Quaternary science and public service     

H.E. Wright 《Quaternary Research》1973,3(4):515-519

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Circulating subbeam systemsand the physics of pulsar emission     

Joanna?M.?RankinEmail author  Geoffrey?A.?E.?Wright 《Astronomy and Astrophysics Review》2003,12(1):43-69

The purpose of this paper is to suggest how detailed single-pulse observations of slow radio pulsars may be utilized to construct an empirical model for their emission. It links the observational synthesis developed in a series of papers by Rankin in the 1980s and 90s to the more recent empirical feedback model of Wright (2003a) by regarding the entire pulsar magnetosphere as a non-steady, non-linear interactive system with a natural built-in delay. It is argued that the enhanced role of the outer gap in such a system indicates an evolutionary link to younger pulsars, in which this region is thought to be highly active, and that pulsar magnetospheres should no longer be seen as being driven by events on the neutron stars polar cap, but as having more in common with planetary magnetospheres and auroral phenomena.Received: 8 May 2003, Published online: 14 November 2003 Correspondence to: Joanna M. Rankin. On leave from: Physics Department, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA  相似文献   

Episodes of late Holocene aridity recorded by stalagmites from Devil's Icebox Cave, central Missouri, USA   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Rhawn F. Denniston  Michelle DuPree  Jeffrey A. Dorale  Victor J. Polyak 《Quaternary Research》2007,68(1):45-52

Two stalagmites from Devil's Icebox Cave, central Missouri, display similar δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values and trends during the late Holocene. Positive δ¹³C excursions at 3.5-2.6 ka and 1.2-0.9 ka are interpreted to reflect drier conditions. These elevated stalagmite δ¹³C values could have plausibly been driven by increasing C₄ plant abundances over the cave or an increased contribution of bedrock carbon, both of which could reflect decreased effective moisture. A lack of corresponding oxygen isotopic anomalies during these intervals suggests that neither mean annual temperature nor the seasonality of precipitation changed concomitantly with dryness. Both of the δ¹³C excursions identified in our stalagmite record are roughly coincident with dry intervals from a number of sites located across the Great Plains.  相似文献   

A numerical simulation of residual circulation in Tampa Bay. Part I: Low-frequency temporal variations   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Steven D. Meyers  Mark E. Luther  Monica Wilson  Heather Havens  Amanda Linville  Kristin Sopkin 《Estuaries and Coasts》2007,30(4):679-697

The residual (time-average) salinity and circulation in a numerical ocean model of the Tampa Bay estuary are shown to experience significant temporal variation under realistic forcing conditions. A version of the Estuarine Coastal Ocean Model developed for Tampa Bay with 70 by 100 horizontal grid points and 11 sigma levels is examined for the years 2001–2003. Model output variables are averaged over the entire time of the simulation to generate long-term residual fields. The residual axial current is found to be dominated by the buoyancy-driven baroclinic circulation with an outflow (southwestward) at the surface and to the sides of the shipping channel, and an inflow (northeastward) usually occurring subsurface within or above the shipping channel. Averages over 30 d are used to examine variations in the residual fields. During the simulation the average surface salinity near the head of Tampa Bay varies with the freshwater inflow, from 12‰ to 33%. At the bay mouth salinity varies from 30%. to 36%.. A localized measure of the baroclinic circulation in the shipping channel indicates the residual circulation can vary strongly, attaining a magnitude triple the long-term mean value. The baroclinic circulation can be disrupted, going to near zero or even reversing, when the buoyancy-driven flow is weak and the surface winds are to the northeast. Three time periods, representing different environmental conditions, are chosen to examine these results in detail. A scaling argument indicates the relative strength of buoyancy versus wind as ΔρgH²(LC _Dω²)⁻¹, where δρ is head-to-mouth density difference across the bay,g is gravitational acceleration,H is depth,L is bay length,C _D is the surface wind drag coefficient, andw is wind speed. Tampa Bay is usually in the buoyancy dominated regime. The importance of winds in the weak-buoyancy case is demonstrated in an additional simulation without wind stress.  相似文献   

The influence of human activity in the Arctic on climate and climate impacts   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Henry P. Huntington  Michelle Boyle  Gwenn E. Flowers  John W. Weatherly  Lawrence C. Hamilton  Larry Hinzman  Craig Gerlach  Rommel Zulueta  Craig Nicolson  Jonathan Overpeck 《Climatic change》2007,82(1-2):77-92

