Discrimination of sedimentary facies by association analysis

The ability of association analysis to discriminate sedimentary facies was tested on Purdy's modal analyses of modern sediments of the Great Bahama Bank. Purdy's data set has served in the past as a standard reference for evaluating various multivariate classification algorithms. In order to adapt Purdy's data to association analysis, the percent abundance of the 12 constituents was converted to binary form by dichotomizing each variable on its mean value. The results obtained by association analysis are virtually identical to those obtained by Purdy and other authors. The same four main sedimentary facies were discriminated; 86% of the samples were identically classified (97% when misclassified borderline cases are counted as matches); the total partition variance of the classification is only negligibly greater (4%); and the grouping of the variables yielded the same four groups. The rank order of the three division-attributes responsible for the sample classification is fines, oolites, and corals. Association analysis has been employed by other authors to differentiate meaningful facies groups in studies of ancient reef carbonates, modern reef sediments, and heavy minerals in stream sediments. In all these studies, the results were found to be compatible with those obtained by using the continuous quantitative measurements, indicating that qualitative binary data may often be sufficient for the purpose of facies discrimination in many branches of geology and that association analysis is an effective method for this purpose.     

Late Quaternary landscapes in Central Australia: sedimentary history and palaeoecology of Puritjarra rock shelter

Puritjarra rock shelter provides a long record of late Quaternary vegetation in the Australian arid zone. Analysis of the sedimentary history of this rock shelter is combined with reanalysis of charcoal and phytolith records to provide a first‐order picture of changing landscapes in western Central Australia. These show a landscape responding to increasing aridity from 45 ka with deflation of clay‐rich red palaeosols (<45 ka) and sharp declines in grassland and other vegetation at 40–36 ka, and at the beginning of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (24 ka). Vegetation in the catchment of the rock shelter recovered after 15 ka with expansion of both acacia woodland and spinifex grasslands, registering stronger summer rainfall in the interior of the continent. By 8.3 ka re‐vegetation of local palaeosols and dunes had choked off sediment supply to the rock shelter and the character of the sediments changed abruptly. Poaceae values peaked at 5.8 ka, suggesting the early–mid Holocene climatic optimum in Central Australia is bracketed between 8.3 and 5.8 ka. Local vegetation was disrupted in the late Holocene with a sharp decline in Poaceae at 3.8 ka, coinciding with an abrupt intensification of ENSO. Local grasslands recovered over the next two millennia and by 1.5 ka the modern vegetation appears to have become established. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南极乔治王岛长城湾沿岸固定冰中有色层生态观察

自1988年11月至1989年3月,对南极乔治王岛的长城湾沿岸水域中的海洋生物和环境因子进行了调查,1988年11月20日在2号站采得的冰芯中部有一层约5cm的棕色层,而1988年11月17日、20日和26日在5号站采得的冰芯样中有二层棕色层。固定冰中叶绿素a浓度范围在2.55～56.8mg/m~3之间,而且大部分含量集中在海冰的中间层中,而不象其它海区如昭和、戴维斯、凯西和麦克默多等站,大部分叶绿素a集中在海冰的底部,造成这种差别的原因、可能是由于海冰的结构和形成过程不同所致。     

Peace Parks and jaguar trails: transboundary conservation in a globalizing world

An increasingly utilized strategy for expanding conservation in the developing world has been the promotion of protected areas that supersede national borders. Alternatively known as transfrontier biosphere reserves, transfrontier or transboundary conservation areas, or Peace Parks, these protected areas are aggressively advanced by conservation agencies for their purported ecological and economic benefits. This article provides a comparative assessment of two case studies to understand the various impacts of transboundary conservation. The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which unites protected areas in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, is contrasted with efforts to protect jaguars along the United States–Mexico border. We argue that while these cases are promising for the purposes of biodiversity protection, they demonstrate that transboundary conservation can minimize political context, contributes to the hegemony of international conservation agendas, and remains closely linked to economic neoliberalism and decentralization in the developing world.

