Mid-Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte on oceanic island Mauritius provides a window into the ecosystem of the dodo (Raphus cucullatus)     

Kenneth F. Rijsdijk  Julian P. Hume  Frans Bunnik  F.B. Vincent Florens  Claudia Baider  Beth Shapiro  Johannes van der Plicht  Anwar Janoo  Owen Griffiths  Lars W. van den Hoek Ostende  Holger Cremer  Tamara Vernimmen  Perry G.B. De Louw  Assenjee Bholah  Salem Saumtally  Nicolas Porch  James Haile  Mike Buckley  Matthew Collins  Edmund Gittenberger 《Quaternary Science Reviews》2009,28(1-2):14-24

Although the recent history of human colonisation and impact on Mauritius is well documented, virtually no records of the pre-human native ecosystem exist, making it difficult to assess the magnitude of the changes brought about by human settlement. Here, we describe a 4000-year-old fossil bed at Mare aux Songes (MAS) in south-eastern Mauritius that contains both macrofossils (vertebrate fauna, gastropods, insects and flora) and microfossils (diatoms, pollen, spores and phytoliths). With >250 bone fragments/m² and comprising 50% of all known extinct and extant vertebrate species (n_s = 44) of Mauritius, MAS may constitute the first Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte identified on an oceanic volcanic island. Fossil remains are dominated by extinct giant tortoises Cylindraspis spp. (63%), passerines (～10%), small bats (7.8%) and dodo Raphus cucullatus (7.1%). Twelve radiocarbon ages [four of them duplicates] from bones and other material suggest that accumulation of fossils took place within several centuries. An exceptional combination of abiotic conditions led to preservation of bones, bone collagen, plant tissue and microfossils. Although bone collagen is well preserved, DNA from dodo and other Mauritian vertebrates has proved difficult. Our analysis suggests that from ca 4000 years ago (4 ka), rising sea levels created a freshwater lake at MAS, generating an oasis in an otherwise dry environment which attracted a diverse vertebrate fauna. Subsequent aridification in the south-west Indian Ocean region may have increased carcass accumulation during droughts, contributing to the exceptionally high fossil concentration. The abundance of floral and faunal remains in this Lagerstätte offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct a pre-human ecosystem on an oceanic island, providing a key foundation for assessing the vulnerability of island ecosystems to human impact.  相似文献   

First indication of Storegga tsunami deposits from East Greenland     

Bernd Wagner  Ole Bennike  Martin Klug  Holger Cremer 《第四纪科学杂志》2007,22(4):321-325

A 2.73 m long sediment sequence from Loon Lake, located at 18 m a.s.l. on outer Geographical Society Ø, East Greenland, was investigated for its chronology and changes in physical and biogeochemical properties, macrofossils, and grain‐size distribution. The predominance of marine fossils throughout the sequence, dated by ¹⁴C AMS to between 8630 and 7535 cal. yr BP, shows that the Loon Lake at that time was a marine basin, which according to existing sea‐level curves was about 15–35 m deep. The sequence mainly consists of fine grained homogeneous sediments, which are interrupted by a 0.72 m thick sandy horizon with erosive basis and distinct fluctuations in the grain‐size distribution and in the physical and biogeochemical properties. According to the radiocarbon dates, this sandy horizon was deposited after 8500–8300 cal. yr BP and is interpreted as originating from the Storegga tsunami. The record from Loon Lake provides the first indication of Storegga tsunami deposits from East Greenland. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Atmospheric River Signatures in Radiosonde Profiles and Reanalyses at the Dronning Maud Land Coast,East Antarctica     

Irina V.GORODETSKAYA  Tiago SILVA  Holger SCHMITHUSEN  Naohiko HIRASAWA 《大气科学进展》2020,37(5):455-476

