Transient climate changes in a perturbed parameter ensemble of emissions-driven earth system model simulations

We describe results from a 57-member ensemble of transient climate change simulations, featuring simultaneous perturbations to 54 parameters in the atmosphere, ocean, sulphur cycle and terrestrial ecosystem components of an earth system model (ESM). These emissions-driven simulations are compared against the CMIP3 multi-model ensemble of physical climate system models, used extensively to inform previous assessments of regional climate change, and also against emissions-driven simulations from ESMs contributed to the CMIP5 archive. Members of our earth system perturbed parameter ensemble (ESPPE) are competitive with CMIP3 and CMIP5 models in their simulations of historical climate. In particular, they perform reasonably well in comparison with HadGEM2-ES, a more sophisticated and expensive earth system model contributed to CMIP5. The ESPPE therefore provides a computationally cost-effective tool to explore interactions between earth system processes. In response to a non-intervention emissions scenario, the ESPPE simulates distributions of future regional temperature change characterised by wide ranges, and warm shifts, compared to those of CMIP3 models. These differences partly reflect the uncertain influence of global carbon cycle feedbacks in the ESPPE. In addition, the regional effects of interactions between different earth system feedbacks, particularly involving physical and ecosystem processes, shift and widen the ESPPE spread in normalised patterns of surface temperature and precipitation change in many regions. Significant differences from CMIP3 also arise from the use of parametric perturbations (rather than a multimodel ensemble) to represent model uncertainties, and this is also the case when ESPPE results are compared against parallel emissions-driven simulations from CMIP5 ESMs. When driven by an aggressive mitigation scenario, the ESPPE and HadGEM2-ES reveal significant but uncertain impacts in limiting temperature increases during the second half of the twenty-first century. Emissions-driven simulations create scope for development of errors in properties that were previously prescribed in coupled ocean–atmosphere models, such as historical CO₂ concentrations and vegetation distributions. In this context, historical intra-ensemble variations in the airborne fraction of CO₂ emissions, and in summer soil moisture in northern hemisphere continental regions, are shown to be potentially useful constraints, subject to uncertainties in the relevant observations. Our results suggest that future climate-related risks can be assessed more comprehensively by updating projection methodologies to support formal combination of emissions-driven perturbed parameter and multi-model earth system model simulations with suitable observational constraints. This would provide scenarios underpinned by a more complete representation of the chain of uncertainties from anthropogenic emissions to future climate outcomes.     

Characterisation of sphalerite and pyrite flotation samples by XPS and ToF-SIMS

The surface analytical techniques of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) have provided information on the type and concentration of species on the surface of sphalerite and pyrite particles in flotation concentrate and tail samples, but also on their distribution on each particle and across particles of different sizes. From this surface analytical study, a more accurate interpretation of the flotation results of sphalerite and pyrite minerals in a mixed mineral system could be made as a function of the concentrations of copper sulphate activator and xanthate collector, and particle size. In particular, it was found that sphalerite particles reporting to the concentrate are larger in size and contain less iron hydroxide on their surface than particles reporting to the tail. As for the pyrite particles, their lower recovery than the sphalerite particles is the result of a larger proportion of iron hydroxide on their surface inhibiting copper and collector adsorption.     

Hydrological exchange and subsurface water chemistry in streams varying in salinity in south-western Australia

Many streams in Westrn Australia are naturally saline. In others, especially in the south-western corner, land-clearance and other human activities in the catchment have accelerated rates of salinisation of surface and groundwater. Trends in surface water salinity are well-documented but the extent of penetration of saline stream water into the sediments has been little studied. As many of these streams have porous sandy beds and their flows may derive from groundwater, hydrologic exchange patterns between surface water and subsurface hyporheic water were hypothesised to govern the water chemistry of such rivers. We predicted high rates of hydraulic conductivity, leading to a close relationship between surface and subsurface (to a depth of 50 cm) salinity, and to a lesser extent, pH and dissolved oxygen. Where surface and hyporheic water differed in salinity, other chemical differences were hypothesised to be similarly marked, perhaps resulting from disjunct shallow subsurface aquifers. Triplicate wells were sampled from upwelling and downwelling zones of thirteen streams ranging in salinity from ca. 0.2 to 18 g L⁻¹. Despite the seemingly-porous sandy beds at many sites, subsurface water chemistry only 20–40 cm below the bed sometimes differed markedly from surface water. For example, hyporheic water was only one-fifth the salinity of surface water at some saline sites (e.g., the Tone River) or 20 per cent more saline in streams with fresh surface water (e.g., the Weld River). At some sites of intermediate salinity (e.g., the Warren River), subsurface water was up to three times fresher than surface or downwelling water. Percentage saturation of dissolved oxygen in the hyporheic water was consistently low (<40%) whereas pH was more acidic than surface water, presumably due to microbial activity. Vertical hydraulic conductivity may be limited by layers of fine sediments and clays, implying that the meso-scale (1–100 cm) hydrological dynamics within the hyporheic zones of these rivers are more complex than their sandy beds would indicate. Assumptions of ecosystem dynamics in saline streams must be tempered by an understanding of hyporheic salinities as subsurface fresher water may support microbial and faunal assemblages excluded from the surface benthos by high salinity. In saline streams, as in fresh ones, the hyporheic zone is an important component of the stream ecosystem and equally prone to disruption by human activities.     

