Middle to Late Pleistocene environments based on stable organic carbon and nitrogen isotopes of loess-palaeosol sequences from the Carpathian Basin

Stable organic carbon and nitrogen isotopes can be used to interpret past vegetation patterns and ecosystem qualities. Here we present these proxies for two loess-palaeosol sequences from the southern Carpathian Basin to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment during the past 350 ka and establish regional commonalities and differences. Before now, isotopic studies on loess sequences from this region were only conducted on deposits from the last glacial cycle. We conducted methodological tests involving the complete decalcification of the samples prior to stable isotope analyses. Two decalcification methods (fumigation method and wet chemical acidification), different treatment times, and the reproducibility of carbon isotope analyses were tested. Obtained results indicate that the choice of the decalcification method is important for organic carbon stable isotope analyses of loess-palaeosol sequences because ratios vary by more than 10‰ between the wet chemical and fumigation methods, due to incomplete carbonate removal by the latter. Therefore, we suggest avoiding the fumigation method for studies on loess-palaeosol sequences. In addition, our data show that samples with TOC content <0.2% bear increased potential for misinterpretation of their carbon isotope ratios. For our sites, C₃-vegetation is predominant and no palaeoenvironmental shifts leading to a change of the dominant photosynthesis pathway can be detected during the Middle to Late Pleistocene. Furthermore, the importance of further stable nitrogen isotope studies is highlighted, since this proxy seems to reflect past precipitation patterns and reveals favourable conditions in the southern Carpathian Basin, especially during interstadials.     

Modelling of resuspension due to fish activity:Mathematical modeling and annular flume experiments

A spatially averaged numerical model was developed to describe the erosion of cohesive sediment. Together with known empirical relations, the model comprises a new formulation for resuspension due to fish activity. Experiments on erosion of natural sediments in the annular flume at Aachen University are used for model calibration. Empirical coefficients were evaluated with genetic algorithms to achieve the best agreement between the model results and the experimental data. The presented model shows sufficient flexibility to account for various sediment properties, including different sediment sources, natural and artificial contaminants, presence or absence of aquatic organisms, and results in an average coefficient of determination, R2 = 90.5% between the model results and the experimental data. Model validation allows it to be assumed that different contaminants affect bed properties differently. Fish activity plays an essential role in correct resuspension prediction. Further sediment erosion experiments with carefully chosen conditions will allow a more comprehensive model evaluation. The presented model is intended to serve as a building block in the development of a hydraulic-sediment-biota model within the W3-Hydro: Water Quality Event Detection for Urban Water Security and Urban Water Management Based on Hydrotoxicological Investigations project that aims to improve the knowledge concerning bioavailability, transport, fate, and effects of contaminants on the aquatic environment.     

Olivine‐rich exposures at Bellicia and Arruntia craters on (4) Vesta from Dawn FC

We present an analysis of olivine‐rich exposures at Bellicia and Arruntia craters using Dawn Framing Camera (FC) color data. Our results confirm the existence of olivine‐rich materials at these localities as described by Ammannito et al. ( 2013a ) using Visual Infrared Spectrometer (VIR) data. Analyzing laboratory spectra of various howardite–eucrite–diogenite meteorites, high‐Ca pyroxenes, olivines, and olivine‐orthopyroxene mixtures, we derive three FC spectral band parameters that are indicators of olivine‐rich materials. Combining the three band parameters allows us, for the first time, to reliably identify sites showing modal olivine contents >40%. The olivine‐rich exposures at Bellicia and Arruntia are mapped using higher spatial resolution FC data. The exposures are located on the slopes of outer/inner crater walls, on the floor of Arruntia, in the ejecta, as well as in nearby fresh small impact craters. The spatial extent of the exposures ranges from a few hundred meters to few kilometers. The olivine‐rich exposures are in accordance with both the magma ocean and the serial magmatism model (e.g., Righter and Drake 1997 ; Yamaguchi et al. 1997 ). However, it remains unsolved why the olivine‐rich materials are mainly concentrated in the northern hemisphere (approximately 36–42°N, 46–74°E) and are almost absent in the Rheasilvia basin.     

