Growth,dynamics and deglaciation of the last British–Irish ice sheet: the deep-sea ice-rafted detritus record     

James D. Scourse  Anna I. Haapaniemi  Elena Colmenero-Hidalgo  Victoria L. Peck  Ian R. Hall  William E.N. Austin  Paul C. Knutz  Rainer Zahn 《Quaternary Science Reviews》2009,28(27-28):3066-3084

The evolution and dynamics of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) have hitherto largely been reconstructed from onshore and shallow marine glacial geological and geomorphological data. This reconstruction has been problematic because these sequences and data are spatially and temporally incomplete and fragmentary. In order to enhance BIIS reconstruction, we present a compilation of new and previously published ice-rafted detritus (IRD) flux and concentration data from high-resolution sediment cores recovered from the NE Atlantic deep-sea continental slope adjacent to the last BIIS. These cores are situated adjacent to the full latitudinal extent of the last BIIS and cover Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 2 and 3. Age models are based on radiocarbon dating and graphical tuning of abundances of the polar planktonic foraminifera Neogloboquadrina pachyderma sinistral (% Nps) to the Greenland GISP2 ice core record. Multiple IRD fingerprinting techniques indicate that, at the selected locations, most IRD are sourced from adjacent BIIS ice streams except in the centre of Heinrich (H) layers in which IRD shows a prominent Laurentide Ice Sheet provenance. IRD flux data are interpreted with reference to a conceptual model explaining the relations between flux, North Atlantic hydrography and ice dynamics. Both positive and rapid negative mass balance can cause increases, and prominent peaks, in IRD flux. First-order interpretation of the IRD record indicates the timing of the presence of the BIIS with an actively calving marine margin. The records show a coherent latitudinal, but partly phased, signal during MIS 3 and 2. Published data indicate that the last BIIS initiated during the MIS 5/4 cooling transition; renewed growth just before H5 (46 ka) was succeeded by very strong millennial-scale variability apparently corresponding with Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) cycles closely coupled to millennial-scale climate variability in the North Atlantic region involving latitudinal migration of the North Atlantic Polar Front. This indicates that the previously defined “precursor events” are not uniquely associated with H events but are part of the millennial-scale variability. Major growth of the ice sheet occurred after 29 ka with the Barra Ice Stream attaining a shelf-edge position and generating turbiditic flows on the Barra–Donegal Fan at ～27 ka. The ice sheet reached its maximum extent at H2 (24 ka), earlier than interpreted in previous studies. Rapid retreat, initially characterised by peak IRD flux, during Greenland Interstadial 2 (23 ka) was followed by readvance between 22 and 16 ka. Readvance during H1 was only characterised by BIIS ice streams draining central dome(s) of the ice sheet, and was followed by rapid deglaciation and ice exhaustion. The evidence for a calving margin and IRD supply from the BIIS during Greenland Stadial 1 (Younger Dryas event) is equivocal. The timing of the initiation, maximum extent, deglacial and readvance phases of the BIIS interpreted from the IRD flux record is strongly supported by recent independent data from both the Irish Sea and North Sea sectors of the ice sheet.  相似文献   

Acoustic seabed segmentation for echosounders through direct statistical clustering of seabed echoes     

L.J. Hamilton 《Continental Shelf Research》2011,31(19-20):2000-2011

A new method is presented for inferring seabed type from the properties of seabed echoes stimulated by echosounders. The methodology currently used classifies echoes indirectly through feature extraction, usually in conjunction with dimensional reduction techniques such as Principal Components Analysis. The features or principal components derived from them are classified by statistical clustering or other means into groups with similar sets of mathematical properties. However, a simpler technique is to directly cluster the echoes themselves. A priori modelling or curve fitting, feature extraction, and dimensional reduction are not required, simplifying the processing and analysis chain, and eliminating data distortions. In effect the echoes are treated as geometrical entities, which are classified by their shapes and positions. Direct clustering places the analysis focus on the actual echoes, not on proxy parameters or mathematical techniques. This allows simple and direct evaluations of results, without the need to work in abstract mathematical spaces of unknown relation to echo properties. The direct clustering method for seabed echoes is demonstrated with echosounder data obtained in Balls Head Bay, Sydney Harbour, Australia, an area with mud, sand, and shell beds.  相似文献   

Benchmarking sustainability in cities: The role of indicators and future scenarios     

Christopher T. Boyko  Mark R. Gaterell  Austin R.G. Barber  Julie Brown  John R. Bryson  David Butler  Silvio Caputo  Maria Caserio  Richard Coles  Rachel Cooper  Gemma Davies  Raziyeh Farmani  James Hale  A. Chantal Hales  C. Nicholas Hewitt  Dexter V.L. Hunt  Lubo Jankovic  Ian Jefferson  Joanne M. Leach  D. Rachel Lombardi  Christopher D.F. Rogers 《Global Environmental Change》2012,22(1):245-254

