Oxygen isotopic compositions of chondrules: Implications for evolution of oxygen isotopic reservoirs in the inner solar nebula

We review the oxygen isotopic compositions of minerals in chondrules and compound objects composed of a chondrule and a refractory inclusion, and bulk oxygen isotopic compositions of chondrules in unequilibrated ordinary, carbonaceous, enstatite, and Kakangari-like chondrites, focusing on data acquired using secondary ion mass-spectrometry and laser fluorination coupled with mass-spectrometry over the last decade. Most ferromagnesian chondrules from primitive (unmetamorphosed) chondrites are isotopically uniform (within 3–4‰ in Δ¹⁷O) and depleted in ¹⁶O (Δ¹⁷O>−7‰) relative to amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs) and most calcium–aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) (Δ¹⁷O<−20‰), suggesting that these classes of objects formed in isotopically distinct gaseous reservoirs, ¹⁶O-poor and ¹⁶O-rich, respectively. Chondrules uniformly enriched in ¹⁶O (Δ¹⁷O<−15‰) are exceptionally rare and have been reported only in CH chondrites. Oxygen isotopic heterogeneity in chondrules is mainly due to the presence of relict grains. These appear to consist of chondrules of earlier generations and rare refractory inclusions; with rare exceptions, the relict grains are ¹⁶O-enriched relative to chondrule phenocrysts and mesostasis. Within a chondrite group, the magnesium-rich (Type I) chondrules tend to be ¹⁶O-enriched relative to the ferrous (Type II) chondrules. Aluminum-rich chondrules in ordinary, enstatite, CR, and CV chondrites are generally ¹⁶O-enriched relative to ferromagnesian chondrules. No systematic differences in oxygen isotopic compositions have been found among these chondrule types in CB chondrites. Aluminum-rich chondrules in carbonaceous chondrites often contain relict refractory inclusions. Aluminum-rich chondrules with relict CAIs have heterogeneous oxygen isotopic compositions (Δ¹⁷O ranges from −20‰ to 0‰). Aluminum-rich chondrules without relict CAIs are isotopically uniform and have oxygen isotopic compositions similar to, or approaching, those of ferromagnesian chondrules. Phenocrysts and mesostases of the CAI-bearing chondrules show no clear evidence for ¹⁶O-enrichment compared to the CAI-free chondrules. Spinel, hibonite, and forsterite of the relict refractory inclusions largely retained their original oxygen isotopic compositions. In contrast, plagioclase and melilite of the relict CAIs experienced melting and ¹⁶O-depletion to various degrees, probably due to isotopic exchange with an ¹⁶O-poor nebular gas. Several igneous CAIs experienced isotopic exchange with an ¹⁶O-poor nebular gas during late-stage remelting in the chondrule-forming region. On a three-isotope diagram, bulk oxygen isotopic compositions of most chondrules in ordinary, enstatite, and carbonaceous chondrites plot above, along, and below the terrestrial fractionation line, respectively. Bulk oxygen isotopic compositions of chondrules in altered and/or metamorphosed chondrites show evidence for mass-dependent fractionation, reflecting either interaction with a gaseous/fluid reservoir on parent asteroids or open-system thermal metamorphism. Bulk oxygen isotopic compositions of chondrules and oxygen isotopic compositions of individual minerals in chondrules and refractory inclusions from primitive chondrites plot along a common line of slope of 1, suggesting that only two major reservoirs (gas and solids) are needed to explain the observed variations. However, there is no requirement that each had a permanently fixed isotopic composition. The absolute (²⁰⁷Pb–²⁰⁶Pb) and relative (²⁷Al–²⁶Mg) chronologies of CAIs and chondrules and the differences in oxygen isotopic compositions of most chondrules (¹⁶O-poor) and most refractory inclusions (¹⁶O-rich) can be interpreted in terms of isotopic self-shielding during UV photolysis of CO in the initially ¹⁶O-rich (Δ¹⁷O−25‰) parent molecular cloud or protoplanetary disk. According to these models, the UV photolysis preferentially dissociates C¹⁷O and C¹⁸O in the parent molecular cloud and in the peripheral zones of the protoplanetary disk. If this process occurs in the stability field of water ice, the released atomic ¹⁷O and ¹⁸O are incorporated into water ice, while the residual CO gas becomes enriched in ¹⁶O. During the earliest stages of evolution of the protoplanetary disk, the inner solar nebula had a solar H₂O/CO ratio and was ¹⁶O-rich. During this time, AOAs and the ¹⁶O-rich CAIs and chondrules formed. Subsequently, the inner solar nebula became H₂O- and ¹⁶O-depleted, because ice-rich dust particles, which were depleted in ¹⁶O, agglomerated outside the snowline (5 AU), drifted rapidly towards the Sun and evaporated. During this time, which may have lasted for 3 Myr, most chondrules and the ¹⁶O-depleted igneous CAIs formed. We infer that most chondrules formed from isotopically heterogeneous, but ¹⁶O-depleted precursors, and experienced isotopic exchange with an ¹⁶O-poor nebular gas during melting. Although the relative roles of the chondrule precursor materials and gas–melt isotopic exchange in establishing oxygen isotopic compositions of chondrules have not been quantified yet, mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic evidence indicate that Type I chondrules may have formed in chemical and isotopic equilibrium with nebular gas of variable isotopic composition. Whether these variations were spatial or temporal are not known yet.     

