A 16-ka δ18O record of lacustrine sugar biomarkers from the High Himalaya reflects Indian Summer Monsoon variability

We investigated a late glacial–Holocene lacustrine sediment archive located at 4,050 m a.s.l. in the small carbonate-free catchment of Lake Panch Pokhari, Helambu Himal, Nepal. A δ¹⁸O sugar biomarker record was established by applying novel compound-specific δ¹⁸O analysis of plant sugar biomarkers (Zech and Glaser in Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 23:3522–3532, 2009). This method overcomes analytical challenges such as extraction and purification faced by previous methods aimed at using δ¹⁸O of aquatic cellulose as a paleoclimate proxy. The δ¹⁸O results for sugar biomarkers arabinose, xylose and fucose agree well and reveal a pronounced trend towards lower δ¹⁸O values during the deglaciation and the onset of the Bølling/Allerød interstadial. By contrast, the period of the Younger Dryas is characterized by higher δ¹⁸O values. The early Holocene again reveals lower δ¹⁸O values. We suggest that our lacustrine δ¹⁸O record reflects coupled hydrological and thermal control. It is strongly related to changes in the oxygen isotopic composition of paleo-precipitation and resembles the δ¹⁸O records of Asian speleothems. With respect to the ‘amount effect,’ the record is interpreted as reflecting the Indian Summer Monsoon intensity. The precipitation signal is, however, amplified in our record by evaporative ¹⁸O enrichment that is controlled by the ratio of precipitation to evaporation. We suggest that our δ¹⁸O record reflects the variability of the Indian Summer Monsoon, which was strong during the Bølling/Allerød interstadial and early Holocene, but weak during the Younger Dryas stadial. This interpretation is corroborated by a pollen-based index for Lake Panch Pokhari that estimated the strength of the Indian Summer Monsoon versus the strength of the Westerlies. Millennial-scale synchronicity with the Greenland δ¹⁸O temperature records highlights the previously suggested strong teleconnections between the Asian Monsoon system and North Atlantic climate variability.     

The need for data: natural disasters and the challenges of database management

Hundreds of natural catastrophes occur worldwide every year—there were 780 loss events per year on average over the last 10 years. Since 1980, these disasters have claimed over two million lives and caused losses worth US$ 3,000 billion. The deadliest disasters were caused by earthquakes: the tsunami following the Sumatra quake (2004) and the Haiti earthquake (2010) claimed more than 220,000 lives each. The Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011 was the costliest natural disaster of all times, with total losses of US$ 210 billion. Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, was the second costliest disaster, with total losses of US$ 140 billion (in 2010 values). To ensure that high-quality natural disaster analyses can be performed, the data have to be collected, checked and managed with a high degree of expertise and professionality. Scientists, governmental and non-governmental organisations and the finance industry make use of global databases that contain losses attributable to natural catastrophes. At present, there are three global and multi-peril loss databases: NatCatSERVICE (Munich Re), Sigma (Swiss Re) and EM-Dat (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters). They are supplemented by numerous databases focusing on national or regional issues, certain hazards and specific sectors. This paper outlines the criteria and definitions relating to how global and multi-peril databases are operated, and the efforts being made to ensure consistent and internationally recognised standards of data management. In addition, it presents the concept and methodology underlying the NatCatSERVICE database, and points out the many challenges associated with data acquisition and data management.     

Earthquake early warning for transport lines

This paper analyzes the potential of earthquake early-warning systems for transport lines. The interdisciplinary work focuses on rapidly producing an alert map during an ongoing earthquake as well as providing a damage map immediately after the strong-motion phase that visualizes potential damages to the railway infrastructure. In order to meet these application requirements, a service-oriented architecture based on geospatial standards is specified. This ensures the portability of the system architecture to different geographic regions as well as a potential transfer to other natural disasters and infrastructure systems. The first part of the paper describes the standard-based services of the system architecture together with design principles that are useful for the realization of early-warning systems. In the second part of the paper, an online demonstrator for the exemplary test area in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is presented. The system architecture of the demonstrator includes an earthquake early-warning methodology based on artificial neural networks and an infrastructure-specific damage assessment. The third part of the paper analyzes the potential of implementing low-cost sensors in the track, which would provide a dense network directly at the railway infrastructure.     

