Scattering of magnetic fabrics in the Cambrian alkaline granite of Meruoca (Ceará state,northeastern Brazil)

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) applied to an alkaline granite from Meruoca (NE Brazil) recorded weak anisotropies, typically below 4%, and a considerable dispersion of the AMS axes. Red-clouded feldspars and clots of metasomatic minerals enclosed in magmatic crystals indicate that hydrothermal fluids altered the granite. U–Pb isotopic data show high-common Pb on zircons but allowed the calculation of a mean SHRIMP age of 523 ± 9 Ma attributed to the magmatic crystallization. Growth of fine oxides by late fluid–rock interactions was responsible for the scattering of AMS. Rock magnetic data indicate they consist mainly of an oxidized magnetite and (titano)hematite. Shape preferred orientation of mafic aggregates measured in granite quarries shows that the pluton preserves a gently dipping magmatic foliation. AMS in some quarries with a well-defined magmatic fabric, however, remains highly dispersed. When AMS mimics the mafic shape fabric, only magnetic foliations share a common orientation. Locally, AMS grounded in coarse Ti-poor magnetite associated with titanite develops a consistent subhorizontal oblate fabric that agrees with tectonic models suggesting that the cupola of the pluton has been exposed by erosion.     

Was southern Sweden ice free at 19–25 ka, or were the post LGM glacifluvial sediments incompletely bleached?

Glacifluvial deposits along an ice-marginal zone in Småland, southern Sweden, have been dated using post-IR blue OSL. To test for incomplete bleaching, we adopted two strategies: analysis of modern analogues and small-aliquot dose distributions. Samples of modern fluvial sediments show no significant incomplete bleaching; they yield equivalent doses of only 0.5–2 Gy (0.25–4% of our glacifluvial sediment doses). Small-aliquot dose distributions do not provide any evidence for incomplete bleaching.

The sediments are believed to have been deposited during deglaciation and appear to fall into two age groups: 19–25 ka (mainly sandur sediments) and 33–73 ka (mainly deltaic sediments). Compared to the expected ages (13–15 ka), even the younger glacifluvial OSL ages appear up to 10 000 years (25 Gy) too old. The ages are nevertheless stratigraphically consistent and correspond between sites; we deduce that the 19–25 ka ages are true deposition ages. For glacifluvial sedimentation to take place on the South Swedish Upland at this time either a very early deglaciation is required, or alternatively ice-free conditions just prior to the LGM. The deltaic sediments (33–73 ka) were most likely not significantly bleached during deposition and thus they date events prior to the latest ice advance.     

Multi-level assessment of chronic toxicity of estuarine sediments with the amphipod Gammarus locusta: I. Biochemical endpoints

We report on biomarker responses conducted as part of a multi-level assessment of the chronic toxicity of estuarine sediments to the amphipod Gammarus locusta. A companion article accounts for organism and population-level effects. Five moderately contaminated sediments from two Portuguese estuaries, Sado and Tagus, were assessed. Three of them were muddy and two were sandy sediments. The objective was to assess sediments that were not acutely toxic. Three of the sediments met this criterion, the other two were diluted (50% and 75%) with clean sediment until acute toxicity was absent. Following 28-d exposures, the amphipods were analysed for whole-body metal bioaccumulation, metallothionein induction (MT), DNA strand breakage (SB) and lipid peroxidation (LP). Two of the muddy sediments did not cause chronic toxicity. These findings were consistent with responses at organism and population levels that showed higher growth rates and improvement of reproductive traits for amphipods exposed to these two sediments. Two other sediments, one muddy and one sandy, exhibited pronounced chronic toxicity, affecting SB, MT induction (in muddy sediment), survival and reproduction. Potential toxicants involved in these effects were identified. The last sandy sediment exhibited some loss of DNA integrity, however growth was also enhanced. Present results, together with the organism/population-level data, and also benthic communities information, were analysed under a weight-of-evidence approach. By providing evidence of exposure (or lack of it) to contaminants in sediments, the biomarkers here applied assisted in distinguishing toxicants' impacts in test organisms from the confounding influence of other geochemical features of the sediments.     

Relative risk assessment of cruise ships biosolids disposal alternatives

A relative risk assessment of biosolids disposal alternatives for cruise ships is presented in this paper. The area of study encompasses islands and marine waters of the Caribbean Sea. The objective was to evaluate relative human health and ecological risks of (a) dewatering/incineration, (b) landing the solids for disposal, considering that in some countries land-disposed solids might be discharged in the near-shore environment untreated, and (c) deep ocean disposal. Input to the Bayesian assessment consisted of professional judgment based on available literature and modeling information, data on constituent concentrations in cruise ship biosolids, and simulations of constituent concentrations in Caribbean waters assuming ocean disposal. Results indicate that human health and ecological risks associated with land disposal and shallow ocean disposal are higher than those of the deep ocean disposal and incineration. For incineration, predicted ecological impacts were lower relative to deep ocean disposal before considering potential impacts of carbon emissions.     

