Reworked Middle Jurassic sandstones as a marker for Upper Cretaceous basin inversion in Central Europe—a case study for the U–Pb detrital zircon record of the Upper Cretaceous Schmilka section and their implication for the sedimentary cover of the Lausitz Block (Saxony,Germany)

International Journal of Earth Sciences - The Saxonian–Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (Elbsandsteingebirge, E Germany and Czech Republic, Elbtal Group) comprises Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rocks...     

Comparison between hydroacoustical and terrestrial evidence of glacially induced faulting,Lake Voxsjön,central Sweden

International Journal of Earth Sciences - The recent availability of a terrestrial high-resolution digital elevation model in Sweden has led to the discovery of previously unknown scarps believed...     

A ~565 Ma old glaciation in the Ediacaran of peri-Gondwanan West Africa

International Journal of Earth Sciences - In the Cadomian orogen of the NE Bohemian Massif and of SW Iberia, a post-Gaskiers glacial event dated at c. 565 Ma has been detected. Such...     

Warmer early instrumental measurements versus colder reconstructed temperatures: shooting at a moving target

Comparison of tree-ring-based warm-season temperature reconstructions and their instrumental target data reveals substantial divergence between (warmer) early instrumental measurements and (colder) proxy estimates. Here we detail this systematic misfit for the Northern Hemisphere before 1900 and the European Alps before 1850. Five hypotheses related to both proxy and target uncertainties are presented towards explaining this phenomenon. These include: (1) tree-ring detrending methods, (2) biological persistence in the proxy time-series, (3) uncertainties and instabilities in the growth response to given climatic parameters, (4) reduced instrumental station availability back in time, and (5) instrumental data homogeneity. We suggest that uncertainties in the choice of instrumental targets at the hemispheric scale, and instrumental data inhomogeneities at the Alpine and possibly also the hemispheric-scale are the most important factors in explaining this offset. Assessment of homogeneity at larger scales remains challenging. Attention is drawn to possible warm biases in early thermometer shelters and the relevance of proxy/target discrepancies for understanding and quantifying the amplitude of both recent anthropogenic and past natural forced climate fluctuations.     

Comparing Eulerian and Lagrangian eddy census for a tide-less,semi-enclosed basin,the Baltic Sea

Ocean Dynamics - Eddies in the global and coastal ocean play a key role in mixing and transport processes. Here, we present an eddy census for the Baltic Sea covering the years 2008–2010. The...     

Effects of ozone depletion and increased ultraviolet-B radiation on northern vegetation

The stratospheric ozone layer has been depleted at high and mid-latitudes as a consequence of man's pollution of the atmosphere, and this results in increasing ultraviolet-B radiation at ground level. We investigate the effects of further radiation increases on plants and ecosystems by irradiating natural sub-Arctic and Arctic vegetation with artificial UV-B radiation in field experiments extending over several years. Our experimental sites are located at Abisko, in northern Sweden (68°N), and Adventdalen, on the island of Spitsbergen (78°N). Additional UV-B induced interspecific differences in plant response in terms of reduced (or, in one case, increased) growth, changed morphology and changed pigment content. In some cases effects seem to be accumulated from one year to another. Plant litter decomposition is retarded. We are also studying how UV-B enhancement may affect the interaction between species. In some experiments we combine UV-B enhancement with changes in other factors: carbon dioxide concentration, water availability, and temperature. In some cases the effect of radiation enhancement is modified, or even reversed, by such changes. Over a four year period we did not find any significant radiation induced change in species composition, but based on the effects on individual plant species, such changes can be expected to take place over a longer time.     

The Rainstorm of August 1998 in the Abisko Area, Northern Sweden: Preliminary Report on Observations of Erosion and Sediment Transport

Several rainstorms with strong erosional effects have been recorded in Scandinavia during recent decades. The erosion occurs by the release of rapid mass movements on mountain slopes or through fluvial incision and bank collapse along streams and rivers. Various factors, such as terrain characteristics and seasonal timing of the rainstorm event, are thought to favour the predominance of either of the two types of erosion for particular events. A new example of this variable impact of rainstorms is briefly described, and related research issues are outlined.