Peatland development at the arctic tree line (Québec, Canada) influenced by flooding and permafrost     

Najat Bhiry  Serge Payette  lisabeth C. Robert 《Quaternary Research》2007,67(3):426-437

In this study, we documented the Holocene history of a peat plateau at the arctic tree line in northern Québec using stratigraphic and macrofossil analyses to highlight the effects of geomorphic setting in peatland development. Paludification of the site began about 6800 cal yr BP. From 6390 to 4120 cal yr BP, the peatland experienced a series of flooding events. The location of the peatland in a depression bounded by two small lakes likely explains its sensitivity to runoff. The proximity of a large hill bordering the peatland to the south possibly favored the inflow of mineral-laden water. The onset of permafrost aggradation in several parts of the peatland occurred after 3670 cal yr BP. Uplifting of the peatland surface caused by permafrost stopped the flooding. According to radiocarbon dating of the uppermost peat layers, permafrost distribution progressed from the east to the west of the peatland, indicating differential timing for the initiation of permafrost throughout the peatland. Most of the peatland was affected by permafrost growth during the Little Ice Age. Picea mariana macroremains at 6450 cal yr BP indicate that the species was present during the early stages of peatland development, which occurred soon after the sea regression.  相似文献   

Petrology,geochemistry and U–Pb geochronology of magmatic rocks from the high-sulfidation epithermal Au–Cu Chelopech deposit,Srednogorie zone,Bulgaria     

Isabelle Chambefort  Robert Moritz  Albrecht von Quadt 《Mineralium Deposita》2007,42(7):665-690

The Chelopech deposit is one of the largest European gold deposits and is located 60 km east of Sofia, within the northern part of the Panagyurishte mineral district. It lies within the Banat–Srednegorie metallogenic belt, which extends from Romania through Serbia to Bulgaria. The magmatic rocks define a typical calc-alkaline suite. The magmatic rocks surrounding the Chelopech deposit have been affected by propylitic, quartz–sericite, and advanced argillic alteration, but the igneous textures have been preserved. Alteration processes have resulted in leaching of Na₂O, CaO, P₂O₅, and Sr and enrichment in K₂O and Rb. Trace element variation diagrams are typical of subduction-related volcanism, with negative anomalies in high field strength elements (HFSE) and light element, lithophile elements. HFSE and rare earth elements were relatively immobile during the hydrothermal alteration related to ore formation. Based on immobile element classification diagrams, the magmatic rocks are andesitic to dacitic in compositions. Single zircon grains, from three different magmatic rocks spanning the time of the Chelopech magmatism, were dated by high-precision U–Pb geochronology. Zircons of an altered andesitic body, which has been thrust over the deposit, yield a concordant ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 92.21 ± 0.21 Ma. This age is interpreted as the crystallization age and the maximum age for magmatism at Chelopech. Zircon analyses of a dacitic dome-like body, which crops out to the north of the Chelopech deposit, give a mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 91.95 ± 0.28 Ma. Zircons of the andesitic hypabyssal body hosting the high-sulfidation mineralization and overprinted by hydrothermal alteration give a concordant ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 91.45 ± 0.15 Ma. This age is interpreted as the intrusion age of the andesite and as the maximum age of the Chelopech epithermal high-sulfidation deposit. ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf isotope ratios of zircons from the Chelopech magmatic rocks, together with published data on the Chelopech area and the about 92-Ma-old Elatsite porphyry–Cu deposit, suggest two different magma sources in the Chelopech–Elatsite magmatic area. Magmatic rocks associated with the Elatsite porphyry–Cu deposit and the dacitic dome-like body north of Chelopech are characterized by zircons with ɛHf_T90 values of ∼5, which suggest an important input of mantle-derived magma. Some zircons display lower ɛHf_T90 values, as low as −6, and correlate with increasing ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages up to about 350 Ma, suggesting assimilation of basement rocks during magmatism. In contrast, zircon grains in andesitic rocks from Chelopech are characterized by homogeneous ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf isotope ratios with ɛHf_T90 values of ∼1 and suggest a homogeneous mixed crust–mantle magma source. We conclude that the Elatsite porphyry–Cu and the Chelopech high-sulfidation epithermal deposits were formed within a very short time span and could be partly contemporaneous. However, they are related to two distinct upper crustal magmatic reservoirs, and they cannot be considered as a genetically paired porphyry–Cu and high-sulfidation epithermal related to a single magmatic–hydrothermal system centered on the same intrusion.  相似文献   

A Comparison of Methods for the Stochastic Simulation of Rock Fractures   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Peter A. Dowd  Chaoshui Xu  Kanti V. Mardia  Robert J. Fowell 《Mathematical Geology》2007,39(7):697-714