Parameters of core collapse

This paper considers the phenomenon of deep core collapse in collisional stellar systems, with stars of equal mass. The collapse takes place on some multiple,  ξ⁻¹  , of the central relaxation time, and produces a density profile in which  ρ∝ r ^−α  , where α is a constant. The parameters α and ξ have usually been determined from simplified models, such as gas and Fokker–Planck models, often with the simplification of isotropy. Here we determine the parameters directly from N -body simulations carried out using the newly completed GRAPE-6.     

Galaxies and Star Clusters – From the Computer to the Real World

G01 New evidence for a connection between massive black holes and ULX G02 Long‐Term Evolution of Massive Black Hole Binaries G03 NBODY Meets Stellar Population Synthesis G04 N‐body modelling of real globular star clusters G05 Fokker‐Planck rotating models of globular clusters with black hole G06 Observational Manifestation of chaos in spiral galaxies: quantitative analysis and qualitative explanation G07 GRAPE Clusters: Beyond the Million‐Body Problem G08 Orbital decay of star clusters and Massive Black Holes in cuspy galactic nuclei G09 An Edge‐on Disk Galaxy Catalog G10 Complexes of open clusters in the Solar neighborhood G11 Search for and investigation of new stellar clusters using the data from huge stellar catalogues G12 Computing 2D images of 3D galactic disk models G13 Outer Pseudoring in the Galaxy G14 Where are tidal‐dwarf galaxies? G15 Ultra compact dwarf galaxies in nearby clusters G16 Impact of an Accretion Disk on the Structure of a stellar cluster in active galactic nuclei G17 Order and Chaos in the edge‐on profiles of disk galaxies G18 On the stability of OB‐star configurations in the Orion Nebula cluster G19 Older stars captured in young star clusters by cloud collapse G20 General features of the population of open clusters within 1 kpc from the Sun G21 Unstable modes in thin stellar disks G22 From Newton to Einstein – Dynamics of N‐body systems G23 On the relation between the maximum stellar mass and the star cluster mass     

Atmospheric River Signatures in Radiosonde Profiles and Reanalyses at the Dronning Maud Land Coast,East Antarctica

Atmospheric rivers(ARs)are an important component of the hydrological cycle linking moisture sources in lower latitudes to the Antarctic surface mass balance.We investigate AR signatures in the atmospheric vertical profiles at the Dronning Maud Land coast,East Antarctica,using regular and extra radiosonde measurements conducted during the Year of Polar Prediction Special Observing Period November 2018 to February 2019.Prominent AR events affecting the locations of Neumayer and Syowa cause a strong increase in specific humidity extending through the mid-troposphere and a strong low-level jet(LLJ).At Neumayer,the peak in the moisture inversion(up to 4 g kg^?1)is observed between 800 and 900 hPa,while the LLJ(up to 32 m s^?1)is concentrated below 900 hPa.At Syowa the increase in humidity is less pronounced and peaks near the surface,while there is a substantial increase in wind speed(up to 40 m s?1)between 825 and 925 hPa.Moisture transport(MT)within the vertical profile during the ARs attains a maximum of 100 g kg?1 m s?1 at both locations,and is captured by both ERA-Interim and ERA5 reanalysis data at Neumayer,but is strongly underestimated at Syowa.Composites of the enhanced MT events during 2009?19 show that these events represent an extreme state of the lower-tropospheric profile compared to its median values with respect to temperature,humidity,wind speed and,consequently,MT.High temporal-and vertical-resolution radiosonde observations are important for understanding the contribution of these rare events to the total MT towards Antarctica and improving their representation in models.     

