Depositional and post‐depositional history of warm stage deposits at Knocknacran,Co. Monaghan,Ireland: implications for preservation of Irish last interglacial deposits

Organic‐rich deposits, uncovered during overburden removal from mantled gypsum karst at Knocknacran opencast gypsum mine, Co. Monaghan, are the best candidate to date for a last interglacial record in Ireland. The two till and organic‐rich deposits (preserved at different quarry elevations) were emplaced on to a Tertiary dolerite surface during high‐energy flood events and subsequently folded and faulted by movement towards sinkholes in underlying gypsum. Uranium–thorium disequilibrium dating suggests that the organic‐rich deposits in the upper section were hydrologically isolated at ca. 41 ka and those in the lower section at ca. 86 ka. Interpretation of the pollen content, although tentative because of the depositional and post‐depositional history of the material, suggests that the organic material originated in a warm stage possibly warmer than the post‐Eemian interstadials. The unusual setting of preservation may indicate that in situ, last interglacial deposits have generally been removed by erosion in Ireland. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial Variation in the Structure of Kelp Forest Communities Along a Wave Exposure Gradient

Abstract. Four sites were sampled in kelp (Macrocysiis pyrifera) forests occupying rocky bottom habitats along a wave exposure gradient in central California. Consistent betwecn-site differences were found in the three major structural elements - the surface canopy, the undcrstory assemblage, and the ground cover/turf assemblage - of kelp forest communities. Macrocysiis pyrifera was found at all four sites. Nereucyslis tuelkeana only at the most exposed site. The understory kelps Laminaria setchellii and Pterygopltora californica were also characteristic of exposed sites. Articulated coralline algae were more abundant at exposed sites than protected, while fleshy red algae showed the opposite pattern. All four study sites were located along 8.5 km of coastline, and thus were assumed to have available to them the same species pool for colonization. The substrate composition was the same and the amount of unconsolidated substrate was similar at all four sites. We suggest that exposure to wave-generated water motion, through its influence on the surface canopy and therefore on the amount of light reaching the bottom, is responsible for these between-site differences.     

The effect of acid deposition on base cation cycling in a karstic-forested catchment： Evidence from strontium isotopes

Bedrock weathering and atmospheric deposition are the two primary sources of base cations （K^＋, Na^＋, Ca^2＋ and Mg^2＋） to forest ecosystems. Therefore, the key problem is to understand the relative inputs from these two sources and the cycling in the ecosystem. This study focuses on the effects of acid deposition on cation cycling in a small-forested karstic catchment in Guizhou Province. Sr isotope ratios were used as a tracer for understanding the transport process between the different cation pools： rock, soil, surface water, atmospheric deposition and plant. The samples of wet deposition, total deposition, throughfall, surface and ground waters, vegetation, and soil were monthly collected. The exchangeable Sr^2＋ and Ca^2＋ in soil samples were extracted by using 1 M ammonium acetate. The leaf-tissue samples were ashed at 550℃, and the residue was digested in ultrapure HClO4 and HNO3. All water samples were filtrated through 0.45 μm aperture filter paper. Base cation concentrations and Sr isotopic composition were analyzed for all the samples. The results show that acid deposition （average pH 4.9） frequently occurred in the studied region. Cation abundance follows an increasing manner from rainwater, throughfall, to surface water or ground water samples, suggesting that acid deposition at first eiuviates Ca^2＋ , Mg^2＋ and Sr^2＋ from leaf, then the exchangeable cations from soil, and at last cations accumulate in surface water or ground water.     

To afforest the desert with the technology of peat composed of rotten mosses and the sustainable development of the oases

Only by providing the good conditions for the growth of plants can a favorable ecologicalenvironment on which human beings rely for existence be created. The upside-down-T dou-ble-layer water-conserving afforestation way is developed according to the situation of the short-age of water resources, low soil fertility and vast land in the arid areas. The characteristics of theafforestation way are to change the microenvironment in the root area of the plants, provide thefavorable conditions for the growth of plants, and reduce the necessary conditions for the growth ofplants in large areas in the arid regions. Meanwhile, the size of its water-conserving layer can bechanged according to the size of the planted trees. The different ways of the bottom wa-ter-conserving layer can be used according to the requirements. The afforestation way is suitablefor planting trees on a small scale and also for afforesting on a large scale under the adverse cir-cumstances in the arid areas, and has been effectively used in the afforestation in the hinterland ofTaklamakan Desert and the southern marginal zone of Gurbantonggut Desert. The prospects ofthe afforestation way are broad in afforestation and desertification control in the desert regions.     

Phénomènes karstiques fossiles et actuels au sein des formations métamorphiques silico-alumineuses de la nappe pan-africaine de Yaoundé (Sud-Cameroun)Fossil and present-time karstic phenomena in silico-aluminous metamorphic formations of the Pan-African nappe of Yaoundé (South-Cameroon)

Numerous karstic features have been recognised in the non-carbonaceous micaschists and gneisses of the Yaoundé Pan-African nappe, south of Cameroon. It is shown that their formation was controlled by the structural features of the rocks. The wells and the pipes in the bedrock outcrops point out a current karstification process, resulting from the plagioclase dissolution by the acid rain waters. Hill wall alveoli and caves, of pre-Miocene age, are exhumed features that were done by dissolution in the aquiferous underground. To cite this article: J.-P. Vicat et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 545–550.     

西藏自治区土壤侵蚀特点及现状

西藏自治区地域辽阔,土壤侵蚀复杂多样。本文在野外调查的基础上,对西藏自治区土壤侵蚀特点作了全面论述,并对西藏自治区不同类型土壤侵蚀区的土壤侵蚀现状做了较全面的分区评价。同时取雅江中游地区19个县作为典型区域,利用1999年1:20万TM遥感图像土壤侵蚀解译结果,对该典型区域的土壤侵蚀现状作了定量评价。最后根据评价结果,对西藏自治区土壤侵蚀的发展趋势做了预测。     

高密度电法勘探在岩溶查找中的应用

介绍了武汉市汤逊湖污水处理厂厂址的地质概况和地球物理特征，以及高密度电法勘探的施工方案，分析了视电阻率异常特征，并说明了其异常验证情况。高密度电法勘探结果表明该区存在溶洞，为施工提供了决策依据，建议在有溶洞的地段采取相应措施，以防止工程建设后发生地质灾害。     

科尔沁沙地巴克窑地区近150年的环境演变*

在沉积和花粉分析的基础上,对科尔沁沙地东南部巴克窑地区过去150年的植被和环境演变进行了重建。巴克窑等湖泡的诞生时间是在上个世纪前期,约1837年前后。这个时间也正是科尔沁沙地东南部地区首次大规模人口移入和垦荒年代。突然增加的人类活动导致了沙丘植被的迅速破坏,而植被减少和沙丘活化引起区域水文循环的重新调整,即原来通过植物蒸腾作用输出的水量明显减弱,致使地下潜水位上升,形成一系列湖泡。以后,沙地系统的演化主要是在人类活动、气候和系统内部反馈机制的共同作用下完成的。     

ON BIO-EFFECTS ON KARST LANDSCAPE IN JIUZHAIGOU CONSERVATION, SICHUAN PROVINCE, CHINA—WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO A MICROMORPHOLOFICAL APPROACH

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