Human activities in the Arctic are often mentioned as recipients of climate-change impacts. In this paper we consider the more complicated but more likely possibility that human activities themselves can interact with climate or environmental change in ways that either mitigate or exacerbate the human impacts. Although human activities in the Arctic are generally assumed to be modest, our analysis suggests that those activities may have larger influences on the arctic system than previously thought. Moreover, human influences could increase substantially in the near future. First, we illustrate how past human activities in the Arctic have combined with climatic variations to alter biophysical systems upon which fisheries and livestock depend. Second, we describe how current and future human activities could precipitate or affect the timing of major transitions in the arctic system. Past and future analyses both point to ways in which human activities in the Arctic can substantially influence the trajectory of arctic system change.  相似文献   

A comparative mineralogical and geochemical study of sulfide mine tailings at two sites in New Mexico, USA   总被引：5，自引：0，他引：5  

Michelle P. Boulet  A. C. L. Larocque 《Environmental Geology》1998,33(2-3):130-142

A comparative study of sulfide mine tailings from two sites near Silver City in southwest New Mexico has shown the need for environmental monitoring in a geological context. The Cyprus-Piños Altos and Cleveland deposits consist of Cu and Zn skarn mineralization in the Piños Altos Mountains of New Mexico. Primary ore minerals in both deposits include chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena. The Cyprus-Piños Altos Mine ceased operation in 1995 and the Cleveland Mill closed in 1950. The deposits have similar mineralogical characteristics; however, the tailings are different in terms of age, degree of oxidation and method of disposal. The Cyprus-Piños Altos tailings (CPAT) are stored in a lined, bermed impoundment. They are dominantly water-saturated and exhibit no secondary-phase formation. The grains are not cemented and show no evidence of primary-mineral dissolution. The geochemical data show a predominantly primary signature. The tailings pond water is neutral to slightly alkaline (pH?from 7 to 8.3), partly as a result of processing methods. The Cleveland mill tailings (CMT) were deposited in a valley at the headwaters of an ephemeral stream. They are highly oxidized and differentially cemented. They have undergone numerous wet/dry cycles resulting in extensive oxidation. Secondary minerals predominate, and consist mainly of jarosite, goethite, hematite, and Fe-oxyhydroxides and -oxyhydroxysulfates. The pH of the stream draining the CMT is as high as 2.15. Maximum metal contents in the stream immediately downstream from the tailings are 5305?ppm Zn, 454?ppm Cu, 1.16?ppm Pb, 17.5?ppm Cd, 1.4?ppm As, and 0.01?ppm Hg.  相似文献   

Vegetation east of the rocky mountains 18,000 years ago     

H.E. Wright 《Quaternary Research》1981,15(2):113-125

The various lobes and segments of the southern periphery of the Laurentide ice sheet reached their maximum extension at different times between 21,000 and 14,000 yr ago, but the CLIMAP date of 18,000 yr ago is taken as a reference level to review the distribution of major vegetational formations in central and eastern United States. Tundra was apparently confined to a narrow belt peripheral to the ice margin only in the Minnesota area and from northern Pennsylvania to New England, with extensions down the crest of the Appalachian Highlands at least as far as Maryland. Some areas south of the Great Lakes may later have been marked by treeless vegetation briefly as the ice retreated. The boreal forest to the south in the central United States was dominated by spruce; the jack pine that had prevailed during previous times was apparently eliminated by the time the ice reached its maximum. In the Appalachian Highlands and the Atlantic Coastal Plain, however, jack pine occurred along with spruce, which decreased in importance southward. The southern limit of the boreal forest in the Southeast was perhaps somewhere in southern Georgia and Alabama. Oak and other temperate deciduous trees were minor components of the boreal coniferous forests especially in the southern Appalacchians, but there is no evidence yet in the southeastern states for a relic mixed mesophytic forest 18,000 yr ago similar to the rich modern deciduous forests of the region, except possibly in the Lower Mississippi Valley. The climate in much of the Southeast was apparently dry as well as cool at that time; in Florida oak/pine scrub and prairie-like openings prevailed, and all but the deepest lakes dried up.  相似文献   

