Cyanobacteria as a trigger for increased primary productivity during sapropel formation in the Baltic Sea—a study of the Ancylus/Litorina transition

A sediment sequence from the Gotland Basin, representing the Ancylus Lake/Litorina Sea transition, was analysed for pigments, stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N), diatoms and carbon and nitrogen content. The negative correlation between the cyanobacterial specific pigment zeaxanthin and δ¹⁵N supports the hypothesis that cyanobacteria in the early Litorina Sea indeed were nitrogen fixers. Their incorporation of nitrogen could have acted as a trigger for eutrophication during the Litorina Sea stage of the Baltic Sea. As cyanobacteria normally flourish in eutrophicated waters, the increasing concentrations of zeaxanthin during early Litorina Sea also corroborate that high primary production was an important part of the formation of organic rich (sapropel) sediments in the Baltic Sea. The first occurrence pre-dates the formation of laminated sediments, but the peaks of both zeaxanthin and organic carbon are within laminated sequences. This implies that the oxygen conditions of the bottom water also play a major role in the formation of sapropel sediments.     

Beach scraping — Is it damaging to beach stability?

Beach scraping is removal of material from the lower part of the beach for deposition on the higher part of the beach or at the dune toe. Beach scraping has become a controversial subject, as it is sometimes claimed that it does little good to the beach in question, and is harmful to adjacent beaches. This brief article is a discussion on the subject. The conclusion is that undertaken in a practical and modest manner, scraping is not harmful but rather it is beneficial in protecting dunes and dykes against erosion on a short-term basis.     

On the influence of kriging parameters on the cartographic output—A study in mapping subglacial topography

Geostatistics provides a suite of methods, summarized as kriging, to analyze a finite data set to describe a continuous property of the Earth. Kriging methods consist of moving window optimum estimation techniques, which are based on a least-squares principle and use a spatial structure function, usually the variogram. Applications of kriging techniques have become increasingly wide-spread, with ordinary kriging and universal kriging being the most popular ones. The dependence of the final map or model on the input, however, is not generally understood. Herein we demonstrate how changes in the kriging parameters and the neighborhood search affect the cartographic result. Principles are illustrated through a glaciological study. The objective is to map ice thickness and subglacial topography of Storglaciären, Kebnekaise Massif, northern Sweden, from several sets of radio-echo soundings and hot water drillings. New maps are presented.     

Separation of residual ocean tide signals in a collinear analysis of Geosat altimetry

The effects of residual ocean tide signals on altimetric mesoscale variability estimates are analyzed in the north east Atlantic region using one year of Geosat Exact Repeat Mission data. The variability is evaluated along collinear tracks and covariance functions are determined. Initial results show that the average variability is about 10 cm. Variability values of 15–20 cm are found between Iceland and the Faeroe Islands and values up to 1/2 m are found near the coast of the UK. Then a procedure for estimation of ocean tide signals combined with the collinear analyses was tested. A separation of the estimated tide residuals associated with M₂, S₂, and N₂ resulted in a significant reduction of the variability. The average variability decreased to 5 cm and the temporal correlations vanished. A reduction of the large variability values from 15–50 cm to 5–10 cm demonstrates that significant residual ocean tide signals can be estimated and removed efficiently in a collinear analysis of the mesoscale ocean variability.     

Decomposing the cascade of uncertainty in risk assessments for urban flooding reflecting critical decision-making issues

We analyze the response of Kenyan maize yields to near-term climate change and explore potential mitigation options. We model county level yields as a function of rainfall and temperature during a period of increased regional warming and drying (1989–2008). We then do a counter factual analysis by comparing existing maize yields from 2000 to 2008 to what yields might have been if observed warming and drying trends had not occurred. We also examine maize yields based on projected 2026–2040 climate trends. Without the observed warming and drying trends, Eastern Kenya would have had an 8% increase in maize yields, which in turn would have led to a net production increase of 500,000 metric tons. In Western Kenya, the magnitude of change is higher but the relative changes in predicted values are smaller. If warming and drying trends continue, we expect future maize yields to decline by 11% in Eastern Kenya (vs. 7% in Western Kenya). We also examine whether these future losses might be offset through agricultural development. For that analysis, we use a household panel dataset (2000, 2005) with measurements of individual farm plot yields, inputs, and outputs. We find that under a scenario of aggressive adoption of hybrid seeds and fertilizer usage coupled with warming and drying trends, yields in Western Kenya might increase by 6% while those in Eastern Kenya could increase by 14%. This increase in yields might be larger if there is a corresponding increase in usage of drought-tolerant hybrids. However, wide prediction intervals across models highlight the uncertainty in these outcomes and scenarios.     

Galactic nuclei luminosity: A model of steady spherically-symmetric accretion of optically-thick gas on to Kerr black holes

The eclipsing binary system Epsilon Aurigae, containing an unseen component, is discussed on the basis of its orbital elements. The masses of the components can be approximately 4M and 1M , respectively. It is shown that there is no reason to reject a low-mass model. An opaque elongated eclipsing body is briefly discussed as one of the components which is an accretion disc surrounding a central Main-Sequence star.     

Tidal amplification and along‐strike process variability in a mixed‐energy paralic system prograding onto a low accommodation shelf,Edgeøya,Svalbard

The study describes the depositional development and sediment partitioning in a prograding paralic Triassic succession. The deposits are associated with the advance of large prism‐scale clinoforms across a shallower platform area. Approaching the platform, the limited accommodation and associated relative higher rates of deposition generated straighter clinoforms with lower foreset angles. The vertical restriction across the platform is interpreted to have amplified the tidal signature. Sediment was redistributed from the coast into increasingly sandy delta‐front deposits, compared to offshore equivalents. The deposits comprise extensive compound dune fields of amalgamated and increasingly clean sandbodies up‐section. Rapid deposition of significant amounts of sand led to differential subsidence and growth‐faulting in the delta front, with downthrown fault blocks further amplifying the tidal energy through funnelling. A mixed‐energy environment created along‐strike variability along the delta front with sedimentation governing process‐regime. Areas of lower sedimentation were reworked by wave and storm‐action, whereas high sedimentation rates preserved fluvially dominated mouth bars. A major transgression, however, favoured tidally dominated deposits also in these areas, attributed to increasing rugosity of the coastline. Formation of an extensive subaqueous platform between the coast and delta front dampened incoming wave energy, and tidally dominated deposits dominate the near‐shore successions. Meanwhile formation of wave‐built sand‐bars atop the platform attest to continued wave influence. The strong tidal regime led to the development of a heterolithic near‐shore tidally dominated channel system, and sandier fluvial channels up‐river. The highly meandering tidal channels incising the subaqueous platform form kilometre wide successions of inclined heterolithic stratification. The fluvially dominated channels which govern deposition on the delta plain are narrower and slightly less deep, straighter, generally symmetric and filled with cleaner sands. This study provides important insight into tidal amplification and sand redistribution during shallowing on a wide shelf, along with along‐strike process‐regime variability resulting from variations in sediment influx.