The Dynamics of Small Postglacial Lake Basins and the Nature of Their Archaeological Record: A Case Study of the Middle Palaeolithic Site Neumark‐Nord 2, Germany

Due to favorable conditions of preservation, sedimentary basins provide rich records of human behavior and its environmental context. The conditions for the preservation of archaeological material however vary between basin types (large, river‐fed or small, closed basins), while conditions also differ within a particular basin environment. The goal of this paper is to understand how the dynamics of a small postglacial basin such as Neumark‐Nord 2, a context that dominates the Eemian archaeological record, affected the archaeology situated at its basin margin. The approach used here is to correlate the archaeological record with reconstructions of patterns of deposition and the water conditions within the basin, using lithology, micromorphology, pollen, and macroremains from a transect running from the basin center to the margin. The results show that (1) find levels were exposed to overland flow‐induced winnowing, which vertically concentrated finds but did not cause significant transport, (2) find levels correspond to phases of increased water presence in the basin, and (3) lateral shifts in hominin activity areas may reflect adjustments in the water level. The research shows the importance of large‐scale archaeological excavations and a multidisciplinary sampling strategy that covers both the basin center and the margins, when studying postglacial basin localities like Neumark‐Nord 2.     

Early Paleozoic mantle diapirism in Galicia

Comparison of the geological outcrop and the Bouguer map of the Ordenes Complex in Galicia (NW Spain), gives substantial evidence for a subdivision of the peripheral belt into separate units. These units, high-grade metamorphic complexes, appear to have their origin in diapiric movements of upper-mantle material into a crystalline lower crust of continental type.     

Marine and coastal environmental awareness building within the context of UNESCO's activities in Asia and the Pacific

UNESCO is one of the specialized agencies under the United Nations charged with the advancement and improvement of education, social and natural sciences, culture and communication. This global mandate translates into programmes in the field tailored to the member states' specific requirements that build on the full breadth of expertise available in UNESCO. Environmental awareness building is an integral component of many of UNESCO's programmes. This paper describes how UNESCO addresses the need for awareness building in a variety of settings under different programmes and sectors. A first example is taken from the work of the education sector, which aims at introducing innovative learning methods and curricula that change or cultivate the perspective of people of all ages on sustainable development. The second example is taken from the Man and Biosphere Programme. The Biosphere Reserve concept has had a long history within UNESCO and is increasingly applied to protected areas in the coastal zone. Notable examples are Ranong Biosphere Reserve in Thailand, Can Gio Biosphere Reserve in Vietnam and the Island of Palawan in the Philippines. The concept is currently experiencing a revival as more and more countries realize the importance of striking a balance between human development and strict conservation. Many people know about UNESCO through the so-called World Heritage Sites. These are sites that are recognized by the world community as particular monuments, either natural or cultural, that warrant preservation for the whole of mankind. In the Asia-Pacific region, there are quite a number of coastal and marine sites that have been designated as natural world heritage sites, e.g. Halong Bay in Vietnam, the Komodo marine national park, Indonesia, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, East-Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands, and Tubbataha Reef in the Philippines. The need for a cross-sectoral approach is evident under the so-called Coastal Zone and Small Islands endeavour, which aims at assisting Member States towards environmentally sound, socially equitable and culturally appropriate development in coastal regions and in small islands. Four examples of current pilot projects (Surin Island, Thailand, Jakarta Bay, Indonesia, Upolo Island, Samoa and Ulugan Bay, the Philippines) are highlighted. Each setting and each audience requires a different strategy. UNESCO's strength is to learn from all these experiences and make such new insights universally available and to put novel concepts into practice.     

