@article{OpitzWuennemannAichneretal.2012, author = {Opitz, Stephan and W{\"u}nnemann, Bernd and Aichner, Bernhard and Dietze, Elisabeth and Hartmann, Kai and Herzschuh, Ulrike and IJmker, Janneke and Lehmkuhl, Frank and Li, Shijie and Mischke, Steffen and Plotzki, Anna and Stauch, Georg and Diekmann, Bernhard}, title = {Late Glacial and Holocene development of Lake Donggi Cona, north-eastern Tibetan Plateau, inferred from sedimentological analysis}, series = {Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences}, volume = {337}, journal = {Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences}, number = {23}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0031-0182}, doi = {10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.04.013}, pages = {159 -- 176}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Sediments of Lake Donggi Cona on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau were studied to infer changes in the lacustrine depositional environment, related to climatic and non-climatic changes during the last 19 kyr. The lake today fills a 30x8 km big and 95 m deep tectonic basin, associated with the Kunlun Fault. The study was conducted on a sediment-core transect through the lake basin, in order to gain a complete picture of spatio-temporal environmental change. The recovered sediments are partly finely laminated and are composed of calcareous muds with variable amounts of carbonate micrite, organic matter, detrital silt and clay. On the basis of sedimentological, geochemical, and mineralogical data up to five lithological units (LU) can be distinguished that document distinct stages in the development of the lake system. The onset of the lowermost LU with lacustrine muds above basal sands indicates that lake level was at least 39 m below the present level and started to rise after 19 ka, possibly in response to regional deglaciation. At this time, the lacustrine environment was characterized by detrital sediment influx and the deposition of siliciclastic sediment. In two sediment cores, upward grain-size coarsening documents a lake-level fall after 13 cal ka BP, possibly associated with the late-glacial Younger Dryas stadial. From 11.5 to 4.3 cal ka BP, grain-size fining in sediment cores from the profundal coring sites and the onset of lacustrine deposition at a litoral core site (2 m water depth) in a recent marginal bay of Donggi Cona document lake-level rise during the early to mid-Holocene to at least modern level. In addition, high biological productivity and pronounced precipitation of carbonate micrites are consistent with warm and moist climate conditions related to an enhanced influence of summer monsoon. At 4.3 cal ka BP the lake system shifted from an aragonite- to a calcite-dominated system, indicating a change towards a fully open hydrological lake system. The younger clay-rich sediments are moreover non-laminated and lack any diagenetic sulphides, pointing to fully ventilated conditions, and the prevailing absence of lake stratification. This turning point in lake history could imply either a threshold response to insolation-forced climate cooling or a response to a non-climatic trigger, such as an erosional event or a tectonic pulse that induced a strong earthquake, which is difficult to decide from our data base.}, language = {en} } @article{OhuchiNishiharaKawazoeetal.2012, author = {Ohuchi, Tomohiro and Nishihara, Yu and Kawazoe, Takaaki and Spengler, Dirk and Shiraishi, Rei and Suzuki, Akio and Kikegawa, Takumi and Ohtani, Eiji}, title = {Superplasticity in hydrous melt-bearing dunite Implications for shear localization in Earth's upper mantle}, series = {Earth \& planetary science letters}, volume = {335}, journal = {Earth \& planetary science letters}, number = {12}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0012-821X}, doi = {10.1016/j.epsl.2012.04.032}, pages = {59 -- 71}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Deformation experiments on hydrous melt-bearing dunite (olivine+4 vol\% orthopyroxene+4 vol\% clinopyroxene with less than 2.5 vol\% of the melt phase) were conducted at pressures of 1.3-5.7 GPa and temperatures of 1270-1490 K in order to explore the effect of intergranular fluids on the plastic flow of olivine in Earth's upper mantle. The strain rate was proportional to steady-state creep strength to the 2.1 power, and the creep strength markedly increased with increase in grain size. Developments of the crystallographic preferred orientation of olivine and flattening of olivine grains were hardly observed even after 33-55\% shortening of the samples. These observations show that grain boundary sliding (GBS) dominated the deformation of olivine (i.e., superplasticity). The creep strength of hydrous melt-bearing dunite was 2-5 times lower than that of melt-free dunite. The dependence of creep rate on melt fraction is known to be expressed empirically as (epsilon) over dot(phi) = (epsilon) over dot(0) exp(alpha phi), where alpha is a constant and phi is the melt fraction. The experimentally obtained value of alpha was in the range of 150-230, corresponding to 5-7 times the reported values for the olivine-basalt system at 0.3 GPa (i.e., creep strength of dunite was efficiently reduced by the hydrous melt). Superplasticity is the dominant creep mechanism of olivine in fluid-bearing fine-grained peridotites under low-temperature and high-stress conditions (i.e., peridotite shear zones in the upper mantle). Superplasticity induced by geological fluids would play an important role in the shear localization (and thus initiation of subduction) in the upper mantle.}, language = {en} } @article{OberhaensliBousquetCandanetal.2012, author = {Oberh{\"a}nsli, Roland and Bousquet, Romain and Candan, Osman and Okay, Aral I.}, title = {Dating subduction events in East Anatolia, Turkey}, series = {Turkish journal of earth sciences = T{\"u}rk yerbilimleri dergisi}, volume = {21}, journal = {Turkish journal of earth sciences = T{\"u}rk yerbilimleri dergisi}, number = {1}, publisher = {T{\"u}bitak}, address = {Ankara}, issn = {1300-0985}, doi = {10.3906/yer-1006-26}, pages = {1 -- 17}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Metamorphic studies in the cover sequences of the Bitlis complex allow the thermal evolution of the massif to be constrained using metamorphic index minerals. Regionally distributed metamorphic index minerals such as glaucophane, carpholite, relics of carpholite in chloritoid-bearing schists and pseudomorphs after aragonite in marbles record a LT-HP evolution:This demonstrates that the Bitlis complex was subducted and stacked to form a nappe complex during the closure of the Neo-Tethys. During late Cretaceous to Cenozoic evolution the Bitlis complex experienced peak metamorphism of 1.0-1.1 GPa at 350-400 degrees C. During the retrograde evolution temperatures remained below 460 degrees C. Ar-39/Ar-40 dating of white mica in different parageneses from the Bitlis complex reveals a 74-79 Ma (Campanian) date of peak metamorphism and rapid exhumation to an almost isothermal greenschist stage at 67-70 Ma (Maastrichtian). The HP Eocene flysch escaped the greenschist facies stage and were exhumed under very cold conditions. These single stage evolutions contrast with the multistage evolution reported further north from the Amassia-Stepanavan Suture in Armenia. Petrological investigations and isotopic dating show that the collision of Arabia with Eurasia resulted in an assemblage of different blocks derived from the northern as well as from the southern plate and a set of subduction zones producing HP rocks with diverse exhumation histories.