Scenarios are a useful tool to help think about and visualise the future and, as such, are utilised by many policymakers and practitioners. Future scenarios have not been used to explore the urban context in much depth, yet have the potential to provide valuable insights into the robustness of decisions being made today in the name of sustainability. As part of a major research project entitled Urban Futures, a toolkit has been developed in the UK to facilitate the use of scenarios in any urban context and at any scale relevant to that context. The toolkit comprises two key components, namely, (i) a series of indicators comprising both generic and topic area-specific indicators (e.g., air quality, biodiversity, density, water) that measure sustainability performance and (ii) a list of characteristics (i.e., 1–2-sentence statements about a feature, issue or small set of issues) that describe four future scenarios. In combination, these two components enable us to measure the performance of any given sustainability indicator, and establish the relative sensitivity or vulnerability of that indicator to the different future scenarios. An important aspect of the methodology underpinning the toolkit is that it is flexible enough to incorporate new scenarios, characteristics and indicators, thereby allowing the long-term performance of our urban environments to be considered in the broadest possible sense.  相似文献   

Laboratory Tests on Thin Spray-On Liner Penetrated Rock Joints in Direct Shear     

Qiuqiu Qiao  Jan Nemcik  Ian Porter  Ernest Baafi 《Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering》2015,48(5):2173-2177

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Unintended consequences: The spillover effects of common property regulations     

Gordon Rausser  Stephen Hamilton  Marty Kovach  Ryan Stifter 《Marine Policy》2009

The closure of the Hawaiian longline swordfish fishery over the period 2001–2004, which was motivated by the protection of endangered sea turtles, created the elements of a natural experiment that allows identification of the market transfer of catch (and sea turtle bycatch) to other regions. This paper exploits the fact that the vessels in the Hawaiian longline fishery sell their catch in the US fresh swordfish market to analyze the pattern of changes in US fresh and frozen swordfish consumption both before and after the closure regulation was imposed. The mechanisms by which any unintended consequences on endangered sea turtles in other fishery locations in the world are shown to take place through the US swordfish market. At the estimated annual market transfer, a bootstrap analysis of the probability distribution of bycatch rates indicates that the regulation led to an additional 2882 sea turtle interactions at the sample means.  相似文献   

A process to design a network of marine no-take areas: Lessons from the Great Barrier Reef     

Leanne Fernandes  Jon Day  Brigid Kerrigan  Dan Breen  Glenn De'ath  Bruce Mapstone  Rob Coles  Terry Done  Helene Marsh  Ian Poiner  Trevor Ward  David Williams  Richard Kenchington 《Ocean & Coastal Management》2009,52(8):439-447

In the absence of consensus on the quantity and level of zoning protection required for coral reef and lagoon ecosystems, which process can guide decision makers? The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) worked with experts in a collaborative process to develop a set of Biophysical Operational Principles to guide the design of a network of no-take areas. First, 82 expert scientists were asked to provide data and advice on the physical, biological and ecological dimensions of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. They recommended that an independent Scientific Steering Committee (the Committee) was set up. How this Committee worked successfully with the GBRMPA staff is detailed here in a manner to enable other resource managers to adopt the process if they are working in data-limited marine environments.  相似文献   

An improved glacial isostatic adjustment model for the British Isles     

Sarah L. Bradley  Glenn A. Milne  Ian Shennan  Robin Edwards 《第四纪科学杂志》2011,26(5):541-552

The glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) of the British Isles is of interest due to the constraints that can be provided on key model parameters such as the global meltwater signal, local ice sheet history and viscoelastic earth structure. A number of recent studies have modelled relative sea‐level (RSL) data from this region to constrain model parameters. As indicated in these studies, the sensitivity of these data to both local and global parameters results in a highly non‐unique problem. This study aims to address this inherent non‐uniqueness by combining a previously published British–Irish ice model that is based on the most recent geomorphological data with a new global ice sheet model that provides an accurate prediction of eustatic sea‐level change. In addition, constraints from Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements of present‐day vertical land motion are considered alongside the entirety of RSL data from both Great Britain and Ireland. A model solution is found that provides a high‐quality fit to both the RSL data and the GPS data. Within the range of earth viscosity values considered, the optimal data model fits were achieved with a relatively thin lithosphere (71 km), upper mantle viscosities in the range 4–6 × 10²⁰ Pa s and lower mantle viscosities ≥ 3 × 10²² Pa s. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

A spatially resolved model of seasonal variations in phytoplankton and clam (Tapes philippinarum) biomass in Barbamarco Lagoon,Italy     

