Geowissenschaften
Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Article (593)
- Doctoral Thesis (139)
- Book (25)
- Contribution to a Periodical (21)
- Conference Proceeding (19)
- Working Paper (19)
- Part of Periodical (10)
- Diploma Thesis (8)
- diplomthesis (7)
- Preprint (6)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (872)
Keywords
- climate change (13)
- Climate change (5)
- Geochemistry (5)
- Klimaänderung (5)
- Atmospheric chemistry (4)
- Boden (4)
- Deutschland (4)
- Klima (4)
- Modellierung (4)
- Stratosphäre (4)
Institute
- Geowissenschaften (872)
- Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft (59)
- Präsidium (49)
- Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiK-F) (45)
- Geographie (26)
- Biowissenschaften (15)
- Medizin (11)
- Physik (7)
- Institut für Ökologie, Evolution und Diversität (6)
- Biochemie und Chemie (5)
- Informatik (5)
- Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) (4)
- Pharmazie (4)
- Gesellschaftswissenschaften (3)
- Mathematik (3)
- Starker Start ins Studium: Qualitätspakt Lehre (3)
- Erziehungswissenschaften (2)
- Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung (ISOE) (2)
- Psychologie (2)
- Sportwissenschaften (2)
- Zentrum für Interdisziplinäre Afrikaforschung (ZIAF) (2)
- Exzellenzcluster Die Herausbildung normativer Ordnungen (1)
- Kulturwissenschaften (1)
- Philosophie und Geschichtswissenschaften (1)
- Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaften (1)
Global warming, changes in the hydrological cycle and enhanced marine primary productivity all have been invoked as having contributed to the occurrence of widespread ocean anoxia during the Cenomanian–Turonian oceanic anoxic event (OAE2; ~94 Ma), but disentangling these factors on a regional scale has remained problematic. In an attempt to separate these forcing factors, we generated palynological and organic geochemical records using a core spanning the OAE2 from Wunstorf, Lower Saxony Basin (LSB; northern Germany), which exhibits cyclic black shale–marl alternations related to the orbital precession cycle.
Despite the widely varying depositional conditions complicating the interpretation of the obtained records, TEX86H indicates that sea-surface temperature (SST) evolution in the LSB during OAE2 resembles that of previously studied sites throughout the proto-North Atlantic. Cooling during the so-called Plenus Cold Event interrupted black shale deposition during the early stages of OAE2. However, TEX86 does not vary significantly across black shale–marl alternations, suggesting that temperature variations did not force the formation of the cyclic black shale horizons. Relative (i.e., with respect to marine palynomorphs) and absolute abundances of pollen and spores are elevated during phases of black shale deposition, indicative of enhanced precipitation and run-off. High abundances of cysts from inferred heterotrophic and euryhaline dinoflagellates supports high run-off, which likely introduced additional nutrients to the epicontinental shelf resulting in elevated marine primary productivity.
We conclude that orbitally forced enhanced precipitation and run-off, in tandem with elevated marine primary productivity, were critical in cyclic black shale formation on the northern European epicontinental shelf and potentially for other OAE2 sections in the proto-Atlantic and Western Interior Seaway at similar latitudes as well.
Global warming, changes in the hydrological cycle and enhanced marine primary productivity all have been invoked to have contributed to the occurrence of widespread ocean anoxia during the Cenomanian-Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE2; ~ 94 Ma), but disentangling these factors on a regional scale has remained problematic. We generated palynological and organic geochemical records that allow the separation of these forcing factors in a core spanning the OAE2 from Wunstorf, Lower Saxony Basin (LSB; North Gemany), which exhibits cyclic black shale–marl alternations related to the orbital precession cycle.
Despite the widely varying depositional conditions complicating the interpretation of the obtained records, TEX86H indicates that sea-surface temperature (SST) evolution in the LSB during OAE2 resembles that of previously studied sites throughout the proto-North Atlantic. Cooling during the so-called Plenus Cold Event interrupted black shale deposition during the early stages of OAE2. However, TEX86 does not vary significantly across marl–black shale alternations, suggesting that temperature variations did not force the formation of the cyclic black shale horizons. Relative (i.e., with respect to marine palynomorphs) and absolute abundances of pollen and spores are elevated during phases of black shale deposition, indicative of enhanced precipitation and run-off. High abundances of cysts from inferred heterotrophic and euryhaline dinoflagellates supports high run-off, which likely introduced additional nutrients to the epicontinental shelf resulting in elevated marine primary productivity.
We conclude that orbitally-forced enhanced precipitation and run-off, in tandem with elevated marine primary productivity, were critical in cyclic black shale formation on the northwest European epicontinental shelf and potentially for other OAE2 sections in the proto-Atlantic and Western Interior Seaway at similar latitudes as well.
