ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION "The geological history, as expressed by the stratigraphic column, is basically composed of cycles of sedimentation, stratification and magmatism which correlate with relative changes in sea level determined in turn by different types of crustal movements. The classical sequence of stages "transgression - inundation - differentiation - regression - emergence" is believed to reflect the deformation phases of a geotectonic cycle" (Wezel,1988: p.37). The concept of geotectonic cycle is fundamental in geology because it links tectonics with sedimentary processes. According to Wezel (1988) the geotectonic cycle is an expression of cyclic variations in the behavior of the crust; more precisely,it is a geodynamic response to the Earth's variations in the rate of rotation (Mörner,19869 Whyte,1977~ Carey,1976).Based on a global analysis of geotectonic data, synchronous episodes of intense global swelling, governed by cyclically ordered diastrophic processes, were identified (Wezel,1985;1988). The process leading to these swells was termed krikogenesis (Wezel, 1988).It basically consists of not steady, localized, migratory vertical movements linked to mantle diapirism and concentrated in single zones.The overlying crust adjusts itself to mantle motions induced by krikogenesis, with the formation of transient troughs and swells ('touche-de-piano' tectonics).This mechanism was individuated in several areas (Wezel,1988). The history of the Earth is described by six episodes that repeat in the same way in the course of geological time.Their duration progressively decreases:the first cycle has a duration of about 200 million years, the following,younger cycles lasted 150, 115, 65, A5 and 20 m.y. ...

