A 7000-year record of environmental change,including early farming impact,based on lake-sediment geochemistry and pollen data from County Sligo,western Ireland

Detailed, chronologically tightly constrained, lake-sediment-based geochemical and pollen records have enabled local changes in soil erosion, woodland cover and composition, and prehistoric farming impact to be reconstructed in considerable detail. The profile opens shortly after 7800 BC when tall canopy trees were well-established and presumably in equilibrium with their environment. A distinct perturbation that involved an increase in pine and birch, a decrease in oak and a minor opening-up of the woodland is regarded as the local expression of the 8.2 ka climate anomaly. Lack of response in the geochemical erosional indicators is interpreted as evidence for drier conditions. A short-lived, over-compensation in climate recovery followed the 8.2 ka event. Neolithic farming impact is clearly expressed in both the pollen and geochemical data. Both datasets indicate that Neolithic impact was concentrated in the early Neolithic (3715–3440 BC). In the interval 3000–2700 BC there appears to have been a break in farming activity. The pollen data suggest substantially increased farming impact (both arable and pastoral) in the Bronze Age, with maximum farming and woodland clearances taking place in the late Bronze Age (1155–935 BC). These developments are poorly expressed in the geochemical record, possibly due to within-lake changes.     

Tellurium,selenium and cobalt enrichment in Neoproterozoic black shales,Gwna Group,UK: Deep marine trace element enrichment during the Second Great Oxygenation Event

Black shales of the late Neoproterozoic Gwna Group (570–580 Ma), UK, contain enrichments of tellurium (Te), selenium (Se) and cobalt (Co) relative to average shale compositions. The Te and Co enrichments bear comparison with those of ferromanganese crusts in the modern deep ocean. Gwna Group deposition coincides with the Second Great Oxidation Event, which had a significant effect on trace element fixation globally. Selenium and Te concentrations within these black shales indicate increased continental weathering rates, high biological productivity and corresponding increases in atmospheric O₂ concentrations. Cobalt, nickel (Ni) and arsenic (As) enrichments in this succession are secondary mineralisation phases. Demand for many of the trace elements found enriched in the Gwna Group black shales make their mechanisms of accumulation, and variations through the geological record, important to understand, and suggests that new resources may be sought based on black shale protoliths from this period.     

The late Quaternary sedimentary infill of Lake Annecy (northwestern Alps): an overview from two seismic-reflection surveys

The sedimentary fill of Lake Annecy (northwestern Alps) - related to the last glacial/post-glacial episode - was investigated through high resolution (sparker) and very high resolution (2.5 kHz) seismic-reflection surveys. A seismostratigraphic approach led to subdivision of a 150 m-thick pile (maximum thickness in axial part) into five units. Basal units (1 and 2) represent an imbrication of subglacial and glacio-lacustrine deposits, close to the grounding line of the glaciers' fronts (respectively at the northern and southern terminations of the lake). The first acoustically well-stratified unit (3) developed during a fast retreat of the glaciers fronts far from the lake basin, and a progradational alluvial regime, with abundant underflows, in a lake larger than the present one. Unit 4 represents the progressive decrease of this clastic input mixed with the progressive development of in situ bio-induced production. As in many other alpine lakes, a topmost unit (5), relatively thin (about 8-10 m) and with a conspicuous drape configuration, is the signature of the Holocene interglacial climatic conditions with a sedimentation rate of about 1 mm/yr. On the lacustrine basin slopes, slumps and debris flow occurred mainly within Unit 3; they may be due to, either climate-induced high rate terrigenous sedimentation, or/and to a period of increased seismo-tectonic activity.     

Orbit Propagation with Lie Transfer Maps in the Perturbed Kepler Problem

The Lie transfer map method may be applied to orbit propagation problems in celestial mechanics. This method, described in another paper, is a perturbation method applicable to Hamiltonian systems. In this paper, it is used to calculate orbits for zonal perturbations to the Kepler (two-body) problem, in both expansion in the eccentricity and closed form. In contrast with a normal form method like that of Deprit, the Lie transformations here are used to effect a propagation of phase space in time, and not to transform one Hamiltonian into another.     

Nitrogen cycling in the southern North Sea: consequences for total nitrogen transport

Nitrate and ammonium uptake rates were measured during a series of cruises in the well-mixed region of the southern North Sea from February to September. Water column-integrated uptake rates ranged between 0.01 and 8.7 mmol N m⁻² d⁻¹ and 0.01 and 12.2 mmol N m⁻² d⁻¹ for nitrate and ammonium, respectively, with ammonium uptake dominating after the phytoplankton spring bloom in May. A moored buoy continuously measuring nitrate and chlorophyll a and seabed current meters were also deployed in the central southern North Sea in the region of the East Anglian plume—a permanent physical feature which transports nutrients towards continental Europe. This enabled the flux of water and hence of nutrients across the southern North Sea to be determined and an assessment of the contribution of freshwater nutrients to the flux to be made. A simple box model is developed to relate the phytoplankton uptake of nitrate and ammonium to the transport of nitrate, ammonium and particulate organic matter (POM) across the southern North Sea. This showed the importance of the plume region of the North Sea in the processing of nitrogen, with nitrate dominating total nitrogen transport prior to the spring bloom (10 340×10³ kg N inflow to the plume in March) and transport of nitrogen as ammonium, nitrate and POM in approximately equivalent amounts during summer (2560, 2960 and 2151×10³ kg N inflow to the plume, respectively, in July). The box model also demonstrates more generally the need to assess nitrogen transport as nitrate, ammonium and POM if an improved understanding of the impact of nutrient input in shelf seas is to be achieved.     

