Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Black shales and carbon isotopes in pelagic sediments from the Tethyan Lower Jurassic

Detailed sampling and analysis of Jurassic pelagic limestones and marls from Italy, Hungary and Switzerland have enabled construction of an isotope stratigraphy across the Pliensbachian-Toarcian boundary with resolution to the zonal level. The oxygen-isotope record is unremarkable. The carbon isotopes, however, show two positive excursions: one, relatively minor, during the Pliensbachian, margaritatus Zone, subnodosus Subzone, the other, more major, during the Toarcian. early falciferum Zone, where a maximum δ13C value of 4·52%PDB is attained. These intervals are known to be favoured periods of organic-rich sedimentation in diverse parts of the globe and the isotopic excursions are interpreted as a response to abnormally high rates of storage of organic carbon in the sedimentary record. A comparable phenomenon has been documented from the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary in the Cretaceous where it has been referred to the influence of an ‘Oceanic Anoxic Event’. Some Italian sections spanning this Lower Jurassic interval contain organic-rich shales in the falciferum Zone; the isotopic signatures from their included, locally manganiferous carbonate betray a considerable diagenetic overprint and they cannot therefore be incorporated in a composite isotopic curve. Carbon isotopes from the organic carbon itself are extremely negative, falling to –33δPDB and, in one section examined in detail, correlate with the calcium-carbonate content of the shales; they may reflect a partial change to a non-calcified planktonic biota during deposition of this lime-poor interval, possibly responding to upwelling and increased fertility of near-surface waters. The onset of upwelling may have been as early as spinatum-tenuicostatum Zone time, that is, at the Pliensbachian-Toarcian boundary.
Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediment: Slant Borehole SX-108 in the S-SX Waste Management Area

This report was revised in September 2008 to remove acid-extractable sodium data from Table 4.17. The sodium data was removed due to potential contamination introduced during the acid extraction process. The rest of the text remains unchanged from the original report issued in February 2002. The overall goal of the of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., asked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediment from within the S-SX Waste Management Area. This report is the fourth in a series of four reports to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from a slant borehole installed beneath tank SX-108 (or simply SX-108 slant borehole).
On the role of pressure and flow perturbations around dipolarizing flux bundles

As a dipolarizing flux bundle (DFB) moves earthward, it creates pressure and flow perturbations. These perturbations may play a significant role in controlling DFB motion and generating field‐aligned currents (FACs) which render the DFB a “wedgelet”, a traveling building block of the substorm current wedge. To investigate this hypothesis, we use DFB observations from the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms mission to reconstruct the spatial profiles of the thermal and total (thermal plus magnetic) pressures and of the plasma flow near the DFB. The total pressure reaches maximum inside the dipolarization front (DF, the leading edge of the DFB). The resultant pressure gradient force pushes ambient plasma in the direction normal to the front and exerts a gradient force density of ~0.15 nPa/RE against the DFB motion. The thermal pressure in the equatorial plane is strongest immediately ahead of the DFB's leading point; it decreases with distance from that peak: toward the ambient plasma, toward the DFB interior, and toward the DFB flanks. Combining our estimate of the flux tube volume distortion with the measured equatorial thermal pressure distribution, we obtain a region‐1‐sense FAC inside the DF layer and region‐2‐sense FAC in the ~1 RE thick region immediately ahead of it. This system of FACs is indeed consistent with a wedgelet.
High‐resolution seismic imaging of the Mw5.7, 2002 Molise, southern Italy, earthquake area: Evidence of deep fault reactivation

We investigate the seismic structure of the Mw5.7, 2002 Molise earthquake area in order to understand the role of E–W trending strike‐slip faults in the tectonics of the southern Apennines. We apply an innovative seismic migration technique to a high quality data set of earthquakes recorded at a dense local network. SP‐converted waves are migrated in depth to image the high impedance contrast of the Apulian Platform top buried under the Apennines allochthonous cover. The continuity of the migrated seismic horizon is broken by vertical steps that we systematically picked along 200 cross sections. The best location points of these structures define two main tectonic features. The first one is related to NW–SE oriented normal faults and is consistent with the SW flexure of the foreland lithosphere beneath the orogenic belt. The second one indicates that shallow E–W oriented trans‐tensional faults are concentrated directly above the deeper (10–20 km) strike‐slip fault, delineating the geometry of a negative flower‐type structure. This fault system delimits a depressed sector of the Apulian Platform, whose geometry is consistent with a pull‐apart basin inherited from a previous left‐lateral strike‐slip tectonic regime. The buried structure is analogous to those outcropping in the Apulian foreland and in the Adriatic offshore, to the east. This correlation brings new support to the hypothesis of a regional E–W trending shear zone cutting the Adria plate and suggests that other earthquakes could occur on this or on parallel E–W trending strike‐slip faults.
Shell microstructures of Cambrian molluscs replicated by phosphate

