Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stratigraphic architecture and infill history of a deglaciated bedrock valley based on georadar, seismic profiling and drilling

The sediment fill of a silled bedrock valley in Western Norway has been investigated with respect to stratigraphy and infill history using a combination of mapping, georadar, seismic profiling and drilling. A small outlet glacier occupies the head of the valley that displays a stepwise down‐valley profile and terminates in a lake at 29 m above sea‐level. The valley is surrounded by high, steep bedrock slopes and is characterized by a series of filled basins each limited by sills of bedrock or moraine accumulations. Till, glacial outwash and/or rockslide deposits fill in the lower half of the two larger basins. (Fan) delta deposits fringed by the deposits of alluvial fans and colluvial cones dominate the upper fill of most basins. (Fan) delta deposits interfinger downstream with lake sediments in the larger basins and fluvial deposits comprise the top fill. The overall infill pattern was controlled by deglaciation as well as basin size and shape. An overall decreasing sediment supply following deglaciation is shown in the fill of a larger basin down‐valley, whereas a recently increasing sediment supply during glacier growth is reflected primarily in an upstream basin. Only the lowermost basin was exposed to a sea‐level drop from 75 m above sea‐level to the present lake level associated with incision and river migration. This observation is in contrast to the basins above marine influence where incision has been limited due to fixed downstream sills resulting in insignificant erosion except for some fan‐head entrenchment. It follows that the fills of these small valley basins display progradational and aggradational trends of deposition and paraglacial reworking has been limited. Additionally, the study demonstrates that georadar profiling, combined with other methods, is very useful for comprehensive investigation of valley basins.
Association of the Rainy Season Precipitation with Low-Level Meridional Wind in the Yangtze River Valley and North China

AbstractThis study first used measurements to establish the association between the rainy season precipitation in the Yangtze River valley (YRV) and north China (NC) and the 850-hPa meridional wind, and then evaluated the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) models’ simulations of both the associations and precipitation amount. It is shown that there exists a statistically significant positive correlation in the June–July precipitation and wind gradient over the YRV, and in the July–August precipitation and wind over NC. These associations are robust at daily, monthly, and interannual scales. Although many models are found to be capable of simulating the associations, the precipitation amount is still quite inadequate when compared with observations, thus raising the issue of the importance of lower-level wind simulations.
Computer‐aided interpretation of side‐looking sonar images from the eastern intersection of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge with the Kane Transform

Approximately 600 km2 of Deep-Tow side-looking sonar data were collected at the eastern intersection of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with the Kane Transform. The merged digital image mosaic provides a synoptic view of the oceanic crust exposed across major escarpments at this ridge-transform intersection (RTI). We characterized this large acoustic data set using textural attributes extracted from the backscatter image by means of a gray level co occurrence matrix method and Fourier fractal analysis. False-color texture attribute maps created from these methods aid in the interpretation and discrimination of surficial deposits and bedrock units on the seafloor. Principal components analysis performed on the textural attributes reduced the dimensionality of the textural feature vector and optimized imago texture discrimination. The textural attributes were calibrated to ground truth geologic data and extrapolated to regions with no ground data. The resultant texture and classification maps are consistent with the results of submersible studies but reveal more details of the seafloor geology than the conventional visual interpretation of the backscatter image and ground geologic observations. The inferred distribution of gabbros, basalts, surficial sediments, and rubble deposits shown in the classification map provides new constraints on seafloor geology at the eastern Kane RTI. Over 60% of the southern transform valley wall is covered by pelagic sediments and talus or rubble deposits, with intermittent exposures of coarse-grained gabbroic rocks and basaltic volcanic rocks. The western rift valley wall is classified as mainly massive outcrops of gabbroic rocks. The contact between the gabbroic outcrops on the western rift valley wall and the pillow basalt terrane on the rift valley floor can be traced for several kilometers along the base of the median valley wall. This new perspective supports the interpretation of the “inside-corner massif” as an “oceanic core complex” which is being degraded by mass wasting along tectonically active escarpments of the bounding median valley and transform valley walls.
Comparison of the SST-Forced Responses between Coupled and Uncoupled Climate Simulations

AbstractIt is commonly assumed that a reasonable estimate of the SST-forced component of the observed atmospheric circulation is given by an atmospheric GCM (AGCM) forced with the observed SST. However, there are results that find different SST-forced responses from the observed, for example for the ENSO–monsoon relationship, and suggest that these differences are due to lack of coupling to the ocean rather than atmospheric model bias unrelated to coupling. Here, the coupling issue is isolated and examined through perfect model experiments. A coupled atmosphere–ocean GCM (CGCM) simulation and an AGCM simulation forced by the SST from the CGCM are compared to examine whether the SST-forced responses are the same. This question cannot be addressed directly, since the SST‐forced response of the CGCM is a priori unknown. Therefore, two indirect tests are applied, based on the assumption that the noise decorrelation time scale is short compared to a month.The first test is to compare the time-lagged linear reg.
Structural Characteristics and Radiative Properties of Tropical Cloud Clusters

