Astrometric investigation with the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope

The observations and the plate reduction technique for the determination of positions and absolute proper motions which is used in Potsdam are described. Recent results have shown that an accuracy of about 0 _. 1 for positions and 0 _. ⁷ cent _. ^–1 for proper motions can be achieved both for bright (8^m–12^m) and faint (16^m–18^m) stars. Three astrometric programmes using the Tautenburg plates are presented.     

Trace element diagenesis in pyrite-rich sediments of the Achterwasser lagoon, SW Baltic Sea

The early diagenesis of trace elements (V, Cr, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Ba, U) in anoxic sediments of the Achterwasser, a shallow lagoon in the non-tidal Oder estuary in the Baltic Sea, was investigated in the context of pyrite formation. The dissolved major redox parameters show a two-tier distribution with transient signals in the occasionally re-suspended fluid mud layer (FM) and a permanently established diagenetic sequence in the sediment below. Intense microbial respiration leads to rapid depletion of O₂ within the uppermost mm of the FM. The reduction zones of Mn, Fe and sulfate overlap in the FM and in the permanently anoxic sediment section which appears to be a typical feature of estuarine sediments, under low-sulfate conditions. Degrees of pyritization (DOP) range from 50% in the FM to remarkably high values > 90% at 50 cm depth. Pyrite formation at the sediment surface is attributed to the reaction of Fe-monosulfides with intermediate sulfur species via the polysulfide pathway. By contrast, intense pyritization in the permanently anoxic sediment below is attributed to mineral growth via adsorption of aqueous Fe-sulfide complexes onto pyrite crystals which had originally formed in the surface layer.The studied trace elements show differential behavior patterns which are closely coupled to the diagenetic processes described above: (i) Zn, Cu and Cd are liberated from organic matter in the thin oxic layer of the sediment and diffuse both upwards across the sediment/water boundary and downwards to be trapped as monosulfides, (ii) V, Cr, Co and As are released during reductive dissolution of Mn- and Fe-oxyhydroxides, (iii) U removal from pore water occurs concomitantly to Fe reduction in the FM and is attributed to reduction of U(VI) to U(IV), (iv) the Ba distribution is controlled by reductive dissolution of authigenic barite in the sulfate reduction zone coupled with upward diffusion and re-precipitation. The incorporation of trace elements into pyrite is most intense for Co, Mn and As, intermediate for Cu and Cr and little to negligible for U, Zn, Cd, V and Ba. The observed trend is largely in agreement with previous studies and may be explained with differing rates for ligand exchange. Slow and fast ligand exchange and thus precipitation kinetics are also displayed by downcore increasing (Mn, Cr, Co and As) or constantly low (Zn, Cu, Cd) pore water concentrations. The downward increasing degrees of trace metal pyritization (DTMP) for Co, Cu, Zn and As are, in analogy to pyrite growth, assigned to adsorption of sulfide complexes or As oxyanions onto preexisting pyrite minerals.     

Induction of vitellogenin in vivo and in vitro in the model teleost medaka (Oryzias latipes): comparison of gene expression and protein levels

Quantification of the egg yolk precursor vitellogenin (VTG) in fish has become a standard technique to detect estrogenic effects of known chemicals and environmental samples. In the present study, we have analysed VTG induction by estradiol, ethynylestradiol and genistein exposure in the model teleost medaka (Oryzias latipes) and demonstrate that the medaka is a suitable model system to analyse estrogenic effects. By comparing VTG gene expression and protein levels we show that in principal both techniques can be used to study VTG induction in vivo (juvenile and adult males) and in vitro (primary cultures of male liver cells). If a short term in vivo or in vitro exposure is performed, detection of mRNA might be sufficient. For long term studies with the need to detect weak estrogenic chemicals and a precise quantification, immuno-chemical detection may be favoured.     