Dynamic characteristics of a base isolated building from ambient vibration measurements and low level earthquake shaking

Ambient vibration tests were conducted on a base-isolated apartment building in Takamatsu, Japan, to determine the mode shapes and the associated natural frequencies and damping ratios at very low levels of excitation. The latest developments in signal analysis for modal decomposition are used to analyze the ambient response data. A finite element model of the building and isolators was calibrated and refined using the experimental results from the ambient vibration tests. This model was then used to simulate the recorded response of the building under excitation from a small earthquake. The finite element model, calibrated by ambient vibration data and the low level of earthquake shaking, provides the starting point for modelling the non-linear response of the building when subjected to strong shaking.     

Dynamic interactions of life and its landscape: feedbacks at the interface of geomorphology and ecology

There appears to be no single axis of causality between life and its landscape, but rather, each exerts a simultaneous influence on the other over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. These influences occur through feedbacks of differing strength and importance with co‐evolution representing the tightest coupling between biological and geomorphological systems. The ongoing failure to incorporate these dynamic bio‐physical interactions with human activity in landscape studies limits our ability to predict the response of landscapes to human disturbance and climate change. This limitation is a direct result of the poor communication between the ecological and geomorphological communities and consequent paucity of interdisciplinary research. Recognition of this failure led to the organization of the Meeting of Young Researchers in Earth Science (MYRES) III, titled ‘Dynamic Interactions of Life and its Landscape’. This paper synthesizes and expands upon key issues and findings from that meeting, to help chart a course for future collaboration among Earth surface scientists and ecologists: it represents the consensus view of a competitively selected group of 77 early‐career researchers. Two broad themes that serve to focus and motivate future research are identified: (1) co‐evolution of landforms and biological communities; and (2) humans as modifiers of the landscape (through direct and indirect actions). Also outlined are the state of the art in analytical, experimental and modelling techniques in ecological and geomorphological research, and novel new research avenues that combine these techniques are suggested. It is hoped that this paper will serve as an interdisciplinary reference for geomorphologists and ecologists looking to learn more about the other field. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of humic substances on the transport of radionuclides: Recent improvements in the prediction of behaviour and the understanding of mechanisms

Some recent developments made during the European Union 6th Framework Integrated Project FUNMIG in the understanding and prediction of behaviour in ternary systems of radionuclides, humic substances and mineral surfaces are described. These developments are placed in the context of the existing literature. The aim is to describe the current understanding of humic substance mediated radionuclide transport as it may be applied to calculations in support of Radiological Performance Assessment. Some improvements in experimental techniques that provide the raw data to calibrate metal ion binding models are explained. The various metal ion binding models that are available are described and contrasted, before the recent development of ternary system models, in particular the Ligand Charge Distribution model that can predict metal ion and humic substance behaviour in ternary systems. The kinetic effects in ternary systems are described along with the models that are used to describe them. Finally, the remaining challenges in making predictions of radionuclide transport for the Radiological Performance Assessment of radioactive waste repositories are discussed.     

Les equations aux variations et la 11e integrale du probleme desN corps

LetH=T(p)?U(q) the Hamiltonian of theN-body problem in cartesian coordinates. In his ‘Nouvelles Méthodes de la Mécanique Céleste’ (tome 1, p. 172) Poincaré observes that the equations leave invariant the differential form $$\alpha = \Sigma (q \delta p + \tfrac{1}{2}p \delta q) - \tfrac{3}{2}t \delta H.$$ This property was rediscovered by Elie Cartan in the framework of his ‘Leçons sur les Invariants Intégraux’ (p. 89, last line). We propose to study some applications of this fact from the point of view of Poincaré, that is: the point of view of the equations of variation.     

Zinc concentrations in marine macroalgae and a lichen from western Ireland in relation to phylogenetic grouping, habitat and morphology

Zinc concentrations in 19 species of marine macroalgae and a lichen from western Ireland (Spiddal, Co. Galway) were analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Algae were collected from a single site but occupied different shore levels and belonged to distinct phylogenetic groupings and to different (previously recognised) morphological groups. Concentrations ranged from 15-115 microg g(-1) dry weight. The greatest variation in concentration occurred amongst the red algal species, containing both maximum and minimum concentrations. Zn concentrations in brown and green algae were generally lower than those in red algae. When grouped according to thallus morphology, thin, branched sheets (which consisted mainly of red algae) contained the highest Zn concentrations. In filamentous algae, Zn levels were higher than in thick-leathery or coarsely branched algae. However, all green algal species examined had similar Zn concentrations, despite their different morphologies. In brown algae, the highest Zn levels were detected in mid-shore fucoids (Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus serratus), while thicker, subtidal and low-shore brown algae (Laminaria digitata, Halydris siliquosa) exhibited lower Zn concentrations. The lowest Zn concentrations were detected in high-intertidal species (Fucus spiralis, Pelvetia canaliculata), the only marine lichen examined (Ramalina siliquosa) and a red crustose alga (Corallina officinalis). In all morphological groups, red algal representatives contained relatively higher levels of Zn, the exception being Corallina officinalis. Zn levels in 4 species from a second, estuarine site in Galway Bay exhibited the same relative differences amongst species, but were all consistently higher than in algae from Spiddal. It is concluded that Zn accumulation in macroalgae is closely related to ecological growth strategies, following a functional-form model. However, the phylogenetic origin of species which determines carbohydrate and phenol composition, and responses to ambient environmental conditions ultimately determine, the availability of binding sites for polyvalent cations.