The Oslo Rift: new palaeomagnetic and 40Ar/39Ar age constraints

⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar whole-rock and alkali feldspar ages demonstrate that dioritic to monzonitic dykes from Bøverbru and Lunner belong to the youngest recorded magmatic activity in the Oslo Rift region, southeast Norway. These dykes represent the terminal phase of rift and magmatic activity in the Oslo Graben, at the dawn of the Triassic (246–238 Ma).
  The Bøverbru and Lunner dyke ages are statistically concordant. However, the palaeomagnetic signature of the Bøverbru dyke is complex, and directions from the margins and the interior of the dyke differ in polarity. Therefore, the new Early Triassic palaeomagnetic pole for Baltica (Eurasia) is exclusively based on the less complex Lunner dykes and contacts (palaeomagnetic pole: latitude=52.9°N, longitude=164.4°E, dp / dm =4.5 ° /7.3°). The early Triassic palaeomagnetic pole [mean age: 243±5 Ma (2 σ )] is slightly different from the Upper Carboniferous–Permian (294–274 Ma) and Kiaman-aged poles from the Oslo Rift.     

Resetting of oxybarometers and oxygen isotope ratios in granulite facies orthogneisses during cooling and shearing,Adirondack Mountains,New York

The petrography, petrology, and oxygenisotope geochemistry of granulite-facies granitic and syenitic orthogneisses of the Diana and Stark complexes, Adirondack Mountains, New York, show that the extent and nature of resetting of isotopic and mineralogic systems is highly variable. There is a strong correlation between retrogression and shearing, and the rocks may be divided texturally into: (1) unsheared lithologies that preserve little-retrogressed pyroxene-or hornblendebearing peak-metamorphic mineralogies; and (2) sheared rocks that underwent retrogression, marked by the growth of late biotite, in centimetre-to metre-wide shear zones after the peak of metamorphism. Oxygen fugacities in the unsheared lithologies were estimated for reintegrated mineral compositions from magnetiteilmenite (Mt-Ilm) and ferrosilite-magnetic-quartz (Fs-Mt-Qtz) equilibria. Mt-Ilm yields logfO_2Mt-Ilm values of-15.9 to-17.6 (0.6 to 1.3 log units below the fayalite-magnetite-quartz buffer, FMQ) and temperatures of 670–745°C that agree with those from other geothermometry and phase equilibria studies. These data suggest that, aside from oxyexsolution of ilmenite from magnetite, the Fe-Ti system underwent only minor resetting during cooling, and the Fe-Ti oxides yield good estimates of peak-metamorphic temperatures and fO₂. In unsheared ilmenite + magnetite + orthopyroxene + quartz assemblages, values of logfO_2Mt-Ilm are lower than logfO_2Fs-Mt-Qtz by an average of 0.6 when the orthopyroxene activity model of Sack and Ghiorso is used. Minor resetting of the Fe-Ti oxides, analytical errors, and errors in the placement of end-member reactions probably account for this relatively small difference in fO₂ values. Whole-rock ¹⁸O values of unsheared Diana and Stark lithologies range from 4.0 to 10.3 reflecting pre-regional metamorphic oxygen-isotope ratios. Peak-metamorphic minerals preserve high-temperature oxygen-isotope fractionations, and, in many samples, the effective diffusion of oxygen in minerals ceased at higher temperatures than predicted from wet experimental diffusion data. These data suggest that the rocks did not contain an aqueous fluid phase during cooling. The combination of petrologic, isotopic, and textural data also permits a detailed study of shearing and retrogression. Ilmenites in the sheared lithologies underwent greater degrees of hematite loss than in the unsheared rocks, resulting in logfO_2Mt-Ilm values as low as-24.1 (3.1 log units below FMQ) and Mt-Ilm temperatures that are up to 175°C below regional estimates. Sheared rocks also have higher ¹⁸O values (up to 13.3). During shearing, ¹⁸O values of biotite, K-feldspar, and magnetite reset readily, while the degree of isotopic resetting of quartz correlates with the intensity for recrystallization.This paper is a contribution to IGCP Project 304, Lower Crustal Processes     