Atmospheric rivers(ARs)are an important component of the hydrological cycle linking moisture sources in lower latitudes to the Antarctic surface mass balance.We investigate AR signatures in the atmospheric vertical profiles at the Dronning Maud Land coast,East Antarctica,using regular and extra radiosonde measurements conducted during the Year of Polar Prediction Special Observing Period November 2018 to February 2019.Prominent AR events affecting the locations of Neumayer and Syowa cause a strong increase in specific humidity extending through the mid-troposphere and a strong low-level jet(LLJ).At Neumayer,the peak in the moisture inversion(up to 4 g kg^?1)is observed between 800 and 900 hPa,while the LLJ(up to 32 m s^?1)is concentrated below 900 hPa.At Syowa the increase in humidity is less pronounced and peaks near the surface,while there is a substantial increase in wind speed(up to 40 m s?1)between 825 and 925 hPa.Moisture transport(MT)within the vertical profile during the ARs attains a maximum of 100 g kg?1 m s?1 at both locations,and is captured by both ERA-Interim and ERA5 reanalysis data at Neumayer,but is strongly underestimated at Syowa.Composites of the enhanced MT events during 2009?19 show that these events represent an extreme state of the lower-tropospheric profile compared to its median values with respect to temperature,humidity,wind speed and,consequently,MT.High temporal-and vertical-resolution radiosonde observations are important for understanding the contribution of these rare events to the total MT towards Antarctica and improving their representation in models.  相似文献   

Groundwater flow model of the Pipiripau watershed, Federal District of Brazil   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0  

Tatiana Diniz Gonçalves  Thomas Fischer  Agnes Gräbe  Olaf Kolditz  Holger Weiss 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2013,69(2):617-631

In order to understand the groundwater dynamics and to improve the management of water resources in the Federal District of Brazil, this research proposes a 3D groundwater flow model to represent the groundwater level and flow system. The selected test site was the Pipiripau catchment. The development of the model was based on available geological, hydrogeological, geomorphological, climatological and pedological data. Geological and hydrogeological data were used to generate the 3D groundwater flow model. The 3D mesh elements of the domain were generated through the Groundwater Modeling System software, based on the logs of the well materials. The numerical simulation of the finite element method was implemented in the framework of the scientific software OpenGeoSys. With the 3D mesh-appropriated boundary conditions, annual average infiltration data and hydrogeological parameters were incorporated. Afterwards, the steady-state model was calibrated by the PEST software using available data of the water level from wells. The results showed the distribution of the steady-state hydraulic heads in the model domain, where the highest values occurred in the east and west recharge areas and the lowest values were found in the southwest of the basin. The results of this study can be a used as initial condition for the transient groundwater flow simulation and to provide a scientific basis for water resource management.  相似文献   

Delivery of dark material to Vesta via carbonaceous chondritic impacts     

Vishnu Reddy  Lucille Le Corre  David P. O’Brien  Andreas Nathues  Edward A. Cloutis  Daniel D. Durda  William F. Bottke  Megha U. Bhatt  David Nesvorny  Debra Buczkowski  Jennifer E.C. Scully  Elizabeth M. Palmer  Holger Sierks  Paul J. Mann  Kris J. Becker  Andrew W. Beck  David Mittlefehldt  Jian-Yang Li  David Blewett 《Icarus》2012,221(2):544-559

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft observations of Asteroid (4) Vesta reveal a surface with the highest albedo and color variation of any asteroid we have observed so far. Terrains rich in low albedo dark material (DM) have been identified using Dawn Framing Camera (FC) 0.75 μm filter images in several geologic settings: associated with impact craters (in the ejecta blanket material and/or on the crater walls and rims); as flow-like deposits or rays commonly associated with topographic highs; and as dark spots (likely secondary impacts) nearby impact craters. This DM could be a relic of ancient volcanic activity or exogenic in origin. We report that the majority of the spectra of DM are similar to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites mixed with materials indigenous to Vesta. Using high-resolution seven color images we compared DM color properties (albedo, band depth) with laboratory measurements of possible analog materials. Band depth and albedo of DM are identical to those of carbonaceous chondrite xenolith-rich howardite Mt. Pratt (PRA) 04401. Laboratory mixtures of Murchison CM2 carbonaceous chondrite and basaltic eucrite Millbillillie also show band depth and albedo affinity to DM. Modeling of carbonaceous chondrite abundance in DM (1–6 vol.%) is consistent with howardite meteorites. We find no evidence for large-scale volcanism (exposed dikes/pyroclastic falls) as the source of DM. Our modeling efforts using impact crater scaling laws and numerical models of ejecta reaccretion suggest the delivery and emplacement of this DM on Vesta during the formation of the ～400 km Veneneia basin by a low-velocity (<2 km/s) carbonaceous impactor. This discovery is important because it strengthens the long-held idea that primitive bodies are the source of carbon and probably volatiles in the early Solar System.  相似文献   

