Atmospheric pollution in North Africa (ecosystems–atmosphere interactions): a case study in the mining basin of El Guettar–M’Dilla (southwestern Tunisia)

Air quality transcends all scales with in the atmosphere from the local to the global with handovers and feedbacks at each scale interaction. Air quality has manifold effects on health, ecosystems, heritage and climate. New insights into the characterisation of both natural and anthropogenic emissions are reviewed looking at both natural (e.g. dust and lightning) as well as plant emissions. In the phosphate mining area (El Guettar–M’Dilla basin: Southwestern Tunisia), several diseases have been known as cancer, respiratory, allergies, cardiovascular, dental fluorosis, stress, etc. These diseases are directly related with the installation of the industrial sector of the CPG (from 1896) and the deforestation and the ecosystem degradation (fauna and flora).     

Lithospheric structure below transantarctic mountain using receiver function analysis of TAMSEIS data

The lithospheric structure of Antarctica has been investigated from P- (PRF) and S- receiver functions (SRF) using the seismological data from Trans-Antarctic Mountain Seismic Experiment (TAMSEIS). For the stations deployed on the thick ice sheet, estimation of crustal parameters from PRF may be erroneous as the Moho conversions may interfere with the reverberations within the thick ice sheet. However, the free surface multiples are well observed in PRF. On the other hand, in SRFs, the primary conversions of interest and multiples are separated by the mother S-phase. Therefore, it is advantageous to interpret PRF and SRF jointly for the regions where we have thick low velocity layer at the top such as ice or sediments. The crustal structure and corresponding parameters have already been estimated by various workers, but here we interpret the PRF and SRF jointly to minimize the ambiguity and map the lithospheric architecture below TAM. Our analysis reveals that the average crustal thickness beneath the east Antarctica craton is ～44 km with Vp/Vs ranging between ～1.7 and 1.9. Below Trans-Antarctic Mountain (TAM), the average crustal thickness is ～36 km with higher Vp/Vs of ～1.8–2.0. The rift and the volcanic affected coastal region show erratic depths and Vp/Vs, primarily due to the absence of either primary conversion or multiples in the receiver functions. A small number of stations far from the volcano show that the crust is thinnest (～26 to 34 km thick) in the coastal part. The contribution of this study is the mapping of the lithospheric configuration, not done so far using SRF. The SRF section along a profile spanning E-, W- Antarctica and TAM reveals that the lithospheric thickness in the coast is ～80 km and below TAM it is ～120 km. In the central thick ice cover region, the lithosphere thickens upto ～150 km towards Vostok highlands. The most intriguing feature in our SRF section is that the crust and lithosphere are shallow below TAM compared to the E- Antarctica. Further, we observe a mid-lithospheric low velocity layer confined mostly below TAM, suggesting that the thermal buoyancy could be the prime cause for the upliftment of TAM.     

Shell microstructure of late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) oysters from Ariyalur,Tamil Nadu

The micro-morphological shell characters (both in optical microscope and SEM) have been used to discriminate in between oyster’s sub-families Pycnodonteinae Stenzel 1959, Exogyrinae Vyalov 1936, Ostreinae Refinesque 1815 and Lophinae Vyalov 1936. These sub-families are represented by six constituent genera Phygraea (Phygarea) vesicularis (Lamarck 1806), Hyotissa semiplana (Sowerby1813), Curvostrea rouvellei (Coquand 1862), Ceratostreon pliciferum (Dujardin 1837), Agerostrea ungulata (Schlotheim 1813) and Rastellum (Arctostrea) pectinatum (Lamarck 1810) in the late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) sediments of the Ariyalur area of Tamil Nadu, south India. The optical microscopic observations and SEM studies of the shells of these six genera clearly indicate that all the four sub-families consist of distinctive set of shell-microstructures. Sub-family Pycnodonteinae is characterized by predominance of vesicular, exogyrinae by prismatic, Ostreinae by cross foliated and Lophinae by foliated shell microstructures. Besides their characteristic shell microstructures, some additional microstructures are also visible in the shells of some of the genera of these four sub-families.     

Preservation of diagenetic products of β-carotene in sedimentary rocks from the Lopare Basin (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Sedimentary rocks from the saline formation of the Lopare Basin were investigated. Sediments contain a moderate amount of immature to marginally mature algal organic matter deposited under slightly reducing to anoxic and slightly saline to hypersaline conditions. Almost all of the samples contain β-carotane in a relatively high quantity, and in some, it represents the most abundant compound in the total distribution of hydrocarbons. The objective of the study was to determine the conditions that are favourable to precursors of β-carotene and/or the preservation of the carotenoid hydrocarbon skeleton. Moreover, the dominant transformation pathways of β-carotene under different redox and salinity conditions, which lead to the formation of aromatic carotenoids were defined.     

