@misc{PolomAlrshdanAlHalbounietal.2018, author = {Polom, Ulrich and Alrshdan, Hussam and Al-Halbouni, Djamil and Holohan, Eoghan P. and Dahm, Torsten and Sawarieh, Ali and Atallah, Mohamad Y. and Krawczyk, Charlotte M.}, title = {Shear wave reflection seismic yields subsurface dissolution and subrosion patterns}, series = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, journal = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, number = {979}, issn = {1866-8372}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-45913}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-459134}, pages = {1079 -- 1098}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Near-surface geophysical imaging of alluvial fan settings is a challenging task but crucial for understating geological processes in such settings. The alluvial fan of Ghor Al-Haditha at the southeast shore of the Dead Sea is strongly affected by localized subsidence and destructive sinkhole collapses, with a significantly increasing sinkhole formation rate since ca. 1983. A similar increase is observed also on the western shore of the Dead Sea, in correlation with an ongoing decline in the Dead Sea level. Since different structural models of the upper 50 m of the alluvial fan and varying hypothetical sinkhole processes have been suggested for the Ghor Al-Haditha area in the past, this study aimed to clarify the subsurface characteristics responsible for sinkhole development. For this purpose, high-frequency shear wave reflection vibratory seismic surveys were carried out in the Ghor Al-Haditha area along several crossing and parallel profiles with a total length of 1.8 and 2.1 km in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The sedimentary architecture of the alluvial fan at Ghor Al-Haditha is resolved down to a depth of nearly 200 m at a high resolution and is calibrated with the stratigraphic profiles of two boreholes located inside the survey area. The most surprising result of the survey is the absence of evidence of a thick (> 2-10 m) compacted salt layer formerly suggested to lie at ca. 35-40 m depth. Instead, seismic reflection amplitudes and velocities image with good continuity a complex interlocking of alluvial fan deposits and lacustrine sediments of the Dead Sea between 0 and 200 m depth. Furthermore, the underground section of areas affected by sinkholes is characterized by highly scattering wave fields and reduced seismic interval velocities. We propose that the Dead Sea mud layers, which comprise distributed inclusions or lenses of evaporitic chloride, sulfate, and carbonate minerals as well as clay silicates, become increasingly exposed to unsaturated water as the sea level declines and are consequently destabilized and mobilized by both dissolution and physical erosion in the subsurface. This new interpretation of the underlying cause of sinkhole development is supported by surface observations in nearby channel systems. Overall, this study shows that shear wave seismic reflection technique is a promising method for enhanced near-surface imaging in such challenging alluvial fan settings.}, language = {en} } @article{CreightonParsekianAngelopoulosetal.2018, author = {Creighton, Andrea L. and Parsekian, Andrew D. and Angelopoulos, Michael and Jones, Benjamin M. and Bondurant, A. and Engram, M. and Lenz, Josefine and Overduin, Pier Paul and Grosse, Guido and Babcock, E. and Arp, Christopher D.}, title = {Transient Electromagnetic Surveys for the Determination of Talik Depth and Geometry Beneath Thermokarst Lakes}, series = {Journal of geophysical research : Solid earth}, volume = {123}, journal = {Journal of geophysical research : Solid earth}, number = {11}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {2169-9313}, doi = {10.1029/2018JB016121}, pages = {9310 -- 9323}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Thermokarst lakes are prevalent in Arctic coastal lowland regions and sublake permafrost degradation and talik development contributes to greenhouse gas emissions by tapping the