Temperature gradients at the core-mantle interface

Heat flowing out of the core must flow into the mantle. If the Earth's magnetic field is owing to adiabatic magnetohydrodynamic circulation of the outer core, whole mantle convection or melting at the core mantle boundary is required to keep the inner core from becoming isothermal, thereby preventing adiabatic circulation.Alternatively, the outer core fluid must have some unexpected and exotic property such as an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion and resultant low Gruneisen's parameter.Paper dedicated to Professor Harold C. Urey on the occasion of his 80th birthday on 29 April 1973. Publication No. 1046 Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.A.     

Towards molecular understanding of species differences in dioxin sensitivity: initial characterization of Ah receptor cDNAs in birds and an amphibian

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs) are highly toxic to most vertebrate animals, but there are dramatic species differences in sensitivity, both within and among vertebrate classes. For example, studies in cultured avian hepatocytes have revealed differential sensitivity of birds to PHAHs [Kennedy et al. (1996). Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 141, 214-230]. Differences in the characteristics or expression of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) could contribute to these species differences in PHAH responsiveness. To investigate the molecular mechanism of differential PHAH sensitivity, we have begun to characterize the AHR in white leghorn chicken (Gallus gallus), Pekin duck (Anas platyrhynchos), and common tern (Sterna hirundo), as well as an amphibian, mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus). Partial AHR cDNAs encompassing the helix-loop-helix and PAS domains were cloned and sequenced. Comparison of amino acid sequences in this region indicated a high degree of sequence conservation among the bird species (97% amino acid identity). The percent identity between bird sequences and either mouse or mudpuppy was lower (79%); the mudpuppy AHR was 74% identical to the mouse AHR. Phylogenetic analysis of these and other AHR amino acid sequences showed that the bird and mudpuppy AHRs were more closely related to mammalian and fish AHR1 forms than to fish AHR2. Future studies include the in vitro expression and functional characterization of AHRs from these and other non-mammalian vertebrates.     

Constraining the Late Wisconsinan retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet from western Canada using luminescence ages from postglacial aeolian dunes

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz extracts from postglacial aeolian dunes from central Alberta in western Canada points to a landscape that was free of ice as early as 15 ka. Data from profiles where multiple ages have been obtained indicate an increase in depositional age with depth, suggesting that older aeolian sands underlie the dated sequences. The OSL ages present plausible minimum age constraints for the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) towards the end of the Late Wisconsinan glaciation. Previous reconstructions of the LIS recession have relied on radiocarbon chronologies, despite the scarcity of contemporaneous radiocarbon-bearing material for large parts of western Canada. While the OSL chronology may be deemed concordant with ice sheet margin retreat models determined using radiocarbon data, there appears to be a systematic lag in the radiocarbon ages which may reflect that aeolian activity is initiated prior to the proliferation of organic material. The OSL chronology reported in this study does not preclude the emergence of a wide deglacial corridor between the LIS and the Cordilleran Ice Sheet by 15 ka or earlier. The possibility of such a passage would resuscitate the notion of an ice-free corridor that appeared early enough to afford the first peoples of the Americas a navigable inland migratory passage from Beringia to south of the North American ice sheets. More broadly, the corridor would also have allowed genetic exchanges between the Beringian refugium and the American middle and low latitudes.     

The uppermost Middle and Upper Albian succession at the Col de Palluel, Hautes-Alpes, France: An integrated study (ammonites, inoceramid bivalves, planktonic foraminifera, nannofossils, geochemistry, stable oxygen and carbon isotopes, cyclostratigraphy)

