Storm graded sand at 200 m water depth,Scotian Shelf,Eastern Canada

Graded sand-to-mud beds are a common shelf facies in the rock record. Similar beds were studied in nine cores from the sandmud transition at the edge of Emerald Basin to determine their frequency and mode of origin. Graded sand-to-mud beds 5 to 20 cm thick can be correlated between cores and thicken basinwards, with average sand content decreasing from 60% to 5% over 7 km. European weed pollen distribution indicates only the top bed is less than 200 years old. The graded beds were deposited from suspension during storms with a several hundred year recurrence interval.     

Intracontinental wedging and post-orogenic collapse in the mesohellenic trough

The Mesohellenic Trough is a 130 km long and about 30 km wide subsiding area which contains a thick sequence of well exposed Late Cenozoic post-orogenic sediments. This intermontane basin, located at the contact between the Apulian and Pelagonian collided margins, provides a good example of the characteristics needed to study the chronology of late orogenic intracontinental structures.The Mesohellenic Trough was developed from the Middle Eocene to Middle Miocene as a piggy-back basin along the eastern flanks of a giant pop-up structure. This structure consists of west-verging, foreland-propagating thrusts within the Apulian plate and of east-verging backthrusts within the Pelagonian plate. As a result the eastern parts of the Apulian margin were thickened and uplifted, followed by post-orogenic collapse.Internal deformation of the sedimentary infill varies widely along the trough axis. At the northern and southern terminations of the trough, two small indentors induced a tectonic escape towards the central part of the basin until the Middle Miocene. During this process of convergent wrenching, reverse strike-slip faults and pure strike-slip faults formed. Towards the central part of the trough, convergent wrenching decreased gradually until it was replaced by a post-orogenic collapse with normal and oblique normal faults trending parallel and/or perpendicular to the trough axis.     

Retroward extrusion of high‐pressure rocks: An example from the Hellenides (Pelion Blueschist Nappe,NW Aegean)

Current tectonic models interpret the Hellenides as a unidirectional, SW‐vergent orogenic belt. New (micro‐)structural and amphibole chemistry analyses show, instead, that the exhumation of the Pelion Blueschist Nappe (PBN) of the Internal Hellenides was achieved by retroward (ENE)‐directed ductile extrusion, which opposes the principal (proward) orogenic vergence. Retroward extrusion occurred between two sub‐parallel, major ductile shear zones (Basal thrust and Upper detachment) with opposite shear senses, which operated simultaneously under blueschist‐ to greenschist‐facies conditions during the late Eocene–Oligocene. Because the PBN is tectonically sandwiched between Pelagonian basement rocks, we suggest that the PBN protolith was accumulated during the Late Cretaceous in an incipient backarc basin developed above the NE‐dipping subduction of the Pindos Ocean beneath the Pelagonian microcontinent. Subsequent Apulian–Pelagonian collision triggered basin inversion and the proward‐dipping intracontinental subduction that caused the early/middle Eocene blueschist‐facies metamorphism followed by the retroward extrusion of the PBN.     

Development of a thresholds approach for real‐time flash flood prediction in complex geomorphological river basins

Flash floods represent one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters worldwide. The hydrological analysis of a flash flood event contributes in the understanding of the runoff creation process. This study presents the analysis of some flash flood events that took place in a complex geomorphological Mediterranean River basin. The objective of the present work is to develop the thresholds for a real‐time flash flood forecasting model in a complex geomorphological watershed, based on high‐frequency data from strategically located hydrological and meteorological telemetric stations. These stations provide hourly real‐time data which were used to determine hydrological and meteorological parameters. The main characteristics of various hydrographs specified in this study were the runoff coefficients, lag time, time to peak, and the maximum potential retention. The estimation of these hydrometeorological parameters provides the necessary information in order to successfully manage flash floods events. Especially, the time to peak is the most significant hydrological parameter that affects the response time of an oncoming flash flood event. A study of the above parameters is essential for the specification of thresholds which are related to the geomorphological characteristics of the river basin, the rainfall accumulation of an event, the rainfall intensity, the threshold runoff through karstic area, the season during which the rainfall takes place and the time intervals between the rainstorms that affect the soil moisture conditions. All these factors are combined into a real‐time‐threshold flash flood prediction model. Historical flash flood events at the downstream are also used for the validation of the model. An application of the proposed model is presented for the Koiliaris River basin in Crete, Greece. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geochemical processes and sedimentological characteristics of Holocene lagoon deposits,Alikes Lagoon,Zakynthos Island,western Greece

