ALBERT

Description: Albedo – the reflectivity of a surface - is an important component in the energy budget, impacting the local to global climate. Data from nadir-viewing satellites can be combined with bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) data from multi-angular observation platforms to achieve realistic albedo values that acknowledge anisotropy. In my thesis, I evaluated how the land surface albedo varied on spatial and temporal scales during the snow-free period on Disko Island, Greenland. I examined how the albedo differed among the vegetation classes. Concerning the methodology, I assessed how the combination of MODIS BRDF data with Landsat 8 (L8) or Sentinel-2 (S2) influenced the albedo. The study area was located at the southern tip of Disko Island (69.27 °N, -53.47 °E) in West Greenland and covered a wetland and a range of tundra vegetation. I analysed automatic weather station (AWS) data from 2013 to 2022 and conducted mobile albedo measurements in August and September 2022 to examine the temporal and spatial variability. For the period from June to September 2022, I derived the L8 and S2 based albedo with inclusion of MODIS BRDF and narrow to broadband conversion and analysed their variability with regard to vegetation classes. In the snow-free period, the albedo increased from a monthly mean of 0.16 in June to 0.19 in September in the AWS data. The mobile measurements ranged from 〈 0.10 above bare soil and water to 〉 0.23 above areas dominated by lichen, Salix glauca or Equisetum arvense. The satellite-based albedo revealed temporally variable, significant correlations to normalised difference vegetation and moisture indices that reached values 〉 0.5 in the fen and wet heath class on several days. The albedo of shrubs was not notably smaller than other vegetation types but partly 0.01-0.05 above them in both the mobile measurements and the satellite-derived albedo. This finding challenges the assumption that shrubification causes climate forcing in all circumstances. The albedo of L8 and S2 differed to each other and the local data (root-mean-square error 0.04-0.14). The BRDF correction increased the albedo by 0.01 on average compared to nadir reflectance. L8 was better in reproducing the expected temporal and spatial variability of albedo than S2, which displayed less variability. S2 seemed to be more sensitive to atmospheric effects of haze and clouds influencing albedo. Thus, L8 seemed more suitable to calculate albedo in the study area. Though there were some methodological limitations, this thesis highlights aspects that should be considered when analysing albedo or jointly using L8 and S2 in high latitude regions.

Description: This is a dataset that has been acquired in 1995 as part of the U.S.-ROC Deep Seismic Imaging Study of the Taiwan Arc-Continent Collision (TAICRUST) project. This particular line was measured in the Taiwan Strait in September 1995 to image the shallow sediments and upper crust. Additional information from the Cruise EW9509 is stored at the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).

Description: In vielen naturwissenschaftlich-technischen Disziplinen zeigt es sich immer wieder, daß es sehr lohnend sein kann, eine schon als abgeschlossen betrachtete Fragestellung mit neuen methodischen Ansätzen wieder aufzunehmen. So bemerkt man in den technischen Anwendungen eine regelrechte Renaissance der Variationsrechnung, da die damit durchgeführten Computersimulationen helfen, einen Teil der Entwicklungskosten für z.B. Automodelle im Maßstab 1:1 einzusparen. Die topographischen Reduktionsrechnungen, welche als geradezu klassisches Gebiet der Gravimetrie gelten, werden in dieser Arbeit analog dem oben angeführten Gesichtspunkt erneut diskutiert. Dabei werden in den einleitenden Betrachtungen diejenigen Verfahren in einem sehr kurzen historischen Abriß vorgestellt, die sich durch ihre Anwendungsbreite und ausreichende Genauigkeit auszeichnen. Der entscheidende Gesichtspunkt für die erneute Entwicklung von Reduktionsverfahren sind die gerade jetzt im Entstehen begriffenen Höhendatenbanken. Die dort in geeigneter Weise abgespeicherten Daten ersparen dem Gravimetriker in Zukunft die enorm zeitaufwendige Kartendigitalisierung. Ausführlich werden in der Arbeit die beiden neuesten Rechenschemata das • Sideris-Verfahren , das die schnelle Fourier-Transformation (FFT) benutzt, und • eine Methode, die auf der Basis einer Polyeder-Approximation des Geländes arbeitet, erläutert und an synthetischen Beispielen getestet. Eine kritische Gewichtung der Arbeitsresultate hinsichtlich der Verwendung dieser Verfahren und ihrer Weiterentwicklung ergibt folgendes Bild: • Die Verwendung der FFT nach Sider is liefert zwar ein überragend schnelles Verfahren, ist aber durch seine physikalische Äquivalenz zur Massenlinienmethode für die angewandte Gravimetrie zu ungenau. • Die Polyeder -Methode ist von einer exakten Darstellung des Geländes (zumindest in unmittelbarer Stationsumgebung) abhängig und erleidet bei der Anwendung auf Datensätze mit mittleren Höhen einen Genauigkeitsverlust. Die zukünftig verfügbaren Datenbanken, die so oder ähnlich wie das mit TIN bezeichnete Abspeicherungsschema auf gebaut sind, werden für die Polyeder -Methode in idealer Weise verwendbar sein. Denn diese Höhendatenbanken verwenden nicht nur exakte Punkthöhen zur Geländebeschreibung, auch die sehr rechen zeitaufwendige Dreiecksbildung würde damit entfallen. Bis zur Verfügbarkeit solcher Datenbanken kann man aber mit dem in der Arbeit als "kombiniertes System" vorgestellten Kompromiß arbeiten: Die Schnelligkeit der FFT-Methode wird für den Stationsfernbereich ausgenutzt und die Genauigkeit der Polyeder -Methode in der Stationsnähe. Mit diesem Verfahren lassen sich Fehler von weniger als einem Milligal mit durchaus vertretbarem Aufwand erzielen. In den Anwendungen der entwickelten Methoden auf reale Gegebenheiten werden im Falle des Westharzes die oben genannten Eigenschaften bestätigt. Dabei kann man als Ergebnis der Simulation eines TIN -Höhenmodells davon ausgehen, daß die Polyeder -Methode ohne Kompromisse auch auf sehr große Datensätze anwendbar ist, wenn die Dreiecksbildung entfällt. Das Beispiel aus Zimbabwe zeigt, daß man sich mit modernen digitalen Methoden solch ein TIN-Höhenmodell selbst erstellen kann (Digitalisiertablett und angeschlossener PC). Die dann im weiteren diskutierten, modellgebundenen Anwendungen der topographischen Massenreduktionen wurden in erster Linie durch die einfache morphologische Situation des Gebietes provoziert.

Description: In most natural sciences and technology it is sometimes profitable to tackle an old problem which seems to be solved once more with new powerful tools. In finite element computer simulations one can find optimization methods which are based on a very old mathematical discipline called variational calculus. These methods can be used in the automobile industry for instance, for reducing the costs in motor car development. Analogously, in this work, the classical subject of topographic reduction calculations has been tackled with modern algorithmic techniques. Firstly a brief historical overview gives insight into topographical algorithms which are precise enough in calculating and flexible to use. Some remarks about data bases of topographic heights serve as an introduction into geographical information systems. Such systems may be of great help in future topographical work, as they eliminate the time consuming digitalization of topographic maps by hand. The topographical reduction method of Sideris using the fast fourier transform algorithm and a new developed reduction scheme based on an exact polyhedron algorithm and a triangulization of the topography are discussed in detail and tested. The calculations of synthetic topographic models gave varied results: • The method of Sideris works with an enormous speed but as it is physically equivalent to the massline method it is not precise enough for applied gravimetry. • The algorithm using polyhedral bodies needs exact topographical point heights especially in the near surroundings of the gravimetrical station. In future there will be a data base of topographical heights stored in a triangular fashion (triangulated irregular network) called a TIN data base. With TIN the topographical reduction method using the polyhedron formula will be fast enough to handle even big topographical models. As such data bases are not available at present one can use a method developed in this work which combines the positive attributes of both algorithms: The heights far away from the station are calculated with FFT while those in the immediate surroundings with the algorithm using the polyhedron formula. This combined system gives results which are better than 1 mGal and take a considerable short CPU-time. All algorithms are tested with real topographical models of the Harz mountains of West Germany and the Zambezi escarpment of Zimbabwe.

Description: thesis

Description: DFG, SUB Göttingen

Description: Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt einen Beitrag zur Gezeitenforschung im allgemeinen, und zur Überprüfung von Meeresgezeitenmodellen in Südskandinavien im speziellen dar. Die relativ gut bekannten Krusten- Mantelstrukturen im Bereich Dänemarks ermöglichen die Interpretation von beobachteten ozeanischen Auflasteffekten, hinsichtlich der Beurteilung verschiedener Meeresgezeitenmodelle. Mit zwei ASKANIA Gravimetern und einem LaCoste & Romberg Erdgezeitengravimeter wurden Gezeitenregistrierungen an sieben verschiedenen Orten in Dänemark durchgeführt. Der Auflasteffekt für die Hauptpartialtide M2 liegt zwischen 0.75 μgal und 1.40 μgal, sowie 52° und 87°, wobei die größten Amplituden in Südwest - Jütland beobachtet wurden. Der Effekt klingt nach Norden und Osten, mit zunehmender Entfernung von der Deutschen Bucht ab. Neben der Gezeitenanalyse wurden die Registrierungen auf nicht lineare Einflüsse des Wattgebietes und auf Effekte von windfeld verursachten Auflasten untersucht. In den küstennahen Stationen Varde und Møgeltdnder lassen sind keine signifikanten "höheren Harmonischen" der Hauptgezeitenwellen nachweisen. Allerdings kann der spektrale Nachweis eines periodischen Signals (3 Stunden, 15 Minuten) in der Registrierung aus Møgeltdnder erbracht werden. Für drei Sturmfluten mit extremen Wasserständen wurden die Einflüsse auf die Gravimeterregistrierungen untersucht. Mit der Einschränkung, daß die Gerätedrift nicht genau genug bekannt ist, lassen sich größere Driftgradienten ca. einen Tag vor und einen Tag nach den maximalen Wasserständen feststellen. Die theoretischen Auflasteffekte wurden nach dem Algorithmus von FARRELL (1972) berechnet. Vor den Modellrechnungen wurde untersucht, in welchem Maße die Ergebnisse von der Wahl des Erdmodells und der Modellierung der regionalen und lokalen Geologie abhängen. Der Einfluß des Erdmodells ebenso wie der Krusten- Mantelstruktur auf den theoretischen Auflasteffekt ist mit ca. 5 % äußerst gering. Für die Überprüfung der Meeresgezeitenmodelle wurden theoretische Auflasteffekte mit den Modellen von Schwiderski, Mathisen, Flather und des Deutschen Hydrographischen Instituts (DHI) berechnet und mit den beobachteten Auflasteffekten verglichen. Es zeigt sich, daß bei der Verknüpfung, Modifikation und Erweiterung von Meeresgezeitenmodellen die Konservierung der modellierten Wassermasse eine wesentliche Rolle spielt. Der regionalen Fragestellung entsprechend wurde die Massenkonservierung der adaptierten Meeresgezeitenmodelle als Normierung auf Schwiderski’s Modell der Nordsee realisiert. Dies bewirkt eine deutlich bessere Übereinstimmung von modelliertem und beobachtetem Auflasteffekt. Die Modellrechnungen bestätigen vor allem das vom DHI verwendete Meeresgezeitenmodell für die Deutsche Bucht. Eine Modellerweiterung für den Skagerrak, Kattegat, Beltsee und südliche Ostsee, sowie eine Verfeinerung der Gridstruktur an der Nordseeküste erhöhen zusätzlich die Korrelation von theoretischem und beobachtetem Auflasteffekt. Dieses Meeresgezeitenmodell ist in Kapitel 6.4.6 beschrieben und im Anhang (Kapitel 13.6) in dem von Schwiderski verwendeten Format wiedergegeben und kann für Auflastberechnungen in Südskandinavien, auch hinsichtlich der Korrektur geodätischer Messungen, herangezogen werden. Bei der Interpretation der Ergebnisse wurde versucht, Hinweise über die Richtung möglicher Verbesserungen der Meeresgezeitenmodelle der Deutschen Bucht und der östlichen Nordsee heraus zuarbeiten. Hierbei ist einerseits die Methode zur Ausgleichung von Restvektordifferenzen zwischen den Stationen eingesetzt worden, andererseits wurden ca. 150 Modellrechnungen mit schrittweise modifizierten Amplituden und Phasen der Meeresgezeitenmodelle für die genannten Meeresgebiete gerechnet. Die Ausgleichung führt bei unveränderten Phasen der Modelle zu einer Vergrößerung der Amplituden in der Deutschen Bucht und einer Amplitudenverminderung in der östlichen Nordsee. Die Summe der Restvektordifferenzen zwischen den Stationen wird dabei von 0.5 pgal auf 0.2 pgal reduziert. Die systematische Variation der Amplituden und Phasen der Meeresgezeitenmodelle der Deutschen Bucht, der östlichen Nordsee und des Nordsee Küstenbereichs ergibt eine Verringerung der mittleren Restvektoramplitude von 0.22 μgal auf 0.15 μgal bei größeren Phasen der Modelle (Östliche Nordsee und Schelfgebiet +20°, Deutsche Bucht +10°) und einer Verringerung der Modellamplituden (östliche Nordsee -5 cm, Schelf -20 cm und Deutsche Bucht -10 cm). Diese Resultate können als Randbedingungen für ozeanographische Überlegungen zur Verbesserung der Meeresgezeitenmodelle genutzt werden.

Description: This work is a contribution to general tidal research and specially to the investigation of ocean tide models in the area of South Scandinavia. The relatively well known crust - mantel structures in the region of Denmark enable the interpretation of observed ocean load effects with regard to view of different ocean tide models. Earth tide measurements were carried out with two ASKANIA gravimeters and one LaCoste & Romberg Earth tide gravimeter at seven different stations in Denmark. The load effect of the main tidal wave M2 is between 0.75 μgal and 1.40 μgal, with 52° to 87° phase; highest amplitudes were observed in Southwest Jutland. The effect is decreasing to north and east with larger distance to the German Bight. In addition to the Earth tide analysis, the recordings were investigated with regard to non-linear influences, due to tidal water level changes in the coastal area, and to loading effects during storms and windfields. For the coastal stations Varde and M0gelt0nder no significant higher harmonicals of the main tidal waves were found. But the spectral investigation of the record at M0gelt0nder shows a periodical signal of 3 hours and 15 minutes. The theoretical load effect was calculated according to the method of FARRELL (1972). Before the model calculations, the influence of the chosen earthmodel and the modelled regional and local geology was investigated. The effect due to changes in the earthmodel or to the structure of the crust to the theoretical load effect is very small with about 5 %. For reviewing the ocean tide models, the theoretical load effects of the models from Schwiderski, Mathisen, Flather and the German Hydrographical Institute (DHI) were calculated and compared with the observed load effects. It was shown that for the adaption, modification and extension of ocean tide models, the conservation of water, moved by tides, playes a decisive role. Corresponding to the regional question the massconservation of the adapted ocean tide models were realized as normalisation to Schwiderski’s model for the North Sea. This produces an increased agreement of the theoretical and the observed load effect. The model calculations confirm especially the ocean tide model of the DHI. The extension of the model for the Skagerrak, Kattegat, Belt Sea and South Baltic Sea and the refined gridstructure of the North Sea coast leads to further improvement of correlation between theoretical and observed load effects. This model is described in chapter 6.4.6 and reproduced in the appendix (chapter 13.6) in the format applied by Schwiderski. The ocean tide model can be used for load calculations in South Scandinavia and for correction of geodetical precise measuremants. The interpretation of the results was carried out in order to find out the requirements of possible improvements for the ocean tide model (M2) of the German Bight and the East North Sea. On the one side the method for the adjustment of the rest vectors between the stations was used, on the other side 150 model calculations were carried out by varying the amplitudes and phases of the ocean tide models for the mentioned sea areas. The adjustement leads with constant model phases to increased amplitudes in the German Bight and decreased amplitudes in the East North Sea. The sum of the restvector differences between the stations was reduced from 0.5 μgal to 0.2 μgal. But the systematical variation of the amplitudes and phases for the ocean tide models of the German Bight, the East North Sea and the coastal area at the North Sea leads to a reduced mean restvector amplitude from 0.22 pgal to 0.15 pgal with increased model phases (East North Sea and Shelf Area +20°, German Bight +10°) and decreased amplitudes (East North Sea -5 cm, Shelf Area -20 cm and German Bight -10 cm). These results can be used as boundary conditions of oceanographical considerations for the improvement of ocean tide models.

