Magnetic fabrics of the Douglas Till of the Superior lobe: exploring bed-deformation kinematics

The Superior lobe of the Laurentide ice sheet, during its last advance into northwestern Wisconsin, may have moved and transported sediment primarily through deep, widespread shear of its bed to high strains (>100). To study the kinematics of this deformation, we measured the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of 3750 intact samples of its basal till—the Douglas member of the Miller Creek formation—collected from eight profiles at 0.2 m depth increments. A benchmark for interpretations was provided by results of ring-shear experiments conducted on the Douglas Till, which provided fabric characteristics for the case of horizontal simple shear. Orientations of maximum susceptibility (k₁) were controlled by preferred orientations of silt-sized magnetite grains and were similar to sand-grain orientations measured in thin sections. Strengths of fabrics formed by orientations of k₁ indicate that most of the till sampled was deformed but to variable strains. Deformation averaged over the 20 km spanned by the study approximated horizontal simple shear. However, large differences in k₁ fabric azimuths (>45°) over lateral distances of meters to tens of meters indicate highly heterogeneous bed deformation, perhaps focused in anastomosing zones with associated divergent and convergent till shear. This interpretation is supported by orientations of principal susceptibilities that imply, in many cases, either that shear planes were steeply dipping, particularly transverse to the shearing direction, or that there were major components of pure shear. Variations in k₁ fabric azimuth with depth indicate that most of the till thickness did not shear simultaneously; rather, till accumulated at the bed as shear direction changed in response to temporally shifting zones of shallow deformation (<1 m). This heterogeneous, temporally variable deformation of the bed differs from many applications of the bed-deformation model but is consistent with subglacial measurements at modern glaciers.     

Estimates of eruption velocity and plume height from infrasonic recordings of the 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano,Alaska

The 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano, Alaska, began with an explosive phase comprising 13 discrete Vulcanian blasts. These events generated ash plumes reaching heights of 3–14 km. The eruption was recorded by a dense geophysical network including a pressure sensor located 3.2 km from the vent. Infrasonic signals recorded in association with the eruptions have maximum pressures ranging from 13–111 Pa. Eruption durations are estimated to range from 55–350 s. Neither of these parameters, however, correlates with eruption plume height. The pressure record, however, can be used to estimate the velocity and flux of material erupting from the vent, assuming that the sound is generated as a dipole source. Eruptive flux, in turn, is used to estimate plume height, assuming that the plume rises as a buoyant thermal. Plume heights estimated in this way correlate well with observations. Events that exhibit strongly impulsive waveforms are underestimated by the model, suggesting that flow may have been supersonic.     

EXPERIMENTS ON THE STABILITY OF FeOOH ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON

The FeOOH phase in Apollo 16 rocks is akaganéite. Other polymorphs of FeOOH, i.e. geothite and lepidocrocite, may exist but have not been identified by X-ray diffraction. Experiments performed during this study using akaganéite, geothite, and lepidocrocite placed at 135°C and under a pumping vacuum of 10^?2 torr, demonstrate that these forms of FeOOH are not stable on the surface of the Moon, where daytime temperatures are about 140°C and pressures are about 10^?7 torr. The effect of the vacuum is to strip off the water, and the temperature speeds up this dehydration process. These data lend support to the contention of Taylor et al. (1973) that the FeOOH in lunar rocks formed by the oxyhydration of lawrencite, FeCl₂, due to contamination by terrestrial water vapor.     

Analysis of the present and future winter Pacific-North American teleconnection in the ECHAM5 global and RegCM3 regional climate models

We use the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis (NCEP) and the MPI/ECHAM5 general circulation model to drive the RegCM3 regional climate model to assess the ability of the models to reproduce the spatiotemporal aspects of the Pacific-North American teleconnection (PNA) pattern. Composite anomalies of the NCEP-driven RegCM3 simulations for 1982–2000 indicate that the regional model is capable of accurately simulating the key features (500-hPa heights, surface temperature, and precipitation) of the positive and negative phases of the PNA with little loss of information in the downscaling process. The basic structure of the PNA is captured in both the ECHAM5 global and ECHAM5-driven RegCM3 simulations. The 1950–2000 ECHAM5 simulation displays similar temporal and spatial variability in the PNA index as that of NCEP; however, the magnitudes of the positive and negative phases are weaker than those of NCEP. The RegCM3 simulations clearly differentiate the climatology and associated anomalies of snow water equivalent and soil moisture of the positive and negative PNA phases. In the RegCM3 simulations of the future (2050–2100), changes in the location and extent of the Aleutian low and the continental high over North America alter the dominant flow patterns associated with positive and negative PNA modes. The future projections display a shift in the patterns of the relationship between the PNA and surface climate variables, which suggest the potential for changes in the PNA-related surface hydrology of North America.     

