Linked turbidite–debrite resulting from recent Sahara Slide headwall reactivation     

Aggeliki Georgiopoulou  Russell B. Wynn  Douglas G. Masson  Michael Frenz 《Marine and Petroleum Geology》2009,26(10):2021-2031

The northwest African margin has been affected by numerous large-scale landslides during the late Quaternary. This study focuses on a recent collapse of the Sahara Slide headwall and characterises the resulting flow deposit. Core and seismic data from the base of the upper headwall reveal the presence of blocky slide debris, comprising heavily deformed hemipelagic slope sediments. The blocky slide debris spilled over a lower headwall 60 km downslope and formed a thick transparent debris flow unit. Cores recovered 200–250 km farther downslope contain a surficial turbidite that is interpreted to be linked to the headwall collapse event based on timing and composition. One core located approximately 200 km from the headwall scar (C13) contains debrite encased in turbidite. The debrite comprises sheared and contorted hemipelagic mudstone clasts similar as those seen in the vicinity of the Sahara Slide headwall, and lacks matrix. This debrite pinches out laterally within 25 km of C13, whereas the accompanying turbidite can be correlated across 700 km of the northwest African margin. The linked turbidite–debrite bed is interpreted to have formed through recent failure of the steep Sahara Slide headwall that either 1) generated both a debris flow and a turbidity current almost simultaneously, or 2) generated a debris flow which with entrainment of water and progressive dilution led to formation of an accompanying turbidity current.  相似文献   

Chlorophyll distribution in a temperate estuary: The Strait of Georgia and Juan de Fuca Strait     

Diane Masson  Angelica Peña 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2009

Data collected during 7 years of seasonal surveys are used to investigate the distribution of phytoplankton biomass within the estuarine waters of the Strait of Georgia and Juan de Fuca Strait. Variability of the chlorophyll distribution is examined in relation to the density stratification, light availability and nutrient concentration. In the Strait of Georgia, both the horizontal and vertical distribution of chlorophyll are found to be linked to the presence of a near-surface layer of increased density stratification. Despite important year-to-year variability, the seasonal cycle of chlorophyll in the Strait of Georgia is dominated every year by relatively large near-surface concentrations in the spring that are linked to the seasonal increase in solar radiation onto the stratified near-surface layer. In the vertical, a sub-surface peak is observed around 10 m depth, corresponding to the depth of maximum water column stability. Nutrients within the euphotic zone are in general abundant, with the exception of the Strait of Georgia in summer where phytoplankton growth is potentially limited by low nitrate concentration near the surface. The depth of the euphotic zone is estimated along the thalweg of the estuary from transmissometer profiles. It appears to vary relatively little within the estuary from a minimum of 20 m in spring, near the mouth of the Fraser River, to an autumnal maximum of about 30 m in the northern Strait of Georgia. Finally, the estimated self-shading contribution to light attenuation is shown to be generally significant (5–10%) in the surface waters of the Strait of Georgia, during spring and summer, reaching values as high as 35% during the spring bloom.  相似文献   

Divergence of turbulent fluxes in the surface layer: case of a coastal city     

G. Pigeon  A. Lemonsu  C. S. B. Grimmond  P. Durand  O. Thouron  V. Masson 《Boundary-Layer Meteorology》2007,124(2):269-290

This study quantifies the processes that take place in the layer between the mean building height and the measurement level of an energy balance micrometeorological tower located in the dense old core of a coastal European city. The contributions of storage, vertical advection, horizontal advection and radiative divergence for heat are evaluated with the available measurements and with a three-dimensional, high-resolution meteorological simulation that had been evaluated against observations. The study focused on a summer period characterized by sea-breeze flows that affect the city. In this specific configuration, it appears that the horizontal advection is the dominant term. During the afternoon when the sea breeze is well established, correction of the sensible heat flux with horizontal heat advection increases the measured sensible heat flux up to 100 W m⁻². For latent heat flux, the horizontal moisture advection converted to equivalent latent heat flux suggests a decrease of 50 W m⁻². The simulation reproduces well the temporal evolution and magnitude of these terms.  相似文献   

The role of the wind-transported dust in slope streaks activity: Evidence from the HRSC data     