The use of MODIS data to derive acreage estimations for larger fields: A case study in the south-western Rostov region of Russia

Recent developments in remote sensing technology, in particular improved spatial and temporal resolution, open new possibilities for estimating crop acreage over larger areas. Remotely sensed data allow in some cases the estimation of crop acreage statistics independently of sub-national survey statistics, which are sometimes biased and incomplete. This work focuses on the use of MODIS data acquired in 2001/2002 over the Rostov Oblast in Russia, by the Azov Sea. The region is characterised by large agricultural fields of around 75 ha on average. This paper presents a methodology to estimate crop acreage using the MODIS 16-day composite NDVI product. Particular emphasis is placed on a good quality crop mask and a good quality validation dataset. In order to have a second dataset which can be used for cross-checking the MODIS classification a Landsat ETM time series for four different dates in the season of 2002 was acquired and classified. We attempted to distinguish five different crop types and achieved satisfactory and good results for winter crops. Three hundred and sixty fields were identified to be suitable for the training and validation of the MODIS classification using a maximum likelihood classification. A novel method based on a pure pixel field sampling is introduced. This novel method is compared with the traditional hard classification of mixed pixels and was found to be superior.     

Investigation of the stable isotope fractionation in speleothems with laboratory experiments

Many speleothems show evidence for calcite precipitation under disequilibrium conditions. To improve the understanding of these kinetic processes, several laboratory experiments were performed to study the fractionation of stable oxygen and carbon isotopes during the precipitation of calcite. Carbonate was precipitated under controlled conditions from both a body of standing water (beaker experiments) and a solution flowing along a channel (channel experiments) at a relative humidity of 100%. Slow degassing of CO₂, simulated by the beaker experiments, results in δ¹⁸O values in equilibrium with the solution. In contrast, the δ¹³C values show a significant enrichment, inversely proportional to the height of the solution in the beakers. Fast degassing of CO₂, simulated by the channel experiments, showed an enrichment of both δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O and a slope of Δδ¹³C/Δδ¹⁸O of 1.4±0.6. These results represent experimental evidence for the Hendy effect, which is manifested in (i) a progressive increase in δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C away from the growth axis and (ii) a positive correlation between δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C along a single growth layer of a stalagmite.     

Channelized and hillslope sediment transport and the geomorphology of mountain belts

This paper uses the results of landscape evolution models and morphometric data from the Andes of northern Peru and the eastern Swiss Alps to illustrate how the ratio between sediment transport on hillslopes and in channels influences landscape and channel network morphologies and dynamics. The headwaters of fluvial- and debris-flow-dominated systems (channelized processes) are characterized by rough, high-relief, highly incised surfaces which contain a dense and hence a closely spaced channel network. Also, these systems tend to respond rapidly to modifications in external forcing (e.g., rock uplift and/or precipitation). This is the case because the high channel density results in a high bulk diffusivity. In contrast, headwaters where landsliding is an important sediment source are characterized by a low channel density and by rather straight and unstable channels. In addition, the topographies are generally smooth. The low channel density then results in a relatively low bulk diffusivity. As a consequence, response times are greater in headwaters of landslide-dominated systems than in highly dissected drainages. The Peruvian and Swiss case studies show how regional differences in climate and the litho-tectonic architecture potentially exert contrasting controls on the relative importance of channelized versus hillslope processes and thus on the overall geomorphometry. Specifically, the Peruvian example illustrates to what extent the storminess of climate has influenced production and transport of sediment on hillslopes and in channels, and how these differences are seen in the morphometry of the landscape. The Swiss example shows how the bedding orientation of the bedrock drives channelized and hillslope processes to contrasting extents, and how these differences are mirrored in the landscape. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Micromechanics of the velocity and normal stress dependence of rock friction