Late Archaean—early proterozoic source ages of zircons in rocks from the Paleozoic orogen of western Galicia,NW Spain

U-Pb data are reported for nine suites of zircons and three monazites from the Paleozoic orogen in western Galicia (NW Spain): one paragneiss and six orthogneisses from the early Paleozoic basement, and two Carboniferous (ca. 310 Ma old) intrusions of two-mica granite. New whole-rock Rb-Sr analyses, along with earlier data, indicate an age of ca. 470-440 Ma (Ordovician) for the emplacement of the granitic precursors of the orthogneisses. Monazite from the paragneiss also yields an U-Pb age of ca. 470 Ma. For all nine investigated suites of zircons the U-Pb systematics signal the presence of a minor proportion of Precambrian zircon. The zircon data from two orthogneisses and the paragneiss display roughly linear arrays with upper intercepts between about 3.0 Ga and 2.0 Ga, and lower intercepts between ca. 480 and 460 Ma; the former are interpreted as approaching the age of the old zircon component, and the latter as reflecting either the time of crystallization of new zircons from the magma (orthogneisses), or the time of radiogenic lead loss from the old zircons (paragneiss). The suites of zircons from all other investigated orthogneisses suffered isotopic disturbance posterior to the granite emplacement 470-440 Ma ago, in most cases leading to ‘false’ discordias without geochronological significance. Similarly, the zircons of the two investigated two-mica granites do not produce meaningful discordias because of post-Paleozoic disturbance. The monazite U-Pb systems of the latter granites indicate (sub)recent lead loss.From the high initial ${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ ratios an involvement of Precambrian continental crust material is evident in the generation of the early Paleozoic suite of granites, while the zircon U-Pb data give evidence of the presence of about 3.0-2.0 Ga old (late Archaean—early Proterozoic) components in the source material. Zircons from the oldest sedimentary rocks in the area, now present as catazonal paragneisses and a likely source for the granites, likewise reveal a provenance age of 3.0-2.0 Ga. The late Archaean—early Proterozoic source rocks in western Galicia probably formed part of an Archaean continental crust underlying much of western Europe, but mostly modified beyond recognition by younger events.     

TOPEX/Poseidon orbit error assessment

This paper discusses the accuracy of TOPEX/Poseidon orbits computed at Delft University, Section Space Research & Technology (DUT/SSR&T), from several types of tracking data,i.e. SLR, DORIS, and GPS. To quantify the orbit error, three schemes are presented. The first scheme relies on the direct altimeter observations and the covariance of the JGM-2 gravity field. The second scheme is based on crossover difference residuals while the third scheme uses the differences of dynamic orbit solutions with the GPS reduced-dynamic orbit. All three schemes give comparable results and indicate that the radial orbit error of TOPEX/Poseidon is 3–4 cm. From the orbit comparisons with GPS reduced dynamic, both the along-track and cross-track errors of the dynamic orbit solutions were found to be within 10–15 cm.     

The Hesperian Massif: From Iapetus aulacogen to ensialic orogen a model for its development

The mantle plume/rift system model developed by three of the present authors (v. C., d. T., K.) for the northern Hesperian Massif is expanded to that of an aulacogen/ensialic orogen for the entire massif. The first author (v. d. M. M.) contributes a review of the supracrustal history of the massif and its predrift adjacent areas, summarized in a time-stratigraphic table of the Cambro-Ordovician and a palinspastic-palaeogeographic sketch map of the general region in Middle Cambrian times. The infrastructural history is also reviewed, and it is concluded that the early Palaeozoic features of the Massif are consistent with those of an aulacogen oriented at a high angle to the Iapetus ocean. In the Late Palaeozoic its features changed into those of an ensialic orogen without appreciable loss of continuity as shown by the facies- and age record of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic events.

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Zusammenfassung Das Graben-Mantelkissen-Modell, welches für das nördliche Hesperische Massiv von drei der Autoren (v. C., d. T., K.) entwickelt wurde, wird zu dem eines aulacogenen ensialischen Orogens für das ganze Massiv weiterentwickelt. Der erste Autor (v. d. M. M.) liefert eine Übersicht der suprakrustalen Entwicklungsgeschichte des Massivs und seiner Umrandung vor der Driftung, zusammengefaßt in einer stratigraphischen Tabelle des Kambro-Ordoviziums und in einer palinspastisch-paleogeographischen Skizze der Region während des Mittelkambriums.Die infrastrukturale Entwicklungsgeschichte wird ebenfalls beleuchtet, und es wird daraus geschlossen, daß die frühpaläozoischen Konfigurationen des Massivs mit denen eines Aulacogens übereinstimmen, unter Einschluß eines großen Winkels mit dem Iapetus Ozean. Im Jungpaläozoikum veränderten sich die Charakteristika zu denen eines ensialischen Orogens, ohne daß, im weiteren Verlauf der Erdgeschichte, dieser Prozeß unterbrochen wurde, wie sedimentäre Fazies, Altersdatierungen und kristalline und metamorphe Entwicklung dokumentieren.

