Triassic lacustrine red-beds and palaeoclimate: The „Buntsandstein“ of Helgoland and the malmros Klint member of East Greenland

The playa-lake origin of the Lower Triassic Buntsandstein of Helgoland and the Upper Triassic Malmros Klint Member of East Greenland is suggested by: the continental setting; absence of marine fossils and occurrence of fresh-water trace fossils; evidence of shallow water, fluctuations in water level, frequent subaerial exposure and oxidizing depositional conditions; evidence of low-energy wave-action and absence of evidence for tidal influence. The Buntsandstein contains aeolian dunes and evaporites, but only rare fluvial sandstones and very rare fresh-water trace fossils. In contrast the Malmros Klint Member contains no aeolian sandstones and evaporites, but common fluvial sandstones and numerous fresh-water trace fossils. Wave ripple crest orientation suggests that both sequences were deposited during the influence of alternating NE and SE trade winds. The Buntsandstein appears to have been deposited in a central trade wind region with dominant winds from SE and short rainy seasons; the Malmros Klint Member was apparently deposited in a marginal trade wind region with dominant NE winds and longer rainy seasons.

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Zusammenfassung Der Buntsandstein auf Helgoland und der Malmros Klint Member (Obere Trias) in Ostgrönland werden als Playaseebildungen interpretiert auf Grund von: Vorkommen von Süßwasser-Lebenspuren und Mangel an marinen Fossilien; Beweise für Seichtwasser, Schwankungen in Wassertiefen, häufige Trockenlegung und oxydierende Ablagerungsverhältnisse; Beweise für schwachen Wellenschlag aber Mangel an Gezeiten; der stratigraphischen Einfügung in einer kontinentalen Schichtenfolge. Der Buntsandstein enthält Winddünen und Evaporite, aber nur wenige fluviatile Sandsteine und einzelne Süßwasser-Lebenspuren. Im Gegensatz dazu enthält der Malmros Klint Member keine äolische Sandsteine und keine Evaporite, sondern viele fluviatile Sandsteine und zahlreiche Süßwasser-Lebenspuren. Die Orientierung der Oszillationsrippelkämme beweist vermutlich, daß die beiden Schichtenfolgen während des Einflusses umlaufender Nordost- und Südostpassatwinde abgelagert wurden. Der Buntsandstein wurde wahrscheinlich in einer zentralen Passatwindregion mit vorherrschenden Südostwinden und kurzen Regenperioden abgelagert; der Malmros Klint Member wurde wahrscheinlich in einer Randpassatwindregion mit vorherrschenden Nordostwinden und längeren Regenperioden abgelagert.

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Résumé Le Grès bigarré (Trias inférieur) de Héligoland et le Malmros Klint Member (Trias supérieur) du Groenland oriental sont interprétés comme des formations lacustres éphémères à cause de: présence d'ichnofossiles d'eau douce et l'absence de fossiles marins; évidence d'eau peu profonde, variation de la profondeur d'eau fréquentes dessiccations et conditions sédimentaires oxydantes; évidence d'action calme des vagues, mais absence de marée; 1'emplacement stratigraphique dans une séquence continentale. Le Grès bigarré contient des dépôts éoliens et des évaporites, mais peu de grès fluviatiles et des ichnofossiles rares d'eau douce. Par contre le Malmos Klint Member ne contient ni de grès éoliens, ni d'évaporites, mais plusieurs grès fluviatiles et de nombreux ichnofossiles d'eau douce. L'orientation des crêtes ripplemarks semble prouver que les deux séquences ont été déposées sous l'influence des alizés du nord-est et du sud-est. Le Grès bigarré de Héligoland semble s'être déposé dans une région centrale des alizés avec des vents dominants du sud-est et de brèves saisons pluvieuses. Evidemment le Malmros Klint Member s'est déposé dans une région marginale des alizés avec des vents dominants du nord-est et des saisons pluvieuses plus longues.

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Comparison of large-area land cover products with national forest inventories and CORINE land cover in the European Alps

Considerable efforts have recently resulted in the development of global land cover data at large spatial scales. The main objective of this study is a comparison of different AVHRR- and MODIS-based forest and land cover products at the scale of the European Alps: a large natural ecosystem that is exposed to both natural environmental threats and human impacts and exploitation. In a first test, the accuracy of land cover products in predicting the overall amount of forest across national boundaries was assessed using national forest inventory statistics. Both variants of forest class combinations resulted in a general overestimation of the forest area. The IGBP 2.0 cover performed best with an overall mean absolute error of 13% and a bias of 0%. In a second test, large-area land cover products were tested for accuracy in predicting 13 aggregated land cover types in a spatially explicit manner using CORINE land cover as reference dataset. Due to data inconsistencies, partly insufficient spatial resolution, steep terrain and land use heterogeneity of the European Alps, only partly satisfactory results were obtained.     