再论花岗岩按照Sr-Yb的分类:标志

2006年作者曾经按照Sr=400×10~(-6)和Yb=2×10~(-6)作为标志将花岗岩分为埃达克岩、喜马拉雅型花岗岩、浙闽型花岗岩和广西型花岗岩,在浙闽型中又分出南岭型(Sr100×10~(-6)和Yb2×10~(-6)),于是花岗岩被分为5类。Sr=400×10~(-6)和Yb=2×10~(-6)是根据阿留申群岛中的Adak岛的资料得出来的。本文统计了全球花岗岩6000多个数据(其中,埃达克型花岗岩为2810个,喜马拉雅型花岗岩636个,浙闽型花岗岩1183个,南岭型花岗岩1518个,广西型花岗岩142个,总共6289个),统计的结果,各类花岗岩的地球化学特征大致如下:(1)埃达克型花岗岩富Al_2O_3和Sr,贫Y和Yb,具较高和变化的铕异常,绝大多数样品的Sr300×10~(-6),Yb2.5×10~(-6)(当Sr=400×10~(-6)～600×10~(-6)时Yb值最大,Sr超过600×10~(-6),Yb降低至2×10~(-6)),Al_2O_3在14%～18%之间,Eu/Eu~*大多在0.6～1.2范围;(2)喜马拉雅型花岗岩贫Sr和Yb,具中等的Al_2O_3和变化的Eu/Eu~*,Sr300×10~(-6)和Yb2×10~(-6)(少数Sr300×10~(-6)),Al_2O_3为13%～17%,Eu/Eu~*为0.2～1.0;(3)浙闽型花岗岩贫Sr富Yb,Sr在40×10~(-6)～400×10~(-6)之间,Yb1.5×10~(-6),Al_2O_3和Eu/Eu~*的变化类似喜马拉雅型花岗岩,Al_2O_3为12%～17%,Eu/Eu~*为0.4～1.0;(4)南岭型花岗岩以很低的Sr、Al_2O_3和Eu/Eu~*以及很高的Yb而不同于上述各类花岗岩,通常Yb1.5×10~(-6),Sr100×10~(-6)(Yb变化大,绝大多数2×10~(-6);当Yb在2×10~(-6)～8×10~(-6)时,部分样品Sr可100×10~(-6),但很少200×10~(-6));Al_2O_314%,集中在11%～13%之间,Eu/Eu~*0.7,大多0.4;Yb越大,Sr越低,负铕异常越明显。文中讨论了花岗岩Sr-Yb分类的意义,指出本分类适用于产于大陆和海洋的绝大多数中酸性岩浆岩(可能不适用于一部分特别富铁和钾的花岗岩,如具有高Sr和Yb特征的广西型花岗岩)。不同类型的花岗岩主要反映了源区压力的不同,而源区成分、温度、部分熔融程度、水和挥发分的加入以及岩浆混合等的影响可能是次要的。文中指出,该分类的依据、其实质,是熔体与残留相平衡的理论。与浙闽型花岗岩平衡的残留相是斜长石,与喜马拉雅型花岗岩平衡的是斜长石+石榴石,与埃达克型花岗岩平衡的是石榴石,与南岭型花岗岩平衡的是富钙的斜长石。文中指出,加强实验岩石学研究,将年代学和地球化学研究密切结合起来是深化花岗岩研究的关键。     

内蒙古西拉沐伦成矿带碾子沟钼矿床成矿流体地球化学特征

碾子沟钼矿床是内蒙古西拉沐伦钼多金属成矿带中石英脉型钼矿床的典型代表,矿体以石英大脉形式产于燕山期中粗粒黑云母二长花岗岩内,受断裂构造控制。流体包裹体研究发现包裹体均为气液两相,按照相比不同,可进一步分为WL型(5%～20%)和WV型(20%～50%)。Ⅰ阶段流体为低温(89.3～245.2℃)、中低盐度(2.07%～17.96%NaCleqv)流体;Ⅱ阶段流体具有中低温(134.4～458.8℃,峰值170℃～240℃)、中低盐度(0.53%～19.92%NaCleqv)特征;Ⅲ阶段流体为低温(134.9～202.4℃)、中低盐度(4.96%～14.97%NaCleqv)流体。流体成分均以H2O为主(96.1mol%),含少量挥发份CO2、N2、CH4、C2H6、Ar、H2S,阳离子以Na+为主,阴离子以SO42-、Cl-为主,属NaCl-H2O体系。各阶段成矿热液氢、氧同位素特征为:δ18OH2O介于-5.75‰～-1.90‰、δD介于-128.821‰～-109.234‰,说明成矿流体是岩浆热液与古大气降水混合而成。开放的断裂体系为流体混合创造了条件,流体的混合作用是造成碾子沟辉钼矿沉淀成矿的主要原因。这与斑岩型钼矿床的高盐度流体以及以沸腾为主的矿石沉淀机制具有显著区别。     

