Palygorskite as a sediment dispersal tracer in the eastern Mediterranean

Palygorskite is a clay mineral widely distributed in late Quaternary deposits of the eastern Mediterranean, where, locally, it proves an ideal tracer of sediment dispersal. This study shows that the origin of this mineral is not limited to African sources. Cores containing late Pleistocene to recent sediment record the transport of palygorskite from the Plain of Helos on the Peloponnesus to specific deep basins along the Hellenic Arc. Palygorskite, commonly concentrated in the silt size fraction, may be overlooked in studies that focus only on the <2 μm fraction. In this region we find that the detrial palygorskite distribution is partially controlled by size-sorting effects related to gravity-induced transport processes. In consequence, comprehensive compositional analyses should be made both on the silt and clay fractions.     

Hellenic Trench sedimentation: An approach using terrigenous distributions

Sand-sized terrigenous material from 450 samples representing 24 piston cores is used to compare slope, perched slope basin, and trench apron, plain and margin depositional environments within the Hellenic Trench west of the Peloponnesus. Recognition of three stratigraphically defined layers in the core sections served as a basis for evaluating changes in time. Statistical testing showed that within the upper defined layer (0–5700 yrs. B.P.) terrigenous grains are distributed rather uniformly throughout the slope and basin complexes in contrast to distributions in underlying layers (5700–17,000 and 17,000–45,000 yrs. B.P., respectively. These distributions reflect intense reworking by gravitative processes as evidenced by sediment structures, incomplete slope sections, high accumulation rates, and dilution of sapropels. The homogeneity of the upper layer is explained by failure and downslope transport of sediments that were deposited on the slope during lower stands of sea level. The quantitative analyses performed highlight the rapidity by which land-derived sediments by-pass high-relief slopes, temporarily reside in perched basins on the slope, and ultimately are dispersed to distal trench apron and basin environments by sporadic gravity flows.     

Degradation of organic pollutants in near shore marine sediments: Part I—breakdown of pulp mill fibre

Cellulose levels in the sediments of Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil were measured over a period of years following the introduction of pulp mill effluent to system. Cellulose levels in experimental sediment systems subjected to pulp fibre inputs at levels simulating various possible loch input levels were measured and compared. No permanent build up of cellulose in either the loch systems or the experimental systems was observed, even at high input levels.Pulp fibre degradation rates were measured experimentally using two different techniques. No difference was found between the degradation rates of wet and predried fibre.Degradation rates equivalent to 0·2 g dry fibre m^?2 day^?1 were found in areas of low fibre input and 0·5 g dry fibre m^?2 day^?1 in areas of high input were recorded. These rates were of the same order as, but somewhat lower than, the probable input rates to the sediments in Loch Eil. Speculations as to possible reasons for this are advanced.     

Citation Impacts of AAG Presidential Addresses

The American Association of Geographers (AAG) president's annual address is considered an important statement about how she or he views the state of the discipline or one's research specialties. Building on previous studies on journal and individual impacts, this study measures the impacts of addresses using Google Scholar data and the Web of Science score. Using these data I classify the addresses into three distinct categories: alpha, beta, and gamma. The results reveal wide and substantial differences in Scholar ratings and Web of Science scores. A few have very high ratings, but many more are in the gamma category. Addresses by women and men presidents that promote new fields of study, extend geographic research to interdisciplinary audiences, and encourage the topics and frameworks of existing fields have higher ratings than those that appeal to more specialized audiences.     

Tellurium-bearing minerals in zoned sulfide chimneys from Cu-Zn massive sulfide deposits of the Urals, Russia

Tellurium-bearing minerals are generally rare in chimney material from mafic and bimodal felsic volcanic hosted massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, but are abundant in chimneys of the Urals VMS deposits located within Silurian and Devonian bimodal mafic sequences. High physicochemical gradients during chimney growth result in a wide range of telluride and sulfoarsenide assemblages including a variety of Cu-Ag-Te-S and Ag-Pb-Bi-Te solid solution series and tellurium sulfosalts. A change in chimney types from Fe-Cu to Cu-Zn-Fe to Zn-Cu is accompanied by gradual replacement of abundant Fe-, Co, Bi-, and Pb- tellurides by Hg, Ag, Au-Ag telluride and galena-fahlore with native gold assemblages. Decreasing amounts of pyrite, both colloform and pseudomorphic after pyrrhotite, isocubanite ISS and chalcopyrite in the chimneys is coupled with increasing amounts of sphalerite, quatz, barite or talc contents. This trend represents a transition from low- to high sulphidation conditions, and it is observed across a range of the Urals deposits from bimodal mafic- to bimodal felsic-hosted types: Yaman-Kasy → Molodezhnoye → Uzelga → Valentorskoye → Oktyabrskoye → Alexandrinskoye → Tash-Tau → Jusa.     

