Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tourmaline and boron as indicators of the presence, segregation and extraction of melt in pelitic migmatites: examples from the Ryoke metamorphic belt, SW Japan

The mode of occurrence of borosilicates and the breakdown fronts of prograde tourmaline (tourmaline-out isograd) in three anatectic migmatite regions of the Ryoke metamorphic belt, SW Japan, are reported. The breakdown of tourmaline in the migmatite zones and release of boron into the melts, followed by the extraction of the boron-bearing melts from the migmatite zones occurred throughout the Ryoke metamorphic belt. Retrograde, magmatic tourmaline in interboudin partitions filled with leucosome is useful for calculating the degree of partial melting in the migmatites. Using boron contents in the leucosomes and pelitic schists, the degree of partial melting at the migmatite front of the Aoyama area is estimated to be 12 wt. %. Extraction of the boron-bearing melt is suggested by the boron-depleted nature of the migmatites. Connection of boudinage structures probably supplied the vertical pathways of the segregated melts, and major transport of the melts was accomplished by dyking. Irregularly shaped, amoeboid tourmaline locally occurs on the high-temperature side of the tourmaline-out isograds in the Yanai and Komagane areas, implying incomplete extraction of boron-bearing melts from those areas. Discriminating retrograde from prograde tourmaline enables correct recognition of the tourmaline-out isograd. The amount of retrograde tourmaline in migmatites can potentially be used as an indicator of the degree of melt extraction from them.
Evaluating the ability of the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) to predict ecologically significant burn severity in Alaskan boreal forests

During the 2004 fire season ~6.6 million acres (~2.7 million ha) burned across Alaska. Nearly 2 million of these were on National Wildlife Refuge System lands inaccessible from the state’s limited road system. Many fires burned through September, driven by unusually warm and dry temperatures throughout the summer. Using several fires from this season, we assessed the national burn severity methodology’s performance on refuge lands. Six fires, spanning 814 489 acres (329 613 ha), were sampled on five boreal forest refuges. In total, 347 sites were sampled for vegetation composition and ground-based burn severity estimates following the national protocols. The relationship between the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) and composite burn index (CBI) was unexpectedly weak (R2adjusted, 0.11–0.64). The weak relationship was not a result of data or image processing errors, nor of any biotic or abiotic confounding variable. The inconsistent results, and dNBR’s limited ability to discern the ecologically significant differences within moderate and high severity burn sites, indicate that the current methodology does not satisfy key Alaskan boreal forest management objectives.
The development of organized convection associated with the MJO during TOGA COARE IOP: Trimodal characteristics

We constructed a composite lifecycle of the Madden‐Julian oscillation (MJO) with cloud‐top information and atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles. Japanese Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS/IR TBB) histograms and upper‐soundings from the Tropical Ocean‐Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean‐Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE) intensive observation period (IOP) were analyzed around Ujung Pandang (119°E, 5°S) and Kupang (123°E, 10°S), which encountered the mature phase of MJO from January to February, 1993. Under a large‐scale boundary layer (BL) convergence, convection developed in stages:1) ‘suppressed stage’ with suppressed clouds, 2) ‘shallow convection stage’ (2–3 days) with clouds confined under the trade inversion level, 3) ‘developing stage’ (3–4 days) with most clouds stopped at the mid‐troposphere but some tall convective clouds developing 4) ‘mature stage’ (4–5 days) with large anvil cloud shields, and 5) ‘decaying stage’ with decaying anvils. These stages of MJO were related to three stable layers; trade inversion, 0°C level, and tropopause. It is suggested that staged convective development associated with the MJO was strongly affected by the interaction among convection, stable layers, and atmospheric moistening.
A method of camera calibration based on image processing

