole-rock samples of chalcopyrite-rich Cu ore form an isochron with a Re–Os age of 1,372 ± 41 Ma. This age is more than 100 Ma younger than the previously accepted age of Cu ore formation, an Ar–Ar mineral age for biotite separated from the host rocks within the alteration envelope to the Cu orebody. This discrepancy cannot be unequivocally resolved due to a lack of other absolute geochronological constraints for Cu mineralisation or the deformation event associated with Cu emplacement. The 1,372 ± 41 Ma date may reflect (a) the time of Cu deposition, (b) the time of a hydrothermal event that reset the Re–Os signature of the Cu ore or (c) mixing of the Re–Os isotope systematics between the host rocks and Cu-bearing fluids. However, a range of published Ar–Ar and Rb–Sr dates for potassic alteration associated with Cu mineralisation also records an event between 1,350 and 1,400 Ma and these are consistent with the 1,372 Ma Re–Os age. The 1.8 Ga Eastern Creek Volcanics are a series of tholeiitic basalts with a primary magmatic Cu enrichment which occur adjacent to the Mount Isa Cu deposit. The whole-rock Os isotopic signature of the Eastern Creek Volcanics ranges from mantle-like values for the upper Pickwick Member, to more radiogenic/crustal values for the lower Cromwell Member. The Re–Os isotope signature of the Cu ores overlaps with those calculated for the two volcanic members at 1,372 Ma; hence, the Os isotope data are supportive of the concept that the Os in the Cu ores was sourced from the Eastern Creek Volcanics. By inference, it is therefore postulated that the Eastern Creek Volcanics are the source of Cu in the Mount Isa deposit, as both Os and Cu are readily transported by oxidised hydrothermal fluids, such as those that are thought to have formed the Cu orebody. The Pickwick Member yields a Re–Os isochron age of 1,833 ± 51 Ma, which is within error of previously reported age constraints. The initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os isotopic ratio of 0.114 ± 0.067 (γOs = −0.7) is slightly subchondritic, and together with other trace element geochemical constraints, is consistent with a subcontinental lithospheric mantle source. The Pickwick Member records a minimum age of ca. 1.95 Ga for melt depletion in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the Mount Isa Inlier prior to the extraction of the magmas which formed the Eastern Creek Volcanics. This corresponds with the end of subduction-related magmatism along the eastern margin of the Northern Australian Craton, which included the Mount Isa Inlier.