Description: thesis

Description: DFG, SUB Göttingen

Description: In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird das Schwerefeld in den südlichen zentralen Anden in Hinblick auf die Vorgänge an einem aktiven, konvergenten Plattenrand untersucht. Es können wesentliche Randbedingungen für die Strukturen und den Stoffbestand der Lithosphäre abgeleitet werden. Die Grundlage dieser Interpretationen bildet die Bearbeitung der gravimetrischen Meßdaten in drei Schritten: • Erstellung einer homogenen, regionalen Datenbasis unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Vernetzung der Schweredaten und der topographischen Reduktion • Numerische Analyse des Schwerefeldes mit Hilfe von Filterungen, isostatischen Berechnungen und Massenabschätzungen • Durchführung 2-dimensionaler und 3-dimensionaler Modellrechnungen Die wesentlichen Ergebnisse der Bearbeitung des Schwerefeldes der andinen Subduktionszone sind in der Reihenfolge von den tieferen zu den höheren Stockwerken: • Die subduzierte Nazca Platte hat einen maximalen gravimetrischen Effekt von 55 mGal. • Thermische isostatische Prozesse nach Froidevaux ir Isacks (1984) haben einen minimalen Einfluß auf das Schwerefeld. • Die Berechnung regionaler isostatischer Modelle nach Banks et al. (1977) ergibt eine Biegesteifigkeit der Kruste von 1 ∙ 1023 Nm im W-E Segment zwischen 20° S und 22° S und 5 ∙ 1022 Nm im Segment zwischen 22° S und 26° S. • Die Kruste - Mantel - Grenze zeigt entlang der Hochkordillere einen strukturierten Verlauf mit einer maximalen Tiefe von 63 km bei 67.5° W, 23° S. • In dem Gebiet zwischen 23.5° S bis 24.5° S und 68.5° W bis 69.5° W wird im Bereich der Moho eine anomale Geschwindigkeit - Dichte Beziehung registriert. • Die kombinierte Interpretation seismologischer, refraktionsseismischer, gravimetrischer und petrophysikalischer Untersuchungen deutet auf eine Mächtigkeit der kontinentalen Kruste im küstennahen Bereich von 30 - 33 km und einer zunächst mit einem sehr geringen Abtauchwinkel subduzierten ozeanischen Lithosphärenplatte hin. • Die kontinentale Unterkruste zeigt im Untersuchungsgebiet eine geringe Änderung in der Streichrichtung der Anden. • Die Ostgrenze der aus refraktionsseismischen Messungen abgeleiteten, stark aufgegliederten Unterkruste mit sehr geringen Durchschnittsgeschwindigkeiten kann mit Hilfe des Schwerefeldes kartiert werden. Ihre Übereinstimmung mit der Ostgrenze des neogenen bis holozänen Vulkanismus deutet auf einen direkten Zusammenhang zwischen dieser Unterkrustenstruktur und dem rezenten Magmatismus hin. • Die gravimetrisch geforderte Mittelkruste mit Dichten um 2.9 g/cm3 unter der Hochkordillere könnte zum überwiegenden Teil aus Gesteinen einer präandinen Unterkruste bestehen. • Die gravimetrische Modellierung der Schichten mit schon oberflächennah sehr hohen Geschwindigkeiten im Bereich Küstenkordillere und Längstal in Kombination mit Massenabschätzungen zeigt, daß nur der obere maximal 5 km mächtige Teil der modellierten Körper für die Anomalien im Residualfeld verantwortlich ist. Die tieferliegenden Massen erzeugen zusammen mit der Unterkrustenstruktur im wesentlichen den regionalen Trend im Schwerefeld. • Die bedeutendste Struktur im residualen Schwerefeld, das langgestreckte Maximum südöstlich von Calama, ist vermutlich ein relativ einheitlicher, paläozoischer Gesteinskomplex in 10 bis 20 km Tiefe. • Modellrechnungen und Massenabschätzungen im Bereich des rezenten magmatischen Bogens lassen auch aufgrund des Schwerefeldes die Anwesenheit von kleineren, partiell geschmolzenen Magmenreservoiren in der oberen Kruste möglich erscheinen. • Im andinen Vorland ist im Schwerefeld deutlich zwischen dem SANTA BARBARA SYSTEM und dem fold and thrust belt zu unterscheiden. Auf der Basis des regionalen Schwerefeldes konnten bisher unbekannte Krustenstrukturen aufgezeigt werden. Trotz der Einschränkungen, die sich aus den mangelnden oder nicht existenten Randwerten ergeben, konnte ein plausibles Strukturmodell des Untergrundes des Andenorogens erstellt werden.

Description: The present work deals with the gravity field in the Southern Central Andes in regard to the processes at an active convergent margin. Substantial boundary conditions can be deduced for the structure and the material parameters of the lithosphere. This interpretation is based on the processing of the gravity data in three steps: • Preparation of a homogeneous, regional data base considering especially the connection of the different gravity networks and the topographic reduction. • Numeric analysis of the gravity field with the aid of filtering procedures, isostatic calculations and excess mass estimations. • Realization of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional model calculations. The main results of the analysis of the gravity field at the Andean subduction zone considered from the lower to the higher levels are: • The subducted Nazca slab has a gravity effect not exceeding 55 mGal. • Processes of the thermal compensation model by Froidevaux fc Isacks (1984) have an insignificant effect on the gravity field. • The calculation of regional isostatic models according to Banks et al. (1977) results in a crustal flexural rigidity of 1 • 10 23 Nm in the W - E segment between 20° S and 22° S, and 5 • 10 22 Nm between 22° S and 26° S. • The crust - mantle boundary shows undulations along the High - Cordillera with a maximum depth of 63 km at 67.5° W, 23° S. • In the region between 23.5° S - 24.5° S and 68.5° W - 69.5° W a level with a anomalous velocity - density relationship exists near the M – discontinuity. • The combined interpretation of seismological, refraction seismic, gravimetric and petrophysical investigations points to a thickness of the continental crust near the coast of 30 - 33 km. There the dip of the subducted plate seems to have a very low angle. • In the area under investigation the lower continental crust shows only little variations in the general strike direction of the Andean orogen. • According to the seismic investigations the lower Andean crust is highly structured and has a small mean velocity. The easternmost limit of this lower crust can be mapped with the aid of the gravity field. Its agreement with the limit of the neogene to holocene volcanism points to a direct relation between this structured lower crust and the recent, magmatism. • The postulated crustal layer with densities about 2.9 g/cm 3 beneath the High - Cordillera, which is necessary for the gravity fitting, may consist mainly of rocks of a preandean lower crust. • The 3D - modelling of the layers with high velocities near the surface under the Coast Range and the Longitudinal Valley in combination with mass estimations shows, that only the uppermost 5 km of the modelled structure are relevant for the anomalies seen in residual gravity fields. The deeper masses produce, in combination with the structure of the lower crust, mainly the regional trend of the gravity field. • The most important feature in the residual gravity fields, the pronounced regional maximum southeast of Calama, is presumably a relatively homogeneous, paleozoic rock complex in the depth range of 10 to 20 km. • The results of modelling and mass calculations in the area of the recent magmatic arc could possibly account for smaller, partly molten magma reservoires in the upper crust. • The gravity field distinguishes well between the Santa Barbara System and the Bolivian fold and thrust belt along the Andean Foreland. Based on the regional gravity field new structures in the lithosphere were detected. Besides the restriction of the limited boundary constraints it was possible to establish a plausible structural model of the Andean orogen.

Description: thesis

Description: DFG, SUB Göttingen

Description: Im Bereich der westlichen Poebene stoßen die aus der Kollision der adriatischen und der europäischen Platte hervorgegangenen Gebirge der Alpen und des Apennin mit ihren gegensätzlichen Vergenzen unmittelbar aneinander. Diese in unterschiedlichen Zeiten entstandenen Orogene näher zu untersuchen, war das Ziel der in den Jahren 1983 und 1986 auf dem Südsegment der Europäischen Geotraverse (EGT) durchgeführten umfangreichen refraktionsseismischen Messungen. Zusammen mit älteren refraktionsseismischen Daten bilden diese die Grundlage für die vorliegende Arbeit, die sich mit den Strukturen der die nordwestliche Adriaplatte umgrenzenden Gebirgszuge der Südalpen und des Nordapennin auseinandersetzt. Zusammen mit den Ergebnissen der reflexionsseismischen Messungen bestätigen die refraktionsseismischen Messungen, daß der nordwestliche Teil der adriatischen Platte im Westen und Norden randlich der europäischen Platte aufliegt. Entlang der EGT-Hauptlinie kann auf eine Fortsetzung von Krustenmaterial der europäischen Platte in 45 - 65 km Tiefe bis weit unter die Südalpen geschlossen werden. Die resultierende Krustenüberlappung mit ihren keilförmigen und stark asymmetrischen Strukturen weist Ähnlichkeiten sowohl mit der Situation in den Westalpen als auch mit deijenigen in den Pyrenäen auf. Eine Krustenbilanz im europäischen Teil der Alpen entlang der EGT-Hauptlinie unter Berücksichtigung geologischer Randbedingungen ergibt, daß die tiefe Alpenwurzel vollständig mit europäischem Material gefüllt ist und ihre Ausbildung im Neogen stattfand. Die adriatische Platte zeigt eine sehr prägnante Fragmentierung, so daß sich hier das Bild eines Stapels lithosphärischer Einheiten ergibt. Die einzelnen Fragmente können entsprechend ihrer geographischen Lage und ihrer Reihenfolge im Stapel in eine ligurische Einheit, eine Poebenen- und eine Südalpen-Einheit, welche wiederum auf der europäischen Einheit liegt, unterteilt werden. Unter dem Nordrand des Nordapennnin legen die geophysikalischen Ergebnisse eine intrakontinentale Subduktion nahe. Der damit verbundene Abscherungshorizont durchschneidet die gesamte Kruste wie auch einen Teil des obersten Mantels. Eine Bewegung an diesem Storungssystem muß zu einem Aufsteigen des fragmentierten Randes der Adriaplatte bis einschließlich des obersten Mantels führen. Eine Folge davon kann die in dem oberen Krustenniveau der Toskana zu beobachtende und sich in die externen Bereiche verlagernde Extensionstektonik sein. Die spät-miozäne und pliozäne Überschiebung dieses lithosphärischen Keils ist das Endstadium der orogenen Entwicklung im Nordapennin nach der paläogenen ozeanischen Subduktion und der Ausbildung eines Keils kontinentaler Kruste im frühen und mittleren Miozän. Eine Krustenbilanz entlang der EGT-Hauptlinie ergibt eine Verkürzung von mindestens 90 km, die seit dem Torton stattgefunden haben muß. Zu den geophysikalischen Ergebnissen gehören im einzelnen: Aufgrund der hohen Dichte der seismischen Information konnte entlang der EGT-Hauptline ein detailliertes raytracing-Modell erarbeitet werden, aus dem die folgenden Punkte abgelesen werden können: ► Unter dem nördlichen Teil der Poebene erreicht die Krustenmächtigkeit ein Minimum von 29 -30 km. ► Etwa 20 km nördlich des Po beginnt die adriatische Moho mit einem Winkel von rund 10 - 14° nach Süden einzufallen. Sie erreicht an ihrer südlichsten nachzuweisenden Position, 20 km nördlich der Küstenlinie, eine Tiefe von etwa 55 km. ► Die Moho besitzt unter dem ligurischen Küstenbereich eine Tiefe von 20 - 22 km. Sie ist bis 25 km nördlich der Küste in einer Tiefe von 22 - 24 km nachweisbar. Es folgt, zusammen mit dem letztgenannten Punkt, eine krustale Verdopplung unter dem Hauptkamm des Nordapennin. ► Unter dem nördlichen Rand des Nordapennin sind in der Kruste extrem niedrige Geschwindigkeiten anzutreffen. In einer Tiefe von 8-11 km nimmt die Geschwindigkeit auf 4.0 km/s ab. Eine Zone niedriger Geschwindigkeit (LVL) setzt sich unter südlichem Einfallen zumindest bis in Tiefen von 25 km fort. Die Durchschnittsgeschwindigkeit für die gesamte Kruste ist mit 5.7 km/s außergewöhnlich gering. ► Am Übergang von der Poebene zu den Südalpen existiert ein Sprung in der Moho-Tiefe von 6-8 km. Die Moho der Südalpen erstreckt sich in relativ flacher Lagerung in 36 - 42 km Tiefe nordwärts bis etwa 20 - 25 km nördlich der Insubrischen Linie. ► Unter dem südlichen Teil der Südalpen befindet sich in rund 10 - 15 km Tiefe eine LVL, in der die Geschwindigkeit maximal 5.6 km/s beträgt. ► Das südliche Einfallen der europäischen Moho unter den Schweizer Alpen setzt sich bis unter die Südalpen fort. Die größte Tiefe wird mit rund 65 km knapp südlich der Insubrischen Linie erreicht. Es folgt damit unter den Südalpen und einem Teil der angrenzenden Schweizer Alpen eine weitreichende krustale Überlappung. Aus der Interpretation der Fächer und Profile außerhalb der EGT-Hauptlinie folgt weiterhin: ► Die Moho setzt sich im ligurischen Küstenbereich östlich der Hauptlinie in einem Tiefenniveau von 20 - 25 km um zumindest 100 km bis Viareggio fort. Sie ist bis 20 - 30 km landeinwärts nachweisbar. ► Nach Westen setzt sich die Moho in demselben Tiefenniveau bis unter das Penninikum der Seealpen und unter das südliche Piemont fort. Der Übergang von der adriatischen zur europäischen Platte läßt sich dort nicht in der Konfiguration der Moho-Tiefen beobachten. ► Die Krustenstruktur im Piemont erscheint südlich des Monferrato tektonisch stark gestört. ► Am südlichen Rand der Südalpen setzt sich der Versatz der Moho östlich der Hauptlinie in den östlichen Teil der Südalpen fort. ► An der Grenze zwischen Südalpen und Schweizer Alpen setzt sich östlich des Hauptlinie die Überlagerung der adriatischen Moho über die tiefe europäische Moho zumindest bis zur Judicarien-Linie fort. Das auf der EGT-Hauptlinie entwickelte seismische Strukturmodell wurde auf seine Vereinbarkeit mit dem Schwerefeld überprüft. Die Dichtewerte des Startmodells wurden aus den seismischen Geschwindigkeiten nach einer Standard-Beziehung ermittelt. Zunächst wurde ein Optimierungsverfahren nach der Evolutionsstrategie angewendet. Eine zusätzlich durchgeführte 'trial and error* Modellierung ergab im wesentlichen dieselben Ergebnisse und bestätigte damit die Einsatzmöglichkeiten des Optimierungsverfahrens. Als Ergebnisse sind zu nennen: ► Die Modellierung des Kontaktes der europäischen zur adriatischen Kruste aufgrund des seismischen Modells ist mit Abweichungen der Dichte von unter 0.05 g/cm3 vom Startmodell möglich. ► Die Modellierung des Überganges von der Poebene zum Nordapennin ist problematischer. Es ergibt sich aus dem Startmodell aufgrund der dort bis in die mittlere Kruste seismisch gut belegten niedrigen Geschwindigkeiten ein signifikantes Massendefzit. ► Unter der Poebene befindet sich unterhalb der Moho eine positive Dichteanomalie, deren Wirkung in etwa mit der einer schon früher postulierten Dichteanomalie übereinstimmt. ► Über die Existenz und Ausdehnung der bis in Tiefen von 65 km bzw. 60 km liegenden Krustenwurzeln unter den Südalpen und unter dem Nordapennin kann keine eindeutige Aussage getroffen werden. Die Krustenstruktur wurde weiterhin mit der Verteilung der Hypozentren der Beben verglichen. Hierfür wurden Daten der nationalen seismologischen Stationsnetze aus Italien und der Schweiz untersucht. Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse sind: ► Die größte Konzentration von Hypozentren tritt an dem Sprung von der flachen Moho im ligurischen Küstenbereich zur tiefen Moho unter dem nördlichen Nordapennin auf. ► Die tiefen Hypozentren (Tiefe ≥ 20 km) sind in den Bereichen zu finden, in denen die Krustenmächtigkeit groß (Tiefe ≥ 40 km) ist. ► Die quasi-kontinuierliche Tiefenverteilung der Hypozentren bis in 50 km Tiefe unter dem nördlichen Nordapennin läßt dort auf eine hohe Rigidität und damit vermutlich auf ungewöhnlich niedrige Temperaturen schließen.

