Deep-ocean piezometer probe technology for geotechnical investigations

Two single-sensor piezometer probes, 8 mm in diameter, were developed for deep-ocean geotechnical investigations. These probes were tested in a hyperbaric chamber pressurized to 55 MPa (8000 psi). Testing was performed for a period of five weeks under high hydrostatic pressure with the probes inserted in reconstituted illitic marine sediment. Small differential pore-water pressures were generated in response to both mechanically and thermally generated forcing functions. During deep-ocean simulated pressure tests, the sensors exhibited excellent sensitivity and stability. These developments in piezometer-probe technology provide a quantitative means of assessing important geotechnical parameters of fine-grained seabed deposits.     

Deglaciation of the younger dryas or Loch Lomond Stadial ice-field in the northern Highlands,Scotland

When viewed from the air, Scottish ‘hummocky moraine’ can be resolved into a series of linear ridges that resemble those found at the margins of actively retreating glaciers today. Recent work has supported the interpretation of these linear ridges as ice-marginal landforms and the authors believe that the majority of ‘hummocky moraine’ deposits can be interpreted in this way. Consequently the pattern of deglaciation can be established fairly precisely from the pattern of linear ridges. This approach is applied to the landforms of the northern part of the Loch Lomond Stadial ice-field in order to reconstruct the regional pattern of deglaciation. This leads to important inferences about the significance of topographic control during deglaciation and more importantly it provides fresh insight into the environment of the British Isles during the Loch Lomond Stadial.     

Swimming with…Devonian fish

Armoured jawless fish, or 'ostracoderms', lived 450–360 million years ago, and display unusual morphologies, unlike any modern fish group. Since they left no living descendants, their mode of swimming has, until recently, remained speculative, although this is a crucial question as the first true pectoral fins evolved within the 'ostracoderms'. The discovery of the oldest-known fish trails, from the Early Devonian (400 million year old) 'Lower Old Red Sandstone' of south-east Wales offers new insights into the swimming behaviour of these early fish, notably the osteostracan 'ostracoderms' (or cephalaspids), whose horseshoe-shaped head and paddle-shaped pectoral fins have remained a functional riddle.     

Application of precise 142Nd/144Nd analysis of small samples to inclusions in diamonds (Finsch,South Africa) and Hadean Zircons (Jack Hills,Western Australia)

¹⁴⁶Sm–¹⁴²Nd and ¹⁴⁷Sm–¹⁴³Nd systematics were investigated in garnet inclusions in diamonds from Finsch (S. Africa) and Hadean zircons from Jack Hills (W. Australia) to assess the potential of these systems as recorders of early Earth evolution. The study of Finsch inclusions was conducted on a composite sample of 50 peridotitic pyropes with a Nd model age of 3.3 Ga. Analysis of the Jack Hills zircons was performed on 790 grains with ion microprobe ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb spot ages from 3.95 to 4.19 Ga. Finsch pyropes yield 100 × ?¹⁴²Nd = ? 6 ± 12 ppm, ?¹⁴³Nd = ? 32.5, and ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.1150. These results do not confirm previous claims for a 30 ppm ¹⁴²Nd excess in South African cratonic mantle. The lack of a ¹⁴²Nd anomaly in these inclusions suggests that isotopic heterogeneities created by early mantle differentiation were remixed at a very fine scale prior to isolation of the South African lithosphere. Alternatively, this result may indicate that only a fraction of the mantle experienced depletion during the first 400 Myr of its history. Analysis of the Jack Hills zircon composite yielded 100 × ?¹⁴²Nd = 8 ± 10 ppm, ?¹⁴³Nd = 45 ± 1, and ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.5891. Back-calculation of this present-day ?¹⁴³Nd yields an unrealistic estimate for the initial ?¹⁴³Nd of ? 160 ?-units, clearly indicating post-crystallization disturbance of the ¹⁴⁷Sm–¹⁴³Nd system. Examination of ^146,147Sm–^142,143Nd data reveals that the Nd budget of the Jack Hills sample is dominated by non-radiogenic Nd, possibly contained in recrystallized zircon rims or secondary subsurface minerals. This secondary material is characterized by highly discordant U–Pb ages. Although the mass fraction of altered zircon is unlikely to exceed 5–10% of total sample, its high LREE content precludes a reliable evaluation of ¹⁴⁶Sm–¹⁴²Nd systematics in Jack Hills zircons.     