Abstract By identifying individual tropical cloud clusters in eight months of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project data, the size distribution, average cloud properties, and their variation with system size in tropical convective systems (CS) is examined. The geographic distribution of CS shows a concentration over land areas in the summer hemisphere with little seasonal variation except for the major shift of location into the summer hemisphere. When the tropics are considered as a whole or a region is considered over a whole season, CS of all sizes (from individual convective towers at 2–20 km to the largest mesoscale systems at 200–2000 km) form a continuous size distribution where the area covered by the clouds in each size range is approximately the same. Land CS show a small excess of the smallest CS and a small deficit of the largest CS in comparison to ocean CS. Average CS cloud properties suggest two major cloud types: one with lower cloud-top pressures and much higher optical th.
Glacial Lake development and marine inundation, Deer Lake area, Newfoundland, Canada: Topographically controlled deglaciation of an interior Basin

A large interior basin in west-central Newfoundland (covering the area of modern Deer Lake, Grand Lake, Sandy Lake and Birchy Lake) is connected to the sea by a narrow breach of a coastal mountain range. During retreat of Late Wisconsinan glaciers, this basin was occupied by a short-lived glacial lake impounded by remnant ice in coastal fjords, and drained by a spillway at the western end of the lake. Evidence for this lake is fragmentary, and consists of strandline features that fall on a plane of elevation consistent with the post-glacial isostatic tilt. Following collapse of the ice dams and subsequent lake drainage at some time prior to 12 220 yr BP, the Deer Lake basin was inundated by the sea to an elevation of about 45 m a.s. l. Deltas were formed at the basin edges, and thick successions of fine-grained rhythmites blanketed the basin floor. Isostatic rebound resulted in falling relative sea levels, and, following a stillstand marked by a period of deltaic deposition at 33 m a.s. l. , isolation of the Deer Lake basin from marine influence in the early Holocene. This style of deglaciation differs from previously accepted models for this part of eastern Canada, which showed progressive retreat from the coast to remnant centres on topographic highs. In the model proposed here, a large, low-elevation basin was deglaciated early, at a similar time to ice retreat to coastal positions from offshore. This pattern of deglaciation may be found in other areas with similar topographic settings.
Defining the frequency of near‐shore tropical cyclone activity in the eastern North Pacific from historical surface observations (1921–2005)

Due in part to limited historical observations, the long‐term variability of tropical cyclone (TC) activity in the eastern North Pacific has received little research attention. This paper outlines features of a long‐term (1921–2005) data set of TC frequency defined in a manner consistent with the quality and availability of historical surface observations. Simple analyses of the data set point to nonrandom behavior in the TC series and suggest that long period variability is an important component of TC activity.
Nannofossils and superplumes: The Early Aptian “nannoconid crisis”

A group of calcareous nannoplankton named nannoconids experienced a crisis in the early Aptian and recovered only later in the late Aptian after a period of virtual absence. Although no extinctions occurred, the widespread nature of the “nannoconid crisis” suggests a global causal factor. This crisis is recorded within the Chiastozygus litterarius nannofossil and Globigerinelloides blowi planktonic foraminiferal zones, postdates magnetic chronozone M0 by approximately 300 kyr, and precedes the oceanic anoxic subevent 1a and associated δ13C anomaly by some 40–100 kyr. Selective dissolution and anoxia cannot explain the crisis, because nannoconids are dissolution-resistant forms and their crisis clearly precedes the deposition of anoxic sediments. At least 1 m.y. prior to the “nannoconid crisis,” the onset of a nannoplankton speciation event may be the response of nannofloras to a major rise in relative sea level. The “nannoconid crisis” seems to be synchronous with the early Aptian volcanic eruptions in the Pacific Ocean. Hence calcareous nannoplankton were severely affected by the “superplume” volcanic episode. The coccolithophorid bloom/nannoconid crisis was possibly induced by the excessive CO2 levels in the atmosphere and/or caused by changes in nutrient content of oceanic surface waters. Fertility was enhanced by rapid turnover of nutrients due to the abnormal volcanic activity and accelerated transfer of nutrients from the continents into the oceans under warm and humid conditions of the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse climate. The “nannoconid crisis” may represent a competition between phytoplankton groups for nutrients or, more likely, competition between different calcareous nannoplankton. The biologic affinity and mode of life of Nannoconus are unknown, because there is no modern analog of this genus. However, comparison of Lower Cretaceous nannofossil assemblages with modern nannoplankton cummunities suggests that nannoconids, like extant Florisphaera profunda, possibly inhabited the lower photic zone. Concentrations of nutrients in the upper euphotic zone may have triggered blooms of coccolithophorids and nannoconid depletion. This model implies that the “nannoconid crisis” is the result of an abrupt, major change in the structure of surface waters caused directly or indirectly by the “superplume. ” The adjustments of the biosphere to the new paleoceanographic and climatic conditions required some 40–100 kyr before changing into abnormally high primary productivity and deposition of organic carbon-rich sediments with dinoflagellates outcompeting nannoplankton.
Couples' Decisions to Have a First Child: Comparing Pathways to Early and Late Parenthood