Methods reported in the literature for rock fracture simulations include approaches based on stochastic geometry, multiple-point statistics and a combination of geostatistics for fracture density and object-based modelling for fracture geometries. The advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches are discussed with examples. By way of review, the authors begin with the geostatistical indicator simulation method, based on the truncated–Gaussian algorithm; this is followed by multiple-point statistical simulation and then the stochastic geometry approach, which is based on marked point process simulation. A new approach, based on pluriGaussian structural simulation, is then introduced. The new approach incorporates in the simulation the spatial correlation between different sets of fractures, which in general, is very difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish in the three methods reviewed. Each simulation method is summarised together with detailed simulation procedures for each. A published two-dimensional fracture dataset is used as a means of assessing the performance of each simulation method and of demonstrating the concepts discussed in the text.  相似文献   

Influence of earthquakes on the stability of slopes   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Robert Hack  Dinand Alkema  Gerard A.M. Kruse  Noud Leenders  Lucia Luzi 《Engineering Geology》2007,91(1):4-15

Earthquakes are a major trigger for instability of natural and man-made slopes. Often the instability of slopes due to an earthquake causes more destruction and kills more people than the actual earthquake itself. A comparison is made between different methodologies to analyze the potential stability of slopes during earthquakes. Theoretically, it seems simple to calculate the stability of a slope during an earthquake. In reality, however, the stability is influenced by so many parameters that are either not known or which influence is so poorly known that a decent estimation of stability cannot be made. Offshore the situation is worse because proper data required for stability calculations are even less available than onshore. On- and offshore, erosion and weathering create continuously slopes that may become unstable during a future earthquake, offshore also sedimentation creates continuously new slopes. Another fundamental problem in stability analysis is the complicated and largely unknown behavior of seismic waves in three-dimensions in natural materials. The lack of accurate data and the unknown behavior of seismic waves in three-dimensions make estimations of slope stability during an earthquake unreliable.  相似文献   

Analysis of drought determinants for the Colorado River Basin     

Robert C. Balling Jr  Gregory B. Goodrich 《Climatic change》2007,82(1-2):179-194

Ongoing drought in the Colorado River Basin, unprecedented urban growth in the watershed, and numerical model simulations showing higher temperatures and lower precipitation totals in the future have all combined to heighten interest in drought in this region. In this investigation, we use principal components analysis (PCA) to independently assess the influence of various teleconnections on Basin-wide and sub-regional winter season Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (PHDI) and precipitation variations in the Basin. We find that the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) explains more variance in PHDI than El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), and the planetary temperature combined for the Basin as a whole. When rotated PCA is used to separate the Basin into two regions, the lower portion of the Basin is similar to the Basin as a whole while the upper portion, which contains the high-elevation locations important to hydrologic yield for the watershed, demonstrates poorly defined relationships with the teleconnections. The PHDI for the two portions of the Basin are shown to have been out of synch for much of the twentieth century. In general, teleconnection indices account for 19% of the variance in PHDI leaving large uncertainties in drought forecasting.  相似文献   

Photobleaching of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in rainwater   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Robert J. Kieber  Joan D. Willey  Robert F. Whitehead  Seth N. Reid 《Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry》2007,58(3):219-235

Significant photodegradation of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in rainwater was observed after exposure to simulated sunlight. Fluorescence excitation emission spectra (EEMS) of precipitation revealed the presence of four major peaks all of which degraded upon photolysis with the greatest loss in the region characteristic of marine CDOM. Photobleaching of absorbance also occurred in the wavelength region between 250 and 375 nm with the greatest loss of absorbance in the upper end of the UV-A region near 275 nm. There was a strong positive correlation between absorbance loss and total integrated fluorescence loss suggesting these optical properties and the degree to which they are photobleached in rainwater are directly related. The quantum yield of CDOM photodegradation in rainwater decreased dramatically with increasing wavelength and decreasing energy of incoming radiation with the average quantum yield at 325 nm approximately an order of magnitude greater than at 460 nm. The similarity of photolytic response between rainwater and Cape Fear estuarine CDOM indicates that some fraction of the compounds that make up rainwater CDOM may be derived from surface sources and/or that the processes that produce or modify humic-like substances in the atmosphere result in similar types of compounds as non-atmospheric processes.  相似文献   

What explains agricultural performance: climate normals or climate variance?     