The Tarim River basin, located in Xinjiang, NW China, is the largest endorheic river basin in China and one of the largest in all of Central Asia. Due to the extremely arid climate, with an annual precipitation of less than 100 mm, the water supply along the Aksu and Tarim rivers solely depends on river water. This is linked to anthropogenic activities (e.g., agriculture) and natural and semi-natural ecosystems as both compete for water. The ongoing increase in water consumption by agriculture and other human activities in this region has been enhancing the competition for water between human needs and nature. Against this background, 11 German and 6 Chinese universities and research institutes have formed the consortium SuMaRiO (Sustainable Management of River Oases along the Tarim River; http://www.sumario.de), which aims to create a holistic picture of the availability of water resources in the Tarim River basin and the impacts on anthropogenic activities and natural ecosystems caused by the water distribution within the Tarim River basin. On the basis of the results from field studies and modeling approaches as well as from suggestions by the relevant regional stakeholders, a decision support tool (DST) will be implemented that will then assist stakeholders in balancing the competition for water, acknowledging the major external effects of water allocation to agriculture and to natural ecosystems. This consortium was formed in 2011 and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. As the data collection phase was finished this year, the paper presented here brings together the results from the fields from the disciplines of climate modeling, cryology, hydrology, agricultural sciences, ecology, geoinformatics, and social sciences in order to present a comprehensive picture of the effects of different water availability schemes on anthropogenic activities and natural ecosystems along the Tarim River. The second objective is to present the project structure of the whole consortium, the current status of work (i.e., major new results and findings), explain the foundation of the decision support tool as a key product of this project, and conclude with application recommendations for the region. The discharge of the Aksu River, which is the major tributary of the Tarim, has been increasing over the past 6 decades. From 1989 to 2011, agricultural area more than doubled: cotton became the major crop and there was a shift from small-scale to large-scale intensive farming. The ongoing increase in irrigated agricultural land leads to the increased threat of salinization and soil degradation caused by increased evapotranspiration. Aside from agricultural land, the major natural and semi-natural ecosystems are riparian (Tugai) forests, shrub vegetation, reed beds, and other grassland, as well as urban and peri-urban vegetation. Within the SuMaRiO cluster, focus has been set on the Tugai forests, with Populus euphratica as the dominant tree species, because these forests belong to the most productive and species-rich natural ecosystems of the Tarim River basin. At sites close to the groundwater, the annual stem diameter increments of Populus euphratica correlated with the river runoffs of the previous year. However, the natural river dynamics cease along the downstream course and thus hamper the recruitment of Populus euphratica. A study on the willingness to pay for the conservation of the natural ecosystems was conducted to estimate the concern of the people in the region and in China's capital. These household surveys revealed that there is a considerable willingness to pay for conservation of the natural ecosystems, with mitigation of dust and sandstorms considered the most important ecosystem service. Stakeholder dialogues contributed to creating a scientific basis for a sustainable management in the future.
The Tarim River Basin, located in Xinjiang, NW China, is the largest endorheic river basin of China and one of the largest in whole Central Asia. Due to the extremely arid climate with an annual precipitation of less than 100 mm, the water supply along the Aksu and Tarim River solely depends on river water. This applies for anthropogenic activities (e.g. agriculture) as well as for the natural ecosystems so that both compete for water. The on-going increase of water consumption by agriculture and other human activities in this region has been enhancing the competition for water between human needs and nature. Against this background, 11 German and 6 Chinese universities and research institutes formed the consortium SuMaRiO (www.sumario.de), which aims at gaining a holistic picture of the availability of water resources in the Tarim River Basin and the impacts on anthropogenic activities and natural ecosystems caused by the water distribution within the Tarim River Basin. The discharge of the Aksu River, which is the major tributary to the Tarim, has been increasing over the past 6 decades due to enhanced glacier melt. Alone from 1989 to 2011, the area under agriculture more than doubled. Thereby, cotton became the major crop and there was a shift from small-scale farming to large-scale intensive farming. The major natural ecosystems along the Aksu and Tarim River are riparian ecosystems: Riparian (Tugai) forests, shrub vegetation, reed beds, and other grassland. Within the SuMaRiO Cluster the focus was laid on the Tugai forests, with Populus euphratica as dominant tree, because the most productive and species-rich natural ecosystems can be found among those forests. On sites with groundwater distance of less than 7.5 m the annual increments correlated with river runoffs of the previous year. But, the further downstream along the Tarim River, the more the natural river dynamics ceased, which impacts on the recruitment of Populus euphratica. Household surveys revealed that there is a considerable willingness to pay for conservation of those riparian forests with the mitigation of dust and sandstorms considered as the most important ecosystem service. This interdisciplinary project will result in a decision support tool (DST), build on the participation of regional stakeholders and models based on results and field experiments. This DST finally shall assist stakeholders in balancing the water competition acknowledging the major external effects of any water allocation.
The link between atmospheric radicals and newly formed particles at a spruce forest site in Germany
(2014)
It has been claimed for more than a century that atmospheric new particle formation is primarily influenced by the presence of sulfuric acid. However, the activation process of sulfuric acid related clusters into detectable particles is still an unresolved topic. In this study we focus on the PARADE campaign measurements conducted during August/September 2011 at Mt Kleiner Feldberg in central Germany. During this campaign a set of radicals, organic and inorganic compounds and oxidants and aerosol properties were measured or calculated. We compared a range of organic and inorganic nucleation theories, evaluating their ability to simulate measured particle formation rates at 3 nm in diameter (J3) for a variety of different conditions. Nucleation mechanisms involving only sulfuric acid tentatively captured the observed noon-time daily maximum in J3, but displayed an increasing difference to J3 measurements during the rest of the diurnal cycle. Including large organic radicals, i.e. organic peroxy radicals (RO2) deriving from monoterpenes and their oxidation products, in the nucleation mechanism improved the correlation between observed and simulated J3. This supports a recently proposed empirical relationship for new particle formation that has been used in global models. However, the best match between theory and measurements for the site of interest was found for an activation process based on large organic peroxy radicals and stabilised Criegee intermediates (sCI). This novel laboratory-derived algorithm simulated the daily pattern and intensity of J3 observed in the ambient data. In this algorithm organic derived radicals are involved in activation and growth and link the formation rate of smallest aerosol particles with OH during daytime and NO3 during night-time. Because the RO2 lifetime is controlled by HO2 and NO we conclude that peroxy radicals and NO seem to play an important role for ambient radical chemistry not only with respect to oxidation capacity but also for the activation process of new particle formation. This is supposed to have significant impact of atmospheric radical species on aerosol chemistry and should be taken into account when studying the impact of new particles in climate feedback cycles.