Aquifers and hyporheic zones: Towards an ecological understanding of groundwater

Ecological constraints in subsurface environments relate directly to groundwater flow, hydraulic conductivity, interstitial biogeochemistry, pore size, and hydrological linkages to adjacent aquifers and surface ecosystems. Groundwater ecology has evolved from a science describing the unique subterranean biota to its current form emphasising multidisciplinary studies that integrate hydrogeology and ecology. This multidisciplinary approach seeks to elucidate the function of groundwater ecosystems and their roles in maintaining subterranean and surface water quality. In aquifer-surface water ecotones, geochemical gradients and microbial biofilms mediate transformations of water chemistry. Subsurface fauna (stygofauna) graze biofilms, alter interstitial pore size through their movement, and physically transport material through the groundwater environment. Further, changes in their populations provide signals of declining water quality. Better integrating groundwater ecology, biogeochemistry, and hydrogeology will significantly advance our understanding of subterranean ecosystems, especially in terms of bioremediation of contaminated groundwaters, maintenance or improvement of surface water quality in groundwater-dependent ecosystems, and improved protection of groundwater habitats during the extraction of natural resources. Overall, this will lead to a better understanding of the implications of groundwater hydrology and aquifer geology to distributions of subsurface fauna and microbiota, ecological processes such as carbon cycling, and sustainable groundwater management.

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Resumen Los entornos ecológicos en ambientes subsuperficiales están relacionados directamente con el flujo de agua subterránea, la conductividad hidráulica, biogeoquímica intersticial, tamaño de los poros, y vínculos hidrológicos con acuíferos adyacentes y ecosistemas superficiales. La ecología del agua subterránea ha evolucionado a partir de una ciencia que describe la biota subterránea única hasta alcanzar la forma actual que enfatiza estudios multidisciplinarios que integran hidrogeología y ecología. Este enfoque multidisciplinario busca clarificar la función de los ecosistemas de agua subterránea y sus roles en el mantenimiento de la calidad de agua superficial y subterránea. En ecotonos de agua superficial y de acuíferos, los gradientes geoquímicos y biopelículas microbiales median transformaciones de calidad de agua. La fauna subsuperficial (estigofauna) se alimenta de biopeliculas, altera el tamaño de los poros intersticiales mediante su movimiento, y transporta físicamente material a través del ambiente de aguas subterráneas. Además, los cambios en sus poblaciones aportan señales de decadencia de calidad de agua. La mejor integración de ecología de aguas subterráneas, biogeoquímica, e hidrogeología incrementará significativamente nuestro entendimiento de ecosistemas subterráneos, especialmente en términos de bioremediación de aguas subterráneas contaminadas, mantenimiento o mejoramiento de calidad de agua superficial en ecosistemas dependientes de agua subterránea, y protección mejorada de habitats de agua subterránea durante la extracción de recursos naturales. Sobretodo, esto conducirá a un mejor entendimiento de las implicaciones de la hidrología de aguas subterráneas y geología del acuífero, de las distribuciones de fauna subsuperficial y microbiota, procesos ecológicos tal como ciclado de carbono, y gestión sostenible de aguas subterráneas.

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Résumé Les contraintes écologiques dans les environnements de subsurface sont en relation directe avec les écoulements des eaux souterraines, la conductivité hydraulique, la biogéochimie des milieux interstitiels, la taille des pores, et les liens hydrologiques avec les aquifères et les écosystèmes adjacents. Lécologie des eaux souterraines a évolué dune science décrivant uniquement les biotopes souterrains à des études multidisciplinaires qui intègrent lécologie et lhydrogéologie. Lapproche multidisciplinaire cherche à élucider le fonctionnement des écosystèmes souterrains et leur rôle consistant à maintenir la qualité des eaux souterraines et de surface. Dans les écotones des eaux de la surfaces des aquifères, les gradients géochimiques et les biofilms microbiologiques contrôlent les transformations de la qualité de leau. La faune de subsurface (stygofauna) construisent les biofilms, altèrent la taille des pores interstitiels à travers leur mouvement, et transportent physiquement des matériaux à travers lenvironnement des eaux souterraines. Par ailleurs, les changements de leur population signalent un déclin de la qualité de leau.Une meilleure intégration de lécologie des eaux souterraines, de la biogeochimie, et de lhydrogéologie pourra faire avancer de manière efficace de notre compréhension des écosystèmes souterrains, et spécialement en terme de bioremédiation des eaux souterraines contaminées, de maintenance et damélioration de la qualité des eaux de surface dépendant des écosystèmes souterrains, et lamélioration de la protection des habitats des eaux souterraines durant lextraction des ressources naturelles. En général, cela conduira à une meilleure compréhension de limplication de lhydrogéologie et de la géologie des aquifères à la distribution de la faune de subsurface et aux microbiota, aux processus écologiques tels que les cycles du carbone, et la gestion durable des eaux souterraines.