Pyroclastic geology of the rhyolitic volcano of La Primavera,Mexico     

G. P. L. Walker  J. V. Wright  B. J. Clough  B. Booth 《International Journal of Earth Sciences》1981,70(3):1100-1118

Explosive eruptions of this large Quaternary rhyolitic volcano have produced voluminous pumice fall deposits and ignimbrites. A stratigraphie study reveals more than 30 fall deposits, totalling more than 90 km³, which have come from many different vents. Some are of plinian type, and one is among the largest known in the world. The main ignimbrite (Rio Caliente) is of intra-plinian type. In all, 140 km³ of rhyolitic material were erupted during the past 10⁵ years, of which 50 km⁵ are dispersed well outside the volcano. The dense rock equivalent volume is 60 km³, of which fall deposits, ignimbrites and lava bodies comprise 45 %, 25 % and 30 % respectively. The average output rate of 0.06 km³ per century is nearly an order of magnitude less than for the most productive rhyolitic volcanoes known. A circular area 10 km across in the centre of La Primavera contains updomed lacustrine ashes and associated sediments, including a remarkable giant pumice bed, which probably accumulated in a caldera lake. La Primavera has no record of historical eruptions, and hot springs are the only signs of present activity, but the updoming is thought to be due to the uprise of a new acid pluton beneath the volcano and future eruptions are probable.

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Zusammenfassung Explosionsartige Eruptionen des gro\en quartÄren Rhyolith-Vulkans La Primavera haben mÄchtige Bimstuffe und Ignimbrite aufgehÄuft. Eine stratigraphische Untersuchung hat über 30 Aschelagen erkennen lassen, die aus verschiedenen Schloten stammen und insgesamt mehr als 90 km³ an Volumen ausmachen. Einige davon gehören zum plimanischen Typ, von denen eine sogar die grö\te bisher bekannte Lage der Erde ist. Der Haupt-Ignimbrit (Rio Caliente) gehört zum intraplimanischen Typ. Insgesamt wurden in den letzten 100 000 Jahren 140 km³ rhyolithisches Material ausgeworfen, von denen 50 km³ deutlich au\erhalb des eigentlichen Vulkans liegen. Das Äquivalentvolumen des dichten Gesteins betrÄgt 60 km³, von dem 45 % auf Tuffe, 25 % auf Ignimbrite und 30 % auf Lavakörper entfallen. Die durchschnittliche Auswurfrate von 0,06 km³ pro Jahrhundert liegt fast eine Grö\enordnung unter den meisten bekannten aktiven Rhyolith-Vulkanen. Ein kreisrundes Gebiet von 10 km Durchmesser im Zentrum des La Primavera zeigt aufgewölbte lakustrine Aschen und damit assoziierte Sedimente, darunter eine bemerkenswerte riesige Bimslage, die wahrscheinlich in einem Caldera-See abgelagert wurde. Der Vulkan La Primavera ist in historischer Zeit nicht ausgebrochen und hei\e Quellen sind die einzigen Anzeichen heutiger AktivitÄt, aber die Aufwölbung wird als Hinweis auf das Hochdringen eines neuen sauren Plutons unter dem Vulkan angesehen, so da\ zukünftige Eruptionen wahrscheinlich sind.

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Résumé Des éruptions explosives de ce grand volcan rhyolitique quaternaire ont produit de volumineux dépÔts de ponces et d'ignimbrites. Une étude stratigraphique fait apparaÎtre plus de 30 dépÔts totalisant plus de 90 km³ provenant de nombreuses bouches volcaniques différentes. Certaines sont du type plinien, dont l'une est parmi les plus grandes connues au monde. L'ignimbrite principale (Rio Caliente) est du type intraplinien. En tout 140 km³ de matériaux rhyolitiques ont été rejetés au cours des 10⁵ dernières années, dont 50 km³ ont été dispersés bien au delà du volcan. Le volume de roche compact équivalent est de 60 km³, parmi lequel les tuffs, les ignimbrites et les laves occupent respectivement 45%, 25% et 30%. L'émission moyenne, de 0,06 km³ par siècle, est d'un ordre de grandeur moindre que pour la plupart des volcans rhyolitiques les plus productifs actuellement connus. Une région circulaire de 10 km de diamètre dans le centre de La Primavera contient des domes de cendres lacustres et autres sédiments associés, et parmi eux une couche géante de ponce remarquable, qui s'est probablement accumulée dans un lac-caldère. On ne connaÎt pas d'éruptions historiques de la Primavera, et seules des sources chaudes témoignent d'une activité actuelle; toutefois on pense que l'allure en dome est due à la poussée d'un nouveau pluton acide sous le volcan, et que des éruptions sont probables dans le futur.

