<Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar ages of the<Emphasis Type="Italic"> AD</Emphasis> 79 eruption of Vesuvius,Italy

The Italian volcano, Vesuvius, erupted explosively in AD 79. Sanidine from pumice collected at Casti Amanti in Pompeii and Villa Poppea in Oplontis yielded a weighted-mean ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of 1925±66 years in 2004 (1σ uncertainty) from incremental-heating experiments of eight aliquants of sanidine. This is the calendar age of the eruption. Our results together with the work of Renne et al. (1997) and Renne and Min (1998) demonstrate the validity of the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method to reconstruct the recent eruptive history of young, active volcanoes.     

Application of the topographic datuming operator to a data setfrom the Eastern Arabian Peninsula

We apply a redatuming methodology, designed to handle rugged topography and the presence of high‐velocity layers near the acquisition surface, to a 2D land seismic data set acquired in Saudi Arabia. This methodology is based on a recently developed prestack operator, which we call the topographic datuming operator (TDO). The TDO, unlike static corrections, allows for the movement of reflections laterally with respect to their true locations, corresponding to the new datum level. Thus, it mitigates mispositioning of events and velocity bias introduced by the assumption of surface consistency and the time‐invariant time shifts brought about by static corrections. Using the shallow velocities estimated from refracted events, the TDO provides a superior continuity of reflections and better focusing than that obtained from conventional static corrections in most parts of the processed 2D line. The computational cost of applying the TDO is only slightly higher than static corrections. The marginal additional computational cost and the possibility of estimating, after TDO redatuming, stacking velocities that are not affected by a spurious positive bias, as in the case of static corrections, are further advantages of the proposed methodology. The likelihood of strong heterogeneities in the most complex part of the line limits the applicability of any approach based upon geometrical optics; however, the TDO produces results that are slightly better than those obtained from static corrections because of its ability to partially collapse diffractions generated in the near surface.     

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF GULLIES IN AN AGROPASTORAL AREA IN SARDINIA, ITALY

1 INTRODUCTION Many studies on soil erosion by water have been carried out in the Mediterranean area, since erosion is considered as one of the most important land degradation processes in these environments (UNEP, 1994). Those studies mainly focused on r…     

Preservation of chemical residue-melt equilibria in natural anatexite: the effects of deformation and rapid cooling

A combined petrologic, textural and chemical approach is used to interpret the relationship between chemical exchange and deformation during partial melting of a granodioritic gneiss in the contact aureole of the Bergell Pluton (Central Alps). In contrast to most regional metamorphic anatexites, chemical equilibrium between residue and segregated melt was attained and preserved by several elements, as shown by their present distribution. Equilibrium involved both the major and the trace elements hosted in the rock-forming minerals and the light rare earth elements (LREE), hosted primarily in allanite. Equilibrium with respect to LREEs was achieved because allanite had a reactive behaviour during water-present melting, in contrast to the refractive behaviour of xenotime, which mostly controls the distribution of the HREE's. The attainment and preservation of equilibrium between leucosome and residue requires peculiar boundary conditions. We propose that the achievement of equilibrium between melt and residue was promoted by deformation, operating via a mechanism of melt present granular flow (i.e. dissolution-accommodated grain-boundary sliding active during partial melting). Microstructural observations indicate that melt-present granular flow was the dominating deformation mechanism in these anatexites. The preservation of residue-melt equilibrium is inferred to result from rapid cooling under contact metamorphic conditions and from the lack of deformation below the solidus.     

Calibration of cross-line components for sea-bed 4C acquisition systems

Faithful recording of the elastic wavefield at the sea‐bed is required for quantitative applications of 4C seismic. The accuracy of the recorded vectorial wavefield depends on factors that vary from deployment to deployment. This paper focuses on one such factor: the interaction of the acquisition system with the sea‐bed, which is referred to here as coupling. We show, using multi‐azimuth data recorded with a cable‐based sea‐bed acquisition system, whose sensor housing is cylindrically shaped and with the in‐line geophone fixed to the cable, that coupling depends on the propagation direction and wave type (P‐ or S‐waves) of the incident wavefield. We show that coupling is more critical for S‐waves than for P‐waves. Detection of inconsistent coupling using both P‐ and S‐waves is therefore mandatory. A data‐driven processing method to compensate for the frequency‐dependent coupling response of the cross‐line geophone is derived. Its application to field data verifies the effectiveness of the method.     

Corrections of Systematic Errors and Data Homogenisation in the Daily Temperature Padova Series (1725–1998)

The correction, validation and homogenisation of the long temperature series of Padova (1725–1998) are discussed. After a careful historical investigation made in order to discover the metadata concerning the series, i.e., instrument features, calibrating methodologies, operational procedures (i.e., exposure, timing and number of daily observations), instrument maintenance, relocations and instrument replacements, the series has been corrected for all the systematic errors derived from any change in the instruments or the operative methodology. Above all, correction focused on instrumental drift, scale expansion, building influence, relationship between indoor-outdoor measurements, minima and maxima evaluation from observations performed at different times, homogenisation for difference of level and change of site. Statistical tests applied to the data and the comparison with other known series has clarified some uncertainties about exposure and operational procedures that the historical analysis of metadata was unable to solve. Moreover, gaps have been filled after the comparison of the series with others of neighbouring sites. The critical work of debugging, correcting, validating and homogenising the series is essential for a correct interpretation of data, as in some cases the errors that have been corrected have been found to be greater than the climate signal. Especially in the early period, the algebraic sum of the corrections of the mean daily temperature exceeds 8 ° C, where monthly corrections can reach 6 ° C. After correction, validation and homogenisation, the linear trend of the Padova series is positive, +0.31 ° C/100 yr over the period1774–today. Looking at post-industrial warming, the temperature rise is+0.44 ° C in the last 130 years, which means +0.34 ° C/100 yr, not farfrom the above bulk average.     

Simulation of South American wintertime climate with a nesting system

A numerical nesting system is developed to simulate wintertime climate of the eastern South Pacific-South America-western South Atlantic region, and preliminary results are presented. The nesting system consists of a large-scale global atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) and a regional climate model (RCM). The latter is driven at its boundaries by the GCM. The particularity of this nesting system is that the GCM itself has a variable horizontal resolution (stretched grid). Our main purpose is to assess the plausibility of such a technique to improve climate representation over South America. In order to evaluate how this nesting system represents the main features of the regional circulation, several mean fields have been analyzed. The global model, despite its relatively low resolution, could simulate reasonably well the more significant large-scale circulation patterns. The use of the regional model often results in improvements, but not universally. Many of the systematic errors of the global model are also present in the regional model, although the biases tend to be rectified. Our preliminary results suggest that nesting technique is a computationally low-cost alternative for simulating regional climate features. However, additional simulations, parametrizations tuning and further diagnosis are clearly needed to represent local patterns more precisely. Received: 18 February 1999 / Accepted: 31 May 2000     

Mixed-function oxidase activity and conjugating enzymes in two species of antarctic fish

Enzyme activities of phase I and phase II of the hepatic detoxication system were investigated in two species of fish from the Ross Sea in Antarctica. The fish had extremely low phase I enzyme (BPMO and aldrin epoxidase). The reductase regenerating enzyme activities were comparable to those found in fish of temperate seas. Transferases of cytosol showed highest activity in the conjugation of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and little or no conjugation of other substrates. The GSSG reductase and the glutathione transferase with peroxidase activity (CuOOH substrate) were low; the Sedependent glutathione peroxidase activity was not detectable. Interspecific differences were found for most of the enzymes tested.