Core–mantle boundary topography as a possible constraint on lower mantle chemistry and dynamics     

Teresa Mae Lassak  Allen K. McNamara  Edward J. Garnero  Shijie Zhong 《Earth and Planetary Science Letters》2010,289(1-2):232-241

The origin of large low shear-wave velocity provinces (LLSVPs) in the lowermost mantle beneath the central Pacific and Africa is not well constrained. We explore numerical convection calculations for two proposed hypotheses for these anomalies, namely, thermal upwellings (e.g., plume clusters) and large intrinsically dense piles of mantle material (e.g., thermochemical piles), each of which uniquely affects the topography on Earth's core–mantle boundary (CMB). The thermochemical pile models predict a relatively flat but elevated CMB beneath piles (presumed LLSVPs), with strong upwarping along LLSVP margins. The plume cluster models predict CMB upwarping beneath upwellings that are less geographically organized. Both models display CMB depressions beneath subduction related downwelling. While each of the two models produces a unique, characteristic style of CMB topography, we find that seismic models will require shorter length scales than are currently being employed in order to distinguish between the end-member dynamic models presented here.  相似文献   

Black–White and Hispanic–White Segregation in U.S. Counties     

James P. Allen  Eugene Turner 《The Professional geographer》2013,65(4):503-520

Residential segregation in metropolitan areas has been the subject of much research, but this article analyzes patterns of white–black and white–Hispanic segregation in counties across the United States. Our purpose was to understand county variations in this one dimension of inequality. Conceiving of segregation as relative inequality of access to neighborhood resources, we measured segregation in 2000 by the index of dissimilarity (D) calculated by blocks, mapped the index values, and correlated them with census variables. Three filters enabled us to eliminate counties with characteristics that could have corrupted the analyses, leaving us with more than 1,000 counties in each analysis. Both minority groups were less segregated from whites in the West and South and in metropolitan counties. Lower segregation was strongly associated with higher minority socioeconomic status and higher percentages of minorities living in housing built in the 1990s, and Hispanic–white segregation was lower where more Hispanics were U.S.-born or English proficient. The racial threat hypothesis was supported only weakly and inconsistently. Mapping made it possible to identify regional and local patterns of high and low segregation as well as the lower segregation of suburban counties in some large metropolitan areas.  相似文献   

A Practical Measurement Strategy to Estimate Nonlinear Chlorinated Solvent Sorption in Low foc Sediments     

Guohui Wang  Richelle M. Allen‐King  Sungwook Choung  Stanley Feenstra  Robert Watson  Michael Kominek 《Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation》2013,33(1):87-96

In this study, we tested a practical strategy useful for accurate chlorinated volatile organic compound (cVOC) sorption prediction. Corresponding to the feature of the superposition of adsorption due to thermally altered carbonaceous matter (TACM) with organic carbon‐water partitioning, a nonlinear Freundlich sorption isotherm covering a wide range of aqueous concentrations was defined by equilibrium sorption measurement at one or a few low concentration points with extrapolation to the empirical organic carbon‐water partition coefficient (K_oc,e) near compound solubility. We applied this approach to obtain perchloroethene equilibrium sorption isotherm parameters for TACM‐containing glacial sand and gravel subsoil samples from a field site in New York. Sorption and associated K_oc,c applicable to low (5–500 µg/L) and high (>100,000 µg/L) aqueous concentrations were determined in batch experiments. (The K_oc,c is the organic carbon‐normalized sorption partition coefficient corresponding to aqueous concentration C_w.) The K_oc,c measurements at low concentration (~5 µg/L) were 6 to 34 times greater than the K_oc,e. The importance of this type of data is illustrated through presentation of its substantial impact on the site remedy. In so doing, we provide an approach that is broadly applicable to cVOC field sites with similar circumstances (low carbon content glacial sand and gravel with TACM).  相似文献   