}, language = {en} } @article{NickeldiPrimioMangelsdorfetal.2012, author = {Nickel, Julia C. and di Primio, Rolando and Mangelsdorf, Kai and Stoddart, Daniel and Kallmeyer, Jens}, title = {Characterization of microbial activity in pockmark fields of the SW-Barents Sea}, series = {Marine geology : international journal of marine geology, geochemistry and geophysics}, volume = {332}, journal = {Marine geology : international journal of marine geology, geochemistry and geophysics}, number = {12}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0025-3227}, doi = {10.1016/j.margeo.2012.02.002}, pages = {152 -- 162}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Multibeam bathymetry revealed the occurrence of numerous craterlike depressions, so-called pockmarks, on the sea floor of the Hammerfest Basin and the Loppa High, south-western Barents Sea. To investigate whether these pockmarks are related to ongoing gas seepage, microbial processes associated with methane metabolism were analyzed using geochemical, biogeochemical and microbiological techniques. Gravity cores were collected along transects crossing individual pockmarks, allowing a direct comparison between different locations inside (assumed activity center), on the rim, and outside of a pockmark (reference sites). Concentrations of hydrocarbons in the sediment, particularly methane, were measured as headspace (free) gas, and in the occluded and adsorbed gas fraction. Down to a depth of 2.6 m below sea floor (mbsf) sulfate reduction rates were quantified by radiotracer incubations. Concentrations of dissolved sulfate in the porewater were determined as well. Neither the sulfate profiles nor the gas measurements show any evidence of microbial activity or active fluid venting. Methane concentrations and sulfate reduction rates were extremely low or even below the detection limit. The results show that the observed sediment structures are most likely paleo-pockmarks, their formation probably occurred during the last deglaciation.}, language = {en} } @article{NeugebauerBrauerDraegeretal.2012, author = {Neugebauer, Ina and Brauer, Achim and Draeger, Nadine and Dulski, Peter and Wulf, Sabine and Plessen, Birgit and Mingram, Jens and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Brande, Arthur}, title = {A Younger Dryas varve chronology from the Rehwiese palaeolake record in NE-Germany}, series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal}, volume = {36}, journal = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal}, number = {10}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0277-3791}, doi = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.12.010}, pages = {91 -- 102}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The first 1400-year floating varve chronology for north-eastern Germany covering the late Allered to the early Holocene has been established by microscopic varve counts from the Rehwiese palaeolake sediment record. The Laacher See Tephra (LST), at the base of the studied interval, forms the tephrochronological anchor point. The fine laminations were examined using a combination of micro-facies and mu XRF analyses and are typical of calcite varves, which in this case provide mainly a warm season signal. Two varve types with different sub-layer structures have been distinguished: (I) complex varves consisting of up to four seasonal sub-layers formed during the Allered and early Holocene periods, and, (II) simple two sub-layer type varves only occurring during the Younger Dryas. The precision of the chronology has been improved by varve-to-varve comparison of two independently analyzed sediment profiles based on well-defined micro-marker layers. This has enabled both (1) the precise location of single missing varies in one of the sediment profiles, and, (2) the verification of varve interpolation in disturbed varve intervals in the parallel core. Inter-annual and decadal-scale variability in sediment deposition processes were traced by multi-proxy data series including seasonal layer thickness, high-resolution element scans and total organic and inorganic carbon data at a five-varve resolution. These data support the idea of a two-phase Younger Dryas, with the first interval (12,675-12,275 varve years BP) characterised by a still significant but gradually decreasing warm-season calcite precipitation and a second phase (12,275-11,690 varve years BP) with only weak calcite precipitation. Detailed correlation of these two phases with the Meerfelder Maar record based on the LST isochrone and independent varve counts provides clues about regional differences and seasonal aspects of YD climate change along a transect from a location proximal to the North Atlantic in the west to a more continental site in the east}, language = {en} } @article{NatkhinSteidlDietrichetal.2012, author = {Natkhin, Marco and Steidl, J{\"o}rg and Dietrich, Ottfried and Dannowski, Ralf and Lischeid, Gunnar}, title = {Differentiating between climate effects and forest growth dynamics effects on decreasing groundwater recharge in a lowland region in Northeast Germany}, series = {Journal of hydrology}, volume = {448}, journal = {Journal of hydrology}, number = {2}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0022-1694}, doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.05.005}, pages = {245 -- 254}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Declining groundwater levels in some forested regions in Northeast Germany indicate a reduction in groundwater recharge. Various interlinked aspects, such as changes in climate conditions and changes in forest structure, have been considered as the main factors affecting the regional level of groundwater recharge. For this study, the water balance model WaSiM-ETH was used to calculate groundwater recharge in a 104 km(2) area between 1958 and 2007. Climate impact analysis was driven by observed data from neighbouring meteorological stations. Changes in forest stands were reconstructed from the current status and literature studies. The model-based analysis showed that the average groundwater recharge under forest areas decreased from 1958 to 2007, with a trend of 2.3 mm/yr(2). The most important effect was changing climatic boundary conditions, which made up 53\% of the decrease. Declining precipitation is identified as the main factor. Changes in tree age distribution caused 18\% of the decrease, and the change of ground vegetation under pines (Pinus sylvestris) accounts for 29\%. In respect of the complexity and the interconnectivity of the processes of groundwater recharge, the necessity of using process-oriented distributed models such as WaSiM-ETH is discussed. We conclude that changes in forest stands affecting groundwater recharge could play a significant role in the water balance, especially in regions with a priori low total runoff, this has up to now often remained unquantified.}, language = {en} } @article{NadaVanRensburgClaassensetal.2012, author = {Nada, Wael Mohamed Abdel-Rahman and Van Rensburg, L. and Claassens, Sarina and Blumenstein, Oswald and Friedrich, A.