Comparing the atmosphere to a bathtub: effectiveness of analogy for reasoning about accumulation

Understanding the process of accumulation is fundamental to recognising the magnitude and speed of emissions reduction required to stabilise atmospheric CO₂ and, hence, global temperature. This research investigated the effectiveness of analogy for building understanding of accumulation among non-experts. Two studies tested the effects of analogy and graphical information on: (1) performance on a CO₂ stabilisation task; and (2) preferred level of action on climate change. Study 1 was conducted with a sample of undergraduate students and Study 2, with a sample of the Australian public. In the student sample, analogical processing significantly improved task performance when information about emission rates was presented in text but not when it was presented in graph format. It was also associated with greater preference for strong action on climate change. When tested with the public, analogy and information format independently influenced task performance. Furthermore, there was a marginal effect of education such that the analogy especially might have helped those with at least high school attainment. Our results show that analogy can improve non-experts’ understanding of CO₂ accumulation but that using graphs to convey emissions rate information is detrimental to such improvements. The results should be of interest to climate change communicators, advocates, and policy-makers.     

北京城市空间发展和土地利用—伦敦经验启示

Beijing is facing a huge challenge to manage the growth of its built-up area whilst also retaining both productive arable land and land for conservation purposes in order to simultaneously realize the three aims of economic development,protecting arable land and generating environmental improvements. Meanwhile,London,as a world city with more than 200 years of industrialization and urbanization,has accumulated rich theoretical and practical experiences for land use planning in a major urban area,such as the creation of Garden Cities,a designated Green Belt and New Towns. This paper firstly analyzes the main characteristics of the spatial distribution of the built-up area,arable land and conservation land in Beijing. Then,some of the key aspects of urban fringe planning in the London region are examined. Lastly,several implications from the experience of London are provided with respect to land-use planning for Beijing,concentrating on a re-appraisal of land-use functions around Beijing,measures to improve the green belt,the development of small towns to house rural-urban migrants and urban overspill,and effective implementation of land-use planning.     

Increasing impacts of climate change upon ecosystems with increasing global mean temperature rise

In a meta-analysis we integrate peer-reviewed studies that provide quantified estimates of future projected ecosystem changes related to quantified projected local or global climate changes. In an advance on previous analyses, we reference all studies to a common pre-industrial base-line for temperature, employing up-scaling techniques where necessary, detailing how impacts have been projected on every continent, in the oceans, and for the globe, for a wide range of ecosystem types and taxa. Dramatic and substantive projected increases of climate change impacts upon ecosystems are revealed with increasing annual global mean temperature rise above the pre-industrial mean (ΔT_g). Substantial negative impacts are commonly projected as ΔT_g reaches and exceeds 2°C, especially in biodiversity hotspots. Compliance with the ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Article 2) requires that greenhouse gas concentrations be stabilized within a time frame “sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change”. Unless ΔT_g is constrained to below 2°C at most, results here imply that it will be difficult to achieve compliance. This underscores the need to limit greenhouse gas emissions by accelerating mitigation efforts and by protecting existing ecosystems from greenhouse-gas producing land use change processes such as deforestation.     

