Tenoumer impact crater,Mauritania: Impact melt genesis from a lithologically diverse target

Impact melt rocks from the 1.9 km diameter, simple bowl‐shaped Tenoumer impact crater in Mauritania have been analyzed chemically and petrologically. They are heterogeneous and can be subdivided into three types based on melt matrix color, occurrence of lithic clast components, amount of vesiculation (melt degassing), different proportions of carbonate melt mingled into silicate melt, and bulk rock chemical composition. These heterogeneities have two main causes (1) due to the small size of the impact crater, there was probably no coherent melt pool where a homogeneous mixture of melts, derived from different target lithologies, could be created; and (2) melt rock heterogeneity occurring at the thin section scale is due to fast cooling during and after the dynamic ejection and emplacement process. The overall period of crystal growth from these diverse melts was extremely short, which provides a further indication that complete chemical equilibration of the phases could not be achieved in such short time. Melt mixing processes involved in the generation of impact melts are, thus, recorded in nonequilibrium growth features. Variable mixing processes between chemically different melt phases and the formation of hybrid melts can be observed even at millimeter scales. Due to extreme cooling rates, different mixing and mingling stages are preserved in the varied parageneses of matrix minerals and in the mineral chemistry of microlites. ⁴⁰Ar³⁹Ar step‐heating chronology on specimens from three melt rock samples yielded five concordant inverse isochron ages. The inverse isochron plots show that minute amounts of inherited ⁴⁰Ar* are present in the system. We calculated a weighted mean age of 1.57 ± 0.14 Ma for these new results. This preferred age represents a refinement from the previous range of 21 ka to 2.5 Ma ages based on K/Ar and fission track dating.     

The status of research and utilisation on the subtidal kelp along the Chilean coast: A literature review

The most important marine coastal ecosystem in the Chilean coast are kelp forests. This review is based on ecological studies regarding different aspects of subtidal kelp ecosystems along the Chilean coast. It highlights the most interesting findings in (1) biology of subtidal kelp in Chile, with particular reference to (2) habitats formed by kelp, and considered the successful examples and promising results in the (3) kelp as an industrial resource (Biotechnological approach of kelps and aquaculture). The impact caused by (4) El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation is discussed as an important climatic event that could help to forecast the future of the kelp ecosystem. In addition, this literature review outlines the knowledge gaps on subtidal kelp along the Southeast Pacific Coast of Chile, so that research can be strengthened in the future.     

Variability in terrestrial carbon sinks over two decades: Part 2 — Eurasia

We have analyzed 17 yr (1982–1998) of net carbon flux predictions from a simulation model based on satellite observations of monthly vegetation cover. The NASA-CASA model was driven by vegetation cover properties derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and radiative transfer algorithms that were developed for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). We report that although the terrestrial ecosystem sink for atmospheric CO₂ for the Eurasian region has been fairly consistent at between 0.3 and 0.6 Pg C per year since 1988, high interannual variability in net ecosystem production (NEP) fluxes can be readily identified at locations across the continent. Ten major areas of highest variability in NEP were detected: eastern Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, the Balkan states, Scandinavia, northern and western Russia, eastern Siberia, Mongolia and western China, and central India. Analysis of climate anomalies over this 17-yr time period suggests that variability in precipitation and surface solar irradiance could be associated with trends in carbon sink fluxes within such regions of high NEP variability.     