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Résumé Le modèle d'un panache mantélique avec son système de rift, développé par les trois derniers auteurs pour le Massif Hespérique septentrional, est étendu à un modèle d'aulacogène/orogène ensialique pour le massif entier. Le premier auteur y contribue par un aperçu de l'histoire supracrustale du massif et de ses régions limitrophes avant l'ouverture du présent Océan Atlantique. Cette histoire est résumée dans un tableau chronostratigraphique et exprimée dans un croquis palinspastique/paléogéographique de la région circum-Hespérique à l'époque du Cambrien Moyen. L'histoire infracrustale est passée également en revue. On en conclut que les traits caractéristiques du massif pendant le Paléozoique inférieur correspondent avec ceux d'un aulacogène orienté quasi-perpendiculairement à l'Océan proto-Atlantique, dit Iapetus. Au Paléozoique supérieur ces traits se sont transformés de façon à ressembler à ceux d'un orogène ensialique sans perdre sa continuité, ce que montre l'étalement ininterrompu, dans le temps comme dans l'espace, des événements sédimentaires, ignés et métamorphiques.

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Analytical and numerical analysis of tides and salinities in estuaries; part II: salinity distributions in prismatic and convergent tidal channels

Estuaries, commonly, are densely populated areas serving the needs of the inhabitants in multiple ways. Often the interests are conflicting and decisions need to be made by the local managers. Intake of fresh water for consumption, agricultural purposes or use by industries may take place within a region not far landward of the limit of salt intrusion. Human interventions (e.g. deepening of the navigation channels) or climate changes (sea level rise, reduction of the river discharge) can bring these intake locations within the reach of saline or brackish water and consequently endanger their function. To support policy and managerial decisions, a profound knowledge of processes associated with the salinity structure in estuaries is required. Although nowadays advanced numerical three-dimensional models are available that are able to cope with the complexity of the physics there is still a need for relatively simple tools for quick-scan actions in a pre-phase of a project or for instructive purposes. The analytical model described in this paper may serve these needs. It computes the maximum salinity distribution using the dispersion coefficient in the mouth as the only model parameter. The model has been calibrated using observational data in a large number of estuaries and experimental data in a tidal flume. The dispersion coefficient was successfully related to geometric and hydrodynamic parameters resulting in an expression that can be used for convergent estuaries as well as prismatic channels, see Eqs. 25a and 25b. Application of the model in a predictive mode showed its promising capabilities. Comparison with three-dimensional numerical models indicates that the channel geometry in the estuary mouth largely influences dispersive processes. The analytical model for salt intrusion may be used in combination with the analytical model for tidal propagation in convergent estuaries and tidal channels by Van Rijn (part I). In this way, input is obtained on the tidal velocity amplitude and the Chézy roughness following calibration of this model on tidal amplitudes along the estuary.     

Groundwater impact on environmental flow needs of streams in sandy catchments in the Netherlands

Abstract

During recent years, water managers and water users in the Netherlands experienced water shortages in numerous streams. Besides low rainfall amounts and high temperatures, anthropogenic alterations to the groundwater system are also responsible for the reduced baseflow in streams. These alterations may reduce resilience and increase a risk to streams as more droughts are expected in the Netherlands due to climate change. We propose a methodology to assess the impact of groundwater-related alterations and climate change on baseflow and environmental flow needs (EFN). Application of this methodology for two sandy catchments showed that, under average meteorological conditions, baseflow in the main streams still meets the EFN requirements. During dry years, baseflow is probably insufficient in the upper parts of the catchments. Anthropogenic alterations show a significant impact: drainage caused 25–40% baseflow reduction, groundwater abstractions caused 5–28% and climate change will potentially cause an additional reduction of 33–70% by 2050.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Guest editor M. Acreman