The boyndie syncline,a D1 structure in the Dalradian of Scotland

The structure of the Dalradian rocks of the Banffshire coast has been re-examined. It is shown that D₁ structures face upwards along the entire section and the major Boyndie Syncline (Sutton and Watson 1956) must also be of D₁, age and not D₃ as proposed by Johnson (1962). D₂ structures are developed in the west, most strongly in the Portsoy Group and Cowhythe Gneiss where they may be related to the Portsoy Thrust (Elles 1931). East of the Cowhythe Gneiss D₂ structures are not developed but D₃ structures are of local importance. Porphyroblast growth is considered to be post-D₁, pre-D₃ related to the ‘active’ D₂ deformation in the west (Barrovian) and to the ‘static’ D₂ interval in the east (Buchan). The wider implications of these conclusions for Dalradian structure are briefly considered.     

Estimating groundwater recharge rates in the southeastern Holstein region, northern Germany

In the southeastern Holstein region, located to the east of the metropolitan zone of Hamburg, northern Germany, a groundwater investigation program was conducted from 1984 to 2000 by the State Agency for Nature and Environment (Landesamt für Natur und Umwelt, LANU) of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, with the aim of providing long-term, ecologically acceptable groundwater management plans for the region. The focal point of the investigation comprised the determination of groundwater recharge rates. The investigation method was based on the transfer of available lysimeter results from other regions to comparable regions within the area studied. With the help of lysimeter equations, potential amounts of percolation water were calculated. The groundwater recharge rate was then determined after subtraction of the surface runoff which was calculated for the entire area. All computations were performed with a spreadsheet program. Groundwater recharge rates were calculated for two areas. One consisted of roughly determining groundwater recharge rates for the total region (1,392 km²) of southeastern Holstein. The overall goal of these investigations was to identify potential areas of water exploitation. Areas in which groundwater recharge rates are high and groundwater outflow is low are particularly suited to water exploitation, since inflow rates into deeper aquifers are high. These areas are located on the flanks of the Elbe and Stecknitz River valleys. Subsurface groundwater runoff to these lowlands would be reduced through groundwater withdrawal. However, the resulting decline in shallow groundwater tables would be so small that it would have no detrimental ecological effects. Groundwater recharge rates were also calculated for a 110-km² area in the outskirts of Hamburg (Grosshansdorf model area) which is intensively developed for water supply. These investigations showed that the amount of groundwater recharge is already being withdrawn to a large extent. Approximately 65% of the recharge rate is currently withdrawn by the waterworks in this area, thus making further increases in exploitation rates unjustifiable from an ecological point of view. Electronic Publication     

Creep in rock as a stochastic process

The heterogeneous character of rock suggests the use of statistical mechanics for the formulation of models of plasticity and creep. A stochastic creep model which allows for large variations in strength and size of the involved rock mass is outlined. The model, which is analogous to a previously developed concept for clastic materials, is shown to account rather well for typical creep behaviour of rock at moderate stresses and temperatures. Thus, it yields the often observed linear relation between the creep strain and the logarithm of time.     

The formation and evolution of the Bitincke nickel laterite deposit, Albania

The Bitincke nickel laterite deposit, located in the south east of Albania, contains an estimated ore resource of 35.6?Mt of nickel ore with a grade of 1.2?% Ni. The deposit developed on peridotites within Late Jurassic ophiolites which were obducted in the Early Cretaceous and which form part of the Albanian Mirdita ophiolite zone. Limestones and conglomerates overlying the deposit delimit the minimum age of lateritization to the mid-Eocene. The laterite is composed of two distinct ore zones characterized by silicate nickel and iron oxide phases. Within the silicate zone, Ni concentrations reach a maximum of 1.5?wt% and although laterally and vertically variable this zone is typically characterized by olivine and serpentine at the base of the horizon which are gradually replaced by secondary silicates and iron oxides up section. The boundary between the silicate and the oxide zone above is normally sharp and characterized by an increase in Fe₂O₃ (from ~10 to 80?wt%), decreases in SiO₂ (from ~30 to 5?wt%) and a dramatic reduction in MgO content (from ~10 to 0.1?wt%). The oxide horizon is dominated by goethite and displays relatively little variation in textural morphology or geochemistry. Nickel concentrations are greatest near the base of this zone, reaching a maximum of 2.3?wt%. Weathering profile formation and variation in the thickness of the deposit was controlled by the interaction between topography, faulting and protolith fracture density. The oxide zone formed on topographic highs was subject to increased rates of erosion, whereas the laterite profile within topographic lows, and in areas of relatively high fracture density, tends to be thicker due to increased permeability. The most substantive sections of the Ni laterite weathering profile developed in small fault controlled basins and were preserved by the deposition of a sequence of limestones and mudstones.     

Similarity-based approaches in hydrogeology: proposal of a new concept for data-scarce groundwater resource characterization and prediction

Hydrogeology Journal - A new concept is proposed for describing, analysing and predicting the dynamic behaviour of groundwater resources based on classification and similarity. The concept makes...     