Olivine or impact melt: Nature of the “Orange” material on Vesta from Dawn     

Lucille Le Corre  Vishnu Reddy  Nico Schmedemann  Kris J. Becker  David P. O’Brien  Naoyuki Yamashita  Patrick N. Peplowski  Thomas H. Prettyman  Jian-Yang Li  Edward A. Cloutis  Brett W. Denevi  Thomas Kneissl  Eric Palmer  Robert W. Gaskell  Andreas Nathues  Michael J. Gaffey  David W. Mittlefehldt  William B. Garry  Holger Sierks  Christopher T. Russell  Carol A. Raymond  Maria C. De Sanctis  Eleonora Ammanito 《Icarus》2013

NASA’s Dawn mission observed a great variety of colored terrains on asteroid (4) Vesta during its survey with the Framing Camera (FC). Here we present a detailed study of the orange material on Vesta, which was first observed in color ratio images obtained by the FC and presents a red spectral slope. The orange material deposits can be classified into three types: (a) diffuse ejecta deposited by recent medium-size impact craters (such as Oppia), (b) lobate patches with well-defined edges (nicknamed “pumpkin patches”), and (c) ejecta rays from fresh-looking impact craters. The location of the orange diffuse ejecta from Oppia corresponds to the olivine spot nicknamed “Leslie feature” first identified by Gaffey (Gaffey, M.J. [1997]. Icarus 127, 130–157) from ground-based spectral observations. The distribution of the orange material in the FC mosaic is concentrated on the equatorial region and almost exclusively outside the Rheasilvia basin. Our in-depth analysis of the composition of this material uses complementary observations from FC, the visible and infrared spectrometer (VIR), and the Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND). Several possible options for the composition of the orange material are investigated including, cumulate eucrite layer exposed during impact, metal delivered by impactor, olivine–orthopyroxene mixture and impact melt. Based on our analysis, the orange material on Vesta is unlikely to be metal or olivine (originally proposed by Gaffey (Gaffey, M.J. [1997]. Icarus 127, 130–157)). Analysis of the elemental composition of Oppia ejecta blanket with GRaND suggests that its orange material has ∼25% cumulate eucrite component in a howarditic mixture, whereas two other craters with orange material in their ejecta, Octavia and Arruntia, show no sign of cumulate eucrites. Morphology and topography of the orange material in Oppia and Octavia ejecta and orange patches suggests an impact melt origin. A majority of the orange patches appear to be related to the formation of the Rheasilvia basin. Combining the interpretations from the topography, geomorphology, color and spectral parameters, and elemental abundances, the most probable analog for the orange material on Vesta is impact melt.  相似文献   

Carbon isotope effects associated with mixed-acid fermentation of saccharides by Clostridium papyrosolvens     

Holger Penning 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2006,70(9):2283-2297

In anoxic environments, microbial fermentation is the first metabolic process in the path of organic matter degradation. Since little is known about carbon isotope fractionation during microbial fermentation, we studied mixed-acid fermentation of different saccharides (glucose, cellobiose, and cellulose) in Clostridium papyrosolvens. The bacterium was grown anaerobically in batch under different growth conditions, both in pure culture and in co-culture with Methanobacterium bryantii utilizing H₂/CO₂ or Methanospirillum hungatei utilizing both H₂/CO₂ and formate. Fermentation products were acetate, lactate, ethanol, formate, H₂, and CO₂ (and CH₄ in methanogenic co-culture), with acetate becoming dominant at low H₂ partial pressures. After complete conversion of the saccharides, acetate was ¹³C-enriched (α_sacc/ac = 0.991-0.997), whereas lactate (α_sacc/lac = 1.001-1.006), ethanol (α_sacc/etoh = 1.007-1.013), and formate (α_sacc/form = 1.007-1.011) were ¹³C-depleted. The total inorganic carbon produced was only slightly enriched in ¹³C, but was more enriched, when formate was produced in large amounts, as ¹²CO₂ was preferentially converted with H₂ to formate. During biomass formation, ¹²C was slightly preferred (α_sacc/biom ≈ 1.002). The observations in batch culture were confirmed in glucose-limited chemostat culture at growth rates of 0.02-0.15 h⁻¹ at both low and high hydrogen partial pressures. Our experiments showed that the carbon flow at metabolic branch points in the fermentation path governed carbon isotope fractionation to the accumulated products. During production of pyruvate, C isotopes were not fractionated when using cellulose, but were fractionated to different extents depending on growth conditions when using cellobiose or glucose. At the first catabolic branch point (pyruvate), the produced lactate was depleted in ¹³C, whereas the alternative product acetyl-CoA was ¹³C enriched. At the second branch point (acetyl-CoA), the ethanol formed was 15.6-18.6‰ depleted in ¹³C compared to the alternative product acetate. At low hydrogen partial pressures, as normally observed under environmental conditions, fermentation of saccharides should mainly result in the production of acetate that is only slightly enriched in ¹³C (<3‰).  相似文献   

CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> leakage through an abandoned well: problem-oriented benchmarks     

Anozie Ebigbo  Holger Class  Rainer Helmig 《Computational Geosciences》2007,11(2):103-115

The efficiency and sustainability of carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage in deep geological formations crucially depends on the integrity of the overlying cap-rocks. Existing oil and gas wells, which penetrate the formations, are potential leakage pathways. This problem has been discussed in the literature, and a number of investigations using semi-analytical mathematical approaches have been carried out by other authors to quantify leakage rates. The semi-analytical results are based on a number of simplifying assumptions. Thus, it is of great interest to assess the influence of these assumptions. We use a numerical model to compare the results with those of the semi-analytical model. Then we ease the simplifying restrictions and include more complex thermodynamic processes including sub- and supercritical fluid properties of CO₂ and non-isothermal as well as compositional effects. The aim is to set up problem-oriented benchmark examples that allow a comparison of different modeling approaches to the problem of CO₂ leakage.  相似文献   

Greenschist facies regional and contact metamorphism of the Thalanga volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit (northern Queensland, Australia)     

Holger Paulick  Gerhard Franz 《Mineralium Deposita》2001,36(8):786-793

  相似文献   

Natural Cycles and Transfer of Mercury Through Pacific Coastal Marsh Vegetation Dominated by Spartina foliosa and Salicornia virginica   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Elly P. H. Best  Holger Hintelmann  Brian Dimock  Anthony J. Bednar 《Estuaries and Coasts》2008,31(6):1072-1088

The potential for marsh plants to be vectors in the transport of mercury species was studied in the natural, mature, tidal China Camp salt marsh on San Pablo Bay. The fluxes of organic matter, mercury (THg), and monomethylmercury (MeHg) were studied in natural stands of Spartina foliosa and Salicornia virginica. Seasonal fluxes from the sediment into aboveground biomass of live plants and subsequent transfer into the dead plant community by mortality were measured. Loss of THg and MeHg from the dead plant community through fragmentation, leaching, and excretion were calculated and were similar to net uptake. Seasonal data were added up to calculate annual mass balances. In S. foliosa, annual net production was 1,757 g DW m^?2, and the annual net uptakes in the aboveground biomass were 305 μg THg m^?2 and 5.720 μg MeHg m^?2. In S. virginica, annual net production was 2,117 g DW m^?2, and the annual net uptakes in aboveground biomass were 99.120 μg THg m^?2 and 1.990 μg MeHg m^?2. Of both plant species studied, S. foliosa had a slightly lower production rate but greater mercury species uptake and loss rates than S. virginica, and, consequently, it is to be expected that S. foliosa matter may affect the local and possibly the regional food web relatively more than S. virginica. However, the actual effects of the input of mercury-species-containing plant-derived particulate matter into the food webs would depend on trophic level, food preference, seasonal cycle of the consumer, total sediment surface area vegetated, location of the vegetation in the marsh landscape, and estuary bay landscape. Since the levels of mercury species in dead plant material greatly exceed those in live plant material (on a dry weight basis), detritivores would ingest greater mercury species concentrations than herbivores, and consumers of S. foliosa would ingest more than consumers of S. virginica. The greatest THg and MeHg losses of both plant species due to mortality and to fragmentation–leaching–excretion occurred in late spring and early autumn, which corresponds to peak MeHg levels observed in sediments of coastal systems of previous studies, suggesting enhanced THg–MeHg export from the marsh to the nearshore sediment.  相似文献