The original microstructure of the aragonistic and calcite shells of Cambrian molluscs is frequently visible at high magnifications on the surfaces of phosphatic internal moulds. More rarely, the nature of the original microstructure may be determined by examining the internal surfaces of phosphate layers which coated the shells, or by examining the phosphate fillings of the tunnels made by endolithic algae within the shells. Because the original aragonitic microstructures of molluscan shells are almost invariably destroyed by recrystallisation in rocks older than the Carboniferous, the discovery of replicated shell microstructures has provided a new understanding of the evolution of the molluscan shell. Most of the common molluscan microstructures — spherulitic prismatic aragonite, tangentially arranged fibrous aragonite, crossed-lamellar aragonite, nacre and foliated calcite — had probably appeared by at least the beginning of the Middle Cambrian, and most are found in representatives of the Class Monop.
Correlative variations of the neutral atom emission in the high‐altitude cusp and the fast anti‐sunward convection in the low‐altitude cusp

[1] Recent studies have shown that the Low Energy Neutral Atom (LENA) imager on the IMAGE spacecraft in the magnetosphere detects neutral atoms coming from the direction of the high-altitude cusp. The primary source of the neutral atoms has been reported to be the entry of the ions in the cusp, but the evidence for this remains limited. Therefore we herein report the correlative variations of the neutral atom signal in the direction of the high-altitude cusp and the fast anti-sunward convection in the ionospheric cusp from an event of simultaneous observations from IMAGE/LENA and SuperDARN radar. During a period of IMF BZ of −40 to −10 nT on 11 April 2001, LENA on IMAGE at (XGSM, YGSM, ZGSM) ∼ (4 RE, 0 RE, 4 RE) observed significant enhancements of neutral atom signals in the direction of the high-altitude cusp. In concurrence with these enhancements, SuperDARN radars observed an increase in anti-sunward flow accompanied by equatorward shift of the polar cap boundary. Detailed analyses of the SuperDARN velocity data reveal that the fast anti-sunward flow region widens and shrinks longitudinally in correlation with the increase and decrease of the LENA signal, respectively. This correlation shows that the neutral atom emission in the direction of the high-altitude cusp for southward IMF is due to the ion entry caused by enhanced reconnection on the dayside magnetopause. Hence the present study provides evidence of the cusp ion injection being the primary source of the LENA high-altitude cusp signal for the southward IMF.
Innovative Probabilistic Methodology for Evaluating the Reliability of Discrete Levee Reaches Owing to Piping

AbstractTraditionally, levees are a popular measure widely adopted for flood control, accepted and trusted by populations living in floodplain areas. The presence of levees sometimes might even induce a false sense of safety in the population, influencing their decision to develop further in floodplains, because they feel safer. Thus, failures of levee systems are potentially devastating, as they might induce loss of human lives, damages to properties, and economic loss. This study proposes an innovative methodology to estimate the reliability of levee systems, accounting for different sources of uncertainty, and to divide and classify discrete levee reaches, according to different fragility classes. The reliability analysis is performed by evaluating the probability of failure, as a function of a certain failure mechanism, conditioned by a given hydraulic load. Fragility curves are determined using two different methods: Monte Carlo data generation and the so-called approximate, first-order reliability m.
An Investigation into New Zealand's Climate During the Last Glacial Maximum: a Climate Modelling Approach