CHARACTERIZATION OF ALPINE SOILS,EAGLE CAP,WALLOWA MOUNTAINS,OREGON     

Charles E. Allen  Scott F. Burns 《自然地理学》2013,34(3):212-222

This study examines alpine soil development along a toposequence on Eagle Cap, Wallowa Mountains, northeast Oregon. Soils studied are from Wind Blown (WB) and Minimal Snow Cover (MSC) sites in the Ridge-Top Tundra geomorphic province. The soils are predominantly loamy sands, and exhibit minimal structural development. Soil pH ranges from 6.5 to 7.3 increasing with depth, and organic carbon ranges from 3.9% in the A horizon to 0.8% in the C horizon. The soils display significant input from Cascade volcanic ash infall and eolian influx from the weathered marble nearby. It is postulated that the ash content in the soils originates from Mazama Ash deposits. Though Eagle Cap soils have developed for the most part on granodiorite, the strong influence of the volcanic ash on pedogenesis leads to a preliminary classification of Andisols, most probably Typic and Lithic Haplocryands. [Key words: Alpine soils, Andisols, Wallowa Mountains.]  相似文献   

THE ROLE OF PERIMETER SHAPE IN ESTIMATING ANNUAL RUNOFF FROM SMALL SIERRA NEVADA BASINS     

David S. McArthur  Allen S. Hope 《自然地理学》2013,34(4):394-403

Perimeter shape of drainage basins is evaluated as a control of annual runoff depth from small Sierra Nevada basins underlain by granitic rocks. In contrast to three perimeter shape ratios, none of which contributes a statistical explanation of annual runoff depth, three terms of a Fourier expansion of the basin perimeter substantially improve the estimating model. When added to annual precipitation, the first, third, and seventh Fourier amplitudes increase statistical explanation by 15 percent and prediction accuracy by 10 percent. These improvements are much greater than corresponding gains atributable to other morphological variables. [Key words: basin runoff, basin shape, Sierra Nevada.]  相似文献   

Assessing future risk: quantifying the effects of sea level rise on storm surge risk for the southern shores of Long Island, New York   总被引：2，自引：1，他引：1  

Christine C. Shepard  Vera N. Agostini  Ben Gilmer  Tashya Allen  Jeff Stone  William Brooks  Michael W. Beck 《Natural Hazards》2012,60(2):727-745

Sea level rise threatens to increase the impacts of future storms and hurricanes on coastal communities. However, many coastal hazard mitigation plans do not consider sea level rise when assessing storm surge risk. Here we apply a GIS-based approach to quantify potential changes in storm surge risk due to sea level rise on Long Island, New York. We demonstrate a method for combining hazard exposure and community vulnerability to spatially characterize risk for both present and future sea level conditions using commonly available national data sets. Our results show that sea level rise will likely increase risk in many coastal areas and will potentially create risk where it was not before. We find that even modest and probable sea level rise (.5 m by 2080) vastly increases the numbers of people (47% increase) and property loss (73% increase) impacted by storm surge. In addition, the resulting maps of hazard exposure and community vulnerability provide a clear and useful example of the visual representation of the spatial distribution of the components of risk that can be helpful for developing targeted hazard mitigation and climate change adaptation strategies. Our results suggest that coastal agencies tasked with managing storm surge risk must consider the effects of sea level rise if they are to ensure safe and sustainable coastal communities in the future.  相似文献   

The marginal Wealden (non-marine Lower Cretaceous) between Wiltshire and Buckinghamshire,England     

Jonathan D. Radley  Percival Allen 《Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. Geologists' Association》2012,123(2):374-381

Non-marine Lower Cretaceous beds of Wealden aspect have long been known from the northern margin of the Wessex–Weald Basin, between Wiltshire and the south Midlands. Termed the Whitchurch Sands Formation, these badly exposed and generally poorly fossiliferous strata appear to represent interdigitating alluvial and brackish-marine units separated by significant sedimentary breaks. Geological Conservation Review sites within the Whitchurch Sands are described and interpreted for their chronostratigraphic, palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic significance.  相似文献   

Estimating regional-scale fractured bedrock hydraulic conductivity using discrete fracture network (DFN) modeling   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0  