We present the application of Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (TOF MS) for the analysis of halocarbons in the atmosphere, after cryogenic sample preconcentration and gas chromatographic separation. For the described field of application, the Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (QP MS) is the state-of-the-art detector. This work aims at comparing two commercially available instruments, a QP MS and a TOF MS with respect to mass resolution, mass accuracy, sensitivity, measurement precision and detector linearity. Both mass spectrometers are operated on the same gas chromatographic system by splitting the column effluent to both detectors. The QP MS had to be operated in optimised Single Ion Monitoring (SIM) mode to achieve a sensitivity which could compete with the TOF MS. The TOF MS provided full mass range information in any acquired mass spectrum without losing sensitivity. Whilst the QP MS showed the performance already achieved in earlier tests, the sensitivity of the TOF MS was on average higher than that of the QP MS in the "operational" SIM mode by a factor of up to 3 reaching detection limits of less than 0.2 pg. Measurement precision determined for the whole analytical system was up to 0.2% depending on substance and sampled volume. The TOF MS instrument used for this study displayed significant non-linearities of up to 10% for two third of all analysed substances.
Immersion freezing is the most relevant heterogeneous ice nucleation mechanism through which ice crystals are formed in mixed-phase clouds. In recent years, an increasing number of laboratory experiments utilizing a variety of instruments have examined immersion freezing activity of atmospherically relevant ice-nucleating particles. However, an intercomparison of these laboratory results is a difficult task because investigators have used different ice nucleation (IN) measurement methods to produce these results. A remaining challenge is to explore the sensitivity and accuracy of these techniques and to understand how the IN results are potentially influenced or biased by experimental parameters associated with these techniques.
Within the framework of INUIT (Ice Nuclei Research Unit), we distributed an illite-rich sample (illite NX) as a representative surrogate for atmospheric mineral dust particles to investigators to perform immersion freezing experiments using different IN measurement methods and to obtain IN data as a function of particle concentration, temperature (T), cooling rate and nucleation time. A total of 17 measurement methods were involved in the data intercomparison. Experiments with seven instruments started with the test sample pre-suspended in water before cooling, while 10 other instruments employed water vapor condensation onto dry-dispersed particles followed by immersion freezing. The resulting comprehensive immersion freezing data set was evaluated using the ice nucleation active surface-site density, ns, to develop a representative ns(T) spectrum that spans a wide temperature range (−37 °C < T < −11 °C) and covers 9 orders of magnitude in ns.
In general, the 17 immersion freezing measurement techniques deviate, within a range of about 8 °C in terms of temperature, by 3 orders of magnitude with respect to ns. In addition, we show evidence that the immersion freezing efficiency expressed in ns of illite NX particles is relatively independent of droplet size, particle mass in suspension, particle size and cooling rate during freezing. A strong temperature dependence and weak time and size dependence of the immersion freezing efficiency of illite-rich clay mineral particles enabled the ns parameterization solely as a function of temperature. We also characterized the ns(T) spectra and identified a section with a steep slope between −20 and −27 °C, where a large fraction of active sites of our test dust may trigger immersion freezing. This slope was followed by a region with a gentler slope at temperatures below −27 °C. While the agreement between different instruments was reasonable below ~ −27 °C, there seemed to be a different trend in the temperature-dependent ice nucleation activity from the suspension and dry-dispersed particle measurements for this mineral dust, in particular at higher temperatures. For instance, the ice nucleation activity expressed in ns was smaller for the average of the wet suspended samples and higher for the average of the dry-dispersed aerosol samples between about −27 and −18 °C. Only instruments making measurements with wet suspended samples were able to measure ice nucleation above −18 °C. A possible explanation for the deviation between −27 and −18 °C is discussed. Multiple exponential distribution fits in both linear and log space for both specific surface area-based ns(T) and geometric surface area-based ns(T) are provided. These new fits, constrained by using identical reference samples, will help to compare IN measurement methods that are not included in the present study and IN data from future IN instruments.