Mid-Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte on oceanic island Mauritius provides a window into the ecosystem of the dodo (Raphus cucullatus)

Although the recent history of human colonisation and impact on Mauritius is well documented, virtually no records of the pre-human native ecosystem exist, making it difficult to assess the magnitude of the changes brought about by human settlement. Here, we describe a 4000-year-old fossil bed at Mare aux Songes (MAS) in south-eastern Mauritius that contains both macrofossils (vertebrate fauna, gastropods, insects and flora) and microfossils (diatoms, pollen, spores and phytoliths). With >250 bone fragments/m² and comprising 50% of all known extinct and extant vertebrate species (n_s = 44) of Mauritius, MAS may constitute the first Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte identified on an oceanic volcanic island. Fossil remains are dominated by extinct giant tortoises Cylindraspis spp. (63%), passerines (～10%), small bats (7.8%) and dodo Raphus cucullatus (7.1%). Twelve radiocarbon ages [four of them duplicates] from bones and other material suggest that accumulation of fossils took place within several centuries. An exceptional combination of abiotic conditions led to preservation of bones, bone collagen, plant tissue and microfossils. Although bone collagen is well preserved, DNA from dodo and other Mauritian vertebrates has proved difficult. Our analysis suggests that from ca 4000 years ago (4 ka), rising sea levels created a freshwater lake at MAS, generating an oasis in an otherwise dry environment which attracted a diverse vertebrate fauna. Subsequent aridification in the south-west Indian Ocean region may have increased carcass accumulation during droughts, contributing to the exceptionally high fossil concentration. The abundance of floral and faunal remains in this Lagerstätte offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct a pre-human ecosystem on an oceanic island, providing a key foundation for assessing the vulnerability of island ecosystems to human impact.     

Development and assessment of protective winter covers for marble statuaries of the Schlossbrücke, Berlin (Germany)

The present study documents the results of an inter-disciplinary model project that was planned with the aim of developing an innovative winter covering system for marble statuaries located on the Schlossbrücke (Berlin). Such a system would need to fulfil the various requirements for structural stability, aesthetics, climate and practical use. This applied research represents the first complex scientific study of the sustainability of a winter covering system. The study is characterised by the use of complex scientific instruments such as special laboratory analysis and numerical simulation tools. The interaction between the environment and the artefacts in connection with the innovative winter covering structures were studied by extensive climatic monitoring.     

Aircraft measurements and model simulations of stratospheric ozone and N2O: implications for chemistry and transport processes in the models

Airborne measurements of stratospheric ozone and N₂O from the SCIAMACHY (Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer) Validation and Utilization Experiment (SCIA-VALUE) are presented. The campaign was conducted in September 2002 and February–March 2003. The Airborne Submillimeter Radiometer (ASUR) observed stratospheric constituents like O₃ and N₂O, among others, spanning a latitude from 5°S to 80°N during the survey. The tropical ozone source regions show high ozone volume mixing ratios (VMRs) of around 11 ppmv at 33 km altitude, and the altitude of the maximum VMR increases from the tropics to the Arctic. The N₂O VMRs show the largest value of 325 ppbv in the lower stratosphere, indicating their tropospheric origin, and they decrease with increasing altitude and latitude due to photolysis. The sub-tropical and polar mixing barriers are well represented in the N₂O measurements. The most striking seasonal difference found in the measurements is the large polar descent in February–March. The observed features are interpreted with the help of SLIMCAT and Bremen Chemical Transport Model (CTMB) simulations. The SLIMCAT simulations are in good agreement with the measured O₃ and N₂O values, where the differences are within 1 ppmv for O₃ and 15 ppbv for N₂O. However, the CTMB simulations underestimate the tropical middle stratospheric O₃ (1–1.5 ppmv) and the tropical lower stratospheric N₂O (15–30 ppbv) measurements. A detailed analysis with various measurements and model simulations suggests that the biases in the CTMB simulations are related to its parameterised chemistry schemes.