In this paper we present sedimentological, geochemical, mineralogical and ¹⁴C Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating data of a 21.0‐m core obtained from Alikes Lagoon, Zakynthos Island. It is the first time that sedimentological and geochemical data are presented, up to 21‐m depth, from an Holocene coastal lagoon environment of the Ionia Sea, western Greece. The sedimentological properties and the geochemical composition of sediments were studied for the time period between 8540 years bp to present. Samples were analysed for their particle size, calcium carbonate and total organic carbon (TOC) content. Moreover, bulk sample chemical analyses for major and trace elements were carried out, as well as bulk, oriented mineralogical analyses for the clay fraction (<2 µm) were determined by powder X‐Ray diffraction. The grain size characteristics, statistical parameters and TOC, for the Holocene analysed samples, suggest a coastal environment (restricted‐shallow) with reduced salinity such as a tidal flat and/or particularly marsh in a lagoon margin. Sediment characteristics as well as trace element records may contain additional new palaeoclimate information that provide important new constraint on sediment depositional environment and Holocene climate. Stratigraphic variation of geochemical indices, such as Rb/Ti, Cs/Ti, Eu/Eu*, Th/Ti, La/Ti, Ta/Ti, Yb/Ti and Y/Ti, for the sediments with ages from 8540 to 7210 years bp , remain relatively constant indicating that the provenance of the Alikes Lagoon remained similar throughout the mid Holocene. However, geochemical indices in sediments with ages from 7110 years bp to present, indicate the transition from a warm and wet climate in the middle Holocene to a relatively cold climatic conditions in modern times. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Contribution of Global Warming and Atmospheric Circulation to the Hottest Spring in Eastern China in 2018

The spring of 2018 was the hottest on record since 1951 over eastern China based on station observations, being 2.5°C higher than the 1961?90 mean and with more than 900 stations reaching the record spring mean temperature. This event exerted serious impacts in the region on agriculture, plant phenology, electricity transmission systems, and human health. In this paper, the contributions of human-induced climate change and anomalous anticyclonic circulation to this event are investigated using the newly homogenized observations and updated Met Office Hadley Centre system for attribution of extreme events, as well as CanESM2 (Second Generation Canadian Earth System Model) simulations. Results indicate that both anthropogenic influences and anomalous anticyclonic circulation played significant roles in increasing the probability of the 2018 hottest spring. Quantitative estimates of the probability ratio show that anthropogenic forcing may have increased the chance of this event by ten-fold, while the anomalous circulation increased it by approximately two-fold. The persistent anomalous anticyclonic circulation located on the north side of China blocked the air with lower temperature from high latitudes into eastern China. Without anthropogenic forcing or without the anomalous circulation in northern China, the occurrence probability of the extreme warm spring is significantly reduced.     

Axisymmetric modes of rotating relativistic stars in the Cowling approximation

Axisymmetric pulsations of rotating neutron stars can be excited in several scenarios, such as core collapse, crust- and core-quakes or binary mergers, and could become detectable in either gravitational waves or high-energy radiation. Here, we present a comprehensive study of all low-order axisymmetric modes of uniformly and rapidly rotating relativistic stars. Initial stationary configurations are appropriately perturbed and are numerically evolved using an axisymmetric, non-linear relativistic hydrodynamics code, assuming time-independence of the gravitational field (Cowling approximation). The simulations are performed using a high-resolution shock-capturing finite-difference scheme accurate enough to maintain the initial rotation law for a large number of rotational periods, even for stars at the mass-shedding limit. Through Fourier transforms of the time evolution of selected fluid variables, we compute the frequencies of quasi-radial and non-radial modes with spherical harmonic indices l =0 , 1, 2 and 3, for a sequence of rotating stars from the non-rotating limit to the mass-shedding limit. The frequencies of the axisymmetric modes are affected significantly by rotation only when the rotation rate exceeds about 50 per cent of the maximum allowed. As expected, at large rotation rates, apparent mode crossings between different modes appear. In addition to the above modes, several axisymmetric inertial modes are also excited in our numerical evolutions.     

