Vegetation in western Central Mexico during the last 50 000 years: modern analogs and climate in the Zacapu Basin

The late glacial and the transition towards the Holocene marked a period of significant environmental change at a global scale. In western Central Mexico, few records span beyond the Holocene, and little is known about Pleistocene climatic and environmental variability. Here we report on the pollen record of a composite sequence made of three cores that cover the last 50 ka (thousands of calibrated radiocarbon years before present) in the Zacapu Basin, western Central Mexico (～1970 m asl). The conjunction of modern pollen rain from the area with the composite fossil pollen sequence from cores Cantabria, Cantabria 1 and CEMCA Point‐1 provided a detailed history of the vegetation of the area. Recognition of modern environmental patterns through individual modern pollen taxa proved difficult, but multivariate analysis separated different vegetation types. No‐modern‐analog communities relative to the modern vegetation cover of the area were evident, especially during periods of drought. Apparently, summer precipitation was significant before 40 ka and after the deglaciation. However, this moisture source declined from ～40 to 10 ka because tradewinds from the Gulf of Mexico were blocked by the eastern mountains of Central Mexico as a result of lower temperatures. By contrast, westerly and northerly winds were enhanced by maximum ice cover from ～19 to 17 ka, providing abundant winter precipitation and therefore preventing extreme drought in the area. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A record of Lateglacial/Holocene environmental change from a high‐elevation site in the Intermountain West,USA

Records of past vegetation and fire history can be complicated by changes in the depositional environment of a sampling location. However, these changes can alternatively be used as a measure of climate variability. Our study site, ca. 18.0 cal. ka BP record from Little Brooklyn Lake, Wyoming, located near the crest of the Snowy Range, records three moisture states. Initially, the lake was likely a glacier‐fed pond indicated by the presence of Pediastrum algae colonies. Around 13.0 cal. ka BP this pond transitioned to a meadow environment, suggested by the loss of Pediastrum algae colonies and slow sedimentation rates. Meadow conditions were maintained until ca. 5.0 cal. ka BP when Pediastrum algae colony abundance increased,indicating the formation of a shallow lake. From 18.0 to ca. 5.0 cal. ka BP, the pollen record is suggestive of alpine vegetation conditions with relatively high spruce and herbaceous taxa. Low charcoal influx also characterizes the period between 18.0 and 5.0 cal. ka BP. After 5.0 cal. ka BP, the coincidence of the formation of shallow lake and pollen data, indicating a shift to a spruce and fir forest, suggests an increase in effective moisture. Fire remained rare in this basin over the entire record, however, once the lake established sedimentation rates and charcoal influx increased. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Recent environmental changes inferred from the sediments of small lakes in Yellowstone's northern range

Recent sediments of eight small lakes in the northern winter range of Yellowstone National Park were cored to examine stratigraphic records of past changes in limnology and local environment that might be attributed to grazing and other activities of elk, bison, and other large ungulates. Cores of undisturbed sediment were analyzed at close intervals to depths covering the last 100–150 years according to chronologies established by lead-210 dating. Pollen analyses were made to show change in regional vegetation, and diatom and geochemical analyses were made to reveal possible limnological changes resulting from soil erosion and nutrient input from the lake catchments.Variations in sedimentary components prior to establishment of the Park in 1872 indicate some natural variability in environmental factors e.g., erosional inputs in landslide areas west of Gardiner. All lakes had abundant nutrient inputs.After the Park was founded, fire suppression may have been responsible for small increases in pollen percentages of various conifers and Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush) at different times in different lakes. Perceptible decreases in pollen of willow, aspen, alder, and birch at different times may reflect local ungulate browsing, although drier climatic conditions may have been a factor as well.The most striking manifestation of accelerated erosion in a catchment was found at a lake located beside a road constructed in the 1930s. In contrast to changes at this site, the record of erosion at other lakes is hardly perceptible. Changes in sediment-accumulation rates seen at most sites result from redistribution of sediment within the lake after initial deposition.In the century following Park establishment, the abundance of planktonic diatoms relative to benthic taxa varies among lakes and may reflect differential nutrient inputs or changes in lake level. Four of the five lakes analyzed for diatoms show in the last few decades an increase in planktonic relative to benthic species, implying elevated nutrient inputs. The recent flora, however, is similar to that in pre-Park levels which suggests that these lakes have not been perturbed outside their normal range. Increased nutrient supply in recent decades for at least two of the lakes is supported by the geochemical data, which show an increase in biogenic silica and in organic matter.As a whole, our investigation of the sedimentary record does not support the hypothesis that ungulate grazing has had a strong direct or indirect effect on the vegetation and soil stability in the lake catchments or on the water quality of the lakes.     