}, title = {Evaluation of organic matter stability in wood compost by chemical and thermogravimetric analysis}, series = {International journal of environmental research}, volume = {6}, journal = {International journal of environmental research}, number = {2}, publisher = {Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Theran}, address = {Tehran}, issn = {1735-6865}, pages = {425 -- 434}, year = {2012}, abstract = {This study investigated maturation and stability levels during composting of Quercus robur (QR) woodchips mixed with different nitrogen sources (horse manure, HM and lake mud, LM) for potential agronomic utilisation. The woodchips were mixed with HM and LM, respectively, at mixing ratios of 1QR:2HM or QR:2LM. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse over 100 days. During composting, organic carbon and its fractioning and humification constituents were quantified. In the final compost product, pH, organic matter (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and selected available nutrients were measured. Thermostability of compost, compared with that of soil and compost mixed with charcoal were also quantified. Results showed OM evolution during the composting process with total organic and extractable carbons and humification indices decreasing, while the degree of humification increased. Compost produced from the 1QR:2HM mix resulted in the highest available nutrients, CEC and OM content values in the final product. Thermogravimetric profiles indicated that compost OM thermostability was higher than that in soil and higher for the 1QR:2HM than the 1QR:2LM mix. Application of charcoal revealed no additional stabilising effect of OM in wood compost.}, language = {en} } @article{NaafsHefterActonetal.2012, author = {Naafs, B. David A. and Hefter, Jens and Acton, Gary and Haug, Gerald H. and Martinez-Garcia, Alfredo and Pancost, Richard and Stein, R{\"u}diger}, title = {Strengthening of North American dust sources during the late Pliocene (2.7 Ma)}, series = {Earth \& planetary science letters}, volume = {317}, journal = {Earth \& planetary science letters}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0012-821X}, doi = {10.1016/j.epsl.2011.11.026}, pages = {8 -- 19}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Here we present orbitally-resolved records of terrestrial higher plant leaf wax input to the North Atlantic over the last 3.5 Ma, based on the accumulation of long-chain n-alkanes and n-alkanl-1-ols at IODP Site U1313. These lipids are a major component of dust, even in remote ocean areas, and have a predominantly aeolian origin in distal marine sediments. Our results demonstrate that around 2.7 million years ago (Ma), coinciding with the intensification of the Northern Hemisphere glaciation (NHG), the aeolian input of terrestrial material to the North Atlantic increased drastically. Since then, during every glacial the aeolian input of higher plant material was up to 30 times higher than during interglacials. The close correspondence between aeolian input to the North Atlantic and other dust records indicates a globally uniform response of dust sources to Quaternary climate variability, although the amplitude of variation differs among areas. We argue that the increased aeolian input at Site U1313 during glacials is predominantly related to the episodic appearance of continental ice sheets in North America and the associated strengthening of glaciogenic dust sources. Evolutional spectral analyses of the n-alkane records were therefore used to determine the dominant astronomical forcing in North American ice sheet advances. These results demonstrate that during the early Pleistocene North American ice sheet dynamics responded predominantly to variations in obliquity (41 ka), which argues against previous suggestions of precession-related variations in Northern Hemisphere ice sheets during the early Pleistocene.}, language = {en} } @article{MorenoMelnickRosenauetal.2012, author = {Moreno, Marcelo Spegiorin and Melnick, Daniel and Rosenau, M. and B{\´a}ez, Juan Carlos and Klotz, Jan and Oncken, Onno and Tassara, Andres and Chen, J. and Bataille, Klaus and Bevis, M. and Socquet, Anne and Bolte, John and Vigny, C. and Brooks, B. and Ryder, I. and Grund, Volker and Smalley, B. and Carrizo, Daniel and Bartsch, M. and Hase, H.}, title = {Toward understanding tectonic control on the M-w 8.8 2010 Maule Chile earthquake}, series = {Earth \& planetary science letters}, volume = {321}, journal = {Earth \& planetary science letters}, number = {3}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0012-821X}, doi = {10.1016/j.epsl.2012.01.006}, pages = {152 -- 165}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The Maule earthquake of 27th February 2010 (M-w = 8.8) affected similar to 500 km of the Nazca-South America plate boundary in south-central Chile producing spectacular crustal deformation. Here, we present a detailed estimate of static coseismic surface offsets as measured by survey and continuous GPS, both in near- and far-field regions. Earthquake slip along the megathrust has been inferred from a Joint inversion of our new data together with published GPS, InSAR, and land-level changes data using Green's functions generated by a spherical finite-element model with realistic subduction zone geometry. The combination of the data sets provided a good resolution, indicating that most of the slip was well resolved. Coseismic slip was concentrated north of the epicenter with up to 16 m of slip, whereas to the south it reached over 10 m within two minor patches. A comparison of coseismic slip with the slip deficit accumulated since the last great earthquake in 1835 suggests that the 2010 event closed a mature seismic gap. Slip deficit distribution shows an apparent local overshoot that highlight cycle-to-cycle variability, which has to be taken into account when anticipating future events from interseismic observations. Rupture propagation was obviously not affected by bathymetric features of the incoming plate. Instead, splay faults in the upper plate seem to have limited rupture propagation in the updip and along-strike directions. Additionally, we found that along-strike gradients in slip are spatially correlated with geometrical inflections of the megathrust. Our study suggests that persistent tectonic features may control strain accumulation and release along subduction megathrusts.}, language = {en} } @article{MoradiCarminatiLamparteretal.2012, author = {Moradi, Ahmad B. and Carminati, Andrea and Lamparter, Axel and Woche, Susanne K. and Bachmann, J{\"o}rg and Vetterlein, Doris and Vogel, Hans-J{\"o}rg and Oswald, Sascha}, title = {Is the rhizosphere temporarily water repellent?