Study of litter influence on magnetic susceptibility measurements of urban forest topsoils using the MS2D sensor

Field magnetometry is fast and convenient method used to detect areas contaminated by technogenic magnetic particles and potentially polluted with heavy metals. Frequently, measurements of soil magnetic susceptibility (κ) are carried out with MS2D Bartington sensor, which penetration range equals 10 cm, although 90% of the total signal is detected from a depth of up to 6 cm. Thick uppermost organic soil layers may significantly influence on the measured κ because the penetration range may be not large enough to cover the layers where the most of anthropogenic contaminants are cumulated. The aim of the study was to investigate on how the removal of the litter improves the MS2D measurements of soil pollution. Accordingly, the correlations between κ values measured on the successively removed overlying soil sub-horizons were investigated. Measurements were performed at 15 sites located in different forest in the Upper Silesian Industrial Area, Poland. The results showed that the litter removal enabled the MS2D to measure the κ more related to the anthropogenic pollution, and did not affect the measuring variance.     

2-Gyr Simulation of the Oort-cloud Formation II. A Close View of the Inner Oort cloud after the First Two Giga-years

We simulate the formation of the Oort cloud (OC) till the age of 2 Gyr starting from an initial disc of planetesimals made by 10 038 test particles. The results on the outer part of the distant comet reservoir are reported by Neslu?an et al. (this issue). Here we deal with the evolution of the population and structure at 2 Gyr of the complementary inner part of the Oort cloud. The dynamical evolution of the massless test particles was followed via the numerical integration of their orbits. We considered the perturbations produced by four giant planets assuming they have their current orbits and masses, as well as the perturbations caused by the Galactic tide and passing stars. The efficiency of the formation of inner OC is found to be very low: only about 1.1% of all considered particles ended in this part of the OC. At 2 Gyr, the dynamics of the inner cloud is mainly governed by the dominant z-term of the Galactic tide. The number density of the bodies is proportional to the heliocentric distance, r, as r ^?3.53. The directional distribution of orbits is still strongly inhomogeneous. There are large empty regions in the space angles around the Galactic Equator points with the galactic longitude 90 and 270° (non-rotating frame), or there are only few bodies having the ecliptical latitude higher than +60° or lower than 60°. A strong concentration of objects at the Ecliptic is apparent up to ≈1,000 AU, with a possible—but still not proved—extension to ≈1,500 AU. Beyond r ≈ 6,000 AU, bodies directly above and below the Sun, with respect to the Ecliptic, are absent.     

A New Subfamily of Aphids (Hemiptera,Aphidomorpha) from the Early Cretaceous Lebanese Amber with a Description of the Oldest Apterous Morphs

<正>Aphids are marked by their high polymorphism,but species reported from the Early Cretaceous are known only from alate morphs.The discovery of an apterous adult morph in Lebanese amber and a larva of the same species are very important for the understanding of both the morphological and biological evolution of this insect group at the very early stage of development.Gondvanoaphis estephani new subfamily,new genus and species of the recent aphids family Thelaxidae is described.The characters of the new genus in respect to other genera placed in Thelaxidae are reviewed.The palaeoecological and palaeogeographical data concerning Gondvanoaphis new genus are also discussed.     

Searching for the Parent of the Tunguska Cosmic Body

We present the results of an extensive study of the Tunguska Cosmic Body (TCB) origin on dynamical grounds. To identify the TCB parent, or a plausible candidate, we applied the well-known concept of dynamical similarity whereby we have compared the geocentric and heliocentric dynamical parameters of a selected set of the Near Earth Objects (NEOs) and TCB particles. First, we made use the idea of Kresak by comparing geocentric coordinates of the TCB radiant with those of the NEOs. Second, we studied the long-term dynamical evolution of all NEOs and TCB particles searching for similarities between their heliocentric orbits. As a general result, we observed many more similar cases and a different pattern of the high orbital similarity among the TCB particles and the asteroid orbits than we did for comets.     

Geology,stratigraphy and palaeoenvironmental evolution of the Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis-bearing Quaternary palaeolake(s) of Gorzów Wielkopolski (NW Poland,Central Europe)

The sedimentary succession exposed in the Gorzów Wielkopolski area includes Eemian Interglacial (MIS 5e) or Early Weichselian (MIS 5d–e) deposits. The sedimentary sequence has been the object of intense interdisciplinary study, which has resulted in the identification of at least two palaeolake horizons. Both yielded fossil remains of large mammals, alongside pollen and plant macrofossils. All these proxies have been used to reconstruct the environmental conditions prevailing at the time of deposition, as well as to define the geological context and the biochronological position of the fauna. Optically stimulated luminescence dating of the glaciofluvial layers of the GS3 succession to 123.6 ± 10.1 (below the lower palaeolake) and 72.0 ± 5.2 ka (above the upper palaeolake) indicate that the site formed during the Middle–Late Pleistocene (MIS 6 – MIS 5). Radiocarbon-dating of the lacustrine organic matter revealed a tight cluster of Middle Pleniglacial Period (MIS 3) ages in the range of ~41–32 ka cal bp (Hengelo – Denekamp Interstadials). Holocene organic layers have also been found, with ¹⁴C ages within a range of 4330–4280 cal bp (Neolithic). Pollen and plant macrofossil records, together with sedimentological and geochemical data, confirm the dating to the Eemian Interglacial.     