Description: The mountain chains of the Alps and the Northern Apennines, which developed from the collision of the Adriatic and the European plate, border each other in the area of the western Po-plain with opposite vergences. In order to investigate these different orogenes extensive seismic refraction measurements were carried out in the southern segment of the European Geotraverse (EGT) in the years 1983 and 1986. Combined with older refraction profiles they served as a basis for this thesis, which investigates the structures of the mountain ranges that encircle the northwestern Adriatic plate, the Southern Alps and the Northern Apennines. Together with the results of seismic reflection studies the seismic refraction measurements confirmed that the northern and western margin of the northwestern part of the Adriatic plate is lying onto the European plate. Along the EGT-mainline a continuation of crustal material of the European plate at a depth range of 45 – 65 km beneath the Southern Alps can be concluded. The resulting crustal overlapping with its flakelike and strongly asymmetric structures shows similarities to the tectonic situation in the western part of the Alps as well as to the Pyrenees. A crustal balancing in the European part of the Alps under consideration of geological constraints shows, that the deep Alpine root contains European crustal material and that this deep root developed in neogene times. The Adriatic plate shows a very distinct fragmentation with a staking of lithospheric units. The fragments can be subdivided according to their geographical position and to their stacking sequence in the Ligurian, the Po-plain and the Southern Alps unit, the last one lying on the European plate. Beneath the northern rim of the Northern Apennines the geophysical results suggest a intracontinental subduction. The corresponding decoupling horizon cuts through the whole crust and a part of the uppermost mantle. Movement along this system must result in an upwards motion of the fragmented rim of he Adriatic plate, including parts of the upper mantle. As a consequence, the extensional tectonic, which can be observed in the upper crustal layers in Tuscany, may develop. The late-miocene and pliocene thrusting of the lithospheric wedge seems to be the final stage of the orogenic development in the Northern Apennines after the paleogene oceanic subduction and the development of a wedge of continental crust in early to middle miocene. A crustal balancing along the EGT-mainline results in a minimum shortening of 90 km since tortonian times. The geophysical results in particular are: ► Below the northern part of the Po-plain the crustal thickness reaches 29 - 30 km. ► About 20 km north of the river Po the Moho starts to dip southwards with an angle of 10 - 14°. At the southernmost provable position 20 km north of the coastline the depth of the Moho reaches 55 km. ► Beneath the Ligurian coast the Moho lies at a depth of 20 - 22 km. It is documented till 25 km north of the coastline at a depth of 22 - 24 km. Together with the previous point it follows a crustal doubling beneath the crest of the Northern Apennines. ► Under the northern part of the Northern Apennines extrem low velocities were detected in the crust. At a depth of 8 - 11 km the velocity lowers to only 4.0 km/s. A low velocity layer (LVL) continues with a southern dip to a depth of at least 25 km. The avarage crustal velocity in this area is as low as 5.7 km/s. ► At the transition from the Po-plain to the Southern Alps the Moho jumps 6-8 km in depth. The Moho beneath the Southern Alps continues northwards with a relatively low dip at a depth of 36 - 42 km to about 20 - 25 km north of the Insubric line. ► Below the southern part of the Southern Alps a LVL exists at a depth of about 10 - 16 km where the velocity drops to at least 5.6 km/s. ► The southward dip of the European Moho beneath the Swiss Alps continues below the Southern Alps. The maximum depth of 65 km is reached some km south of the Insubric line. It follows a crustal overlapping beneath the Southern Alps and beneath a part of the adjacent Swiss Alps. From the interpretation of fans and profils off the EGT-mainline it follows: ► In the Ligurian coastal area the Moho continues east of the mainline at a depth of 20 - 25 km for at least 100 km to Viareggio. Onshore it is provable for a distance of 20 - 30 km off the coastline. ► West of the mainline the Moho continues in the same depth range till below the penninic realm in the coastal area of the Western Alps and below southern Piemont. The transition from the Adriatic to the European plate cannot be seen in the configuration of the Moho. ► The crustal structure south of the Monferrato seems to be tectonically distorted. ► Beneath the southern boundary of the Southern Alps the jump in the depth of the Moho continues into the eastern part of the Southern Alps. ► At the boundary between the Southern Alps and the Swiss Alps the overlapping of the Adriatic Moho over the deep European Moho continues eastwards at least till the Judicaria-line. The structural model along the EGT-mainline based on seismic data must be compatible with the gravity field. Density values of a starting model were calculated using a standard relationship between velocity and density. To fit the observed gravity , an optimization method according to an evolution strategy was applied. Additional trial and error modeling was done, which gave essentially the same results and confirmed the applicability of the optimization method. The following results have been found: ► The modeling of the transition between the European and the Adriatic lithosphere on the basis of the seismic model is possible without problems and deviations of less than 0.05 g/cm3 from the starting model. ► The modeling of the transition between the Po-plain and the Northern Apennines causes more problems. A significant mass deficit results from the starting model, which is due to the the seismically well proven low velocities in this area. ► A positive density anomaly must exist in the area of the Po-plain below the Moho, which coincides roughly with the density anomaly postulated earlier in this region. ► No definite statement is possible concerning the existence and extend of the up to 65 km resp. 60 km deep crustal roots beneath the Southern Alps and the Northern Apennines. The crustal structure was furtheron compared with the distribution of hypocentres of earthquakes. The data were taken from the national seismological networks in Italy and Switzerland. The most important results are: ► The concentration of hypocentres is highest where the shallow Moho in the Ligurian coastal area jumps to the deep Moho beneath the northern part of the Northern Apennines. ► Deep hypocentres (depth ≥ 20 km) are found in areas where the crustal thickness is large (thickness ≥ 40 km). ► The quasi-continuous depth distribution of hypocentres down to a depth of 50 km below the northern part of the Northern Apennines suggests a high rigidity und therefore presumably unusual low temperatures.

Description: thesis

Description: DFG, SUB Göttingen

Description: To identify greater detail in the seismicity pattern preceding the 24 August 2016 Mw6.0 earthquake in Central Italy, we apply waveform matching using 1,028 events as templates. In the 8 months before the mainshock, we find ~2,000 additional earthquakes mostly located along a subhorizontal shear zone (SZ) bounding at depth the extensional fault system. Asynchrony is observed in the occurrence of events nucleating along the SZ compared to the ones on fault portions embedded in the shallower upper crust, with the former anticipating the latter. Within the SZ, we also observe along-strike seismic migration episodes with earthquakes pointing toward the Mw6.0 mainshock nucleation zone. These episodes are followed by an apparent quiescence within the main fault area. We suggest that the variations in the seismic activity along the SZ represent the brittle signature of the tectonic loading process enabling portions of the overlaying normal faults to become unlocked.

Description: Published

Description: 12170–12180

Description: 6T. Variazioni delle caratteristiche crostali e precursori

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Earthquake interaction and stress change on nearby faults by afterslip, static and dynamic triggering play an important role in the activation of major events. We apply a matched filter technique to augment the detected events in the time window between the two main shocks of 20 (Mw 6.1) and 29 (Mw 6.0) May 2012, during the Emilia seismic sequence (Italy). From 1,727 well-located templates, we increase the number of detections to 7,616 lowering the completeness magnitude of approximately 0.6 degrees. This greater detail allows evidencing migrations of seismic events from the nucleation point of the first shock to the second. The seismicity pattern suggests a transient aseismic slip acting immediately after the shallow first event, weakening and loading the volume around the deep nucleation point of the 29 May 2012 Mw6.0 earthquake. Repeating earthquakes are also found between the two main-shocks. The released cumulative slip, estimated from the earliest repeating earthquake amounts to approximately 27 cm at a depth of about 7 km within the first 5 hours after the 20 May Mw6.1. Migrations and repeaters could represent the fingerprint of an early afterslip triggered by the first mainshock.

Description: Published

Description: 625-635

Description: 2T. Deformazione crostale attiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: When a lava flow enters a body of water, either a lake, sea, river or ocean, explosive interaction may arise. However, when it is an 'a'ā lava flow entering water, a more complex interaction occurs, that is very poorly described and documented in literature. In this paper, we analysed the 2–4 ka San Bartolo lava flow field emplaced on the north flank of Stromboli volcano, Italy. The lava flow field extends from ~ 650 m a.s.l. where the eruptive fissure is located, with two lava channels being apparent on the steep down to the coast. Along the coast the lava flow field expands to form a lava delta ~ 1 km wide characterised by 16 lava ‘Flow’ units. We performed a field survey to characterise the features of lava entering the sea and the associated formation of different components and magnetic measurements to infer the flow fabrics and emplacement process of the lava flow system. We measured the density, porosity and connectivity of several specimens to analyse the effect of lava-water interaction on the content in vesicles and their connectivity and conducted a macroscopic componentry analysis (clast count) at selected sites to infer the character of the eroded offshore segment of the lava flow field and its component flow units. The collected data allowed us to define the main components of a lava delta fed by 'a'ā lava flows, with its channels, littoral units, ramps, lava tubes, and inflated pāhoehoe flows controlled by the arterial 'a'ā flow fronts. The spatial organisation of these components allowed us to build a three-step descriptive model for 'a'ā entering a water. The initial stage corresponds to the entry of channel-fed 'a'ā lava flow into the sea which fragments to form metric blocks of 'a'ā lava. Continued lava supply to the foreshore causes flow units to stall while spreading over this substrate. Subsequent 'a'ā lava flow units ramp up behind the stalled flow front barrier. Lava tubes extending through the stalled flow barrier feed the seaward extension of a bench made of several pāhoehoe flow units.

Description: Open access funding provided by Università degli Studi di Torino within the CRUI-CARE Agreement. This project is a part of RS PhD project. This research was funded by MIUR ex-60% attributed to EZ and PhD grants-Budget 10% attributed to RS. Also, it was partially funded by the Project FIRST (ForecastIng eRuptive activity at Stromboli volcano: Timing, eruptive style, size, intensity, and duration), INGV-Progetto Strategico Dipartimento Vulcani 2019 (Delibera n. 144/2020). This is contribution no. 637 of the ClerVolc program of the International Research Center for Disaster Sciences and Sustainable Development of the University of Clermont Auvergne.

Description: Published

Description: 50

Description: OSV1: Verso la previsione dei fenomeni vulcanici pericolosi

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We use seismic waveform data from the AlpArray Seismic Network and three other temporary seismic networks, to perform receiver function (RF) calculations and time−to−depth migration to update the knowledge of the Moho discontinuity beneath the broader European Alps. In particular, we set up a homogeneous processing scheme to compute RFs using the time-domain iterative deconvolution method and apply consistent quality control to yield 112,205 high-quality RFs. We then perform time−to−depth migration in a newly implemented 3D spherical coordinate system using a European-scale reference P and S wave velocity model. This approach, together with the dense data coverage, provide us with a 3D migrated volume, from which we present migrated profiles that reflect the first-order crustal thickness structure. We create a detailed Moho map by manually picking the discontinuity in a set of orthogonal profiles covering the entire area. We make the RF dataset, the software for the entire processing workflow, as well as the Moho map, openly available; these open-access datasets and results will allow other researchers to build on the current study.

Description: Published

Description: 2117–2138

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: In this study, the first fully continuous monitoring of water vapour isotopic composition at Neumayer Station III, Antarctica, during the 2-year period from February 2017 to January 2019 is presented. Seasonal and synoptic-scale variations in both stable water isotopes H182O and HDO are reported, and their links to variations in key meteorological variables are analysed. In addition, the diurnal cycle of isotope variations during the summer months (December and January 2017/18 and 2018/19) has been examined. Changes in local temperature and specific humidity are the main drivers for the variability in δ18O and δD in vapour at Neumayer Station III, on both seasonal and shorter timescales. In contrast to the measured δ18O and δD variations, no seasonal cycle in the Deuterium excess signal (d) in vapour is detected. However, a rather high uncertainty in measured d values especially in austral winter limits the confidence of this finding. Overall, the d signal shows a stronger inverse correlation with specific humidity than with temperature, and this inverse correlation between d and specific humidity is stronger for the cloudy-sky conditions than for clear-sky conditions during summertime. Back-trajectory simulations performed with the FLEXPART model show that seasonal and synoptic variations in δ18O and δD in vapour coincide with changes in the main sources of water vapour transported to Neumayer Station III. In general, moisture transport pathways from the east lead to higher temperatures and more enriched δ18O values in vapour, while weather situations with southerly winds lead to lower temperatures and more depleted δ18O values. However, on several occasions, δ18O variations linked to wind direction changes were observed, which were not accompanied by a corresponding temperature change. Comparing isotopic compositions of water vapour at Neumayer Station III and snow samples taken in the vicinity of the station reveals almost identical slopes, both for the δ18O–δD relation and for the temperature–δ18O relation.

Description: Reporting for the German GCOS

Description: Insights from reconstructed Holocene paleo ice-stream activity in Northern Central Greenland.

Description: Diatom analysis is one of the methods of paleolimnological research, with the help of which it is possible to determine the state and development of aquatic ecosystems in the past and present. Assessment of the current state of reservoirs is of great importance in paleolimnology, it will allow to obtain results about temperature regime, mineralization, pH environment and water quality. The research area is a region with a lot of small polygonal reservoirs that react quickly enough to external environmental changes that are formed during the cracking of re-vein ice and may form large reservoirs in the future. In this work, the IP-1 monitoring reservoir of the Kytalyk locality was studied for 10 days (every three days) during the expedition work carried out in 2011 using standard methods and a set of field equipment. The material of the study was phytoplankton samples, as a result of which the taxonomic composition of the diatom flora was investigated and the water quality of the Kytalyk monitoring site located in the basin of the Berelyakh river, the left tributary of the Indigirka, was determined.

Description: The geometry of englacial isochrones is a product of the past and present ice velocity field and is useful for our understanding of steady-state ice flow dynamics, flow regime re-organisation, and calibration of models. Ice rises contain various flow regimes (divide flow, flank flow, and grounding zones) on small spatial scales, meaning they are ideal locations to study ice-flow dynamics and stratigraphy to constrain model parameters. We run full Stokes, thermo-mechanically coupled simulations of Derwael Ice Rise in East Antarctica and simulate the three-dimensional stratigraphy of the ice rise and the surrounding ice shelf using the finite element model Elmer/Ice. Over the ice rise, we derive the accumulation rate from internal reflection horizons and use RACMO2.3 surface mass balance data over the surrounding ice shelf. Simulations are run for Glen's flow law exponents of n=3 and n=4 with appropriate values derived for the Arrhenius law. To calibrate the model, comparisons are made with the BedMachine surface elevation and density-adjusted internal reflection horizons observed in many transects recorded by AWI’s ultra-wide band radar covering the divide, the flanks, and the grounding zones. To understand ice flow dynamics where the velocity field of the ice rise and the ice shelf converge in the compressive and shear zones, we analyse the modelled englacial stress and strain rate fields. Our results allow us to investigate isochronal structures where observed internal reflection horizons are too steep or obscured to be adequately picked up by radar. A comparison between the model and observed fracturing can be used to infer threshold stress and strain rates for fracture initiation. These simulations are a blueprint for the full Stokes, three-dimensional modelling of ice rises and have further relevance in the study of three-dimensional influences on Raymond arch evolution, the constrained coupling of the anisotropy equations, comparisons with ice core data and the automated inference of ice flow parameters from internal reflection horizons.