Evidence for Century-Timescale Acceleration in Mean Sea Levels and for Recent Changes in Extreme Sea Levels

Two of the most important topics in Sea Level Science are addressed in this paper. One is concerned with the evidence for the apparent acceleration in the rate of global sea level change between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and, thereby, with the question of whether the twentieth century sea level rise was a consequence of an accelerated climate change of anthropogenic origin. An acceleration is indeed observed in both tide gauge and saltmarsh data at different locations around the world, yielding quadratic coefficients ??c?? of order 0.005 mm/year², and with the most rapid changes of rate of sea level rise occurring around the end of the nineteenth century. The second topic refers to whether there is evidence that extreme sea levels have increased in recent decades at rates significantly different from those in mean levels. Recent results, which suggest that at most locations rates of change of extreme and mean sea levels are comparable, are presented. In addition, a short review is given of recent work on extreme sea levels by other authors. This body of work, which is focused primarily on Europe and the Mediterranean, also tends to support mean and extreme sea levels changing at similar rates at most locations.     

Simulation of annual biogeochemical cycles of nutrient balance, phytoplankton bloom(s), and DO in Puget Sound using an unstructured grid model

Nutrient pollution from rivers, nonpoint source runoff, and nearly 100 wastewater discharges is a potential threat to the ecological health of Puget Sound with evidence of hypoxia in some basins. However, the relative contributions of loads entering Puget Sound from natural and anthropogenic sources, and the effects of exchange flow from the Pacific Ocean are not well understood. Development of a quantitative model of Puget Sound is thus presented to help improve our understanding of the annual biogeochemical cycles in this system using the unstructured grid Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model framework and the Integrated Compartment Model (CE-QUAL-ICM) water quality kinetics. Results based on 2006 data show that phytoplankton growth and die-off, succession between two species of algae, nutrient dynamics, and dissolved oxygen in Puget Sound are strongly tied to seasonal variation of temperature, solar radiation, and the annual exchange and flushing induced by upwelled Pacific Ocean waters. Concentrations in the mixed outflow surface layer occupying approximately 5–20?m of the upper water column show strong effects of eutrophication from natural and anthropogenic sources, spring and summer algae blooms, accompanied by depleted nutrients but high dissolved oxygen levels. The bottom layer reflects dissolved oxygen and nutrient concentrations of upwelled Pacific Ocean water modulated by mixing with biologically active surface outflow in the Strait of Juan de Fuca prior to entering Puget Sound over the Admiralty Inlet. The effect of reflux mixing at the Admiralty Inlet sill resulting in lower nutrient and higher dissolved oxygen levels in bottom waters of Puget Sound than the incoming upwelled Pacific Ocean water is reproduced. By late winter, with the reduction in algal activity, water column constituents of interest, were renewed and the system appeared to reset with cooler temperature, higher nutrient, and higher dissolved oxygen waters from the Pacific Ocean.     

Spatial exposure aspects contributing to vulnerability and resilience assessments of urban critical infrastructure in a flood and blackout context

Blackouts aggravate the situation during an extreme river-flood event by affecting residents and visitors of an urban area. But also rescue services, fire brigades and basic urban infrastructure such as hospitals have to operate under suboptimal conditions. This paper aims to demonstrate how affected people, critical infrastructure, such as electricity, roads and civil protection infrastructure are intertwined during a flood event, and how this can be analysed in a spatially explicit way. The city of Cologne (Germany) is used as a case study since it is river-flood prone and thousands of people had been affected in the floods in 1993 and 1995. Components of vulnerability and resilience assessments are selected with a focus of analysing exposure to floods, and five steps of analysis are demonstrated using a geographic information system. Data derived by airborne and spaceborne earth observation to capture flood extent and demographic data are combined with place-based information about location and distance of objects. The results illustrate that even fire brigade stations, hospitals and refugee shelters are within the flood scenario area. Methodologically, the paper shows how criticality of infrastructure can be analysed and how static vulnerability assessments can be improved by adding routing calculations. Fire brigades can use this information to improve planning on how to access hospitals and shelters under flooded road conditions.

     

Modelling the multiphase near-surface chemistry related to ozone depletions in polar spring

Near-total depletions of ozone have been observed in the Arctic spring since the mid 1980s. The autocatalytic reaction cycles involving reactive halogens are now recognized to be of main importance for ozone depletion events in the polar boundary layer. We present sensitivity studies using the model MISTRA in the box-model mode on the influence of chemical species on these ozone depletion processes. In order to test the sensitivity of the chemistry under polar conditions, we compared base runs undergoing fluxes of either Br₂, BrCl, or Cl₂ to induce ozone depletions, with similar runs including a modification of the chemical conditions. The role of HCHO, H₂O₂, DMS, Cl₂, C₂H₆, HONO, NO₂, and RONO₂ was investigated. Cases with elevated mixing ratios of HCHO, H₂O₂, DMS, Cl₂, and HONO induced a shift in bromine speciation from Br / BrO to HOBr/HBr, while high mixing ratios of C₂H₆ induced a shift from HOBr/HBr to Br/BrO. The shifts from Br/BrO to HOBr/HBr accelerated the aerosol debromination, but also increased the total amount of deposited bromine at the surface (mainly via increased deposition of HOBr). For all NO_y species studied (HONO, NO₂, RONO₂) the chemistry is characterized by an increased bromine deposition on snow reducing the amount of reactive bromine in the air. Ozone is less depleted under conditions of high mixing ratios of NO_x. The production of HNO₃ led to the acid displacement of HCl, and the release of chlorine out of salt aerosol (Cl₂ or BrCl) increased.