Rock moisture content in the field and the laboratory and its relationship to mechanical weathering studies

Rock moisture content is a major control of mechanical weathering, particularly freeze-thaw, and yet almost no data exist from field situations. This study presents moisture content values for rocks, taken from a variety of positions and conditions, in the maritime Antarctic. Additional information regarding the amount of water the rock could take up, as observed from laboratory experiments, is also presented. The results show that the approaches used in simulation experiments, particularly that of soaking a rock for 24 hours, may produce exaggerated results. It was found that the saturation coefficient (S-value) was a good indicator of frost susceptibility (based on water content) but that the derivation of that value may underestimate the potential of some rocks. The distribution of moisture within rocks is seen as an important, but unkown, factor. The results of these field moisture contents suggest that for simulations of freeze-thaw or hydration to be meaningful then they should have rock water contents based on field observations.     

Further Studies Of Atmospheric Turbulence In Layers Near The Surface: Scaling The Tke Budget Above The Roughness Sublayer

The second of two experimental studies of the TKE budget conducted on sites of different roughness is described, and results are compared. The first took place within a shallow layer above a small field of mostly bare, cultivated soil; the second was carried out above a roughness sublayer of significant depth on an extensive plain of tall dry grass. Budget terms observed in the second study were scaled with a modified u which compensated for effects of an unusually large stress gradient and ensured that the _m functions would be collinear. By showing that the modification becomes negligible in smaller gradients, it is demonstrated that in normal conditions, budgets observed above significant roughness sublayers should be normalized by scaling in terms of the unreduced Reynolds stress at the sublayer's upper surface. This procedure is shown to be consistent with the expectation that TKE budgets in layers near the surface all scale in fundamentally the same way.Other findings include: (1) the fact that most _m functions previously reported are not quite collinear is attributed to a type of overspeeding known to affect three-cup anemometers; (2) revised _m functions, collinear and largely free of the effects of overspeeding, are determined from a well-established characteristic of the linear _m relation for the stable case; (3) data that define collinear _m functions can also be represented with single hyperbolic curves; (4) dissipation is found to be 10 to 15% too small to balance total TKE production in unstable and neutral conditions and to decrease with increasing z/L in thestable regime; and (5) new relations for based on the observed behaviour of the dissipation deficit provide an improved closure for the set of equations that express the budget terms as functions of _m and z/L.     

Comparison between Pollutant Concentration in the Samples of Fog and Rime Water Collected at Mt. Milešovka

The article aims at showing the differences in concentration of pollutants that are contained in the samples of fog and/or low cloud water in comparison with the water from rime. The results follow from the fog and rime measurements made at Mt. Mileovka (eské Stedohoí Mountains). They are compared with the results of other studies that also report the differences in fog and rime chemistry.     

南海北部ODP 1144站中更新世气候转型期有孔虫稳定同位素古气候意义

中更新世气候转型期是第四纪古气候研究的一个特殊时期。利用大洋钻探ODP 184航次在南海北部钻取的1144站时间分辨率高达约290年的沉积物样品，开展中更新世气候转型期古气候变化的研究。在中更新世距今80~100万年前，浮游和底栖有孔虫壳体的稳定氧碳同位素变化揭示出，中更新世气候转型中心，即中更新世革命0.9 Ma左右，南海北部表层海水温度的降低和降水量的增加指示东亚冬、夏季风增强。以中更新世革命为界，水体垂向结构上温跃层和营养跃层的深度从之前的间冰期较浅转变为之后的间冰期较深，底层水与表层水的垂直温度梯度从冰期时较大转变为冰期时较小。轨道尺度上，冰消期时南海北部的表层水、次表层水和底层水的变化几乎是同时发生的，不存在超前或滞后的相位差。千年尺度上，有孔虫的氧碳同位素变化都呈现出非常明显的约0.8 ka和约1.4 ka的气候波动周期。氧同位素0.8 ka滤波显示出：在中更新世气候转型期，较强的信号主要出现在间冰期，有时也出现在冰期，与晚第四纪千年尺度气候波动主要出现在冰期不同，说明中更新世的气候转型不仅表现在轨道尺度的气候周期变化上，同时也体现在千年尺度气候波动的特征变化中。      

腾格里地区盐湖的盐类沉积特征

腾格里沙漠122个盐湖分为石盐、石盐-芒硝、石盐-白钠镁矾及芒硝(石膏)4种类型。盐湖含盐系厚度一般4～9m,总体呈现下部为含盐碎屑沉积,上部以盐类沉积为主,构成储卤层,卤水赋存其中,由湖岸至湖心储卤层厚度增长。含卤层理渐小,卤水含KCl渐高。盐湖中矿物主要为碳酸盐矿物,以芒硝、石膏为主的硫酸盐矿物、石盐以及粘土矿物。盐湖卤水以晶间卤水为主。许多卤水含K+大于2g/L。K+含量最高的红盐池,平均含量达19.14g/L。对钾矿而言,在盐湖分布相对集中地区,有一定的综合开发利用前景。     

Oxygen deficient perovskites in the system CaSiO3–CaAlO2.5 and implications for the Earth’s interior

