Long-term ice sheet–climate interactions under anthropogenic greenhouse forcing simulated with a complex Earth System Model

Several multi-century and multi-millennia simulations have been performed with a complex Earth System Model (ESM) for different anthropogenic climate change scenarios in order to study the long-term evolution of sea level and the impact of ice sheet changes on the climate system. The core of the ESM is a coupled coarse-resolution Atmosphere–Ocean General Circulation Model (AOGCM). Ocean biogeochemistry, land vegetation and ice sheets are included as components of the ESM. The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) decays in all simulations, while the Antarctic ice sheet contributes negatively to sea level rise, due to enhanced storage of water caused by larger snowfall rates. Freshwater flux increases from Greenland are one order of magnitude smaller than total freshwater flux increases into the North Atlantic basin (the sum of the contribution from changes in precipitation, evaporation, run-off and Greenland meltwater) and do not play an important role in changes in the strength of the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (NAMOC). The regional climate change associated with weakening/collapse of the NAMOC drastically reduces the decay rate of the GrIS. The dynamical changes due to GrIS topography modification driven by mass balance changes act first as a negative feedback for the decay of the ice sheet, but accelerate the decay at a later stage. The increase of surface temperature due to reduced topographic heights causes a strong acceleration of the decay of the ice sheet in the long term. Other feedbacks between ice sheet and atmosphere are not important for the mass balance of the GrIS until it is reduced to 3/4 of the original size. From then, the reduction in the albedo of Greenland strongly accelerates the decay of the ice sheet.     

Impact of data assimilation of glider observations in the Ionian Sea (Eastern Mediterranean)

Glider observations of temperature, salinity and vertically averaged velocity in the Ionian Sea (Eastern Mediterranean Sea), made in the period October 2004–December 2004, were assimilated into an operational forecasting model together with other in situ and satellite observations. The study area has a high spatial and temporal variability of near surface dynamics, characterized by the entrance of the Atlantic Ionian Stream (AIS) into the Northern Ionian Sea. The impact of glider observations on the estimation of the circulation is studied, and it is found that their assimilation locally improves the prediction of temperature, salinity, velocity and surface elevation fields. However, only the assimilation of temperature and salinity together with the vertically averaged velocity improves the forecast of all observed parameters. It is also found that glider observations rapidly impact the analyses even remotely, and the remote impacts on the analyses remain several months after the presence of the glider. The study emphasizes the importance of assimilating as much as possible all available information from gliders, especially in dynamically complex areas.     

Seasonal to interannual climate predictability in mid and high northern latitudes in a global coupled model

The upper limit of climate predictability in mid and high northern latitudes on seasonal to interannual time scales is investigated by performing two perfect ensemble experiments with the global coupled atmosphere–ocean–sea ice model ECHAM5/MPI-OM. The ensembles consist of six members and are initialized in January and July from different years of the model’s 300-year control integration. The potential prognostic predictability is analyzed for a set of oceanic and atmospheric climate parameters. The predictability of the atmospheric circulation is small except for southeastern Europe, parts of North America and the North Pacific, where significant predictability occurs with a lead time of up to half a year. The predictability of 2 m air temperature shows a large land–sea contrast with highest predictabilities over the sub polar North Atlantic and North Pacific. A combination of relatively high persistence and advection of sea surface temperature anomalies into these areas leads to large predictability. Air temperature over Europe, parts of North America and Asia shows significant predictability of up to half a year in advance. Over the ice-covered Arctic, air temperature is not predictable at time scales exceeding 2 months. Sea ice thickness is highly predictable in the central Arctic mainly due to persistence and in the Labrador Sea due to dynamics. Surface salinity is highly predictable in the Arctic Ocean, northern North Atlantic and North Pacific for several years in advance. We compare the results to the predictability due to persistence and show the importance of dynamical processes for the predictability.     

Major and trace elements in German bottled water,their regional distribution,and accordance with national and international standards

The market for mineral water has been growing steadily over the last few years. Germany is the country with the highest number of bottled mineral water brands (908 bottled water samples from 502 wells/brands were analyzed). The per capita consumption of mineral water in Germany in 2003 was 129 L. A wide range of values of one to seven orders of magnitude was determined for 71 elements in the bottled water samples analyzed by ICP-QMS, ICP-AES, IC, titration, photometric, conductometric and potentiometric methods. A comparison of the element concentrations and the legal limits for both bottled and tap water (EU, Germany, US EPA, WHO) shows that only 70% of the 908 mineral water samples fulfill the German and EU drinking water (i.e., tap water) regulations for all parameters (not including pH) for which action levels are defined. Nearly 5% of the bottled water samples not fulfill the German and EU regulations for mineral and table water. Comparison of our results with the current German and European action levels for mineral and table water shows that only 42 of the bottled water samples exceed the limits for one or more of the following elements: arsenic, nitrate, nitrite, manganese, nickel and barium concentrations. Ten of the bottled water samples contain uranium concentrations above the 10 μg/L recommended limit.     

