I Zwicky 1: Decomposition and dynamics of the nearby QSO host

We address current theories of research on morphology, environment and evolution of active galaxies in the form of a detailed case study of the nearby QSO host I Zw 1. This study is based on sub-kpc resolution ¹²CO(1-0) observations with the BIMA mm-interferometer and on near-infrared imaging with ISAAC at the VLT. The ¹²CO(1-0) maps reveal a circumnuclear molecular gas ring with a radius of 0.9 kpc. The imaging data in the J-band are analyzed with respect to a disk-bulge decomposition. Together with a model of the gas rotation curve, the radial profile of the dynamical J-band mass-to-light ratio (M/L) is discussed. The J-band images give new evidence for an interaction between I Zw 1 and its nearby companion. First results from a sequence of N-body simulations for an extensive test of the parameter space of the interaction are presented. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Molecular Ring in the Liner Ngc 5218

High resolution OVRO CO 1–0 observations of the inner 30 in the LINER galaxy NGC 5218 reveal the presence of a double centrally peaked molecular concentration with extensions out to a radius of 12. The molecular mass detected is 2.4 × 10⁹ M and the gas surface density is high, 3000 M pc square in the inner 500 pc. The SFR is 2–3 M yr^–1 and the SFE is 13, which are low or moderate values for that gas surface density. We interpret the inner feature as a rotating molecular ring with a radius of 200 pc. We furthermore suggest that the LINER activity in NGC 5218 is not caused by an aging starburst, but by a buried AGN.     

QUARTZ WEATHERING IN FREEZE–THAW CYCLES: EXPERIMENT AND APPLICATION TO THE EL'GYGYTGYN CRATER LAKE RECORD FOR TRACING SIBERIAN PERMAFROST HISTORY

The object of this study is to test the assumption that cryogenic weathering (here understood as in‐situ disintegration of rock under cold‐climate conditions including ice as a weathering agent) preferentially breaks up quartz grains. We apply the results of laboratory tests to a Quaternary sediment record. The combination of silt production, relative quartz enrichment in the silt fraction, and quartz grain micromorphology is traced in a multi‐100‐kyr lake sediment archive as indicator data for cryogenic weathering. Constant cryogenic weathering conditions are inferred for at least the last 220 000 years from a lake sediment core of El'gygytgyn Crater, northeast Russia. This is the longest continuous terrestrial archive currently known for the continental Arctic. Quartz enrichment in the fines evolves from seasonal freeze–thaw weathering as demonstrated in laboratory testing where over 100 freeze and thaw cycles crack quartz grains preferentially over feldspar. Microscopic grain features demonstrate that freeze–thaw cycling probably disrupts quartz grains along mineral impurities such as bubble trails, gas–liquid inclusions, or mineralogical sub‐grain boundaries. Single‐grain micromorphology (e.g. angular outlines, sharp edges, microcracks, brittle surfaces) illustrates how quartz becomes fragmented due to cryogenic cracking of the grains. The single‐grain features stemming from the weathering dynamics are preserved even after a grain is transported off site (i.e. in mobile slope material, in seasonal river run‐off, into a lake basin) and may serve as first‐order proxy data for permafrost conditions in Quaternary records.     

Glacier change in Garibaldi Provincial Park, southern Coast Mountains, British Columbia, since the Little Ice Age

Fluctuations of glaciers during the 20th century in Garibaldi Provincial Park, in the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia, were reconstructed from historical documents, aerial photographs, and fieldwork. Over 505 km², or 26%, of the park, was covered by glacier ice at the beginning of the 18th century. Ice cover decreased to 297 km² by 1987–1988 and to 245 km² (49% of the early 18th century value) by 2005. Glacier recession was greatest between the 1920s and 1950s, with typical frontal retreat rates of 30 m/a. Many glaciers advanced between the 1960s and 1970s, but all glaciers retreated over the last 20 years. Times of glacier recession coincide with warm and relatively dry periods, whereas advances occurred during relatively cold periods. Rapid recession between 1925 and 1946, and since 1977, coincided with the positive phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), whereas glaciers advanced during its negative phase (1890–1924 and 1947–1976). The record of 20th century glacier fluctuations in Garibaldi Park is similar to that in southern Europe, South America, and New Zealand, suggesting a common, global climatic cause. We conclude that global temperature change in the 20th century explains much of the behaviour of glaciers in Garibaldi Park and elsewhere.     