}, series = {Vadose zone journal}, volume = {11}, journal = {Vadose zone journal}, number = {3}, publisher = {Soil Science Society of America}, address = {Madison}, issn = {1539-1663}, doi = {10.2136/vzj2011.0120}, pages = {8}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The rhizosphere has a controlling role in the flow of water and nutrients from soil to plant roots; however, its hydraulic properties are not well understood. As roots grow, they change the pore size distribution of the surrounding soil. Roots release polymeric substances such as mucilage into their rhizosphere. Microorganisms living in the rhizosphere feed on these organic materials and release other polymeric substances into the rhizosphere. The presence of these organic materials might affect the water retention properties and the hydraulic conductivity of the rhizosphere soil during drying and rewetting. We used neutron radiography to monitor the dynamics of water distribution in the rhizosphere of lupin (Lupinus albus L.) plants during a period of drying and rewetting. The rhizosphere was shown to have a higher water content than the bulk soil during the drying period but a lower one during the subsequent rewetting. We evaluated the wettability of the bulk soil and the rhizosphere soil by measuring the contact angle of water in the soil. We found significantly higher contact angles for the rhizosphere soil than the bulk soil after drying, which indicates slight water repellency in the rhizosphere. This explains the lower soil water content in the rhizosphere than the bulk soil after rewetting. Our results suggest that the water holding capacity of the rhizosphere is dynamic and might shift toward higher or lower values than those of the surrounding bulk soil, not affected by roots, depending on the history of drying and rewetting cycles.}, language = {en} } @article{MohrMontgomeryHuberetal.2012, author = {Mohr, Christian Heinrich and Montgomery, David R. and Huber, Anton and Bronstert, Axel and Iroume, Andres}, title = {Streamflow response in small upland catchments in the Chilean coastal range to the M-W 8.8 Maule earthquake on 27 February 2010}, series = {Journal of geophysical research : Earth surface}, volume = {117}, journal = {Journal of geophysical research : Earth surface}, number = {23}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0148-0227}, doi = {10.1029/2011JF002138}, pages = {16}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Hydrological response to earthquakes has long been observed, yet the mechanisms responsible still remain unclear and likely vary in space and time. This study explores the base flow response in small upland catchments of the Coastal Range of south-central Chile after the M-W 8.8 Maule earthquake of 27 February 2010. An initial decline in streamflow followed by an increase of up to 400\% of the discharge measured immediately before the earthquake occurred, and diurnal streamflow oscillations intensified after the earthquake. Neither response time, nor time to maximum streamflow discharge showed any relationship with catchment topography or size, suggesting non-uniform release of water across the catchments. The fast response, unaffected stream water temperatures and a simple diffusion model point to the sandy saprolite as the source of the excess water. Base flow recession analysis reveals no evidence for substantial enhancement of lateral hydraulic conductivity in the saprolite after the earthquake. Seismic energy density reached similar to 170 J/m(3) for the main shock and similar to 0.9 J/m(3) for the aftershock, exceeding the threshold for liquefaction by undrained consolidation only during the main shock. Although increased hydraulic gradient due to ground acceleration-triggered, undrained consolidation is consistent with empirical magnitude-distance relationships for liquefaction, the lack of independent evidence for liquefaction means that enhanced vertical permeability (probably in combination with co-seismic near-surface dilatancy) cannot be excluded as a potential mechanism. Undrained consolidation may have released additional water from the saturated saprolite into the overlying soil, temporarily reducing water transfer to the creeks but enlarging the cross-section of the saturated zone, which in turn enhanced streamflow after establishment of a new hydraulic equilibrium. The enlarged saturated zone facilitated water uptake by roots and intensified evapotranspiration.}, language = {en} } @article{MischkeSchudackBertrandetal.2012, author = {Mischke, Steffen and Schudack, Ulla and Bertrand, Sebastien and Leroy, Suzanne A. G.}, title = {Ostracods from a Marmara Sea lagoon (Turkey) as tsunami indicators}, series = {Quaternary international : the journal of the International Union for Quaternary Research}, volume = {261}, journal = {Quaternary international : the journal of the International Union for Quaternary Research}, number = {20}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {1040-6182}, doi = {10.1016/j.quaint.2010.11.013}, pages = {156 -- 161}, year = {2012}, abstract = {A 352 cm long sediment core from Hersek Lagoon (Gulf of Izmit) was investigated for its ostracod species composition in order to evaluate the potential of ostracods to detect tsunami deposits in coastal environments. The Gulf of Izmit is the eastern bay of the Marmara Sea which is tectonically controlled by the North Anatolian Fault. Ostracod shells are rare in the lower third of the core, which probably represents a coastal wetland environment. According to radiocarbon dating of terrestrial plant remains, this unit was deposited between AD 500 and AD 800. Above, ostracod shells are abundant and dominantly monospecific, composed almost exclusively of the widespread brackish water ostracod Cyprideis torosa. This almost monospecific occurrence indicates the establishment and maintenance of the Hersek Lagoon after AD 800. Three distinct layers of mollusc shells and fragments contain ostracod shells of marine and to a lesser extent non-marine origin in addition to those of C. torosa. The shell layers are further characterized by significant maxima in total ostracod shell numbers. The high concentration of ostracod shells, the higher species numbers and the mixture of marine, lagoonal and non-marine ostracod shells shows that shell layers were formed as high-energy deposits resulting from tsunamis or large storms in the Marmara Sea. The partial occurrence of non-marine ostracod shells in the shell layers possibly indicates that tsunamis with extensive run-ups and significant backwash flows caused the high-energy deposits rather than large storms. The investigated sediments show that lagoonal ostracods can serve as good proxies for tsunamis or large storms through significant variations in total shell numbers, species numbers and the mixing of shells of different origin.}, language = {en} } @article{MischkeGinatAlSaqaratetal.2012, author = {Mischke, Steffen and Ginat, Hanan and Al-Saqarat, Bety and Almogi-Labin, Ahuva}, title = {Ostracods from water bodies in hyperarid Israel and Jordan as habitat and water chemistry indicators}, series = {Ecological indicators : integrating monitoring, assessment and management}, volume = {14}, journal = {Ecological indicators : integrating monitoring, assessment and management}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1470-160X}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.07.017}, pages = {87 -- 99}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The hyperarid region of Israel and Jordan covers a large area where numerous sites of Pleistocene lake sediments suggest that climate conditions were significantly wetter during the Pleistocene. This region experienced a significant increase in aridity in recent decades and the number of existing surface waters is diminishing rapidly. We studied ostracod shells from 49 pond and stream sites to determine the species distribution and to infer ecological preferences especially with respect to general differences in water movement, conductivity and ion