This paper presents results from the "INUIT-JFJ/CLACE 2013" field campaign at the high alpine research station Jungfraujoch in January/February 2013. The chemical composition of ice particle residuals (IPR) in a size diameter range of 200–900 nm was measured in orographic, convective and non-convective clouds with a single particle mass spectrometer (ALABAMA) under ambient conditions characterized by temperatures between −28 and −4 °C and wind speed from 0.1 to 21 km h−1. Additionally, background aerosol particles in cloud free air were investigated. The IPR were sampled from mixed-phase clouds with two inlets which selectively extract small ice crystals in-cloud, namely the Counterflow Virtual Impactor (Ice-CVI) and the Ice Selective Inlet (ISI). The IPR as well as the aerosol particles were classified into seven different particle types: (1) black carbon, (2) organic carbon, (3) black carbon internally mixed with organic carbon, (4) minerals, (5) one particle group (termed "BioMinSal") that may contain biological particles, minerals, or salts, (6) industrial metals, and (7) lead containing particles. For any sampled particle population it was determined by means of single particle mass spectrometer how many of the analyzed particles belonged to each of these categories. Accordingly, between 20 and 30% of the IPR and roughly 42% of the background particles contained organic carbon. The measured fractions of minerals in the IPR composition varied from 6 to 33%, while the values for the "BioMinSal" group were between 15 and 29%. Four percent to 31% of the IPR contained organic carbon mixed with black carbon. Both inlets delivered similar results of the chemical composition and of the particle size distribution, although lead was found only in the IPR sampled by the Ice-CVI. The results show that the ice particle residual composition varies substantially between different cloud events, which indicates the influence of different meteorological conditions, such as origin of the air masses, temperature and wind speed.
Irrigation intensifies land use by increasing crop yield but also impacts water resources. It affects water and energy balances and consequently the microclimate in irrigated regions. Therefore, knowledge of the extent of irrigated land is important for hydrological and crop modelling, global change research, and assessments of resource use and management. Information on the historical evolution of irrigated lands is limited. The new global historical irrigation data set (HID) provides estimates of the temporal development of the area equipped for irrigation (AEI) between 1900 and 2005 at 5 arcmin resolution. We collected sub-national irrigation statistics from various sources and found that the global extent of AEI increased from 63 million ha (Mha) in 1900 to 111 Mha in 1950 and 306 Mha in 2005. We developed eight gridded versions of time series of AEI by combining sub-national irrigation statistics with different data sets on the historical extent of cropland and pasture. Different rules were applied to maximize consistency of the gridded products to sub-national irrigation statistics or to historical cropland and pasture data sets. The HID reflects very well the spatial patterns of irrigated land as shown on historical maps for the western United States (around year 1900) and on a global map (around year 1960). Mean aridity on irrigated land increased and mean natural river discharge on irrigated land decreased from 1900 to 1950 whereas aridity decreased and river discharge remained approximately constant from 1950 to 2005. The data set and its documentation are made available in an open-data repository at https://mygeohub.org/publications/8 (doi:10.13019/M20599).
During January/February 2013, at the High Alpine Research Station Jungfraujoch a measurement campaign was carried out, which was centered on atmospheric ice-nucleating particles (INP) and ice particle residuals (IPR). Three different techniques for separation of INP and IPR from the non-ice-active particles are compared. The Ice Selective Inlet (ISI) and the Ice Counterflow Virtual Impactor (Ice-CVI) sample ice particles from mixed phase clouds and allow for the analysis of the residuals. The combination of the Fast Ice Nucleus Chamber (FINCH) and the Ice Nuclei Pumped Counterflow Virtual Impactor (IN-PCVI) provides ice-activating conditions to aerosol particles and extracts the activated INP for analysis.Collected particles were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis to determine size, chemical composition and mixing state. All INP/IPR-separating techniques had considerable abundances (median 20 – 70 %) of instrumental contamination artifacts (ISI: Si-O spheres, probably calibration aerosol; Ice-CVI: Al-O particles; FINCH+IN-PCVI: steel particles). Also, potential sampling artifacts (e.g., pure soluble material) occurred with a median abundance of < 20 %. While these could be explained as IPR by ice break-up, for INP their IN-ability pathway is less clear. After removal of the contamination artifacts, silicates and Ca-rich particles, carbonaceous material and metal oxides were the major INP/IPR particle types separated by all three techniques. Soot was a minor contributor. Lead was detected in less than 10 % of the particles, of which the majority were internal mixtures with other particle types. Sea-salt and sulfates were identified by all three methods as INP/IPR. Most samples showed a maximum of the INP/IPR size distribution at 400 nm geometric diameter. In a few cases, a second super-micron maximum was identified. Soot/carbonaceous material and metal oxides were present mainly in the submicron range. ISI and FINCH yielded silicates and Ca-rich particles mainly with diameters above 1 μm, while the Ice-CVI also separated many submicron IPR. As strictly parallel sampling could not be performed, a part of the discrepancies between the different techniques may result from variations in meteorological conditions and subsequent INP/IPR composition. The observed differences in the particle group abundances as well as in the mixing state of INP/IPR express the need for further studies to better understand the influence of the separating techniques on the INP/IPR chemical
composition.
Global warming, changes in the hydrological cycle and enhanced marine primary productivity all have been invoked to have contributed to the occurrence of widespread ocean anoxia during the Cenomanian-Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE2; ~ 94 Ma), but disentangling these factors on a regional scale has remained problematic. We generated palynological and organic geochemical records that allow the separation of these forcing factors in a core spanning the OAE2 from Wunstorf, Lower Saxony Basin (LSB; North Gemany), which exhibits cyclic black shale–marl alternations related to the orbital precession cycle.