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE Some of the major ecological and social problems of the present and future are the production, treatment, and disposal of anthropogenic wastes. Iaais is equally true for sparsely and densely populated industrial areas, including large countries in which sites for waste disposal would seem to be readily available. Especially nonradioactive hazardous wastes with their long-term toxicity need to be isolated from the biosphere just as effectively as radioactive substances. The long-term safety required of waste disposal sites can only be assured under specific geological and mineralogical conditions in certain parts of the lithosphere (underground repositories). The subjects related to the production, avoidance, treatment, and disposal of anthropogenic wastes cover a range of knowledge encompassing the natural sciences, engineering, medicine, and law. This work presents some fundamental situations and problems conceming the disposal of toxic hazardous wastes which have been dealt with in several research projects. The individual chapters are related scientifically. Long-term, effective solutions to our waste problems can only be found when interrelationships and possible future developments are considered. Only the current status of this rapidly developing field can be discussed here. The individual chapters contain scientifically founded data and observations. Other aspects for which there are still controversial opinions and arguments are also discussed, which should stimulate further thought. Further developments and scientific advances can only be achieved by constantly challenging previous theories, and not through static observation and narrow-mindedness. The most extensive quantification possible of the problems related to disposal of hazardous wastes is an essential aim of our work. This not only involves calculating the volume of waste and available repository space, but also compiling data on the long-term effects and the safe, long-term isolation of anthropogenic wastes from the biosphere. A simple description of conditions and processes without using concrete data, which is still widespread, is rejected since it frequently leads to pure speculation. The scientific fundamentals and results presented in this work are of general validity for many questions concerning waste disposal. One example is the amount of waste produced annually in Germany, in which toxic, hazardous wastes play a major role. FoIlowing this train of thought, available data are used to show how limited the possibilities are for the long-term safe underground deposition of hazardous wastes with respect to the current quantities of waste. Of utmost importance is information on the 10ng-term effects of toxic wastes, as well as criteria which have to be considered with respect to the long-term safe deposition of hazardous waste. The natural chemical cycles and material transport in the various zones of the earth are the focus of interest here. They are the scientific basis for assessing every repository for anthropogenic wastes in geological systems. Therefore the significance of material transport and geochemical cycles is emphasized regarding all questions concerning the long-term safety of repositories on the earth's surface and in the lithosphere. Thus, our concept for the scientific evaluation of the long-term safety of underground repositories in geological systems differs from all other models presently under discussion in Germany. In this work, marine evaporites are discussed with respect to the underground deposition of hazardous wastes and the long-term safety of underground repositories in salt rocks. The isolation of hazardous materials from the biosphere can above all be influenced by fluid phases. Fluid phases can mobilize and transport hazardous materials through rocks in the biosphere. This is true, without exception, for all magmatic, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, and for marine evaporites, too! In Germany evaporites have commonly been considered to be completely impermeable with respect to fluid phases (solutions and gases). This erroneous view stems from a complete lack of knowledge or misestimation of the dynamic evolution of the composition of evaporite bodies. Unfortunately, this is still true today for parts of some state agencies which deal with repositories. However, all observations of evaporite bodies made over the last more than 100 years have clearly shown that under certain conditions fluid and gaseous components are mobile in evaporites as well. Solutions in marine evaporites have been the object of personal interest and scientific research of A.G. Herrmann for 40 years. The occurrence and formation of salt solutions in the various salt mining districts of Germany are presently being restudied and reevaluated on an extended scientific basis (e.g., v. BORSTEL 1992). A presentation of the current knowledge on salt solutions is beyond the scope of this publication. However, in the interest of continuing research a research project proposed by A.G. Herrmann (1987b) will be introduced here. The direct quantitative analysis of the chemical composition (quatemary and quinary systems) of small fluid inclusions in rocks of the salt deposits of Hessen and Niedersachsen are the primary focus of this project. Information important to fundamental research on the formation and alteration of salt rocks and on the long-term safety of underground repositories should be gained from these studies (e.g., HERRMANN & v. BORSTEL 1991). In addition to salt solutions, gases are also fluid components which occur in practically all marine evaporite deposits. Hence, both salt solutions and gases must be carefully considered when planning underground repositories in an evaporite body and evaluating their long-term safety. This publication contains an up-to-date overview of the gas occurrences in the marine evaporites of Central Europe. Despite previous studies, there is still a considerable deficit in scientific information regarding the distribution and formation of gases in the evaporites occurring in Germany. A detailed research program on the geochemical relationships involving the formation of evaporites and gases will draw attention to this situation. One aspect must be emphasized in the planning and construction of repositories for anthropogenic wastes: their long-term safety. This publication deals precisely with this subject, and in Part III of this work we will present the concept that we have developed. This concept is based on the fact that evaporite bodies are subject to a dynamic evolution and that the chemical and mineralogical composition provides important information on the effect of fluid phases on salt rocks. Previous works contain the testing of methods and presented initial results using the Gorleben salt dome as an example. However, we are just at the beginning of our research project on the long-term safety of underground repositories (e.g., HERRMANN & KNIPPING 1989, HERRMANN 1992). The information contained in this publication is based on years of experience in evaporite research and underground repositories for anthropogenic wastes. Examples are presented which can be applied to similar situations and problems in other countries. Waste disposal is not just a national problem, it has long become an international one for all types of anthropogenic wastes...

