GGR Critical Review of Analytical Developments in 2004–2005

In 2005 Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research embarked upon a new initiative for its readers. Key researchers in various fields of geoanalytical technique development and their application were identified and invited to provide reviews pertinent to their expertise. As noted in the first of these publications "…instead of revisiting the historical context or decades of development in each analytical technique, the goal here has been to capture a snapshot of "hot topics" across a range of fields as represented in the… literature" (Hergt et al . 2005). Rather than prepare an annual review, a decision was taken earlier this year to provide a biennial summary of progress and accomplishments, in this case for the years 2004–2005. The principal techniques employed in Earth and environmental sciences are covered here, and include laser ablation and multicollector ICP-MS, ICP-AES, thermal ionisation and secondary ion mass spectrometry, as well as neutron activation analysis, X-ray fluorescence and atomic absorption spectrometry. A comprehensive review of the development of reference materials, often essential to these techniques, is also provided. The contributions assembled serve both to keep readers informed of advances they may be unfamiliar with, but also as a means of showcasing examples of the breadth and depth of work being conducted in these fields.     

Tailoring spatial reference in early warning systems to administrative units

This paper presents a novel approach for early warning systems to transform the spatial reference of dispersion models into addressable administrative units enabling an intelligible warning message reception and spatial awareness. The spatial reference along the entire information chain from sensor measurements via dispersion model to warning dissemination is discussed. Core concept behind this approach is the application of the Egenhofer-Model for analysis of binary topologic relations. It is used to identify topologic relations between dispersion model forecasts and administrative units. The result set of intersection matrices defines the relations that are counted for area classification with hazard specific parameters. Following the design for a generic and hazard-independent web service based on Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards is presented in combination with results of the reference implementation.     

Review on dating methods: Numerical dating in the quaternary geology of High Asia

Over the past few years, OSL and TCN datings of glacial material from High Asia have come into fashion. To this day, however, these techniques do not permit safe calibration. The intensity of the cosmic ray flux is being modulated by the solar and terrestrial magnetic fields and their secular fluctuations in the past. So far, these variations cannot be converted into the respective local TCN production rates for High Asia. We have reason to believe that the ages that are being calculated despite these uncertainties are generally overestimated. This assessment is supported by conventional radiocarbon dates and above all by the glacial chronology developed independently on the basis of the Quaternary geological method. The strongly emerging evidence for a much more extensive LGM glaciation of High Asia is, however, either being ignored or rejected by many authors, solely on the basis of the above-mentioned uncalibrated datings. This self-conceit based on the “dating fallacy”, as we call it, should be avoided since it goes decidedly against the standards of the scientific method established in Quaternary geology and makes a fundamental scientific discussion impossible.     

The Water Framework Directive: Can more information be extracted from groundwater data? A case study of Seewinkel,Burgenland, eastern Austria

Water protection is one of the most important goals in environmental protection. The Clean Water Act in the USA and the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in Europe are the legal frameworks to facilitate the achievement of this goal. The question is raised of whether more information can be extracted from WFD-related groundwater data. To answer it, a methodology has been developed that is easy to use and could be implemented into official practice. A case study is presented in which the groundwater data of a sodic area in Austria (Seewinkel) is assessed. Eighteen parameters in groundwater sampled from 23 wells (1991–2011) were analyzed. With basic statistics, trend-, cluster-, Wilks’ λ and spatial sampling density analysis, local phosphorus and boron phenomena were described, along with the determining role of sulphate, groundwater flow, and the oxygen gradient in the area. As a final step, the spatial sampling density was determined. Regarding the current set of parameters, all the sampling sites are necessary and only in the case of certain parameters (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, NO₃ ^?, pH) could one sampling site be abandoned. The methodology applied brings a new perspective to exploring groundwater data collected according to the requirements of the WFD.     

Eocene-Pliocene time scale and stratigraphy of the Upper Rhine Graben (URG) and the Swiss Molasse Basin (SMB)

We present a general stratigraphic synthesis for the Upper Rhine Graben (URG) and the Swiss Molasse Basin (SMB) from Eocene to Pliocene times. The stratigraphic data were compiled both from literature and from research carried out by the authors during the past 6 years ; an index of the stratigraphically most important localitites is provided. We distinguish 14 geographical areas from the Helvetic domain in the South to the Hanau Basin in the North. For each geographical area, we give a synthesis of the biostratigraphy, lithofacies, and chronostratigraphic ranges. The relationships between this stratigraphic record and the global sea-level changes are generally disturbed by the geodynamic (e.g., subsidence) evolution of the basins. However, global sea-level changes probably affected the dynamic of transgression–regression in the URG (e.g., Middle Pechelbronn Beds and Serie Grise corresponding with sea-level rise between Ru1/Ru2 and Ru2/Ru3 sequences, respectively) as well as in the Molasse basin (regression of the UMM corresponding with the sea-level drop at the Ch1 sequence). The URGENT-project (Upper Rhine Graben evolution and neotectonics) provided an unique opportunity to carry out and present this synthesis. Discussions with scientists addressing sedimentology, tectonics, geophysics and geochemistry permitted the comparison of the sedimentary history and stratigraphy of the basin with processes controlling its geodynamic evolution. Data presented here back up the palaeogeographic reconstructions presented in a companion paper by the same authors (see Berger et al. in Int J Earth Sci 2005).     

