Expériences sur la précipitation directe de l'apatite dans l'eau de mer: Implication dans la genèse des phosphorites

The direct precipitation of apatite in seawater is inhibited by Mg ions. The action of various factors on this precipitation is studied: addition of Ca, addition of F, reduction of pH and simultaneous effect of reduction of pH and addition either of F or of Ca. It is established that the reduction of the pH of seawater to 7 allows the precipitation of the apatite with a Ca/Mg ratio in the water of 1.2. The favourable environment for the settlement of natural apatite must then be either neutral or acid. This result is corroborated by the re-study of Gulbrandsen's equation. Such an acid environment with a high phosphorus content may be the result of oxidation of large quantities of organic matter due to previous intense biological activity. The acidity is probably brought about by bubbling of CO₂.     

Forecasting El Niño and La Niña events using decision tree classifier

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon affects the global climate by changing temperature and precipitation patterns mainly in tropical...     

Correction to: Observational Investigation of the Statistical Properties of Surface-Layer Turbulence in a Suburban Area of São Paulo,Brazil: Objective Analysis of Scaling-Parameter Accuracy and Uncertainties

Boundary-Layer Meteorology -     

Differentiating Future Commitments on the Basis of Countries’ Relative Historical Responsibility for Climate Change: Uncertainties in the ‘Brazilian Proposal’ in the Context of a Policy Implementation

During the negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol, Brazil proposed allocating the greenhouse gas emission reductions of Annex I Parties according to the relative effect of a country’s historical emissions on global temperature increase. This paper analyses the impact of scientific uncertainties and of different options in policy implementation (policy choices) on the contribution of countries’ historical emissions to indicators of historical responsibility for climate change. The influence of policy choices was found to be at least as large as the impact of the scientific uncertainties analysed here. Building on this, the paper then proceeds to explore the implications of applying the Brazilian Proposal as a climate regime for differentiation of future commitments on the global scale combined with an income threshold for participation of the non-Annex I regions. Under stringent climate targets, such a regime leads to high emission reductions for Annex I regions by 2050, in particular for Europe and Japan. The income threshold assumptions strongly affect the Annex I reductions, even more than the impact of another burden-sharing key. A variant of the Brazilian Proposal, allocating emission reductions on the basis of cumulative emissions since 1990, would lead to a more balanced distribution of emission reductions.     

On the Neogene-Quaternary debate

A proposed resolution to the current Neogene-Quaternary debate involves independent, non-overlapping status for the two units and harks back to Lyell＇s original denotation of the terms Older and Newer Pliocene.     

Semi‐Micro Reflux Procedure for Minimization of Chloride Interference by COD Determination

In this study, a semi‐micro procedure for the COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) was undertaken to allow the measurement of effluent samples with a high chloride content. It was found that the COD values for standard and effluent samples, corresponded closely to those obtained using the standard method of Burns and Marshall. When the method was applied to samples of industrial wastewater, with a very high chloride content, the recommended procedure proved to be accurate and precise, with RSDs of 6% and 4.3% for the standard and effluent solutions, respectively. The required amount of hazardous reagents was similar to that found in the standard closed reflux method. It was also possible to determine the total amount of oxidized halides. The use of this low‐cost, laboratory‐made system made it unnecessary to acquire an expensive, imported analytical system, while maintaining a high level of accuracy in the determinations.     

Coupled rainfall and water vapour stable isotope time series reveal tropical atmospheric processes on multiple timescales

High-frequency stable isotope data are useful for validating atmospheric moisture circulation models and provide improved understanding of the mechanisms controlling isotopic compositions in tropical rainfall. Here, we present a near-continuous 6-month record of O- and H-isotope compositions in both water vapour and daily rainfall from Northeast Australia measured by laser spectroscopy. The data set spans both wet and dry seasons to help address a significant data and knowledge gap in the southern hemisphere tropics. We interpret the isotopic records for water vapour and rainfall in the context of contemporaneous meteorological observations. Surface air moisture provided near-continuous tracking of the links between isotopic variations and meteorological events on local to regional spatial scales. Power spectrum analysis of the isotopic variation showed a range of significant periodicities, from hourly to monthly scales, and cross-wavelet analysis identified significant regions of common power for hourly averaged water vapour isotopic composition and relative humidity, wind direction, and solar radiation. Relative humidity had the greatest subdiurnal influence on isotopic composition. On longer timescales (weeks to months), isotope variability was strongly correlated with both wind direction and relative humidity. The high-frequency records showed diurnal isotopic variations in O- and H-isotope compositions due to local dew formation and, for deuterium excess, as a result of evapotranspiration. Several significant negative isotope anomalies on a daily scale were associated with the activity of regional mesoscale convective systems and the occurrence of two tropical cyclones. Calculated air parcel back trajectories identified the predominant moisture transport paths from the Southwest Pacific Ocean, whereas moisture transport from northerly directions occurred mainly during the wet season monsoonal airflow. Water vapour isotope compositions reflected the same meteorological events as recorded in rainfall isotopes but provided much more detailed and continuous information on atmospheric moisture cycling than the intermittent isotopic record provided by rainfall. Improved global coverage of stable isotope data for atmospheric water vapour is likely to improve simulations of future changes to climate drivers of the hydrological cycle.