Depletion and recharge of soil water in two stands of norway spruce (picea abies (l.) karst)

Depletion and recharge dynamics of soil water were studied at two forest sites in Northern and Southern Sweden during three growing seasons. At each site, having a stand of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst), soil water potential was measured with 90 gypsum blocks in 30 profiles at depths of 6, 20, and 50 cm from the soil surface. The size of the rectangular plots was 250 m². The large variation in soil water potential during desiccation periods extended throughout the measuring range of the gypsum blocks. The soil water potentials, at different times and depths, were log-normally distributed during only parts of the desiccation periods. Due to the large variation and skewed distribution of soil water potentials the nonparametric Spearman rank correlation statistics was used to analyse the pattern of desiccation and rewetting of the soil. In the beginning of a dry period the topsoil was more efficiently desiccated than the subsoil at both sites. This difference lasted throughout all droughts at the southern site and was explained by a higher root density in the topsoil. At the northern site, however, there was no difference in the degree of desiccation at different soil depths during an extended desiccation period. While certain microsites tended to be more depleted than others during desiccation periods, this did not prove to be significantly correlated to the rewetting of the soil after the different droughts. There was a vertical relationship in soil water desiccation in which an accentuated water depletion at the 6 cm soil depth was followed by a similar strong depletion 14 cm lower in the same observation profile. Strongly desiccated observation profiles were not necessarily situated close to each other but seemed randomly spread over the site. There was no relationship between extracted water at any of the three soil depths in the different observation profiles and proximity to trees or tree size.     

The length of closed geomorphic lines

This paper is based on the study of shore line length of 12 Swedish lakes on various maps ranging in scale from 1:10,000 1:1,000,000. The lakes differ in size, from Lake Munksjön, which has an area of 1.1 km², to Lake Vänern with an area of 5893 km², and also in shore line irregularity, ranging from the rather regular basins of Lake Munksjön and Lake Erken to the very irregular basin of Lake Mälaren. A “new ” method, the checkered transparent paper method (the CTP-method), was adopted to measure the shore length of certain lakes on various maps. Length determination by this method can be executed quickly and easily, and in a statistically definable way, giving comparable data from various types of map. A formula defining the functional relationship between scale, shore irregularity, shore length, and lake area has been derived: $$NF = F(K_{2} - K_{1})/[K_{2} - log(s + a)]$$ or $$1_{n} = 1(K_{2} - K_{1} )/[K_{2} - log(s + a)]$$ where NF = the normalized shore development (shore irregularity) at a scale of 1:1; F = the shore development as determined on a given map scale; s = the scale factor (10,000, 50,000 etc); a = 10⁵ ? log A, where 10⁵ = the area constant; A = the lake area in km²; K₁ = log(s + a) for s = 1, i.e. the reference scale; K₂ = log(s + a) for s = 6,000,000, where 6,000,000 is called the scale constant; 1 = the shore length as determined by the CTP-method on a given map; and 1_n = the normalized shore length at a scale of 1:1. The formula offers a high degree of accuracy and the length of any closed geomorphic line can be determined independently of map scale, under given practical limitations. The length value obtain is the normalized length, that is the best approximation of the real, natural length at a scale of 1:1.     

The hydrodynamic foundation for salmon lice dispersion modeling along the Norwegian coast

Ocean Dynamics - Norway has complicated dynamics in the coastal ocean and in the fjords. In this area is also the largest salmon aquaculture industry in the world. The salmon industry is valuable...     

Formation of turbid ice during autumn freeze-up in the Kara Sea

A one-dimensional (vertical) model is used to estimate the mass of ice-rafted sediment in turbid sea ice on the shallow Kara Sea shelf during autumn freeze-up. Sediment is entrained into the ice through aggregation with frazil ice crystals that are diffused downwards by wind-generated turbulence. Data from local meteorological stations are used to force the model, while water stratification and sediment concentrations from the area are used to initiate the model. Model results indicate a 0.2 m thick layer of slush ice created during 48 h with a mean wind of 6 m/s and an air temperature of −10°C. This ice contains ca. 20 mg/1 of sediment, or in total ca. 2% of the annual sediment discharge by nearby rivers. In shallow areas (<20 m depth) the process is very effective with winds of ca. 12 m/s, and the process can incorporate many years of sediment discharge. In the deeper areas (>20 m depth), the strong salinity stratification implies that winds above 18 m/s are needed for the process to be effective. For the rest of the winter months the same process may lead to additional sediment incorporated in a coastal polynya, but the freeze-up alone has the capacity to incorporate the total summer discharge of sediment into the surface ice. Calculated sediment concentrations in the surface ice cover are in the range 3 mg/1-19 g/1, in good agreement with available field data.