ESTABLISHING LICHENOMETRIC AGES FOR NINETEENTH- AND TWENTIETH-CENTURY GLACIER FLUCTUATIONS ON SOUTH GEORGIA (SOUTH ATLANTIC)     

BY STEPHEN J. ROBERTS  DOMINIC A. HODGSON  SAMANTHA SHELLEY  JESSICA ROYLES  HUW J. GRIFFITHS  TARA J. DEEN  MICHAEL A.S. THORNE 《Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography》2010,92(1):125-139

Glaciers in small mountain cirques on South Georgia respond rapidly and sensitively to changes in South Atlantic climate. The timing and rate of their deglaciation can be used to examine the impact that nineteenth- and twentieth-century climate change has had on the glacial dynamics and terrestrial ecosystems of South Georgia. As part of a reconnaissance study in Prince Olav Harbour (POH), South Georgia, we measured the size of lichens ( Rhizocarpon Ram. em Th. Fr. subgenus. Rhizocarpon group) on ice-free moraine ridges around two small mountain cirques. Our aims were twofold: first, to provide age estimates for lichen colonization, and hence, deglaciation of the moraine ridges, and second, to examine the potential of applying lichenometry more widely to provide deglacial age constraints on South Georgia. In the absence of lichen age-size (dating) curves for South Georgia, we use long-term Rhizocarpon lichen growth-rates from recent studies on sub-Antarctic Islands and the western Antarctic Peninsula to calculate likely age estimates. These data suggest ice retreat from the two outermost moraines occurred between the end of the 'Little Ice Age' (post c. 1870) and the early twentieth century on South Georgia. Lichen colonization of the innermost moraines is probably related to glacier retreat during the second half of the twentieth century, which has been linked to a well-defined warming trend since c. 1950. Patterns of possible nineteenth- and twentieth-century glacial retreat identified in POH need to be tested further by establishing species- and site-specific lichen age-size (dating) curves for South Georgia, and by applying lichenometry to other mountain cirques across South Georgia.  相似文献   

Object-oriented data modelling for spatial databases     

MICHAEL F. WORBOYS  HILARY M. HEARNSHAW  DAVID J. MAGUIRE 《International journal of geographical information science》2013,27(4):369-383

Data modelling is a critical stage of database design. Recent research has focused upon object-oriented data models, which appear more appropriate for certain applications than either the traditional relational model or the entity-relationship approach. The object-oriented approach has proved to be especially fruitful in application areas, such as the design of geographical information systems which have a richly structured knowledge domain and are associated with multimedia databases. This article discusses the key concepts in object-oriented modelling and demonstrates the applicability of an object-oriented design methodology to the design of geographical information systems. In order to show more clearly how this methodology may be applied, the paper considers the specific object-oriented data model IFO. Standard cartographic primitives are represented using IFO, which are then used in the modelling of some standard administrative units in the United Kingdom. The paper concludes by discussing current research issues and directions in this area.  相似文献   

NCGIA education activities: the core curriculum and beyond     

MICHAEL F. GOODCHILD  KAREN K. KEMP 《International journal of geographical information science》2013,27(4):309-320

Abstract

Education has been part of the NCGIA's mission from the earliest discussions of the concept of the Center at the National Science Foundation. To respond to the need for short-term solutions to the shortage of adequately trained personnel in GIS, the Center developed a set of teaching materials or core curriculum. The steps in its development are described and an analysis of initial distribution statistics is presented. Current efforts to develop a framework for laboratory materials are outlined. The paper ends with an assessment of the project and comparison with other disciplines.  相似文献   

Playa‐lake sedimentation and organic matter accumulation in an Andean piggyback basin: the recent record from the Cuenca de Pozuelos,North‐west Argentina     

MICHAEL M. McGLUE  GEOFFREY S. ELLIS  ANDREW S. COHEN  PETER W. SWARZENSKI 《Sedimentology》2012,59(4):1237-1256

Expansive playa‐lake systems situated in high‐altitude piggyback basins are important and conspicuous components of both modern and ancient cordilleran orogenic systems. Extant playa lakes provide vital habitat for numerous endemic species, whereas sediments from these deposystems may record signals of climate change or develop natural resources over geological time. Laguna de los Pozuelos (North‐west Argentina) provides the opportunity for an actualistic sedimentological and geochemical assessment of a piggyback basin playa lake in an area of critical interest for understanding Quaternary palaeoclimate dynamics. Silty clays and diatom ooze are the dominant playa‐lake centre microfacies, with concentrations of total organic carbon and biogenic silica commonly exceeding 1·5 wt% in this sub‐environment. Elemental and stable isotopic analyses point to a mixed organic matter composition in the playa‐lake centre, with substantial contributions from algae and transported aquatic macrophytes. Bulk sediment and organic mass accumulation rates in the southern playa‐lake centre approach 0·22 g cm^?2 year^?1 and 2·89 mg cm^?2 year^?1, respectively, indicating moderately rapid deposition with negligible deflation over historic time. Playa margin facies contain higher percentages of fragmented biogenic carbonate (ostracods and charophytes) and inorganically precipitated aragonite crusts due to seasonal pumping and evaporation of ground water. Organic matter accumulation is limited along these heavily bioturbated wet and dry mud flats. Fluvial–lacustrine transitional environments, which are key waterbird habitats, are either silty terminal splay (northern axis) or sandy deltas (southern axis) containing highly oxidized and partially allochthonous organic matter. Modern analogue data from Laguna de los Pozuelos provide key insights for: (i) environmental reconstructions of ancient lake sequences; and (ii) improving facies models for piggyback basins.  相似文献   

SENSITIVITY AND PATH DEPENDENCE OF MOUNTAIN PERMAFROST SYSTEMS     

SARAH VERLEYSDONK  MICHAEL KRAUTBLATTER  RICHARD DIKAU 《Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography》2011,93(2):113-135

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Geology and military tunnels     

MICHAEL S. ROSENBAUM &  EDWARD P. F. ROSE 《Geology Today》1992,8(3):92-98

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ENSO prediction experiments using a simple ocean-atmosphere model     

DENG-HUA WU  DAVID L. T. ANDERSON  MICHAEL K. DAVEY 《地球，A辑:动力气象学与海洋学》1994,46(4):465-480

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The local geologist 9: Doing research     

MICHAEL A. TAYLOR 《Geology Today》1992,8(5):189-194

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Editorial Note     

MICHAEL BROWN 《Journal of Metamorphic Geology》1984,2(2):73-73

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Gondwana and Tethys     

MICHAEL AUDLEY-CHARLES 《Geology Today》1986,2(5):136-138

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