Explanatory analysis of the relationship between atmospheric circulation and occurrence of flood‐generating events in a coastal city

The aim of this study is to enhance the understanding of the occurrence of flood‐generating events in urban areas by analysing the relationship between large‐scale atmospheric circulation and extreme precipitation events, extreme sea water level events and their simultaneous occurrence, respectively. To describe the atmospheric circulation, we used the Lamb circulation type (LCT) classification and re‐grouped it into Lamb circulation classes (LCC). The daily LCCs/LCTs were connected with rare precipitation and water‐level events in Aarhus, a Danish coastal city. Westerly and cyclonic LCCs (W, C, SW and NW) showed a significantly high occurrence of extreme precipitation. Similarly, for extreme water‐level events westerly LCCs (W and SW) showed a significantly high occurrence. Significantly low occurrence of extreme precipitation and water‐level events was obtained in easterly LCCs (NE, E and SE). For concurrent events, significantly high occurrence was obtained in LCC W. We assessed the change in LCC occurrence frequency in the future based on two regional climate models (RCMs). The projections indicate that the westerly directions in LCCs are expected to increase in the future. Consequently, simultaneous occurrence of extreme water level and precipitation events is expected to increase in the future as a result of change in LCC frequencies. The RCM projections for LCC frequencies are uncertain because the representation of current LCCs is poor; a large number of days cannot be classified and the frequencies of the days that can be classified differ from the observed time series. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Monitoring of Short-Term Heavy Metal Deposition by Accumulation in Epiphytic Lichens (Hypogymnia Physodes (L.) Nyl.)

Many lichens are very sensitive to air pollution due to their symbiotic nature. However, they are generally less sensitive to toxic effects of trace elements; therefore they can be used as accumulator organisms for estimating concentrations of these elements in the environment. Heavy metal accumulation in lichens is a commonly used bioindication method for assessing heavy metal ambient levels. An active biomonitoring method was used for the determination of short-term accumulation of zinc, lead, arsenic and cadmium by epiphytic lichens transplanted at different localities in Slovenia polluted by heavy metals. The atomic absorption spectrophotometry method was used for the determination of heavy metal content in lichen thalli. The content of heavy metals in lichens collected in the background area with clean air (Rogla, Pohorje Mountains) was used as the reference value. Lichens were transplanted from Rogla using the branch transplantation technique for a period of 6 months in the surroundings of Slovenian thermal power plants (Velenje, otanj, Zavodnje, Veliki Vrh, Vnajnarje, and Dobovec) and close to the lead and zinc ore smelter at erjav. The monthly accumulation of heavy metals was comparable within years at selected locations. Heavy metal pollution was the highest at erjav despite of remediation of lead and zinc ore smelter. The monthly accumulation of all four heavy metals was statistically significantly higher in lichens exposed at erjav than at other localities.     

Chronology of the Last Glacial Maximum in the Salzach palaeoglacier area (Eastern Alps)

A chronostratigraphy based on luminescence data was established at a key loess profile (Duttendorf) in the northern alpine foreland of Austria. The data help to constrain the timing and duration of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the area of one of the largest east Alpine piedmont glaciers, the Salzach palaeoglacier. Climate deterioration and maximum advance of this glacier were coeval with the beginning of the main loess accumulation phase in the glacier forefield at ～29–30 ka. A late LGM‐outwash gravel layer deposited on top of the loess profile marks the end of the LGM glacier activity at ～20 ka. The geomorphological setting around the loess profile provides evidence of a major glacier oscillation during the course of the LGM, a phenomenon qualitatively known from other alpine palaeoglaciers but never interpreted in terms of palaeoclimate. A LGM glacier oscillation similar to that of the Salzach palaeoglacier was reported recently from the south Alpine Tagliamento palaeoglacier, suggesting a common forcing. The onset of loess deposition at Duttendorf and the tentatively contemporal advance of the Salzach palaeoglacier reflect, as do other data, the drastic cooling in Europe as a result of Heinrich event 3. The first glacier maximum is not well constrained in the study area but a correlation with the better dated Tagliamento amphitheatre suggests a possible response to Heinrich 2. The second re‐advance occurred synchronously (within dating uncertainties) in both palaeoglaciers forefields (at ～21 ka) but the forcing mechanism remains unknown. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multivariate Interpolation of Precipitation Using Regularized Spline with Tension

Regularized Spline with Tension (RST) is an accurate, flexible and efficient method for multivariate interpolation of scattered data. This study evaluates its capabilities to interpolate daily and annual mean precipitation in regions with complex terrain. Tension, smoothing and anisotropy parameters are optimized using the cross-validation technique. In addition, smoothing and rescaling of the third variable (elevation) is used to minimize the predictive error. The approach is applied to data sets from Switzerland and Slovakia and interpolation accuracy is compared to the results obtained by several other methods, expert-drawn maps and measured runoff. The results demonstrate that RST performs as well or better than the methods tested in the literature. The incorporation of terrain improves the spatial model of precipitation in terms of its predictive error, spatial pattern and water balance.     

Miocene to Quaternary deformation in NE Slovenia: complex paleomagnetic and structural study

Combined paleomagnetic and structural research was carried out in the Mura-Zala Basin including the western and southern surrounding hills in northeastern Slovenia. The Mura-Zala Basin was formed due to ENE–WSW trending crustal extension in the late Early Miocene (18.3–16.5 Ma). First, marine sedimentation took place in several more or less confined depressions, then in a unified basin. During thermal subsidence in the late Miocene deltaic to fluvial sediments were deposited. After sedimentation, the southernmost, deepest depression was inverted. Map-scale folds, reverse and strike-slip faults were originated by NNW–SSE compression. This deformation occurred in the latest Miocene–Pliocene and is reflected also in the magnetic fabric (low field susceptibility anisotropy). After this folding, the Karpatian sediments of the Haloze acquired magnetization, then suffered 30° counterclockwise rotation relative to the present north (40° counterclockwise with respect to stable Europe). This Pliocene (Quaternary?) rotation affected a wide area around the Mura-Zala Basin. The latest Miocene to Quaternary folding and subsequent rotation may be connected to the counterclockwise rotation of the Adriatic microplate.