According to the principle of optical measurement, an effective and simple method to measure the distortion of CCD camera and lens is presented in this paper. The method is based on computer active vision and digital image processing technology. The radial distortion of camera lens is considered in the method, while the camera parameters such as the pixel interval and focus of camera are calibrated. The optoelectronic theodolite is used in our experiment system. The light spot can imaging in CCD camera from the theodolite. The position of the light spot should be changed without the camera's rotation, while the optoelectronic theodolite rotates an angle. All view reference points in the image are worked out by computing the angle between actual point and the optical center where the distortion can be ignored. The error correction parameters are computed, and then the camera parameters are calibrated. The sub-pixel subdivision method is used to improve the point detection precision in our method. The experiment result shows that our method is effective, simple and practical.
Effect of topography and geology on the site index of Picea abies in the West Carpathian, Poland

Abstract The effects of topographic features and the soil parent rock on the site index of Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst. ] were examined. Field data were collected on 347 plots located in the Polish West Carpathian. On these plots, the diameter at breast height and the height of trees were measured and the age of trees was determined. On 64 plots one dominant or codominant tree was felled for stem analysis. In addition, topographic features of each site were measured, including elevation above sea level, aspect and slope. Stem analysis data were used in the development of a local site index system, which was used for calculating the site index for particular plots. In order to interpret site index as functions of elevation, aspect, slope, size of a mountain massif and soil parent rock, the multiple regression model was used, which explained 79.0% of the variation in Norway spruce site index. Elevation above sea level was the major factor responsible for variation in site index, and was negatively correlated (R 2 adj=0.610) with site index. Site index also depended on the soil parent rock. The stands growing on the tertiary Magura sandstones had considerably higher site indices than those located on the geological substratum composed of Istebna and Godula sandstones formed during the Cretaceous period. The site index of Norway spruce is also determined by the aspect, slope and height of mountain massif.
Ages and stratigraphy of lunar mare basalts: A synthesis

The chronology of lunar volcanism is based on radiometric ages determined from Apollo and Luna landing site samples, regional stratigraphic relationships, and crater degradation and size-frequency distribution data for units largely defined prior to the end of the Apollo program. Accurate estimates of mare basalt ages are necessary to place constraints on the duration and the flux of lunar volcanism, as well as on the petrogenesis of lunar mare basalts and their relationship to the thermal evolution of the Moon. Here, we report on ages derived from crater size-frequency distribution measurements for exposed mare basalt units on the lunar nearside hemisphere. Crater size-frequency distribution measurements provide a statistically robust and accurate method to derive absolute model ages of unsampled regions on the Moon and other planetary surfaces. This paper summarizes and synthesizes results from our crater-counting efforts over more than 10 yr. We have dated basalts in Oceanus Procellarum, Imbrium, Serenitatis, Tranquillitatis, Humboldtianum, Australe, Humorum, Nubium, Cognitum, Nectaris, Frigoris, and numerous smaller occurrences like impact craters and sinus and lacus areas. Our investigations show that (1) in the investigated basins, lunar volcanism was active for almost 3 b.y. , starting at ~3.9–4.0 b.y. ago and ceasing at ~1.2 b.y. ago, (2) most basalts erupted during the late Imbrian Period at ~3.6–3.8 b.y. ago, (3) significantly fewer basalts were emplaced during the Eratosthenian Period, and (4) basalts of possible Copernican age have been found only in limited areas in Oceanus Procellarum. Our results confirm and extend the general distribution of ages of mare basalt volcanism and further underscore the predominance of older mare basalt ages in the eastern and southern nearside and in patches of maria peripheral to the larger maria, in contrast to the younger basalt ages on the western nearside, i.e., in Oceanus Procellarum. New data from the recent international armada of lunar spacecraft will provide mineralogical, geochemical, morphological, topographic, and age data that will further refine our understanding of the flux of lunar mare basalts and their relation to petrogenetic trends and lunar thermal evolution.
Tardigrades of Alaska: distribution patterns, diversity and species richness