Extraktion und Verteilung der Aminosäuren in einigen kretazischen Kernproben

Zusammenfassung In 45 Sedimentproben wurde die Verteilung von 16 Aminosäuren quantitativ bestimmt. Durch aufeinanderfolgende Hydrolysen des gleichen Gesteins mit verschiedenen Säuren ließen sich zwei Arten von Aminosäurenverbindungen ermitteln. Aus den Verhältniswerten dieser löslichen, bereits mit 6-N-Salzsäure freisetzbaren Aminosäuren und der kerogengebundenen mit 12 N HCl zugänglichen Komponente lassen sich über die thermische Beanspruchung und den Reifungszustand eines Sedimentes Schlüsse ziehen. Diese stimmen mit den Ergebnissen der durchgeführten Thermalversuche überein und erklären sich durch eine Änderung der Bindungsform der Aminosäuren am Kerogen. Durch zunehmende thermische Beanspruchung erhöht sich der kerogengebundene Aminosäurenanteil, während das Verhältnis zwischen neutralen und nicht neutralen Aminosäuren abnimmt.

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The distribution of 16 aminoacids in 45 sedimentsamples has been determined. Two separate groups of aminoacids could be isolated by successive treatment of the same rock with different acids i. e. rather loosely bound aminoacids isolated by 6 N HCl hydrolysis and aminoacids incorporated in the kerogen, which could be recovered only upon 12 N HCl treatment. From the ratio of these groups conclusions may be drawn with respect to the thermal history and maturity of a sediment. The conclusions have been verified by thermal experiments and may be explained by a modification of the way of compound of the aminoacids with the kerogen. With increasing thermal influence the strongly combined aminoacid fraction becomes relatively predominant. At the same time the ratio of neutral and other aminoacids in these fractions decreases.

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Résumé Le rendement de l'extraction des amino-acides présents dans la roche est fonction de la solubilité de la roche, donc de la pétrographie des échantillons. C'est pourquoi on déminéralise la roche d'abord à l'aide d'acide chlorhydrique, puis d'acide fluorhydrique; on élimine ensuite les constituants bitumineux à l'aide d'acide formique. Le kérogène ainsi isolé fait l'objet de l'hydrolyse proprement dite, laquelle est entreprise par traitements successifs à l'HCl 6 N et à l'HCl 12 N. Ce double traitement a pour effet de séparer des fractions faiblement et fortement combinées.La fraction obtenue par hydrolyse à l'HCl 6 N représente les amino-acides liés au kérogène par adsorption superficielle; la fraction 12 N HCl contient les amino-acides qui étaient intimement incorporés dans le kérogène, en faisant partie de la structure. Cette dernière fraction devient relativement de plus en plus importante avec l'âge et la maturation croissantes; par traitement thermique d'échantillons récents, traitement simulant le vieillissement et la maturation, on constate la même chose. La part des amino-acides neutres diminue, avec la température et la profondeur croissantes, dans la fraction 12 N; elle augmente dans la fraction 6 N.Des échantillons mésozoiques provenant d'un forage profond d'Aquitaine ont été analysés. Les concentrations totales en amino-acides sont en corrélation avec les concentrations en fossiles. D'autre part, dans le partie inférieure du forage (donc la partie dont on peut penser qu'elle est la plus évoluée), on voit le rapport amino-acides neutres/amino-acides totaux diminuer avec la profondeur. Il est à noter que des changements nets dans ce rapport coïncident avec des limites stratigraphiques.

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. 45 , 16 . : 1) 6 HCI II) 12 HCI. .

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Herrn Professor Dr.Roland Brinkmann zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet.

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Der Direktion derSocièté Nationale Des Pétroles D'Aquitaine, Pau, danke ich für die Ermöglichung dieser Arbeiten und die Genehmigung ihrer Veröffentlichung, den Herren Doktoren G.Kulbicki und B.van der Weide für die vielseitigen Anregungen und Diskussionen. Herrn Prof. Dr. E. T.Degens bin ich für die Durchsicht des Manuskriptes sehr dankbar.     