New Zealand's climate during the Last Glacial Maximum has been investigated using the UKMO global and regional models HadAM3H (GCM) and HadRM3H (RCM). SSTs and sea-ice were supplied from a set of prior coupled model (HadCM3) runs and all models were set up according to the glacial conditions as specified by PMIP. In the analysis of the global simulation, emphasis was placed on the climate of the Southern Hemisphere. Compared to the present day, the modelled climate of the LGM is mainly characterized by the different wind regimes, both in the zonal and meridional directions. In the zonal mean, the polar trough shifted equatorward, and the westerly wind increased slightly between approximately 30 degrees S-50 degrees S, and decreased poleward of this zonal band. At the same time, there was an increase in the number of and/or strength of southerlies between 35 degrees S-60 degrees S. This resulted in a reduction of the poleward zonal mean meridional heat transport, and an enhancement of the wave number 3 pattern in the mean zonal circulation. All these changes contributed to a weaker SAO during the LGM. Interannual variability was as today, dominated by the High Latitude Mode (HLM, or Antarctic Oscillation/Southern Annular Mode) and ENSO. For the LGM, New Zealand was about 2.5 degrees C-4 degrees C cooler than in a pre-industrial control simulation. The seasonal cooling was largest during winter. Excluding the Alpine region, the largest cooling geographically took place in the east of the South Island. Precipitation was in general reduced everywhere during the whole year, except for the east of the South Island. The westerly wind increased considerably over the North Island and the northern part of the South Island, but was weaker over the rest of the South Island. JJA was the exception with weaker westerly winds over all New Zealand which was probably related to enhance blocking during that season. The stronger westerly wind accentuated the cooling over the North Island, except for the eastern region, where it mainly enhanced the dry conditions by preventing the moist easterly winds coming ashore. The weaker westerly wind in the south on the other hand encouraged enhanced penetration of moist winds. The most dramatic change in the modelled New Zealand climate was the large increase in the number of southerlies in each region, which were capable of bringing very cold polar air over most of the country. It was probably mainly the changes in the winds that lead to the harshness of New Zealand's climate during the LGM, increasing the seasonality in temperature and precipitation. It is suggested that they had therefore a controlling influence on the existence of some of the vegetation types in New Zealand.
Sequestration and bioavailability of hydrophobic chemicals in sediment

In the present study, the relationship between bioavailabili ty of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to benthic amphipods and the PAH desorption kinetics was examined. To that end, field contaminated sediment was treated in three different ways. One subsample had no addition of PAHs and contained native PAHs only. To a second subsample, 6 PAHs (phenanthrene, fluoranthene, anthracene, pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene and benzo[k]fluoranthene) were added in the laboratory. Two of the PAHs were added at higher concentrations to a third subsample, serving as a control for concentration dependent uptake. Marine amphipods (Corophium volutator) were exposed to the three subsamples for a maximum of 25 days and were subsequently analysed. Desorption kinetics were determined for both the lab-contaminated and the native PAHs. The Biota to sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) values of the individual native and lab-contaminated PAHs correlated well with the rapidly desorbing fraction (R = 0.76). Biota to sediment accumulation factors were 1.4 to 3.3 higher for the lab-contaminated PAHs compared with the native PAHs, while the difference between the rapidly desorbing fractions was a factor of 1.1 to 1.8. Biota to sediment accumulation factors of the lab-contaminated PAHs in the second and third subsample were equal indicating concentration independent accumulation. The results suggest that lab-contaminated PAHs are more available to amphipods than native PAHs and that differences in bioavailabili ty of lab-contaminated and native PAHs to marine amphipods are related to differences in desorption behaviour.
Faroe Marine Ash Zone IV: a new MIS 3 ash zone on the Faroe Islands margin

Abstract A basaltic tephra layer from MIS 3 has been discovered by analysis of cores from the Faroe Islands margin. The tephra layer appears up to 20 cm thick in some records. After the first main fall-out event the tephra is believed to be mainly deposited and redistributed by bottom currents. Geochemical analyses suggest that the tephra is relatively undisturbed by allochtonous tephra grains and unmixed. The peak occurrences are in the lower part of GIS (Greenland Interstadial) 12 and we suggest naming this new tephra Faroe Marine Ash Zone IV (FMAZ IV), following the nomenclature adopted for previous ash zones found on the Faroe Islands margin. Geochemical analyses of the tephra show affinities with the Grímsvötn volcanic system in the Eastern Volcanic Zone in south Iceland. The average age of FMAZ IV from four independent age models is 46 800±1000 years BP. We suggest that the V5 ash zone, found on the Reykjanes Ridge is a correlative to the FMAZ IV. Supplementary material: Single-grain analyses of tephra from FMAZ IV in cores from the northern Faroe margin and the central Faroe-Shetland Channel are available at http://www.geolsoc. org.uk/SUP18714
Effects of soil quality and depth on seed germination and seedling survival at the Nevada test site

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act, as amended in 1987, directs the US Department of Energy (DOE) to study Yucca Mountain, in southern Nevada, as a potential site for long-term storage of high-level nuclear waste. DOE policy mandates the restoration of all lands disturbed by site characterization activities and DOE has developed an environmental program that is to be implemented during site characterization activities at Yucca.Mountain. DOE is currently conducting reclamation feasibility trials as part of this environmental program. No topsoil was saved on disturbances during early site investigation and minimal soil remains at existing disturbances on Yucca Mountain. A study was developed to test the effects of soil quality and depth on seedling emergence and survival. A series of plots was established and two treatments were tested. The first treatment compared native topsoil to subsoil imported from a borrow pit. The second treatment compared four different depth ranges of both soil types. All plots received identical seeding treatments. Seedling density was measured after emergence. Overall seedling densities were low, averaging 10.3 {plus_minus} 8.8 (SD) plants/m{sup 2}. Statistical analysis revealed a significant interaction between the two treatment factors. The subsoil had increasing densities from the deep soil depths to the shallow depths while the topsoil had increasing densities from the shallow soil depths to the deep depths. The cause of this interaction may have resulted from the bedrock being close to the soil surface of the shallow plots.
Nitric oxide production by simulated lightning: Dependence on current, energy, and pressure