D. Baratoux  N. Mangold  A. Cord  Y. Daydou  P. Masson  The HRSC CO-Investigator Team 《Icarus》2006,183(1):30-45

Slope streaks are gravity-driven albedo features observed on martian slopes since the Viking missions. The debated mechanism of formation could involve alternatively dry granular flow or wet mass wasting. A systematic mapping of slope streaks from the High Resolution Stereo Camera is presented in this paper. Two regions known for their slope streaks activity have been studied, the first one is located close to Cerberus lava flow, and the second one is inside the Olympus Mons Aureole. The statistics of slope streaks shapes measured from orthorectified images confirm previous results from Mars Orbiter Camera surveys. Preferential orientations of slope streaks are reported. Slope streaks occur preferentially on west facing slopes at latitudes lower than 30° N for Olympus and on south-west facing slopes for Cerberus. Wind directions derived from a General Circulation Model during the dusty season correlate with these orientations. Furthermore, west facing slopes at Olympus have a thicker dust cover. These observations indicate that slope streaks are dust avalanches controlled by the preferential accumulation of dust in the downstream side of the wind flow. The paucity of slope streaks at high latitudes and their preferential orientation on south-facing slopes have been presented as an evidence for a potential role of H₂O phase transition in triggering or flow. The potential role of H₂O cannot be ruled out from our observations but the dust avalanche model together with the atmospheric circulation could potentially explain all observations. The role of H₂O might be limited to a stabilizing effect of dust deposits on northward facing slopes at intermediate latitudes (30° N-33° N) and on all slopes further north.  相似文献   

Holocene Climate Variability in Antarctica Based on 11 Ice-Core Isotopic Records   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Valrie Masson  Franoise Vimeux  Jean Jouzel  Vin Morgan  Marc Delmotte  Philippe Ciais  Claus Hammer  Sigfus Johnsen  Vladimir Ya. Lipenkov  E. Mosley-Thompson  Jean-Robert Petit  Eric J. Steig  Michel Stievenard  Rein Vaikmae 《Quaternary Research》2000,54(3):348

A comparison is made of the Holocene records obtained from water isotope measurements along 11 ice cores from coastal and central sites in east Antarctica (Vostok, Dome B, Plateau Remote, Komsomolskaia, Dome C, Taylor Dome, Dominion Range, D47, KM105, and Law Dome) and west Antarctica (Byrd), with temporal resolution from 20 to 50 yr. The long-term trends possibly reflect local ice sheet elevation fluctuations superimposed on common climatic fluctuations. All the records confirm the widespread Antarctic early Holocene optimum between 11,500 and 9000 yr; in the Ross Sea sector, a secondary optimum is identified between 7000 and 5000 yr, whereas all eastern Antarctic sites show a late optimum between 6000 and 3000 yr. Superimposed on the long time trend, all the records exhibit 9 aperiodic millennial-scale oscillations. Climatic optima show a reduced pacing between warm events (typically 800 yr), whereas cooler periods are associated with less-frequent warm events (pacing >1200 yr).  相似文献   

A Model Simulation of Future Oceanic Conditions along the British Columbia Continental Shelf. Part II: Results and Analyses     

M.G.G. Foreman  W. Callendar  D. Masson  J. Morrison  I. Fine 《大气与海洋》2014,52(1):20-38

An ocean circulation model for the British Columbia continental shelf is run with future initial conditions and forcing fields downscaled from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program archive. Average seasonal sea surface temperatures for the period 2065 to 2078 are projected to increase by between 0.5° and 2.0°C with respect to analogous averages from 1995 to 2008. Seasonal sea surface salinities are projected to decrease by as much as 2.0 over the same period, though there are some regions where and periods when small increases are projected. Though stronger winter winds result in larger Haida Eddies, slightly stronger summer winds along the western Vancouver Island shelf do not result in appreciable changes to either the cross-shelf upwelling or to the magnitude of Juan de Fuca Eddies or the timing of their formation. However, increased flows are projected in some seasons for the Rose Spit, Middle Bank, and Goose Island Bank eddies. More precipitation over the watersheds emptying into coastal waters produces larger freshwater discharges and, in particular, a stronger estuarine flow in Juan de Fuca Strait and a stronger Vancouver Island Coastal Current. Generally increasing winds and decreasing density mean that the winter minus summer range of sea surface heights is projected to increase all along the coast.  相似文献   

