Application of the UKCIP02 climate change scenarios: Reflections and lessons learnt

The UKCIP02 climate change scenarios have become the standard reference for climate change in the UK since their release in 2002. This paper describes and reflects on the ways in which they have been applied. It then identifies some strengths, weaknesses and barriers to their application, and extracts key lessons that may inform the development and provision of future climate change scenarios.Analysis of the application of UKCIP02 shows that the scenarios have been used primarily as a communication device, as well as for scientific research and to inform policy and decision-making on climate change. They have played a critical role in raising awareness on climate change and in engaging organisations in the need to adapt. Their presentation in an accessible style, and their availability in a variety of formats, greatly facilitated their uptake. However, analysis has also revealed weaknesses which served as barriers to their uptake. Some of these, such as file format and accessibility issues, were readily overcome through technical solutions. Others, such as the issue of how to use uncertain information in decision-making, have only been partially addressed and remain an outstanding challenge for future scenario packages. Two key lessons have emerged which may benefit the provision of future climate scenarios in the UK and elsewhere. First, it is not enough to simply make climate change scenarios available. Their provision must be accompanied by ongoing guidance and support to ensure widespread and appropriate uptake. Second, on-going dialogue between those providing scenarios and the communities using them is fundamental to constructively meet the challenges associated with delivering credible scenarios that balance user requirements and expectations with what the science can deliver.     

WASP-1b and WASP-2b: two new transiting exoplanets detected with SuperWASP and SOPHIE

We have detected low-amplitude radial-velocity variations in two stars, USNO-B1.0 1219–0005465 (GSC  02265–00107 = WASP–1  ) and USNO-B1.0 0964–0543604 (GSC  00522–01199 = WASP–2  ). Both stars were identified as being likely host stars of transiting exoplanets in the 2004 SuperWASP wide-field transit survey. Using the newly commissioned radial-velocity spectrograph SOPHIE at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence, we found that both objects exhibit reflex orbital radial-velocity variations with amplitudes characteristic of planetary-mass companions and in-phase with the photometric orbits. Line-bisector studies rule out faint blended binaries as the cause of either the radial-velocity variations or the transits. We perform preliminary spectral analyses of the host stars, which together with their radial-velocity variations and fits to the transit light curves yield estimates of the planetary masses and radii. WASP-1b and WASP-2b have orbital periods of 2.52 and 2.15 d, respectively. Given mass estimates for their F7V and K1V primaries, we derive planet masses 0.80–0.98 and 0.81–0.95 times that of Jupiter, respectively. WASP-1b appears to have an inflated radius of at least 1.33 R _Jup, whereas WASP-2b has a radius in the range 0.65–1.26 R _Jup.     

Variable stars in the field of open cluster NGC 6819

We report on the discovery of 25 variable stars plus 13 suspected variables found in the field of the open cluster NGC 6819. The stars were identified from time-series photometric data obtained on the Isaac Newton Telescope, La Palma, during two observing runs covering the 19 nights between 1999 June  22–30  and 1999 July  22–31  . The variables found include 12 eclipsing binaries with an additional three suspected, nine BY Draconis systems, plus four variables of other types, including one star believed to be a Cepheid. Three of the 15 eclipsing binaries are believed to be cluster members. Details of a further 10 suspected variable stars are also included.     

Submarine groundwater discharge and nutrient addition to the coastal zone and coral reefs of leeward Hawai'i

Multiple tracers of groundwater input (salinity, Si, ²²³Ra, ²²⁴Ra, and ²²⁶Ra) were used together to determine the magnitude, character (meteoric versus seawater), and nutrient contribution associated with submarine groundwater discharge across the leeward shores of the Hawai'ian Islands Maui, Moloka'i, and Hawai'i. Tracer abundances were elevated in the unconfined coastal aquifer and the nearshore zone, decreasing to low levels offshore, indicative of groundwater discharge (near-fresh, brackish, or saline) at all locations. At several sites, we detected evidence of fresh and saline SGD occurring simultaneously. Conservative estimates of SGD fluxes ranged widely, from 0.02–0.65 m³ m^− 2 d^− 1at the various sites. Groundwater nutrient fluxes of 0.04–40 mmol N m^− 2 d^− 1 and 0.01–1.6 mmol P m^− 2 d^− 1 represent a major source of new nutrients to coastal ecosystems along these coasts. Nutrient additions were typically greatest at locations with a substantial meteoric component in groundwater, but the recirculation of seawater through the aquifer may provide a means of transferring terrestrially-derived nutrients to the coastal zone at several sites.     