Towards quantitative ecological risk assessment of elevated carbon dioxide levels in the marine environment

The environmental impact of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels has become of more interest in recent years. This, in relation to globally rising CO₂ levels and related considerations of geological CO₂ storage as a mitigating measure. In the present study effect data from literature were collected in order to conduct a marine ecological risk assessment of elevated CO₂ levels, using a Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD). It became evident that information currently available from the literature is mostly insufficient for such a quantitative approach. Most studies focus on effects of expected future CO₂ levels, testing only one or two elevated concentrations. A full dose-response relationship, a uniform measure of exposure, and standardized test protocols are essential for conducting a proper quantitative risk assessment of elevated CO₂ levels. Improvements are proposed to make future tests more valuable and usable for quantitative risk assessment.     

Optimizing the Environmental Performance of In Situ Thermal Remediation Technologies Using Life Cycle Assessment

In situ thermal remediation technologies provide efficient and reliable cleanup of contaminated soil and groundwater, but at a high cost of environmental impacts and resource depletion due to the large amounts of energy and materials consumed. This study provides a detailed investigation of four in situ thermal remediation technologies (steam enhanced extraction, thermal conduction heating, electrical resistance heating, and radio frequency heating) in order to (1) compare the life‐cycle environmental impacts and resource consumption associated with each thermal technology, and (2) identify options to reduce these adverse effects. The study identifies a number of options for environmental optimization of in situ thermal remediation. In general, environmental optimization can be achieved by increasing the percentage of heating supplied in off peak electricity demand periods as this reduces the pressure on coal‐based electricity and thereby reduces the environmental impacts due to electricity production by up to 10%. Furthermore, reducing the amount of concrete in the vapor cap by using a concrete sandwich construction can potentially reduce the environmental impacts due to the vapor cap by up to 75%. Moreover, a number of technology‐specific improvements were identified, for instance by the substitution of stainless steel types in wells, heaters, and liners used in thermal conduction heating, thus reducing the nickel consumption by 45%. The combined effect of introducing all the suggested improvements is a 10 to 21% decrease in environmental impacts and an 8 to 20% decrease in resource depletion depending on the thermal remediation technology considered. The energy consumption was found to be the main contributor to most types of environmental impacts; this will, however, depend on the electricity production mix in the studied region. The combined improvement potential is therefore to a large extent controlled by the reduction/improvement of energy consumption.     

The U-WEDGE Transformation Method for Multivariate Geostatistical Simulation

To speed up multivariate geostatistical simulation it is common to transform the set of attributes into spatially uncorrelated factors that can be simulated independently. Spatial decorrelation methods are usually based on the diagonalisation of the variance/covariance and semivariogram matrices of the set of attributes for a chosen family of lag spacings. These matrices are symmetric and there are several efficient methods for the approximate joint diagonalisation of a family of symmetric matrices. One of these is the uniformly weighted exhaustive diagonalisation with Gauss iterations (U-WEDGE) method. In contrast to the method of minimum/maximum autocorrelation factors (MAF), where a two structure linear model of coregionalisation is assumed, U-WEDGE can be applied directly to the set of experimental semivariogram matrices without having to place restrictions on the number of structures in the linear model of coregionalisation, thus removing one of the restrictions placed on the subsequent modelling of the spatial structure of the factors. We use an iron-ore data set to illustrate the method and present a comparison between the simulated attributes obtained from U-WEDGE and MAF with the full co-simulation of the attributes.     