An integrated zircon geochronological and geochemical investigation into the Miocene plutonic evolution of the Cyclades, Aegean Sea, Greece: Part 1: Geochronology

We use 369 individual U–Pb zircon ages from 14 granitoid samples collected on five islands in the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea, Greece, for constraining the crystallisation history of I- and S-type plutons above the retreating Hellenic subduction zone. Miocene magmatism in the Cyclades extended over a time span from 17 to 11 Ma. The ages for S-type granites are systematically ~2 million years older than those for I-type granites. Considering plutons individually, the zircon data define age spectra ranging from simple and unimodal to complex and multimodal. Seven of the 14 investigated samples yield more than one distinct zircon crystallisation age, with one I-type granodiorite sample from Mykonos Island representing the most complex case with three resolvable age peaks. Two samples from S-type granites on Ikaria appear to have crystallised zircon over 2–3 million years, whereas for the majority of individual samples with multiple zircon age populations the calculated ages deviate by 1–1.5 million years. We interpret our age data to reflect a protracted history involving initial partial melting at deeper lithospheric levels, followed by crystallisation and cooling at shallower crustal levels. Our study corroborates published research arguing that pluton construction is due to incremental emplacement of multiple magma pulses over a few million years. Assuming that multiple age peaks of our 14 samples can indeed serve to quantify time spans for magmatic emplacement, our data suggest that Aegean plutons were constructed over a few million years. Our tectonic interpretation of the U–Pb ages is that the S-type granites resulted from partial melting and migmatisation of the lower crust, possibly starting at ~23 Ma. The I-type granites and associated mafic melts are interpreted to reflect the magmatic arc stage in the Cyclades starting at ~15 Ma.     

Eckfeld Maar: Window into an Eocene Terrestrial Habitat in Central Europe

<正>To mark the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the Rheinische Naturforschende Gesellschaft in 2009 and of the centennial of the Mainz Natural History Museum in 2010,we present a short account of our present knowledge of the Eckfeld Maar after 20 years of continuous research.This paper does not attempt to include all of the detailed results on the geology of the Eckfeld site or its biota.To date,nearly 250 papers and books have been published since the start of our project.An up-to-date list of these publications can be found at www.eckfeldermaar. de.     

Discriminant analysis for estimation of groundwater age from hydrochemistry and well construction: application to New Zealand aquifers

Concentrations of tritium, chlorofluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride have been measured at over 100 groundwater monitoring sites across New Zealand, followed by interpretation of groundwater age distribution using the exponential-piston flow model. Interpreted mean residence times ranged from less than 1 year to more than 100 years, with the 25th, 50th (median) and 75th percentiles being approximately 10, 40 and 100 years, respectively. Classification functions derived from discriminant analysis and based on nine input variables (well depth, electrical conductivity and the concentrations of the ions Na, K, Ca, Mg, HCO₃, Cl and SO₄) allowed assignment of 71% of the sites to the correct of four age categories (mean residence time 10 years or less, 11–40 years, 41–100 years, or more than 100 years). The discriminant analysis classification functions were more effective than regression methods for estimating groundwater age from hydrochemistry and well depth, and can thus be used to predict the groundwater age category for any monitoring site in New Zealand.     

Hi-Fix—ein neues Hilfsmittel zur Ortsbestimmung in küstennahen Seegebieten

Zusammenfassung Das Hi-Fix-Verfahren ist ein funktechnisches Hilfsmittel zur Ortsbestimmung auf der Grundlage der Hyperbelnavigation, das in küstennahen Seegebieten eingesetzt wird. Es werden das Prinzip, die Technik und die Anwendung dieses Verfahrens behandelt. Über die im praktischen Einsatz gesammelten Erfahrungen, sowie über die Aufgabenstellung für die Auswertung zahlreichen Registriermaterials, das während des Großversuches einiger Bundesbehörden in den Jahren 1964 und 1965 anfiel, wird berichtet. Es soll dabei untersucht werden, welchen Einfluß geophysikalische Größen, wie z. B. die Bodenleitfähigkeit und atmosphärische Störungen (Gewitter) sowie Sekundärstrahlungen von metallischen Gebilden in Empfängernähe auf die Anzeigegenauigkeit der Hi-Fix-Geräte ausüben.

---

Hi-Fix — a new tool of position fixing in near-coastal sea areas

Summary Hi-Fix is a new tool of position fixing on the basis of hyperbolic navigation that is used in near-coastal sea areas. Principle, technique, and application of this system are treated. A report is given of the experience gained from field work as well as of the objects of the evaluation of the numerous recordings obtained from a large-scale experiment conducted by several federal agencies in the years 1964 and 1965. The effect of geophysical quantities, such as soil conductivity and atmospherics (thunderstorm) as well as secondary radiation from metallic bodies in the vicinity of the receiver on the indication accuracy of the Hi-Fix devices shall be studied.

---

Hi-Fix — un nouveau procédé de localisation en mer à proximité de la côle

Résumé Le procédé Hi-Fix apporte une nouvelle contribution au problème de la localisation; il est basé sur le système hyperbolique et utilisé dans les eaux côtières. Il est rendu compte des expériences réalisées pratiquement ainsi que de la tâche qu'imposait, à quelques autorités fédérales, l'exploitation des nombreuses informations recueillies au cours des essais à grande échelle des années 1964 et 1965. A cette occasion on cherche à mesurer l'influence qu'exercent sur la précision fournie par les appareils Hi-Fix, des grandeurs atmosphériques (orages) ainsi que les rayonnements secondaires de formations métalliques au voisinage du récepteur.

---

---

Nach einem Vortrag, gehalten auf der Meteorologen-Geophysiker-Tagung am 4. 4. 1968 in Hamburg.

---

Hi-Fix ist eine Abkürzung für High Accuracy Position Fixing, es wird ebensowenig aufgelöst wie z. B. Radar. Die Redaktion.