On the Spatial Distribution and Seasonal Variation of Lower-Troposphere Ozone over Europe

Surface ozone data from 25 Europeanlow-altitude sites and mountain sites located between79°N and 28°N were studied. The analysiscovered the time period March 1989–February 1993.Average summer and winter O₃ concentrations inthe boundary layer over the continent gave rise togradients that were strongest in the north-west tosouth-east direction and west-east direction, respectively. WintertimeO₃ ranged from 19 to 27 ppbover the continent, compared to about 32 ppb at thewestern border, while for summer the continentalO₃ values ranged between 39 and 56 ppb and theoceanic mixing ratios were around 37 ppb. In the lowerfree troposphere average wintertime O₃ mixingratios were around 38 ppb, with only an 8 ppbdifference between 28°N and 79°N. For summerthe average O₃ levels decreased from about 55 ppbover Central Europe to 32 ppb at 79°N. Inaddition, O₃ and O_x(= O₃ + NO₂)in polluted and clean air were compared. Theamplitudes of the seasonal ozone variations increasedin the north-west to south-east direction, while thetime of the annual maximum was shifted from spring (atthe northerly sites) to late summer (at sites inAustria and Hungary), which reflected the contributionof photochemical ozone production in the lower partsof the troposphere.     

Reactive Nitrogen Compounds at Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Arctic

Simultaneousindependent measurements of NO_y and NO_x(NO_x= NO + NO₂) by high-sensitivitychemiluminescence systems and of PAN (peroxyacetylnitrate) and PPN (peroxypropionyl nitrate) by GC-ECDwere made at Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Arcticduring the first half year of 1994. The average mixingratio of the sum of PAN and PPN (denoted PANs)increased from around 150 pptv in early winter to amaximum of around 500 pptv in late March, whereasepisodic peak values reached 800 pptv. This occurredsimultaneously with a maximum in ozone which increasedto 45–50 ppbv in March–April. The average NO_xmixing ratio was 27 pptv and did not show any cyclethrough the period. The NO_y mixing ratio showeda maximum in late March, while the difference betweenNO_y and PAN decreased during spring. This is anindication of the dominance of PAN in the NO_ybudget in the Arctic, but possible changes in theefficiency of the NO_y converter could alsocontribute to this. Although most PAN in theArctic is believed to be due to long range transport,the observations indicate local loss and formationrates of up to 1–2 pptv h^-1 in April–May.Measurements of carbonyl compounds suggest thatacetaldehyde was the dominant, local precursor ofPAN.Now at 1.     

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Costs over the Life Cycle of Wood and Alternative Flooring Materials

Increased use of wood can substitute more energy demanding products and thus contribute to a long-term solution to the global warming problem. The aim of this article is to provide an empirical study on this substitution impact, its cost-effectiveness, and which methodological assumptions that are of highest importance for the results obtained. We have made a case study where we compare use of various flooring materials. The results show that floor covering in solid oak causes lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the other materials. The difference can be ranked in the following order, after their potential for reduction in GHG emissions: Carpet in wool, carpet in polyamide, vinyl, and linoleum. At 2% pro anno discount rate, the avoided GHG emission in tons per m³ of oak flooring used is 0.1–1.9 for linoleum, and 11.8–15.5 for wool carpets. Unless the solution in solid oak is on total less expensive over the lifetime of the building, only the price of avoided emissions from a substitution between solid oak and carpet in wool is reasonable, compared to present carbon fees. The assumptions that influence the result most are choice of discount rate, carbon fixation on forest area, and waste handling. Empirical case studies like this indicate GHG emission reduction potentials caused by substitution, but should be complemented by dynamic input/output analyses and econometric studies. To analyse the flow of CO₂ over time, they should also be linked to forest management models.     

Distribution and feeding modes of macrobenthos within three oceanographic feature areas of the KwaZulu-Natal Bight,South Africa

The composition and distribution of macrobenthic communities was investigated in three areas in the KwaZulu- Natal Bight, a section of shelf off the east coast of South Africa. Areas were pre-selected on the basis of three known oceanographic features, posited to deliver land- or Agulhas Current-derived nutrients onto the shelf and to drive ecosystem functioning in this region. Replicate sediment samples were collected with a 0.2 m² van Veen grab, during two surveys (A, B) corresponding with normal periods of high and low rainfall, respectively. A subset of the full station array was selected across the shelf in an arrangement of increasing depths (inner-, mid- and outer shelf) through each feature area to investigate the spatial distribution and feeding modes of macrobenthic taxa. The two periods showed some differences in abundance and numbers of macrobenthic taxa, but were not statistically different. Total macrobenthic abundance from Survey A was 20 215 individuals from 642 taxa, decreasing to 18 000 individuals from 503 taxa during Survey B. Polychaeta and Crustacea were the dominant taxa sampled; abundance of the latter was attributed largely to a proliferation of Paguristes sp.1 at inner-shelf samples in the midbight (Thukela) region during Survey B. Similarity classification distinguished seven sample groups reflecting differences in feature areas and shelf positions under investigation. The Thukela River midshelf community supported the highest macrobenthic abundance, while the midshelf off the southern bight (Durban region) was most species rich. Findings were attributed to the habitat complexity of the midshelf which includes a palaeo-dune cordon at the 60 m isobath. Functionally, the community was dominated by interface- and deposit-feeding fauna, emphasising the importance of trophic plasticity in an environmentally variable and heterogeneous shelf environment.     