Description: We use cross-correlations of ambient seismic noise data between pairs of 9 broadband three component seismometers to investigate variations in velocity structure and anisotropy in the vicinity of the EastGRIP camp along and across flow of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS). From the 9-component correlation tensors associated with all station pairs we derive dispersion curves of Rayleigh and Love wave group velocities between station pairs at frequencies from 1 to 25 Hz. The distributions of the Rayleigh and Love group velocities exhibit anisotropy variations for the along and across flow component. To better assess those variations, we invert the dispersions curves to shear wave velocities in the horizontal (Vsh) and vertical (Vsv) direction for the top 300 m of the NEGIS using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach. The reconstructed 1-D shear velocity model revels radial anisotropy in the NEGIS. Along and across flow vertical shear wave velocities (Vsv) identify comparable velocity profiles for all depths. However, horizontal shear wave velocities (Vsh) are faster by approximately 250 m/s in the along flow direction below a depth of 100 m, i.e. below the firn-ice transition. This type of anisotropy seems to arise from the alignment of a crystallographic preferred orientation, due to deformation associated with shear zones. The role of anisotropy as e.g. created by air bubbles in the firn and ice matrix, is yet unclear. Faster Vsh velocities in the along flow direction support that the NEGIS has crystal orientation alignment normal to the plane of shear compression (i.e. ice crystals orientated across flow) within the upper 300 m of the ice stream and are in alignment with the results from other methods. We demonstrate that simple, short duration (2-3 weeks), passive seismic deployment and environmental noise-based analysis can be used to determine the anisotropy of the upper part of ice masses.

Description: The Riiser-Larsen ice shelf is the fourth largest ice shelf on Earth. The detailed depth and shape of the seabed beneath the ice shelf is entirely unknown. Since bed topography beneath ice shelves generally poses the controlling factor of heat exchange between the open ocean and water cavities, this unknown factor inhibits proper assessment of ice-ocean interactions. In coastal Dronning Maud Land, the intrusion of Warm Deep Water – a warm intermediate water mass transported by the Weddell Gyre – into the ice shelf cavities is strongly dependent on seabed depth. We are addressing this shortcoming by generating a bathymetric model beneath the ice shelf based on the inversion of gravity data and complementary data sets of magnetic and ice penetrating radar data, all acquired during the joint AWI-BGR airborne campaign ‘RIISERBATHY’ in 2022/23. The resulting model will have a resolution of 5 to 10 km and is complemented offshore by shipborne hydroacoustic data. We present the first versions of the model here. Modelled depths can be compared to thermocline depths of available in-situ oceanographic data close to and at the calving fronts. In doing so, we will identify key regions of possible entry for Warm Deep Water into the cavity beneath the ice shelf.

Description: There was a typographical error in [1, eq. (18)]. Instead of (Formula Presented). The equation describes the second-order statistics of the interferometric phases. Its significance lies in the fact that from it, one can derive the statistical properties of a wide range of quantities estimated from an interferometric stack, including the closure phases that we addressed in the paper. The other equations, numerical results, and the conclusions remain unaffected, because the error was of a purely typographical nature.

Description: The authors would like to make the following corrections to the published article [1]. In Section 1, fourth paragraph: In the sentence “Proxy Proxy data, such as glacio-chemical data from firn and ice cores, may partly compensate for the lack of direct observations.” the word “Proxy” should be deleted as it occurs twice. The sentence should have read: “Proxy data, such as glacio-chemical data from firn and ice cores, may partly compensate for the lack of direct observations.”. In Section 3.4, second paragraph: In the sentence “The slope of the δ18O–δD relationship (7.94) is close to that of the Global Meteoric Water Line (GMWL) [49] and is of the same order of magnitude as the slope of the site-specific LMWL (m = 7.76).” the “m =” should be deleted before “7.76” and “, 8” should be inserted after “GMWL”. The sentence should have read: “The slope of the δ18O–δD relationship (7.94) is close to that of the Global Meteoric Water Line (GMWL, 8) [49] and is of the same order of magnitude as the slope of the site-specific LMWL (7.76).”. In Section 4.5, first paragraph: In the sentence “Figure 8c,e visualise the anti-correlation between MLT and SIE in both the Bellingshausen-Amundsen Sea and the Weddell Sea (r 〉 −0.6, p = 0; Table 5).” the “〉” in the parenthesis should be replaced by “=”. The sentence should have read: “Figure 8c,e visualise the anti-correlation between MLT and SIE in both the Bellingshausen-Amundsen Sea and the Weddell Sea (r = −0.6, p = 0; Table 5).”. In the original publication, there was a mistake in Table 1 [1]. The order of the values in the column “Accumulation Rate (kg m−2 a−1)” was reversed for the years 2012 to 2015. The authors state that the scientific results for the accumulation rates in Table 1, which are presented and discussed in Sections 3.2 and 4.2 of the original publication, are not affected by this mistake, as all values were used correctly there. The corrected Table 1 is as follows: Annual accumulation rates calculated for the OH-12 drill site for the period 2012–2015. In the original publication, there was a mistake in Figure 6 [1]. The intercept in the equation for the δ18O−δD relationship of firn core OH-12 should be +6.01 and not −6.01. The corrected equation is δD = 7.94 × δ18O + 6.01. A correction was also made to the second paragraph in Section 3.4, where in the sentence “However, intercepts differ significantly (OH-12: −6.01; LMWL: −1.52; GMWL: +10), which is also reflected by the position of the OH-12 samples in the δ18O–δD plot (Figure 6a).” the intercept of the δ18O−δD relationship of firn core OH-12 should accordingly be +6.01 and not −6.01. In addition, in the same sentence the word “the” should be inserted before the word “intercepts”. The sentence should have read: ”However, the intercepts differ significantly (OH-12: +6.01; LMWL: −1.52; GMWL: +10), which is also reflected by the position of the OH-12 samples in the δ18O–δD plot (Figure 6a).”. The updated Figure 6 is as follows: (a) δ18O–δD relationship of all considered precipitation samples collected at Bernardo O’Higgins station (OH) between 2008 and 2017 (n = 294; coloured dots) compared to the δ18O–δD relationship of firn core OH-12 (n = 414; white dots). The Global Meteoric Water Line (GMWL) is indicated in blue. The Local Meteoric Water Line (LMWL) established for the study site by Fernandoy et al. [31,32] is shown as a dashed red line and the LMWL derived in this study as a solid red line. For each δ18O–δD relationship, the equation, the coefficient of determination (R2) and the p-value (p) are given. (b) Time series of δ18O, δD and d excess of OH-12 constructed based on the weighted age scale. High-resolution data are shown as light-coloured lines and monthly means as bold lines. The authors apologize for any inconvenience these mistakes may have caused the readers. The authors state that the scientific conclusions are unaffected. This correction was approved by the Academic Editor. The original publication has also been updated.

Description: Arctic soils store large amounts of organic carbon and other elements, such as amorphous silicon, silicon, calcium, iron, aluminum, and phosphorous. Global warming is projected to be most pronounced in the Arctic, leading to thawing permafrost which, in turn, changes the soil element availability. To project how biogeochemical cycling in Arctic ecosystems will be affected by climate change, there is a need for data on element availability. Here, we analyzed the amorphous silicon (ASi) content as a solid fraction of the soils as well as Mehlich III extractions for the bioavailability of silicon (Si), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), phosphorus (P), and aluminum (Al) from 574 soil samples from the circumpolar Arctic region. We show large differences in the ASi fraction and in Si, Ca, Fe, Al, and P availability among different lithologies and Arctic regions. We summarize these data in pan-Arctic maps of the ASi fraction and available Si, Ca, Fe, P, and Al concentrations, focusing on the top 100cm of Arctic soil. Furthermore, we provide element availability values for the organic and mineral layers of the seasonally thawing active layer as well as for the uppermost permafrost layer. Our spatially explicit data on differences in the availability of elements between the different lithological classes and regions now and in the future will improve Arctic Earth system models for estimating current and future carbon and nutrient feedbacks under climate change (10.17617/3.8KGQUN, Schaller and Goeckede, 2022).

Description: We present a dataset of reconstructed three-dimensional (3D) englacial stratigraphic horizons in northern Greenland. The data cover four different regions representing key ice-dynamic settings in Greenland: (i) the onset of Petermann Glacier, (ii) a region upstream of the 79° North Glacier (Nioghalvfjerdsbræ), near the northern Greenland ice divide, (iii) the onset of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) and (iv) a 700 km wide region extending across the central ice divide over the entire northern part of central Greenland. In this paper, we promote the advantages of a 3D perspective of deformed englacial stratigraphy and explain how 3D horizons provide an improved basis for interpreting and reconstructing the ice-dynamic history. The 3D horizons are provided in various formats to allow a wide range of applications and reproducibility of results.

Description: A better understanding of ice flow and deformation is needed to improve the projections of future sea level rise. Especially ice streams, the main contributors to solid ice discharge, still require more observational data to be represented sufficiently in computer models. The East Greenland Ice-core Project (EastGRIP) thus successfully drilled the first continuous deep ice core from an ice stream, the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) while serving as a hub for geophysical measurements. A major unknown is the ice microstructure, i.e. the size and orientation of ice crystals (CPO) and its interplay with chemical impurities. Impurities are a climate proxy but are also assumed to impact microstructural processes, such as deformation and grain growth, and it is thus crucial to investigate where impurities are located in the microstructure. By combining microstructural (fabric analyser, microstructure-mapping, large area scanning macroscope) and impurity (Raman spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry 2D imaging) methods, we here present a systematic overview of the evolution of the microstructure and of the location of impurities throughout the EastGRIP ice core. Solid impurities, such as dust, are preferably located in the grain interior, while soluble impurities are mainly in the grain boundaries. This shows that microstructure should be considered when using impurities as a climate proxy due to the large spatial variability on the (sub-) millimetre scale. The analysed microstructure in the EastGRIP ice core further assists in reconstructing the original orientation of the ice core via visual stratigraphy, delivering the ground-truthing for an improved method of interfering horizontal fabric with co-polarised phase-sensitive radar and gaining new insights into the spatial variability of anisotropy and ice viscosity within NEGIS. Combining microstructural data with numerical modelling enables new insights into the processes underlying CPO formation and the bridging of different spatial scales to derive a more holistic picture of NEGIS and the governing processes.

Description: Ice-rich Pleistocene-age permafrost is particularly vulnerable to rapid thaw, which may quickly expose a large pool of sedimentary organic matter (OM) to microbial degradation and lead to emissions of climate-sensitive greenhouse gases. Protective physico-chemical mechanisms may, however, restrict microbial accessibility and reduce OM decomposition; mechanisms that may be influenced by changing environmental conditions during sediment deposition. Here we study different OM fractions in Siberian permafrost deposited during colder and warmer periods of the past 55,000 years. Among known stabilization mechanisms, the occlusion of OM in aggregates is of minor importance, while 33-74% of the organic carbon is associated with small, 〈6.3 µm mineral particles. Preservation of carbon in mineral-associated OM is enhanced by reactive iron minerals particularly during cold and dry climate, reflected by low microbial CO2 production in incubation experiments. Warmer and wetter conditions reduce OM stabilization, shown by more decomposed mineral-associated OM and up to 30% higher CO2 production. This shows that considering the stability and bioavailability of Pleistocene-age permafrost carbon is important for predicting future climate-carbon feedback.

Description: The future of terrestrial carbon found in permafrost is not yet well understood, but this soil carbon may be a potential significant contributor to positive-feedback loop of climatic warming. In the (sub)arctic, the annual freeze-thaw cycles and thick peat accumulation harbor ideal conditions for palsa formation. Although, a recent study at our site in Arctic Lapland found that the area of the carbon-rich palsa mounds have already decreased by -77 % to -90 % since 1960. Here, we investigate potential greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, N2O) production from a palsa sampled along a transect with 60+ years of documented thaw. During the annual cycle of freeze-thaw, one of the largest unknowns in the life cycle of a palsa mound is the biogeochemical cycles during the shoulder season. This transition time between growing, and non-growing seasons that have previously been assumed to be times of relative dormancy for GHG flux in high-latitude wetlands. However, recent studies find that there is in fact a significant amount of GHG flux during this time. We aim to isolate shoulder season variables (increased N from plant senescence, temperature change) and explore how they each affect the potential CO2 and CH4 production using ex-situ incubations, coupled with microbial community cell counts sampled in tandem. Here, we test whether N addendums increase the GHG, as n-poor habitat has been shown to respond with increased microbial activity to the release of this metabolic bottleneck. In addition to the N-treatments, the samples will also be separated into three incubation temperature groups (4 , 15, 20C) to be able to link increasing temperatures with the N response. Overall, we aim to fill knowledge gaps on these habitats response to changing climatic conditions, and use our findings to better earth system models permafrost carbon predictions.

Description: Eiskerne sind ein einmaliger Zugang zur Atmosphäre vergangener Zeiten. Aber was ist daran so spannend? Eines der ungelösten Probleme bei der Erforschung des Klimas der Vergangenheit ist wie es vor ca. 1.5 Millionen Jahren (für Geologen: im mittleren Pleistozän) dazu kam, dass sich der wiederkehrende Wechsel der Kalt- und Warmzeiten von 40 Tausend auf 100 Tausend Jahre vergrößerte. Das europäische Projekt Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice will dem auf den Grund gehen. Dazu soll in der Antarktis der ersten Eiskern erbohrt werden, mit dem uralte Lufteinschlüsse an die Oberfläche gebracht werden, die diesen Zeitraum kontinuierlich abdecken. In Episode 149 gibt Olaf Eisen, Professor für Glaziologie am Alfred-Wegener-Institut und der Universität Bremen, in seinem Vortrag einen Einblick in die Motivation für das Projekt und die bisherige Reise zu einem neuen Eiskern.

Description: Frozen sediments from three cores bored in the permafrost surrounding the El’gygytgyn Impact Crater Lake have been studied for pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils and rhizopods. The palynological study of these cores contributes to a higher resolution of time intervals presented in a poor temporal resolution in the lacustrine sediments; namely the Allerød and succeeding periods. Moreover, the permafrost records better reflect local environmental changes, allowing a more reliable reconstruction of the local paleoenvironments. The new data confirm that shrub tundra with dwarf birch, shrub alder and willow dominated the lake surroundings during the Allerød warming. Younger Dryas pollen assemblages reflect abrupt changes to grass-sedge-herb dominated environments reflecting significantly drier and cooler climate. Low shrub tundra with dwarf birch and willow dominate the lake vicinity at the onset of the Holocene. The find of larch seeds indicate its local presence around 11 000 cal yr BP and, thus a northward shift of treeline by about 100 km during the early Holocene thermal optimum. Forest tundra with larch and shrub alder stands grew in the area during the early Holocene. After ca. 3500 cal yr BP similar-to-modern plant communities became common in the lake vicinity.

Description: One of the key components of this research has been the mapping of Antarctic bed topography and ice thickness parameters that are crucial for modelling ice flow and hence for predicting future ice loss and the ensuing sea level rise. Supported by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Bedmap3 Action Group aims not only to produce new gridded maps of ice thickness and bed topography for the international scientific community, but also to standardize and make available all the geophysical survey data points used in producing the Bedmap gridded products. Here, we document the survey data used in the latest iteration, Bedmap3, incorporating and adding to all of the datasets previously used for Bedmap1 and Bedmap2, including ice bed, surface and thickness point data from all Antarctic geophysical campaigns since the 1950s. More specifically, we describe the processes used to standardize and make these and future surveys and gridded datasets accessible under the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) data principles. With the goals of making the gridding process reproducible and allowing scientists to re-use the data freely for their own analysis, we introduce the new SCAR Bedmap Data Portal (https://bedmap.scar.org, last access: 1 March 2023) created to provide unprecedented open access to these important datasets through a web-map interface. We believe that this data release will be a valuable asset to Antarctic research and will greatly extend the life cycle of the data held within it. Data are available from the UK Polar Data Centre: https://data.bas.ac.uk (last access: 5 May 2023). See the Data availability section for the complete list of datasets.