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Outline of the Pan-African geology of adrar des Iforas (Republic of Mali)     

R. Black  H. Ba  E. Ball  J. M. Bertrand  A. M. Boullier  R. Caby  I. Davison  J. Fabre  M. Leblanc  L. I. Wright 《International Journal of Earth Sciences》1979,68(2):543-564

The Iforas (60 000 km²) falls within the Pan-African mobile belt bordering the West-African craton in north-eastern Mali Republic. It is characterized by major N-S shear belts parallel to the edge of the craton which delimit longitudinal blocks some of which have undergone considerable horizontal displacements. The central core of the Iforas which consists largely of reactivated pre-Pan-African basement injected by Pan-African syn- and post-tectonic intermediate and acid plutonic rocks, has behaved as a relatively rigid blocks during the Pan-African dividing the orogenic belt into a western Iforas and an eastern Iforas.Western Iforas displays W to E zonation: an ophiolitic suture (Timetrine); trench volcano-sedimentary deposits cut by gabbros diorites and acid granitoids (Tilemsi); and a late orogenic composite »coastal range batholith intruding the pre-Pan-African basement of Central Iforas and its overlying volcano-sedimentary deposits which here display a littoral facies and a tillite.Central Iforas consists of two major units: a polycyclic pre-Pan-African basement metamorphosed under high amphibolite facies conditions of presumed Eburnean age and the Iforas granulite block bound to the W, N and E by shear zones.Eastern Iforas was totally separated during metamorphism and deformation from the Iforas granulite block. From West to East, three lithological assemblages have been recognised separed by shear belts: a Quartzite Group, a Gneissic Group and a Pelitic Group the latter representing the southern prolongation of the central Hoggar Pharusian province.Shear zones are an essential feature of Pan-African tectonism East of the West-African craton. The superimposed stress fields have been recognised producing: early N20° trending sinistral shear zones, a north-south dextral shear zone (Andjour-Tamaradant shear zone) and late conjugating sinistral NNW and dextral ENE wrench faults.Late Pan-African events reflect the uplift and unroofing of the Pan-African composite batholith, the intrusion of circular granite plutons often located close to shear zones and alternating episodes of distension and compression.Lastly the simple model proposed for the closing stages of the Pan-African in the Iforas is that of an active continental plate margin separated from the West African craton by an oceanic domain. Subsequent continental collision to the South with a promotory of the West African craton led to the formation of the Dahomeyan thrust front and modified the stress field. Closure of the oceanic domain of western Iforas is thought to have taken place by continued eastward subduction of the oceanic plate and sinistral movement along an inferred north westerly trending transform fault coinciding with the future Cretaceous Gao trough and an alignement of strong positive gravity anomalies. It was accompanied by the northerly migration of central and western Iforas along the conjugating dextral N-S Andjour-Tamaradant shear zone. Further shortening led to folding of the arcuate Timetrine-Ydouban-Gourma fold belt overlying the deformed margin of the West African craton.

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Zusammenfassung Das Iforas-Gebiet (60 000 km²) gehört zur pan-afrikanischen Bewegungszone, die in Mali an das westafrikanische Kraton grenzt. Diese Zone wird von N-S Scherbewegungen parallel zum Kraton durchzogen, wobei größere horizontale Versetzungsbeträge langgestreckte Blöcke herausgetrennt haben. Der zentrale Teil von Iforas besteht im wesentlichen aus reaktiviertem prae-panafrikanischem Basement, das in pan-afrikanischer Zeit von syn- und posttektonischen, intermediären und sauren Plutoniten intrudiert wurde. Dieses Gebiet wirkt als relativ starrer Block, der während der pan-afrikanischen Orogenese den Orogengürtel in einen westlichen und einen östlichen Ast teilt. Das westliche Iforas-Gebiet zeigt eine E-W Zonierung: eine Ophiolith-Sutur, einen vulkano-sedimentären Gürtel und einen Rand-Batholithen.Zentral-Iforas wird aus zwei Einheiten aufgebaut: ein mehrfach metamorphisiertes Basement und einen Granitblock.In den überregionalen Scherzonen lassen sich drei Stress-Felder erkennen: eine ältere 20° streichende sinistrale Scherzone, eine N-S dextrale Scherzone und jüngere NNW und dextrale ENE Bruchzonen.Spät-pan-afrikanische Ereignisse sind durch Heraushebung und Abtrag, Granitintrusionen und wechselnden Dehnungs- und Kompressionsbewegungen gekennzeichnet.

