On the use of long-term observation of water level and temperature along the shore for a better understanding of the dynamics: example of Toulon area,France

Ocean Dynamics - A dense network of instruments has been deployed within harbors along the Mediterranean coast, in the Toulon Metropole area, between the Hyères islands and the Sanary Bay in...     

Fission-track dating of glass inclusions in volcanic quartz

We have extended fission-track dating techniques to volcanic pyroclastic rocks, using quartz-bearing uranium-rich glass inclusions. We use both the glass itself and the surrounding quartz as track detectors, the latter having a much higher resetting temperature. We can thus derive the age of the last low-temperature thermal event, as well as that of the most recent deposition of quartz on the walls of the inclusions. This method has been applied to a Sardinian sample and to a Moroccan Precambrian sample.     

Longitudinal and temporal thermal patterns of the French Rh?ne River using Landsat ETM+ thermal infrared images

Understanding the thermal regime of rivers is a key issue for predicting ecosystem change in the context of global warming. However, water temperature is not only influenced by air temperature. To better highlight relative contribution of factors controlling water temperature, we used satellite thermal infrared (TIR) images from Landsat ETM+ to investigate longitudinal and temporal variations in thermal patterns of the French Rh?ne River. Because satellite TIR remote sensing is limited to large rivers, we used an automated water extraction technique to remove pixels contaminated by terrestrial surfaces. We calculated water surface temperatures of the 500?km long reach for 83 dates between 1999 and 2009. The average accuracy and uncertainty of our data, ±1.1 and ±0.4°C for reaches with more than 3?pixels across and ±1.4 and ±0.5°C for reaches with one to 3?pixels across, are comparable to other satellite TIR studies of rivers. Our results confirmed previous studies on the thermal impacts of tributaries and nuclear power plants on the Rh?ne, providing an understanding of their seasonal pattern and their longitudinal impact. We showed temperature differences of 0?C2°C within the largest hydroelectric bypass facilities between the bypass section and the canal, with Montélimar and Caderousse showing the most pronounced differences. Discussion points concern the potential impacts of tributaries and nuclear power plants on the spatio-temporal thermal patterns, as well as the factors responsible for thermal differences in the bypass facilities: length and minimum flow of the bypass section, and tributaries coming into this reach.     

Deccan basalts in and around Koyna — Warna region,Maharashtra: Some reflections

Study on geochemistry of groundwater occurring at different depths is rarely attempted due to inherent difficulties in sample isolation and lack of significant species variations. Three-dimensional (spatial, temporal and depth-wise) evaluation of water chemistry variations would give holistic picture of aquatic chemistry. In order to fill the knowledge gap the vertical hydrogeochemistry of Penna-Chitravati inter-stream sub-basin is studied.Water samples are segregated into different groups based on water levels of source wells. The group samples pertaining to granite terrain (A to C) does not show much variation for tested parameters as most of the samples fall within 20m water level. In shale aquifers groundwater is progressively less ionized as depth to levels increases (Group D to G). Reduction of EC and Na-Cl along with falling water levels indicates deeper aquifers are free from contamination. Gradual decrease in HCO ₃ ^- with depth substantiates that deeper aquifers are getting less fresh water due to lack of inter connectivity in shale formations. Sodium in groundwater of both the granite and shale aquifers is contributed by weathering of silicate rocks as the Na⁺/Cl^- molar ratio is >1 in many samples. Majority of the samples in both the geological terrains have Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ ratio between 1 to < 2 indicating dolomite dissolution is responsible for Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺ contribution. The chemistry of tested water indicate aquifer matrix is responsible for chemical make-up of pore water which was obliterated due to extraneous sources like anthropogenic contamination as Na⁺, Cl^-, NO ₃ ^- and SO ₄ ^2- /HCO ₃ ^- is high in many samples belonging to shallow aquifers. Thermodynamic action in deep aquifers could be responsible for dissimilar water chemistry in aquifers belonging to same geological domain.     

