Ultrastructure of a microbial mat-generated phosphorite

Optical and SEM observations of phosphorites reveal that mineralization is concentrated on ooids and micro-oncoids. The coated grains occur within microbial mats. Microbial mats represent the formational environment of the ooids and oncoids. Both coated grains and mats exhibit similar filamentous micro-organisms. The mat filaments show no fixed orientation and they merge with the concentrically oriented filaments of the coated grains. The branching nature and chlamydospore-like structures of filaments suggest that both mat and coated grains have been formed by fungi. Some coated grains appear to have been slightly disturbed and sometimes mobilized from their sites of formation due to separation from the parent mat resulting perhaps from contraction/fragmentation. The voids so created within the mat had been later filled with either micrite or sparite.     

Net Energy Payback and CO2 Emissions from Three Midwestern Wind Farms: An Update

This paper updates a life-cycle net energy analysis and carbon dioxide emissions analysis of three Midwestern utility-scale wind systems. Both the Energy Payback Ratio (EPR) and CO₂ analysis results provide useful data for policy discussions regarding an efficient and low-carbon energy mix. The EPR is the amount of electrical energy produced for the lifetime of the power plant divided by the total amount of energy required to procure and transport the materials, build, operate, and decommission the power plants. The CO₂ analysis for each power plant was calculated from the life-cycle energy input data. A previous study also analyzed coal and nuclear fission power plants. At the time of that study, two of the three wind systems had less than a full year of generation data to project the life-cycle energy production. This study updates the analysis of three wind systems with an additional four to eight years of operating data. The EPR for the utility-scale wind systems ranges from a low of 11 for a two-turbine system in Wisconsin to 28 for a 143-turbine system in southwestern Minnesota. The EPR is 11 for coal, 25 for fission with gas centrifuge enriched uranium and 7 for gaseous diffusion enriched uranium. The normalized CO₂ emissions, in tonnes of CO₂ per GW_eh, ranges from 14 to 33 for the wind systems, 974 for coal, and 10 and 34 for nuclear fission using gas centrifuge and gaseous diffusion enriched uranium, respectively.     

Effective sea ice area based on a thickness threshold

As Arctic sea ice declines in response to climate change, a shift from thick multiyear ice to a thinner ice cover is occurring. With this transition, ice thicknesses approach a threshold below which ice no longer insulates the atmosphere from oceanic surface fluxes. While this is well known, there are no estimates of the magnitude of this threshold, nor of the proportion of sea ice area that is below this threshold as ice thins. We determine this threshold by simulating the atmospheric response to varying thicknesses, ranging from 0.0 to 2.0 m and determine that threshold to be 0.40–0.50 m. The resulting “effective” ice area is 4–14% lower than reported total ice area, as 0.39–0.97 × 10⁶ km² of the total ice area falls below the threshold throughout the twentieth century, including during notable ice minima. The atmosphere above large non-insulating ice-covered regions is susceptible to more than 2 °C of warming despite ice presence. Observed mean Arctic Ocean ice thickness is projected to fall below this threshold as early as the mid-2020s. Studies on ocean–atmosphere interactions in relation to sea ice area should focus on this insulating sea ice area, where ice is at least 0.40–0.50 m thick, and treat ice regions below 0.40–0.50 m thickness with caution.

     

Zur Tektonik des mittleren Südwestafrika

Zusammenfassung Der Gesteinsuntergrund des mittleren Südwestafrika weist eine NO-SW gerichtete Struktur auf. Nahezu sämtliche Bewegungs-Vorgänge vom ältesten Archäikum abwärts sind dieser Grundrichtung gefolgt.Die ältesten Faltungsvorgänge im Präkambrium stehen im Zusammenhang mit gewaltigen Intrusionen vorwiegend granitischer Gesteine. Nachdem der Kontinent durch diese Vorgänge bereits am Ende des Archäikums in NO-SW-Richtung konsolidiert war, erfolgten in postarchäischer Zeit Krustenbewegungen, die sich ebenfalls dieser Richtung anpassen. Auffällig ist die randliche Aufwulstung des Kontinents in diesem Abschnitt und deren NO-SW gerichtete Querverbiegung, die stellenweise von großen Brüchen begleitet wird. Diese Bruchtektonik scheint jedoch wenigstens im mittleren Südwestafrika nicht das vonStahl angenommene Ausmaß erreicht zu haben. Die vonKrenkel angenommene große Überschiebungslinie am Südrande des Khomas-Hochlandes konnte als nicht vorhanden nachgewiesen werden.Das durch die Vergitterung der randlichen Aufwulstung und der NO-SW gerichteten Querverbiegung am höchsten herausgehobene Gebiet ist das Khomas-Hochland, dessen Anlage als Resistenzscholle bis ins älteste Archäikum zurückzuverfolgen ist.     

A CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC STUDY OF TOPAZ,BERYL AND SMOKY QUARTZ FROM FANCHIH DISTRICT,N.SHANSI

After our paper~2 on the Topaz from Mongolia,Shensi and KiangsuI took profit of a travelling in Shansi,in the early summer 1932,to visit thelocalities myself.The chief mineral producing locality is Houkoupei(后备     

A PLIOCENE FLORA FROM SHANSI PROVINCE

A small collection of fossil plants was made in 1930 by Dr.GeorgeB. Barbour,of Yenching University,in the course of his study of the sedimen-tary deposits near Taiku,Shansi Province (See text figure 1).My acknow-ledgement is due to Dr. Barbour,and to Dr.     

THE OCCURRENCE OF CERCIS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMAINS OF SINANTHROPUS

In a short paper entitled "Evidences of the Use of Fire by Sinanthropus",Dr.Davidson Black has discussed the occurrence of burned bone fragments andcharcoal debris in association with the remains of Sinanthropus at Chou KouTien,and has concluded that Sina