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE The ocean has always been reluctant to reveal its secrets. Its size and the inaccessibility of its deeper regions have made their safeguard a reasonably simple matter with the result that significant misconceptions persisted for many years. Two of the most widespread of these concerned the featureless nature of the sea floor and the silence of the deep ocean. Underwater acoustics has played a key role in discrediting both and in so doing introduced new and exciting developments in oceanography and geophysics. In the years following World War II, echosounders and subbottom profilers based on new active sonar technology, revealed the true nature of the seafloor topography and led to the major advances represented by plate tectonics. Research driven by the requirements of passive sonar, on the other hand, was to demonstrate that the sea was not silent but was characterised by a complex noise spectrum. Many individual mechanisms and sources ranging from man-made, biological and geophysical activity to the intrinsic noise of the sea itself were found to contribute to this spectrum. A major component, which is the subject of this book, was to remain unrecognised to underwater acoustics until noise measurements could be made effectively at very low frequencies, although its presence had been indicated by seismology long before these measurements were possible. By virtue of its geographical isolation in the Southern Ocean, New Zealand has provided an ideal environment for long-range propagation and ambient noise investigations and numerous studies have been reported. Our interest in the subject of this book was aroused initially in the course of one such experiment in 1966. For the first time it had been possible to extend the recording bandwidth to 1 Hz and the improved performance of this new system was anticipated eagerly. However the main purpose of the experiment was nearly aborted by the appearance of a new and unsuspected noise component at frequencies below 10 Hz. Due primarily to technical limitations in the equipment then available, a subsequent programme, designed to identify the properties and origin of the source more clearly, was not productive and was soon abandoned. An opportunity to revisit the problem arose some 10 years later, when the University of Auckland became involved in a major environmental study in support of the development of an offshore gas field in Cook Strait. The technology then available provided an opportunity to examine afresh the relationship between sea state and the seismo-acoustic response generated. An initial trim demonstrated the potential of the site. Accordingly a long-term programme, involving the parallel measurement of the oceanwave field and acoustic response, was undertaken in a series of student research theses. The data so gathered were of sufficiently high quality to ultimately establish wave-wave interactions as the source of the acoustic effects observed and to identify many of its characteristics. This result was soon to be confirmed by other studies. As the noise data accumulated, however, it became apparent that certain refinements to the theories describing the mechanism were required. Our attempts to provide these refinements have been reported in a number of contributions in recent years. The accounts of these and similar contributions by others have unfortunately appeared in the literature in a somewhat disjointed manner, with the result that the evolution of the subject has not been easy to follow. This book attempts to present a more coherent account of the subject and its development. Most of the early experimental and theoretical results from our group have arisen from two key Ph.D. theses, due to Dr. K.C. Ewans and Dr. C.Y. Wu. The painstaking and careful instrumentation development and data analysis provided by Dr. Ewans were critical to the definitive correlation which we were able to establish between wind field, seastate and the acoustic response so generated. Dr. Wu's thesis presented the first phase of our attempt at the resolution of certain key theoretical issues, which were identified in the course of the experimental programme. Both studies owe much to the support of Shell BP Todd Oil Services Ltd., acting for Maui Development Ltd., and to the University of Auckland. The support of the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand Ltd. during a later experimental investigation of the Southern Ocean wave field is also acknowledged...

Description / Table of Contents: A New Outlook and New Resources / pp. 1-7 --- Ocean Water and Its Wonderful Potential / pp. 9-30 --- OTEC Is Not a Dream / pp. 31-44 --- Sea-Water Rears Fish / pp. 45-81 --- Learning from the Past / pp. 83-90 --- Earth-Friendly Technology / pp. 91-94

