ALBERT

Description: Fluid dynamical simulations were carried out in order to investigate the effect of the large-scale mantle flow field and the depth of the plume source on the structure of the Iceland plume through time. The time-dependent location and shape of the plume in the Earth's mantle was calculated in a global model and it was refined in the upper mantle using a 3D Cartesian model box. Global flow was computed based on density heterogeneities derived from seismic tomography. Plate motion history served as a velocity boundary condition in both models. Hotspot tracks of the plume conduits and the plume head were calculated and compared to actual bathymetry of the North Atlantic. If a plume source in the lowermost mantle is assumed, the calculated surface position of the plume conduit has a southward component of motion due to southward flow in the lower mantle. Depending on tomography model, assumed plume age and buoyancy the southward component is more or less dominating. Plume models having a source at the 660 km discontinuity are only influenced by flow in the upper mantle and transition zone and hence rather yield westward hotspot motion. Many whole-mantle plume models result in a V-shaped track, which does not match the straight Greenland–Iceland–Faroe ridge. Models without strong southward motion, such as for a plume source at 660 km depth, match actual bathymetry better. Plume tracks were calculated from both plume conduits and plume heads. A plume head of 120 K anomalous temperature gives the best match between plume head track and bathymetry.

Description: Interlaboratory comparisons involving nine European stable isotope laboratories have shown that the routine methods of cellulose preparation resulted in data that generally agreed within the precision of the isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) method used: +/- 0.2% for carbon and +/- 0.3% for oxygen. For carbon, the results suggest that holocellulose is enriched up to 0.39% in C-13 relative to the purified alpha-cellulose. The comparisons of IRMS measurements of carbon on cellulose, sugars, and starches showed low deviations from -0.23 to +0.23% between laboratories. For oxygen, IRMS measurements varied between means from -0.39 to 0.58%, -0.89 to 0.42%, and -1.30 to 1.16% for celluloses, sugars, and starches, respectively. This can be explained by different effects arising from the use of low- or high-temperature pyrolysis and by the variation between laboratories in the procedures used for drying and storage of samples. The results of analyses of nonexchangeable hydrogen are very similar in means with standard deviations between individual methods from +/- 2.7 to +/- 4.9%. The use of a one-point calibration (IAEA-CH7) gave significant positive offsets in delta H-2 values up to 6%. Detailed analysis of the results allows us to make the following recommendations in order to increase quality and compatibility of the common data bank: (1) removal of a pretreatment with organic solvents, (2) a purification step with 17% sodium hydroxide solution during cellulose preparation procedure, (3) measurements of oxygen isotopes under an argon hood, (4) use of calibration standard materials, which are of similar nature to that of the measured samples, and (5) using a two-point calibration method for reliable result calculation.

Description: The aim of this work is the implementation of an effective Tsunami Early Warning System for the Indian Ocean. It is a component part of an Early Warning System that will also be capable of registering other natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The system integrates terrestrial observation networks of seismology und geodesy with marine measurements techniques and satellite observations. The required R & D work will be realized within the framework of a stage-plan, which will, within a short time span of 1-3 years, be able to provide effective warning on the one hand and, which will also allow for an integration of technological developments, currently undergoing further research. The initiative is coordinated by the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF), represented by the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ). In view of the geological situation one has to bear in mind that Indonesia especially, due to the fact that the main islands are located next to and above the Sunda seismogenic zone, could most frequently and most intensively in the future be prone to catastrophic Tsunami events. The envisaged Early Warning System for the Indian Ocean consists of different components as broadband seismometers, GPS, tide gauges, ocean-bottom pressure sensors and GPS-Buoys. On the basis of the data and recordings registered a warning can be generated. This presentation gives insight into the creation of the 26 December 2004 Tsunami, introduces the planned technical realization of the Early Warning System, shows first model scenarios and gives an overview of the planned realization of an Early Warning System in the Indian Ocean.

Description: Lateglacial and Holocene faunal and stable-isotope records from benthic foraminifers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) suggest a high spatiotemporal variability of deep-water oxygenation and biogeochemical processes at the sea floor during that time. Changes in the oxygenation and food availability of the deep-sea ecosystems are closely linked to the hydrology of the EMS borderlands; they reflect orbital and suborbital climate variations of the high northern latitudes and the African monsoon system. During the last glacial maximum, cool surface waters and high evaporation resulted in maximum convection and oxic deep-waters in all sub-basins. Strong wind-induced mixing fostered surface-water production with seasonal phytodetritus fluxes. During the glacial termination and the Holocene, oxygenation and food availability of deep-sea benthic ecosystems were characterized by a pronounced regional differentiation. Local deep-water formation and trophic conditions were particularly variable in the northern Aegean Sea as a response to changes in riverine runoff and Black Sea outflow. During the interval of sapropel S1 formation in the early Holocene, average oxygen levels decreased exponentially with increasing water depth, suggesting a basin-wide shallowing of vertical convection superimposed by local signals. In the northernmost Aegean Sea, deep-water ventilation persisted during the early period of S1 formation, owing to temperature-driven local convection and the absence of low-salinity Black Sea outflow. At the same time, severe temporary anoxia occurred in the eastern Levantine basin at water depths as shallow as 900 m. This area was likely influenced by enhanced nutrient input of the Nile river that resulted in high organic matter fluxes and related high oxygen-consumption rates in the water column. In the southern Aegean and Levantine Seas, we observe a gradual increase in deep-water residence times, preceding S1 formation by approximately 1–1.5 kyr. Once oxygen levels fell below a critical threshold, the benthic ecosystems collapsed almost synchronously with the onset of S1 deposition. The recovery of benthic ecosystems during the terminal phase of S1 formation is controlled by subsequently deeper convection and re-ventilation over a period of approximately 1500 years. After the re-ventilation of the various sub-basins had been completed during the middle and late Holocene, deep-water renewal was more or less similar to recent rates. During that time, deep-sea ecosystem variability was driven by short-term changes in food quantity and quality as well as in seasonality, all of which are linked to millennial-scale changes in riverine runoff and associated nutrient input.