Description: With climate change, discontinuous permafrost is thawing rapidly and is predicted to reach a “tipping point” in the next decade. Permafrost affected peatlands store about 185±66 Pg C. Due to permafrost thaw, the landscape topographies and hydrologic conditions could change quickly and thus, release carbon (C) stored in soils. However, there is a current lack of understanding regarding the C lability after post- thaw and how the microbial community and labile C in the water will affect methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes. Here, we quantified and qualified the effect of hydrologic changes on CH4 and CO2 emissions and production during the thawing process of a palsa (peaty permafrost mounts, mainly in discontinuous permafrost areas). We did a chronosequence study by measuring CH4 and CO2 emissions along a thawing transect from an intact palsa to a thawed wetland site during fall. Additionally, we mimicked a palsa degradation by incubating 1 m soil cores from the palsa and the wetland sites. We inoculated the incubation with water from the thawed site to study the effect of hydrological changes after permafrost thaw. The CO2 and CH4 emissions were continuously measured for 60 days. Additionally, dissolved gas, as well as nutrients were sampling over the entirety of the incubation time. The preliminary results from the field measurements showed that the intact palsa and the intermediate site behaved as a net C sink whereas, the thawed wetland site had the highest CH4 emissions (20 – 40 ppm). Furthermore, we showed that this mesocosm-scale incubation setup is an efficient and robust way to study C cycle dynamics and more accurately upscale laboratory results to the field. With permafrost thaw and former areas turning into wetlands more greenhouse gases will be emitted. Therefore, bridging scale is necessary to better estimate the future C emissions.

Description: The partitioning of CO2 between atmosphere and ocean depends to a large degree not only on the amount of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) but also on alkalinity in the surface ocean. That is also why ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is discussed as one potential approach in the context of negative emission technologies. Although alkalinity is thus an important variable of the marine carbonate system, little knowledge exists on how its representation in models compares with measurements. We evaluated the large-scale alkalinity distribution in 14 CMIP6 Earth system models (ESMs) against the observational data set GLODAPv2 and show that most models, as well as the multi-model mean, underestimate alkalinity at the surface and in the upper ocean and overestimate it in the deeper ocean. The decomposition of the global mean alkalinity biases into contributions from (i) physical processes (preformed alkalinity), which include the physical redistribution of biased alkalinity originating from the soft tissue and carbonates pumps; (ii) remineralization; and (iii) carbonate formation and dissolution showed that the bias stemming from the physical redistribution of alkalinity is dominant. However, below the upper few hundred meters the bias from carbonate dissolution can gain similar importance to physical biases, while the contribution from remineralization processes is negligible. This highlights the critical need for better understanding and quantification of processes driving calcium carbonate dissolution in microenvironments above the saturation horizons and implementation of these processes into biogeochemical models. For the application of the models to assess the potential of OAE to increase ocean carbon uptake, a back-of-the-envelope calculation was conducted with each model's global mean surface alkalinity, DIC, and partial pressure of CO2 in seawater (pCO2) as input parameters. We evaluate the following two metrics: (1) the initial pCO2 reduction at the surface ocean after alkalinity addition and (2) the uptake efficiency (ηCO2) after air–sea equilibration is reached. The relative biases of alkalinity versus DIC at the surface affect the Revelle factor and therefore the initial pCO2 reduction after alkalinity addition. The global mean surface alkalinity bias relative to GLODAPv2 in the different models ranges from −85 mmol m−3 (−3.6 %) to +50 mmol m−3 (+2.1 %) (mean: −25 mmol m−3 or −1.1 %). For DIC the relative bias ranges from −55 mmol m−3 (−2.6 %) to 53 mmol m−3 (+2.5 %) (mean: −13 mmol m−3 or −0.6 %). All but two of the CMIP6 models evaluated here overestimate the Revelle factor at the surface by up to 3.4 % and thus overestimate the initial pCO2 reduction after alkalinity addition by up to 13 %. The uptake efficiency, ηCO2, then takes into account that a higher Revelle factor and a higher initial pCO2 reduction after alkalinity addition and equilibration mostly compensate for each other, meaning that resulting DIC differences in the models are small (−0.1 % to 1.1 %). The overestimation of the initial pCO2 reduction has to be taken into account when reporting on efficiencies of ocean alkalinity enhancement experiments using CMIP6 models, especially as long as the CO2 equilibrium is not reached.

Description: Stable water isotopologues of snow, firn and ice cores provide valuable information on past climate variations. Yet single profiles are generally not suitable for robust climate reconstructions. Stratigraphic noise, introduced by the irregular deposition, wind-driven erosion and redistribution of snow, impacts the utility of high-resolution isotope records, especially in low-Accumulation areas. However, it is currently unknown how stratigraphic noise differs across the East Antarctic Plateau and how it is affected by local environmental conditions. Here, we assess the amount and structure of stratigraphic noise at seven sites along a 120 km transect on the plateau of Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Replicated oxygen isotope records of 1 m length were used to estimate signal-To-noise ratios as a measure of stratigraphic noise at sites characterised by different accumulation rates (43-64 mm w.e. a-1), snow surface roughnesses and slope inclinations. While we found a high level of stratigraphic noise at all sites, there was also considerable variation between sites. At sastrugi-dominated sites, greater stratigraphic noise coincided with stronger surface roughnesses, steeper slopes and lower accumulation rates, probably related to increased wind speeds. These results provide a first step to modelling stratigraphic noise and might guide site selection and sampling strategies for future expeditions to improve high-resolution climate reconstructions from low-Accumulation regions.

Description: Marine Neurotoxins, Volume Five provides comprehensive information on marine toxins present in the human food chain and the affecting targets relevant for the functioning of the brain and our nervous system, covering all the information ...

Description: Marine Neurotoxins, Volume Five provides comprehensive information on marine toxins present in the human food chain and the affecting targets relevant for the functioning of the brain and our nervous system, covering all the information ...

Description: Permafrost degradation and organic matter decomposition in the terrestrial Arctic are strongly depending on soil temperatures. A factor that affects these temperatures is grazing and snow trampling by large herbivorous animals, as well as animal-induced changes in vegetation cover. We analysed samples taken from adjacent areas with different grazing intensities, both in a permafrost environment (Siberia) and seasonally frozen ground (norther Finland) for TOC, C/N ratio, d13C, bulk density and radiocarbon age. While in permafrost there was a strong increase in soil carbon storage with high grazing intensity, this effect is not visible in seasonally frozen ground. However, in both areas we observed massive changes in vegetation composition and structure, following the grazing gradient. We conclude that seasonally frozen ground allows for more intensive carbon relocation and mixing, which outweighs the effects animals have in the permafrost region but state that on permafrost, animals might efficiently be utilized to stabilise permafrost temperatures and reduce organic material decomposition.

Description: Satellite and airborne sensors have provided detailed data on ice surface flow velocities, englacial structures of ice sheets and bedrock elevations. These data give insight into the flow behaviour of ice sheets and glaciers. One significant phenomenon observed is large-scale folds (over 100 m in amplitude) in the englacial stratigraphy in the Greenland ice sheet. A large population of folds is located at ice streams, where the flow is distinctly faster than in the surroundings, such as the North-East Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS). While there is no consensus regarding the formation of large-scale folds, unraveling the underlying mechanisms presents significant potential for enhancing our understanding of the formation and dynamics of ice streams. Ice in ice sheets is a ductile material, i.e., it can flow as a thick viscous fluid with a power-law rheology. Furthermore, ice is significantly anisotropic in its flow properties due to its crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO). Here, we use the Full-Stokes code Underworld2 (Mansour et al.,2022) for 3D modelling of the power-law and transversely isotropic ice flow, also in comparison with the isotropic ice models. Our simulated folds with anisotropic ice show complex patterns on a bumpy bedrock, and are classified into three types: large-scale folds (fold amplitudes 〉100 m), small-scale folds (fold amplitudes 〈〈100 m, wavelength 〈〈km) and recumbent basal-shear folds. Our results indicate that bedrock topography contributes to perturbations in ice layers, and that ice anisotropy due to the CPO amplifies these into large-scale folds in convergent flow by horizontal shortening. As for our ice stream model, we simulate convergent flow as initial condition, which subsequently initiates the development of shear margins due to the rotation of the ice crystal basal planes. As soon as the shear margins develop, the ice stream starts to propagate upstream in a short time and narrows in the upstream part. Our modeling shows that the anisotropic rheology of ice and CPO change play a significant role for large-scale folding and for the initiation of ice streams with distinct shear margins. Hence, we promote the implementation of ice anisotropy in large-scale ice-sheet evolution models as it holds the potential to introduce novel perspectives to the glaciological community on the dynamics of ice flow.

Description: 〈jats:p〉Abstract. In this paper we describe the implementation of the carbon isotopes 13C and 14C (radiocarbon) into the marine biogeochemistry model REcoM3. The implementation is tested in long-term equilibrium simulations where REcoM3 is coupled with the ocean general circulation model FESOM2.1, applying a low-resolution configuration and idealized climate forcing. Focusing on the carbon-isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13CDIC and Δ14CDIC), our model results are largely consistent with reconstructions for the pre-anthropogenic period. Our simulations also exhibit discrepancies, e.g. in upwelling regions and the interior of the North Pacific. Some of these differences are due to the limitations of our ocean circulation model setup, which results in a rather shallow meridional overturning circulation. We additionally study the accuracy of two simplified modelling approaches for dissolved inorganic 14C, which are faster (15 % and about a factor of five, respectively) than the complete consideration of the marine radiocarbon cycle. The accuracy of both simplified approaches is better than 5 %, which should be sufficient for most studies of Δ14CDIC. 〈/jats:p〉

Description: The Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) is a fascinating, over 500 km long structure in the Greenland Ice Sheet. The ice stream shows many features, such as folds and shear zones, that are also common in other ductile rocks. Geological methods and expertise may contribute to a better understanding of NEGIS and similar deformation structures in ice sheets. It is standard practice in oil and gas exploration to create 3D-structural models from parallel seismic lines. This approach, applied to radar profiles, is relatively new in glaciology (Bons et al., Nat. Comm. 2016, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11427) but provides far more insight into the structural architecture and evolution of ice sheets than single radar sections. A 3D-structural model of upstream NEGIS reveals how pre-existing folds are offset within the ice stream. With that, classical strain analysis methods can be applied to quantify the deformation of these folds in the shear margins. This reveals that the total offset at the level of the EGRIP drilling project is in the order of up to 75 km and that the finite shear strain in the shear margins is around 18. With present-day shear-strain rates in the shear margins, such a finite offset and shear strain are achieved in ≤2000 yrs. This strain analysis also proves that ice does not flow through shear margins, but that the shear margins instead advect with the ice. This means that 'flow lines' (which should better be called 'streamlines') are not the same as 'path lines', as is now often assumed. The two are only the same in a time-invariant velocity field, which does not apply to NEGIS. Shear zones in other ductile rocks show that rocks never flow through shear zones, but shear zones can shift or 'jump' to new locations, as is actually observed in NEGIS. Geological principles to analyse and date the formation and activity of salt diapirs and syn-sedimentary faults can also be applied to folds observed in and around NEGIS. This reveals that fold amplification inside the shear margins ceased about 2000 yrs ago, which can be explained by the formation of the shear margins and concomitant reorientation of the CPO. A combination of several structural geological methods thus enables constraining the age of NEGIS as we now know it to about 2000 yrs, which is much less than previously assumed. The surprisingly late appearance of NEGIS, as well as the demise of ice streams in the Holocene (based on 3D-analyses of folded stratigraphy; Franke et al., Nature Geosci. 2022, Doi: 10.1038/s41561-022-01082-2) indicates that ice sheets are very dynamic, mostly due to the highly non-linear (n=4) and anisotropic rheology of ice.

Description: Coastal erosion and flooding transform terrestrial landscapes into marine environments. In the Arctic, these processes inundate terrestrial permafrost with seawater and create submarine permafrost. Permafrost begins to warm under marine conditions, which can destabilize the sea floor and may release greenhouse gases. We report on the transition of terrestrial to submarine permafrost at a site where the timing of inundation can be inferred from the rate of coastline retreat. On Muostakh Island in the central Laptev Sea, East Siberia, changes in annual coastline position have been measured for decades and vary highly spatially. We hypothesize that these rates are inversely related to the inclination of the upper surface of submarine ice-bonded permafrost (IBP) based on the consequent duration of inundation with increasing distance from the shoreline. We compared rapidly eroding and stable coastal sections of Muostakh Island and find permafrost-table inclinations, determined using direct current resistivity, of 1 and 5 %, respectively. Determinations of submarine IBP depth from a drilling transect in the early 1980s were compared to resistivity profiles from 2011. Based on borehole observations, the thickness of unfrozen sediment overlying the IBP increased from 0 to 14m below sea level with increasing distance from the shoreline. The geoelectrical profiles showed thickening of the unfrozen sediment overlying ice-bonded permafrost over the 28 years since drilling took place. We use geoelectrical estimates of IBP depth to estimate permafrost degradation rates since inundation. Degradation rates decreased from over 0.4ma-1 following inundation to around 0.1ma-1 at the latest after 60 to 110 years and remained constant at this level as the duration of inundation increased to 250 years. We suggest that long-term rates are lower than these values, as the depth to the IBP increases and thermal and porewater solute concentration gradients over depth decrease. For the study region, recent increases in coastal erosion rate and changes in benthic temperature and salinity regimes are expected to affect the depth to submarine permafrost, leading to coastal regions with shallower IBP.

Description: Ice shelves, which regulate ice flow from the Antarctic ice sheet towards the ocean, are shaped by spatiotemporal patterns of surface accumulation, surface/basal melt and ice dynamics. Therefore, an ice dynamic and accumulation history are imprinted in the internal ice stratigraphy, which can be imaged by radar in the form of internal reflection horizons (IRHs). Here, IRHs were derived from radar data combined across radar platforms (airborne and ground-based) in coastal eastern Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica), comprising three ice rises and adjacent two ice shelves. To facilitate interpretation of dominant spatiotemporal patterns of processes shaping the local IRH geometry, traced IRHs are classified into three different types (laterally continuous, discontinuous or absent/IRH-free). Near-surface laterally continuous IRHs reveal local accumulation patterns, reflecting the mean easterly wind direction, and correlate with surface slopes. Areas of current and past increased ice flow and internal deformation are marked by discontinuous or IRH-free zones, and can inform about paleo ice-stream dynamics. The established IRH datasets extend continent-wide mapping efforts of IRHs to an important and climatically sensitive ice marginal region of Antarctica and are ready for integration into ice-flow models to improve predictions of Antarctic ice drainage.

Description: Contrary to the rest of the Antarctic ice sheet, East Antarctica currently gains mass due to an increase in snow accumulation over the last decades. How or if this increase is linked to anthropogenic warming is not yet clear and requires better understanding of the surface mass balance history over the last centuries, and also the dependency of snow accumulation with the local surface slopes across different spatial scales. Here, we present a novel airborne dataset using the multichannel ultra-wideband radar system from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany with a decadal vertical resolution for the plateau area in Dronning Maud Land. We assess the spatial and temporal variability of surface mass balance and snow accumulation for the past centuries for an area of ~200,000 km2. With this contribution, we aim to (1) show the potential to use ultra-wideband radar systems to reconstruct the recent surface mass balance and accumulation rates in low-accumulation regions, (2) present information on large spatial scales, and (3) discuss potential overlap of interests and/or data in this and/or other areas on the plateau of East Antarctica.

Description: Stable water isotope records of six firn cores retrieved from two adjacent plateaus on the northern Antarctic Peninsula between 2014 and 2016 are presented and investigated for their connections with firn-core glacio-chemical data, meteorological records and modelling results. Average annual accumulation rates of 2500 kg m-2 a-1 largely reduce the modification of isotopic signals in the snowpack by post-depositional processes, allowing excellent signal preservation in space and time. Comparison of firn-core and ECHAM6-wiso modelled δ18O and d-excess records reveals a large agreement on annual and sub-annual scales, suggesting firn-core stable water isotopes to be representative of specific synoptic situations. The six firn cores exhibit highly similar isotopic patterns in the overlapping period (2013), which seem to be related to temporal changes in moisture sources rather than local near-surface air temperatures. Backward trajectories calculated with the HYSPLIT model suggest that prominent δ18O minima in 2013 associated with elevated sea salt concentrations are related to long-range moisture transport dominated by westerly winds during positive SAM phases. In contrast, a broad δ18O maximum in the same year accompanied by increased concentrations of black carbon and mineral dust corresponds to the advection of more locally derived moisture with northerly flow components (South America) when the SAM is negative.