During the summer of 2010, a biotic survey of tardigrades was conducted along a latitudinal transect in central Alaska from the Kenai Peninsula, via Fairbanks and the Arctic Circle to the coastal plain. Work was centred at the Toolik and Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Network sites and supplemented by opportunistic collections from the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage areas. The 235 samples collected at 20 sites over 10 degrees of latitude yielded 1463 tardigrades representing two classes, three orders, 10 families, 23 genera and 73 species from 142 positive samples. A total of 50 species are new to Alaska, increasing the state's known species richness to 84. Several environmental metrics, such as pH, substrate, elevation, location and habitat were measured, recorded and analysed along the latitudinal gradient. Contrary to expectations, pH did not appear to be a predictor of tardigrade abundance or distribution. Density and species richness were relatively consistent across sites. However, the assemblages were highly variable within and between sites at only 14–20% similarity. We detected no correlation between species diversity and latitudinal or environmental gradients, though this may be affected by a high (59.9%) occurrence of single-species samples (containing individuals of only one species). Estimates of species richness were calculated for Alaska (118) and the Arctic (172). Our efforts increased the number of known species in Alaska to 84, and those results led us to question the validity of the estimate numbers.
Modeled Climate State and Dynamic Responses to Anomalous North American Snow Cover

Abstract The radiative and thermal properties of widespread snow cover anomalies have the potential to modulate local and remote climate over monthly to seasonal time scales. In this study, physical and dynamical links between anomalous North American snow conditions and Northern Hemisphere climate are examined. A pair of 40-member ensemble AGCM experiments is run, with prescribed high- and low-snow forcings over North America during the course of an entire year (EY). The difference between the two ensemble averages reflects the climatic response to sustained EY snow forcing. Local surface responses over the snow forcing occur in all seasons, and a significant remote surface temperature response occurs over Eurasia during spring. A hemispheric-scale transient eddy response to EY forcing also occurs, which propagates downstream from the forcing region to Eurasia, and then reaches a maximum in extent and amplitude in spring. The evolution of this transient eddy response is indicative of considerable downstr.
What’s for dinner? Undescribed species of porcini in a commercial packet

Accurate diagnosis of the components of our food and a standard lexicon for clear communication is essential for regulating global food trade and identifying food frauds. Reliable identification of wild collected foods can be particularly difficult, especially when they originate in under-documented regions or belong to poorly known groups such as Fungi. Porcini, one of the most widely traded wild edible mushrooms in the world, are large and conspicuous and they are used as a food both on their own and in processed food products. China is a major exporter of porcini, most of it ending up in Europe. We used DNA-sequencing to identify three species of mushroom contained within a commercial packet of dried Chinese porcini purchased in London. Surprisingly, all three have never been formally described by science and required new scientific names. This demonstrates the ubiquity of unknown fungal diversity even in widely traded commercial food products from one of the most charismatic and least overlooked groups of mushrooms. Our rapid analysis and description makes it possible to reliably identify these species, allowing their harvest to be monitored and their presence tracked in the food chain.
High‐resolution migration history of the Subtropical High/Trade Wind system of the northeastern Pacific during the last ~55 years: Implications for glacial atmospheric reorganization

[1] Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California, is a restricted basin located under the present-day wet/dry subtropical divide (~27°N) and is ideally circumstanced for detecting variations in the North Pacific Subtropical High (NPSH)/Trade Wind system. Controlled by climate cell boundary displacement, NPSH midwinter location was the primary influence on timing and intensity of upwelling seasons in Guaymas Basin. Analysis of high-resolution X-ray fluoresence data and sediment fabric log from 75% laminated Core MD02-2517/2515, western Guaymas Basin, reveals systematic changes in NPSH behavior over the last ~55 kyr BP. Southward displacement of the wet/dry subtropical divide controlled upwelling-related diatom productivity, while sea level and regional rainfall controlled terrigenous supply. The basin was oxic during the glacial, and preservation was ensured by high burial rate due to the increased deposition of terrigenous sediment. Sediment fabric style (number and/or thickness of laminae, plus color banding and homogeneous intervals) changes systematically through the core and gives insights into the number of seasons occurring in Guaymas Basin, and the occurrence and intensity of the upwelling season. Five millennial-scale low flux events with close timing to Heinrich events and ten decadal/centennial-scale low biogenic silica events occurring in the interval ~33–16.5000 years Before Present (kyr BP) are interpreted as times of extreme aridity. At ~16.5 kyr BP, a regime shift from terrigenous-dominated oxic to evenly balanced biogenic-terrigenous dysoxic conditions occurred. Although there was a further extreme arid event at ~11.5 kyr BP, ~16.5 kyr BP was essentially the beginning of the interglacial.
Paleomagnetism and Mesozoic tectonics of the Seven Devils Volcanic Arc in northeastern Oregon