composition. Twenty-two ostracod species were identified in total of which 12 taxa occur at three or more sites. Among the rarer species. Cyprinotus scholiosus was identified for the first time after two records from Plio- and Pleistocene sites in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Further, Paracypretta amati was recorded and its ecological preferences discussed for the first time following the description of the species from its type locality in Sudan. Cypridopsis elongata is the only typical inhabitant of lotic habitats, strictly preferring freshwater conditions and waters with an alkalinity/Ca ratio around 1 and cations dominated by Ca(2+) and anions by HCO(3)(-). In contrast, Cyprideis torosa, Limnocythere inopinata and Heterocypris incongruens apparently prefer waters dominated by Na(+) associated with cations and Cl(-) associated with anions. Heterocypris salina and C. torosa occur over a wide conductivity (or salinity) range and in waters with alkalinity/Ca ratios around 1 and with significant alkalinity depletion. Humphcypris subterranea, Ilyocypris spp. and H. sauna are the only taxa which do not show any preference with respect to both the cation and anion dominance of the waters. The ecological preferences of the ostracod species from water bodies in the study area are discussed in detail and can be used for a qualitative assessment of the hydrodynamical and hydrochemical conditions of former water bodies in the presently hyperarid environment based on ostracod species composition analysis of Pleistocene aquatic sediments.}, language = {en} } @article{MelnickMorenoMotaghetal.2012, author = {Melnick, Daniel and Moreno, Marcos and Motagh, Mahdi and Cisternas, Marco and Wesson, Robert L.}, title = {Splay fault slip during the M-w 8.8 2010 Maule Chile earthquake}, series = {Geology}, volume = {40}, journal = {Geology}, number = {3}, publisher = {American Institute of Physics}, address = {Boulder}, issn = {0091-7613}, doi = {10.1130/G32712.1}, pages = {251 -- 254}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Splay faults are thrusts that emerge from the plate boundaries of subduction zones. Such structures have been mapped at several convergent margins and their activity commonly ascribed to large megathrust earthquakes. However, the behavior of splay faults during the earthquake cycle is poorly constrained because typically these structures are located offshore and are difficult to access. Here we use geologic mapping combined with space and land geodesy, as well as offshore sonar data, to document surface-fault ruptures and coastal uplift at Isla Santa Maria in south-central Chile (37 degrees S) caused by the 27 February 2010 Maule earthquake (M-w 8.8). During the earthquake, the island was tilted parallel to the margin, and normal faults ruptured the surface and adjacent ocean bottom. We associate tilt and crestal normal faulting with growth of an anticline above a blind reverse fault rooted in the Nazca-South America plate boundary, which slipped during the Maule earthquake. The splay fault system has formed in an area of reduced coseismic plate-boundary slip, suggesting that anelastic deformation in the upper plate may have restrained the 2010 megathrust rupture. Surface fault breaks were accompanied by prominent discharge of fluids. Our field observations support the notion that splay faulting may frequently complement and influence the rupture of subduction-zone earthquakes.}, language = {en} } @article{MelnickMorenoCisternasetal.2012, author = {Melnick, Daniel and Moreno, Marcos and Cisternas, Marco and Tassara, Andres}, title = {Darwin seismic gap closed by the 2010 Maule earthquake}, series = {Andean geology}, volume = {39}, journal = {Andean geology}, number = {3}, publisher = {Servicio Nacional de Geolog{\`i}a y Miner{\`i}a}, address = {Santiago}, issn = {0718-7092}, doi = {10.5027/andgeoV39n3-a11}, pages = {558 -- 563}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The Maule earthquake (Mw 8.8) that affected south-central Chile on February 27, 2010 was preceded by the 1835 event documented by FitzRoy and Darwin. The relation between both events has been controversial. Fault slip in 2010 estimated by Lorito et al. (2011) is less than expected from 175 years of strain accumulation, leading them to conclude only limited overlap between the 2010 and 1835 events, and that a Mw 7.5-8 event could still strike the Concepcion region. However, Lorito et al.'s model was based on displacements obtained from only 6 GPS stations and underpredicts observations from recent studies. Here we show that an alternative model based on 169 GPS displacements reproduces the data better, suggesting Lorito et al.'s main conclusion is not correct. Based on a slip deficit map, we suggest the seismic gap opened in 1835 was most likely closed in 2010.}, language = {en} } @article{MelnickCisternasMorenoetal.2012, author = {Melnick, Daniel and Cisternas, Marco and Moreno, Marcos and Norambuena, Ricardo}, title = {Estimating coseismic coastal uplift with an intertidal mussel calibration for the 2010 Maule Chile earthquake (M-w=8.8)}, series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal}, volume = {42}, journal = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal}, number = {5}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0277-3791}, doi = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.03.012}, pages = {29 -- 42}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Coseismic coastal uplift has been quantified using sessile intertidal organisms after several great earthquakes following FitzRoy's pioneer measurements in 1835. A dense survey of such markers may complement space geodetic data to obtain an accurate distribution of fault slip and earthquake segmentation. However, uplift estimates based on diverse intertidal organisms tend to differ, because of few methodological and comparative studies. Here, we calibrate and estimate coastal uplift in the southern segment of the 2010 Maule, Chile earthquake (M-w = 8.8) using > 1100 post-earthquake elevation measurements of the sessile mussel Perumytilus purpuratus. This mussel is the predominant competitor for rocky shores all along the Pacific coast of South America, where it forms fringes or belts distinctively in the middle intertidal zone. These belts are centered at mean sea level and their width should equal one third of the tidal range. We measured belt widths close to this value at 40\% of the sites, but overall widths are highly variable due to the unevenness in belt tops; belt bases, in turn, are rather regular. Belt top unevenness apparently results from locally-enhanced wave splash, whereas belt base evenness is controlled by predation. According to our measurements made beyond the earthquake rupture, the belt base is at the bottom of the middle intertidal zone, and thus we propose to estimate coastal uplift using the belt base mean elevation plus one sixth of the tidal range to reach mean sea level. Within errors our estimates agree with GPS displacements but differ from other methods. Comparisons of joint inversions for megathrust slip suggest combining space geodetic data with estimates from intertidal organisms may locally increase the detail of slip distributions.}, language = {en} } @article{MaslinPancostWilsonetal.2012, author = {Maslin, Mark A. and Pancost, Richard D. and Wilson, Katy E. and Lewis, Jonathan and Trauth, Martin H.