Black carbon decomposition under varying water regimes

The stability of biomass-derived black carbon (BC) or biochar as a slow cycling pool in the global C cycle is an important property and is likely governed by environmental conditions. This study investigated the effects of water regimes (saturated, unsaturated and alternating saturated–unsaturated conditions) and differences in BC materials, produced by carbonizing corn residues and oak wood at two temperatures (350 °C and 600 °C) on BC degradation at 30 °C over 1 year in a full factorial experiment. Effects of water regime on C loss and potential cation exchange capacity (CECp at pH 7) significantly depended on biomass type. Corn BC was both mineralized (16% C loss for the first year) and was oxidized [1000 mmole(+) kg^?1 C] significantly faster under unsaturated conditions than under other water regimes, whereas oak BC mineralized most rapidly (12%) under alternating saturated–unsaturated conditions with similar oxidation, irrespective of water regime. Over 1 year of saturated incubation, the O/C ratio values did not significantly (P > 0.05) increase even though BC was mineralized by 9% and CECp increased by 170 mmole(+) kg^?1 C, in contrast to unsaturated and alternating saturated–unsaturated conditions. While mineralization and oxidation significantly decreased at higher charring temperature for corn, no difference was observed for oak (P > 0.05). Unsaturated and alternating conditions increased carboxylic and OH functional groups, while they decreased aliphatic groups. The pH increased by about one unit for corn BC, but decreased by 0.2 units for oak BC, indicating strong mineral dissolution of corn BC. Carbon loss strongly correlated with changes in O/C values of both corn BC and oak BC, indicating that oxidation of BC was most likely the major mechanism controlling its stability. However, under saturated conditions, additional mechanisms may govern BC degradation and require further investigation.     

Long-term observations of the group structure of surface waves in ice

Ocean Dynamics - Several years of surface wave observations in the Chukchi Sea reveal wave groups are a common feature in open water and ice-covered conditions. The strength of the groupiness, here...     

西藏罗布真矿区林子宗群火山岩锆石U-Pb年龄、地球化学特征及其地质意义

罗布真铅锌多金属矿床位于冈底斯火山-岩浆活动带的中南部,矿区内广泛发育林子宗群火山岩,岩性为英安岩和流纹质晶屑凝灰岩。LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年结果显示,罗布真矿区内林子宗群英安岩的成岩年龄为(49.14±0.86) Ma,应属于帕那组火山岩地层,并非前人所认为的典中组。岩石具有高K、低Ti的特征,属于高钾钙碱系列;相对富集Rb、Th、U、K、Zr、Hf等元素,亏损Nb、Ta、P、Ti、Sr等元素,且轻重稀土分馏明显,具有明显的负铕(δEu=0.50~0.65)异常。在印度-亚洲大陆汇聚的过程中,新特提斯洋向欧亚大陆俯冲,约50 Ma发生了大规模的火山、岩浆作用,同时岩浆-热液成矿作用也进入高峰期,林子宗群火山岩的形成时代与该时代一致,形成于陆陆碰撞形成的板内环境。罗布真矿区林子宗群火山岩年龄的厘定,揭示了冈底斯带林子宗群帕那组火山岩具有赋矿潜力,对认识该地区林子宗群火山岩与热液脉型铅锌多金属矿化的关系具有指导意义。     

Insights into agricultural influences and weathering processes from major ion patterns

Karst areas and their catchments pose a great challenge for protection because fast conduit flow results in low natural attenuation of anthropogenic contaminants. Studies of the hydrochemistry of karst sources and river solutes are an important tool for securing and managing water resources. A study of the geochemical downriver evolution of the Wiesent River and its tributaries, located in a typical karst terrain, revealed unexpected downstream decreases of nitrate with maximum mean values of 30 mg/L at the source to minimum values of 18 mg/L near the river mouth. This trend persisted over the length of the river even though increased agricultural activities are evident in the downstream section of the catchment. This pattern is caused by fertilizer inputs via diffusive and fast conduits flow from karst lithology in the upstream area that may have reached the river's source even from beyond the hydrological catchment boundaries. Further downstream, these influences became diluted by tributary inputs that drain subcatchments dominated by claystone and sandstone lithologies that increased potassium and sulphate concentrations. Our findings indicate that bedrock geology remains the dominant control on the major ion chemistry of the Wiesent River and that agricultural influences are strongest near the headwaters despite increased land use further downstream, due to long‐term storage and accumulation in karst aquifers. This feature may not be unique to the Wiesent River system, as carbonates cover significant portions of the Earth's surface and subsequent work in other river systems could establish whether such patterns are ubiquitous worldwide.