Description: 〈jats:p〉Water isotopes are key proxies to reconstruct past climatic conditions on our planet based on Antarctic ice core data. The accuracy of climate reconstructions depends on understanding the whole range of the processes involved in the formation of precipitation isotopic composition. The isotopic composition of precipitation in Central Antarctica has been studied in a number of works, but the difference between the isotopic composition of different types of precipitation has not yet been fully described.There are three main type of precipitation in Central Antarctica: snow, ice needles and hoar. The aim of this work is to establish the dependence of isotopic composition of different precipitation types on temperature. Precipitation samples were collected at Vostok station in Central Antarctica from 1998 to 2020 and further analyzed for δ18O and δD. For each precipitation event we have meteorological data, averaged over the time of precipitation fallout. Mean values of δD for each precipitation type were defined as follows: –444±6.5 ‰ for diamond dust, –480± 6 ‰ for hoar and –95±11 ‰ for snow. The seasonal variability of the temperature dependence of the isotopic composition was studied using the example of ice needles. According to our data, the dependence is insignificant in winter, but this needs to be confirmed by an extended dataset. The largest slope of the isotope-temperature dependence regression line is observed for the summer period and is equal to 5.34±3.11 ‰·°С–1, the autumn season has a slope of 2.1±1.3 ‰·°С–1, while for the spring period we do not have enough data for analysis. There is an insignificant difference in the slopes of the isotope-temperature dependence for different types of precipitation: 2.93±0.51 ‰·°С–1 for ice needles, 2.32±1.34 ‰·°С–1 for snow and 2.52±0.35 ‰·°С–1 for hoar. We studied the effect of blizzards on the isotopic composition of samples and concluded that one should avoid using data collected during a blizzard to study the differences in the formation of the isotopic signal for different types of precipitation.This work brings us closer to understanding how isotopic composition is formed in each type of precipitation and what information it provides. This will contribute to a more accurate interpretation of the isotope signal from ice cores.〈/jats:p〉

Description: Understanding the material properties and physical conditions of basal ice is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of Antarctic ice-sheet dynamics. Yet, direct data are sparse and difficult to acquire, necessitating geophysical data for analysis. We employed high-resolution ultra-wideband radar to map high-backscatter zones near the glacier bed within East Antarctica's Jutulstraumen drainage basin. In addition, we used radar forward modelling to constrain their material composition. Our results reveal along-flow oriented sediment-laden basal ice units connected to the basal substrate, extending to several hundred meters thick. Three-dimensional thermomechanical modelling suggests these units initially form via basal freeze-on of subglacial water originating upstream. We suggest that basal freeze-on and the entrainment and transport of subglacial material play a significant role in an accurate representation of the material, physical, and rheological properties of the Antarctic ice sheet's basal ice, ultimately enhancing the accuracy and reliability of ice-sheet modelling.

Description: The Arctic Ocean is an exceptional environment where hydrosphere, cryosphere, and atmosphere are closely interconnected. Changes in sea-ice extent and thickness affect ocean currents, as well as moisture and heat exchange with the atmosphere. Energy and water fluxes impact the formation and melting of sea ice and snow cover. Here, we present a comprehensive statistical analysis of the stable water isotopes of various hydrological components in the central Arctic obtained during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition in 2019–2020, including the understudied Arctic winter. Our dataset comprises 〉2200 water, snow, and ice samples. Snow had the most depleted and variable isotopic composition, with d18O (–16.3%) increasing consistently from surface (–22.5%) to bottom (–9.7%) of the snowpack, suggesting that snow metamorphism and wind-induced transport may overprint the original precipitation isotope values. In the Arctic Ocean, isotopes also help to distinguish between different sea-ice types, and whether there is a meteoric contribution. The isotopic composition and salinity of surface seawater indicated relative contributions from different freshwater sources: lower d18O (approximately –3.0%) and salinities were observed near the eastern Siberian shelves and towards the center of the Transpolar Drift due to river discharge. Higher d18O (approximately –1.5%) and salinities were associated with an Atlantic source when the RV Polarstern crossed the Gakkel Ridge into the Nansen Basin. These changes were driven mainly by the shifts within the Transpolar Drift that carried the Polarstern across the Arctic Ocean. Our isotopic analysis highlights the importance of investigating isotope fractionation effects, for example, during sea-ice formation and melting. A systematic full-year sampling for water isotopes from different components strengthens our understanding of the Arctic water cycle and provides crucial insights into the interaction between atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean and their spatio-temporal variations during MOSAiC.

Description: A fundamental statistic of climate variability is its spatiotemporal correlation function. Its complex structure can be concisely summarized by a frequency-dependent measure of the effective spatial degrees of freedom (ESDOF). Here we present, for the first time, frequency-dependent ESDOF estimates of global natural surface temperature variability from purely instrumental measurements, using the HadCRUT4 dataset (1850-2014). The approach is based on a newly developed method for estimating the frequency-dependent spatial correlation function from gappy data fields. Results reveal a multicomponent structure of the spatial correlation function, including a large-amplitude short-distance component (with weak time scale dependence) and a small-amplitude long-distance component (with increasing relative amplitude toward the longer time scales). Two frequency-dependent ESDOF measures are applied, each responding mainly to either of the two components. Both measures exhibit a significant ESDOF reduction from monthly to multidecadal time scales, implying an increase of the effective spatial scale of natural surface temperature fluctuations. Moreover, it is found that a good approximation to the global number of equally spaced samples needed to estimate the variance of global mean temperature is given, at any frequency, by the greater one of the two ESDOF measures, decreasing from ;130 at monthly to ;30 at multidecadal time scales. Finally, the multicomponent structure of the correlation function together with the detected ESDOF scaling properties indicate that the ESDOF reduction toward the longer time scales cannot be explained simply by diffusion acting on stochastically driven anomalies, as it might be suggested f rom simple stochastic-diffusive energy balance models.

Description: 〈jats:p〉Abstract. Systematic long-term studies on ecosystem dynamics are largely lacking from the East Antarctic Southern Ocean, although it is well recognized that they are indispensable to identify the ecological impacts and risks of environmental change. Here, we present a framework for establishing a long-term cross-disciplinary study on decadal timescales. We argue that the eastern Weddell Sea and the adjacent sea to the east, off Dronning Maud Land, is a particularly well suited area for such a study, since it is based on findings from previous expeditions to this region. Moreover, since climate and environmental change have so far been comparatively muted in this area, as in the eastern Antarctic in general, a systematic long-term study of its environmental and ecological state can provide a baseline of the current situation, which will be important for an assessment of future changes from their very onset, with consistent and comparable time series data underpinning and testing models and their projections. By establishing an Integrated East Antarctic Marine Research (IEAMaR) observatory, long-term changes in ocean dynamics, geochemistry, biodiversity, and ecosystem functions and services will be systematically explored and mapped through regular autonomous and ship-based synoptic surveys. An associated long-term ecological research (LTER) programme, including experimental and modelling work, will allow for studying climate-driven ecosystem changes and interactions with impacts arising from other anthropogenic activities. This integrative approach will provide a level of long-term data availability and ecosystem understanding that are imperative to determine, understand, and project the consequences of climate change and support a sound science-informed management of future conservation efforts in the Southern Ocean. 〈/jats:p〉

Description: The Greenland Ice Sheet has a central role in the global climate system owing to its size, radiative effects and freshwater storage, and as a potential tipping point1. Weather stations show that the coastal regions are warming2, but the imprint of global warming in the central part of the ice sheet is unclear, owing to missing long-term observations. Current ice-core-based temperature reconstructions3–5 are ambiguous with respect to isolating global warming signatures from natural variability, because they are too noisy and do not include the most recent decades. By systematically redrilling ice cores, we created a high-quality reconstruction of central and north Greenland temperatures from ad 1000 until 2011. Here we show that the warming in the recent reconstructed decade exceeds the range of the pre-industrial temperature variability in the past millennium with virtual certainty (P < 0.001) and is on average 1.5 ± 0.4 degrees Celsius (1 standard error) warmer than the twentieth century. Our findings suggest that these exceptional temperatures arise from the superposition of natural variability with a long-term warming trend, apparent since ad 1800. The disproportionate warming is accompanied by enhanced Greenland meltwater run-off, implying that anthropogenic influence has also arrived in central and north Greenland, which might further accelerate the overall Greenland mass loss.

Description: 〈jats:p〉Abstract. Stable water isotopes stored in snow, firn and ice are used to reconstruct climatic parameters. The imprint of these parameters at the snow surface and their preservation in the upper snowpack are determined by a number of processes influencing the recording of the environmental signal. Here, we present a dataset of approximately 3800 snow samples analysed for their stable water isotope composition, which were obtained during the summer season next to the deep drilling site of the East Greenland Ice Core Project in northeast Greenland (75.635411° N, 36.000250° W). Sampling was carried out every third day between 14 May and 3 August 2018 along a 39 m long transect. Three depth intervals in the top 10 cm were sampled at 30 positions with a higher resolution closer to the surface (0–1 and 1–4 cm depth vs. 4–10 cm). The sample analysis was carried out at two renowned stable water isotope laboratories that produced isotope data with the overall highest uncertainty of 0.09 ‰ for δ18O and 0.8 ‰ for δD. This unique dataset shows the strongest δ18O variability closest to the surface, damped and delayed variations in the lowest layer, and a trend towards increasing homogeneity towards the end of the season, especially in the deepest layer. Additional information on the snow height and its temporal changes suggests a non-uniform spatial imprint of the seasonal climatic information in this area, potentially following the stratigraphic noise of the surface. The data can be used to study the relation between snow height (changes) and the imprint and preservation of the isotopic composition at a site with 10–14 cm w.e. yr−1 accumulation. The high-temporal-resolution sampling allows additional analyses on (post-)depositional processes, such as vapour–snow exchange. The data can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.956626 (Zuhr et al., 2023a). 〈/jats:p〉

Description: Characterizing the variability across timescales is important for understanding the underlying dynamics of the Earth system. It remains challenging to do so from palaeoclimate archives since they are more often than not irregular, and traditional methods for producing timescale-dependent estimates of variability, such as the classical periodogram and the multitaper spectrum, generally require regular time sampling. We have compared those traditional methods using interpolation with interpolation-free methods, namely the Lomb-Scargle periodogram and the first-order Haar structure function. The ability of those methods to produce timescale-dependent estimates of variability when applied to irregular data was evaluated in a comparative framework, using surrogate palaeo-proxy data generated with realistic sampling. The metric we chose to compare them is the scaling exponent, i.e. the linear slope in log-transformed coordinates, since it summarizes the behaviour of the variability across timescales. We found that, for scaling estimates in irregular time series, the interpolation-free methods are to be preferred over the methods requiring interpolation as they allow for the utilization of the information from shorter timescales which are particularly affected by the irregularity. In addition, our results suggest that the Haar structure function is the safer choice of interpolation-free method since the Lomb-Scargle periodogram is unreliable when the underlying process generating the time series is not stationary. Given that we cannot know a priori what kind of scaling behaviour is contained in a palaeoclimate time series, and that it is also possible that this changes as a function of timescale, it is a desirable characteristic for the method to handle both stationary and non-stationary cases alike.

Description: The stable water isotopic composition in firn and ice cores provides valuable information on past climatic conditions. Because of uneven accumulation and post-depositional modifications on local spatial scales up to hundreds of meters, time series derived from adjacent cores differ significantly and do not directly reflect the temporal evolution of the precipitated snow isotopic signal. Hence, a characterization of how the isotopic profile in the snow develops is needed to reliably interpret the isotopic variability in firn and ice cores. By combining digital elevation models of the snow surface and repeated high-resolution snow sampling for stable water isotope measurements of a transect at the East Greenland Ice-core Project campsite on the Greenland Ice Sheet, we are able to visualize the buildup and post-depositional changes of the upper snowpack across one summer season. To this end, 30 cm deep snow profiles were sampled on six dates at 20 adjacent locations along a 40 m transect. Near-daily photogrammetry provided snow height information for the same transect. Our data shows that erosion and redeposition of the original snowfall lead to a complex stratification in the δ18O signature. Post-depositional processes through vapor-snow exchange affect the near surface snow with d-excess showing a decrease in surface and near-surface layers. Our data suggests that the interplay of stratigraphic noise, accumulation intermittency, and local post-depositional processes form the proxy signal in the upper snowpack.

Description: Proxy records represent an invaluable source of information for reconstructing past climatic variations, but they are associated with considerable uncertainties. For a systematic quantification of these reconstruction errors, however, knowledge is required not only of their individual sources but also of their auto-correlation structure as this determines the timescale dependence of their magnitude, an issue that has been often ignored until now. Here a spectral approach to uncertainty analysis is provided for paleoclimate reconstructions obtained from single sediment proxy records. The formulation in the spectral domain rather than the time domain allows for an explicit demonstration and quantification of the timescale dependence that is inherent in any proxy-based reconstruction uncertainty. This study is published in two parts. In this first part, the theoretical concept is presented, and analytic expressions are derived for the power spectral density of the reconstruction error of sediment proxy records. The underlying model takes into account the spectral structure of the climate signal, seasonal and orbital variations, bioturbation, sampling of a finite number of signal carriers, and uncorrelated measurement noise, and it includes the effects of spectral aliasing and leakage. The uncertainty estimation method, based upon this model, is illustrated by simple examples. In the second part of this study, published separately, the method is implemented in an application-oriented context, and more detailed examples are presented.

Description: While the influence of precession on monsoon at low latitudes through insolation forcing is well-known, the role of obliquity is still debated since its influence on the distribution of incoming solar radiation is small in these regions. In southern Africa, long marine and terrestrial sedimentary records attest of a precessional influence on the South African monsoon at orbital time scale. The obliquity signal is occasionally observed in the geological records although modeling results suggest an influence of precession and obliquity on summer monsoon. Here, we present a record of microscopic charcoal from core MD96-2098 located off Namibia covering the past 184,000 years. Our record of fire activity reveals cyclic changes at frequencies of 23, 58 and 12 kyr−1 and lacks the obliquity signal at 41 kyr−1. Changes in fire over southern Africa are interpreted as shifts in large and intense fires spreading in open-grassland savanna as a result of orbitally-driven changes in rainfall intensity associated with the South African monsoon. We show that, despite the absence of a 41 kyr obliquity imprint, the presence of 23, 58 and 12 kyr−1 frequencies likely stems from a nonlinear response of fire to precipitation controlled by a combination of precession and obliquity frequencies, supporting the influence of obliquity on the South African monsoon.

Description: Only a few localised ice streams drain most of the ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet. Thus, understanding ice stream behaviour and its temporal variability is crucially important to predict future sea-level change. The interior trunk of the 700 km-long North-East Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) is remarkable due to the lack of any clear bedrock channel to explain its presence. Here, we present a 3-dimensional analysis of the folding and advection of its stratigraphic horizons, which shows that the localised flow and shear margins in the upper NEGIS were fully developed only ca 2000 years ago. Our results contradict the assumption that the ice stream has been stable throughout the Holocene in its current form and show that upper NEGIS-type development of ice streaming, with distinct shear margins and no bed topography relationship, can be established on time scales of hundreds of years, which is a major challenge for realistic mass-balance and sea-level rise projections.

Description: The Last Interglacial (~129,000–116,000 years ago) is the most recent geologic period with a warmer-than-present climate. Proxy-based temperature reconstructions from this interval can help contextualize natural climate variability in our currently warming world, especially if they can define changes on decadal timescales. Here, we established a ~4.800-year-long record of sea surface temperature (SST) variability from the eastern Mediterranean Sea at 1–4-year resolution by applying mass spectrometry imaging of long-chain alkenones to a finely laminated organic-matter-rich sapropel deposited during the Last Interglacial. We observe the highest amplitude of decadal variability in the early stage of sapropel deposition, plausibly due to reduced vertical mixing of the highly stratified water column. With the subsequent reorganization of oceanographic conditions in the later stage of sapropel deposition, when SST forcing resembled the modern situation, we observe that the maximum amplitude of reconstructed decadal variability did not exceed the range of the recent period of warming climate. The more gradual, centennial SST trends reveal that the maximal centennial scale SST increase in our Last Interglacial record is below the projected temperature warming in the twenty-first century.