Alteration of fluid properties during the initial operation of a geothermal plant: results from in situ measurements in Groß Schönebeck

Recently, the thermal fluid loop has been established and continuosly operated for 7 days at the geothermal in situ laboratory in Groß Schönebeck (North German Basin). During this initial phase of fluid production, the fluid temperature, measured at the surface, continuously increased until a stable value of about 98 °C was established. Fluid physicochemical properties (pH, redox, density, temperature, and pressure) were measured online and in situ with a newly developed fluid monitoring system (FluMo). Additionally, fluid samples have been collected at various temperatures (in 5–10 °C steps) directly at the production well at about 10 bar pressure. From the pressurized sampling tool, the fluid was directly transferred into a heated autoclave, which allowed filtration (0.2 μm) in the absence of oxygen. Physicochemical parameters [pH, redox, electric conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS)] as well as acid capacity (K _S 4.3) of these samples have been measured onsite at atmospheric conditions. Concentrations of anions, total organic carbon, and metals were analyzed later in the laboratory. Both, measurements in collected samples or in situ (FluMo) analysis of most the parameters density, electric conductivity, or TDS indicated relatively constant values over the whole production time (1.17–1.18 g · cm^?3, 215–221 mS · cm^?1, 241–260 g · L^?1, respectively). Good correlation was also found for pH values (pH = 6.6–6.9), whereas the redox values varied between ?1 and 46 mV when determined at 25 °C and decreased strongly when measured in situ with increasing temperature (?110 mV at 90 °C). The elemental composition of collected samples remained also relatively constant for most compounds and was clearly higher as compared with samples collected in 2011. Results of this study demonstrate that realistic, comprehensive, and time-resolved physicochemical data can be obtained by FluMo. These detailed data sets can be crucial to understand the complex geochemical processes in a thermal water loop and eventually to take required measures on time.     

Interannual-decadal variability of wintertime mixed layer depths in the North Pacific detected by an ensemble of ocean syntheses

Climate Dynamics - The interannual-decadal variability of the wintertime mixed layer depths (MLDs) over the North Pacific is investigated from an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of an...     

Spatial and temporal structure of Tropical Pacific interannual variability in 20th century coupled simulations

Tropical Pacific interannual variability is examined in nine state-of-the-art coupled climate models, and compared with observations and ocean analyses data sets, the primary focus being on the spatial structure and spectral characteristics of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The spatial patterns of interannual sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies from the coupled models are characterized by maximum variations displaced from the coast of South America, and generally extending too far west with respect to observations. Thermocline variability is characterized by dominant modes that are qualitatively similar in all the models, and consistent with the “recharge oscillator” paradigm for ENSO. The meridional scale of the thermocline depth anomalies is generally narrower than observed, a result that can be related to the pattern of zonal wind stress perturbations in the central-western equatorial Pacific. The wind stress response to eastern equatorial Pacific SST anomalies in the models is narrower and displaced further west than observed. The meridional scale of the wind stress can affect the amount of warm water involved in the recharge/discharge of the equatorial thermocline, while the longitudinal location of the wind stress anomalies can influence the advection of the mean zonal temperature gradient by the anomalous zonal currents, a process that may favor the growth and longer duration of ENSO events when the wind stress perturbations are displaced eastwards. Thus, both discrepancies of the wind stress anomaly patterns in the coupled models with respect to observations (narrow meridional extent, and westward displacement along the equator) may be responsible for the ENSO timescale being shorter in the models than in observations. The examination of the leading advective processes in the SST tendency equation indicates that vertical advection of temperature anomalies tends to favor ENSO growth in all the CGCMs, but at a smaller rate than in observations. In some models it can also promote a phase transition. Longer periods tend to be associated with thermocline and advective feedbacks that are in phase with the SST anomalies, while advective tendencies that lead the SST anomalies by a quarter cycle favor ENSO transitions, thus leading to a shorter period.     

The dynamic model Seemod applied to the Southern Basin of Lake Lugano

The dynamic model Seemod developed at the EAWAG (Imboden and Gächter, 1978) and modified by Bührer (Ambühl and Bührer, 1984), was adapted to the South Basin of the Lake of Lugano (Lago di Lugano). The model can predict the evolution of the state of the lake, described by the concentrations of dissolved phosphorus, dissolved oxygen particulate phosphorus and organic particulate carbon, in function of phosphorus load and taking into account physical and biochemical initial- and boundary conditions. The model parameters were chosen through measurements and calibrations by short runs. A 10-year-long simulation was done, starting from the data of 1980, and its results agree quite well with the measurements. Then some 15-year-long simulations were done, which corresponded to different scenarios related to a progressive linking up of sewage systems to water treatment plants. The model predicts that a satisfactory water quality level can only be reached by reducing the total phosphorus input to less than 25 t/a.     

