Evidence in a glassy cosmic spherule from Antarctica for grazing incidence encounters with the Earth's atmosphere

Abstract— Cosmic dust accreted by the Earth can be extensively reprocessed during atmospheric encounters. The textures and compositions of reprocessed material provide important constraints by which the processes affecting extraterrestrial matter in the Earth's atmosphere can be better understood. Here we report results on an unusual Antarctic glassy cosmic spherule that demonstrates strong textural evidence for at least two grazing incidence encounters with the Earth's atmosphere prior to final reentry. The particle consists of a central glassy core with four peripheral glass lobes that transect a silicate particle rim. The texture of the particle confirms previous theoretical speculations that some high velocity, low incidence angle interplanetary particles experience numerous encounters with the Earth's atmosphere and also indicates that micrometeorites demonstrating multiple melting episodes should be interpreted with caution.     

Fusing MODIS with Landsat 8 data to downscale weekly normalized difference vegetation index estimates for central Great Basin rangelands,USA

Data fused from distinct but complementary satellite sensors mitigate tradeoffs that researchers make when selecting between spatial and temporal resolutions of remotely sensed data. We integrated data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor aboard the Terra satellite and the Operational Land Imager sensor aboard the Landsat 8 satellite into four regression-tree models and applied those data to a mapping application. This application produced downscaled maps that utilize the 30-m spatial resolution of Landsat in conjunction with daily acquisitions of MODIS normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) that are composited and temporally smoothed. We produced four weekly, atmospherically corrected, and nearly cloud-free, downscaled 30-m synthetic MODIS NDVI predictions (maps) built from these models. Model results were strong with R² values ranging from 0.74 to 0.85. The correlation coefficients (r ≥ 0.89) were strong for all predictions when compared to corresponding original MODIS NDVI data. Downscaled products incorporated into independently developed sagebrush ecosystem models yielded mixed results. The visual quality of the downscaled 30-m synthetic MODIS NDVI predictions were remarkable when compared to the original 250-m MODIS NDVI. These 30-m maps improve knowledge of dynamic rangeland seasonal processes in the central Great Basin, United States, and provide land managers improved resource maps.     

Slopewash,surface runoff and fine-litter transport in forest and landslide scars in humid-tropical steeplands,luquillo experimental forest,Puerto Rico

Rainfall, slopewash (the erosion of soil particles), surface runoff and fine-litter transport steepland sites in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico (18° 20’ N, 65° 45’ W) were measured from 1991 to 1995. Hillslopes underlain by (1) Cretaceous tuffaceous sandstone and silstone in subtropical rain (tanonuco) forest with vegetation recovering from Hurricane Hugo (1989), and (2) Tertiary quartz diorite in subtropical lower mantone wet (colorado and dwarf) forest with undisturbed forest canopy were compared to recent landslide scars. Monthly surface runoff on these very steep hillslopes (24° to 43°) was only 0·2 to 0·5 per cent of monthly rainfall. Slopewash was higher in sandy loam soils whose parent material is quartz diorite (averaging 46 g m⁻² a⁻¹) than in silty clay loam soils derived from tuffaceous sandstone and siltstone where the average was 9 g m⁻² a⁻¹. Annual slopewash of 100 to 349 g m⁻² on the surfaces of two recent, small landslide scars was measured initially but slopewash decreased to only 3 to 4 g m⁻² a⁻¹ by the end of the study. The mean annual mass of fine litter (mainly leaves and twigs) transported downslope at the forested sites ranged from 5 to 8 g m⁻² and was lower at the tabonuco forest site, where post-Hurricane Hugo recovery is still in progress. Mean annual fine-litter transport was 2·5 g m⁻² on the two landslide scars. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Revised 14C dating of ice wedge growth in interior Alaska (USA) to MIS 2 reveals cold paleoclimate and carbon recycling in ancient permafrost terrain

Establishing firm radiocarbon chronologies for Quaternary permafrost sequences remains a challenge because of the persistence of old carbon in younger deposits. To investigate carbon dynamics and establish ice wedge formation ages in Interior Alaska, we dated a late Pleistocene ice wedge, formerly assigned to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, and host sediments near Fairbanks, Alaska, with 24 radiocarbon analyses on wood, particulate organic carbon (POC), air-bubble CO₂, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Our new CO₂ and DOC ages are up to 11,170 yr younger than ice wedge POC ages, indicating that POC is detrital in origin. We conclude an ice wedge formation age between 28 and 22 cal ka BP during cold stadial conditions of MIS 2 and solar insolation minimum, possibly associated with Heinrich event 2 or the last glacial maximum. A DOC age for an ice lens in a thaw unconformity above the ice wedge returned a maximum age of 21,470 ± 200 cal yr BP. Our variable ¹⁴C data indicate recycling of older carbon in ancient permafrost terrain, resulting in radiocarbon ages significantly older than the period of ice-wedge activity. Release of ancient carbon with climatic warming will therefore affect the global ¹⁴C budget.     