Evaluation of the Diurnal Cycle in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Over Land as Represented by a Variety of Single-Column Models: The Second GABLS Experiment   总被引：3，自引：3，他引：0  

G. Svensson  A. A. M. Holtslag  V. Kumar  T. Mauritsen  G. J. Steeneveld  W. M. Angevine  E. Bazile  A. Beljaars  E. I. F. de Bruijn  A. Cheng  L. Conangla  J. Cuxart  M. Ek  M. J. Falk  F. Freedman  H. Kitagawa  V. E. Larson  A. Lock  J. Mailhot  V. Masson  S. Park  J. Pleim  S. S?derberg  W. Weng  M. Zampieri 《Boundary-Layer Meteorology》2011,140(2):177-206

We present the main results from the second model intercomparison within the GEWEX (Global Energy and Water cycle EXperiment) Atmospheric Boundary Layer Study (GABLS). The target is to examine the diurnal cycle over land in today??s numerical weather prediction and climate models for operational and research purposes. The set-up of the case is based on observations taken during the Cooperative Atmosphere-Surface Exchange Study-1999 (CASES-99), which was held in Kansas, USA in the early autumn with a strong diurnal cycle with no clouds present. The models are forced with a constant geostrophic wind, prescribed surface temperature and large-scale divergence. Results from 30 different model simulations and one large-eddy simulation (LES) are analyzed and compared with observations. Even though the surface temperature is prescribed, the models give variable near-surface air temperatures. This, in turn, gives rise to differences in low-level stability affecting the turbulence and the turbulent heat fluxes. The increase in modelled upward sensible heat flux during the morning transition is typically too weak and the growth of the convective boundary layer before noon is too slow. This is related to weak modelled near-surface winds during the morning hours. The agreement between the models, the LES and observations is the best during the late afternoon. From this intercomparison study, we find that modelling the diurnal cycle is still a big challenge. For the convective part of the diurnal cycle, some of the first-order schemes perform somewhat better while the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) schemes tend to be slightly better during nighttime conditions. Finer vertical resolution tends to improve results to some extent, but is certainly not the solution to all the deficiencies identified.  相似文献   

The Teggiolo zone: a key to the Helvetic–Penninic connection (stratigraphy and tectonics in the Val Bavona,Ticino, Central Alps)     

Battista Matasci  Jean-Luc Epard  Henri Masson 《Swiss Journal of Geoscience》2011,104(2):257-283

The Teggiolo zone is the sedimentary cover of the Antigorio nappe, one of the lowest tectonic units of the Penninic Central Alps. Detailed mapping, stratigraphic and structural analyses, and comparisons with less metamorphic series in several well-studied domains of the Alps, provide a new stratigraphic interpretation. The Teggiolo zone is comprised of several sedimentary cycles, separated by erosive surfaces and large stratigraphic gaps, which cover the time span from Triassic to Eocene. At Mid-Jurassic times it appears as an uplifted, partially emergent block, marking the southern limit of the main Helvetic basin (the Limiting South-Helvetic Rise LSHR). The main mass of the Teggiolo calcschists, whose base truncates the Triassic–Jurassic cycles and can erode the Antigorio basement, consists of fine-grained clastic sediments analogous to the deep-water flyschoid deposits of Late Cretaceous to Eocene age in the North-Penninic (or Valais s.l.) basins. Thus the Antigorio-Teggiolo domain occupies a crucial paleogeographic position, on the boundary between the Helvetic and Penninic realms: from Triassic to Early Cretaceous its affinity is with the Helvetic; at the end of Cretaceous it is incorporated into the North-Penninic basins. An unexpected result is the discovery of the important role played by complex formations of wildflysch type at the top of the Teggiolo zone. They contain blocks of various sizes. According to their nature, three different associations are distinguished that have specific vertical and lateral distributions. These blocks give clues to the existence of territories that have disappeared from the present-day level of observation and impose constraints on the kinematics of early folding and embryonic nappe emplacement. Tectonics produced several phases of superimposed folds and schistosities, more in the metasediments than in the gneissic basement. Older deformations that predate the amplification of the frontal hinge of the nappe generated the dominant schistosity and the km-wide Vanzèla isoclinal fold.  相似文献   