Despite the widely varying depositional conditions complicating the interpretation of the obtained records, TEX86H indicates that sea-surface temperature (SST) evolution in the LSB during OAE2 resembles that of previously studied sites throughout the proto-North Atlantic. Cooling during the so-called Plenus Cold Event interrupted black shale deposition during the early stages of OAE2. However, TEX86 does not vary significantly across marl–black shale alternations, suggesting that temperature variations did not force the formation of the cyclic black shale horizons. Relative (i.e., with respect to marine palynomorphs) and absolute abundances of pollen and spores are elevated during phases of black shale deposition, indicative of enhanced precipitation and run-off. High abundances of cysts from inferred heterotrophic and euryhaline dinoflagellates supports high run-off, which likely introduced additional nutrients to the epicontinental shelf resulting in elevated marine primary productivity.
We conclude that orbitally-forced enhanced precipitation and run-off, in tandem with elevated marine primary productivity, were critical in cyclic black shale formation on the northwest European epicontinental shelf and potentially for other OAE2 sections in the proto-Atlantic and Western Interior Seaway at similar latitudes as well.
The Late Cretaceous is known to be mostly affected by warm periods interrupted temporarily by a number of cooling events. The reconstruction of the paleoclimatic conditions during a period of high concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is of great importance for the creation of future climate models. We applied the recently developed method reconstructing the SST from the TEX86 (TetraEther indeX of tetraethers consisting of 86 carbon atoms).
The sample material used for the present study was obtained from the tropical Late Cretaceous southern Tethys upwelling system (Negev/Israel), lasting from the Late Santonian to the Early Maastrichtian (~ 85 to 68 Ma). On the core samples from the Shefela basin, representing the outer belt of the upwelling system and the outcrop profile from the open mine Mishor Rotem (Efe Syncline), representing the inner belt, various bulk geochemical and biomarker studies were performed in this thesis.
Derived from TEX86 data, a significant long-term SST cooling trend from 36.0 to 29.3 °C is recognized during the Late Santonian and the Early Campanian in the southern Tethys margin. This is consistent with the opening and deepening of the Equatorial Atlantic Gateway (EAG) and the intrusion of cooler deep water from the southern Atlantic Ocean influencing the global SSTs and also the Tethys Ocean. Furthermore, the cooler near shore SST usually found in modern upwelling systems could be verified in case of the ancient upwelling system investigated in the present study. The calculated mean SST in the inner belt (27.7 °C) represented in the Efe Syncline was 1.5 °C cooler in comparison to the more seaward located outer belt (Shefela basin).
Moreover, geochemical and biomarker analyses were used to identify both the accumulation of high amounts of phosphate in the PM and good preservation of organic matter (OM) in the lower part of the OSM section. Total organic carbon (TOC) contents are highly variable over the whole profile reaching from 0.6 % in the MM, to 24.5 % in the OSM. Total iron (TFe) varies from 0.1 % in the PM to 3.3 % in the OSM and total sulfur (TS) varies between 0.1 % in the MM and 3.4 % in the OSM. Different correlations of TS, TOC and TFe were used to identify the conditions during the deposition of the different facies types. Natural sulfurization was found to play a key role in the preservation of the OM particularly in the lower part of the OSM. Samples from the OSM and the PM were deposited under dysoxic to anoxic conditions and iron limitation lasted during the deposition of the OSM and the PM, which effected the incorporation of sulfur into OM.
Phosphorus is highly accumulated in the sediments of the PM with a mean proportion of 11.5 % total phosphorus (TP), which is drastically reduced to a mean value of 0.9 % in the OSM and the MM. From the correlation of the bulk geochemical parameters TOC/TOCOR ratio and TP a major contribution of sulfate reducing bacteria to the phosphate deposition is concluded. This interrelation has previously been investigated in recent coastal upwelling systems off Peru, Chile, California and Namibia. This was further supported by the analysis of branched and monounsaturated fatty acids indicating the occurrence of sulfate reducing and sulfide oxidizing bacteria during the deposition.
According to the results from the analysis of n-alkanes and C27- to C29-steranes up to 95 % of the OM was of marine origin.
Organic sulfur compounds (OSC) were a major compound class in the aromatic hydrocarbon fraction and n-Alkyl and isoprenoid thiophenes were the most abundant, with highest amounts found for 2-methyl-5-tridecyl-thiophene (28 µg/g TOC). The relatively high abundance of ββ-C35 hopanoid thiophenes and epithiosteranes is equivalent to an incorporation of sulfur during the early stages of diagenesis.
Moreover, the geochemical parameters δ13Corg, δ15Norg, C/N and the pristane/phytane (Pr/Ph) ratio, were studied for reconstruction of seafloor and water column depositional environments. The high C/N ratio along with relatively low values of δ15Norg (4 ‰ to 6 ‰) and δ13Corg (-29 ‰ to -28 ‰) are consistent with a significant preferential loss of nitrogen-rich organic compounds during diagenesis. Oxygen-depleted conditions lasted during the deposition of the PM and the bottom of the OSM, reflected by the low Pr/Ph ratio of 0.11–0.7. In the upper part of the OSM and the MM the conditions changed from anoxic to dysoxic or oxic conditions. This environmental trend is consistent with co-occurring foraminiferal assemblages in the studied succession and implies that the benthic species in the Negev sequence were adapted to persistent minimum oxygen conditions by performing complete denitrification as recently found in many modern benthic foraminifera.
Furthermore, the anammox process could have influenced the nitrogen composition of the sediments. In this anaerobically process nitrite and ammonia are converted to molecular nitrogen.
