Hydrological conditions over the western Mediterranean basin during the deposition of the cold Sapropel 6 (ca. 175 kyr BP)

A new oxygen isotope record is reported from a stalagmite collected in the Argentarola Cave located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Italy. As shown from observations and numerical modeling of δ¹⁸O in modern precipitation, the recorded δ¹⁸O variability for this zone is dominated by the amount of precipitation (so-called ‘amount effect’). The δ¹⁸O profile measured in the stalagmite is characterized by a prominent negative excursion (ca. 2-3‰) between 180 and 170 kyr BP. This paleoclimatic feature is interpreted as being due to a relatively wet period which occurred during the penultimate glacial period, more precisely, during Marine Isotope Stage 6.5. This pluvial phase is shown to correspond chronologically to the deposition of the sapropel event 6 (S6). Although this particular sapropel event occurred during a cold phase, the δ¹⁸O excursion is similar to those corresponding to other sapropels (S4, S3 and S2). The evidence for humid conditions during S6 in the western Mediterranean basin agrees with previous studies based on deep-sea sediment cores. Taken collectively, the data suggest that during sapropel events dilution of ocean surface waters was not restricted to the output of the river Nile but was rather widespread over the entire Mediterranean Sea due to increased rainfall.     

Determining sea level change in the German Bight

Regional mean sea level changes in the German Bight are considered. Index time series derived from 15 tide gauge records are analysed. Two different methods for constructing the index time series are used. The first method uses arithmetic means based on all available data for each time step. The second method uses empirical orthogonal functions. Both methods produce rather similar results for the time period 1924–2008. For this period, we estimate that regional mean sea level increased at rates between 1.64 and 1.74 mm/year with a 90% confidence range of 0.28 mm/year in each case. Before 1924, only data from a few tide gauges are available with the longest record in Cuxhaven ranging back till 1843. Data from these tide gauges, in particular from Cuxhaven, thus receive increasingly more weight when earlier years are considered. It is therefore analysed to what extent data from Cuxhaven are representative for the regional sea level changes in the German Bight. While this cannot be clarified before 1924, it is found that this is not the case from 1924 onwards when changes in Cuxhaven can be compared to that derived from a larger data set. Furthermore, decadal variability was found to be substantial with relatively high values towards the end of the analysis period. However, these values are not unusual when compared to earlier periods.     

The regional pressure impact of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> storage: a showcase study from the North German Basin

A regional scale, showcase saline aquifer CO₂ storage model from the North German Basin is presented, predicting the regional pressure impact of a small industrial scale CO₂ storage operation on its surroundings. The intention of the model is to bridge the gap between generic and site-specific, studying the role of fluid flow boundary conditions and petrophysical parameters typically found in the North German Basin. The numerical simulation has been carried out using two different numerical simulators, whose results matched well. The most important system parameters proved to be the model’s hydrological boundary conditions, rock compressibility, and permeability. In open boundary aquifers, injection-induced overpressures dissipate back to hydrostatic level within a few years. If a geological flow barrier is present on at least one side of the aquifer, pressure dissipation is seriously retarded. In fully closed compartments, overpressures can never fully dissipate, but equilibrate to a compartment-wide remnant overpressure. At greater distances to the injection well, maximum fluid pressures are in the range of a few bar only, and reached several years to decades after the end of the actual injection period. This is important in terms of long-term safety and monitoring considerations. Regional pressure increase impacts the storage capacities of neighbouring sites within hydraulically connected units. It can be concluded that storage capacities may be seriously over- or underestimated when the focus is on a single individual storage site. It is thus necessary to assess the joint storage capacities and pressure limitations of potential sites within the same hydraulic unit.     

A simple guideline to apply excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMs) for the characterization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in anoxic marine sediments

Marine sediments represent a major carbon reservoir on Earth. Dissolved organic matter(DOM) in pore waters accumulates products and intermediates of carbon cycling in sediments. The application of excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy(EEMs) in the analysis of subseafloor DOM samples is largely unexplored due to the redoxsensitive matrix of anoxic pore water. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the interference caused by the matrix on EEMs and propose a guideline to prepare pore water sam...     