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Résumé L'Adrar des Iforas (60 000 km²) fait partie de la zone mobile pan-africaine en marge du craton ouest-africain au Nord-Est de la République du Mali. La région est caractérisée par d'importants accidents mylonitiques parallèles à la bordure du craton qui délimitent des compartiments longitudinaux dont certains ont subi des déplacements horizontaux considérables. La zone dorsale des Iforas qui consiste essentiellement en un socle pré-pan-africain réactivé et injecté au Pan-Africain par des roches plutoniques intermédiaires et acides, syn- et post-tectoniques, s'est comportée en compartiments relativement rigides au cours du Pan-Africain, divisant la chaîne en un rameau occidental et un rameau oriental.Le rameau occidental présente une zonation d'Ouest en Est: une suture ophiolitique (Timetrine); des dépôts volcano-sédimentaires de fosse recoupés par des gabbros et des diorites; et un vaste batholite composite tardi-orogénique qui recoupe le socle pré-pan-africain de la zone dorsale des Iforas et sa couverture de dépôts volcanosédimentaires ici à faciès littoral.La zone dorsale des Iforas comprend deux unités majeures: un socle prépan-africain polycyclique métamorphisé dans le faciès amphibolite, d'âge éburnéen présumé et le môle granulitique des Iforas, délimité à l'W, au N et à l'E par des accidents mylonitiques.Le rameau oriental était séparé du môle granulitique des Iforas lors du métamorphisme et de la déformation. D'W en E, on trouve trois unités séparées par des zones mylonitiques: un Groupe de Quartzites, un Groupe de Gneiss et un Groupe de Pélites. Ce dernier représente le prolongement vers le Sud de la province pharusienne du centre Hoggar.Les grands accidents de cisaillement sont un fait marquant du tectonisme pan-africain à l'Est du craton ouest-africain. Trois champs de contraintes superposées ont produit des accidents précoces sénestres de direction N20, un accident N-S dextre (Andjour-Tamaradant), et des failles cisaillantes tardives conjuguées d'orientation NNW sénestres et ENE dextres.Les événements pan-africains tardifs sont marqués par la surrection et l'érosion des batholites pan-africains, la mise en place de plutons granitiques souvent à proximité des grands accidents et par des alternances de distensions et de compressions.Enfin un modèle simple est proposé pour les stades ultimes du Pan-Africain dans l'Adrar des Iforas: une marge continentale active séparée du craton ouest-africain par un domaine océanique; suite à une collision au Sud avec un promontoire du craton ouestafricain qui aurait produit le front de chevauchement dahomeyen et modifié le champ de contraintes, la fermeture du domaine océanique de l'Ouest Iforas se serait produite par subduction à l'E de la plaque océanique et une translation sénestre le long d'une faille transformante orientée NW et coincidant avec le fossé crétacé de Gao et un alignement d'anomalies gravimétriques positives. Elle aurait été accompagnée par le déplacement vers le N de l'Iforas occidental et central le long de l'accident cisaillant dextre d'Andjour-Tamaradant. Cette fermeture aurait provoqué les plissements de la chaîne du Timetrine-Ydouban-Gourma qui repose sur la bordure déformée du craton ouestafricain.

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An approach to modeling climate based on feedback relationships     

Peter B. Wright 《Climatic change》1980,2(3):283-298

Feedback occurs between many components of the climate system, and makes the study of climate very difficult. A modeling approach is presented in which feedbacks are represented specifically. Analysis of very simple models shows how feedback between two components affects their behavior; positive feedback increases persistence, and can produce climatic changes even without changes in external forcing. In any quantitative study, the magnitudes of all relevant feedbacks must be known accurately. As an example, it is shown how the effect of CO₂ on global temperature must depend greatly on the feedback between global temperature and ice extent.  相似文献