Nearshore Tsunami Inundation Model Validation: Toward Sediment Transport Applications

Model predictions from a numerical model, Delft3D, based on the nonlinear shallow water equations are compared with analytical results and laboratory observations from seven tsunami-like benchmark experiments, and with field observations from the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The model accurately predicts the magnitude and timing of the measured water levels and flow velocities, as well as the magnitude of the maximum inundation distance and run-up, for both breaking and non-breaking waves. The shock-capturing numerical scheme employed describes well the total decrease in wave height due to breaking, but does not reproduce the observed shoaling near the break point. The maximum water levels observed onshore near Kuala Meurisi, Sumatra, following the 26 December 2004 tsunami are well predicted given the uncertainty in the model setup. The good agreement between the model predictions and the analytical results and observations demonstrates that the numerical solution and wetting and drying methods employed are appropriate for modeling tsunami inundation for breaking and non-breaking long waves. Extension of the model to include sediment transport may be appropriate for long, non-breaking tsunami waves. Using available sediment transport formulations, the sediment deposit thickness at Kuala Meurisi is predicted generally within a factor of 2.     

The origin and disappearance of the late Pleistocene-early Holocene short-lived coastal wetlands along the Carmel coast, Israel

The formation of short-lived backswamps along the Carmel coast of Israel coincides with the rapid global sea-level rise during the late Pleistocene-early Holocene transition. The current study shows that the wetland phenomena originated around 10,000 yr ago and dried up shortly before the local Pre-Pottery Neolithic humans settled on the wetland dark clay sediments 9430 cal yr BP. Palaeontological and stable-isotope data were used in this study to elucidate previously published sedimentological reconstruction obtained from a core drilled into the western trough of the Carmel coastal plain. The water body contained typical brackish calcareous fauna, with variable numerical abundance and low species richness of ostracods and foraminifera. The δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C of the ostracod Cyprideis torosa show close similarity to the present Pleistocene coastal aquifer isotopic values. This study therefore concludes that the wetlands were shallow-water bodies fed by groundwater, with no evidence of sea-water mixing. It seems that they developed as the result of high groundwater levels, transportation of sediments landward, and deposition of sand bars at the paleo-river mouths. It is still not fully understood why these wetlands deteriorated abruptly and disappeared within less than 1000 yr.     

Tracing groundwater flow in the Borden aquifer using krypton-85

Krypton-85 was measured in air, soil gas, and ground water at the Borden aquifer in Ontario in October 1989. The measured specific activities in air and soil gas were 52.0 ± 2.0 and 53.6 ± 1.8 disintegrations per min (dpm) cm⁻³ krypton. These measurements are in excellent agreement with the global atmospheric trend and demonstrate that krypton-85 enters the water table at the Borden site without a lag in the soil gas reservoir. The krypton-85 specific activity in five groundwater samples ranged from 44.9 to 9.5 dpm cm⁻³ corresponding to groundwater ages of 2–17 years with a monotonic decrease in specific activity (increase in age) along the groundwater flow path. Travel times calculated from a two-dimensional steady-state model of groundwater flow agree well with the krypton-85 ages in the main recharge region of the aquifer where flow is predominantly vertical, but were 30–40% older than the krypton-85 age downstream of the main recharge area where the flow is mainly horizontal. The effect of dispersion on the distribution of krypton-85 was determined by modelling the transport of krypton-85 in the Borden aquifer with a two-dimensional time-dependent advection dispersion model using the steady-state flow field. Agreement between model specific activity and observed specific activity was excellent for samples in the main recharge region, but the model specific activities were 30–50% lower than observed specific activities in the region of horizontal flow. The differences in travel times and krypton-85 ages and in model krypton-85 and observed krypton-85 specific activities are considered to be small given the heterogeneities that exist in the hydraulic conductivity and aquifer geometry and hence in the groundwater flow field. The model simulated krypton-85 distribution was not sensitive to changes in longitudinal dispersivity and was only weakly sensitive to changes in transverse dispersivity. The geochemical inertness, well-defined source function, and insensitivity to dispersion of krypton-85 allow estimates of groundwater age to be made in a straightforward manner and measurement of krypton-85 can significantly enhance the characterization of groundwater flow in many shallow subsurface systems.     