Analytical and numerical analyses of the load‐bearing capacity of retaining walls laterally supported at both ends

This paper investigates the load‐bearing capacity of a perfectly smooth retaining wall laterally supported at both ends assuming that the wall fails by the development of three plastic hinges. The study considers the case of a cohesionless elastic–perfectly plastic backfill with a Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion and an associative flow rule in drained conditions. A kinematically admissible soil–structure failure mechanism is proposed and compared with the conventional solutions and with results from a numerical finite element modelling. The study shows that the proposed solution and the numerical solution are in good agreement. These solutions are found to be much more favourable for the wall than the conventional solutions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evidence for solar forcing in variability of temperatures and pressures in Europe

Daily temperature and pressure series from 55 European meteorological stations covering the 20th century are analyzed. The overall temperature mean displays a sharp minimum near 1940 and a step-like jump near 1987. We evaluate the evolution of disturbances of these series using mean squared inter-annual variations and “lifetimes”. The decadal to secular evolutions of solar activity and temperature disturbances display similar signatures over the 20th century. Because of heterogeneity of the climate system response to solar forcing, regional and seasonal approaches are key to successful identification of these signatures. Most of the solar response is governed by the winter months, as best seen near the Atlantic Ocean. Intensities of disturbances vary by factors in excess of 2, underlining a role for the Sun as a significant forcing factor of European atmospheric variations. We speculate about the possible origin of these solar signatures. The last figure of the paper exemplifies its main results.     

Reply to comments by D. Layzer and J.F. Bedinger on: Turbulence,billows and gravity waves in a high shear region of the upper atmosphere

The motion of vapour clouds released into the upper atmosphere appears, in most cases, to be satisfactorily explained by assuming they take up those of the ambient atmosphere, but down-leg releases occasionally show anomalies which have yet to be explained.     

Ecometrics and the paleoecological implications of Pleistocene faunas from the western coastal plains of the Cape Floristic Region,South Africa

The Pleistocene ungulate communities from the western coastal plains of South Africa's Cape Floristic Region (CFR) are diverse and dominated by grazers, in contrast to the region's Holocene and historical faunas, which are relatively species-poor and dominated by small-bodied browsers and mixed feeders. An expansion of grassy habitats is clearly implied by the Pleistocene faunas, but the presence of ruminant grazers that cannot survive the summer dry season typical of the region today suggests other important paleoecological changes. Here we use dental ecometrics to explore the paleoecological implications of the region's Pleistocene faunas. We show that the dental traits (hypsodonty and occlusal topography) of the ungulates that occurred historically in the CFR track annual and summer aridity, and we use these relationships to reconstruct past aridity. Our results indicate that the Pleistocene faunas signal paleoenvironments that were on average less arid than today, including during the summer, consistent with other lines of evidence that suggest a higher water table and expansion of well-watered habitats. Greater water availability can be explained by lower temperature and reduced evapotranspiration during cooler phases of the Pleistocene, probably coupled with enhanced groundwater recharge due to increased winter precipitation.     

In the footsteps of Alexander the Great: searching for the origins of ancient zooplankton on the wild steppe of Central Asia

Rising above the modern town of Nurata, in Navoiy Province, eastern Uzbekistan is the ancient fortress of Alexander the Great, built as part of Alexander's campaigns to subjugate the Persian‐speaking Sogdian peoples that lived in this province of the Persian Empire in the 4th Century bc . Alexander passed this way in 327 bc , marching his ancient army through this beautiful but desolate landscape, and conquering all before him. His fortress was built in a strategic place at the boundary between fertile agricultural lands and a dry and uncompromising vastness of steppe that lies to the east. From Nurata, about one hour drive by car along a road that cuts eastwards across the desert, is the sleepy town of Jo'sh. In the mountains beyond Jo'sh sits the hamlet of Kanda, a few mud‐brick houses nestling at the head of a small valley where a spring emerges miraculously from a bone‐dry landscape. Hereabouts are telltale signs of ancient marine deposits yielding graptolites from rocks of the Silurian system. And in these rocks are the fossils of tiny arthropods that mark a fundamental shift in the marine arthropod zooplankton 425 million years ago. It is these fossils that we have chased halfway across the world to the steppe of Central Asia.