Five centuries of Stockholm winter/spring temperatures reconstructed from documentary evidence and instrumental observations

Historical documentary sources, reflecting different port activities in Stockholm, are utilised to derive a 500-year winter/spring temperature reconstruction for the region. These documentary sources reflect sea ice conditions in the harbour inlet and those series that overlap with the instrumental data correlate well with winter/spring temperatures. By refining dendroclimatological methods, the time-series were composited to a mean series and calibrated (1756–1841; r ²?=?66%) against Stockholm January–April temperatures. Strong verification was confirmed (1842–1892; r ²?=?60%; RE/CE?=?0.55). By including the instrumental data, the quantified (QUAN) reconstruction indicates that recent two decades have been the warmest period for the last 500 years. Coldest conditions occurred during the 16th/17th and early 19th centuries. An independent qualitative (QUAL) historical index was also derived for the Stockholm region. Comparison between QUAN and QUAL shows good coherence at inter-annual time-scales, but QUAL distinctly appears to lack low frequency information. Comparison is also made to other winter temperature based annually resolved records for the Baltic region. Between proxy coherence is generally good although it decreases going back in time with the 1500–1550 period being the weakest period—possibly reflecting data quality issues in the different reconstructions.     

Composition and properties of glacigenic sediments in the southwestern Barents Sea

Abstract

The composition and properties of glacigenic sediments in the southwestern Barents Sea are described based on data from 33 shallow boreholes (< 143 m below seabed) and 11 seabed cores (<4.2m below seabed). The cores are tied into a regional seismostratigraphic framework, illustrating the relationships between different boreholes.

A massive, muddy diamicton (silty, sandy clay with scattered gravel) is found in nearly all cores. Average clay content (<2 pm) of this lithology is about 38%, but varies between about 25% and 50%. Short intervals of finely laminated, waterlain sediments or gravelly sand are cored in a few occasions. A high content of sand and gravel in the cores from near the Norwegian coast shows an influence of sediment input from the mainland, while material eroded from sedimentary rocks dominates farther offshore.

The data presented on physical properties include undisturbed and remolded undrained shear strength, natural water content, bulk density, compressional sound velocity (P waves), Atterberg consistency limits, effective preconsolidation pressure, and consolidation coefficient.

Prediction of overconsolidation from seismic mapping of erosional surfaces is confirmed by the borehole cores. High compaction is found both in Weichselian and older deposits, with a general increase in compaction toward the east as well as toward shallower water. Cores that are “underconsolidated” at their present burial depth are also reported.

The average compressional sound velocity is about 1780 m/s for the borehole cores, 1550 m/s for the seabed cores, and increases with increasing shear strength and consolidation. Both horizontal and vertical sound velocities are measured in several cores, and although the data have a considerable scatter, a slightly aniso‐tropic sound velocity is indicated.     

Heat generation versus depth of crystallization for Norwegian monzonitic rocks

Thorium, U and K analyses by γ-ray spectrometry of monzonitic intrusives from Lofoten-Vesterålen (ca. 1800 m.y.), Bjerkreim-Sogndal (ca. 1000 m.y.) and the Oslo region (ca. 275 m.y.) are used to calculate values of radioactive heat generation. A strong negative correlation between heat generation and depth of crystallization is demonstrated, indicating that the chemical zoning of the continental crust with respect to Th and U is of a rather regional and regular character, and was probably firmly established at least 1800 m.y. ago. The K contents, in contrast to Th and U, show an increase with depths of crystallization for these rocks. This may be explained by considerations of the pressure dependence of the partition coefficients for these elements between minerals and magma, and the importance of a fluid phase as a transport medium for the incompatible elements Th and U. A positive correlation between K content and age of intrusion is discussed on a tentative basis.     

Linkage of Sevier thrusting episodes and Late Cretaceous foreland basin megasequences across southern Wyoming (USA)

Deposition and subsidence analysis, coupled with previous structural studies of the Sevier thrust belt, provide a means of reconstructing the detailed kinematic history of depositional response to episodic thrusting in the Cordilleran foreland basin of southern Wyoming, western interior USA. The Upper Cretaceous basin fill is divided into five megasequences bounded by unconformities. The Sevier thrust belt in northern Utah and southwestern Wyoming deformed in an eastward progression of episodic thrusting. Three major episodes of displacement on the Willard‐Meade, Crawford and ‘early’ Absaroka thrusts occurred from Aptian to early Campanian, and the thrust wedge gradually became supercritically tapered. The Frontier Formation conglomerate, Echo Canyon and Weber Canyon Conglomerates and Little Muddy Creek Conglomerate were deposited in response to these major thrusting events. Corresponding to these proximal conglomerates within the thrust belt, Megasequences 1, 2 and 3 were developed in the distal foreland of southern Wyoming. Two‐dimensional (2‐D) subsidence analyses show that the basin was divided into foredeep, forebulge and backbulge depozones. Foredeep subsidence in Megasequences 1, 2 and 3, resulting from Willard‐Meade, Crawford and ‘early’ Absaroka thrust loading, were confined to a narrow zone in the western part of the basin. Subsidence in the broad region east of the forebulge was dominantly controlled by sediment loading and inferred dynamic subsidence. Individual subsidence curves are characterized by three stages from rapid to slow. Controlled by relationships between accommodation and sediment supply, the basin was filled with retrogradational shales during periods of rapid subsidence, followed by progradational coarse clastic wedges during periods of slow subsidence. During middle Campanian time (ca. 78.5–73.4 Ma), the thrust wedge was stalled because of wedge‐top erosion and became subcritical, and the foredeep zone eroded and rebounded because of isostasy. The eroded sediments were transported far from the thrust belt, and constitute Megasequence 4 that was mostly composed of fluvial and coastal plain depositional systems. Subsidence rates were very slow, because of post‐thrusting rebound, and the resulting 2‐D subsidence was lenticular in an east–west direction. During late Campanian to early Maastrichtian time, widespread deposits of coarse sediment (the Hams Fork Conglomerate) aggraded the top of the thrust wedge after it stalled, prior to initiation of ‘late’ Absaroka thrusting. Meanwhile Megasequence 5 was deposited in the Wyoming foreland under the influence of both the intraforeland Wind River basement uplift and the Sevier thrust belt.     