Background: The presence of the recently introduced primary dengue virus vector mosquito Aedes aegypti in Nepal, in association with the likely indigenous secondary vector Aedes albopictus, raises public health concerns. Chikungunya fever cases have also been reported in Nepal, and the virus causing this disease is also transmitted by these mosquito species. Here we report the results of a study on the risk factors for the presence of chikungunya and dengue virus vectors, their elevational ceiling of distribution, and climatic determinants of their abundance in central Nepal.
Methodology/Principal findings: We collected immature stages of mosquitoes during six monthly cross-sectional surveys covering six administrative districts along an altitudinal transect in central Nepal that extended from Birgunj (80 m above sea level [asl]) to Dhunche (highest altitude sampled: 2,100 m asl). The dengue vectors Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were commonly found up to 1,350 m asl in Kathmandu valley and were present but rarely found from 1,750 to 2,100 m asl in Dhunche. The lymphatic filariasis vector Culex quinquefasciatus was commonly found throughout the study transect. Physiographic region, month of collection, collection station and container type were significant predictors of the occurrence and co-occurrence of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. The climatic variables rainfall, temperature, and relative humidity were significant predictors of chikungunya and dengue virus vectors abundance.
Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that chikungunya and dengue virus vectors have already established their populations up to the High Mountain region of Nepal and that this may be attributed to the environmental and climate change that has been observed over the decades in Nepal. The rapid expansion of the distribution of these important disease vectors in the High Mountain region, previously considered to be non-endemic for dengue and chikungunya fever, calls for urgent actions to protect the health of local people and tourists travelling in the central Himalayas.
Das Thema dieser Arbeit war die Untersuchung der natürlichen Variationen von den zwei primordialen Uranisotopen (238U und 235U) mit einem Schwerpunkt auf Proben, die (1) die kontinentale Kruste und ihre Verwitterungsprodukte (d.h. Granite, Shales und Flusswasser) repräsentieren, (2) Produkte der hydrothermalen Alteration vom mittelozeanischen Rücken widerspiegeln (d.h. alterierte Basalte, Karbonatgänge und hydrothermales Wasser) und (3) aus abgegrenzten euxinischen Becken (d.h. Proben aus der Wassersäule und den dazugehörigen Sedimenten) stammen. Das allgemeine Ziel war das Verständnis, unter welchen Bedingungen und Mechanismen eine Fraktionierung der zwei häufigsten Uranisotope (238U und 235U) in der Natur erfolgt, zu verbessern.
Die untersuchten Haupt- und Nebenflüsse unterscheiden sich sowohl in Ihrer Urankonzentration (c(U)) als auch in Ihrer Uranisotopenzusammensetzung (δ238U), wobei die Nebenflüsse eine geringere Urankonzentration (0.87 nmol/kg bis 3.08 nmol/kg) und eine schwerere Uranisotopenzusammensetzung aufweisen (-0.29 ‰ bis +0.01 ‰ im δ238U) im Vergleich zu den Hauptflüssen (c(U) = 5.19 nmol/kg bis 11.69 nmol/kg und d238U = -0.31 ‰ bis +0.13 ‰) aufweisen. Die untersuchten Gesteinsproben fallen alle in einen recht schmalen Bereich von δ238U, zwischen -0.45 ‰ und -0.21 ‰, mit einem Durchschnittswert von -0.30 ‰ ± 0.04 ‰ (doppelte Standardabweichung). Deren Uranisotopenvariationen sind unabhängig von der Urankonzentration (11.8 µg/g bis 1.3 µg/g), dem Alter (3.80 Ga bis 328 Ma), der Probenlokalität und Grad der Differenzierung. Basierend auf den Ergebnissen der Hauptflüsse, die die Uranhauptquelle für den Ozean darstellen, schlagen wir für zukünftige Berechnungen in der Massenbilanz des Urans einen neuen Wert als beste Abschätzung für die Quelle des Urans im Ozean vor, δ238U = -0.23 ‰.
Die Produkte der hydrothermalen Alteration, alterierte Basalte und Kalziumkarbonatgänge, zeigten etwas stärkere Isotopenvariationen (δ238U zwischen -0.63 ‰ und +0.27 ‰) als erwartet und die hydrothermalen Fluide wiesen eine etwas leichtere Uranisotopenzusammensetzung als Meerwasser ((-0.43 ± 0.25) ‰ vs. (-0.37 ± 0.03) ‰) auf. Diese Ergebnisse sind in Übereinstimmung mit einem Modell, dass annimmt, dass die beobachtete Isotopenfraktionierung hauptsächlich ein Ergebnis von Redoxprozessen ist, z.B. die partielle Reduktion von löslichem UVI aus dem Meerwasser während der hydrothermalen Alteration, was zu einer Anreicherung der schweren Uranisotope in der reduzierten Uranspezies (UIV) führt und 2) das bevorzugte Entfernen von UIV aus den hydrothermalen Fluid und der Einbau in die alterierte ozeanische Kruste. Durch diesen Prozess wird das hydrothermale Fluid an schweren Uranisotopen verarmt und somit würden auch die alterierten Basalte und Karbonate ein niedriges δ238U aufweisen, wenn sie mit dem isotopisch leichten hydrothermalen Fluid in Kontakt gekommen sind.