We investigate the decision-making process of having a first child, using theories on individualisation, lifestyle choices and negotiating partnerships as a starting point. We compare couples who had their first child at a relatively young age with those who had their first child at an older than average age, using data from semi-structured interviews with 33 couples, selected from the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study (NKPS). Although expecting more explicit decision-making among older parents, our qualitative analyses show that decision-making preceding both early and postponed first childbirth is often implicit. Disagreement between partners does not necessarily lead to discussion. Factors that result in the postponement of childbearing, such as higher education, do not always play a conscious role in people’s decision-making processes.
Hybodont sharks from the lower Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation of Thailand, and hybodont diversity during the Early Cretaceous

Abstract Isolated teeth of five hybodont species are described from the Khok Kruat Formation (Aptian): Hybodus aequitridentatus nov. sp. , Heteroptychodus steinmanni, Thaiodus ruchae, Khoratodus foreyi nov. gen. et nov. sp. , and Acrorhizodus khoratensis. A new family, Thaiodontidae is also erected for Thaiodus and Khoratodus. Two species are recognized inside the genus Heteroptychodus, H. steinmanni and H. chuvalovi nov. comb. These sharks show a wide range of diet and many of them appear to be restricted to a freshwater environment and thus are probably endemic to the Khorat Plateau. However, Thaiodus and Heteroptychodus are also found in deltaic and/or marine environments outside Thailand, but are nevertheless restricted to the Asian continent. It seems that the appearance of three different palaeobiogeographical provinces (Europe, Asia and Africa–South America) around the Tethys during the Early Cretaceous led to the highest diversity at the generic level in the history of hybodont sharks.
Radiative forcing due to sulfate aerosols from simulations with the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate Model, Version 3

The direct and indirect radiative forcing due to sulfate aerosols is calculated in a version of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate Model (CCM3). This model includes a sulfur chemistry model and predicts the mass of sulfate. New optical properties are presented that account for the hygroscopic growth effects on both extinction optical depth and asymmetry parameter. These new properties enhance the sulfate direct forcing for relative humidities above 90% compared to previous results. The global annual mean forcing is -0.56 W m -2 . The forcing due to the indirect cloud albedo effect is studied using four different methods to relate cloud drop number concentration to sulfate mass. One method assumes the presence of background aerosols that can also act as a source of cloud condensation nuclei. This effect reduces the magnitude of the indirect effect by 40% to -0.4 W m -2 , This sensitivity study indicates the importance of the presence of other aerosols that can nucleate cloud drops. The seasonal cycle of the indirect effect is different from that of the direct effect, as the maximum of the indirect effect occurs in the Northern Hemisphere springtime, while that of the direct effect is largest in the Northern Hemisphere summer. The four different methods of accounting for the indirect effect result in a large uncertainty in the global annual mean net forcing due to sulfates and greenhouse gases, 0.05 to 1.42 W m -2 . It is argued that a less empirical and more physically based approach is required to account for the indirect effect in climate models.
Estimation of forest canopy height and above-ground biomass using ICESat full waveform data: a case study in Changbai Mountain, China

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system has a unique capability for estimating accurately forest canopy height, which has a direct relationship and can provide better understanding to the aboveground carbon storage. This study aimed to test the capacity of large-footprint full waveform LiDAR for estimating forest canopy height and aboveground biomass in the cool temperate forest over sloped terrain. The full waveform data of the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) onboard the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) was used to achieve the aim in Wangqing of Changbai Mountain. The maximum canopy height was first regressed as a function of waveform extent and the elevation change for evaluating the Lefsky's model. Then an improved model of maximum forest canopy height against the logarithm of waveform extent and the elevation change was tested for improving the accuracy of forest canopy height estimation. Finally the aboveground forest biomass was related to ICESat-derived maximum canpy height from the improved model. The results showed that the Lefsky's model and the improved model explained 51% and 74% of variation of maximum canopy height for the terrain slope range of 0~15°, respectively, and the improved model performed better than the Lefsky's model for estimating forest maximum canopy height over the sloped terrain. The ICESat-derived maximum canpy height from the improved model explained 52% of variation of the aboveground forest biomass. The results indicated that the ICESat-GLAS full waveforms are promising for estimating maximum forest canopy height and aboveground biomass in the study area.
Assessing grid size effects on runoff and flow response using a GIS-based hydrologic model