Dioxin-like compounds in HPLC-fractionated extracts of marine samples from the east and west coast of Sweden: Bioassay- and instrumentally-derived TCDD equivalents

Lipophilic extracts of sediment, settling particulate matter (SPM) and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) samples, collected at coastal locations on the east and west coast of Sweden, were HPLC-separated into three fractions containing 1. monoaromatic/aliphatic, 2. diaromatic (e.g. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs)), and 3. polyaromatic compounds (e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)). The fractions were tested for dioxin-like effects using a sensitive bioassay, based on EROD-induction in cultured chicken embryo livers. The concentrations of PCDDs/Fs, PCBs and 15 PAHs in the samples were also determined. The polyaromatic fractions of the sediment samples were more potent as EROD-inducers than the diaromatic fractions. Only a small part of the EROD-induction caused by the polyaromatic fractions could be explained by the analysed PAHs in the samples, indicating presence of non-quantified polyaromatic EROD-inducing compounds in the samples. A greater pollution by EROD-inducing diaromatic and polyaromatic compounds on the east coast site than on the west coast site was seen. The filtration activities and faeces production of the mussels on the east coast experimental site increased the sedimentation of PCDDs/Fs, PCBs and PAHs. The described bioassay proved very useful in the assessment of dioxin-like compounds in both abiotic and biotic samples from the marine environment.     

Simulated wind-generated inertial oscillations compared to current measurements in the northern North Sea

Measured current speed data show that episodes of wind-generated inertial oscillations dominate the current conditions in parts of the northern North Sea. In order to acquire current data of sufficient duration for robust estimation of joint metocean design conditions, such as wind, waves, and currents, a simple model for episodes of wind-generated inertial oscillations is adapted for the northern North Sea. The model is validated with and compared against measured current data at one location in the northern North Sea and found to reproduce the measured maximum current speed in each episode with considerable accuracy. The comparison is further improved when a small general background current is added to the simulated maximum current speeds. Extreme values of measured and simulated current speed are estimated and found to compare well. To assess the robustness of the model and the sensitivity of current conditions from location to location, the validated model is applied at three other locations in the northern North Sea. In general, the simulated maximum current speeds are smaller than the measured, suggesting that wind-generated inertial oscillations are not as prominent at these locations and that other current conditions may be governing. Further analysis of the simulated current speed and joint distribution of wind, waves, and currents for design of offshore structures will be presented in a separate paper.     

Seabed shear stresses under irregular waves plus current from Monte Carlo simulations of parameterized models

Shear stresses on a rough seabed under irregular waves plus current are calculated. Parameterized models valid for regular waves plus current have been used in Monte Carlo simulations, assuming the wave amplitudes to be Rayleigh-distributed. Numerical estimates of the probability distribution functions are presented. For waves only, the shear stress maxima follow a Weibull distribution, while for waves plus current, both the maximum and time-averaged shear stresses are well represented by a three-parameter Weibull distribution. The behaviour of the maximum shear stresses under a wide range of wave-current conditions has been investigated, and it appears that under certain conditions, the current has a significant influence on the maximum shear stresses. Results of comparison between predictions and measurements of the maximum bottom shear stresses from laboratory and field experiments are presented.     

Scour below marine pipelines in shoaling conditions for random waves

This paper provides an approach by which the scour depth below pipelines in shoaling conditions beneath non-breaking and breaking random waves can be derived. Here the scour depth formula in shoaling conditions for regular non-breaking and breaking waves with normal incidence to the pipeline presented by Cevik and Yüksel [Cevik, E. and Yüksel, Y., (1999). Scour under submarine pipelines in waves in shoaling conditions. ASCE J. Waterw., Port, Coast. Ocean Eng., 125 (1), 9–19.] combined with the wave height distribution including shoaling and breaking waves presented by Mendez et al. [Mendez, F.J., Losada, I.J. and Medina, R., (2004). Transformation model of wave height distribution on planar beaches. Coast. Eng. 50 (3), 97–115.] are used. Moreover, the approach is based on describing the wave motion as a stationary Gaussian narrow-band random process. An example of calculation is also presented.