Iron isotope fractionation in subterranean estuaries

Dissolved Fe concentrations in subterranean estuaries, like their river-seawater counterparts, are strongly controlled by non-conservative behavior during mixing of groundwater and seawater in coastal aquifers. Previous studies at a subterranean estuary of Waquoit Bay on Cape Cod, USA demonstrate extensive precipitation of groundwater-borne dissolved ferrous iron and subsequent accumulation of iron oxides onto subsurface sands. Waquoit Bay is thus an excellent natural laboratory to assess the mechanisms of Fe-isotope fractionation in redox-stratified environments and determine potential Fe-isotope signatures of groundwater sources to coastal seawater. Here, we report Fe isotope compositions of iron-coated sands and porewaters beneath the intertidal zone of Waquoit Bay. The distribution of pore water Fe shows two distinct sources of Fe: one residing in the upward rising plume of Fe-rich groundwater and the second in the salt-wedge zone of pore water. The groundwater source has high Fe(II) concentration consistent with anoxic conditions and yield δ⁵⁶Fe values between 0.3 and −1.3‰. In contrast, sediment porewaters occurring in the mixing zone of the subterranean estuary have very low δ⁵⁶Fe values down to −5‰. These low δ⁵⁶Fe values reflect Fe-redox cycling and result from the preferential retention of heavy Fe-isotopes onto newly formed Fe-oxyhydroxides. Analysis of Fe-oxides precipitated onto subsurface sands in two cores from the subterranean estuary revealed strong δ⁵⁶Fe and Fe concentration gradients over less than 2m, yielding an overall range of δ⁵⁶Fe values between −2 and 1.5‰. The relationship between Fe concentration and δ⁵⁶Fe of Fe-rich sands can be modeled by the progressive precipitation of Fe-oxides along fluid flow through the subterranean estuary. These results demonstrate that large-scale Fe isotope fractionation (up to 5‰) can occur in subterranean estuaries, which could lead to coastal seawater characterized by very low δ⁵⁶Fe values relative to river values.     

Study of sporadic-E clouds by backscatter radar

It is shown that swept-frequency backscatter ionograms covering a range of azimuths can be used to study the dynamics of sporadic-E clouds. A simple technique based on analytic ray tracing can be used to simulate the observed narrow traces associated with E_s patches. This enables the location and extent of the sporadic-E clouds to be determined. The motion of clouds can then be determined from a time sequence of records. In order to demonstrate the method, results are presented from an initial study of 5 days of backscatter ionograms from the Jindalee Stage B data base obtained during March-April 1990. Usually 2–3 clouds were observed each day, mainly during the evening and up to midnight. The clouds lasted from 1–4 h and extended between 30°–80° in azimuth and 150–800 km in range. The clouds were mostly stationary or drifted generally westward with velocities of up to 80 ms^–1. Only one cloud was observed moving eastward.     

Polar non-hydrocarbon contaminants in reservoir core extracts

A geochemical investigation of oils in sandstone core plugs and drill stem test oils was carried out on samples from a North Sea reservoir. A sample of diesel used as a constituent of the drilling fluids was also analysed. The aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons and polar non-hydrocarbons were isolated using solid phase extraction methods. GC analysis of the hydrocarbon fraction of the core extract indicated that contamination may be diesel derived. From analysis of diesel some compound classes are less likely to be affected by contamination from diesel itself including: steranes, hopanes, aromatic steroid hydrocarbons, benzocarbazoles and C₀–C₃-alkylphenols.     

Coupled and complex: Human-environment interaction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA

Complexity theory has received considerable attention over the past decade from a wide variety of disciplines. Some who write on this topic suggest that complexity theory will lead to a unifying understanding of complex phenomena; others dismiss it as a passing and disruptive fad. We suggest that for the analysis of coupled natural/human systems, the truth emerges from the middle ground. As an approach focused as much on the connections among system elements as the elements themselves, we argue that complexity theory provides a useful conceptual framework for the study of coupled natural/human systems. It is, if nothing else, a framework that leads us to ask interesting questions about, for example, sustainability, resilience, threshold events, and predictability.In this paper we attempt to demystify the ongoing discussions on complexity theory by linking its evocative and overloaded terminology to real-world processes. We illustrate how a shift in focus from system elements to connections among elements can lead to meaningful insight into human-environment interactions that might otherwise be overlooked. We ground our discussion in ongoing interdisciplinary research surrounding Yellowstone National Park’s northern elk winter range; a tightly coupled natural/human system that has been the center of debate, conflict, and compromise for more than 135 years.     

Spatially enabled bushfire recovery

Over the last decade growth in spatial information use for disaster management has been considerable. Maps and spatial data are now recognized as critical elements in each of the four phases of disaster management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The use of spatial information to support the phases of mitigation, preparedness and response to bushfires is widely understood. Less attention, however, has been given to the role of spatial information in the recovery. Moreover, the application of the spatially enabled society concept to bushfire recovery has not been explored. This paper explores the role that spatial information plays and could play in the recovery phase of a bushfire disaster. The bushfires in Victoria, Australia that took place during February 2009 are used as the primary case study. It is found that: Spatial information for recovery requires a pre-existing infrastructure; Spatial capacity must be developed across agencies dealing with recovery; Spatially enabled address and parcel information are the key dataset required to support all recovery tasks; Spatial integration of bushfire datasets (spread and intensity) require linking with planning regimes, and Spatial information that is volunteered could be incorporated into recovery activities.