A simplified analysis of interface failure under compressive normal stress and monotonic or cyclic shear loading

Interface damage and delamination is usually accompanied by frictional slip at contacting interfaces under compressive normal stress. The present work is concerned with an analysis of progressive interface failure using the cohesive crack model with the critical stress softening and frictional traction present at the contact. Both monotonic and cyclic loadings are considered for anti‐plane shear of an elastic plate bonded to a rigid substrate by means of cohesive interface. An analytical solution can be obtained by neglecting the effect of minor shear stress component. The analysis of progressive delamination process revealed three solution types, namely: short, medium and long plate solutions. The long plate solution was obtained under an assumption of quasistatic progressive growth of the delamination zone. In view of snap back response, the quasistatic deformation process cannot be executed by either traction or displacement control. The states of frictional slip accompanied by shake down or incremental failure are distinguished in the case of cyclic loading, related to load amplitude and structural dimensions. The analysis provides a reference solution for numerical treatment of more complex cases. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Towards a climate event stratigraphy for New Zealand over the past 30 000 years (NZ‐INTIMATE project)

It is widely recognised that the acquisition of high‐resolution palaeoclimate records from southern mid‐latitude sites is essential for establishing a coherent picture of inter‐hemispheric climate change and for better understanding of the role of Antarctic climate dynamics in the global climate system. New Zealand is considered to be a sensitive monitor of climate change because it is one of a few sizeable landmasses in the Southern Hemisphere westerly circulation zone, a critical transition zone between subtropical and Antarctic influences. New Zealand has mountainous axial ranges that amplify the climate signals and, consequently, the environmental gradients are highly sensitive to subtle changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions. Since 1995, INTIMATE has, through a series of international workshops, sought ways to improve procedures for establishing the precise ages of climate events, and to correlate them with high precision, for the last 30 000 calendar years. The NZ‐INTIMATE project commenced in late 2003, and has involved virtually the entire New Zealand palaeoclimate community. Its aim is to develop an event stratigraphy for the New Zealand region over the past 30 000 years, and to reconcile these events against the established climatostratigraphy of the last glacial cycle which has largely been developed from Northern Hemisphere records (e.g. Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Termination I, Younger Dryas). An initial outcome of NZ‐INTIMATE has been the identification of a series of well‐dated, high‐resolution onshore and offshore proxy records from a variety of latitudes and elevations on a common calendar timescale from 30 000 cal. yr BP to the present day. High‐resolution records for the last glacial coldest period (LGCP) (including the LGM sensu stricto) and last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT) from Auckland maars, Kaipo and Otamangakau wetlands on eastern and central North Island, marine core MD97‐2121 east of southern North Island, speleothems on northwest South Island, Okarito wetland on southwestern South Island, are presented. Discontinuous (fragmentary) records comprising compilations of glacial sequences, fluvial sequences, loess accumulation, and aeolian quartz accumulation in an andesitic terrain are described. Comparisons with ice‐core records from Antarctica (EPICA Dome C) and Greenland (GISP2) are discussed. A major advantage immediately evident from these records apart from the speleothem record, is that they are linked precisely by one or more tephra layers. Based on these New Zealand terrestrial and marine records, a reasonably coherent, regionally applicable, sequence of climatically linked stratigraphic events over the past 30 000 cal. yr is emerging. Three major climate events are recognised: (1) LGCP beginning at ca. 28 000 cal. yr BP, ending at Termination I, ca. 18 000 cal. yr BP, and including a warmer and more variable phase between ca. 27 000 and 21 000 cal. yr BP, (2) LGIT between ca. 18 000 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, including a Lateglacial warm period from ca. 14 800 to 13 500 cal. yr BP and a Lateglacial climate reversal between ca. 13 500 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, and (3) Holocene interglacial conditions, with two phases of greatest warmth between ca. 11 600 and 10 800 cal. yr BP and from ca. 6 800 to 6 500 cal. yr BP. Some key boundaries coincide with volcanic tephras. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

沟谷地形对高填方拱涵涵周土压力影响研究

沟谷地形下高填方涵洞土压力分布规律较为复杂,不同沟谷地形下涵周土压力分布规律与上埋式涵洞差异显著。为探明沟谷地形对高填方拱涵涵周土压力的影响,采用离心模型试验与数值模拟方法,建立了地形-涵洞-填土的相互作用模型,分析了不同沟谷宽度B、沟谷坡度α下的拱涵涵周土压力及涵顶土压集中系数Ks的分布规律,并与最新涵洞设计规范进行了对比,阐述了沟谷地形下高填方拱涵土压力形成机制。研究表明：（1）沟谷宽度B对涵顶土压力集中系数Ks影响显著,沟谷宽度B为4D～6D,D为拱涵的净跨径,涵顶土压力集中系数Ks增幅较大;（2）沟谷宽度B小于4D时,可发挥沟谷地形对涵洞的减载作用;（3）沟谷坡度α在45°～60°时,涵顶土压力及其Ks变化最显著;（4）填土高度为20m,α>70°时,Ks≤1。填土高度为40m,α>50°时,Ks≤1;(5)我国最新涵洞设计规范推荐的Ks与离心模型试验、数值模拟规律存在一定差异,当α=45°时,沟谷宽度B较小时,规范的涵顶土压力集中系数Ks较为保守;（6）沟谷地形下高填方拱涵Ks与拱顶压密区、等压面的形成有关。拱顶压密区可引起拱涵涵顶土压力集中,并引起压密区周边土体...     