Late Holocene environmental change in Celestun Lagoon,Yucatan, Mexico

Journal of Paleolimnology - Epikarst estuary response to hydroclimate change remains poorly understood, despite the well-studied link between climate and karst groundwater aquifers. The influence...     

ESTIMATION OF ERRORS IN ABSORBANCE RATIO MEASUREMENTS

Ratio measurements are commonly used to address a variety of analytical problems in environmental,forensic and pharmaceutical laboratories.In absorbance ratioing techniques,analytical chemists rely onthe spectral features of the analyte(s)of interest.The absorbances at two wavelengths are monitored andthe ratio of these two absorbances is computed.This ratio is then used to confirm the identity of theanalyte(s)of interest,the purity of a product or the overlap of chromatographic peaks.These decisionsoften have far-reaching consequences(e.g.the identification of the source,biogenic or petrogenic,ofhydrocarbons in biological tissues or water).Given the cost and the liabilities associated with suchdecisions,it is unfortunate that these ratios are seldom reported with any statistical confidence.Thepurpose of this study is to delineate the parameters that affect absorbance ratio measurements.Themodels that can be used to estimate the statistical confidence in these measurements are derived andevaluated experimentally.The results show that these models can estimate the relative standard deviationsin absorbance ratios accurately.They can also estimate the effect of signal-to-noise ratio and the choiceof wavelengths on the precision of absorbance ratios.     

Chemostratigraphy of Flood Basalts in the Garze-Litang Region and Zongza Block: Implications for Western Extension of the Emeishan Large Igneous Province, SW China

The Late Permian Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) is commonly regarded as being located in the western part of the Yangtze craton, SW China, with an asymmetrical shape and a small area. This area, however, is just a maximum estimation because some parts of the ELIP were not recognized or dismembered and destroyed during the Triassic to Cenozoic tectonism. In this paper, the chemostratigraphical data of the Zongza block, the Garze-Litang belt and the Songpan-Garze block suggest that the Late Permian basalts in these areas have remarkable similarities to the ELIP basalts in petrography and geochemistry. Flood basalts in the Sanjiangkou area are composed of the lower part of the low-Ti (LT) tholeiite and the upper part of the high-Ti (HT) tholeiite, which is the same as the flood basalts on the western margin of the Yangtze craton. Flood basalts in the Zongza and Songpan-Garze areas, which are far from the Yangtze craton, consist of HT tholeiite only. This is the same as the flood basalts within the Y     

贵州东部下寒武统杷榔组吐卓虫（Tuzoia）的发现

早、中寒武世广泛分布于全球的无腹大型双瓣壳节肢动物吐卓虫（Tuzoia），壳体由左右两壳瓣组成，多保存为单壳瓣，壳的中部有一具刺的侧脊，壳面多具网状的壳饰；吐卓虫（Tuzoia）生活于浅水或深水区，是一个广相性的节肢动物。凯里市西北郊翁岭塘下寒武统（或华南寒武系新地层系统的黔东统）杷榔组上部灰绿色粉砂质泥岩、页岩中产有与这个属的模式种Tuzoia retifera Walcott，1912非常相似的一相似种Tuzoia cf．T.retifera Walcott 1912．这是Tuzoia在较深水相杷榔组的初次发现，是目前所知在贵州的最低产出层位，丰富了杷榔组生物的组成面貌，也是中国华南地区早寒武世吐卓虫（Tuzoia）向东扩散并由浅水向深水迁移的证据。