Polar Winter: A Biological Model for Impact Events and Related Dark/Cold Climatic Changes

Models of the climatic perturbation caused by a large scale extraterrestrial impact predict an injection of dust into the stratosphere. This would cause the onset of environmental conditions whose two principal characteristics are a prolonged period of darkness and reduced global temperatures. Similar scenarios follow large scale volcanic eruptions, wildfires and they are predicted for a nuclear winter following a protracted nuclear exchange. A significant drop in temperature and solar insolation are also characteristics of the polar winter. In this paper the onset and emergence from the polar winter is examined as a potential biological framework for studying immediate biological effects following transition into and out of a dark/cold catastrophe. Limitations of the conceptual model, particularly with respect to the fact that polar organisms are well adapted to a regular and severe dark/cold climatic change (which the rest of the Earth's biota is not) are discussed. The model has implications for the poles as an extinction refuge during such climatic changes.     

Variation of Jupiter's CH4 and NH3 bands with position on the planetary disk

We report here the results of recent spectrophotometric scans of the 6190 Å and 7290 Å methane bands and the 6450 Å ammonia band on Jupiter as a function of position on the planetary disk. The equivalent widths are found to decrease toward the equatorial limb and to increase toward the poles relative to the center of the disk.     

Size,shape and spatial arrangement of mega‐scale glacial lineations from a large and diverse dataset

Mega‐scale glacial lineations (MSGLs) are a characteristic landform on ice stream beds. Solving the puzzle of their formation is key to understanding how ice interacts with its bed and how this, in turn, influences the dynamics of ice streams. However, a comprehensive and detailed characterization of this landform's size, shape and spatial arrangement, which might serve to test and refine formational theories, is largely lacking. This paper presents a detailed morphometric analysis and comparison of 4043 MSGLs from eight palaeo‐ice stream settings: three offshore (Norway and Antarctica), four onshore (Canada), and one from under a modern ice stream in West Antarctica. The length of MSGLs is lower than previously suggested (mode 1000–2000 m; median 2892 m), and they initiate and terminate at various locations on an ice stream bed. Their spatial arrangement reveals a pattern that is characterized by an exceptional parallel conformity (80% of all mapped MSGLs have an azimuth within 5° from the mean values), and a fairly constant lateral spacing (mode 200–300 m; median 330 m), which we interpret as an indication that MSGLs are a spatially self‐organized phenomenon. Results show that size, shape and spatial arrangement of MSGLs are consistent both within and also generally between different ice stream beds. We suggest this results from a common mechanism of formation, which is largely insensitive to local factors. Although the elongation of MSGLs (mode 6–8; median 12.2) is typically higher than features described as drumlins, these values and those of their width (mode 100–200 m; median 268 m) overlap, which suggests the two landforms are part of a morphological continuum and may share a similar origin. We compare their morphometry with explicit predictions made by the groove‐ploughing and rilling instability theories of MSGL formation. Although the latter was most compatible, neither is fully supported by observations. © 2014 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Late Quaternary landscape development along the Rancho Marino coastal range front (south‐central Pacific Coast Ranges,California, USA)