Upper Triassic volcanogenic rocks of the Seven Devils Group and Huntington Formation of Brooks (1979b) in northeastern Oregon record two episodes of magnetization. The older magnetization, which predates Late Jurassic deformation of the volcanic arc terrane comprising the Seven Devils Group, was probably acquired in Late Triassic time. The inclinations of both normal and reversed polarity magnetizations indicate that the Triassic rocks originated approximately 18° from the paleoequator. The results are consistent with paleomagnetic data from similar Triassic rock assemblages on Vancouver Island and in south central Alaska. We interpret these assemblages as displaced fragments of Wrangellia, a once coherent late Paleozoic volcanic arc and early Mesozoic volcanic plateau that was torn apart and carried north by plate motion along the continental margin. We interpret the younger magnetization, which fails the fold test, as a widespread thermochemical overprint caused by Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous plutonism. This magnetization yields a paleomagnetic pole at 60°N, 295°E (α95 = 7°), and is similar to the pole obtained from plutons that intrude the Seven Devils Group. The angular difference between the pole from the plutons and the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous reference pole for stable North America suggests that the Seven Devils volcanic arc has undergone a large clockwise rotation (66°±21°). The rotation may reflect the last stages of the arc's accretion to the continental margin or later large-scale block movements in the Pacific Northwest.
Pullout tests on vertically and horizontally embedded geotextile in sand

Abstract Pullout tests on geotextile embedded in sand were conducted to study the influence of width and depth of embedment on the interface resistance. Field conditions of vertical embedment in trench and horizontal runout length were simulated in the laboratory. For embedment depths up to 610 mm, geotextile acted as anchor and failure occurred by lifting of sand around the geotextile as in anchors. For these depths unit pullout resistance decreased as the geotextile width was increased. It was possible to isolate the contribution of edges of geotextile to the pullout resistance. With these adjustments the geotextile face resistance was shown to be independent of the strip width. For embedment depth from 915 mm to 1219 mm, failure appeared to take place at geotextile-sand interface. Unit interface pullout resistance decreased with increase in normal stress. The tests where embedment was vertical and the pullout force was horizontal developed 32% to 35% greater pullout resistance.
Backward probability model using multiple observations of contamination to identify groundwater contamination sources at the Massachusetts Military Reservation

Backward location and travel time probability density functions characterize the possible former locations (or the source location) of contamination that is observed in an aquifer. For an observed contaminant particle the backward location probability density function (PDF) describes its position at a fixed time prior to sampling, and the backward travel time probability density function describes the amount of time required for the particle to travel to the sampling location from a fixed upgradient position. The backward probability model has been developed for a single observation of contamination (e.g., Neupauer and Wilson, 1999). In practical situations, contamination is sampled at multiple locations and times, and these additional data provide information that can be used to better characterize the former position of contamination. Through Bayes' theorem we combine the individual PDFs for each observation to obtain a PDF for multiple observations that describes the possible source locations or release times of all observed contaminant particles, assuming they originated from the same instantaneous point source. We show that the multiple‐observation probability density function is the normalized product of the single‐observation PDFs. The additional information available from multiple observations reduces the variances of the source location and travel time probability density functions and improves the characterization of the contamination source. We apply the backward probability model to a trichloroethylene (TCE) plume at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR). We use four TCE samples distributed throughout the plume to obtain single‐observation and multiple‐observation location and travel time PDFs in three dimensions. These PDFs provide information about the possible sources of contamination. Under assumptions that the existing MMR model is properly calibrated and the conceptual model is correct the results confirm the two suspected sources of contamination and reveal that one or more additional sources is likely.
Modelling climate and land-use change impacts with SWIM: lessons learnt from multiple applications