Oxygen deficient perovskites of the system CaSiO₃–CaAlO_2.5 have been synthesised at high-pressure and -temperature conditions relevant to the Earth’s transition zone in order to investigate their stabilities in the Earth’s mantle and determine structural properties associated with vacancy incorporation. Two polysomes of thermodynamically stable defect perovskites with Ca(Al_0.4Si_0.6)O_2.8 and Ca(Al_0.5Si_0.5)O_2.75 stoichiometry have been identified. The ordering of oxygen defects into pseudo-cubic (111) layers results in well-ordered ten- or eightfold superstructures, respectively. At all other compositions examined, a metastable formation of perovskites has been observed instead, which are assumed to grow initially disordered. These are now characterised by tiny domains, formed due to subsequent ordering of vacancies along various pseudo-cubic {111} layers. Both ordered defect perovskites show a large P–T stability field ranging from about 9–18 GPa and 4–12 GPa, respectively. Microstructural TEM analyses revealed the presence of growth and ferroelastic twins, which indicate a phase transition from rhombohedral to monoclinic symmetry during quenching. Electron energy loss spectroscopy of Si and Al K edges point at the presence of tetrahedral, octahedral and maybe some pentacoordinated silicon, whereas aluminium is predominantly octahedrally coordinated with minor fractions in lower coordination. Observed properties are interpreted in terms of a new structural model, explaining the observed phase transition and formation of different twin laws as well as giving reasons for the development of such large superstructures. With respect to phase relations of the transition zone, the potential occurrence of such defect perovskites in the Earth’s interior is discussed.     

Progress in isotope paleohydrology using lake sediment cellulose

Recent advances in sample preparation techniques and mass spectrometry have fostered more routine oxygen isotope analysis of aquatic cellulose in lake sediment cores, a proxy for lake water oxygen isotope history. These methodological developments have significantly increased the feasibility of incorporating this approach into high-resolution, multi-site, and multi-proxy studies, which are frequently necessary to answer complex hydrological, hydroecological and hydroclimatic questions requiring a paleoenvironmental perspective. Direct translation of lake sediment aquatic cellulose oxygen isotope composition into lake water oxygen isotope composition offers appreciable opportunity for quantitative paleohydrological reconstructions, as evidenced by studies conducted over the past 15 years that span Holocene and pre-historical timescales.     

The effects of organic removal treatment on the integrity of δ<Superscript>18</Superscript>O measurements from biogenic silica

Prior to oxygen isotope analysis of biogenic silica by fluorination techniques, sediments must be cleaned of all organic compounds. Despite the expanding volume of research utilising oxygen isotope ratios in biogenic silica in palaeoclimatology, very little is known about the effects of different standard preparation methods for the removal of organic matter on the isotope values. Here we compare a number of methods for the removal of organic matter in order to assess their effectiveness and influence on subsequent isotope measurements. Not all the methods described here effectively removed organic matter, the best treatments were H₂O₂ and ignition in air at 550°C. Ignition in air at 950°C, and heating in vacuum at 250 and 450°C results in marked alteration of isotope values, whereas use of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), nitric acid (HNO₃) and plasma ashing have little or no effect, within the bounds of analytical error. Ignition in air at 550°C was the most effective technique, and induced no alteration of δ¹⁸O_silica, but practical constraints may limit the application of this method routinely. Our findings indicate that considerable caution is required when preparing sediment for isotope analysis of biogenic silica.     

青海湖碳酸盐氧同位素环境记录再认识

青海湖是我国内陆最大的闭流型水体,地处东亚季风和西风的交汇影响区,对区域降水的改变等气候变化反应敏感,其水位变化历史是研究区域季风环境演变极其宝贵和重要的环境档案。青海湖Q14B孔岩芯介壳δ18Oc变化曲线自1991年发表以来,受到国内外同行的广泛关注和继续探讨。依据近年来青海湖气候与环境演变研究的最新研究结果和个人对闭流型湖泊同位素地球化学的认识,对介壳δ18Oc变化曲线进行了重新判读并得出以下结论:14.5~10.5 ka B.P.,青海湖区气候已逐渐从干冷向温湿过渡,季风降水逐渐增加;10.8~10.5 ka B.P.,青海湖处于碳酸盐滩湖环境,湖水深度从几米演变到接近干涸;10.5~9.5 kaB.P.,季风降水增加;9.5~8 ka B.P,湖水位从此前的接近干涸演变到此间的2~8 m,δ18Oc值跌落到一个较低的位置;8~3.5ka B.P,气候条件相对稳定,湖水不断蒸发引起重同位素的富集;3.5~0ka B.P,湖水处于同位素稳定阶段。研究结果还显示,δ18Oc值的短期波动与湖泊水位短期变化关系密切且明显,即水位高低分别对应δ18Oc的低值与高值。δ18Oc值的长期变化与湖泊水位长期变化关系不明显,水位较浅时,二者几乎无关联;水位较深时,水位的长期缓慢下降自然会导致δ18Oc逐渐攀升,而水位的长期缓慢上升也可以伴随δ18Oc逐渐攀升。