Among the second-order effects on friction the most important are those of variable normal stress and of slip velocity. Velocity weakening, which is usually considered the source of the stick-slip instability in rock friction, has been observed in velocity stepping experiments with Westerly granite. The friction change, , was –0.01 to –0.008 for a tenfold velocity increase. Using normal closure measurements, we observed dilation upon each increase in sliding rate. We also observed, for the first time, time-dependent closure between surfaces during static loading. The dilation that occurred during the velocity stepping experiment was found to be that expected from the static time-dependent closure phenomenon. This change in closure was used to predict friction change with an elastic contact model. The calculated friction change which results from a change in contact area and asperity interlocking, is in good agreement with the observed velocity dependence of steady-state friction. Variable normal stress during sliding has two effects, first in creating new partial slip contacts and locking some existing fully sliding contacts and second in increasing interlocking, for instance when normal load is suddenly increased. As a result, a transient change in friction occurs upon a sudden change in normal load.     

Phanerozoic tectonothermal history of the Arabian–Nubian shield in the Eastern Desert of Egypt: evidence from fission track and paleostress data

To constrain the post-Pan-African evolution of the Arabian–Nubian Shield, macro-scale tectonic studies, paleostress and fission track data were performed in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. The results provide insights into the processes driving late stage vertical motion and the timing of exhumation of a large shield area. Results of apatite, zircon and sphene fission track analyses from the Neoproterozoic basement indicate two major episodes of exhumation. Sphene and zircon fission track data range from 339 to 410 Ma and from 315 to 366 Ma, respectively. The data are interpreted to represent an intraplate thermotectonic episode during the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous. At that time, the intraplate stresses responsible for deformation, uplift and erosion, were induced by the collision of Gondwana with Laurussia which started in Late Devonian times. Apatite fission track data indicate that the second cooling phase started in Oligocene and was related to extension, flank uplift and erosion along the actual margin of the Red Sea. Structural data collected from Neoproterozoic basement, Late Cretaceous and Tertiary sedimentary cover suggest two stages of rift formation. (1) Cretaceous strike-slip tectonics with sub-horizontal σ1 (ENE/WSW) and σ3 (NNW/SSE), and sub-vertical σ2 resulted in formation of small pull-apart basins. Basin axes are parallel to the trend of Pan-African structural elements which acted as stress guides. (2) During Oligocene to Miocene the stress field changed towards horizontal NE–SW extension (σ3), and sub-vertical σ1. Relations between structures, depositional ages of sediments and apatite fission track data indicate that the initiation of rift flank uplift, erosion and plate deformation occurred nearly simultaneously.     

Pleistocene/Holocene climate change, re-establishment of fluvial drainage network and increase in relief in the Swiss Alps

ABSTRACT Data are presented about modern sediment discharge of the Swiss rivers and related to the size of catchments. The information reveals that the Central Alps have experienced denudation rates of ≈0.15 mm yr⁻¹ in the foreland, and ≈0.5 mm yr⁻¹ in the Alpine core. Mapping, however, indicates that modern erosion only affects 30–50% of the Alpine surface, and that fluvial and associated hillslope processes have focused erosion in 50–200-m-deep valleys. These valleys are incised into the glacial surface. If this limited spatial extent of erosion is considered, then effective erosion rates are significantly higher than average denudation rates. These effective rates equal or locally exceed modern rates of rock uplift. This implies that the modification of erosional processes related to the Pleistocene/Holocene climate change has resulted in an increase in the relief at a local scale. At a drainage basin scale, however, the relief appears not to change at present.     

Redetermination of the transformation enthalpies of the xanthoconite–proustite, pyrostilpnite–pyrargyrite and trechmannite–smithite phase transitions

 We report here refined values of the transformation enthalpy for xanthoconite to proustite (54.81 kJ/mol) and pyrostilpnite to pyrargyrite (40.32 kJ/mol). Additionally, the enthalpy for the transformation of trechmannite to smithite (5.82 kJ/mol) has been determined. The refinement was possible by taking into account a previously unknown dependence of electrochemical signals on the amount of substance undergoing the reduction process. Received December 21, 1995/Revised, accepted June 29, 1996