Description / Table of Contents: 1. Planets, Meteorites and Cosmic Dusts --- Primordial Xe Isotopic Abundances and 244Pu-136Xe Ages of Primitive Xe Differentiated Achondrites / Eugster O., Weigel A., and Michel Th. / pp. 1-9 --- The RELAX Mass Spectrometer and Its Application to Iodine-Xenon Dating / Gilmour J. D. and Turner G. / pp. 11-21 --- Enrichment and Fractionation of Noble Gases in Bubbles / Takaoka N. / pp. 23-29 --- "Q-Gases" as "Local" Primordial Noble Gas Component in Primitive Meteorites / Wieler R. / pp. 31-41 --- Weathering and Atmospheric Noble Gases in Chondrites / Scherer P., Schultz L., and Loeken T. / pp. 43-53 --- Radiogenic Noble Gas Constraints on Mars' Evolution / Sasaki S. / pp. 55-66 --- Retentivity of Solar He and Ne in IDPS in Deep Sea Sediment / Hiyagon H. / pp. 67-75 --- Influx and Age Constraints on the Recycled Cosmic Dust Explanation for High 3He/4He Ratios at Hotspot Volcanos / Trull T. / pp. 77-88 --- 2. Mantle and Crust --- Geochronology of Tellurium Ores and the Double-Beta Decay Lifetime of 130Te / Podosek F. A., Brannon J. C., Bernatowicz T. J., Brazzle R., Grauch R., Cowsik R., and Hohenberg C. M. / pp. 89-113 --- Cosmic-Ray-Produced Neon at the Surface of the Earth / Graf T., Kim J. S., Marti K., and Niedermann S. / pp. 115-123 --- Current Status of Xes-Xen Dating / Shukolyukov Yu. A., Meshik A. P., Krylov D. P., and Pravdivtseva O. V. / pp. 125-146 --- Atmospheric, MORB-Like, and Crustal-Derived Noble Gas Components in Subduction-Related Samples / Patterson D. B., Honda M., and McDougall I. / pp. 147-158 --- Noble Gases in Deformed Xenoliths from an Ocean Island: Characterization of a Metasomatic Fluid / Farley K. A., Poreda R. J., and Onstott T. C. / pp. 159-178 --- Deconvolution of Multiple Components of Neon and Helium in Mantle-Derived Samples / Patterson D. B., Honda M., and McDougall I. / pp. 179-189 --- Neon and Argon Isotopic Constraints on Earth-Atmosphere Evolution / Marty B. and Allé P. / pp. 191-204 --- The Effect of Water on Noble Gas Signatures of Volcanic Materials / Kaneoka I. / pp. 205-215 --- 3. Water, Gases and Diamonds --- Indigenous and Extraneous Noble Gases in Terrestrial Diamonds / Begemann F. / pp. 217-227 --- Isotopic Variations of Helium in the Diamonds of the Kokchetav Massif's Metamorphic Rocks, Kazakhstan / Pleshakov A. M. and Shukolyukov Yu. A. / pp. 229-243 --- Helium Isotopic Information from Diamonds: Critical Data Available and Needed / Lal D. / pp. 245-260 --- He-Ar Isotope Systematics of Fluid Inclusions: Resolving Mantle and Crustal Contributions to Hydrothermal Fluids / Stuart F., Turner G., and Taylor R. / pp. 261-277 --- Mantle Helium in the Groundwater of the Mirror Lake Basin, New Hampshire, U.S.A. / Torgersen T., Drenkard S., Farley K., Schlosser P., and Shapiro A. / pp. 279-292 --- Volcanic Activity Revealed by Isotope Systematics of Gases from Hydrothermal Springs in Tengchong, China / Wang X., Chen J., Li Y., Wen Q., Sun M., Li C., and Hu G. / pp. 293-304 --- Helium Isotopic Compositions in Quaternary Volcanic Geothermal Area near Indo-Eurasian Collisional Margin at Tengchong, China / Xu S., Nakal S., Wakita H., Wang X., and Chen J. / pp. 305-313 --- 4. Basic Properties --- Sites and Behaviors ofNoble Gas Atoms in MgO Crystal Simulated by the Molecular Dynamics (MD) Method / Tsuchiyama A. and Kawamura K. / pp. 315-323 --- Noble Gas Solubilities in Melts and Crystals / Carroll M. R., Draper D. S., Brooker R. A., and Kelley S. / pp. 325-341 --- Noble Gas Partition between Basaltic Melt and Olivine Crystals at High Pressures / Shibata T., Takahashi E., and Ozima M. / pp. 343-354 --- Noble Gas Partitioning between Metal and Silicate under High Pressures: The Case of Iron and Peridotite / Sudo M., Ohtaka O., and Matsuda J. / pp. 355-372 --- Noble Gas Partitioning in Natural Samples: Results from Coexisting Glass and Olivine Phenocrysts in Four Hawaiian Submarine Basalts / Valbracht P. J., Honda M., Staudigel H., McDougall I., and Trost A. P. / pp. 373-381 --- Retrospective --- After Dinner Talk (A Diagrammatic Summary of Noble Gas Isotope Research in the Physics Department at Berkeley) / Reynolds J. H. / pp. 383-386

Description / Table of Contents: The tragedy of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami has led to a rapid expansion in science directed at understanding tsunami and mitigating their hazard. A remarkable cross-section of this research was presented in the session: Tsunami Generation and Hazard, at the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics XXIV General Assembly in Perugia, held in July of 2007. Over one hundred presentations were made at this session, spanning topics ranging from paleotsunami research, to nonlinear shallow-water theory, to tsunami hazard and risk assessment. A selection of this work, along with other contributions from leading tsunami scientists, is published in detail in the 28 papers of this special issue of Pure and Applied Geophysics: Tsunami Science Four Years After the Indian Ocean Tsunami. While Part I focused on modelling and hazard assessment, Part II of this issue includes 14 papers covering new developments in observation and data analysis. These include new analyses of both recent and historical tsunami events, as well as state-of-the-art techniques for tsunami data analysis.