The effects of grid size on model parameters and on the performance of a GIS-based hydrological model intended for flood simulation is assesses in this paper. The WetSpa model is used to estimate runoff and flow discharge in the 1176 km 2 Alzette river basin, Grand-duchy of Luxembourg. The GIS ArcView and its spatial analyst are used to extract hydrological model parameters from DEMs, soil and land use maps with cell sizes of 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800m. The value of the model parameter derived from the 50m data is used as the reference value, with estimates of model parameters of coarser resolutions compared against it. Results show that in this integrated model the grid size has a considerable effect on runoff and outflow hydrographs. However, coarser grid cell resolutions can be used for runoff simulations as long as parameters are appropriately calibrated.
How hydrofractures become arrested

Fluids in the earth's crust are commonly transported by hydrofractures, such as dykes and mineral veins, many of which become arrested at various crustal depths. Hydrofractures are commonly arrested – some showing blunt tips – at contacts between soft (low Young's modulus) and stiff (high Young's modulus) layers. For example, many dyke tips are arrested at contacts between soft pyroclastic rocks and stiff basaltic lava flows, and vein tips at contacts between soft marl and stiff limestone. Theoretical models indicate that overpressured, buoyant hydrofractures in homogeneous, isotropic host rocks should normally reach the surface. In layered host rocks, however, abrupt changes in Young's moduli, horizontal discontinuities, and layers with unusually high fracture‐perpendicular stresses encourage hydrofracture arrest. It is proposed that for layer‐parallel loading, stiff layers favour hydrofracture arrest during active compression but soft layers during extension. It is concluded that for hydrofracture propagation to occur, the stress field along its potential pathway must be essentially homogenous.
Mineralogy, Chemistry, and Genesis of the Boninite Series Volcanics, Chichijima, Bonin Islands, Japan

The Bonin archipelago represents an uplifted fore-arc terrain which exposes the products of Eocene supra-subduction zone magmatism. Chichijima, at the centre of the chain, represents the type locality for the high-Mg andesitic lava termed boninite. The range of extrusives which constitute the boninite series volcanics are present on Chichijima, and are disposed in the sequence boninite-andesite-dacite with increasing height in the volcano-stratigraphy. Progression to evolved compositions within the Chichijima boninite series is controlled by crystal fractionation from a boninite parental magma containing ? 15% MgO. Olivine and clinoenstatite are the initial liquidus phases, but extraction of enstatitic orthopyroxene, followed by clinopyroxene and plagioclase, is responsible for the general evolution from boninite, through andesite, to dacite. Some andesites within the overlying Mikazukiyama Formation are petrographically distinct from the main boninite series in containing magnetite phenocrysts and a high proportion of plagioclase. As such, these andesites have affinities with the calc-alkaline series. Major and trace element data for 74 boninitic series rocks from Chichijima are presented. Although major element variation is dominantly controlled by high-level crystal fractionation, the large variations in incompatiable trace element concentrations at high MgO compositions cannot be explained by this mechanism. Nd, Pb, and Sr isotopic data indicate the following: (1) a strong overprint on 87Sr/86Sr by seawater alteration; (2) Pb isotopes lie above the northern hemisphere reference line (NHRL) and are thus similar to the <30-Ma are and basin lavas of the Izu—Bonin system, and (3) ? Nd(40 Ma) ranges between 2.8 and 6.8 within the boninite series volcanics. Differences in rare-earth elements (REE), Zr, Ti, and 143Nd/144Nd at similar degrees of fractionation can be explained by the addition of a component of fixed composition from the down-going oceanic crustal slab to a variably depleted source region within the overlying wedge. Data presented for Sm/Zr and Ti/Zr indicate that boninite series volcanics are characterized by low values for both of these ratios. In particular, boninites appear to have uniquely low Sm/Zr ratios. These characteristics may be the result of slab melting in the presence of residual amphibole; the resultant melt could combine with typical slab dehydration fluids and infiltrate the overlying mantle wedge. Such a fluid—melt component could mix either with shallow mantle or directly with primitive melts from depleted mantle. Trace elements, REE, and isotope data thus point to a model for boninite genesis which requires tightly constrained pressure—temperature conditions in the slab combined with melting of a variably depleted source in the overlying wedge. Such constraints are rarely met except during the subduction of juvenile oceanic crust beneath a young, hot overriding plate.