Calibration of JASON-1 Altimeter over Lake Erie

This article describes absolute calibration results for both JASON-1 and TOPEX Side B (TSB) altimeters obtained at the Lake Erie calibration site, Marblehead, Ohio, USA. Using 15 overflights, the estimated JASON altimeter bias at Marblehead is 58 ± 38 mm, with an uncertainty of 19 mm based on detailed error analysis. Assuming that the TSB bias is negligible, relative bias estimates using both data from the TSB-JASON formation flight period and data from 48 water level gauges around the entire Great Lakes confirmed the Marblehead results. Global analyses using both the formation flight data and dual-satellite (TSB and JASON) crossovers yield a similar relative bias estimate of 146 ± 59 mm, which agrees well with open ocean absolute calibration results obtained at Harvest, Corsica, and Bass Strait (e.g., Watson et al. 2003). We find that there is a strong dependence of bias estimates on the choice of sea state bias (SSB) models. Results indicate that the invariant JASON instrument bias estimated oceanwide is 71 mm, with additional biases of 76 mm or 28 mm contributed by the choice of Collecte Localisation Satellites (CLS) SSB or Center for Space Research (CSR) SSB model, respectively. Similar analysis in the Great Lakes yields the invariant JASON instrument bias at 19 mm, with the SSB contributed biases at 58 mm or 13 mm, respectively. The reason for the discrepancy is currently unknown and warrants further investigation. Finally, comparison of the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission (1992-2002) data with the Great Lakes water level gauge measurements yields a negligible TOPEX altimeter drift of 0.1 mm/yr.     

Cyclone and bioturbation effects on sediments from coral reef lagoons

Despite the severity of tropical cyclone ‘Winifred’, which crossed the Great Barrier Reef on 1 February 1986, there were little long-term effects on lagoon surface sediments from reefs in its path. Short-term effects were apparent only at one particularly exposed area. These were: an increase in proportion of the coarse fraction, the establishment of sand ripples, and the destruction of the mounds produced by callianassid shrimps (normally the dominant topographic feature). Within six weeks this area was indistinguishable from a typical reef lagoon. This is probably the result of sediment reworking by callianassid shrimp, involving selective burial of the coarse fragments and transport to the surface of finer particles. Sediment turnover rates by callianassids are commensurate with change to the sediment within the relatively short period observed. The sediment fauna responded quickly to the changes in sediment type. Immediately after the cyclone the disturbed area supported a fauna typical of the coarse sediments on the shallow reef flat, as the sediment reverted to a more normal type so the fauna changed back to that typical of a reef lagoon.     

太平洋凸缘微玻璃陨石的研究

于1985年,一颗独特的凸缘微玻璃陨石被发现于采自北太平洋(9°33′N,167°00′W;水深4928m)深海沉积物中。使用各种分析方法对它的显微特征、微结构和化学成分进行了研究。结果表明,太平洋凸缘微玻璃陨石的形态和结构与达尔文的凸缘澳大利亚石(或玻璃陨石)和查普曼的人造凸缘玻璃陨石相似,从而揭示了玻璃陨石和微玻璃陨石的凸缘结构是由空气动力消融作用的产物。这一研究具有重要的理论和实际意义。     

薛家岛湾沉积动力学特征及海港开发研究

于１９９０年秋对胶州湾内的薛家岛湾进行海洋水动力条件及积动力学特征,泥沙运动规律研究,为开发建设港口提供科学依据。结果表明,湾内深大于１ｍ的海底泥沙发生“全面移动”的时间,一年内仅有１－２ｄ,其余处于稳定状态或“表面移动”状态。湾内泥沙来源很少,预计建港后,港池和航道年平均回淤量分别小于１６ｃｍ,１０ｃｍ对于开发中小型港口十分有利。     

大鹏澳海域水体磷的形态及其分布特征

根据１９９２年１２月（冬季）和１９９３年７月（夏季）对大鹏澳海域２４ｈ定点连续观测和夏季大面调查，统计了该海域各种形态磷的变化范围和平均含量；计算了各种形态磷分别占总磷（ＴＰ）和总溶解磷（ＴＤＰ）的百分比；讨论了各种形态磷之间的相互关系；分析了影响ＴＰ和ＴＤＰ分布的环境因素。     

第四次南极考察长城站越冬队极地海洋气象考察报告

本文介绍了中国第四次南极考察队,在长城站进行气象考察期间,从获得的每日四次现场气象观测资料经统计分析,得出了1988年长城站地区气象要素分布特点。 利用长城站现场气象观测资料及接收到的地面天气图和卫星云图,开展了对长城站地区天气预报工作。并总结了影响长城站地区天气系统和出现的天气及影响长城站地区的气旋路径。对今后有关人员作好站区天气预报和科学考察工作顺利进行十分重要。