Abstract The Soil and Water Integrated Model (SWIM) is a continuous-time semi-distributed ecohydrological model, integrating hydrological processes, vegetation, nutrients and erosion. It was developed for impact assessment at the river basin scale. SWIM is coupled to GIS and has modest data requirements. During the last decade SWIM was extensively tested in mesoscale and large catchments for hydrological processes (discharge, groundwater), nutrients, extreme events (floods and low flows), crop yield and erosion. Several modules were developed further (wetlands and snow dynamics) or introduced (glaciers, reservoirs). After validation, SWIM can be applied for impact assessment. Four exemplary studies are presented here, and several questions important to the impact modelling community are discussed. For which processes and areas can the model be used? Where are the limits in model application? How to apply the model in data-poor situations or in ungauged basins? How to use the model in basins subject to strong anthropogenic pressure? Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor C. Perrin
Finite element investigations of granular material behaviour during cyclic wall shearing under a constant normal stiffness condition

The behaviour of dry and cohesionless sand during quasi-static cyclic wall shearing under a constant normal stiffness (CNS) condition was studied. Numerical calculations were carried out using a finite element method based on a hypoplastic constitutive model extended by micropolar quantities: rotations, curvatures, and couple stresses. The mean grain diameter was used as the characteristic length of the microstructure. The constitutive model takes into account the effects of pressure, void ratio, and direction of deformation rate on the material’s behaviour. Calculations were performed for several shear cycles in a direct wall shear tester. The initial void ratio, mean grain diameter of sand, and vertical normal stiffness were varied. The numerical results with medium density sand were compared with corresponding laboratory tests.
Cooling rates and the depth of detachment faulting at oceanic core complexes: Evidence from zircon Pb/U and (U‐Th)/He ages

Oceanic detachment faulting represents a distinct mode of seafloor spreading at slow spreading mid‐ocean ridges, but many questions persist about the thermal evolution and depth of faulting. We present new Pb/U and (U‐Th)/He zircon ages and combine them with magnetic anomaly ages to define the cooling histories of gabbroic crust exposed by oceanic detachment faults at three sites along the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge (Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) holes 1270D and 1275D near the 15°20′N Transform, and Atlantis Massif at 30°N). Closure temperatures for the Pb/U (∼800°C–850°C) and (U‐Th)/He (∼210°C) isotopic systems in zircon bracket acquisition of magnetic remanence, collectively providing a temperature‐time history during faulting. Results indicate cooling to ∼200°C in 0.3–0.5 Myr after zircon crystallization, recording time‐averaged cooling rates of ∼1000°C–2000°C/Myr. Assuming the footwalls were denuded along single continuous faults, differences in Pb/U and (U‐Th)/He zircon ages together with independently determined slip rates allow the distance between the ∼850°C and ∼200°C isotherms along the fault plane to be estimated. Calculated distances are 8.4 ± 4.2 km and 5.0 ± 2.1 km from holes 1275D and 1270D and 8.4 ± 1.4 km at Atlantis Massif. Estimating an initial subsurface fault dip of 50° and a depth of 1.5 km to the 200°C isotherm leads to the prediction that the ∼850°C isotherm lies ∼5–7 km below seafloor at the time of faulting. These depth estimates for active fault systems are consistent with depths of microseismicity observed beneath the hypothesized detachment fault at the TAG hydrothermal field and high‐temperature fault rocks recovered from many oceanic detachment faults.