Late Quaternary landscape development along the Rancho Marino coastal range front in the central‐southern Pacific Coast Ranges of California has been documented using field mapping, surveying, sedimentary facies analysis and a luminescence age determination. Late Quaternary sediments along the base of the range front form a single composite marine terrace buried by alluvial fans. Marine terrace sediments overlie two palaeoshore platforms at 5 m and 0 m altitude. Correlation with the nearby Cayucos and San Simeon sites links platform and marine terrace development to the 125 ka and 105 ka sea‐level highstands. Uplift rate estimates based on the 125 ka shoreline angle are 0.01–0.09 m ka^?1 (mean 0.04 m ka^?1), and suggest an increase in regional uplift along the coast towards the NW where the San Simeon fault zone intersects the coastline. Furthermore, such low rates suggest that pre‐125 ka uplift was responsible for most of the relief generation at Rancho Marino. The coastal range front landscape development is, thus, primarily controlled by post 125 ka climatic and sea‐level changes. Post 125 ka sea‐level lowering expanded the range front piedmont area to a width of 7.5 km by the 18 ka Last Glacial Maximum lowstand. This sea‐level lowering created space for alluvial fan building along the range front. A 45 ± 3 ka optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) age provides a basal age for alluvial fan building or marks the time by which distal alluvial fan sedimentation has reached 300 m from the range front slope. Fan sedimentation is related to climatic change, with increased sediment supply to the range front occurring during (1) glacial period cold stage maxima and/or (2) the Late Pleistocene–Holocene transition, when respective increases in precipitation and/or storminess resulted in hillslope erosion. Sea‐level rise after the 18 ka lowstand resulted in range front erosion, with elevated localised erosion linked to the higher relief and steeper slopes in the SE. This study demonstrates that late Quaternary coastal range front landscape development is driven by interplay of tectonics, climatic and sea‐level change. In areas of low tectonic activity, climatic and sea‐level changes dominate coastal landscape development. When the sea‐level controlled shoreline is in close proximity to the coastal range front, localised patterns of sedimentation and erosion are passively influenced by the pre‐125 ka topography. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The glacial geomorphology of the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stadial in Britain: a review

This paper systematically reviews the glacial geomorphological evidence of the Loch Lomond Stadial (LLS; Younger Dryas) glaciation in Britain (12.9–11.7 ka). The geomorphology of sub‐regions within Scotland, England and Wales is assessed, providing the most comprehensive synthesis of this evidence to date. The contrasting nature of the evidence at the local scale is reviewed and conceptual themes common to multiple sub‐regions are examined. Advancements in glaciological theory, mapping technologies, numerical modelling and dating have been applied unevenly to localities across Britain, inhibiting a holistic understanding of the extent and dynamics of the LLS glaciation at a regional scale. The quantity and quality of evidence is highly uneven, leading to uncertainties regarding the extent of glaciation and inhibiting detailed analysis of ice dynamics and chronology. Robust dates are relatively scarce, making it difficult to confidently identify the limits of LLS glaciers and assess their synchroneity. Numerical models have allowed the glacier–climate relationships of the LLS to be assessed but have, thus far, been unable to incorporate local conditions which influenced glaciation. Recommendations for future research are made that will allow refined reconstructions of the LLS in Britain and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of glacier–climate interactions during the Younger Dryas.     

Latest Pleistocene and Holocene dune construction at the north-eastern edge of the Rub Al Khali, United Arab Emirates

Optical dating of two dune profiles developed in linear dunes in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, has been used to establish the timing and rate of dune accretion. One section at Awafi was over 17 m high, while that at Idhn was over 40 m high. The Awafi dune appears to have accumulated very rapidly ≈10 000 years ago, with a vertical accumulation rate of about 3·3 m ka⁻¹. The Idhn dune appears to have accumulated over the past 1000 years, with 20 m of sediment accumulating in a time period of about 270 years. The Awafi dune may have accumulated in response to the transgression of the Persian Gulf by rising sea levels in late Pleistocene and Holocene times. The Idhn dune may have accumulated rapidly because of intensified human activity, a short-lived climatic event, or because it may periodically be reactivated after erosion by fluvial action at its base.     

Assessment of some spatial and temporal issues in landslide initiation within the Río Aguas Catchment, South–East Spain

A research programme underway in south–east Spain has the overall aim of developing a long-term landscape evolution model for the Tertiary depositional basins that lie within the eastern part of the Betic cordillera. As part of the work it has become apparent that there are multiple natural hazards to development in the region, and the nature and distribution of these is presently under investigation. For one hazard, namely landsliding, a database of over 300 cases has been compiled within one defined 425 km² river catchment, namely the Río Aguas. Evaluation of the database has demonstrated that the contemporary distribution of landslides correlates with areas of steepest slopes across a range of the different lithologies. However, the “slope” component of the landscape is controlled by a wave of incision associated with a river capture event c. 100000 years ago which locally increased erosion by between 5 and 10 times. This event was a function of differential uplift between the depositional basins and resulted in over-steepened slopes within parts of the catchment which have yet to reach equilibrium in this evolving landscape.