}, title = {Three and half million year history of moisture availability of South West Africa evidence from ODP site 1085 biomarker records}, series = {Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences}, volume = {317}, journal = {Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0031-0182}, doi = {10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.12.009}, pages = {41 -- 47}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Ocean Drilling Program Site 1085 provides a continuous marine sediment record off southern South West Africa for at least the last three and half million years. The n-alkane partial derivative(13) C record from this site records changes in past vegetation and provides an indication of the moisture availability of SW Africa during this time period. Very little variation, and no apparent trend, is observed in the n-alkane delta C-13 record, suggesting stable long-term conditions despite significant changes in East African tectonics and global climate. Slightly higher n-alkane delta C-13 values occur between 3.5 and 2.7 Ma suggesting slightly drier conditions than today. Between 2.5 and 2.7 Ma there is a shift to more negative n-alkane delta C-13 values suggesting slightly wetter conditions during a similar to 0.2 Ma episode that coincides with the intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (iNHG). From 2.5 to 0.4 Ma the n-alkane delta C-13 values are very consistent, varying by less than +/- 0.5 parts per thousand and suggesting little or no long-term change in the moisture availability of South West Africa over the last 2.5 million years. This is in contrast to the long-term drying trend observed further north offshore from the Namib Desert and in East Africa. A comparison of the climate history of these regions suggests that Southern Africa may have been an area of long-term stability over the last 3.5 Myrs.}, language = {en} } @article{LopezTarazonBatallaVillanuevaVericatetal.2012, author = {Lopez-Tarazon, Jose Andres and Batalla Villanueva, Ramon J. and Vericat, Damia and Francke, Till}, title = {The sediment budget of a highly dynamic mesoscale catchment the River Isabena}, series = {Geomorphology : an international journal on pure and applied geomorphology}, volume = {138}, journal = {Geomorphology : an international journal on pure and applied geomorphology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0169-555X}, doi = {10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.08.020}, pages = {15 -- 28}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The paper presents the sediment budget of the Isabena basin, a highly dynamic 445-km(2) catchment located in the Central Pyrenees that is patched by highly erodible areas (i.e., badlands). The budget for the period 2007-2009 is constructed following a methodology that allows the interpolation of intermittent measurements of suspended sediment concentrations and enables a subsequent calculation of sediment loads. Data allow specification of the contribution of each subbasin to the water and sediment yield in the catchment outlet. Mean annual sediment load was 235,000 t y(-1). Specific sediment yield reached 2000 t km(-2) y(-1), a value that indicates very high sedimentary activity, especially in the case of Villacarli and Lascuarre subcatchments, were most badlands are located. The specific sediment yield obtained for the entire Isabena is 527 t km(-2) y(-1), a high value for such a mesoscale basin. Results show that a small part of the area (i.e., 1\%) controls most of the catchment's gross sediment contribution. Sediment delivery ratio (ratio between sediment input from primary sources and basin export) has been estimated at around 90\%, while in-channel storage represents the 5\% of the annual load on average. The high connectivity between sediment sources (i.e., badlands) and transfer paths (i.e., streamcourses) exacerbates the influence of the local sediment production on the catchment's sediment yield, a quite unusual fact for a basin of this scale.}, language = {en} } @article{LischeidKalettka2012, author = {Lischeid, Gunnar and Kalettka, Thomas}, title = {Grasping the heterogeneity of kettle hole water quality in Northeast Germany}, series = {Hydrobiologia : acta hydrobiologica, hydrographica, limnologica et protistologica}, volume = {689}, journal = {Hydrobiologia : acta hydrobiologica, hydrographica, limnologica et protistologica}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0018-8158}, doi = {10.1007/s10750-011-0764-7}, pages = {63 -- 77}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In the young moraine landscape in Northeast Germany, small glacially created ponds, the so-called kettle holes, are very abundant. They exhibit large spatial heterogeneity, seemingly rendering each kettle hole unique. However, this would not be consistent with any scientific approach. Thus, a classification scheme has been developed for kettle holes in Northeast Germany based on morphology, hydrodynamics and connection to stream networks of the kettle holes as well as size, topography and land use of the respective catchment. These indices are assumed to be related both to water quality as well as to biological issues of the kettle holes. Starting in the mid-1990s, an extensive monitoring program has been established in the federal state of Brandenburg, Germany. In this study, a subset comprising 1,316 samples from 79 kettle holes was analysed, where 21 parameters had been determined. Sampling intervals varied widely, and were between bi-weekly and three-monthly at most sites. A nonlinear principal component analysis was performed. The first four components explained 90\% of the variance. These components seem to provide quantitative measures of phosphorus release from the sediments during hypoxic periods, agricultural solute input, algae primary production, and geogenic compounds. This allowed differentiating between the natural and anthropogenic impact factors on water quality. In addition, scores of single components were related to properties of the kettle holes and their environments. The results contribute to a better understanding of biological and biogeochemical processes and can be used to verify the effects of conservation and management strategies for kettle holes.}, language = {en} } @article{LevermannBamberDrijfhoutetal.2012, author = {Levermann, Anders and Bamber, Jonathan L. and Drijfhout, Sybren and Ganopolski, Andrey and Haeberli, Winfried and Harris, Neil R. P. and Huss, Matthias and Krueger, Kirstin and Lenton, Timothy M. and Lindsay, Ronald W. and Notz, Dirk and Wadhams, Peter and Weber, Susanne}, title = {Potential climatic transitions with profound impact on Europe Review of the current state of six 'tipping elements of the climate system'}, series = {Climatic change : an interdisciplinary, intern. journal devoted to the description, causes and implications of climatic change}, volume = {110}, journal = {Climatic change : an interdisciplinary, intern. journal devoted to the description, causes and implications of climatic change}, number = {3-4}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0165-0009}, doi = {10.1007/s10584-011-0126-5}, pages = {845 -- 878}, year = {2012}, abstract = {We discuss potential transitions of six climatic subsystems with large-scale impact on Europe, sometimes denoted as tipping elements. These are the ice sheets on Greenland and West Antarctica, the Atlantic thermohaline circulation, Arctic sea ice, Alpine glaciers and northern hemisphere stratospheric ozone. Each system is represented by co-authors actively publishing in the corresponding field. For each subsystem we summarize the mechanism of a potential transition in a warmer climate along with its impact on Europe and assess the likelihood for such a transition based on published scientific literature. As a summary, the 'tipping' potential for each system is provided as a function of global mean temperature increase which required some subjective interpretation of scientific facts by the authors and should be considered as a snapshot of our current understanding.