Including the Drag Effects of Canopies: Real Case Large-Eddy Simulation Studies     

Pierre Aumond  Valery Masson  Christine Lac  Benoit Gauvreau  Sylvain Dupont  Michel Berengier 《Boundary-Layer Meteorology》2013,146(1):65-80

We use the mesoscale meteorological model Meso-NH, taking the drag force of trees into account under stable, unstable and neutral conditions in a real case study. Large-eddy simulations (LES) are carried out for real orography, using a regional forcing model and including the energy and water fluxes between the surface (mostly grass with some hedges of trees) and the atmosphere calculated using a state-of-the-art soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transfer model. The formulation of the drag approach consists of adding drag terms to the momentum equation and subgrid turbulent kinetic energy dissipation, as a function of the foliage density. Its implementation in Meso-NH is validated using Advanced Regional Prediction System simulation results and measurements from Shaw and Schumann (Boundary-Layer Meteorol, 61(1):47?C64, 1992). The simulation shows that the Meso-NH model successfully reproduces the flow within and above homogeneous covers. Then, real case studies are used in order to investigate the three different boundary layers in a LES configuration (resolution down to 2 m) over the ??Lannemezan 2005?? experimental campaign. Thus, we show that the model is able to reproduce realistic flows in these particular cases and confirm that the drag force approach is more efficient than the classical roughness approach in describing the flow in the presence of vegetation at these resolutions.  相似文献   

Stress models for Tharsis formation, Mars   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Daniel Mège  Philippe Masson 《Planetary and Space Science》1996,44(12):1471-1497

A critical survey is presented of most stress models proposed for the formation of the tectonic structures in the Tharsis volcano-tectonic province on Mars and provides new constraints for further models. First papers, in the 1970s, attempted to relate the Tharsis formation to asthenospheric movements and lithosphere loading by magma bodies. These processes were then quantified in terms of stress trajectory and magnitude models in elastic lithosphere (e.g. Banerdt et al., J. Geophys. Res. 87(B12), 9723–9733, 1982). Stresses generated by dynamic lithosphere uplift were rapidly dismissed because of the poor agreement between the stress trajectories provided by the elastic models and the structural observations. The preferred stress models involved lithosphere loading, inducing isostatic compensation, and then lithosphere flexure. Some incomsistency with structural interpretation of Viking imagery has been found. In the early 1990s, an attempt to solve this problem resulted in a model involving the existence of a Tharsis-centred brittle crustal cap, deteched from the strong mantle by a weak crustal layer (Tanaka et al., J. Geophys. Res. 96(E1), 15617–15633, 1991). Such a configuration should produce loading stresses akin to those predicted by some combination of the two loading modes. This model has not been quantified yet, however it is expected to reconcile stress trajectories and most structural patterns. Nevertheless, some inconsistencies with observed structures are also expected to remain. Parallel to this approach focused on loading mechanisms, the idea that volcanism and tectonic structures could be related to mantle circulation began to be considered again through numerical convection experiments, whose results have however not been clearly correlated with surface observations. Structural clues to early Tharsis dynamic uplift are reported. These structures have little to do with those predicted by elastic stress modelling of dynamic lithosphere uplift. They denote the existence of unsteady stress trajectories responsible for surface deformations that cannot be readily predicted by elastic models. These structures illustrate that improving current stress models for Tharsis formation shall come from deeper consideration of rock failure criterion and load growth in the lithosphere (e.g. Schultz and Zuber, J. Geophys. Res. 99(E7), 14691–14702, 1994). Improvements should also arise from better understanding rheological layering in the lithosphere and its evolution with time, and from consideration of stress associated to magma emplacement in the crust, which may have produced many tectonic structures before loading stress resulting from magma freezing became significant (Mège and Masson, Planet. Space Sci. 44, 1499–1546, 1996a).  相似文献