Methodological sensitivity of morphometric estimates of coarse fluvial sediment transport

The estimation of fluvial sediment transport rate from measurements of morphological change has received growing recent interest. The revival of the ‘morphological method’ reflects continuing concern over traditional methods of rate determination but also the availability of new survey methods capable of high-precision, high-resolution topographic monitoring. Remote sensing of river channels through aerial digital photogrammetry is a potentially attractive alternative to labour intensive ground surveys. However, while photogrammetry presents the opportunity to acquire survey data over large areas, data precision and accuracy, particularly in the vertical dimension are lower than in traditional ground survey methods. This paper presents results of recent research in which digital elevation models (DEMs) have been developed for a reach of a large braided gravel-bed river in Scotland using both digital photogrammetry and high-resolution RTK GPS ground surveys. A statistical level of change detection is assessed by comparing surfaces with independent check points. The methodological sensitivity of the annual channel sediment budget (1999–2000) to the threshold is presented. Results suggest that while the remote survey methods employed here can be used to develop qualitatively convincing, moderate precision DEMs of channel topography (RMSE=±0.21 m), the remaining errors imply significant limits on reliable change detection which lead to important information losses. Tests at a 95% confidence interval for change detection show that over 60% of channel deposition and 40% of erosion may be obscured by the lower level of precision associated with photogrammetric monitoring when compared to ground survey measurements. This bias reflects the difficulty of detecting the topographic signature of widespread, but shallow deposition on bar tops.     

Some thoughts on the spring-neap cycle of tidal dissipation

The spring-neap cycle of global energy dissipation by ocean tides is calculated with a view to trying to explain an observed anomaly in the tidal fluctuations in the length of day. Calculations are performed in three ways: dissipation by friction linearly proportional to semidiurnal tide velocity, by quadratic friction, and by the torques of the lunar and solar tidal forces on the solar and lunar ocean tides, respectively. All methods give comparable results equivalent to an amplitude of about 0.1 μs change in the length of day with a small phase lag. These are inadequate to explain the observed anomaly of about 3 μs and 0.1 rad phase lag. Further investigations, to determine the generation of a non-equilibrium global MSf wave of equatorial amplitude 0.9 mm by nonlinear interactions in shallow seas using global tide models and observations, are suggested.     

Governance of tuna industries: The key to economic viability and sustainability in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean

The Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) tuna fishery is an important global food resource, and the economies of many Pacific Islands Countries (PICs) rely heavily on tuna industries. This paper proposes that governance by PICs is the key to improving the sustainability and profitability of tuna industries in the region. ‘Governance’ is usually used to refer to corruption, but here is interpreted more broadly to encompass the whole process by which decisions regarding public life are made and enacted, by government and also civil society. Argument is supported by empirical material from an interview study with stakeholders and a survey of reports.     

The flow of surface-derived fluids through Alice Springs age middle-crustal ductile shear zones, Reynolds Range, central Australia

The south-east Reynolds Range, central Australia, is cut by steep north-west-trending Alice Springs age ( c. 334  Ma) shear zones that are up to hundreds of metres wide and several kilometres long with reverse senses of movement. Amphibolite facies (550–600  °C, 500–600  MPa) shear zones cut metapelites, while greenschist facies shear zones (420–535  °C, 400–650  MPa) cut metagranites. The sheared rocks commonly underwent metasomatism implying that the shear zones were the pathways of significant fluid flow. Altered granites within greenschist facies shear zones have gained Si and K but lost Ca and Na relative to their unsheared counterparts, suggesting that the fluid flowed down-temperature (and hence probably upward) through the shear zones. Time-integrated fluid fluxes calculated from silica addition are up to 2.1×10¹⁰ mol  m⁻² ( c. 4.2×10⁵  m³  m⁻²). Similar time-integrated fluid fluxes are also estimated from changes in K and Na. The sheared granitic rocks locally have δ¹⁸O values as low as 0 which is much lower than the δ¹⁸O values of the adjacent unsheared granites (7 to 9), implying that the fluid which flowed through these shear zones was derived from the surface. For the estimated time-integrated fluid fluxes, the fluids would be able to retain their isotopic signature for many tens to hundreds of kilometres. The flow of surface-derived fluids into the ductile middle crust, with subsequent expulsion upwards through the shear zones, may have been driven by seismic activity accompanying the Alice Springs deformation.     