}, language = {en} } @article{LevermannAlbrechtWinkelmannetal.2012, author = {Levermann, Anders and Albrecht, Tanja and Winkelmann, Ricarda and Martin, Maria A. and Haseloff, Monika and Joughin, I.}, title = {Kinematic first-order calving law implies potential for abrupt ice-shelf retreat}, series = {The Cryosphere : TC ; an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union}, volume = {6}, journal = {The Cryosphere : TC ; an interactive open access journal of the European Geosciences Union}, number = {2}, publisher = {Copernicus}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, issn = {1994-0416}, doi = {10.5194/tc-6-273-2012}, pages = {273 -- 286}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Recently observed large-scale disintegration of Antarctic ice shelves has moved their fronts closer towards grounded ice. In response, ice-sheet discharge into the ocean has accelerated, contributing to global sea-level rise and emphasizing the importance of calving-front dynamics. The position of the ice front strongly influences the stress field within the entire sheet-shelf-system and thereby the mass flow across the grounding line. While theories for an advance of the ice-front are readily available, no general rule exists for its retreat, making it difficult to incorporate the retreat in predictive models. Here we extract the first-order large-scale kinematic contribution to calving which is consistent with large-scale observation. We emphasize that the proposed equation does not constitute a comprehensive calving law but represents the first-order kinematic contribution which can and should be complemented by higher order contributions as well as the influence of potentially heterogeneous material properties of the ice. When applied as a calving law, the equation naturally incorporates the stabilizing effect of pinning points and inhibits ice shelf growth outside of embayments. It depends only on local ice properties which are, however, determined by the full topography of the ice shelf. In numerical simulations the parameterization reproduces multiple stable fronts as observed for the Larsen A and B Ice Shelves including abrupt transitions between them which may be caused by localized ice weaknesses. We also find multiple stable states of the Ross Ice Shelf at the gateway of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet with back stresses onto the sheet reduced by up to 90 \% compared to the present state.}, language = {en} } @article{LagodelaHorraUbideetal.2012, author = {Lago, M. and de la Horra, R. and Ubide, T. and Gale, C. and Galan-Abellan, B. and Barrenechea, J. F. and Lopez-Gomez, J. and Benito, M. I. and Arche, A. and Alonso-Azcarate, J. and Luque, F. J. and Timmerman, Martin Jan}, title = {First report of a Middle-Upper Permian magmatism in the SE Iberian Ranges characterisation and comparison with coeval magmatisms in the western Tethys}, series = {Journal of Iberian geology}, volume = {38}, journal = {Journal of Iberian geology}, number = {2}, publisher = {Instituto de Geolog{\´i}a Econ{\´o}mica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient{\´i}ficas, Universidad Complutense Madrid}, address = {Madrid}, issn = {1698-6180}, doi = {10.5209/rev_JIGE.2012.v38.n2.40462}, pages = {331 -- 348}, year = {2012}, abstract = {A multiple basic to intermediate sill is reported for the first time in the south-eastern Iberian Ranges. It is composed of several tabular to irregular levels intercalated within the fluvial sediments of the Alcotas Formation (Middle-Upper Permian). The sill could represent the youngest Paleozoic subvolcanic intrusion in the Iberian Ranges. The igneous rocks are classified as basaltic andesites. They show a subophitic microstructure constituted by plagioclase (An62 - An6), augite (En48Wo44Fs7 - En46Wo39Fs15), pseudomorphosed olivine, minor amounts of oxides (magnetite and ilmenite) and accessory F-apatite. According to the mineralogy and whole-rock composition, their geochemical affinity is transitional from subalkaline to alkaline. Radiometric dating of the sill is not feasible due to its significant alteration. Field criteria, however, suggest an emplacement coeval to the deposition of the Alcotas Formation (Middle-Upper Permian). This hypothesis is supported by the transitional affinity of these rocks, similar to other Middle-Upper Permian magmatisms in the western Tethys, e.g., from the Pyrenees. Taking into account their isotopic signature (epsilon(Sr) : -6.8 to -9.2; epsilon(Nd) : + 1.7 to + 8.3), an enriched mantle source with the involvement of a HIMU component has been identified. This interpretation is supported by the trace element contents. Some of these HIMU characteristics have been recognised in the Middle-Upper Permian magmatisms of the Central Pyrenees (Anayet Basin) and the High Atlas (Argana Basin). However, none of these source features are shared with other Middle-Upper Permian magmatisms of the western Tethys (Catalonian Coastal Ranges, Corsica-Sardinia and southern France), nor with the Lower Permian magmatism of the Iberian Ranges. These differences support the presence of a heterogeneous mantle in the western Tethys during the Permian.}, language = {en} } @article{KorupGoeruemHayakawa2012, author = {Korup, Oliver and G{\"o}r{\"u}m, Tolga and Hayakawa, Yuichi}, title = {Without power? - Landslide inventories in the face of climate change}, series = {Earth surface processes and landforms : the journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group}, volume = {37}, journal = {Earth surface processes and landforms : the journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group}, number = {1}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0197-9337}, doi = {10.1002/esp.2248}, pages = {92 -- 99}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Projected scenarios of climate change involve general predictions about the likely changes to the magnitude and frequency of landslides, particularly as a consequence of altered precipitation and temperature regimes. Whether such landslide response to contemporary or past climate change may be captured in differing scaling statistics of landslide size distributions and the erosion rates derived thereof remains debated. We test this notion with simple Monte Carlo and bootstrap simulations of statistical models commonly used to characterize empirical landslide size distributions. Our results show that significant changes to total volumes contained in such inventories may be masked by statistically indistinguishable scaling parameters, critically depending on, among others, the size of the largest of landslides recorded. Conversely, comparable model parameter values may obscure significant, i.e. more than twofold, changes to landslide occurrence, and thus inferred rates of hillslope denudation and sediment delivery to drainage networks. A time series of some of Earth's largest mass movements reveals clustering near and partly before the last glacial-interglacial transition and a distinct step-over from white noise to temporal clustering around this period. However, elucidating whether this is a distinct signal of first-order climate-change impact on slope stability or simply coincides with a transition from short-term statistical noise to long-term steady-state conditions remains an important research challenge.