C.M. Spillman  D.P. Hamilton  M.R. Hipsey  J. Imberger 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2008

Barbamarco Lagoon (area = 7 km²) is in the Po River Delta, adjoining the Northern Adriatic Sea, and supports a commercially valuable clam (Tapes philippinarum) fishery. This study investigated interactions of the lagoon with adjacent coastal waters and inland riverine inputs by modelling both the lagoon and the Northern Adriatic Sea, using a coupled three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic-ecological model (ELCOM-CAEDYM) adapted to include the clam population. The clam model accounted for carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) biomass in the benthos through parameterisations for filtration, excretion, egestion, respiration, mortality, and harvesting. Multiple clam size classes were included in a new population dynamics sub-model. Output from the coupled model was validated against hydrodynamic and water quality data from intensive field sampling and routine monitoring. Time scales of tidal flushing, primary production and clam grazing were investigated with the model to demonstrate that food supply to clam populations is dominated by phytoplankton inputs from the Northern Adriatic Sea. Effects of clam cultivation on nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton biomass in Barbamarco Lagoon were primarily localised, with strong tidal flushing minimising impacts of clam filtration on lagoon-wide nutrient concentrations at current clam stocking levels. Clam populations were found to alter the cycling of nutrients in the system, causing the lagoon to become a net sink for particulate organic matter and to export dissolved organic matter to the adjacent sea via tidal flushing. Ecosystem health and sensitivity of nutrient cycles to clam cultivation are important considerations for the long term sustainable management and potential expansion of the fishery.  相似文献   

Integrated measurements of acoustical and optical thin layers I: Vertical scales of association     

Kelly J. Benoit-Bird  Mark A. Moline  Chad M. Waluk  Ian C. Robbins 《Continental Shelf Research》2010,30(1):17-28

This study combined measurements from multiple platforms with acoustic instruments on moorings and on a ship and optics on a profiler and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to examine the relationships between fluorescent, bioluminescent, and acoustically scattering layers in Monterey Bay during nighttime hours in July and August of 2006 and May of 2008. We identified thin bioluminescent layers that were strongly correlated with acoustic scattering at the same depth but were part of vertically broad acoustic features, suggesting layers of unique composition inside larger biomass features. These compositional thin layers nested inside larger biomass features may be a common ecosystem component and are likely to have significant ecological impacts but are extremely difficult to identify as most approaches capable of the vertical scales of measurement necessary for the identification of sub-meter scale patterns assess bulk properties rather than specific layer composition. Measurements of multiple types of thin layers showed that the depth offset between thin phytoplankton and zooplankton layers was highly variable with some layers found at the same depth but others found up to 16 m apart. The vertical offset between phytoplankton and zooplankton thin layers was strongly predicted by the fraction of the water column fluorescence contained within a thin phytoplankton layer. Thin zooplankton layers were only vertically associated with thin phytoplankton layers when the phytoplankton in a layer accounted for more than about 18–20% of the water column chlorophyll. Trophic interactions were likely occurring between phytoplankton and zooplankton thin layers but phytoplankton thin layers were exploited by zooplankton only when they represented a large fraction of the available phytoplankton, suggesting zooplankton have some knowledge of the available food over the entire water column. The horizontal extent of phytoplankton layers, discussed in the second paper in this series, is likely an important factor contributing to this selective exploitation by zooplankton. The pattern of vertical offset between phytoplankton and zooplankton layers was consistent between studies in different years and using different combinations of platforms, indicating the importance of the relationship between zooplankton layers and the fraction of phytoplankton within a layer at night within Monterey Bay. These results highlight the value of integrating measurements of various types of organisms to understand thin layers processes and the importance of assessing ecological interactions in plankton thin layers within the context of the properties of the entire water column, like the animals themselves do.  相似文献   

A simple data transformation technique for pre-processing survey data at embayed beaches     

Mitchell D. Harley  Ian L. Turner 《Coastal Engineering》2008

This note explains a technique used for pre-processing three-dimensional survey data obtained at embayed beaches that exhibit distinct alongshore curvature. Using a log-spiral function fitted to the beach planform, the data is transformed from Cartesian into an alternative alongshore–cross-shore coordinate system. When undergoing this transformation, the curvature in the survey data is effectively removed. This greatly simplifies the application of standard interpolation methods, and in this transformed coordinate system the alongshore and cross-shore directions are now explicitly defined. Using a property unique to the log-spiral, the interpolated data is readily transformed back into the original Cartesian coordinate system for further analyses and interpretation. The practical application and advantages of this technique are then demonstrated using survey data from two embayed beaches in south-eastern Australia.  相似文献