Die Untersuchung von Wasser- und Sedimentproben aus der Ostsee und dem anoxischen Kyllaren Fjord (Norwegen) auf deren Uran- und Mo-Isotopenzusammensetzung zeigte, dass die Uranisotopenzusammensetzung der Sedimente abhängt von (1) dem Ausmaß des Uranaustrags aus der Wassersäule (in einer ähnlichen Art und Weise wie bei den Molybdänisotopen) und (2) der Sedimentationsrate, d.h. der Fraktion von authigenem- relativ zum dedritischen Uran in den Sedimenten. Aufgrund der hohen Sedimentationsrate zeigen die Sedimente aus dem Kyllaren Fjord nur eine moderate authigene Urananreicherung und eine leichtere Uranisotopenzusammensetzung als Sedimente aus dem Schwarzen Meer. In den anoxischen Becken der Ostsee erfolgt dagegen eine starke Mo- und schwache U-Isotopenfraktionierung zwischen Wasser und Sediment. Durch die regelmäßigen auftretenden Spülereignisse mit sauerstoffreichem Wasser wurden vermutlich die ursprünglichen anoxischen Mo- und U-Isotopensignaturen der Sedimente verändert. Demzufolge müssen die Sedimente durchgehend anoxischen Bedingungen ausgesetzt sein, um eine Mo- und U-Isotopensignatur von den Redoxbedingungen während der Ablagerungen zu speichern.
Der Vergleich zwischen Molybdän- und Uranisotopen in der Ostsee und dem anoxischen Kyllaren Fjord zeigte, dass sich Uran- und Molybdänisotope in stark euxinischen Wassersäulen (c(H2S) > 11 µmol/L) entgegengesetzt verhalten. Dementsprechend ergänzen sich die beiden Isotopensysteme und können genutzt werden, um die Ablagerungsbedingungen in abgeschlossenen Becken und die Redoxentwicklung des Paläoozeans zu untersuchen.
The Sahel has been the focus of scientific interest in environmental-human dynamics and interactions. The objective of the present study is to contribute to the recent debate on the re-greening of Sahel. The paper examines the dynamics of barren land in the Sahel of Burkina Faso through analysis of remotely-sensed and rainfall data from 1975–2011. Discussions with farmers and land management staff have helped to understand the anthropogenic efforts toward soil restoration to enable the subsistence farming agriculture. Results showed that area of barren land has been fluctuating during the study period with approximately 10-year cyclicity. Similarly, rainfall, both at national and local levels has followed the same trends. The trends of the area of barren land and rainfall variability suggest that when rainfall increases, the area of barren land decreases and barren land increases when rainfall decreases. This implies that rainfall is one of the main factors driving the change in area of barren land. In addition, humans have contributed positively and negatively to the change by restoring barren lands for agriculture using locally known techniques and by accelerating land degradation through intensive and inappropriate land use practices.
Die Anwendung der WKB-Theorie zur Simulation der schwach nichtlinearen Dynamik von Schwerewellen
(2014)
Es ist schon seit Längerem bekannt, dass Schwerewellen die Zirkulation der mittleren Atmosphäre beeinflussen. Sie werden fast ausschließlich in der Troposphäre durch Prozesse wie Gebirgsüberströmung, Konvektionen, Frontogenese etc. erzeugt. Sie propagieren von ihrem Entstehungsort in der Troposphäre in die höheren Schichten der Atmosphäre und transportieren dabei ihre Energie und ihren Impuls. Unter der Voraussetzung, dass die Energie von Schwerewellen erhalten bleibt und die Dichte der Atmosphäre mit der Höhe exponentiell abnimmt, wächst die Amplitude der Schwerewellen so stark an, dass sie brechen und ihren Impuls in Stratosphäre und Mesosphäre deponieren. Als Folge davon beeinflussen Schwerewellen die großräumige Zirkulation der Atmosphäre und sind damit ein wichtiges Bindeglied, welches die Troposphäre mit anderen Atmosphärenbereichen verbindet. Folglich ist es wichtig, dass die Klima- und Wettermodelle in der Lage sind, die Schwerewellendynamik zu beschreiben. Bedauerlicherweise können diese Modelle nicht das komplette Schwerewellenspektrum auflösen. Somit müssen Schwerewellen in den Modellen parametrisiert werden. Viele Parametrisierungsschemen basieren auf Wentzel-Kramer-Brillouin(WKB)-Theorie. Die WKB-Gleichungen, die sogenannten Strahlengleichungen, beschreiben die räumliche und zeitliche Variation der Welleneigenschaften wie Wellenzahl, Wellenamplitude und Wellenfrequenz entlang der Charakteristiken, welche durch die lokale Gruppengeschwindigkeit vorgegeben sind. Die numerische Modelle, die auf den Strahlengleichungen basieren, werden als Strahlenmodelle bezeichnet. In Strahlenmodellen werden Schwerewellen durch Wellenteilchen dargestellt. Zur Zeit verwenden die Strahlenmodelle stationäre Strahlengleichungen, da die Wechselwirkung eines zeitabhängigen Schwerewellenfeldes mit einem zeit- und ortsabhängigen Hintergrund zu Problemen in Strahlenmodellen führen kann. Die Strahlengleichungen basieren auf der Annahme, dass sich nie zwei Wellenteilchen mit den unterschiedlichen Welleneigenschaften an einer Position befinden können. Wenn an einer Position zwei Wellenteilchen mit den unterschiedlichen Wellenzahlen befinden, entsteht sogenannte Kaustik: ein Punkt im Raum, an dem sich mehrere Charakteristiken kreuzen. Wenn eine Kaustik entsteht, kann die Wellenamplitude nicht mehr bestimmt werden. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es mithilfe der WKB-Theorie die Ausbreitung von Schwerewellenpaketen in einer raum- und zeitabhängigen Hintergrundströmung zu beschreiben und ein numerisches Modell zu entwickeln, welches die Schwerewellen parametrisieren und ihre Wechselwirkung mit der raum- und zeitabhängigen Hintergrundströmung beschreiben kann.