large permafrost carbon pool. Whereas lateral thermokarst lake expansion is readily apparent through remote sensing and shoreline measurements, sublake thawed sediment conditions and talik growth are difficult to measure. Here we combine transient electromagnetic surveys with thermal modeling, backed up by measured permafrost properties and radiocarbon ages, to reveal closed-talik geometry associated with a thermokarst lake in continuous permafrost. To improve access to talik geometry data, we conducted surveys along three transient electromagnetic transects perpendicular to lakeshores with different decadal-scale expansion rates of 0.16, 0.38, and 0.58m/year. We modeled thermal development of the talik using boundary conditions based on field data from the lake, surrounding permafrost and a borehole, independent of the transient electromagnetics. A talik depth of 91m was determined from analysis of the transient electromagnetic surveys. Using a lake initiation age of 1400years before present and available subsurface properties the results from thermal modeling of the lake center arrived at a best estimate talk depth of 80m, which is on the same order of magnitude as the results from the transient electromagnetic survey. Our approach has provided a noninvasive estimate of talik geometry suitable for comparable settings throughout circum-Arctic coastal lowland regions.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Bergner2003, author = {Bergner, Andreas G. N.}, title = {Lake-level fluctuations and Late Quaternary climate change in the Central Kenya Rift}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-0001428}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2003}, abstract = {Diese Arbeit besch{\"a}ftigt sich mit der Rekonstruktion von Klima in historischen Zeiten im tropischen Ostafrika. Nach einer {\"U}bersicht {\"u}ber die heutigen klimatischen Bedingungen der Tropen und den Besonderheiten des ostafrikanischen Klimas, werden die M{\"o}glichkeiten der Klimarekonstruktion anhand von Seesedimenten diskutiert. Es zeigt sich, dass die hoch gelegenen Seen des Zentralen Keniarifts, als Teil des Ostafrikanischen Grabensystems, besonders geeignete Klimaarchive darstellen, da sie sensibel auf klimatische Ver{\"a}nderungen reagieren. Ver{\"a}nderungen der Seechemie, wie sie in den Sedimenten aufgezeichnet werden, eignen sich um die nat{\"u}rlichen Schwankungen in der Quart{\"a}ren Klimageschichte Ostafrikas nachzuzeichnen. Basierend auf der guten 40Ar/39Ar- und 14C-Datierbarkeit der Seesedimente wird eine Chronologie der pal{\"a}o{\"o}kologischen Bedingungen anhand von Diatomeenvergesellschaftungen restauriert. Dabei zeigen sich f{\"u}r die Seen Nakuru, Elmenteita und Naivasha kurzfristige Transgression/ Regressions-Zyklen im Intervall von ca. 11.000 Jahren w{\"a}hrend des letzten (ca. 12.000 bis 6.000 J.v.H.) und vorletzten Interglazials (ca. 140.000 bis 60.000 J.v.H.). Zus{\"a}tzlich kann ein allgemeiner, langfristiger Trend der Seeentwicklung von großen Frischwasserseen hin zu st{\"a}rker salinen Gew{\"a}ssern innerhalb der letzen 1 Mio. Jahre festgestellt werden. Mittels Transferfunktionen und einem hydro-klimatischen Modellansatz k{\"o}nnen die restaurierten limnologischen Bedingungen als klimatische Schwankungen des Einzugsgebietes interpretiert werden. Wenngleich auch der zus{\"a}tzliche Einfluss von tektonischen Ver{\"a}nderungen auf das Seeeinzugsgebiet und das Gewicht ver{\"a}nderter Grundwasserstr{\"o}me abgewogen werden, zeigt sich, dass allein geringf{\"u}gig erh{\"o}hte Niederschlagswerte von ca. 30±10 \% zu dramatischen Seespiegelanstiegen im Zentralen Keniarift f{\"u}hren. Aufgrund der etablierten hydrrologisch-klimatischen Wechselwirkungen werden R{\"u}ckschl{\"u}sse auf die nat{\"u}rliche Variabilit{\"a}t des ostafrikanischen Klimas gezogen. Zudem wird die Sensitivit{\"a}t der Keniarift-Seen in Bezug auf die St{\"a}rke der {\"a}quatorialen Insolation und hinsichtilch variabler Oberfl{\"a}chenwassertemperaturen des Indischen Ozeans bewertet.}, language = {en} }