Description / Table of Contents: On September 10, 1996, The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Copmprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), prohibiting nuclear explosions worldwide, in all environments. The treaty calls for a global verification system, including a network of 321 monitoring stations distributed around the globe, a data communications network, an international data center (IDC), and on-site inspections, to verify compliance. This volume presents certain recent research results pertaining on methods used to process data recorded by instruments of the International Monitoring System (IMS) and addressing recording infrasound signals generated by atmospheric explosions. Six papers treating data processing provide an important selection of topics expected to contribute to improving our ability to successfully monitor a CTBT. Five papers concerning infrasound include descriptions of ways in which that important research area can contribute to CTBT monitoring, the automatic processing of infrasound data, and site conditions that serve to improve the quality of infrasound data.

Description / Table of Contents: The 14th International Symposium for the Advancement of Boundary Layer Remote Sensing (ISARS 2008) addresses acoustical, optical and microwave techniques to probe the lower part of the atmosphere. The symposium focuses on the physical basis of remote sensing techniques and new instruments. A theme for the conference is also various applications of remote sensing, this year with special emphasis on wind energy. ISARS is an informal association of scientists from all over the world which organizes a symposium every second year. While the abbreviation ISARS has remained unchanged since the start in Calgary 1981, the words have changed from International Symposium on Acoustic Remote Sensing and Associated Techniques of the Atmosphere and Oceans because other techniques than the acoustic have become important for boundary layer remote sensing. Specifically lasers for remote wind sensing are developing rapidly. By the end of each symposium the chairman of the next has been elected. So far the symposia have taken place in different countries each time with different chairs. The scientific organizing committee, which consists mainly of chair persons of previous symposia, maintains the continuity of themes and of the organization in general. After the last symposium held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, many of the papers appeared in revised and improved form in a special issue of Meteorologische Zeitschrift. A similar special issue is also planned to follow ISARS 2008. I wish to express my gratitude to the scientific organizing committee for valuable advice and to the local organizing committee for all their effort with the conference papers and the conference itself. Jakob Mann, Conference Chair

Description / Table of Contents: This volume of IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science presents a selection of papers that were given at the 24th Conference of the Danube Countries. Within the framework of the International Hydrological Program IHP of UNESCO. Since 1961 the Danube countries have successfully co-operated in organizing conferences on Hydrological Forecasting and Hydrological Water Management Issues. The 24th Conference of the Danube Countries took place between 2-4 June 2008 in Bled, Slovenia and was organized by the National Committee of Slovenia for the International Hydrological Program of UNESCO, under the auspices of the President of Republic of Slovenia. It was organized jointly by the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO and the Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia, under the support of UNESCO, WMO, and IAHS...

Description / Table of Contents: Concern exists over human-generated increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases and their potential consequences to society. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007 finds that global temperatures have increased by 0.8ºC since 1850 and that climate warming is now ’unequivocal’. While the human imprint is becoming increasingly apparent, Earth’s climate has shifted dramatically and frequently during the last few million years, alternating between ice ages, when vast glaciers covered Northern Europe and much of North America, and interglacials—warm periods much like today. Farther back in geologic time, climates have differed even more from the present. Thus, to fully understand the unusual changes of the 20th century and possible future trends, these must be placed in a longer-term context extending beyond the period of instrumental records. The Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments, a companion volume to the recently-published Encyclopedia of World Climatology, provides the reader with an entry point to the rapidly expanding field of paleoclimatology—the study of climates of the past. Highly interdisciplinary in nature, paleoclimatology integrates information from a broad array of disciplines in the geosciences, ranging from stratigraphy, geomorphology, glaciology, paleoecology, paleobotany to geochemistry and geophysics, among others. The encyclopedia offers 230 informative articles written by over 200 well known international experts on numerous subjects, ranging from classical geological evidence to the latest research. The volume is abundantly illustrated with line-drawings, black-white and color photographs. Articles are arranged alphabetically, with extensive bibliographies and cross-references.