The production of NO has been studied by means of arc discharges in the laboratory which simulate natural lightning in current waveform and amplitude (≃30 kA). Observations are compared to the results of a computational model that includes the dynamics of energy deposition and channel expansion, combined with the Zel'dovich equations to model the relevant chemical reactions. Results are expressed as NO produced per meter of arc length, and are measured as functions of dissipated energy and of peak current. It is found that at atmospheric pressure, the NO production per joule of dissipated energy is not constant. NO production per meter discharge length as a function of peak current appears to provide a more appropriate scaling factor for estimates of total global NO production. Production of NO2 was less than 10% of the production of NO, and by implication the production of O3 less still. From these data, and using published estimates of global lightning frequency, we derive an estimate of global NO production of 2.5 Tg(N)/yr for 30 flashes per second to 8.3 Tg(N)/yr for 100 flashes per second.
Drumlins, subglacial meltwater floods, and ocean responses

Drumlins and erosional marks in bedrock give evidence for broad, subglacial meltwater floods that have discharge-rate estimates of about 10 6 m 3 /s. Similar discharge rates are obtained for other late glacial catastrophic floods. The total volume of meltwater that is thought to have formed the Livingstone Lake, Saskatchewan, drumlin field is estimated at 8.4 x 10 4 km 3 . This volume is equivalent to a eustatic rise of 0.23 m in global sea level. Meltwater release and roughly contemporaneous formation of drumlin fields in North America and Europe could have involved several metres of sea-level rise in a few years. The implications of such floods for the generation of myths and the interpretation of the oxygen isotopic record of the oceans are discussed. High meltwater discharges are of potential importance to the generation of a lid of cold, fresh water over the North Atlantic and its effects on late glacial climate.
The rural communities

Without the support and sense of belonging to a local community, people could not survive the harsh conditions and isolation of rural and remote areas. Community events and institutions have always been a mainstay of country life and help to overcome the loneliness felt by many on the land. Regional festivals, social and sporting events, as well as institutions such as the local church or school help to build close-knit communities and punctuate a hardworking year with much needed entertainment and social contact.
Towards a reliable GCM estimation of contrail radiative forcing

Selected results of the ECHAM4 general circulation model are compared with sophisticated radiative transfer model calculations in order to investigate the performance of the ECHAM4 radiation schemes with respect to the radiative forcing (RF) of contrails. The mean shortwave RF is found to be in accordance with radiative transfer model results. For the longwave part it is shown that the effective emissivity approach combined with the assumption of maximum‐random cloud overlap used in the standard ECHAM4 leads to a considerable underestimation of the longwave contrail RF. Hence, this approach cannot be recommended for calculating the longwave RF of optically thin clouds in general. As an alternative, more adequate results of a modified version of the ECHAM4 longwave scheme are discussed.
Rapid evolution of novel biotic interactions in the UK Brown Argus butterfly uses genomic variation from across its geographical range

Understanding the rate and extent to which populations can adapt to novel environments at their ecological margins is fundamental to predicting the persistence of biological communities during ongoing and rapid global change. Recent range expansion in response to climate change in the UK butterfly Aricia agestis is associated with the evolution of novel interactions with a larval food plant, and the loss of its ability to use an ancestral host species. Using ddRAD analysis of 61,210 variable SNPs from 261 females from throughout the UK range of this species, we identify genomic regions at multiple chromosomes that are associated with evolutionary responses, and their association with demographic history and ecological variation. Gene flow appears widespread throughout the range, despite the apparently fragmented nature of the habitats used by this species. Patterns of haplotype variation between selected and neutral genomic regions suggest that evolution associated with climate adaptation is polygenic, resulting from the independent spread of alleles throughout the established range of this species, rather than the colonization of pre‐adapted genotypes from coastal populations. These data suggest that rapid responses to climate change do not depend on the availability of pre‐adapted genotypes. Instead, the evolution of novel forms of biotic interaction in A. agestis has occurred during range expansion, through the assembly of novel genotypes from alleles from multiple localities.