Interactions between the Greenland Ice Sheet and the Liverpool Land coastal ice cap during the last two glaciation cycles

The sedimentary record from the Ugleelv Valley on central Jameson Land, East Greenland, adds new information about terrestrial palaeoenvironments and glaciations to the glacial history of the Scoresby Sund fjord area. A western extension of a coastal ice cap on Liverpool Land reached eastern Jameson Land during the early Scoresby Sund glaciation (≈the Saalian). During the following glacial maximum the Greenland Ice Sheet inundated the Jameson Land plateau from the west. The Weichselian also starts with an early phase of glacial advance from the Liverpool Land ice cap, while polar desert and ice‐free conditions characterised the subsequent part of the Weichselian on the Jameson Land plateau. The two glaciation cycles show a repeated pattern of interaction between the Greenland Ice Sheet in the west and an ice cap on Liverpool Land in the east. Each cycle starts with extensive glacier growth in the coastal mountains followed by a decline of the coastal glaciation, a change to cold and arid climate and a late stage of maximum extent of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transaction costs analysis of low-carbon technologies

Transaction costs (TCs) must be taken into account when assessing the performance of policy instruments that create markets for the diffusion and commercialization of low-carbon technologies (LCTs). However, there are no comprehensive studies on the development and application of transaction cost analysis to LCTs. In this meta-analysis, a wide-ranging evaluation of TCs associated with energy efficiency, renewable energy, and carbon market technologies is provided. There is a plethora of different definitions of, and measurement techniques to estimate, TCs. There is wide variation in the quantitative estimates, which can be attributed to factors such as the definition used, data collection, quantification methods, the type and size of technologies, the regulatory frameworks, the complexity of transactions, and the maturity of policy instruments. It is concluded that TCs are highly specific to both LCTs and policy instruments and that a common methodological approach is needed to avoid misleading policy analysis of the extant and future assessments.

Policy relevance

Transaction costs (TCs) accrued by, for instance, the search for information, due diligence, monitoring and verification (M&V) activities, must be considered in the design, implementation, and assessment of policy instruments. Such costs can have a negative effect on the performance of policy instruments aimed at the diffusion and commercialization of low-carbon technologies. It is shown here that TC analysis is mostly technology and policy context-specific and hence that it is not advisable to make generalizations about sources and estimates. The nature and scale of TCs are likely to differ due to a variety of endogenous determinants (e.g. size and performance of technologies), exogenous drivers (e.g. regulatory policy frameworks), and methodological aspects (e.g. quantification techniques). Several measures and strategies have the potential to reduce TCs, including standardized full cost accounting systems, an ex ante M&V approach, project bundling, and streamlining of procedures.     

Engineering Geological Map of the Sakha （Yakutia） Republic

The Engineering Geological Map of the Sakha（Yakutia） Republic covers about 3 million kilometers which is one-fifth of the territory of Russia.The map displays ground and geocryological conditions and active faults.Seismic intensity,schemes of zoning by factors of engineering geological conditions,and the general scheme of engineering geological zoning of the Sakha（Yakutia） Republic or the SR（Y）,are shown on the inset maps.The map is required to provide information for planning,construction and exploitation of engineering structures in the SR（Y）.A distinguishing feature of the map is the indication of almost blanket distribution of the frozen ground class.Types of the frozen ground class are separated by lithology,while ground varieties are separated by temperature.Fresh and ultra-fresh suprapermafrost water is predominant within the territory.The compiled map indicates parts of the Arctic-Asian and Baikalo-Stanovoi planetary seismic belts that make engineering geological conditions more complicated.     