Robert Mendelsohn  Alan Basist  Ariel Dinar  Pradeep Kurukulasuriya  Claude Williams 《Climatic change》2007,81(1):85-99

This paper measures the influence of climate normals (average long-term surface wetness and temperature) and interannual climate variance on farms in the United States and Brazil using satellite data. The paper finds that just climate normals or just climate variance variables can explain both net revenues and how much land is used for cropland. However, because they are correlated with each other, it is important to include both normals and variance in the same statistical model to get accurate measures of their individual contribution to farm outcomes. In general, higher climate variance increases the probability that land is used for cropland in both countries and higher temperatures reduce both cropland and land values. Other annual effects were not consistent across the two countries.  相似文献   

Decadal- to interannual-scale source water variations in the Caribbean Sea recorded by Puerto Rican coral radiocarbon     

K. Halimeda Kilbourne  Terrence M. Quinn  Thomas P. Guilderson  Robert S. Webb  Frederick W. Taylor 《Climate Dynamics》2007,29(1):51-62

Water that forms the Florida Current, and eventually the Gulf Stream, coalesces in the Caribbean from both subtropical and equatorial sources. The equatorial sources are made up of, in part, South Atlantic water moving northward and compensating for southward flow at depth related to meridional overturning circulation. Subtropical surface water contains relatively high amounts of radiocarbon (¹⁴C), whereas equatorial waters are influenced by the upwelling of low ¹⁴C water and have relatively low concentrations of ¹⁴C. We use a 250 year record of Δ¹⁴C in a coral from southwestern Puerto Rico along with previously published coral Δ¹⁴C records as tracers of subtropical and equatorial water mixing in the northern Caribbean. Data generated in this study and from other studies indicate that the influence of either of the two water masses can change considerably on interannual to interdecadal time scales. Variability due to ocean dynamics in this region is large relative to variability caused by atmospheric ¹⁴C changes, thus masking the Suess effect at this site. A mixing model produced using coral Δ¹⁴C illustrates the time varying proportion of equatorial versus subtropical waters in the northern Caribbean between 1963 and 1983. The results of the model are consistent with linkages between multidecadal thermal variability in the North Atlantic and meridional overturning circulation. Ekman transport changes related to tradewind variability are proposed as a possible mechanism to explain the observed switches between relatively low and high Δ¹⁴C values in the coral radiocarbon records.  相似文献   

Response of littoral chironomid communities and organic matter to late glacial lake—level,vegetation and climate changes at Lago dell’Accesa (Tuscany,Italy)     

Laurent Millet  Boris Vannière  Valérie Verneaux  Michel Magny  Jean Robert Disnar  Fatima Laggoun-Défarge  Anne Véronique Walter-Simonnet  Gilles Bossuet  Elena Ortu  Jacques-Louis de Beaulieu 《Journal of Paleolimnology》2007,38(4):525-539

This study focuses on the response of lacustrine littoral chironomid communities to late glacial changes in limnological, environmental and climate conditions in the Mediterranean context. Late glacial chironomid (Diptera: Chironomidae) assemblages, organic petrography and geochemistry were analysed in a sediment core from the littoral zone of Lago dell’Accesa (Tuscany, Italy), where the lake-level fluctuations and the vegetation history have been previously reconstructed. Comparison of the chironomid stratigraphy to other proxies (pollen assemblages, organic petrography and geochemistry, lake-level) and regional climate reconstruction suggested the predominant influence of lake-level changes on the littoral chironomid fauna. The main lowering events that occurred during the Oldest and the Younger Dryas were followed by higher proportions of taxa typical of littoral habitats. A complementary study of organic matter suggested the indirect impact of lake-level on the chironomids through changes in humic status and habitat characteristics, such as the type of substrate and aquatic macrophyte development. Several chironomid taxa, such as Glyptotendipes, Microtendipes and Cricotopus type patens, were identified as possible indicators of low lake-level in the late glacial records. Nevertheless, this study suggested that parallel analyses of organic matter and chironomid assemblages may be needed to circumvent misinterpretation of littoral chironomid assemblage stratigraphy. There was a weak response of the chironomid assemblages to small lake-level lowerings that corresponded to the Older Dryas and Preboreal oscillations. A higher level of determination, e.g. to the species group level, may be necessary to increase the sensibility of the indicators to lake-level changes.  相似文献   

Morphology of step-pools in a wilderness headwater stream: The importance of standardizing geomorphic measurements   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Aaron Nickolotsky  Robert T. Pavlowsky   《Geomorphology》2007,83(3-4):294

The morphology of step-pools and cascades reflect the geological and climatic factors affecting channels in mountain watersheds. This study uses longitudinal and cross-section surveys to describe a headwater stream in the Boston Mountains of the Ozarks Plateau region in Arkansas and develop morphological relationships for comparisons with other regions. In the Bowers Hollow Creek watershed (3.5 km²), located within the boundaries of the Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area, step height and wavelength relationships are generally similar to those reported from other regions. Step-pool reaches were widely distributed in a discontinuous manner throughout the watershed. Average values of the sampled reaches are: reach slopes, 0.105 m/m; width, 6.10 m; crest particle sizes, 440 mm; step heights, 0.87 m; and step wavelengths, 6.62 m. The mean step steepness for the watershed was 0.13, whereas the mean length of a reach step to height ratio was 9:1. A comparison of morphological definitions found that the values of step height and steepness can vary by > 30% according to how step parameters are defined. Step height is particularly sensitive; thus, comparison of step height-based relationships from published data requires great care.  相似文献