Regional Energy Demand Responses To Climate Change: Methodology And Application To The Commonwealth Of Massachusetts

Climate is a major determinant of energy demand. Changes in climate may alter energy demand as well as energy demand patterns. This study investigates the implications of climate change for energy demand under the hypothesis that impacts are scale dependent due to region-specific climatic variables, infrastructure, socioeconomic, and energy use profiles. In this analysis we explore regional energy demand responses to climate change by assessing temperature-sensitive energy demand in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The study employs a two-step estimation and modeling procedure. The first step evaluates the historic temperature sensitivity of residential and commercial demand for electricity and heating fuels, using a degree-day methodology. We find that when controlling for socioeconomic factors, degree-day variables have significant explanatory power in describing historic changes in residential and commercial energy demands. In the second step, we assess potential future energy demand responses to scenarios of climate change. Model results are based on alternative climate scenarios that were specifically derived for the region on the basis of local climatological data, coupled with regional information from available global climate models. We find notable changes with respect to overall energy consumption by, and energy mix of the residential and commercial sectors in the region. On the basis of our findings, we identify several methodological issues relevant to the development of climate change impact assessments of energy demand.     

Late Pleistocene fluvial dynamics in the Hochrhein Valley and in the Upper Rhine Graben: chronological frame

During the Pleistocene, the Rhine glacier system acted as a major south–north erosion and transport medium from the Swiss Alps into the Upper Rhine Graben, which has been the main sediment sink forming low angle debris fans. Only some aggradation resulted in the formation of terraces. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon dating have been applied to set up a more reliable chronological frame of Late Pleistocene and Holocene fluvial activity in the western Hochrhein Valley and in the southern part of the Upper Rhine Graben. The stratigraphically oldest deposits exposed, a braided-river facies, yielded OSL age estimates ranging from 59.6 ± 6.2 to 33.1 ± 3.0 ka. The data set does not enable to distinguish between a linear age increase triggered by a continuous autocyclical aggradation or two (or more) age clusters, for example around 35 ka and around 55 ka, triggered by climate change, including stadial and interstadial periods (sensu Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles). The braided river facies is discontinuously (hiatus) covered by coarse-grained gravel-rich sediments deposited most likely during a single event or short-time period of major melt water discharge postdating the Last Glacial Maximum. OSL age estimates of fluvial and aeolian sediments from the above coarse-grained sediment layer are between 16.4 ± 0.8 and 10.6 ± 0.5 ka, and make a correlation with the Late Glacial period very likely. The youngest fluvial aggradation period correlates to the beginning of the Little Ice Age, as confirmed by OSL and radiocarbon ages.     

Enhancing the relevance of Shared Socioeconomic Pathways for climate change impacts,adaptation and vulnerability research

This paper discusses the role and relevance of the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) and the new scenarios that combine SSPs with representative concentration pathways (RCPs) for climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability (IAV) research. It first provides an overview of uses of social–environmental scenarios in IAV studies and identifies the main shortcomings of earlier such scenarios. Second, the paper elaborates on two aspects of the SSPs and new scenarios that would improve their usefulness for IAV studies compared to earlier scenario sets: (i) enhancing their applicability while retaining coherence across spatial scales, and (ii) adding indicators of importance for projecting vulnerability. The paper therefore presents an agenda for future research, recommending that SSPs incorporate not only the standard variables of population and gross domestic product, but also indicators such as income distribution, spatial population, human health and governance.     

Utilisation and Management Changes in South Kyrgyzstan＇s Mountain Forests

Using political ecology as its conceptual framework, this paper focuses on the changes in forest utilisation and management of South Kyrgyzstan＇s walnut-fruit forests over the last century The aim of this study on human-environment interactions is to investigate the relationship between actors on the one side, their interests and demands, and the forests and forested lands on the other. Forest resource utilisation and management - and even the recognition of different forest products as resources - are connected with political and socioeconomic conditions that change with time. The walnut-fruit forests of South Kyrgyzstan are unique, characterised by high biodiversity and a multiplicity of usable products; and they have been utilised for a long time. Centralised and formal management of the forests started with the Russian occupation and was strengthened under Soviet rule, when the region became a part of the USSR. During this era, a state forest administration that was structured from Moscow all the way down to the local level drew up detailed plans and developed procedures for utilising the different forest products. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the socio-political and economic frame conditions have changed significantly, which has brought not only the sweeping changes in the managing institutions, but also the access rights and interests in the forest resources. At present, the region is suffering from a high unemployment rate, which has resulted in the forests＇ gaining considerable importance in the livelihood strategies of the local population. Political and economic liberalization, increased communication and transregional exchange relations have opened the door for international companies and agents interested in the valuable forest products. Today, walnut wood and burls, walnuts, wild apples and mushrooms are all exported to various countries in the world. Scientists and members of various international organisations stress the ecological value of the forests and are trying to establish nature conservation areas. Nevertheless, it is to fear that a multiplicity of interrelated factors - the present transformation and globalization processes, the appearance of new actors, the local population＇s insecure economic situation and the erosion of managing institutions - are all leading to an intensified and unregulated exploitation of the forests, resulting in their degradation.