Shallow plumbing systems inferred from spatial analysis of pockmark arrays

This study describes and analyses an extraordinary array of pockmarks at the modern seabed of the Lower Congo Basin (offshore Angola), in order to understand the fluid migration routes and shallow plumbing system of the area. The 3D seismic visualization of feeding conduits (pipes) allowed the identification of the source interval for the fluids expelled during pockmark formation. Spatial statistics are used to show the relationship between the underlying (polarised) polygonal fault (PPFs) patterns and seabed pockmarks distributions. Our results show PPFs control the linear arrangement of pockmarks and feeder pipes along fault strike, but faults do not act as conduits. Spatial statistics also revealed pockmark occurrence is not considered to be random, especially at short distances to nearest neighbours (<200 m) where anti-clustering distributions suggest the presence of an exclusion zone around each pockmark in which no other pockmark will form. The results of this study are relevant for the understanding of shallow fluid plumbing systems in offshore settings, with implications on our current knowledge of overall fluid flow systems in hydrocarbon-rich continental margins.     

An extension of the Saltykov method to quantify 3D grain size distributions in mylonites

The estimation of 3D grain size distributions (GSDs) in mylonites is key to understanding the rheological properties of crystalline aggregates and to constraining dynamic recrystallization models. This paper investigates whether a common stereological method, the Saltykov method, is appropriate for the study of GSDs in mylonites. In addition, we present a new stereological method, named the two-step method, which estimates a lognormal probability density function describing the 3D GSD. Both methods are tested for reproducibility and accuracy using natural and synthetic data sets. The main conclusion is that both methods are accurate and simple enough to be systematically used in recrystallized aggregates with near-equant grains. The Saltykov method is particularly suitable for estimating the volume percentage of particular grain-size fractions with an absolute uncertainty of ±5 in the estimates. The two-step method is suitable for quantifying the shape of the actual 3D GSD in recrystallized rocks using a single value, the multiplicative standard deviation (MSD) parameter, and providing a precision in the estimate typically better than 5%. The novel method provides a MSD value in recrystallized quartz that differs from previous estimates based on apparent 2D GSDs, highlighting the inconvenience of using apparent GSDs for such tasks.     

Spatiotemporal Distributions of δD in Atmospheric Water Vapor Based on TES Data During 2004-2009

The spatial and temporal distributions of the stable isotopes such as HD16O (or 1H2H16O, or HDO) and H218O in atmospheric water vapor are related to evaporation in source places, vapor condensation during transport, and vapor convergence and divergence, and thus provide useful information for investigation and understanding of the global water cycle. This paper analyzes spatiotemporal variations of the content of iso- tope HDO (i.e., δD), in atmospheric water vapor, namely, δDv, and the relationship of δDv with atmospheric humidity and temperature at different levels in the troposphere, using the HDO and H2O data retrieved from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) at seven pressure levels from 825 to 100 hPa. The results indicate that δDv has a clear zonal distribution in the troposphere and a good correspondence with atmospheric precipitable water. The results also show that δDv decreases logarithmically with atmospheric pressure and presents a decreasing trend from the equator to high latitudes and from lands to oceans. Sea- sonal changes of δDv exhibit regional differences. The spatial distribution and seasonal variation of δDv in the low troposphere are consistent with those in the middle troposphere, but opposite situations occur from the upper troposphere to the lower stratosphere. The correlation between δDv and temperature has a similar distribution pattern to the correlation between δDv and precipitable water in the troposphere. The stable isotope HDO in water vapor (δDv), compared with that in precipitation (δDp), is of some differences in spatial distribution and seasonal variation, and in its relationship with temperature and humidity, in- dicating that the impacts of stable isotopic fractionation and atmospheric circulation on the two types of stable isotopes are different.     

Bayesian comparison of different rainfall depth–duration–frequency relationships

Depth–duration–frequency curves estimate the rainfall intensity patterns for various return periods and rainfall durations. An empirical model based on the generalized extreme value distribution is presented for hourly maximum rainfall, and improved by the inclusion of daily maximum rainfall, through the extremal indexes of 24 hourly and daily rainfall data. The model is then divided into two sub-models for the short and long rainfall durations. Three likelihood formulations are proposed to model and compare independence or dependence hypotheses between the different durations. Dependence is modelled using the bivariate extreme logistic distribution. The results are calculated in a Bayesian framework with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm. The application to a data series from Marseille shows an improvement of the hourly estimations thanks to the combination between hourly and daily data in the model. Moreover, results are significantly different with or without dependence hypotheses: the dependence between 24 and 72 h durations is significant, and the quantile estimates are more severe in the dependence case.     

天然沉积中间土的力学特性研究

长江口北岸天然沉积土主要由粉粒和细砂粒组成,其渗透系数介于10-7～10-3 cm/s之间,既不属于完全排水的砂性土,也不属于完全不排水的粘性土,针对这样的天然沉积中间土的我国研究并不多见。通过大量的物理力学试验,探讨了天然沉积中间土的物理力学性状,结果表明天然沉积中间土具有类似于软粘土的物理性质,但原位静力触探试验显示其天然沉积中间土的原位强度却与天然含水量分布在塑限附近的硬粘土差不多。研究结果亦表明颗粒分布对天然沉积中间土的原位强度有较大的影响。同时采用灰理论中的关联度分析,对这类中间土物理状态指标与力学特征指标间相关性进行了分析,认为孔隙比用于亚砂土稠度划分,含水比用于亚粘土、粘土稠度划分更加合理     