Einfachheitshalber wird in dieser Arbeit nur die Wechselwirkung zwischen horizontal periodischen, vertikal lokalisierten Schwerewellenpaketen und der raum- und zeitabhängigen Hintergrundströmung betrachtet.
Interpretation magnetotellurischer Messungen auf Island und 3D-Modellierungen des Island-Plumes
(2014)
Die Lage und der geologische Aufbau Islands sind eine einmalige geologische und geophysikalische Besonderheit - nur hier liegt der Mittelatlantische Rücken deutlich oberhalb des Meeresspiegels. Eine Theorie ist, dass unter Island ein sogenannter Hotspot existiert - ein aufsteigender Mantelplume (oder eine andere Temperatur- und Schmelzanomalie). Das bedeutet, dass die Tektonik, die Petrologie und die (geo)physikalischen Parameter von der Wechselwirkung der Meeresbodenspreizung mit dem aufsteigenden Mantelplume bestimmt werden. Die magnetotellurischen Untersuchungen auf Island und die magnetotellurischen Modelle der vorliegenden Arbeit lassen sich nach Zieltiefen unterteilen. Im ersten Teil steht vor allem die Untersuchung der Leitfähigkeitsstruktur des oberen Erdmantels im Vordergrund, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf Modellstudien liegt. Hier wird die Theorie des aufsteigenden Mantelplumes aufgegriffen und hinsichtlich der Möglichkeiten der Magnetotellurik (MT) diesen zu detektieren, untersucht. In dieser Arbeit werden deshalb verschiedene synthetische 3D-Modelle untersucht. Diese sollen klären, unter welchen Bedingungen, d.h. bei welcher Tiefenlage, Ausdehnung und Leitfähigkeit, ein Mantelplume in der Magnetotellurik messbare Signale liefert. Da Temperatur und Schmelzanteil hierbei eine entscheidende Rolle spielen, werden auch Ergebnisse von geodynamischen Modellierungen verwendet. Die verschiedenen Modellierungen machen deutlich, dass der Plume in Modellen mit maximal 1% Schmelzanteil nur sehr schlecht mit der MT aufgelöst werden kann. Ein weiteres Problem ist die relativ geringe laterale Ausdehnung des Bereichs hoher Leitfähigkeit. Insbesondere bei Berücksichtigung des Krustenleiters liegen die Effekte des Plumes im Bereich der Messfehler bei realen Daten. Erst bei 3% Schmelzanteil im Plume ergeben sich Charakteristiken in den Sondierungskurven, die eindeutig dem Plume zugeordnet werden können. Im zweiten Teil liegt das Augenmerk auf der Leitfähigkeitsstruktur der isländischen Kruste, für deren Untersuchung ca. 200 Datensätze aus zahlreichen deutsch-isländischen Messkampagnen zur Verfügung stehen. In dieser Arbeit werden sie ganzheitlich ausgewertet und interpretiert. Hier steht im Speziellen der in verschiedenen früheren Untersuchungen gefundene gute Leiter in ca. 10 km Tiefe im Vordergrund. Seine Ausdehnung, Tiefenlage und Leitfähigkeit sowie laterale Änderungen werden genauer untersucht. Dazu werden aus den gemessenen Daten und den daraus ermittelten magnetotellurischen Impedanztensoren nicht nur die Sondierungskurven, sondern weitere Parameter wie Phasentensoren und Rotationsinvarianten abgeleitet und diskutiert. Um einen Überblick über die räumliche Verteilung der Untergrundstrukturen zu erhalten, werden die einzelnen Messpunkte charakterisiert und Stationen mit ähnlichem Verhalten in Gruppen zusammengefasst. 1D- und 2D- Inversionsmodelle liefern einen direkten Hinweis auf die Leitfähigkeitsverteilung. Diese zeigt ausgeprägte laterale Änderungen. Aus den 2D-Modellen ergeben sich Hinweise, die darauf schließen lassen, dass diese Zone niedrigen Widerstands nicht durchgängig oder geschlossen sein muss, um die gemessenen Daten zu erklären. Der gute Leiter scheint weniger mit der Aufwölbung durch den vermuteten Mantelplume oder eine andere tiefer liegende Schmelzanomalie korreliert zu sein. Die lateralen und vertikalen Variationen lassen auf einen Zusammenhang mit den Vulkansystemen auf Island schließen. Darauf deuten auch die Induktionsvektoren hin, die lateral betrachtet stark variieren. Ein weiteres Ergebnis ist das Fehlen dieses Krustenleiters in einem mindestens 20km breiten Streifen entlang der Südküste.