Rare earth elements (REE) and yttrium in stream waters, stream sediments, and Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides: Fractionation, speciation, and controls over REE + Y patterns in the surface environment

We have collected ∼500 stream waters and associated bed-load sediments over an ∼400 km² region of Eastern Canada and analyzed these samples for Fe, Mn, and the rare earth elements (REE + Y). In addition to analyzing the stream sediments by total digestion (multi-acid dissolution with metaborate fusion), we also leached the sediments with 0.25 M hydroxylamine hydrochloride (in 0.05 M HCl), to determine the REE + Y associated with amorphous Fe- and Mn-oxyhydroxide phases. We are thus able to partition the REE into “dissolved” (<0.45 μm), labile (hydroxylamine) and detrital sediment fractions to investigate REE fractionation, and in particular, with respect to the development of Ce and Eu anomalies in oxygenated surface environments. Surface waters are typically LREE depleted ([La/Sm]_NASC ranges from 0.16 to 5.84, average = 0.604, n = 410; where the REE are normalized to the North America Shale Composite), have strongly negative Ce anomalies ([Ce/Ce^∗]_NASC ranges from 0.02 to 1.25, average = 0.277, n = 354), and commonly have positive Eu anomalies ([Eu/Eu^∗]_NASC ranges from 0.295 to 1.77, average = 0.764, n = 84). In contrast, the total sediment have flatter REE + Y patterns relative to NASC ([La/Sm]_NASC ranges from 0.352 to 1.12, average = 0.778, n = 451) and are slightly middle REE enriched ([Gd/Yb]_NASC ranges from 0.55 to 3.75, average = 1.42). Most total sediments have negative Ce and Eu anomalies ([Ce/Ce^∗]_NASC ranges from 0.097 to 2.12, average = 0.799 and [Eu/Eu^∗]_NASC ranges from 0.39 to 1.43, average = 0.802). The partial extraction sediments are commonly less LREE depleted than the total sediments ([La/Sm]_NASC ranges from 0.24 to 3.31, average = 0.901, n = 4537), more MREE enriched ([Gd/Yb]_NASC ranges from 0.765 to 6.28, average = 1.97) and Ce and Eu anomalies (negative and positive) are more pronounced.The partial extraction recovered, on average ∼20% of the Fe in the total sediment, ∼80% of the Mn, and 21-29% of the REEs (Ce = 19% and Y = 32%). Comparison between REEs in water, partial extraction and total sediment analyses indicates that REEs + Y in the stream sediments have two primary sources, the host lithologies (i.e., mechanical dispersion) and hydromorphically transported (the labile fraction). Furthermore, Eu appears to be more mobile than the other REE, whereas Ce is preferentially removed from solution and accumulates in the stream sediments in a less labile form than the other REEs + Y. Despite poor statistical correlations between the REEs + Y and Mn in either the total sediment or partial extractions, based on apparent distribution coefficients and the pH of the stream waters, we suggest that either sediment organic matter and/or possibly δ-MnO₂/FeOOH are likely the predominant sinks for Ce, and to a lesser extent the other REE, in the stream sediments.     

Linking biogeochemical processes and historic primary producer communities in a SE USA sinkhole lake from the mid-Holocene to present

Many freshwater resources receive materials from human development causing a decrease in ecological services when compared to pre-disturbance periods. As a result, the understanding of eutrophication and limnological change has increased, but less attention has been given to systems under intense human impact that have not eutrophied so that drivers precluding eutrophication can be documented. The primary objective of this research was to reconstruct allochthonous inputs and in-lake processes for Long Pond, Georgia, USA from the mid Holocene to present and link them to primary producer community changes. Long Pond is a mesotrophic lake located in a highly altered watershed from agricultural and municipal land use and housing developments. A 5 m sediment core was collected from Long Pond, and organic matter, nutrients (C, N, P), metals (Al, Fe, Cu), and photosynthetic pigments were measured. Long Pond existed in three limnological states spanning the past ~6000 years. Prior to modern lacustrine conditions, Long Pond was a wetland/peat system that experienced the highest primary producer abundance recorded in the core. The modern lacustrine state began in the late Holocene and was characterized by increased connectivity with the surrounding watershed and low productivity. Human impacts began around 1900 AD and included high levels of phosphorus and metal deposition but moderate levels of primary producer abundance. As a result, in-lake dynamics are believed to be regulating the trophic status of Long Pond. Low concentrations of available phosphorus in the water column combined with high concentrations of sedimentary phosphorus may imply the binding of phosphorus to the sediments by certain materials such as aluminum and iron. Long Pond serves as an example of the complex in-lake processes that can occur from allochthonous inputs and autochthonous responses in lake systems thus complicating management decisions.     

