History of carbonate ion concentration over the last 100 million years

Instead of having been more or less constant, as once assumed, it is now apparent that the major ion chemistry of the oceans has varied substantially over time. For instance, independent lines of evidence suggest that calcium concentration ([Ca²⁺]) has approximately halved and magnesium concentration ([Mg²⁺]) approximately doubled over the last 100 million years. On the other hand, the calcite compensation depth, and hence the CaCO₃ saturation, has varied little over the last 100 My as documented in deep sea sediments. We combine these pieces of evidence to develop a proxy for seawater carbonate ion concentration ([CO₃²⁻]) over this period of time. From the calcite saturation state (which is proportional to the product of [Ca²⁺] times [CO₃²⁻], but also affected by [Mg²⁺]), we can calculate seawater [CO₃²⁻]. Our results show that [CO₃²⁻] has nearly quadrupled since the Cretaceous. Furthermore, by combining our [CO₃²⁻] proxy with other carbonate system proxies, we provide calculations of the entire seawater carbonate system and atmospheric CO₂. Based on this, reconstructed atmospheric CO₂ is relatively low in the Miocene but high in the Eocene. Finally, we make a strong case that seawater pH has increased over the last 100 My.     

Explanation of the internal air pressure effect on the worden gravity meter dial constant

Summary A model, explaining the effect of air pressure changes in the space of the measuring system on the fine dial counter constant of the Worden and similar gravity meters, is presented. It is based on the changes of the bellows volume with compensating the gravity changes. It is shown that the resetting the gravity meter in the whole range has practically no influence on the fine dial counter constant.

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u¶rt;a ¶rt;, na m uu ¶rt;au ¶rt;a nmam uum um a nm a umaauma ¶rt; u nuaum. ¶rt; aa a uu a ua umu uma nu nauu uu u mmu. aa, m nma ¶rt;uanaa um namuu um a uu nm a uma.

     

Magnitudes of detectable and localizable shocks in nw bohemia

Summary The effectiveness of recording seismic phenomena in the Kruné hory (Mts.) region in NW Bohemia by selected stations in the CSR, GDR and Poland has been estimated. Magnitude isolines of the weakest earthquakes, which can be localized and detected with an 0.9 probability, were calculated on the basis of the level of seismic disturbances at the individual stations and of the empirical dependence of the attenuation of seismic waves with distance.

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a a mum umauu uu u amu ¶rt; ana¶rt; uu uau mauu a mumuu , u a a uu n a m¶rt; mau u nuu auumu amau uu m amu u auma uuuu aum¶rt; a a mu, m mm 0.9 auuam u aum.

     

Age profiles in elephant and mammoth bone assemblages

Age profiles of modern African elephant (Loxodonta africana) populations are significantly affected by drought conditions that cause local die-offs. Subadult animals die in proportions that may be nearly twice what is recorded in live populations. Such biasing of death sample age profiles might also have occurred during late Pleistocene die-offs of Mammuthus. This comparative study of modern and fossil proboscidean age structures supports a tentative interpretation that late Pleistocene extinction of Mammuthus (at least in the southwestern United States) resulted from severe drought conditions, at which Clovis hunters were witnesses, but not necessarily frequent participants.     

Nitrogen Mass Fraction and Stable Isotope Ratios for Fourteen Geological Reference Materials: Evaluating the Applicability of Elemental Analyser Versus Sealed Tube Combustion Methods

Thirteen commercially available silicate reference materials (RM) and one in‐house reference material, eleven of which have no previously published values, were analysed for nitrogen mass fraction and isotopic ratios with an Elemental Analyser (EA), and a Sealed Tube Combustion line, coupled to a continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS). These materials ranged from < 10 μg g^?1 to 1% m/m nitrogen mass fractions and δ¹⁵N of ?0.5 to +19.8‰. Existing nitrogen RM BHVO‐2, MS#5 and SGR‐1b were used to assess the accuracy of the data from the sealed tube combustion line, which was found to be in good agreement with existing published values. In contrast, the EA‐IRMS failed to fully liberate nitrogen from all silicate rocks and minerals (achieving a mean of 44 ± 10% nitrogen yield) resulting in kinetic fractionation of isotope values by ?1.4‰ on average. Therefore, sealed tube combustion is better suited for analyses of silicate‐bound nitrogen. The EA worked reliably for organic samples, but care should be taken when using the EA for silicate nitrogen research. Moving forward, it is recommended that BHVO‐2, Biotite‐Fe, FK‐N and UB‐N be used as quality control materials as they appear to be most reproducible in terms of nitrogen mass fraction (relative error < 10%, 1s), and isotopic composition (< 0.6‰, 1s).