Description: Holocene temperature proxy records are commonly used in quantitative synthesis and model-data comparisons. However, comparing correlations between time series from records collected in proximity to one another with the expected correlations based on climate model simulations indicates either regional or noisy climate signals in Holocene temperature proxy records. In this study, we evaluate the consistency of spatial correlations present in Holocene proxy records with those found in data from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Specifically, we predict correlations expected in LGM proxy records if the only difference to Holocene correlations would be due to more time uncertainty and more climate variability in the LGM. We compare this simple prediction to the actual correlation structure in the LGM proxy records. We found that time series data of ice-core stable isotope records and planktonic foraminifera Mg/Ca ratios were consistent between the Holocene and LGM periods, while time series of Uk'37 proxy records were not as we found no correlation between nearby LGM records. Our results support the finding of highly regional or noisy marine proxy records in the compilation analysed here and suggest the need for further studies on the role of climate proxies and the processes of climate signal recording and preservation.

Description: Climate variability occurs over wide ranges of spatial and temporal scales. It exhibits a complex spatial covariance structure, which depends on geographic location (e.g., tropics vs extratropics) and also consists of a superposition of (i) components with gradually decaying positive correlation functions and (ii) teleconnections that often involve anticorrelations. In addition, there are indications that the spatial covariance structure depends on frequency. Thus, a comprehensive assessment of the spatiotemporal covariance structure of climate variability would require an extensive set of statistical diagnostics. Therefore, it is often desirable to characterize the covariance structure by a simple summarizing metric that is easy to compute from datasets. Such summarizing metrics are useful, for example, in the context of comparisons between climate models or between models and observations. Here we introduce a frequency-dependent version of a simple measure of the effective spatial degrees of freedom. The measure is based on the temporal variance of the global average of some climate variable, and its novel aspect consists in its frequency dependence. We also provide a clear geometric interpretation of the measure. Its easy applicability is demonstrated using near-surface temperature and precipitation fields obtained from a paleoclimate model simulation. This application reveals a distinct scaling behavior of the spatial degrees of freedom as a function of frequency, ranging from monthly to millennial scales.

Description: Laboratory experiments showed that the isotopic fractionation of δ13C and of δ18O during calcite formation of planktic foraminifera are species-specific functions of ambient CO32- concentration. This effect became known as the carbonate ion effect (CIE), whose role for the interpretation of marine sediment data will be investigated here in an in-depth analysis of the 13C cycle. For this investigation, we constructed new 160 kyr long mono-specific stacks of changes in both δ13C and δ18O from either the planktic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber (rub) or Trilobatus sacculifer (sac) from 112 and 40 marine records, respectively, from the wider tropics (latitudes below 38°). Both mono-specific time series Δ(δ13Crub) and Δ(δ13Csac) are very similar to each other, and a linear regression through a scatter plot of both data sets has a slope of ∼ 0.99 – although the laboratory-based CIE for both species differs by a factor of nearly 2, implying that they should record distinctly different changes in δ13C, if we accept that the carbonate ion concentration changes on glacial–interglacial timescales. For a deeper understanding of the 13C cycle, we use the Solid Earth version of the Box model of the Isotopic Carbon cYCLE (BICYLE-SE) to calculate how surface-ocean CO32- should have varied over time in order to be able to calculate the potential offsets which would by caused by the CIE quantified in culture experiments. Our simulations are forced with atmospheric reconstructions of CO2 and δ13CO2 derived from ice cores to obtain a carbon cycle which should at least at the surface ocean be as close as possible to expected conditions and which in the deep ocean largely agrees with the carbon isotope ratio of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), δ13CDIC, as reconstructed from benthic foraminifera. We find that both Δ(δ13Crub) and Δ(δ13Csac) agree better with changes in simulated δ13CDIC when ignoring the CIE than those time series which were corrected for the CIE. The combination of data- and model-based evidence for the lack of a role for the CIE in Δ(δ13Crub) and Δ(δ13Csac) suggests that the CIE as measured in laboratory experiments is not directly transferable to the interpretation of marine sediment records. The much smaller CIE-to-glacial–interglacial-signal ratio in foraminifera δ18O, when compared to δ13C, prevents us from drawing robust conclusions on the role of the CIE in δ18O as recorded in the hard shells of both species. However, theories propose that the CIE in both δ13C and δ18O depends on the pH in the surrounding water, suggesting that the CIE should be detectable in neither or both of the isotopes. Whether this lack of role of the CIE in the interpretation of planktic paleo-data is a general feature or is restricted to the two species investigated here needs to be checked with further data from other planktic foraminiferal species.

Description: The Amazonian rainforest is arguably the most species-rich terrestrial ecosystem in the world, yet the timing of the origin and volutionary causes of this diversity are a matter of debate. We review the geologic and phylogenetic evidence from Amazonia and compare it with uplift records from the Andes. This uplift and its effect on regional climate fundamentally changed the Amazonian landscape by reconfiguring drainage patterns and creating a vast influx of sediments into the basin. On this “Andean” substrate, a region-wide edaphic mosaic developed that became extremely rich in species, particularly in Western Amazonia. We show that Andean uplift was crucial for the evolution of Amazonian landscapes and ecosystems, and that current biodiversity patterns are rooted deep in the pre-Quaternary.

Description: The genus Calonectria includes many important plant pathogens with a wide global distribution. In order to better understand the reproductive biology of these fungi, we characterised the structure of the mating type locus and flanking genes using the genome sequences for seven Calonectria species. Primers to amplify the mating type genes in other species were also developed. PCR amplification of the mating type genes and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses were used to investigate the mating strategies and evolution of mating type in a collection of 70 Calonectria species residing in 10 Calonectria species complexes. Results showed that the organisation of the MAT locus and flanking genes is conserved. In heterothallic species, a novel MAT gene, MAT1-2-12 was identified in the MAT1-2 idiomorph; the MAT1-1 idiomorph, in most cases, contained the MAT1-1-3 gene. Neither MAT1-1-3 nor MAT1-2-12 was found in homothallic Calonectria (Ca.) hongkongensis, Ca. lateralis, Ca. pseudoturangicola and Ca. turangicola. Four different homothallic MAT locus gene arrangements were observed. Ancestral state reconstruction analysis provided evidence that the homothallic state was basal in Calonectria and this evolved from a heterothallic ancestor.

Description: The advancement of the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) has enabled monitoring of mass transport and solid-Earth deformation processes with unprecedented accuracy. Coseismic deformation is modelled as an elastic response of the solid Earth to an internal dislocation. Self-gravitating spherical Earth models can be employed in modelling regional to global scale deformations. Recent seismic tomography and high-pressure/high-temperature experiments have revealed finer-scale lateral heterogeneities in the elasticity and density structures within the Earth, which motivates us to quantify the effects of such finer structures on coseismic deformation. To achieve this, fully numerical approaches including the Finite Element Method (FEM) have often been used. In our previous study, we presented a spectral FEM, combined with an iterative perturbation method, to consider lateral heterogeneities in the bulk and shear moduli for surface loading. The distinct feature of this approach is that the deformation of the entire sphere is modelled in the spectral domain with finite elements dependent only on the radial coordinate. By this, self-gravitation can be treated without special treatments employed when using an ordinary FEM. In this study, we extend the formulation so that it can deal with lateral heterogeneities in density in the case of coseismic deformation. We apply this approach to a longer-wavelength vertical deformation due to a large earthquake. The result shows that the deformation for a laterally heterogeneous density distribution is suppressed mainly where the density is larger, which is consistent with the fact that self-gravitation reduces longer-wavelength deformations for 1-D models. The effect on the vertical displacement is relatively small, but the effect on the gravity change could amount to the same order of magnitude of a given heterogeneity if the horizontal scale of the heterogeneity is large enough.

Description: Present day system Earth research utilizes the tool ‘Scientific Drilling’ to access samples and to monitor deep Earth processes that cannot be tackled by other scientific means. Unlike most laboratory experiments or computer modelling, drilling projects are massive field endeavours requiring intense collaboration of researchers with engineers and service providers. In the framework of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, ICDP, more than seventy drilling projects have been conducted, from multiyear big research programs to short, smallscale deployments such as lake drilling projects. ICDP has supported these projects not only through grants covering field-related costs, but also through a variety of scientific-technical services and support, as well as active help in data management, outreach and publication. These services are described in this booklet. Due to its instructional character, we call it the ICDP Primer.

Description: A diatom-based sea-ice concentration (SIC) transfer function is developed using 72 surface samples from west of Greenland and around Iceland, and through comparison with the associated modern SIC. Canonical correspondence analysis on surface sediment diatoms and monthly average of SIC reveals that April SIC is the most important environmental factor controlling the distribution of diatoms in the area, and permits the development of a diatom-based SIC transfer function. The consistency between reconstructed SIC based on diatoms from West Greenland and the instrumental and documentary data during the last ~75 years demonstrates that the diatom-based SIC reconstruction is reliable for studying the palaeoceanography off West Greenland. Relatively warm conditions with strong influence of the Irminger Current (IC) are indicated for the early part of the record (~5000-3860 cal. yr BP), corresponding in time to the latest part of the Holocene Thermal Maximum. The April SIC oscillated around the mean value between 3860 and 1510 cal. yr BP and was above mean afterwards, particularly during the time interval 1510-1120 cal. yr BP and after 650 cal. yr BP, indicating more extensive sea-ice cover in Disko Bugt. A high degree of consistency between the reconstructed April SIC and changes in the diatom species suggests that the sea-ice condition in Disko Bugt is strongly influenced by variations in the relative strength of two components of the West Greenland Current, i.e. the cold East Greenland Current and the relatively warm IC.

Description: Bedding dips in the CRP-3 drillhole were determined in three ways: (1) analysis of a dipmeter log, (2) identification of bed boundaries on borehole televiewer log images, and (3) identification of bed boundaries on digital images of the outer surfaces of oriented cores. All three methods determine both dip magnitude and downdip azimuth of bedding. Dipmeter results document variations in bedding dip throughout the logged interval (20-902 mbsf), whereas core and televiewer results are available at present only for selected depth intervals. Dipmeter data indicate that structural dip is remarkably constant, at 21° dip to azimuth 65°, throughout the Tertiary shelf section, except for the top 100 m where dips appear to be 5-10° shallower. This pattern, in conjunction with the systematically increasing dips throughout CRP-2A, suggests that the growth faulting active during CRP-2A deposition began during the final period of deposition at CRP-3. Normal faults at 260 and 539 mbsf in CRP-3 exhibit neither drag (localized dip steepening) nor significant changes in structural dip across them. Oriented core and televiewer analyses, covering a total of 200 m in the interval 400-900 mbsf, indicate bedding patterns that confirm the dipmeter results. The doleritic breccia at the base of the Tertiary section has steeper dips than overlying structural dips, possibly indicating a sedimentary dip to ENE in these fan sediments. Dip directions in the underlying Devonian Beacon sandstone are surprisingly similar to those in the overlying Tertiary section. Superimposed on the average Beacon dip of 22° to the ENE are localized tilts of up to 20°, probably caused by Tertiary fracturing and brecciation rather than original sedimentary dip variations.

Description: During the late Quaternary, both external and internal forcings have driven major climatic shifts from glacial to interglacial conditions. Nonlinear climatic steps characterized the transitions leading to these extrema, with intermediate excursions particularly well xpressed in the dynamics of the Northern Hemisphere cryosphere. Here we document the impact of these dynamics on the north-eastern North Atlantic Ocean, focussing on the 35-10 ka interval. Sea-surface salinities have been reconstructed quantitatively based on two independent methods from core MD95-2002, recovered from the northern Bay of Biscay adjacent to the axis of the Manche paleoriver outlet and thus in connection with proximal European ice sheets and glaciers. Quantitative reconstructions deriving from dinocyst and planktonic foraminiferal analyses have been combined within a robust chronology to assess the amplitude and timing of hydrological changes in this region. Our study evidences strong pulsed freshwater discharges which may have impacted the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.

Description: A pale-dark bedded claystone-marlstone succession of Late Hauterivian age (Simbirskites discofalcatus ammonite Zone; Early Cretaceous), exposed in the clay-pit Frielingen, Germany (Lower Saxony Basin), was investigated with respect to its calcareous dinoflagellate cyst content. This study aimed at a better understanding of the usefulness of calcareous dinoflagellate cysts to reconstruct palaeoenvironments, and an evaluation of the postulated palaeoenvironmental trends associated with Lower Cretaceous pale-dark bedding rhythms. The ratio of abundant taxa, character traits of cysts, and the results of statistical species analyses were used for those analyses. Current models of sea level fluctuations and sea surface temperature were modified on the basis of the composition of calcareous dinoflagellate assemblages. Superimposed on a general sea level rise, a regressive interval with high sea surface water temperatures is reflected by the thick bed 118. This distinctively warm interval is represented by a dark bed that has commonly been interpreted to indicate cooler surface waters. It is therefore necessary to review the palaeoenvironmental interpretation of pale-dark bedding rhythms of claystone successions of the Boreal Realm. Factors other than sea surface temperature seem to be important as well. The species Pirumella edgarii was found to favour time intervals with higher sediment input. The newly described species Pirumella? sp. nov. may perhaps indicate similar environments in warmer water masses. The species Pirumella tanyphloia has been emended, we suggest including it in Pirumella multistrata forma tanyphloia. Moreover, the pithonelloid cysts found in Frielingen are currently the oldest of their kind.

Description: The Antarctic Peninsula (AP) has been identified as one of the most rapidly warming region on Earth. Satellite monitoring currently allows for a detailed understanding of the relationship between sea ice extent and duration and atmospheric and oceanic circulations in this region. However, our knowledge on ocean-ice-atmosphere interactions is still relatively poor for the period extending beyond the last 30 years. Here, we describe environmental conditions in Northwestern and Northeastern Antarctic Peninsula areas over the last century using diatom census counts and diatom specific biomarkers (HBIs) in two marine sediment multicores (MTC-38C and -18A, respectively). Diatom census counts and HBIs show abrupt changes between 1935 and 1950, marked by ocean warming and sea ice retreat in both sides of the AP. Since 1950, inferred environmental conditions do not provide evidence for any trend related to the recent warming but demonstrate a pronounced variability on pluri-annual to decadal time scale. We propose that multi-decadal sea ice variations over the last century are forced by the recent warming, while the annual-to-decadal variability is mainly governed by synoptic and regional wind fields in relation with the position and intensity of the atmospheric low-pressure trough around the AP. However, the positive shift of the SAM since the last two decades cannot explain the regional trend observed in this study, probably due to the effect of local processes on the response of our biological proxies.

Description: The West Antarctic ice sheet is particularly sensitive to global warming and its evolution and impact on global climate over the next few decades remains difficult to predict. In this context, investigating past sea ice conditions around Antarctica is of primary importance. Here, we document changes in sea ice presence, upper water column temperatures (0-200 m) and primary productivity over the last 9000 yr BP (before present) in the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) margin from a sedimentary core collected in the Palmer Deep Basin. Employing a multi-proxy approach, based on the combination of two biomarkers proxies (highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkenes for sea ice and TEXL86 for temperature) and micropaleontological data (diatom assemblages), we derived new Holocene records of sea ice conditions and upper water column temperatures. The early Holocene (9000-7000 yr BP) was characterized by a cooling phase with a short sea ice season. During the mid-Holocene (~7000-3800 yr BP), local climate evolved towards slightly colder conditions and a prominent extension of the sea ice season occurred, promoting a favorable environment for intensive diatom growth. The late Holocene (the last ~2100 yr) was characterized by warmer temperatures and increased sea ice presence, accompanied by reduced local primary productivity, likely in response to a shorter growing season compared to the early or mid-Holocene. The gradual increase in annual sea ice duration over the last 7000 yr might have been influenced by decreasing mean annual and spring insolation, despite increasing summer insolation. We postulate that, in addition to precessional changes in insolation, seasonal variability, via changes in the strength of the circumpolar Westerlies and upwelling activity, was further amplified by the increasing frequency/amplitude of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). However, between 3800 and 2100 yr BP, the lack of correlation between ENSO and climate variability in the WAP suggests that other climatic factors might have been more important in controlling WAP climate at this time.