Multidecadal variability of summer temperature over Romania and its relation with Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation

We investigate the multidecadal variability of summer temperature over Romania as measured at 14 meteorological stations with long-term observational records. The dominant pattern of summer temperature variability has a monopolar structure and shows pronounced multidecadal variations. A correlation analysis reveals that these multidecadal variations are related with multidecadal variations in the frequency of four daily atmospheric circulation patterns from the North Atlantic region. It is found that on multidecadal time scales, negative summer mean temperature (TT) anomalies are associated with positive sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies centered over the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean and Scandinavia and negative SLP anomalies centered over the northern part of Africa. It is speculated that a possible cause of multidecadal fluctuations in the frequency of these four patterns are the sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). These results have implications for predicting the evolution of summer temperature over Romania on multidecadal time scales.     

Earthquake early warning feasibility in the Campania region (southern Italy) and demonstration system for public school buildings

We present the results of a feasibility study of an earthquake early warning system (EEWS) for the Campania region (southern Italy) using schools as specific targets. The study considered the seismogenic zones as sources of potential earthquakes for the area, the Italian accelerometric network as the recording network for seismic event occurrence, and the performances of the software platform PRESTo ^Plus for data analysis and processing. We analyze the distribution of lead-times for all possible threatening seismic sources for each municipality in the region under study by extracting the lead-time value corresponding to the 5th, 10th and 25th percentiles of the distributions. We discuss the results for the 5th percentile in order to analyze the worst-case scenario: in the case of a single site, the lead-time is expected to be larger than this value in the 95 % of the cases. Since the population distribution in Campania is uneven and most of the people live nearby the coast, whilst the most destructive earthquakes occur along the Apennine chain, we can conclude that an efficient EEWS can allow most of the schools in the area to undertake some mitigating actions. The testing of the EEWS was carried out in the high school ITIS ‘E. Majorana’, located at Somma Vesuviana, about 80 km from the seismogenic Irpinia region. For this purpose, the Sentinel, an actuator made up of low-cost hardware (i.e., Arduino^®), was developed in close cooperation with students and teachers of the school to receive alert messages from the PRESTo ^Plus platform and warn the school users in case of a seismic event. The EEWS and the Sentinel were successfully tested during some blind drills performed during normal school activities.     

Fish Assemblages in Shallow Marine Caves of the Salento Peninsula (Southern Apulia, SE Italy)

Abstract. Fish assemblages of three shallow marine caves from the Salento Peninsula (Apulia, SE Italy) were investigated in July 2000. Data were collected in situ by using visual census. A total of nineteen fish species were recorded inside the caves. The species richness generally displayed a similar pattern in all three caves, decreasing from the entrance towards the innermost sections, whereas the patterns of total fish abundance differed among caves. Apogon imberbis (mainly represented by juveniles) was the most important species in terms of number of individuals (accounting for more than 85% of the censused fish) and showed a fairly even distribution inside the investigated caves. Without the numerical contribution of A. imberbis , fish abundance decreased from the entrance to the inner sections and this pattern was common to all three caves. Juvenile fishes of economic interest ( e. g., Diplodus vulgaris and Epinephelus marginatus ) were also recorded inside. The present study suggests that: (1) environmental constraints could affect distribution patterns in fish species richness and in the abundance of several fish along the axis of "blind caves" (with a single entrance), as already observed for sessile benthos and plankton assemblages; (2) shallow marine caves of the Salento Peninsula could exert the role of refuge and/or nursery for some littoral fish species during the adult and/or juvenile stages of their life histories.