Boundary-layer ozone depletion as seen in the Norwegian Arctic in spring

Several years of measurements of ozone, hydrocarbons, sulphate and meteorological parameters from Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Arctic are presented. Most of the measurements were taken on the Zeppelin Mountain at an altitude of 474 m a.s.l. The focus is the episodes of ozone depletion in the lower troposphere in spring, which are studied in a climatological way. Episodes of very low ozone concentrations are a common feature on the Zeppelin Mountain in spring. The low ozone episodes were observed from late March to the beginning of June. When the effect of transport direction was subtracted, the frequenty of the low ozone episodes was found to peak in the beginning of May, possibly reflecting the seasonal cycle in the actual depletion process. Analyses based on trajectory calculations show that most of the episodes occurred when the air masses were transported from W-N. Ozone soundings show that the ozone depletion may extend from the surface and up to 3–4 km altitude. The episodes were associated with a cold boundary layer beneath a thermally stable layer, suppressing mixing with the free troposphere. The concentration of several individual hydrocarbons was much lower during episodes of low ozone than for the average conditions. The change in concentration ratio between the hydrocarbons was in qualitative agreement with oxidation of hydrocarbons by Br and Cl atoms rather than by OH radicals.     

Pyrite: physical and chemical textures

Pyrite may crystallize initially in forms as diverse as framboids or cubes depending upon the temperatures and pressures. Fluid-rich diagenesis or low-grade metamorphism clearly results in thorough recrystallization and the common formation of cubes. Once these have formed, the pyrite becomes much more refractory and retains many characteristics even in deposits which have undergone penetrative deformation. This is in strong contrast to the behavior of most of the accompanying sulfides, which often undergo ductile deformation, solid state or chemical remobilization, and annealing. Pyrite deforms sparingly until there is brittle failure; however, there may be significant pyrite corrosion and regrowth during metamorphism as the result of sulfur exchange with other minerals, especially pyrrhotite. Pyrite fabrics may also be significantly modified by pressure solution or Coble creep. Optical microscopic examination and electron microprobe chemical mapping of pyrites from a variety of mineral deposits, including several high-grade metamorphic ones, reveals that the pyrites frequently contain both physical and chemical textures that may be interpreted in terms of the depositional and the post-depositional history of the deposits. Inclusions of sulfides or other minerals reveal information on the timing of the crystallization or recrystallization of the pyrite; chemical mapping of elements such as Ni, Co, and As reveals information on the relative time of transport of these elements in the ore fluids. Received: 19 March 1997 / Accepted: 14 May 1998     

Shear and tension hydraulic fractures in low permeability rocks

Laboratory hydrofracture experiments were performed on triaxially stressed specimens of oil shale and low-permeability granite. The results show that either shear or tension fractures could develop depending on the level of differentials stress, even in specimens containing preexisting fractures. With 1 kb of confining pressure and differential stress greater than 2kb, hydraulic fluid diffusion into the specimens reduced the effective confining pressure until failure occurred by shear fracture. Below 2kb of differential stress, tension fractures occurred. These results suggest that hydraulic fracturing in regions of significant tectonic stress may produce shear rather than tension fractures. In this casein situ stress determinations based on presumed tension fractures would lead to erroneous results.     

Salt diapirs without well defined boundaries – a feasibility study of semi‐automatic detection

Prestack depth imaging of seismic data in complex areas such as salt structures requires extensive velocity model updating. In many cases, salt boundaries can be difficult to identify due to lack of seismic reflectivity. Traditional amplitude based segmentation methods do not properly tackle this problem, resulting in extensive manual editing. This paper presents a selection of seismic attributes that can reveal texture differences between the salt diapirs and the surrounding geology as opposed to amplitude‐sensitive attributes that are used in case of well defined boundaries. The approach consists of first extracting selected texture attributes, then using these attributes to train a classifier to estimate the probability that each pixel in the data set belongs to one of the following classes: near‐horizontal layering, highly‐dipping areas and the inside of the salt that appears more like a low amplitude area with small variations in texture. To find the border between the inside of the salt and the highly‐dipping surroundings, the posterior probability of the class salt is input to a graph‐cut algorithm that produces a smooth, continuous border. An in‐line seismic section and a timeslice from a 3D North Sea data set were employed to test the proposed approach. Comparisons between the automatically segmented salt contours and the corresponding contours as provided by an experienced interpreter showed a high degree of similarity.     

Bayesian estimation of reservoir properties—effects of uncertainty quantification of 4D seismic data

This paper shows a history matching workflow with both production and 4D seismic data where the uncertainty of seismic data for history matching comes from Bayesian seismic waveform inversion. We use a synthetic model and perform two seismic surveys, one before start of production and the second after 1 year of production. From the first seismic survey, we estimate the contrast in slowness squared (with uncertainty) and use this estimate to generate an initial estimate of porosity and permeability fields. This ensemble is then updated using the second seismic survey (after inversion to contrasts) and production data with an iterative ensemble smoother. The impact on history matching results from using different uncertainty estimates for the seismic data is investigated. From the Bayesian seismic inversion, we get a covariance matrix for the uncertainty and we compare using the full covariance matrix with using only the diagonal. We also compare with using a simplified uncertainty estimate that does not come from the seismic inversion. The results indicate that it is important not to underestimate the noise in seismic data and that having information about the correlation in the error in seismic data can in some cases improve the results.