Entanglements of marine mammals and seabirds in central California and the north-west coast of the United States 2001-2005

Entanglement records for seabirds and marine mammals were investigated for the period 2001-2005. The entanglement records were extracted from databases maintained by seven organizations operating along the west coast of the United States of America. Their programmes included beach monitoring surveys, rescue and rehabilitation and regional pinniped censuses. Records of 454 entanglements were documented in live animals and in carcasses for 31 bird species and nine marine mammal species. The most frequently entangled species were Common Murres, Western Gulls and California sea lions. The entanglement materials identified were primarily fishing related. Entanglements were recorded every year suggesting that although the incidence level differs annually, entanglement is a persistent problem. It is recommended that each programme records details in standardized categories to determine entanglement material sources. Numbers of entanglements observed during these surveys are likely to be a conservative view of the actual entanglement rate taking place at sea.     

Science of Nowcasting Olympic Weather for Vancouver 2010 (SNOW-V10): a World Weather Research Programme Project

A World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) project entitled the Science of Nowcasting Olympic Weather for Vancouver 2010 (SNOW-V10) was developed to be associated with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games conducted between 12 February and 21 March 2010. The SNOW-V10 international team augmented the instrumentation associated with the Winter Games and several new numerical weather forecasting and nowcasting models were added. Both the additional observational and model data were available to the forecasters in real time. This was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate existing capability in nowcasting and to develop better techniques for short term (0–6 h) nowcasts of winter weather in complex terrain. Better techniques to forecast visibility, low cloud, wind gusts, precipitation rate and type were evaluated. The weather during the games was exceptionally variable with many periods of low visibility, low ceilings and precipitation in the form of both snow and rain. The data collected should improve our understanding of many physical phenomena such as the diabatic effects due to melting snow, wind flow around and over terrain, diurnal flow reversal in valleys associated with daytime heating, and precipitation reductions and increases due to local terrain. Many studies related to these phenomena are described in the Special Issue on SNOW-V10 for which this paper was written. Numerical weather prediction and nowcast models have been evaluated against the unique observational data set now available. It is anticipated that the data set and the knowledge learned as a result of SNOW-V10 will become a resource for other World Meteorological Organization member states who are interested in improving forecasts of winter weather.     

Realizing User-Relevant Conceptual Model for the Ski Jump Venue of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

As was the case for most other Olympic competitions, providing weather guidance for the ski jump and Nordic combined events involved its own set of unique challenges. The extent of these challenges was brought to light before the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics during a series of outflow wind events in the 2008/2009 winter season. The interactions with the race officials during the difficult race conditions brought on by the outflows provided a new perspective on the service delivery requirements for the upcoming Olympic Games. In particular, the turbulent nature of the winds and its impact on the ski jump practice events that season highlighted the need of race officials for nowcasting advice at very short time scales (from 2 min to 1 h) and forecast products tailored to their decision-making process. These realizations resulted in last minute modifications to the monitoring strategy leading up to the Olympic Games and required forecasters’ conceptual models for flow within the Callaghan Valley to be downscaled further to reflect the evolution of turbulence at the ski jump site. The SNOW-V10 (Science of Nowcasting Olympic Weather for Vancouver 2010) team provided support for these efforts by supplying diagnostic case analyses of important events using numerical weather data and by enhancing the real-time monitoring capabilities at the ski jump venue.