Temporal and spatial trends of total petroleum hydrocarbons in the seawater of Bohai Bay, China from 1996 to 2005

The temporal and spatial distribution of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in the seawater of Tianjin Bohai Bay during 1996-2005 was investigated for the first time. TPH concentrations in 480 seawater samples collected from 16 stations during a 10-year span were quantified by ultra-violet fluorescence spectroscopy. Petroleum hydrocarbons were ubiquitous in the seawater, and their concentrations were highly variable, ranging from 23.7 to 508 μg L⁻¹. TPH concentrations in the seawater varied with seasons, showing a decreasing order of winter > spring > summer. Over the 10-year period, TPH at all stations steadily decreased. The highest values obtained were at stations near the port areas and Dagu outfall where shipping activities and land-based waste water discharges were the major sources of pollution. Our results provided the background information on the extent of TPH contamination in the seawater and highlighted the need to further control TPH pollution in Tianjin Bohai Bay.     

Anthropogenic influence on the degradation of an urban lake - The Pampulha reservoir in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The artificial reservoir Lagoa da Pampulha in central Brazil has been increasingly affected by sediment deposition and pollution from urban and industrial sources. This study investigates water chemistry and heavy metal concentrations and their fractionation in the lake sediment using ICP-OES, ICP-MS, and XRD analyses. Fractionation analysis was done by sequential extraction under inert gas as well as after oxidation. The lake exhibits a permanent stratification with an oxygen-free hypolimnion below 2 m depth. Nutrient concentrations are enriched for phosphorous components (SRP, PO₄). In the sediment it was not possible to detect oxygen. Carbon, sulfur, and most of the analyzed heavy metals are enriched in the top sediment layer with a pronounced downward decrease, indicating the presence of an anthropogenic influence. Statistical analysis, including correlations and a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of depth-related total concentration data, helps to distinguish presumably anthropogenic heavy metals from geogenic components. Some samples with high element concentrations in the sediment also show elevated concentrations in their pore water. Analyses of element distribution between sediment and pore water suggest a strong bonding of heavy metals to the anoxic sediment. The trend towards elevated solubility in the pore water of oxidized samples is clear for most of the analyzed elements. Fractionation analysis reveals characteristic associations of selected elements to specific mineral bonding forms. In addition, it indicates that the behavior of heavy metals in the sediment is strongly influenced by organic substances. These substances provide buffering against oxidation, acidification, and metal release. The high nutrient loading causes reducing conditions in the lake sediment. These conditions trigger the accumulation of sediments rich in S²⁻, which stabilizes the fixation of heavy elements. In the future, care must be taken to reduce the supply of contaminants and to prevent the release of heavy metals from sediments dredged for remediation purposes.     

Vertical earthquake response of megawatt‐sized wind turbine with soil‐structure interaction effects

The dynamic response of a wind turbine on monopile is studied under horizontal and vertical earthquake excitations. The analyses are carried out using the finite element program SAP2000. The finite element model of the structure is verified against the results of shake table tests, and the earthquake response of the soil model is verified against analytical solutions of the steady‐state response of homogeneous strata. The focus of the analyses in this paper is the vertical earthquake response of wind turbines including the soil‐structure interaction effects. The analyses are carried out for both a non‐homogeneous stratum and a deep soil using the three‐step method. In addition, a procedure is implemented which allows one to perform coupled soil‐structure interaction analyses by properly tuning the damping in the tower structure. The analyses show amplification of the ground surface acceleration to the top of the tower by a factor of two. These accelerations are capable of causing damage in the turbine and the tower structure, or malfunctioning of the turbine after the earthquake; therefore, vertical earthquake excitation is considered a potential critical loading in design of wind turbines even in low‐to‐moderate seismic areas. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climate change, patch choice, and intensification at Pont d'Ambon (Dordogne, France) during the Younger Dryas

This paper considers the impact of the Younger Dryas on the prehistoric inhabitants of Pont d'Ambon, a site in the Dordogne region of southwestern France, through an examination of the zooarchaeological remains from this site. An investigation of patch choice indicates that patch choice evenness declines during the Younger Dryas due to increasing local dominance of the grassland patch. Analyses of demographic composition, cutmark frequency, and marrow processing in the wild European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) assemblage suggest intensified rabbit use during this period. This study thus supports the hypothesis that changing climate had significant impacts on the prehistoric inhabitants of Pont d'Ambon. However, the traditional climate hypothesis—that changing climate negatively impacted the availability of larger fauna, forcing a switch to smaller, lower-ranked prey items—is not supported here. The inhabitants of Pont d'Ambon seem to have adapted to changing climate by efficiently exploiting the new species available to them, and possibly, during the Younger Dryas, by intensifying their use of one of these new species, the European rabbit.     