沙漠人工植物群落的根系分布及动态

2004年植物生长季,利用根钻取样研究了沙漠4种不同配置类型油蒿与柠条植物群落的根系分布及生长动态;另外,采用挖沟分层取样研究了半固定沙丘两种植物的粗根剖面结构,结果表明：尽管4个样地高峰值和低峰值出现的时间不一致,但沙漠植物细根的生长动态表现为双峰型;整个生长季纯油蒿样地细根密集分布于0~40 cm,其余样地密集分布于10~60 cm;受一年生植物的影响,9月份4个样地表层（0~30 cm）细根的根长密度和根重密度均出现最大值。采用边灌水边取样的办法获得4个样地300 cm深的根系数据,4个样地90%以上的细根分布在0~200 cm层次,其中纯油蒿样地的根系的最大深度是270 cm,其余3个样地均在300 cm以下;细根的根长密度和根重密度随深度而减小且呈指数递减形式（P<0.01）。除纯油蒿样地外的其他3个样地,根瘤的最高值出现在4月份;粗根的根长密度远远小于细根的根长密度。挖沟分层取样研究表明,与柠条相比油蒿具有较高的根冠比;柠条的粗根长主要分布于0~60 cm,粗根重主要分布在0~40 cm;油蒿的粗根分布比柠条的更浅,粗根长主要分布于0~40 cm,粗根重主要分布在0~20 cm。     

Sensitivity of the Eastern Mediterranean geomorphic system towards environmental change during the Late Holocene: a chronological perspective

Alluvial and colluvial sediment deposition provide a vital record of environmental change during the Holocene. Firm chronological control on these archives is necessary to enable us to relate sediment dynamics to human activity and climate variability. In the Eastern Mediterranean, such relationships are hard to establish due to the lack of spatially well‐distributed sediment archives with good chronological control. This scarcity is problematic with respect to regional‐scale reconstructions of the temporal variation of sediment dynamics. Here, we present a radiocarbon database (n = 178) of geomorphological activity collected from multiple distinct sediment archives within the territory of Sagalassos in south‐western Turkey. The data were grouped according to their sedimentary facies for analysis using cumulative probability distributions (CPDs) and sedimentation rate (SR) modelling. Two small‐scale colluvial valleys, where chronological information was abundant, were investigated in more detail. Results show that sedimentation chronology differs between individual, nearby cores, as it depends strongly on the local geomorphic situation. A generalizing approach combining multiple core results yields more widely valid conclusions. High sedimentation rates coincided with the initial major anthropogenic disturbance of the landscape and decreased afterwards, probably due to hillslope soil depletion. CPD and SR analysis indicates that in general colluvial sedimentation rates did not change much from 2000 BC onwards. River floodplain sedimentation, in contrast, increased markedly during the first millennium BC and during recent times, and a significant time lag in enhanced sediment deposition between the upper and lower reaches of the river valleys was observed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A continuous multi-millennial record of surficial bivalve mollusk shells from the São Paulo Bight,Brazilian shelf

To evaluate the potential of using surficial shell accumulations for paleoenvironmental studies, an extensive time series of individually dated specimens of the marine infaunal bivalve mollusk Semele casali was assembled using amino acid racemization (AAR) ratios (n = 270) calibrated against radiocarbon ages (n = 32). The shells were collected from surface sediments at multiple sites across a sediment-starved shelf in the shallow sub-tropical São Paulo Bight (São Paulo State, Brazil). The resulting ¹⁴C-calibrated AAR time series, one of the largest AAR datasets compiled to date, ranges from modern to 10,307 cal yr BP, is right skewed, and represents a remarkably complete time series: the completeness of the Holocene record is 66% at 250-yr binning resolution and 81% at 500-yr binning resolution. Extensive time-averaging is observed for all sites across the sampled bathymetric range indicating long water depth-invariant survival of carbonate shells at the sediment surface with low net sedimentation rates. Benthic organisms collected from active depositional surfaces can provide multi-millennial time series of biomineral records and serve as a source of geochemical proxy data for reconstructing environmental and climatic trends throughout the Holocene at centennial resolution. Surface sediments can contain time-rich shell accumulations that record the entire Holocene, not just the present.     

Effects of Pleistocene environmental changes on the distribution and community structure of the mammalian fauna of Mexico

Biological communities in Mexico experienced profound changes in species composition and structure as a consequence of the environmental fluctuations during the Pleistocene. Based on the recent and fossil Mexican mammal checklists, we determine the distribution, composition, diversity, and community structure of late Pleistocene mammalian faunas, and analyze extinction patterns and response of individual species to environmental changes. We conclude that (1) differential extinctions occurred at family, genus, and species level, with a major impact on species heavier than 100 kg, including the extinction all proboscideans and several ruminants; (2) Pleistocene mammal communities in Mexico were more diverse than recent ones; and (3) the current assemblages of species are relatively young. Furthermore, Pleistocene relicts support the presence of biogeographic corridors; important refugia existed as well as centers of speciation in isolated regions. We identified seven corridors: eastern USA–Sierra Madre Oriental corridor, Rocky Mountains–Sierra Madre Occidental corridor, Central United States–Northern Mexico corridor, Transvolcanic Belt–Sierra Madre del Sur corridor, western USA–Baja California corridor, Tamaulipas–Central America gulf lowlands corridor, and Sonora–Central America Pacific lowlands corridor. Our study suggests that present mammalian assemblages are very different than the ones in the late Pleistocene.     

一元p-范分布的参数估计

应用矩估计法，在观测为误差单峰、对称的情况下，得到了一元p-范分布在不同情况下参数的计算公式。详细推导了一元p-范分布极大似然方程的解算公式，将矩估计法应用到极大似然平差的参数估计理论中，得到了一个比较好的算法，最后用两个算例说明了此方法的优越性。