Observations of currents and density structure across a buoyant plume front

Observations of the Mobile Bay, Alabama, plume during a flood event in April 1991 reveal significant differences in the current field on either side of a front associated with the buoyant plume. During a strong southeasterly wind, turbid, low salinity water from Mobile Bay was pushed through an opening in the west side of the ebb-tidal delta and moved parallel to the coast. A stable front developed between the low salinity water of the buoyant plume (11‰) and the high salinity coastal water (>23‰) that was being forced landward by the prevailing winds. Despite the shallow water depth of 6 m, measurements of currents, temperature, and salinity show large shears and density gradients in both the vertical and the horizontal directions. At a station outside of the buoyant plume, currents at 0.5 m and 1.5 m below the surface were in the same direction as the wind. Inside the plume, however, currents at 0.5 m below the surface were parallel to the coast, 45°, off the direction of the wind and the magnitude was 45% larger than the magnitude of the surface currents outside the plume. Beneath the level of the plume, the currents were identical to the wind-driven currents in the ambient water south of the front. Our observations suggest that the wind-driven surface currents of the ambient water converged with the buoyant plume at the front and were subducted beneath the plume. The motion of the ambient coastal surface water was in the direction of the local wind stress, however, the motion of the plume had no northerly component of motion. The plume also did not show any flow toward the front, suggesting a balance between the northerly component of wind stress and the southerly component of buoyant spreading. In addition, the motion of the plume did not appear to affect the motion of the underlying ambient water, suggesting a lack of mixing between the two waters.     

Geochemistry of basalts from the Dumisseau Formation, southern Haiti: implications for the origin of the Caribbean Sea crust

Basalt and diabase from the Cretaceous Dumisseau Formation, southern Haiti have Mg-numbers of 43–63, TiO₂ contents of 1.6–3.9% and La abundances of 3.6–15.3 ppm.La/Ta ratios average 10, and indicate that the basalts are oceanic in character, distinct from the arc associations forming the northern part of Haiti. Oldest lavas have low TiO₂ (1.6%) and are LREE-depleted, similar to N-MORBs, whereas overlying lavas have higher TiO₂ (2–3.9%) and are LREE-enriched, similar to E-MORBs or hotspot basalts.⁸⁷Sr⁸⁶Sr ratios vary from 0.70280 to 0.70316,¹⁴³Nd¹⁴⁴Nd from 0.512929 to 0.513121, and²⁰⁶Pb²⁰⁴Pb from 19.00 to 19.27. LREE-depleted lavas have high¹⁴³Nd¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51309–0.51310) typical of MORBs, whereas¹⁴³Nd¹⁴⁴Nd in the LREE-enriched lavas varies widely (0.512929–0.513121).Chemical features of the Dumisseau basalts are equivalent to those of Caribbean seafloor basalts recovered on DSDP Leg 15, and support the contention that the Dumisseau is an uplifted section of Caribbean Sea crust. Oldest lavas are analogous to MORB-like basalts cored at Leg 15 Sites 146, 150, 152 and 153, and the overlying lavas are analogous to incompatible-element-enriched basalts cored at Site 151 on the Beata Ridge. Isotopic compositions of the Dumisseau basalts overlap with those of the eastern Pacific Galapagos and Easter Island hotspots. However, the presence of N-MORB basalts in the lower part of the Dumisseau and at the majority of Leg 15 Sites indicates that the anomalously thick Caribbean crust probably did not originate as a hotspot-related basaltic plateau, but may have been generated by on-ridge or near-ridge hotspot magmatism.