17th International Cartographic Conference 10th General Assembly of ICA

Reports

17th International Cartographic Conference 10th General Assembly of ICA     

Quasi-stationarity of centennial Northern Hemisphere midlatitude winter storm tracks

The winter storm activity on the Northern Hemisphere during the last one thousand years in a global climate simulation was analyzed by determining all midlatitude storms and their tracks, then consecutively clustering them for hundred years’ segments. Storm track clusters with longest lifetime and largest deepening rates are found over the oceans. The numbers of extratropical winter storms exhibit notable yearly variability but hardly any variability on centennial time scales. The clusters of these storm tracks also show only small differences between the centuries. The numbers of members in neighboring oceanic clusters are negatively correlated. A linear relationship was found between the numbers of members per storm track clusters over the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean and seasonal mean atmospheric circulation patterns by a canonical correlation analysis.     

Late Quaternary history of the coastal Wahiba Sands,Sultanate of Oman

Continental sediments and geomorphological features of the coastal Wahiba Sands, Sultanate of Oman, reflect environmental variability in southeastern Arabia during the late Quaternary. Weakly cemented dune sands, interdune deposits and coastal sediments were dated by luminescence methods to establish an absolute chronology of changes in sedimentary dynamics. The dating results confirm previous assumptions that during times of low global sea level sand was transported by southerly winds from the exposed shelf onto the Arabian Peninsula. Two prominent phases of sand accumulation in the coastal area took place just before and after the last glacial maximum (LGM). A final significant period of dune consolidation is recognised during the early Holocene. However, no major consolidation of dunes appears to have occurred during the LGM and the Younger Dryas. In the northern part of the Wahiba Sands, these two periods are characterised by substantial sand deposition. This discrepancy is explained by the lack of conservation potential for dunes in the coastal area, probably caused by a low groundwater table due to low sea level and decreased precipitation. While the times of aeolian activity reflect arid to hyper‐arid conditions, lacustrine and pedogenically altered interdune deposits indicate wetter conditions than today caused by increased monsoonal circulation during the Holocene climatic optimum. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wind-Tunnel Simulation of the Wake of a Large Wind Turbine in a Stable Boundary Layer: Part 2, the Wake Flow

Measurements have been made in the wake of a model wind turbine in both a neutral and a stable atmospheric boundary layer, in the EnFlo stratified-flow wind tunnel, between 0.5 and 10 rotor diameters from the turbine, as part of an investigation of wakes in offshore winds. In the stable case the velocity deficit decreased more slowly than in the neutral case, partly because the boundary-layer turbulence levels are lower and the consequentially reduced level of mixing, an ‘indirect’ effect of stratification. A correlation for velocity deficit showed the effect of stratification to be the same over the whole of the measured extent, following a polynomial form from about five diameters. After about this distance (for the present stratification) the vertical growth of the wake became almost completely suppressed, though with an increased lateral growth; the wake in effect became ‘squashed’, with peaks of quantities occurring at a lower height, a ‘direct’ effect of stratification. Generally, the Reynolds stresses were lower in magnitude, though the effect of stratification was larger in the streamwise fluctuation than on the vertical fluctuations. The vertical heat flux did not change much from the undisturbed level in the first part of the wake, but became much larger in the later part, from about five diameters onwards, and exceeded the surface level at a point above hub height.     

Pressure effects on past regional sea level trends and variability in the German Bight

The impact on a large-scale sea level pressure field to the regional mean sea level changes of the German Bight is analysed. A multiple linear regression together with an empirical orthogonal function analysis is used to describe the relationship between the sea level pressure and the regional mean sea level considering the time period 1924–2001. Both, the part of the variability and of the long-term trend that can be associated with changes in the sea level pressure, are investigated. Considering the whole time period, this regression explains 58?% of the variance and 33?% of the long-term trend of the regional mean sea level. The index of agreement between the regression result and the observed time series is 0.82. As a proxy for large-scale mean sea level changes, the mean sea level of the North East Atlantic is subsequently introduced as an additional predictor. This further improves the results. For that case, the regression explains 74?% of the variance and 87?% of the linear trend. The index of agreement rises to 0.92. These results suggest that the sea level pressure mainly accounts for the inter-annual variability and parts of the long-term trend of regional mean sea level in the German Bight while large-scale sea level changes in the North East Atlantic account for another considerable fraction of the observed long-term trend. Sea level pressure effects and the mean sea level of the North East Atlantic provide thus significant contributions to regional sea level rise and variability. When future developments are considered, scenarios for their future long-term trends thus need to be comprised in order to provide reliable estimates of potential future long-term changes of mean sea level in the German Bight.