A comparison of annual and seasonal carbon dioxide effluxes between sub-Arctic Sweden and High-Arctic Svalbard

Recent climate change predictions suggest altered patterns of winter precipitation across the Arctic. It has been suggested that the presence, timing and quantity of snow all affect microbial activity, thus influencing CO₂ production in soil. In this study annual and seasonal emissions of CO₂ were estimated in High-Arctic Adventdalen, Svalbard, and sub-Arctic Latnjajaure, Sweden, using a new trace gas-based method to track real-time diffusion rates through the snow. Summer measurements from snow-free soils were made using a chamber-based method. Measurements were obtained from different snow regimes in order to evaluate the effect of snow depth on winter CO₂ effluxes. Total annual emissions of CO₂ from the sub-Arctic site (0.662–1.487 kg CO₂ m^–2 yr^–1) were found to be more than double the emissions from the High-Arctic site (0.369–0.591 kg CO₂ m^–2 yr^–1). There were no significant differences in winter effluxes between snow regimes or vegetation types, indicating that spatial variability in winter soil CO₂ effluxes are not directly linked to snow cover thickness or soil temperatures. Total winter emissions (0.004–0.248 kg CO₂ m^–2) were found to be in the lower range of those previously described in the literature. Winter emissions varied in their contribution to total annual production between 1 and 18%. Artificial snow drifts shortened the snow-free period by 2 weeks and decreased the annual CO₂ emission by up to 20%. This study suggests that future shifts in vegetation zones may increase soil respiration from Arctic tundra regions.     

Tourmalinite as a potential host rock for gold in the Caledonides of Southeast Ireland

Initial investigations designed to test the potential for gold in a series of lithologies associated with tourmalinites and coticules in the neighbourhood of the Caledonian Leinster Granite of southeast Ireland are reported. The results of geological mapping, geochemical analyses and panning of stream sediments indicate that significant levels of gold are associated with some tourmalinite zones. The possible exploration implication of this work is that tourmalinites have potential as target indicators, although secondary controls on mineralization are also important.     

The galactic infrared/submillimeter dust radiation

Summary The unprecedented quality of the IRAS data prompted a series of papers reinvestigating the origin of the galactic infrared/submillimeter radiation and the nature of the heating sources of the interstellar dust. The scope of this paper is to review the main results of these new studies. Sect. 1 contains a general introduction to the subject and an overview of the earlier work. In Sect. 2 and 3, we summarize our current knowledge on dust properties and on the interstellar radiation field. Then, we present the recent interpretations of the infrared emission of our Galaxy, which are based on the IRAS data: in Sect. 4 we present the results from the galactic disk; Sect. 5 covers the question of the contribution from small dust particles, and in Sect. 6 we describe the infrared radiation from the galactic center. The nature of the heating sources and the origin of the galactic infrared radiation is then discussed in Sect. 7. Finally, Sect. 8 presents a comparison of our Galaxy with external galaxies     

Variations in composition and δ18O values within the Kaffo albite—Riebeckite granite of Liruei Complex,Younger Granites of Nigeria

The peralkaline Kaffo albite—riebeckite granite is an albitised, low-temperature intrusion in Liruei Complex, one of the oldest of the ring-complexes in the Younger Granite province of Nigeria. Analyses of borehole samples from different parts of the intrusion show it to be compositionally heterogeneous, especially in respect of Si, Al, Na, K and F distribution and this, in part, can be correlated with the variable degree of albitisation. Isotopically the granite is a normal plutonic type with δ¹⁸ O values of $\text{+ 8.1 ± 0.2‰}$, and albitisation does not seem to have been accompanied by exchange of isotopes between albitising fluid and the granite. Co-existing riebeckitic-arfvedsonite and aegirine pairs from borehole samples show extreme enrichment in Na and Fe; the amphibole also shows considerable substitution of Fe by Ti, Zn and Mn, and of OH by F. Isotopically the amphibole and pyroxene are different from others, having low, variable δ¹⁸ O values (+5.3–+6.4 and $\text{+4.4–+5.1‰}$, respectively), and the fractionation value Δ Px — Am is always large, negative and constant (—$\text{1.2 ± 0.2‰}$). The low δ¹⁸ O values are considered to be due to special features of the crystal chemistry of the alkali amphiboles and pyroxenes, and the spread of each set of values may be due to sub-solidus isotope exchange between the minerals and albitising fluid.     

Reply: Bulk sampling of coarse clastic sediments for particle-size analysis

The work of Gale and Hoare (1992) provides a guide to the minimum mass of bulk sample required to obtain a reproducible measure of the complete particle-size distribution of coarse clastic sediments such as till, fluvial gravel and beach gravel. Dunkerley (1994) makes a number of criticisms and misrepresentations of this procedure. These are systematically refuted and corrected here, and further data obtained from till and beach gravel are provided to support the criterion adopted by Gale and Hoare (1992) for sample reliability. The procedure of Gale and Hoare (1992) is confirmed as a practical guide to the mass of bulk sample required to obtain a reliable measure of the particle-size distribution of coarse clastic sediment.