Detailed geomorphological survey of a small mountain drainage area, Abisko, northern Swedish Lapland

A thorough geomorphological survey of a small (2km²) drainage area has been conducted using digital magnification of aerial photographs in conjunction with field visits. The result presented is a geomorphological map where individual geomorphological features down to metre size can be identified. The study was done in connection with a project focusing on the relationship between geomorphological processes and lacustrine sedimentation. Good knowledge of the geomorphological setting and the related process activity in the catchment is important in studies using lacustrine sediments as environmental archives.
The survey reveals a small–scale geomorphology dominated by a number of different periglacial upfreezing forms together with bedrock–controlled slope processes. Three different geographically separated geomorphological assemblages were recognised with few sediment transportation pathways connecting them. Composition of substrate, soil water content and vegetation cover combined with different slope angles are probably the most important factors controlling the distribution of the geomorphological features.     

Arsenic in the groundwater of Ouro Preto (Brazil): its temporal behavior as influenced by the hydric regime and hydrogeology

In the city of Ouro Preto (MG), water catchment for public supply originates from superficial drainage, springs, old abandoned mines and some driven wells. In the rocks of the region, As is originally found in gold-enriched sulphide-bearing mineral deposits. The weathering process introduces As into the hydrological system by dissolution of this element into the leachate. Measurement of the As content in the groundwater of some catchments was carried out during 1 year and these measurements demonstrated high As content—up to 224 μg L⁻¹ of As(V)—during the rainy season (the maximum concentration limit according to World Health Organization is 10 μg L⁻¹). Lower values were observed during the dry season and in some sampling stations, As was not even detected. The As concentration variability during 1 year shows a strict and direct relationship to seasonal and hydrological conditions. For city authorities, responsible for public water supply, it is necessary to perform a complete inventory of the water sources used and constantly monitor the As content in the water.     

Impact of Spawning Substrate Complexity on Egg Survival of Atlantic Herring (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Clupea harengus</Emphasis>, L.) in the Baltic Sea

Shallow shore zones are generally considered to provide juvenile habitats for many invertebrate and fish species and additionally serve as spawning grounds for important components of oceanic food webs and fishery resources such as herring (Clupea spp.). Herring attach their demersal eggs to benthic substrates, rendering reproduction success vulnerable to environmental changes and local habitat alterations. However, little information is available on the effects of different substrates on the survival of demersal eggs. Hypothesizing that the structural complexity of spawning substrates generally affects herring egg survival and that the effect magnitude depends on the suitability of ambient environment, field experiments were conducted on a major spawning ground of C. harengus in the Southwestern Baltic Sea. Herring eggs were artificially spawned on substrates of different structural complexities and incubated in situ under differing temperature regimes, at the beginning and the end of the natural herring spawning season, to include the full suite of stressors occurring on littoral spawning beds. Results of this study indicate a positive relation between high structural complexity of spawning substrates and herring egg survival. Mean egg mortality was three times higher on substrates of lowest complexity than on highly complex substrates. These differences became even more prominent under unfavorable conditions that appeared with rising water temperatures later in the spawning season. Although the mechanisms are still unclear, we conclude that structural complexity, particularly formed by submerged aquatic vegetation, provides a crucial prerequisite for the successful reproduction of substrate spawning marine fishes such as herring in the Baltic Sea.