An integrated study of the ammonites, inoceramid bivalves, planktonic foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils, geochemistry, stable carbon isotopes, and cyclostratigraphy is provided for the upper Middle to upper Upper Albian sucession exposed in the Col de Palluel section east of Rosans in Hautes-Alpes, France. The Albian-Cenomanian boundary interval described by Gale et al. at Mont Risou is re-examined, a total thickness of 370 m of the Marnes Bleues Formation. Zonal schemes based on ammonites, inoceramid bivalves, planktonic foraminifera, and calcareous nannofossils are integrated with the stable carbon isotope curve and key lithostratigraphic markers to provide a sequence of more than 70 events in the uppermost Middle Albian to basal Cenomanian interval. Time series analysis of the Al₂O₃ content of the 500 m Albian sequence present in the Col de Palluel and Risou sections reveals the presence of the 20 kyr precession, 40 kyr tilt, 100 kyr short eccentricity, and 406 kyr long eccentricity cycles. Correlation using planktonic foraminiferan and nannofossil data provide a link between the Col de Palluel and Risou sections and the Italian sequence at Gubbio, and in the Piobbico core. This provides a basis for the extension of the orbital time scale of Grippo et al. to the sequence. It reveals a major break in the Col de Palluel succession at the top of the distinctive marker bed known as the Petite Vérole that may represent as much as 2 Ma. It also provides a basis for the estimation of the length of the Albian Stage at 4.12 Ma, 0.8 Ma for the early Albian, 2.84 Ma for the Middle Albian, and 3.68 Ma for the late Albian substages.     

Evaluation of the frequency of skipped spawning in Norwegian spring-spawning herring

Based upon an under-representation of second time spawners on the spawning grounds between 1935 and 1973, researchers have suggested that Norwegian spring-spawning (NSS) herring (Clupea harengus) frequently skip their second spawning event. In order to evaluate this claim with direct evidence, herring were collected over a period of three years from statutory surveys and commercial catches over a wide area covering the feeding, over-wintering and spawning grounds. The development stage of the ovaries was assessed and the intensity of atresia quantified. Only a negligible number of the analysed herring caught were considered likely to skip spawning, thus this phenomenon does not appear to be a common feature of the NSS herring stock at present. In addition, considering the reproductive strategy of herring, it seems doubtful that skipping the second spawning event has ever frequently occurred in this stock.     

The measurement of modern sedimentation in estuarine environments in New Zealand

Concern about coastal sedimentation in New Zealand is widespread. As a result, many regional councils now undertake monitoring programmes to understand the rate of change that is occurring within estuarine environments. A variety of techniques are used to understand estuarine infill from short‐term (fixed rods, marker layers, laser surveying) to long‐term studies (coring). Short‐term studies provide detailed but temporally restricted data sets, while coring studies provide long‐term generalised data. This paper reviews the common methods used within New Zealand and suggests that a combination of both methods is the ideal for understanding sediment infill.     

Comparisons of high-frequency acoustic fluctuations with ocean-temperature and sea-surface fluctuations in shallow water

Dynamic ocean processes produce small thermal variations that induce spatial and temporal variability in the ocean's index of refraction and in the spatial scale along an acoustic propagation path. This paper reports measurements and analysis of thermal microstructure effects on ping-to-ping amplitude and phase variability of shallow-water direct-path acoustic propagation in the 20-200 kHz frequency range. These measurements were conducted during a joint experiment conducted by the Naval Research Laboratory and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) Undersea Research Centre, La Spezia, Italy, in 8 m of water off American Beach, located between Pisa and Livorno, Italy. Experimental observations are compared with predictions for isotropic and anisotropic turbulence, as well as for sea-surface swell. Measured phase and log-amplitude variances coincide with predictions and are relatively insensitive to weak water-column stability. The sea-surface swell dominates phase variances for this data and turbulence dominates log-amplitude variances. These results provide a reasonable lower limit on high-frequency ping-to-ping amplitude and on phase variability produced by benign shallow-water thermal fluctuations.     