Morphology and geology of the continental shelf and upper slope of southern Central Chile (33°S–43°S)

The continental shelf and slope of southern Central Chile have been subject to a number of international as well as Chilean research campaigns over the last 30 years. This work summarizes the geologic setting of the southern Central Chilean Continental shelf (33°S–43°S) using recently published geophysical, seismological, sedimentological and bio-geochemical data. Additionally, unpublished data such as reflection seismic profiles, swath bathymetry and observations on biota that allow further insights into the evolution of this continental platform are integrated. The outcome is an overview of the current knowledge about the geology of the southern Central Chilean shelf and upper slope. We observe both patches of reduced as well as high recent sedimentation on the shelf and upper slope, due to local redistribution of fluvial input, mainly governed by bottom currents and submarine canyons and highly productive upwelling zones. Shelf basins show highly variable thickness of Oligocene-Quaternary sedimentary units that are dissected by the marine continuations of upper plate faults known from land. Seismic velocity studies indicate that a paleo-accretionary complex that is sandwiched between the present, relatively small active accretionary prism and the continental crust forms the bulk of the continental margin of southern Central Chile.     

Impacts of large-scale climatic disturbances on the terrestrial carbon cycle

Background

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere steadily increases as a consequence of anthropogenic emissions but with large interannual variability caused by the terrestrial biosphere. These variations in the CO₂ growth rate are caused by large-scale climate anomalies but the relative contributions of vegetation growth and soil decomposition is uncertain. We use a biogeochemical model of the terrestrial biosphere to differentiate the effects of temperature and precipitation on net primary production (NPP) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh) during the two largest anomalies in atmospheric CO₂ increase during the last 25 years. One of these, the smallest atmospheric year-to-year increase (largest land carbon uptake) in that period, was caused by global cooling in 1992/93 after the Pinatubo volcanic eruption. The other, the largest atmospheric increase on record (largest land carbon release), was caused by the strong El Niño event of 1997/98.

Results

We find that the LPJ model correctly simulates the magnitude of terrestrial modulation of atmospheric carbon anomalies for these two extreme disturbances. The response of soil respiration to changes in temperature and precipitation explains most of the modelled anomalous CO₂ flux.

Conclusion

Observed and modelled NEE anomalies are in good agreement, therefore we suggest that the temporal variability of heterotrophic respiration produced by our model is reasonably realistic. We therefore conclude that during the last 25 years the two largest disturbances of the global carbon cycle were strongly controlled by soil processes rather then the response of vegetation to these large-scale climatic events.     

Extension of the Averaging Time in Eddy-Covariance Measurements and Its Effect on the Energy Balance Closure

The modified ogive analysis and the block ensemble average were employed to investigate the impact of the averaging time extension on the energy balance closure over six land-use types. The modified ogive analysis, which requires a steady-state condition, can extend the averaging time up to a few hours and suggests that an averaging time of 30 min is still overall sufficient for eddy-covariance measurements over low vegetation. The block ensemble average, which does not require a steady-state condition, can extend the averaging time to several days. However, it can improve the energy balance closure for some sites during specific periods, when secondary circulations exist in the vicinity of the sensor. These near-surface secondary circulations mainly transport sensible heat, and when near-ground warm air is transported upward, the sensible heat flux observed by the block ensemble average will increase at longer averaging times. These findings suggest an alternative energy balance correction for a ground-based eddy-covariance measurement, in which the attribution of the residual depends on the ratio of sensible heat flux to the buoyancy flux. The fraction of the residual attributed to the sensible heat flux by this energy balance correction is larger than in the energy balance correction that preserves the Bowen ratio.     

Crustal contamination of mafic magmas: evidence from a petrological, geochemical and Sr–Nd–Os–O isotopic study of the Proterozoic Isortoq dike swarm, South Greenland

The mid-Proterozoic Isortoq dike swarm in the Gardar Province, South Greenland, comprises a variety of alkaline rocks ranging from gabbroic to syenitic in composition. Major magmatic mineral phases are olivine, clinopyroxene, Fe–Ti oxides, amphibole, plagioclase and alkali feldspar. Quartz occurs in some samples as a late magmatic phase. Liquidus temperatures of olivine-bearing samples range between 1120 and 1145 °C and solidus temperatures are 850–930 °C. Calculated silica activities are highly variable between 0.53 and unity. Oxygen fugacities vary from −3 to +1 log units relative to the fayalite–magnetite–quartz buffer.