Reconstruction of subglacial depositional conditions based on the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility: an example from Dębe (central Poland)

The analysis of low-field anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) was used to reconstruct the subglacial deposition conditions during the Main Stadial of the Odranian Glaciation (MIS 6) in till deposits from a site in Dębe (central Poland). Based on the AMS parameters, six till beds were identified (intervals 1–6). The declination of the maximum magnetic susceptibility axis (k₁) indicates that the ice sheet was moving in from the northwest. The obtained results confirm the thesis about the preferred direction of ice-sheet transgression during the Odranian Glaciation (MIS 6) in this part of Poland. This interpretation is also confirmed by data obtained from measurements of the long axis of clasts, which agree with the orientation of k₁. Based on the AMS results, a significant part of the profile was deformed through simple shear and direct interaction of the ice sheet with the underlying sediment (beds 2–5). The lowest part of the till (bed 6) may have been deposited on a southeast-trending slope or post-depositional deformed by uneven loading of the ice cover. The upper part of the profile (especially in interval 1) could be deposited with an impact of pore water.     

Fen ecosystem responses to water‐level fluctuations during the early and middle Holocene in central Europe: a case study from Wilczków,Poland

This paper presents a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Wilczków fen (central Poland). The fen developed in an inactive valley at the onset of the Holocene (~11 ka BP) and peat accumulation lasted until 5.7 ka BP. Multi‐proxy reconstructions were made on the basis of palaeobotanical, cladoceran, chironomid, beetle and geochemical analyses. A Kohonen self‐organizing map (SOM, unsupervised artificial neural network) of the biotic sequence distinguished four stages of fen history. Stage X₁ (11.0–10.7 ka BP) was relatively wet and cool. Organic matter started to accumulate but the habitat conditions remained unstable. Moss, sedge and fern communities then developed. Sedimentary changes reveal an intensive groundwater supply at that time. Numerous and diverse chironomid and cladoceran subfossils indicate nearly permanent aquatic conditions. During stage Y₁ (10.6–9.2 ka BP) conditions were dry and the upper peat layer desiccated. Cladocera nearly disappeared whereas chironomids were represented by semi‐terrestrial and predatory (Tanypodinae) species. Conditions started to be more reducing. All the remaining samples belonged to the interweaving stages X₂ and Y₂. Stage Y₂ (mostly 9.1–7.3 and 6.0–5.7 ka BP) was also dry but humidity increased towards the top. Oxidizing conditions occurred and the pH became more alkaline, favouring Cladium mariscus. The basin received mostly allochthonous matter input at that time. Stage X₂ (mostly 6.8–6.1 ka BP) was humid and warm. The groundwater supply remained low but there was an increase in precipitation, changing local conditions to ombrotrophic. Species‐rich chironomid and cladoceran communities were associated with temporary pools. Finally, conditions returned to those characteristic of stage Y₂. The presented reconstruction documents long‐term abiotic and biotic changes determined by water supply, including groundwater outflow, which have rarely been detected at a multi‐proxy scale. We show that inactivated valley fens are sensitive to climate‐driven hydrological fluctuations. Kohonen neural networks appear to be a promising method for analysing variability in multi‐proxy data.     

The impact of pelagic (Daphnia longispina) and benthic (Dreissena polymorpha) filter feeders on chlorophyll and nutrient concentration

An outdoor experiment testing the effect of water flea (Daphnia longispina) and zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) on physical and chemical water parameters and chlorophyll concentration changes was carried out in 12 containers filled with 150 l of unfiltered water from a lowland reservoir. During the 11 weeks of the experiment, the following physical, chemical and biological measurements were recorded: temperature (°C), oxygen concentration (mg dm⁻³), pH, conductivity (S cm⁻¹), concentration of phosphate phosphorus (PO₄-P) and ammonia nitrogen (NH₄-N) (g dm⁻³), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) (g dm⁻³), phytoplankton community structure and chlorophyll a concentration (g dm⁻³). The amount of ammonia ions was the highest in the treatment with zooplankton, while phosphate ions reached the highest values in treatments with zebra mussels. The results confirmed the ability of Daphnia to increase the NH₄:PO₄ ratio, whereas excretion from zebra mussels resulted in a decrease in both the N:P ratio (ranging from 9 to 13) and the NH₄:PO₄ ratio in water. In both treatments containing zebra mussels, P-rich water enabled sudden growth of Chlorophyta, resulting in blooms of Hydrodictyon reticulatum after 3–4 weeks of the experiment. Such phenomena were not observed in the control and Daphnia treatments. Our results indicate that zebra mussels, in contrast to Daphnia, may increase the symptoms of water eutrophication and contribute to blooms of expansive phytoplankton species.     

Prediction of equilibrium Li isotope fractionation between minerals and aqueous solutions at high P and T: An efficient ab initio approach

The mass-dependent equilibrium stable isotope fractionation between different materials is an important geochemical process. Here we present an efficient method to compute the isotope fractionation between complex minerals and fluids at high pressure, P, and temperature, T, representative for the Earth’s crust and mantle. The method is tested by computation of the equilibrium fractionation of lithium isotopes between aqueous fluids and various Li bearing minerals such as staurolite, spodumene and mica. We are able to correctly predict the direction of the isotope fractionation as observed in the experiments. On the quantitative level the computed fractionation factors agree within 1.0‰ with the experimental values indicating predictive power of ab initio methods. We show that with ab initio methods we are able to investigate the underlying mechanisms driving the equilibrium isotope fractionation process, such as coordination of the fractionating elements, their bond strengths to the neighboring atoms, compression of fluids and thermal expansion of solids. This gives valuable insight into the processes governing the isotope fractionation mechanisms on the atomic scale. The method is applicable to any state and does not require different treatment of crystals and fluids.