Description: This dataset characterizes the evolution of western African precipitation indicated by marine sediment geochemical records in comparison to transient simulations using CCSM3 global climate model throughout the Last Interglacial (130-115 ka). It contains (1) defined tie-points (age models), newly published stable isotopes of benthic foraminifera and Al/Si log-ratios of eight marine sediment cores from the western African margin and (2) annual and seasonal rainfall anomalies (relative to pre-industrial values) for six characteristic latitudinal bands in western Africa simulated by CCSM3 (two transient simulations: one non-accelerated and one accelerated experiment).

Description: Our understanding of the centennial-scale variability of the Brazil Current (BC) during the late Holocene is elusive because of the lack of appropriate records. Here we used the Mg/Ca and oxygen isotopic composition of planktonic foraminifera from two marine sediment cores collected at 27° S and 33° S off southeastern South America to assess the late Holocene variability in the upper water column of the BC. Our results show in phase fluctuations of up to 3 °C in sea surface temperatures (SST), and 0.8 per mil in oxygen isotopic composition of surface sea water, a proxy for relative sea surface salinity (SSS). Time-series analyses of our records indicate a cyclicity with a period of ca. 730 yr. We suggest that the observed cyclicity reflects variability in the strength of the BC associated to changes in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). Positive (negative) SST and SSS anomalies are related to a strong (weak) BC and a weak (strong) AMOC. Moreover, periods of peak strength in the BC occur synchronously to a weak North Brazil Current, negative SST anomalies in the high latitudes of the North Atlantic, and positive (negative) precipitation anomalies over southeastern South America (equatorial Africa), further corroborating our hypothesis. This study shows a tight coupling between the variability of the BC and the high latitudes of the North Atlantic mediated by the AMOC even under late Holocene boundary conditions.

Description: The site for CRP-3, 12 km east of Cape Roberts (77.006°S; 103.719°E)was selecte to overlap the lower Oligocene strata cored in nearby CRP-2/2A, and to sample the oldest strata in the Victoria Land Basin (VLB) for Paleogene climatic and tectonic history. As it transpired there was underlap of the order of 10s of metres. CRP-3 was cored from 3 to 939 mbsf (metres below the sea floor), with a core recovery of 97%. Coring took place from October 9 to November 19, 1999, on 2.0 to 2.2 m of sea ice and through 295 in of water. The Cenozoic strata cored were mostly g1acially influenced marine sediments of early Oligocene age, though they may be earliest Eocene near the base, where at 823 mbsf Devonian Beacon sandstone was encountered. Following CRP-1 and CRP-2/2A, CRP-3 completes the coring of 1500 m of strata on the western margin of the VLB. Core fractures and other physical properties, such as sonic velocity, density and magnetic susceptibility, were measured throughout the core. Down-hole logs for these and other properties were taken from 20 down to 900-919 mbsf. Also, vertical seismic profile data were gathered from shots offset both along strike and up dip from the hole. Sonic velocities in CRP-3 are close to 2.0 km/s in the upper 80 m, but become significantly faster below 95 mbsf, averaging 3.2+0.6 km/s to the bottom of the hole. An exception to this is an interval of dolerite conglomerate from 790 to c. 820 mbsf with a velocity of c. 4.5 km/s. Dip of the strata also increases down-hole from 10° in the upper 100 m to around 22° at the bottom. Over 3000 fractures were logged through the hole, and borehole televiewer imagery was obtained for most of the hole for orienting core and future stress field analysis. Two high-angle crush zones, interpreted as faults, were encountered at c. 260 and c. 540 mbsf, but no stratigraphic displacement could be recognised. A third fault zone is inferred from a low angle shear zone in the upper part of a coarse dolerite conglomerate from 790 to 805 mbsf. Temperature gradient was found to be 28.5°.km-1. Basement strata cored from 823 mbsf to the bottom of the hole are largely light-reddish brown medium-grained sandstone (quartz-cemented quartzarenite) with abundant well-defined parallel lamination. These features are comparable with the middle Devonian part of the Beacon Supergroup, possibly the Arena Sandstone. This interval also includes a body of intrusive rock from 901 to 920 mbsf. It has brecciated contacts and is highly altered but some tholeiitic affinity can be recognised in the trace element chemistry. Its age is unknown. Post-Beacon sedimentation began on deeply eroded quartzarenite with the deposition of a thin sandstone breccia and conglomerate, probably as terrestrial talus, followed by dolerite conglomerate and minor sandstone of probable fluvial origin to 790 mbsf. Sedimentation continued in a marine setting, initially sandstone and conglomerate, but above c. 330 mbsf the strata include mudstone and diamictite also. The older sandstone and conglomerate beds are seen as the products of rapid episodic sedimentation. They are interpreted by some as the product of glaciofluvial discharge into shallow coastal waters, and others as a result of sediment gravity flows, perhaps glacially sourced, into deeper water. The core above c. 330 mbsf has facies that allow the recognition of cyclic sequences similar to those in CRP-2A. Fourteen unconformity-bounded sequences have been recognised from 330 mbsf to the sea floor, and are interpreted in terms of glacial advance and retreat, and sea level fall and rise. Detailed lithological descriptions on a scale of 1 :20 are presented for the full length of the core, along with core box images, as a 300 page supplement to this issue. The strata cored by CRP-3 are for the most part poorly fossiliferous, perhaps as a consequence of high sedimentation rates. Nevertheless the upper 200 m includes several siliceous microfossil- and calcareous nannoplankton-bearing intervals. Siliceous microfossils, including diatoms, ebrideans, chrysophycean cysts and silicoflagellates are abundant and well-preserved in the upper 67 m - below this level samples are barren or poorly preserved, but contain residual floras that indicate assemblages were once rich. No siliceous microfossils were found below 193 mbsf. Calcareous nannofossil have a similar distribution but are generally well preserved. Foraminifera, marine and terrestrial palynomorphs, and marine macrofossils were found consistentlsy down to c. 330 mbsf and sporadically to 525 mbsf. The taxa suggest marine deposition in water depth of c. 50 to 120 m. Below 525 mbsf no microfossils were found, apart from mudstone with similar marine and terrestrial palynomorphs at 781 mbsf, and rare miospores in the conglomerate below 790 mbsf. The terrestrial miospore record, which include several species of Nothofagus and podocarpaceous conifers, suggest low diversity woody vegetation, implying a cold temperate to periglacial climate for the hinterland throughout the period recorded by CRP-3. Important components of the warmer Eocene flora, known from erratics in southern McMurdo Sound, are missing, through the dominance of smectite in clay from strata below 650 mbsf suggests that the landscape prior to the timne of deposition had experienced a more temperate weathering regime. Biostratigraphy for ihe upper part of CRP-3 is provided by diatoms and calcareous nannofossils. The first appearance of Cavitatus jouseanus at 48 mbsf suggests an age of arround 31 Ma for this horizon. The last appearance of Transverspontis pulcheroides at 114 mbsf in an interval of relatively high abundance indicates a reasonably sound age for this horizon at 32.5 ± 0.5 Ma. The absence of particular resistant diatoms that are older than 33 Ma supports an age that is younger than this for the upper 200 m of CRP-3. Marine palynomorphs, which occur sporadically down to 525 mbsf and in a single occurrence at 781 inbsf, have biostratigraphical potential once the many new species in this and other CRP cores are described, and F0 and LO datums established. The mudstone at 781 mbsf has a new clinocyst species, rare Lejeunecysta cysts and a variety of acritarchs and prasinophytes, a varied marine assemblage that is quite different from and presumably younger than the well known Transantarctic Flora of mid to late Eocene age. On this basis and for the moment we conclude that the oldest strata in CRP-3 are earliest Oligocene (or possibly latest Eocene) in age - c. 34 Ma. Over 1l00 samples were taken for magnetic studies. Four magnetozones were recognisd on the basis of NRM intensity and magnetic susceptibility, reflecting the change in sediment composition between quartz sand-dominated and dolerite-dominated. For this report there was time only to produce a magnetostratigraphy for the upper 350 m. This interval is largely of reversed polarity (5 normal intervals total 50 of the 350 m), in contrast to the dominantly normal polarities of CRP-2/2A, and is inferred to be Chron C12R. This extends from 30.9 to 33 Ma. consistent with the biostratigraphic datums from the upper part of CRP-3. The lower limit of reversed polarity has yet to be established. The short period normal events are of interest as they may represent cryptochrons or even polarity changes not recognised in the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale. Erosion of the adjacent Transantarctic Mountains through the Kirkpatrick Basalt (Jurassic tholeiitic flows) and dolerite-intruded Beacon Supergroup (Devonian-Triassic sandstone) into granitic basement beneath is recorded by petrographical studies of clast and sand grain assemblages from CRP-3. The clasts in the lower 30 m of the Cenozoic section are almost entirely dolerite apart from a few blocks from the Beacon Supergroup beneath. Above this, however, both dolerite and granitoids are ubiquitous, the latter indicating that erosion had reached down to granitic basement even as the first sediment was accumulating in the VLB. No clasts or sand grains of the McMurdo Volcanic Group were found, but rare silt-size brown volcanic glass occurs in smear slides through most of CRP-3, and is interpreted as distal air fall from alkaline volcanism in northern Victoria Land. Jurassic basalt occurs as clasts sporadically throughout the sequence: in the sand fraction they decline upwards in abundance. The influence of the Devonian Beacon Supergroup is most striking for the interval from 600 to 200 mbsf, where quartz grains, from 10 to 50% of them rounded, dominate the sand fraction. Laminae of coal granules from the overlying Permian coal measures in all but the upper 150 in of the CRP-3 sequence show that these also were being eroded actively at this time. CRP-3 core completed the stratigraphical sampling of the western margin of the VLB by not only coring the oldest strata (Seismic Unit V5) but also the basin floor beneath. This has several important tectonic implications: - most of the Kirkpatrick Basalt and the Beacon Supergroup with the sills of Ferrar Dolerite have been eroded by the time down-faulting displaced the Beacon to form the basin floor. - matching the Beacon strata at the bottom of CRP-3 with the equivalent strata in the adjacent mountains suggests c. 3000 m of down-to-the-east displacement across the Transantarctic Mountain Front as a consequence of rifting and subsequent tectonic activity. - the age of the oldest Cenozoic strata in CRP-3 (c. 34 Ma), which are also the oldest strata in this section of the VLB, most likely represents the initiation of the rift subsidence of this part of the West Antarctic Rift System. This age for the oldest VLB fill is much younger than previously supposed by several tens of millions of years, but is consistent with newly documented sea floor spreading data immediately north of the northern Victoria Land continental margin. These new data sets will drive a re-evaluation of the relationship between initiation of uplift of the Transantarctic Mountains (currently c.55 Ma) and VLB subsidence.

Description: Diatoms account for a large proportion of primary productivity in Antarctic coastal and continental shelf zones. Diatoms, which have been used for a long time to infer past sea surface conditions in the Southern Ocean, have recently been associated with diatom-specific biomarkers (highly branched isoprenoids, HBI). Our study is one of the few sedimentary research projects on diatom ecology and associated biomarkers in the Antarctic seasonal sea ice zone. To date, the Adélie Land region has received little attention, despite evidence for the presence of high accumulation of laminated sediment, allowing for finer climate reconstructions and sedimentary process studies. Here we provide a sequence of seasonally to annually laminated diatomaceous sediment from a 72.5 cm interface core retrieved on the continental shelf off Adélie Land, covering the 1970-2010 CE period. Investigations through statistical analyses of diatom communities, diatom-specific biomarkers and major element abundances document the relationships between these proxies at an unprecedented resolution. Additionally, comparison of sedimentary records to meteorological data monitored by automatic weather station and satellite derived sea ice concentrations help to refine the relationships between our proxies and environmental conditions over the last decades. Our results suggest a coupled interaction of the atmospheric and sea surface variability on sea ice seasonality, which acts as the proximal forcing of siliceous productivity at that scale.

Description: The Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT) occurred in the Aegean Sea from 1988 to 1995 and is the most significant intermediate-to-deep Mediterranean overturning perturbation reported by instrumental records. The EMT was likely caused by accumulation of high salinity waters in the Levantine and enhanced heat loss in the Aegean Sea, coupled with surface water freshening in the Sicily Channel. It is still unknown whether similar transients occurred in the past and, if so, what their forcing processes were. In this study, sediments from the Sicily Channel document surface water freshening (SCFR) at 1910±12, 1812±18, 1725±25 and 1580±30 CE. A regional ocean hindcast links SCFR to enhanced deep-water production and in turn to strengthened Mediterranean thermohaline circulation. Independent evidence collected in the Aegean Sea supports this reconstruction, showing that enhanced bottom water ventilation in the Eastern Mediterranean was associated with each SCFR event. Comparison between the records and multi-decadal atmospheric circulation patterns and climatic external forcings indicates that Mediterranean circulation destabilisation occurs during positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and negative Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) phases, reduced solar activity and strong tropical volcanic eruptions. They may have recurrently produced favourable deep-water formation conditions, both increasing salinity and reducing temperature on multi-decadal time scales.

Description: Magnetic properties coupled with sortable silt are investigated for Holocene marine sedimentary sequences located in the subpolar North Altantic, in the Charlie– Gibbs fracture zone (53°N) and in central (57°N) and southern Gardar drift (59°N). All the cores are located at water depths bathed by the Iceland–Scotland Overflow Water, mixed at the southernmost locality with southern sourced water masses. The goal of the multi-proxy study is the changes in the dynamics and the properties of bottom water mass during Holocene. After checking that the magnetic minerals is magnetite of uniform grain size, the low field magnetic susceptibility is used as a magnetic concentration parameter and as a tracer of the transport efficiency by the bottom current from the northern basaltic-derived source. The mean sortable silt size is used as a tracer of bottom current strength whatever the detrital source.

Description: Satellite techniques allow a nearly global coverage of elevation data, even in polar regions. However, in situ observations are crucial to validate these measurements. This dataset contains 20 elevation profiles, observed by kinematic GNSS in central East Antarctica. They have been measured during scientific traverses of the Russian Antarctic Expedition between the Antarctic research stations Vostok, Progress and Mirny, spanning distances between 80 and 2900km each. The given elevations have been corrected for the height offset of the antenna above the snow surface and are thus surface elevation profiles refering to the WGS84 ellipsoid. For consistency with the measurements of satellite altimetry, they have been converted to the mean tidal system. For each epoch, estimates for the standard deviation are given, which are in the order of magnitude of 2 to 5 cm. Crossover analysis shows that independent profiles of the same season differ by slightly more (4 to 9 cm) as a consequence of vehicle dynamics while driving. Further details are given in the related article.

Description: Continental and marine paleoclimate archives from northwestern and northeastern South America recorded positive precipitation anomalies during Heinrich Stadials (HS). These anomalies have been classically attributed to enhanced austral summer (monsoon) precipitation. However, the lack of marine paleoclimate records off eastern South America as well as inconsistencies between southeastern South American continental and marine records hamper a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism responsible for (sub-) tropical South American hydroclimate response to HS. Here we investigate piston core M125-95-3 collected off eastern South America (10.94°S) and simulate South American HS conditions with a high-resolution version of an atmosphere-ocean general circulation model. Further, meridional changes in precipitation over (sub-) tropical South America were assessed with a thorough compilation of previously available marine paleorecords. Our ln(Ti/Ca) and ln(Fe/K) data show increases during HS6-Younger Dryas. It is the first core off eastern South America and the southernmost from the Atlantic continental margin of South America that unequivocally records HS-related positive precipitation anomalies. Based on our new data, model results and the compilation of available marine records, we propose a new mechanism for the positive precipitation anomalies over tropical South America during HS. The new mechanism involves austral summer precipitation increases only over eastern South America while the rest of tropical South America experienced precipitation increases during the winter, challenging the widely held assumption of a strengthened monsoon. South American precipitation changes were triggered by dynamic and thermodynamic processes including a stronger moisture supply from the equatorial North Atlantic (tropical South Atlantic) in austral winter (summer).