Documentation of a highly ENSO‐related sst region in the equatorial pacific: Research note

Abstract

A new ENSO SST index is documented that is strongly correlated to the core ENSO phenomenon. The SST anomaly in much of the east‐central and eastern tropical Pacific is closely related to ENSO. However, the anomaly from approximately the centre of the eastern half of the equatorial Pacific westward to near the date line is suggested to be most strongly ENSO‐related when data spanning the most recent several decades are used. This is the case both with respect to (1) strength of association with other oceanic/atmospheric ENSO‐related anomalies (both simultaneously and as a time‐delayed predictand), and (2) impact on remote worldwide climate anomalies. This observational insight was lacking in the early 1980s when the four “Niño” regions were developed. While a firmer dynamical foundation for this regional preference still needs to be established, the region straddling Niño 3 and Niño 4 may be regarded as an appropriate general SST index of the ENSO state by researchers, diagnosticians and forecasters. A dataset of this index, called “Niño 3.4” (5°N‐5°S, 120–170°W), is maintained on the Internet, shown in the Climate Diagnostics Bulletin, and provided in the Appendix of this note.     

Short contribution: Nile flow failure at the end of the Old Kingdom,Egypt: Strontium isotopic and petrologic evidence

Strontium isotopic and petrologic information, obtained from sediment cores collected in the Nile delta of Egypt, indicate that paleoclimatic and Nile baseflow conditions changed considerably from about 4200 to 4000 cal yr B.P. in the Nile basin. Our study records a higher proportion of White Nile sediment transported during the annual floods at ca. 6100 cal yr B.P. than towards 4200 cal yr B.P., at which time suspended sediment from the Blue Nile formed a significantly larger fraction of the total load. This resulted from a decrease in vegetative cover and an increase in erosion rate accompanying the marked decline in rainfall. These new geoscience data indicate major changes in annual flooding and baseflow of the river Nile, marked short‐term paleoclimatic‐related events that may in part have led to the collapse of the Old Kingdom. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Acanthomorph Biostratigraphic Succession of the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in the East Yangtze Gorges, South China

Large acanthomorphic acritarchs have been found in chert of the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation at several localities in South China, including the East Yangtze Gorges of Hubei Province, Weng’an area of Guizhou Province, and elsewhere. However, their potential for biostratigraphic subdivision and correlation of Ediacaran successions is limited by facies control, taphonomic biases, and taxonomic problems. In the Yangtze Gorges, the Doushantuo Formation is generally subdivided into four lithologic members. However, in the Weng’an area, the Doushantuo Formation comprises just a lower and upper part separated by a mid-Doushantuo erosional surface. In the Yangtze Gorges at the Zhangcunping section, the Doushantuo succession is similar to that at Weng’an. So far, the correlation between the Yangtze Gorges and Weng’an area, and elsewhere has been an issue of debate. To resolve the debate, we selected eight sections in the Yangtze Gorges area and systemically sampled chert nodules of the Doushantuo Formation, focusing in particular on the upper Doushantuo Formation. Our data confirm two different assemblages appearing separately in the second and third members, which are separated by a negative δ13C excursion (EN2). The lower assemblage is characterized by Tianzhushania and a diverse suite of large acanthomorphic acritarchs. The upper assemblage is distinguished from the lower assemblage, by (1) absence of Tianzhushania; (2) occurrence of abundant, 100–150 μm, smooth-walled spherical microfossils; (3) occurrence of highly diverse acanthomorphic acritarchs including species extending from the second member and new forms in this member; (4) occurrence of unnamed new forms of protist; and (5) occurrence of the tubular microfossil Sinocyclocylicus guizhouensis. Since the Tianzhushania-dominated assemblage is not present in Australia, it seems that only the upper acanthomorph assemblage is present and thus the lower Doushantuo acanthomorph assemblage is missing in Australia.     

PREDICTING ABOVE-GROUND NET PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY OF TROPICAL RAINFORESTS FROM EVAPOTRANSPIRATION DATA

The relationship between above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) and actual evapotranspiration (AE) has been previously shown by Rosenzweig (1968) to be significant for a variety of mainly temperate terrestrial ecosystems. Our study of ANPP and AE data from the humid tropics showed that AE remains a useful predictor of ANPP in tropical rainforest environments. However, we also noted that 80% of the tropical rainforest data points were depressed below Rosenzweig's original regression line. We attribute these lower-than-predicted ANPP values to transpiration losses and rainfall interception losses that do not result in a corresponding production of biomass.     

Characteristics of severe Atlantic hurricanes in the United States: 1949–2006

Property insurance data available for 1949–2006 were assessed to get definitive measures of hurricane losses in the U.S. Catastrophes, events causing >$1 million in losses, were most frequent in the Southeast and South climate regions. Losses in these two regions totaled $127 billion, 85% of the nation’s total losses. During the period 1949–2006 there were 79 hurricane catastrophes, causing $150.6 billion in losses and averaging $2.6 billion per year. All aspects of these hurricanes showed increases in post-1990 years. Sizes of loss areas averaged one state in 1949–1967, but grew to 3 states during 1990–2006. Seven of the ten most damaging hurricanes came in 2004 (4) and 2005 (3). The number of hurricanes also peaked during 1984–2006, increasing from an annual average of 1.2 during 1949–1983 to 2.1 per year. Losses were $49.3 billion in 1991–2006, 32% of the 58-year total. Various reasons have been offered for such recent increases in hurricane losses including more hurricanes, more intense tropical storms, increased societal vulnerability in storm-prone areas, and a change in climate due to global warming, although this is debatable.