Late-glacial cirque glaciation in parts of western Norway

Younger Dryas cirque glaciers are known to have existed beyond the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in parts of western Norway. At Kråkenes, on the outermost coast, a cirque glacier formed and subsequently wasted away during the Younger Dryas. No glacier existed there during the Allerød. Large cirque moraines, some with marine deltas and associated fans, extend into the western part of Sykkylvsfjorden. Comparison with existing late-glacial sea-level curves shows that the uppermost marine sediment in these features was deposited well above Younger Dryas sea-level, demonstrating that the cirques were occupied by glaciers before the Younger Dryas. During the Younger Dryas the cirque glaciers expanded, and some advanced across the deltas, depositing till and supplying the sediment to form lower-level fans and deltas controlled by Younger Dryas sea level. The extent of the Younger Dryas advance of some of the glaciers was, at least in part, controlled by grounding on material deposited before the Younger Dryas. The depositional history of the glacial–marine deposits in the Sykkylven area indicates that cirque glaciers existed throughout Late-glacial time and only expanded during the Younger Dryas. The sediment sequence in glacial lakes beyond cirque moraines and reconstructions of glacier equilibrium lines indicate that this was true for most cirques in western Norway. Only on the outermost coast were new glaciers formed in response to Younger Dryas climate cooling. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

土地资源约束下的北京食物供给潜力与优化(英文)

全球气候变化所带来的极端天气的频繁发生,水资源短缺情况下的农业用水的不断减少和伴随着人口增长与社会经济发展所引起的耕地面积下降,正在严重影响着世界范围内的食物安全。近年来由于食品价格的迅猛增长而导致的食品危机正在引起人们对增加地方食物供应的普遍关注。城市作为对食品安全更为敏感的地区,更是首当其冲受到食品危机的影响,城市一方面由于城市化快速发展,带来城市人口膨胀和消费多样性要求,从而形成需求的大幅增加,另一方面有由于城市周边耕地面积的不断减少,农业生产空间受到压缩,农业生产能力减弱,降低了城市的自我食品供给,引起自给率明显下降。如何保持供需之间的平衡,保障城市食品安全,成为亟需研究的问题。本文提出以食物足迹的概念,来衡量城市所间接消耗的土地资源,并以此为工具,以自给率为条件,来求得满足一定自给率条件下食物供给的空间对应格局。通过分析30年来北京食物足迹以及食物自给率的年际变化,得出结论:北京食物足迹从1981年的1.18万km2增加到2010年的2.94万km2,而自给率整体下降较多,蔬菜、水果、谷物及油脂类的自给率从1981年的59.3%、35.8%、37.3% 和 13.1% 下降到2010年的39.0%、27.0%、6.7% 和2.2%,可以看出蔬菜仍能保持相当的自给率,因此提高蔬菜自给率是增强城市自给能力的最佳选择。最后,以60%的蔬菜自给率为目标,提出了两种情景,包括完全以耕地为来源的空间应对格局,以及屋顶农业参与下的空间应对格局。     

Monitoring of the plume from the basaltic phreatomagmatic 2004 Grímsv?tn eruption—application of weather radar and comparison with plume models

The Grímsv?tn eruption in November 2004 belongs to a class of small- to medium-sized phreatomagmatic eruptions which are common in Iceland. The eruption lasted 6?days, but the main phase, producing most of the 0.02?km³ of magma erupted, was visible for 33?h on the C-band weather radar of the Icelandic Meteorological Office located in Keflavík, 260?km to the west of the volcano. The plume rose to 8–12?km high over sea level during 33?h. The long distance between radar and source severely reduces the accuracy of the plume height determinations, causing 3.5-km steps in recorded heights. Moreover, an apparent height overestimate of ~1.5?km in the uncorrected radar records occurs, possibly caused by wave ducting or super-refraction in the atmosphere. The stepping and the height overestimate can be partly overcome by averaging the plume heights and by applying a height adjustment based on direct aircraft measurements. Adjusted weather radar data on plume height are used to estimate the total mass erupted using empirical plume models mostly based on magmatic eruptions and to compare it with detailed in situ measurements of the mass of erupted tephra. The errors arising because of the large radar plume distance limit the applicability of the data for detailed comparisons. However, the results indicate that the models overestimate the mass erupted by a factor of three to four. This supports theoretical models indicating that high steam content of phreatomagmatic (wet) plumes enhances their height compared to dry plumes.     