Rubber tapper identities: Political-economic dynamics,livelihood shifts,and environmental implications in a changing Amazon

Rubber tappers promoted extractive reserves as a sustainable alternative to forest destruction in the Brazilian Amazon. However, the significance of rubber tapping itself has declined since the creation of extractive reserves, which raises questions about the contemporary cultural content of the rubber tapper identity. This paper therefore evaluates rubber tapper identity, using the case of the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve (CMER) in Acre, Brazil. We first draw on household survey data from the CMER to construct a statistical model of who self-identifies as a rubber tapper. The model shows that socio-economic background, household assets, institutional context, and knowledge of the CMER’s management plan are relevant to understanding rubber tapper self-identification, but not resource management practices, including rubber tapping itself. We therefore pursue qualitative analysis of key informant interviews to better apprehend contemporary understandings of the “rubber tapper” identity, particularly in light of recent shifts in livelihoods from rubber tapping toward cattle ranching. The qualitative analysis shows that there are now several different foundations for self-identifying as a “rubber tapper,” and that there are disagreements concerning the acceptability of cattle ranching among “rubber tappers.” These findings bear implications for research on the relationship of livelihood-based identities with resource management practices and environmental change, as well as public policies that seek to reconcile regional development with forest conservation.     

New insights into the 1999 eruption of Shishaldin volcano,Alaska, based on acoustic data

Data collected by a pressure sensor provide new insights into the 1999 eruption of Shishaldin volcano, Unimak Island, Alaska. On 19 April 1999, after 3 months of unrest and an extended period of low-level Strombolian activity, Shishaldin experienced a Subplinian eruption (ash plume to >16 km), followed by several episodes of strong Strombolian explosions. Acoustic data from the pressure sensor allow us to investigate the details of an eruption which was instrumentally well recorded, but with few visual observations. In the 12 h prior to the Subplinian phase, the pressure sensor detected a series of small, repeated pulses with a constant spectral peak at 2–3 Hz. The amplitude and occurrence rate of the pulses both grew such that the signal became a nearly continuous hum just before the Subplinian eruption. This humming signal may represent gas release from rising magma. The main Subplinian phase was heralded by (1) the abrupt end of the humming signal, (2) several pulses of low-frequency sound interpreted as ash bursts, and (3) a dramatic increase in seismic tremor amplitude. The change in acoustic signature at this time allows us to precisely time the start of the Subplinian eruption, previously approximated as the time of strongest tremor increase. The 50-min Subplinian phase actually contained several bursts of signal, each of which may represent a discrete volume of magma passing through the system. Following the Subplinian event, the pressure sensor recorded four discrete episodes of Strombolian gas explosions on 19–20 April and another on 22–23 April. Four of the five episodes were accompanied by strong seismic tremor; the fifth has not been previously recognized and was not associated with anomalous tremor amplitudes. In time series these events are similar to explosions recorded at other volcanoes but in general they are much larger, with maximum amplitudes of >65 Pa at 6.5 km from the vent, and they have low (0.7–1.5 Hz) peak frequencies. These large explosions occurred at rates of 3–20 per minute for 1–5 h in each episode. The explosions were accompanied by a small (<5 km above sea level) ash plume and only minor amounts of ejecta were produced. Thus, the explosion activity was dominated by gas release.     

Ceilometer observations of aerosol layer structure above the Petit Lubéron during ESCOMPTE's IOP 2

A modified ceilometer has been used during the second Intensive Observation Period (IOP) of the “Expérience sur Site pour COntraindre les Modèles de Pollution atmosphériques et de Transport d'Émission” (ESCOMPTE) to perform continuous remote observations of aerosol accumulations in the first 3 km of the atmosphere. These observations encompassed an episode of intense particulate and photochemical pollution. The submicronic particles density, measured at an altitude of 600 m, went from a very low point of a few tens of particles per cubic centimeter (at the end of a Mistral episode in the free atmosphere) to a high point of more than 4500 particles per cubic centimeter (when pollutants were trapped by thermal inversions).The main result is that this instrument enables a fine documentation of the mixing layer height and of aerosol particles stratifications and circulation. Airborne aerosol measurements have been made above the mountainous region of Mérindol in order to validate in situ the remote sensing measurements. Ozone measurements near the summit of the mountains as well as in the valley were performed in order to correlate aerosol accumulation and ozone concentration. As a notable example, the two-layer aerosol stratification seen in the first 2 days of IOP 2b in that part of the ESCOMPTE domain confirms the results of another team which used backtrajectories. The low-altitude pollution for this timeframe had a local origin (the Fos industrial area), whereas above 500 m, the air masses had undergone regional-scale transport (from north-eastern Spain).The second major result is the highlighting of a pattern, in sea breeze conditions and in this part of the ESCOMPTE experiment zone, of nocturnal aerosol accumulation at an altitude of between 500 and 2000 m, followed by high ozone concentration the next day.