H. Voeckler  D. M. Allen 《Hydrogeology Journal》2012,20(6):1081-1100

Estimating bedrock hydraulic conductivity of regional fractured aquifers is challenging due to a lack of aquifer testing data and the presence of small and large-scale heterogeneity. This study provides a novel approach for estimating the bedrock hydraulic conductivity of a regional-scale fractured bedrock aquifer using discrete fracture network (DFN) modeling. The methodology is tested in the mountainous Okanagan Basin, British Columbia, Canada. Discrete fractures were mapped in outcrops, and larger-scale fracture zones (corresponding to lineaments) were mapped from orthophotos and LANDSAT imagery. Outcrop fracture data were used to generate DFN models for estimating hydraulic conductivity for the fractured matrix (K _m). The mountain block hydraulic conductivity (K _mb) was estimated using larger-scale DFN models. Lineament properties were estimated by best fit parameters for a simulated pumping test influenced by a fracture zone. Unknown dip angles and directions for lineaments were estimated from the small-scale fracture sets. Simulated K _m and K _mb values range from 10^–8 to 10^–7?m/s and are greatest in a N–S direction, coinciding with the main strike direction of Okanagan Valley Fault Zone. K _mb values also decrease away from the fault, consistent with the decrease in lineament density. Simulated hydraulic conductivity values compare well with those estimated from pumping tests.  相似文献   

Development of sustainability evaluation model for implementing product service systems     

H. Allen Hu  S. H. Chen  C. W. Hsu  C. Wang  C. L. Wu 《International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology》2012,9(2):343-354

A new business model, product service systems, is proposed to promote a shift in focus from selling purely products to selling functions. This is achieved through a mix of products and services that fulfill the same consumer demands, while eliciting less environmental impact. Development of product service systems has become an increasingly important strategy in achieving social, economic, and environmental sustainability because product service systems advocates reducing resource consumption, while delivering better and more widely available goods and services. This paper proposes an evaluation framework of sustainable performance to implement product service systems. A literature review discusses 32 criteria categorized into two aspects: product and organization. The fuzzy Delphi method is then applied to identify the consistency of criteria. The relative weights of the selected criteria are determined using Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. Results indicate that the top three criteria in product aspect are maintenance system (weight?=?0.172), use time or frequency (weight?=?0.145), and price of the product (weight?=?0.132). For the organization aspect, the top three criteria are integrated service plan (weight?=?0.197), product development and design (weight?=?0.144) and optimized transportation network (weight?=?0.089). The demand for implementing product service systems is completely different from selling traditional goods because product service systems must consider the issue of sustainability. The proposed evaluation framework can help companies identify the potential products suitable in implementing product service systems.  相似文献   

The Zn abundance and isotopic composition of diatom frustules,a proxy for Zn availability in ocean surface seawater     

Morten B. Andersen  Derek Vance  Corey Archer  Robert F. Anderson  Michael J. Ellwood  Claire S. Allen 《Earth and Planetary Science Letters》2011,301(1-2):137-145

We have developed cleaning methods for extracting diatomopal from bulk marine sediment samples, for measurement of both zinc (Zn) abundance and isotope composition. This cleaning technique was then applied to a set of Holocene core-top samples from the Southern Ocean. The measured δ⁶⁶Zn (reported relative to the JMC_Lyon standard) and Zn/Si ratios from the Southern Ocean diatom_opal samples range from 0.7 to 1.5‰, and from 14 to 0.9 μmol/mol, respectively. The Zn abundance and isotope composition data show a clear correlation with opal burial rates and other oceanographic parameters. In common with previous work, we interpret the systematic changes in the Zn/Si ratio to be linked to the variability in the concentrations of bioavailable Zn in the ambient surface seawater where the diatom opal is formed. This variability is likely to be primarily controlled by the degree to which Zn is taken up into phytoplankton biomass. The observed systematic pattern in the δ⁶⁶Zn compositions of the diatom_opal core-top samples is, similarly, likely to reflect changes in the δ⁶⁶Zn composition of the ambient Zn in the surface waters above the core-top sites, which is progressively driven towards isotopically heavier values by preferential incorporation of the lighter isotopes into phytoplankton organic material. Thus, the systematic relationship between Zn isotopes and abundance observed in the core-top diatom_opal samples suggests a potential tool for investigating the biogeochemical cycling of Zn in the past surface ocean for down-core diatom_opal material. In this respect, it may be possible to test hypotheses that attribute variations in atmospheric CO₂ on glacial–interglacial timescales to the degree to which trace metals limited primary productivity in HNLC zones.  相似文献