青海省都兰县阿拉克湖地区水系沉积物地球化学特征及找矿方向

分析了区内的水系沉积物地球化学参数特征及其元素的相关性,认为元素(地球化学)异常(高值区)严格受东昆中断裂带、东昆南断裂带、布青山南坡乌断裂带,以及阿尼玛卿蛇绿岩带和东昆中蛇绿岩带,古-中元古代地层、岩体接触带、热液活动、脉岩等因素联合控制。根据异常特征与成矿地质条件,圈定了找矿远景区5个,且为该区下一步的找矿工作指明了方向。     

全球过去千年典型暖期温度空间格局重建

利用过去两千年全球变化研究网络(PAGES 2k network)最新公布的501条代用记录,重建了全球过去千年全年平均温度空间格局的演化特征,对比分析了中世纪暖期及其最暖100年与20世纪现代暖期、中世纪暖期和小冰期最暖30年与20世纪最近30年的年平均温度空间模态异同.结果显示,在世纪尺度上,现代暖期与历史上中世纪暖期的温度异常空间格局大致相同,变化幅度也在大部分区域相当,但从年代际尺度上,最近30年的升温比过去千年中世纪暖期和小冰期两个典型时期都明显.值得一提的是北大西洋中高纬度海温变化与上述特征并不相同,在年代际和世纪尺度上小冰期和中世纪暖期海温均高于20世纪.可能原因是大西洋经圈翻转环流在中世纪暖期、小冰期和20世纪现代暖期等3个特征时段对太阳辐射、火山活动和温室气体等外强迫的响应不同.     

陆海统筹视域下国土空间多维冲突识别与分区调控——以莱州市为例

充分识别陆海空间冲突并制定科学规划是实现陆海统筹的关键。基于陆海空间利用现状与规划,构建陆海空间冲突的理论分析框架,采用冲突识别矩阵、邻域冲突测度模型和社会网络分析等方法,以山东省莱州市为案例区,1 km格网为研究单元,分别从陆地对海洋、海洋对陆地2个方向定量识别陆海空间的现状冲突和规划冲突,并结合四象限模型对冲突进行分区。主要研究结果如下：① 从冲突范围与强度来看,莱州市陆地利用与规划越过海岸线的范围更大,陆海交互冲突范围将持续增加,陆海统筹应重视空间复合利用与跨系统交互影响。② 从冲突的类型来看,现状冲突中陆地的水域与湿地以及海洋的渔业用海等利用方式对海陆系统产生的影响较大;而在规划冲突中,陆地的一般农地区和其他用地区,海洋的农渔业区和港口航运区4类功能分区跨系统产生的影响较大。③ 现状与规划的耦合分区结果显示,相对独立的陆海空间规划对于控制和缓解空间冲突具有一定效果,然而陆海空间统筹利用与管理迫在眉睫,应结合系统观点根据不同分区特点进行优化。     

Direct detection of the secondary spectrum of the interacting eclipsing binary TX UMa

Eclipsing binary TX UMa was observed with the D.A.O. high-dispersion spectrographs in 1969–1970, with emphasis on the detailed coverage of the primary minimum. One spectrum was taken exclusively within totality, thus exhibiting an uncontaminated spectrum of the secondary component. This leads to spectral reclassification of the secondary (F6 IV). The narrowing of the line profile of the H-line in totality is interpreted in terms of synchronous rotation of the secondary (v sini80 km s^–1) while the primary rotates faster (v sini130 km s^–1) than synchronously (v sini50 km s^–1). Although the secondary does not fill in its Roche lobe fully, the system exhibits pronounced indications of rather strong physical interaction. This is now supported also by the profound changes of the line profiles of the H-line with phase.     

Coherence of river and ocean conditions along the US West Coast during storms

The majority of water and sediment discharge from the small, mountainous watersheds of the US West Coast occurs during and immediately following winter storms. The physical conditions (waves, currents, and winds) within and acting upon the proximal coastal ocean during these winter storms strongly influence dispersal patterns. We examined this river–ocean temporal coherence for four coastal river–shelf systems of the US West Coast (Umpqua, Eel, Salinas, and Santa Clara) to evaluate whether specific ocean conditions occur during floods that may influence coastal dispersal of sediment. Eleven years of corresponding river discharge, wind, and wave data were obtained for each river–shelf system from USGS and NOAA historical records, and each record was evaluated for seasonal and event-based patterns. Because near-bed shear stresses due to waves influence sediment resuspension and transport, we used spectral wave data to compute and evaluate wave-generated bottom-orbital velocities. The highest values of wave energy and discharge for all four systems were consistently observed between October 15 and March 15, and there were strong latitudinal patterns observed in these data with lower discharge and wave energies in the southernmost systems. During floods we observed patterns of river–ocean coherence that differed from the overall seasonal patterns. For example, downwelling winds generally prevailed during floods in the northern two systems (Umpqua and Eel), whereas winds in the southern systems (Salinas and Santa Clara) were generally downwelling before peak discharge and upwelling after peak discharge. Winds not associated with floods were generally upwelling on all four river–shelf systems. Although there are seasonal variations in river–ocean coherence, waves generally led floods in the three northern systems, while they lagged floods in the Santa Clara. Combined, these observations suggest that there are consistent river–ocean coherence patterns along the US West Coast during winter storms and that these patterns vary substantially with latitude. These results should assist with future evaluations of flood plume formation and sediment fate along this coast.     

Derivations of coupled equations appropriate to the lower regions of the ionosphere

Coupled equations are derived for different ionospheric parameters through susceptibility dyadic appropriate to the medium. The nature of dispersion within the medium is studied.