Gully catchments as a sediment sink,not just a source: Results from a long‐term (~12 500 year) sediment budget

Sediment delivery from hillslopes to trunk streams represents a significant pathway of mass transfer in the landscape, with a large fraction facilitated by gully systems. The internal gully geomorphic dynamics represent a considerable gap in many landscape and empirical erosion models, therefore a better understanding of these processes over longer timescales (10–10⁴ years) is needed. This study analyses the sediment mass balance and storage dynamics within a headwater gully catchment in central Europe over the last ~12 500 years. Human induced erosion resulted in hillslope erosion rates ~2.3 times higher than under naturally de‐vegetated conditions (during the Younger Dryas), however the total sediment inputs to the gully system (and therefore gully aggradation), were similar. Net gully storage has consistently increased to become the second largest term in the sediment budget after hillslope erosion (storage is ~45% and ~73% of inputs during two separate erosion and aggradation cycles). In terms of the depletion of gully sediment storage, the sediment mass balance shows that export beyond the gully fan was not significant until the last ~500 years, due to reduced gully fan accommodation space. The significance of storage effects on the gully sediment mass balance, particularly the export terms, means that it would be difficult to determine the influences of human impact and/or climatic changes from floodplain or lake sedimentary archives alone and that the sediment budgets of the headwater catchments from which they drain are more likely to provide these mechanistic links. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accurate ocean tide modeling in southeast Alaska and large tidal dissipation around Glacier Bay

An accurate prediction of ocean tides in southeast Alaska is developed using a regional, barotropic ocean model with a finite difference scheme. The model skill is verified by the observational tidal harmonics in southeast Alaska including Glacier Bay. The result is particularly improved in Glacier Bay compared to the previous model described by Foreman et al. (2000). The model bathymetry dominates the model skill. We re-estimate tidal energy dissipation in the Alaska Panhandle and suggest a value for tidal energy dissipation of 3.4 GW associated with the M₂ constituent which is 1.5 times the estimation of Foreman et al. (2000). A large portion of the M₂ energy budget entering through Chatham Strait is dissipated in the vicinity of Glacier Bay. Moreover, it is shown that the developed model has the potential to correct the ocean tide loading effect in geodetic data more efficiently than the model of Foreman et al. (2000), especially around Glacier Bay.     

The role of Bells in the continuous accretion between the CM and CR chondrite reservoirs

CM meteorites are dominant members of carbonaceous chondrites (CCs), which evidently accreted in a region separated from the terrestrial planets. These chondrites are key in determining the accretion regions of solar system materials, since in Mg and Cr isotope space, they intersect between what are identified as inner and outer solar system reservoirs. In this model, the outer reservoir is represented by metal‐rich carbonaceous chondrites (MRCCs), including CR chondrites. An important question remains whether the barrier between MRCCs and CCs was a temporal or spatial one. CM chondrites and chondrules are used here to identify the nature of the barrier as well as the timescale of chondrite parent body accretion. We find based on high precision Mg and Cr isotope data of seven CM chondrites and 12 chondrules, that accretion in the CM chondrite reservoir was continuous lasting <3 Myr and showing late accretion of MRCC‐like material reflected by the anomalous CM chondrite Bells. We further argue that although MRCCs likely accreted later than CM chondrites, CR chondrules must have initially formed from a reservoir spatially separated from CM chondrules. Finally, we hypothesize on the nature of the spatial barrier separating these reservoirs.     

A review of the 2500 Ma span of alkaline-ultramafic, potassic and carbonatitic magmatism in West Greenland

Kimberlites, carbonatites and ultramafic, mafic and potassic lamprophyres have been produced in West Greenland in recurrent events since the Archaean. Five distinct age groups are recognised: Archaean (>2500 Ma). Early Proterozoic (1700–1900 Ma), Middle Proterozoic (Gardar, c. 1100–1300 Ma), Late Proterozoic (600 Ma) and Mesozoic-Tertiary (200-30 Ma) The rocks comprise two large and four small carbonatite occurrences, four kimberlite dyke swarms, one lamproite dyke swarm and one lamproite pipe, one dyke swarm of potassic lamprophyre (shonkinite) and some ten dyke swarms of ultramafic lamprophyre and monchiquite. Geochemical data for the various rock groups are presented. Some of the carbonatites may represent relatively unmodified mantle-derived melts. The kimberlites range from primitive to differentiated compositions, and there are regional differences between kimberlites within Archaean and Proterozoic basement. The ultrapotassic lamproites and shonkinites have strong negative Nb spikes in their trace element spectra. The ultramafic and monchiquitic lamprophyres encompass a large compositional variation; however, several of the dyke swarms have individual chemical characters.