Improving Groundwater Model Calibration with Repeat Microgravity Measurements

Groundwater-flow models depend on hydraulic head and flux observations for evaluation and calibration. A different type of observation—change in storage measured using repeat microgravity—can also be used for parameter estimation by simulating the expected change in gravity from a groundwater model and including the observation misfit in the objective function. The method is demonstrated using new software linked to MODFLOW input and output files and field data from the vicinity of the All American Canal in southeast California, USA. Over a 10-year period following lining of the previously highly permeable canal with concrete, gravity decreased by over 100 μGal (equivalent to about 2.5 m of free-standing water) at some locations as seepage decreased and the remnant groundwater mound dissipated into the aquifer or was removed by groundwater pumping. Simulated gravity from a MODFLOW model closely matched observations, and repeat microgravity data proved useful for constraining both hydraulic conductivity and specific yield estimates. Specific yield estimated using the infinite-horizontal slab approximation agreed well with model-derived values, and the departure from the linear, flat-water-table approximation was small, less than 2%, despite relatively large and dynamic water-table slope. First-order second-moment parameter uncertainty analysis shows reduction in uncertainty for all hydraulic conductivity and specific yield parameter estimates with the addition of repeat microgravity data, as compared to drawdown data alone.     

Field reconnaissance and overview of the impact of Hurricane Matthew on Haiti’s Tiburon Peninsula

The old potable water network in Byblos city is provided mainly from Ibrahim River nearby. Located in a seismic region, the aging network needs to tolerate seismic threats; thus, damage to the potable water network needs to be assessed. Therefore, first, enhancing infrastructure resilience is briefly discussed, noting briefly the need to bridge specifically between heritage risk management and engineering. Second, Byblos potable water network, seismicity, and geology are detailed. Third, the potable water network damage assessment methodology is presented. It encompasses hazard assessment, network inventory, damage functions, and model development. Data and maps are prepared using the Geographic Information System and then modeled in Ergo platform to obtain the damage to buried pipelines in the event of likely earthquake scenarios. Ergo is updated to consider recommended ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for the Middle East region, to consider amplification of the peak ground velocity in hazard maps due to different soil types, and to consider adequate fragility functions. Moreover, different Byblos geotechnical maps, landslide hazard, and liquefaction are investigated and embedded. Damage results to pipelines are dependent on the hazard maps obtained using different GMPEs and geotechnical maps. Asbestos cement pipelines will be most damaged, followed by polyethylene and then by ductile iron. Finally, recommendations are offered to consider an improved sustainable rehabilitation solution. The study provides a better understanding of Byblos potable water network and allows the establishment of a sustainable and resilience-to-earthquake preparedness strategy and recovery plan.     

Formation of weathering-derived magnesite deposits in the New England Orogen, New South Wales, Australia: Implications from mineralogy, geochemistry and genesis of the Attunga magnesite deposit

Nodular, cryptocrystalline, weathering-derived magnesite deposits in the New England Orogen, Australia, provide a significant source of high-purity magnesite. Common textural features and related isotopic fingerprints indicate a close genetic relationship between weathering-derived magnesite deposits hosted by ultramafic rocks at Attunga and by sediments at Kunwarara while silica-carbonate rock alteration and rare hydrothermal magnesite vein deposits reflect contrasting conditions of formation. Localised weathering of carbonates in a soil environment shifts stable isotopic composition towards low δ ¹³C and high δ ¹⁸O typical for weathering-derived magnesites while intrusion-related fluids do not significantly change the isotopic composition of affected carbonates. At Attunga, magnesite consists of irregular, nodular veins and masses filling faults and cracks in the weathered serpentinite host rock as well as soft powdery magnesite in pervasive serpentinite alteration zones. The high-grade magnesite at Attunga can be contaminated by amorphous silica and serpentine relicts but does not contain dolomite or ferroan magnesite as observed for its hydrothermal equivalent, the Piedmont magnesite deposit, or other widespread deposits of silica-carbonate rock in the Great Serpentinite Belt. Heavy δ ¹⁸O values are compatible with a supergene formation from meteoric waters while low δ ¹³C suggests C3-photosynthetic plants as the predominant source of carbon for the Attunga magnesites. We infer that weathering-derived, nodular magnesite deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks like the Attunga magnesite deposit have formed in a two-step process involving the hypogene formation of a pre-cursor magnesite deposit and complete supergene overprinting by meteoric waters that acquired carbon from percolation through soil.