真三轴单面临空下煤岩组合体冲击破坏特征试验研究

煤岩复合承载结构所处的应力边界条件不同,冲击地压在巷道中的显现特征和前兆规律亦不相同。采用高频振动采集及孔内成像三轴动静载试验系统,开展了高静载和动静载耦合作用下煤岩组合体真三轴单面临空试验,分析了煤岩组合体界面处力学特征和强度条件,探究了不同应力边界下煤岩组合体的破坏形态、动力显现特征和声发射信号的演变规律。研究结果表明:(1)受煤岩变形相互制约的影响,交界面处砂岩强度被"弱化"。当界面处煤体裂隙尖端的应力大于"弱化"后砂岩强度时,裂隙将穿过煤岩界面发育至砂岩中,砂岩呈现出屈曲层裂、劈裂成板的破坏形态。(2)高静载作用下,煤岩组合体变形破坏特征和声发射信号具有明显的前兆规律,组合体发生承载失效前煤体局部颗粒弹射动能增大、弹射颗粒块度降低,声发射信号由"高频低能"向"高频高能"转变,组合体的破坏形态以剪切-张拉复合破坏为主。(3)受冲击动载影响,顶底板砂岩夹持作用减弱,煤体裂纹尖端应力得不到有效积聚,裂纹扩展到煤岩交界面时被阻隔,组合体以煤样的张拉破坏为主,声发射信号呈现出"高频高能"的特点,但大多集中在冲击破坏之后,导致组合体动力破坏难以预测。(4)与纯静载作用相比,虽然动静载耦合作...     

From pollen percentage to vegetation cover: evaluation of the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm in western Norway

The Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA) with the two models REVEALS and LOVE is developed to transform pollen percentage data to vegetation cover. This paper presents the first study to evaluate LRA in a region with large topographic variations within a short distances. The REVEALS model estimates regional vegetation abundance based on pollen assemblages from large lakes (100–500 ha). Pollen surface samples from one large and 28 small lakes are used together with a combination of regionally derived pollen productivity estimates and available estimates from other regions of Europe. The results show a good relationship between REVEALS‐estimated forest cover and vegetation abundance based on the CORINE land‐cover data. The REVEALS results using various sets of pollen assemblages from small lakes were comparable to those using one large lake. Local vegetation abundance using the LOVE model was estimated around 26 lakes. For common taxa, such as Pinus and Poaceae, the LOVE‐based estimates of plant abundance match well with the distance‐weighted plant abundances based on vegetation maps. Our results indicate that the LRA approach is effective for reconstruction of long‐term vegetation changes in western Norway and other regions with high topographic relief when no major gradients exist in the pollen data.     

坝上草原相关花粉源范围与相对花粉产量估算

基于坝上草原地区30个采样点表土花粉分析和植被调查的研究结果显示,花粉组合以蒿属、藜科、禾本科、菊科和莎草科等草本植物为主,基本能够反映草原植被特征,但花粉百分比与其在植被中盖度差异明显.运用Extended R-Value(ERV)模型估算的坝上草原区相关花粉源范围大致为2100m,当风速大于3.5m/s时,基本稳定,受风速影响不大.估算的相对花粉产量结果显示,蒿属和藜科的相对花粉产量最高,为禾本科的20倍左右;其次为莎草科和菊科,为禾本科的7～9倍;百合科略高于禾本科;旋花科、豆科、唇形科及委陵菜属的相对花粉产量则明显低于禾本科.利用相对花粉产量对花粉与植被关系的校正结果表明:蒿属、藜科的校正效果明显,其相对花粉产量可以作为定量重建古植被的参考;莎草科、菊科、百合科和唇形科由于受植被和花粉数据梯度限制,其相对花粉产量能否用于植被与花粉关系的校正有待通过更多植被群落调查进一步证实;其他花粉类型由于在花粉组合中含量多低于5％,所以在校正花粉与植被关系时的作用不明显.     

陕西延安Q_2原状黄土抗拉强度试验研究

对陕西延安新宝塔山隧道Q2原状黄土进行了不同加载速率的无侧限抗压与贯入抗拉试验,研究了Q2原状黄土抗压与抗拉强度的影响因素。结果表明:加载速率对宝塔山Q2原状黄土抗压和抗拉强度影响较大,抗压强度与抗拉强度随加载速率增大而增大;高径比对抗拉强度也有较大影响,试验时当高径比控制在1.0左右时,高径比对宝塔山Q2原状黄土的抗拉强度影响相对较小,因此采用轴向压裂法测量黄土的抗拉强度时,高径比宜控制在1.0;在试验加载速率范围内,加载速率对宝塔山Q2原状黄土的压拉比影响不大,其压拉比在9.88~13.68范围内变化。