Multi-scale simulation of wave propagation and liquefaction in a one-dimensional soil column: hybrid DEM and finite-difference procedure

The paper describes a multi-phase, multi-scale rational method for modeling and predicting free-field wave propagation and the weakening and liquefaction of near-surface soils. The one-dimensional time-domain model of a soil column uses the discrete element method (DEM) to track stress and strain within a series of representative volume elements (RVEs), driven by seismic rock displacements at the column base. The RVE interactions are accomplished with a time-stepping finite-difference algorithm. The method applies Darcy’s principle to resolve the momentum transfer between a soil’s solid matrix and its interstitial pore fluid. Different algorithms are described for the dynamic period of seismic shaking and for the post-shaking consolidation period. The method can analyze numerous conditions and phenomena, including site-specific amplification, down-slope movement of sloping ground, dissolution or cavitation of air in the pore fluid, and drainage that is concurrent with shaking. Several refinements of the DEM are described for realistically simulating soil behavior and for solving a range of propagation and liquefaction factors, including the poromechanic stiffness of the pore fluid and the pressure-dependent drained stiffness of the grain matrix. The model is applied to four sets of well-documented centrifuge studies. The verification results are favorable and highlight the importance of the pore fluid conditions, such as the amount of dissolved air within the pore water.

     

Determination of predevelopment denudation rates of an agricultural watershed (Cayaguás River, Puerto Rico) using in-situ-produced Be in river-borne quartz

Accurate estimates of watershed denudation absent anthropogenic effects are required to develop strategies for mitigating accelerated physical erosion resulting from human activities, to model global geochemical cycles, and to examine interactions among climate, weathering, and uplift. We present a simple approach to estimate predevelopment denudation rates using in-situ-produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be in fluvial sediments. Denudation processes in an agricultural watershed (Cayaguás River Basin, Puerto Rico) and a matched undisturbed watershed (Icacos River Basin) were compared using ¹⁰Be concentrations in quartz for various size fractions of bed material. The coarse fractions in both watersheds bear the imprint of long subsurface residence times. Fine material from old shallow soils contributes little, however, to the present-day sediment output of the Cayaguás. This confirms the recent and presumably anthropogenic origin of the modern high denudation rate in the Cayaguás Basin and suggests that pre-agricultural erosional conditions were comparable to those of the present-day Icacos.     

The 13th and 14th Workshops on Antarctic Meteorology and Climate

<正>1.Overview In July 2018, the Antarctic community came together to meet at the 13th Workshop on Antarctic Meteorology and Climate (WAMC) in Madison, Wisconsin, USA (Fig. 1); and in the following year in June 2019, the 14th WAMC was held in     

Seismic velocities of granulite-facies xenoliths from Central Ireland: Implications for lower crustal composition and anisotropy

V_p and V_s values have been measured experimentally and calculated for granulite-facies lower crustal xenoliths from central Ireland close to the Caledonian Iapetus suture zone. The xenoliths are predominantly foliated and lineated metapelitic (garnet–sillimanite–K-feldspar) granulites. Their metapelitic composition is unusual compared with the mostly mafic composition of lower crustal xenoliths world-wide. Based on thermobarometry, the metapelitic xenoliths were entrained from depths of c. 20–25 ± 3.5 km and rare mafic granulites from depths of 31–33 ± 3.4 km. The xenoliths were emplaced during Lower Carboniferous volcanism and are considered to represent samples of the present day lower crust.V_p values for the metapelitic granulites range between 6.26 and 7.99 km s^{− 1} with a mean value of 7.09 ± 0.4 km s^{− 1}. Psammite and granitic orthogneiss samples have calculated V_p values of 6.51 and 6.23 km s^{− 1}, respectively. V_s values for the metapelites are between 3.86 and 4.34 km s^{− 1}, with a mean value of 4.1 ± 0.15 km s^{− 1}. The psammite and orthogneiss have calculated V_s values of 3.95 and 3.97 km s^{− 1}, respectively.The measured seismic velocities correlate with density and with modal mineralogy, especially the high content of sillimanite and garnet. V_p anisotropy is between 0.15% and 13.97%, and a clear compositional control is evident, mainly in relation to sillimanite abundance. Overall V_s anisotropy ranges from 1% to 11%. Poisson's ratio (σ) lies between 0.25 and 0.35 for the metapelitic granulites, mainly reflecting a high V_p value due to abundant sillimanite in the sample with the highest σ. Anisotropy is probably a function of deformation associated with the closure of the Iapetus ocean in the Silurian as well as later extension in the Devonian. The orientation of the bulk strain ellipsoid in the lower crust is difficult to constrain, but lineation is likely to be NE–SW, given the strike-slip nature of the late Caledonian and subsequent Acadian deformation.When corrected for present-day lower crustal temperature, the experimentally determined V_p values correspond well with velocities from the ICSSP, COOLE I and VARNET seismic refraction lines. Near the xenolith localities, the COOLE I line displays two lower crustal layers with in situ V_p values of 6.85–6.9 and 6.9–8.0 km s^{− 1}, respectively. The upper (lower velocity) layer corresponds well with the metapelitic granulite xenoliths while the lower (higher velocity) layer matches that of the basic granulite xenoliths, though their metamorphic pressures suggest derivation from depths corresponding to the present-day upper mantle.