POC and particulate Th export fluxes estimated using Th/U disequilibrium in an enclosed Eastern Mediterranean region (Saronikos Gulf and Elefsis Bay, Greece) in seasonal scale

Activity concentrations of the naturally occurring, short-lived and highly particle-reactive radionuclide tracer ²³⁴Th in the dissolved and particulate phase were determined at 7 shallow-water stations (maximum depths: 30 (S.1 and S.2), 65 (S.3), 97 (S.5), 105 (S.6) and 220 m (S.4 and S.7) in Saronikos Gulf and Elefsis Bay (central Aegean Sea, Greece) during 3 seasonal cruises (summer 2008, autumn 2008 and winter 2009) to assess the time scales of the dynamics and the depositional fate of particulate matter (POC, particulate ²³⁴Th). For that reason, in situ filtrating systems were deployed in several depths of the water column consisting of GF/A disc prefilters to scavenge particulate fraction of ²³⁴Th and organic carbon and impregnated cartridges to adsorb dissolved ²³⁴Th.The obtained data showed average particulate ²³⁴Th activity concentrations of 3.7 ± 0.4 Bq m⁻³ in summer, 2.1 ± 0.2 Bq m⁻³ in autumn and 2.4 ± 0.2 Bq m⁻³ in winter. The respective average dissolved ²³⁴Th activity concentrations were 30.1 ± 2.8 Bq m⁻³ in summer, 30.2 ± 2.9 Bq m⁻³ in autumn and 27.4 ± 3.0 Bq m⁻³ in winter. The activity ratios of total ²³⁴Th and its long-lived conservative parent ²³⁸U were below unity in most of the stations indicating radioactive disequilibrium throughout the water column, thus very dynamic trace-metal scavenging and particle export from the water column. These profiles (²³⁴Th and ²³⁸U) were used to estimate the export fluxes and scavenging rates of ²³⁴Th, as well as their residence times in the water column. The average cumulative export fluxes of particulate ²³⁴Th were estimated to be 33 ± 4 Bq m⁻² d⁻¹ in summer, 35 ± 5 Bq m⁻² d⁻¹ in autumn and 45 ± 6 Bq m⁻² d⁻¹ in winter, whereas the respective average cumulative scavenging rates of dissolved ²³⁴Th were 39 ± 5, 33 ± 5 and 50 ± 7 Bq m⁻² d⁻¹. Moreover, the cumulative average residence times of ²³⁴Th were 25 ± 4 d in summer, 45 ± 6 d in autumn and 64 ± 7 d in winter 2009 for the dissolved fraction and 4 ± 1, 3 ± 1 and 4 ± 1 d for the particulate one, respectively.POC/ ratio profiles decreased versus depth showing a variety of marine processes, such as loss of POC due to dissolution after biological activity, impact of minerals in particle sinking and microbial remineralization. Average cumulative export fluxes of POC were 162 ± 18 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ in summer, 107 ± 19 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ in autumn and 157 ± 25 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ in winter 2009. The seasonal data of POC fluxes certified the existence of phytoplankton bloom in winter for Saronikos Gulf. In addition, after evaluating the maxima of POC fluxes in Elefsis Bay (a small embayment in northern Saronikos Gulf) during summer, potential bloom of phytoplankton also concluded; this approach is in agreement with previous data of the same area. Finally, the elevated POC concentrations and fluxes in the region certify that the Gulf is still one of the most organic polluted in the Mediterranean Sea.     

Salinity changes in the World Ocean since 1950 in relation to changing surface freshwater fluxes

Global hydrographic and air–sea freshwater flux datasets are used to investigate ocean salinity changes over 1950–2010 in relation to surface freshwater flux. On multi-decadal timescales, surface salinity increases (decreases) in evaporation (precipitation) dominated regions, the Atlantic–Pacific salinity contrast increases, and the upper thermocline salinity maximum increases while the salinity minimum of intermediate waters decreases. Potential trends in E–P are examined for 1950–2010 (using two reanalyses) and 1979–2010 (using four reanalyses and two blended products). Large differences in the 1950–2010 E–P trend patterns are evident in several regions, particularly the North Atlantic. For 1979–2010 some coherency in the spatial change patterns is evident but there is still a large spread in trend magnitude and sign between the six E–P products. However, a robust pattern of increased E–P in the southern hemisphere subtropical gyres is seen in all products. There is also some evidence in the tropical Pacific for a link between the spatial change patterns of salinity and E–P associated with ENSO. The water cycle amplification rate over specific regions is subsequently inferred from the observed 3-D salinity change field using a salt conservation equation in variable isopycnal volumes, implicitly accounting for the migration of isopycnal surfaces. Inferred global changes of E–P over 1950–2010 amount to an increase of 1 ± 0.6 % in net evaporation across the subtropics and an increase of 4.2 ± 2 % in net precipitation across subpolar latitudes. Amplification rates are approximately doubled over 1979–2010, consistent with accelerated broad-scale warming but also coincident with much improved salinity sampling over the latter period.