Search results for "bepress|Physical Sciences and Mathematics|Earth Sciences|Geochemistry"

New advances in dial-lidar-based remote sensing of the volcanic CO2 flux

2017

We report here on the results of a proof-of-concept study aimed at remotely sensing the volcanic CO2 flux using a Differential Adsorption lidar (DIAL-lidar). The observations we report on were conducted on June 2014 on Stromboli volcano, where our lidar (LIght Detection And Ranging) was used to scan the volcanic plume from ~ 3 km distance from the summit vents. The obtained results prove that a remotely operating lidar can resolve a volcanic CO2 signal of a few tens of ppm (in excess to background air) over km-long optical paths. We combine these results with independent estimates of plume transport speed (from processing of UV Camera images) to derive volcanic CO2 flux time-series of ≈16-3…

Understanding the SO 2 degassing budget of Mt Etna’s paroxysms: First clues from the december 2015 sequence

2019

The persistent open-vent activity of basaltic volcanoes is periodically interrupted by spectacular but hazardous paroxysmal explosions. The rapid transition from quiescence to explosive eruption poses a significant challenge for volcanic hazard assessment and mitigation, and improving our understanding of the processes that trigger these paroxysmal events is critical. Although magmatic gas is unquestionably the driver, direct measurements of a paroxysm’s gas flux budget have remained challenging, to date. A particularly violent paroxysmal sequence took place on Etna on December 2015, intermittently involving all summit craters, especially the Voragine (VOR) that had previously displayed no…

The 1430s: a cold period of extraordinary internal climate variability during the early Spörer Minimum with social and economic impacts in north-west…

2016

Changes in climate affected human societies throughout the last millennium. While European cold periods in the 17th and 18th century have been assessed in detail, earlier cold periods received much less attention due to sparse information available. New evidence from proxy archives, historical documentary sources and climate model simulations permit us to provide an interdisciplinary, systematic assessment of an exceptionally cold period in the 15th century. Our assessment includes the role of internal, unforced climate variability and external forcing in shaping extreme climatic conditions and the impacts on and responses of the medieval society in north-western and central Europe. Climate…

Derivation of global vegetation biophysical parameters from EUMETSAT Polar System

2020

Abstract This paper presents the algorithm developed in LSA-SAF (Satellite Application Facility for Land Surface Analysis) for the derivation of global vegetation parameters from the AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) sensor on board MetOp (Meteorological–Operational) satellites forming the EUMETSAT (European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) Polar System (EPS). The suite of LSA-SAF EPS vegetation products includes the leaf area index (LAI), the fractional vegetation cover (FVC), and the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR). LAI, FAPAR, and FVC characterize the structure and the functioning of vegetation and are key par…

Record-breaking warming and extreme drought in the Amazon rainforest during the course of El Niño 2015–2016

2016

AbstractThe El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the main driver of interannual climate extremes in Amazonia and other tropical regions. The current 2015/2016 EN event was expected to be as strong as the EN of the century in 1997/98, with extreme heat and drought over most of Amazonian rainforests. Here we show that this protracted EN event, combined with the regional warming trend, was associated with unprecedented warming and a larger extent of extreme drought in Amazonia compared to the earlier strong EN events in 1982/83 and 1997/98. Typical EN-like drought conditions were observed only in eastern Amazonia, whilst in western Amazonia there was an unusual wetting. We attribute this wet…

Diagenetic stability of non-traditional stable isotope systems (Ca, Sr, Mg, Zn) in teeth – An in-vitro alteration experiment of biogenic apatite in i…

2021

Stable isotope ratios and trace element concentrations of fossil bones and teeth are important geochemical proxies for the reconstruction of diet and past environment in archaeology and palaeontology. However, since diagenesis can significantly alter primary diet-related isotope signatures and elemental compositions, it is important to understand and quantify alteration processes. Here, we present the results of in-vitro alteration experiments of dental tissues from a modern African elephant molar reacted in aqueous solutions at 30 °C and 90 °C for 4 to 63 days. Dental cubes with ≈ 3 mm edge length, comprising both enamel and dentin, were placed into 2 mL of acidic aqueous sol…

Partitioning of nitrogen during melting and recycling in subduction zones and the evolution of atmospheric nitrogen

2019

Abstract The subduction of sediment connects the surface nitrogen cycle to that of the deep Earth. To understand the evolution of nitrogen in the atmosphere, the behavior of nitrogen during the subduction and melting of subducted sediments has to be estimated. This study presents high-pressure experimental measurements of the partitioning of nitrogen during the melting of sediments at sub-arc depths. For quantitative analysis of nitrogen in minerals and glasses, we calibrated the electron probe micro-analyzer on synthetic ammonium feldspar to measure nitrogen concentrations as low as 500 μg g−1. Nitrogen abundances in melt and mica are used together with mass balance calculations to determi…

Influence of pre-existing salt diapirs on 3D folding patterns

2014

Abstract The 3D detachment folding instability gives rise to a wide variety of fold shapes (e.g. from dome shape structures to long en-echelon or straight anticlines) as a result of interactions between growing fold segments. The 3D growth of these folds, as well as the wavelength and lateral propagation of folds, is controlled by the physical parameters of a detachment layer and its overburden. However, the existence of initial heterogeneities, such as pre-existing salt plugs within the sedimentary cover, might affect fold development as well. We use numerical modeling to investigate how the fold pattern is affected by pre-existing salt structures. High-resolution 3D folding simulations (w…

Reply to 'Limited Late Antique cooling'

2017

Constraining electric resistivity tomography by direct push electric conductivity logs and vibracores: An exemplary study of the Fiume Morto silted r…

2018

The inversion of geoelectric data is nonunique. Therefore, electric resistivity tomography (ERT) usually results in different subsurface models that fit observed apparent resistivity values equally well. To reduce the uncertainty, constraints on the geometry and resistivity of subsurface structures can be incorporated into the ERT inversion. We test different ways of constraining ERT by applying (1) improved starting models, (2) structural constraints, and (3) structural and resistivity constraints. A priori information is needed for these approaches, which is acquired from direct push electrical conductivity (DP-EC) logs and vibracores in our study. We found that adapting high vertical re…