The rocks have MgO contents <6 wt.% with Mg# between 53 and 17. Primitive mantle-normalized trace element patterns show a relative enrichment of LIL elements with Ba peaks and Nb troughs. Clinopyroxenes show a general enrichment in REE relative to chondritic values with variable slightly positive to prominent negative Eu anomalies. Two of the dikes were dated with Sm–Nd three-point isochrons at 1190±44 and 1187±87 Ma, respectively. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of mafic mineral separates range from 0.70289 to 0.70432 and initial _Nd values vary from +0.3 to −10.7. Whole-rock initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios are highly variable including very radiogenic values of up to 7.967. δ¹⁸O_v-smow values of separated clinopyroxene and amphibole range from +5.2‰ to +6.2‰ and fall within the range of typical mantle-derived rocks, although mixing with a lower crustal component is permitted by the data. Using energy-constrained assimilation-fractional crystallization (EC-AFC) modeling equations, the Sr–Nd isotope data of the more radiogenic samples can successfully be modeled by addition of up to 10% lower crustal granulite-facies Archean gneisses as contaminants. The Os isotopic data also suggest the involvement of old radiogenic crust. In accordance with seismic data, we conclude that a wedge of Archean crust extends from West Greenland further to the south below the present erosion level.     

Biogene,klastische und evaporitische Sedimentation in einem mesothermen monomiktischen ufernahen See (Golf von Aqaba)

The genesis and development of a monomictic, mesothermal lake and its sediments is demonstrated by the analysis of sediment cores from different parts of the lake and from different stages of development. The compounds which build up the sediments, consist of irregular large particles from the surrounding crystalline rocks, of fine grained silt sediments from catastrophic flud deposits, of evaporitic series, and algae mats. The thickness of the different layers and their distribution in various parts of the lake; the different compounds, absolute age determinations, the carbonate layers and algae mats allow the definition of different stages of development of the lake. Causes and influences of an unusual type of monomixis with summer turnover are discussed and related to the sedimentary environment. Annual fluctuations in physical and biological limnology lead to the development of annual cycles in mat development and evaporites, which are reflected in the varved sediments. Inorganic sedimentation of terrestrial sediments, evaporites and organic matter accumulation are in shifting equilibrium which can be analysed by changes in the sediment types. Within the zone of biologic decay of algae via photosynthetic and other sulfur bacteria and heterotrophic bacteria, biogenic aragonite, Mg-Calcite and sulfides are precipitated. The autigenic dolomite occuring within the algae mats could not be attributed to biological precipitation so far. The lake started out as a lagoon approximately 4500 years B.P. Algae mat development was initiated after the lagoon was separated from the open sea (2400 B.P.). The central parts of the lake subsided at a time between 1900 and 1600 B.P. At this time the algae mat deposition, which until then took place in the whole lake, was restricted to the remaining shallow parts. Years of extremely high precipitation and catastrophic floods are represented by silt layers in the western parts of the lake, while coarser terrestrial sediments are intercalated in the algae mats of the eastern parts. Oöids, carbonate laminae, oncoliths and other types of carbonate particles within the algae mats are defined as biogenic by SEM analyses and laboratory experiments.     

藏南定日地区主中央冲断层与藏南拆离系的特征及其活动时代

低喜马拉雅结晶杂岩构成了北北东向阿伦背斜的核部，该背斜东、西两翼由高喜马拉雅结晶杂岩组成，这两者之间的界线为主中央冲断层(MCT1)。MCT1原为向南逆冲的韧性断层，后遭受北北东向褶皱作用而转变为正断层。高喜马拉雅结晶杂岩顶部被藏南拆离系下部的韧性正断层所截，与其上覆的北坳组分开，北坳组顶部又被一脆性正断层将其与上覆的藏南特提斯沉积岩分开。这条韧性正断层称为STD1．其上部的脆性正断层称为STD2。独居石U-Th-Pb测年结果和构造分析表明，藏南定日地区的高喜马拉雅结晶杂岩就是借助这2条韧性断层MCT1与STD1在大约13 Ma时从藏南中下地壳折返至地壳浅部的，然后再遭受近南北向的褶皱作用。