The rocks are very unevenly distributed in West Greenland, indicating a lithospheric control, probably by old weakness zones providing access to the surface. The kimberlites are considered to be mainly of asthenospheric derivation. The regional differences are interpreted in terms of melting with phlogopite as a residual phase, with smaller degrees of melting at deeper levels beneath the Archaean lithosphere than beneath the Proterozoic. The ultrapotassic lamproites and shonkinites occur almost exclusively within a continental collision zone with possible two-way subduction and they are interpreted as mainly of lithospheric derivation, with a contribution from a subducted slab. Data for the other rock types are equivocal.

Except for the Archaean rocks, the age groups can be related to major geotectonic events. The Early Proterozoic group is related to continental collision at 1850 Ma and subsequent rifting; the Middle Proterozoic group is related to continental rifting (Gardar) and the Mesozoic group is likewise related to continental rifting prior to continental break-up in the Tertiary. The 600 Ma kimberlites and carbonatite are envisaged as cratonic, extra-rift activity in relation to continental break-up and formation of the Iapetus ocean further south, perhaps with a common cause in a broad, impinging mantle plume.     

High-pressure minerals in mafic microgranular enclaves: evidences for co-mingling between lamprophyric and syenitic magmas at mantle conditions

Mafic microgranular enclaves, composed of diopside and rare magnesium biotite phenocrysts in a groundmass of diopside, biotite, apatite, Fe-Ti-oxides, and alkali feldspar, are associated with Neoproterozoic Piquiri potassic syenite in southern Brazil. Co-genetic mica and clinopyroxene cumulates present inclusions of pyrope-rich garnet in diopside phenocrysts. Textural evidence, as well as the chemical and mineralogical composition, suggest that enclaves crystallized from a lamprophyric magma and co-mingled with the host syenitic magma. The contrasting temperature between both magmas and the consequent chilling was important for the preservation of some early-crystallized minerals in the mafic magma. Diopside groundmass grains contain micro-inclusions of K-rich augite and phlogopite, and some clinopyroxene phenocrysts and elongate groundmass crystals have potassium-rich cores. The pyrope-rich garnet have high #mg number (67–68), with appreciable amounts of Na₂O and K₂O comparable to pyrope synthesized at 5 GPa. The extremely high K₂O contents of K-rich augite micro-inclusions suggest non-equilibrium with the parental magma, whereas the other K-rich clinopyroxenes are similar to K-clinopyroxenes produced at 5–6 GPa. K-clinopyroxene and garnet in mafic microgranular enclaves suggest that lamprophyric magma started its crystallization at upper mantle conditions, and chilled clinopyroxenes with measurable amounts of K₂O are taken as evidence that co-mingling began still at mantle pressures.     

Sorption of phosphate onto calcite; results from batch experiments and surface complexation modeling

The adsorption of phosphate onto calcite was studied in a series of batch experiments. To avoid the precipitation of phosphate-containing minerals the experiments were conducted using a short reaction time (3 h) and low concentrations of phosphate (?50 μM). Sorption of phosphate on calcite was studied in 11 different calcite-equilibrated solutions that varied in pH, P_CO2, ionic strength and activity of Ca²⁺, and . Our results show strong sorption of phosphate onto calcite. The kinetics of phosphate sorption onto calcite are fast; adsorption is complete within 2-3 h while desorption is complete in less than 0.5 h. The reversibility of the sorption process indicates that phosphate is not incorporated into the calcite crystal lattice under our experimental conditions. Precipitation of phosphate-containing phases does not seem to take place in systems with ?50 μM total phosphate, in spite of a high degree of super-saturation with respect to hydroxyapatite (SI_HAP ? 7.83). The amount of phosphate adsorbed varied with the solution composition, in particular, adsorption increases as the activity decreases (at constant pH) and as pH increases (at constant activity). The primary effect of ionic strength on phosphate sorption onto calcite is its influence on the activity of the different aqueous phosphate species. The experimental results were modeled satisfactorily using the constant capacitance model with >CaPO₄Ca⁰ and either >CaHPO₄Ca⁺ or > as the adsorbed surface species. Generally the model captures the variation in phosphate adsorption onto calcite as a function of solution composition, though it was necessary to include two types of sorption sites (strong and weak) in the model to reproduce the convex shape of the sorption isotherms.     

Relation of slope winds to the ambient flow over gentle terrain

Four years of continuous tower data collected at the Risø National Laboratory are analyzed to study the climatological influence of a gentle slope on surface winds. Under very stable nocturnal conditions, the surface air tends to flow down the slope, at least intermittently, regardless of the direction of the overlying ambient wind. With more significant upslope ambient wind and only modest stability, downslope gravity flow is normally prevented. However, the slope-buoyancy effect is still of importance in that it retards the upslope flow of cold air. This effect is of climatic importance for the data studied here.