}, language = {en} } @article{Korup2012, author = {Korup, Oliver}, title = {Earth's portfolio of extreme sediment transport events}, series = {Earth science reviews : the international geological journal bridging the gap between research articles and textbooks}, volume = {112}, journal = {Earth science reviews : the international geological journal bridging the gap between research articles and textbooks}, number = {3-4}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0012-8252}, doi = {10.1016/j.earscirev.2012.02.006}, pages = {115 -- 125}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Quantitative estimates of sediment flux and the global cycling of sediments from hillslopes to rivers, estuaries, deltas, continental shelves, and deep-sea basins have a long research tradition. In this context, extremely large and commensurately rare sediment transport events have so far eluded a systematic analysis. To start filling this knowledge gap I review some of the highest reported sediment yields in mountain rivers impacted by volcanic eruptions, earthquake- and storm-triggered landslide episodes, and catastrophic dam breaks. Extreme specific yields, defined here as those exceeding the 95th percentile of compiled data, are similar to 10(4) t km(-2) yr(-1) if averaged over 1 yr. These extreme yields vary by eight orders of magnitude, but systematically decay with reference intervals from minutes to millennia such that yields vary by three orders of magnitude for a given reference interval. Sediment delivery from natural dam breaks and pyroclastic eruptions dominate these yields for a given reference interval. Even if averaged over 10(2)-10(3) yr, the contribution of individual disturbances may remain elevated above corresponding catchment denudation rates. I further estimate rates of sediment (re-)mobilisation by individual giant terrestrial and submarine mass movements. Less than 50 postglacial submarine mass movements have involved an equivalent of similar to 10\% of the contemporary annual global flux of fluvial sediment to Earth's oceans, while mobilisation rates by individual events rival the decadal-scale sediment discharge from tectonically active orogens such as Taiwan or New Zealand. Sediment flushing associated with catastrophic natural dam breaks is non-stationary and shows a distinct kink at the last glacial-interglacial transition, owing to the drainage of very large late Pleistocene ice-marginal lakes. Besides emphasising the contribution of high-magnitude and low-frequency events to the global sediment cascade, these findings stress the importance of sediment storage for fuelling rather than buffering high sediment transport rates.}, language = {en} } @article{KoralayCandanChenetal.2012, author = {Koralay, O. E. and Candan, Osman and Chen, F. and Akal, Cemal B. and Oberh{\"a}nsli, Roland and Satir, M. and Dora, O. O.}, title = {Pan-African magmatism in the Menderes Massif - geochronological data from leucocratic tourmaline orthogneisses in western Turkey}, series = {International journal of earth sciences}, volume = {101}, journal = {International journal of earth sciences}, number = {8}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {1437-3254}, doi = {10.1007/s00531-012-0775-2}, pages = {2055 -- 2081}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The Menderes Massif, exposed in western Anatolia, is a metamorphic complex cropping out in the Alpine orogenic belt. The metamorphic rock succession of the Massif is made up of a Precambrian basement and overlying Paleozoic-early Tertiary cover series. The Pan-African basement is composed of late Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks consisting of partially migmatized paragneisses and conformably overlying medium- to high-grade mica schists, intruded by orthogneisses and metagabbros. Along the southern flank of the southern submassif, we recognized well-preserved primary contact relationship between biotite and leucocratic tourmaline orthogneisses and country rocks as the orthogneisses represent numerous large plutons, stocks and vein rocks intruded into a basement of garnet mica schists. Based on the radiometric data, the primary deposition age of the precursors of the country rocks, garnet mica schist, can be constrained between 600 and 550 Ma (latest Neoproterozoic). The North Africa-Arabian-Nubian Shield in the Mozambique Belt can be suggested as the possible provenance of these metaclastics. The intrusion ages of the leucocratic tourmaline orthogneisses and biotite orthogneisses were dated at 550-540 Ma (latest Neoproterozoic-earliest Cambrian) by zircon U/Pb and Pb/Pb geochronology. These granitoids represent the products of the widespread Pan-African acidic magmatic activity, which can be attributed to the closure of the Mozambique Ocean during the final collision of East and West Gondwana. Detrital zircon ages at about 550 Ma in the Paleozoic muscovite-quartz schists show that these Pan-African granitoids in the basement form the source rocks of the cover series of the Menderes Massif.}, language = {en} } @article{KallmeyerPockalnyAdhikarietal.2012, author = {Kallmeyer, Jens and Pockalny, Robert and Adhikari, Rishi Ram and Smith, David C. and D'Hondt, Steven}, title = {Global distribution of microbial abundance and biomass in subseafloor sediment}, series = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {109}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, number = {40}, publisher = {National Acad. of Sciences}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0027-8424}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1203849109}, pages = {16213 -- 16216}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The global geographic distribution of subseafloor sedimentary microbes and the cause(s) of that distribution are largely unexplored. Here, we show that total microbial cell abundance in subseafloor sediment varies between sites by ca. five orders of magnitude. This variation is strongly correlated with mean sedimentation rate and distance from land. Based on these correlations, we estimate global subseafloor sedimentary microbial abundance to be 2.9 center dot 10(29) cells [corresponding to 4.1 petagram (Pg) C and similar to 0.6\% of Earth's total living biomass]. This estimate of subseafloor sedimentary microbial abundance is roughly equal to previous estimates of total microbial abundance in seawater and total microbial abundance in soil. It is much lower than previous estimates of subseafloor sedimentary microbial abundance. In consequence, we estimate Earth's total number of microbes and total living biomass to be, respectively, 50-78\% and 10-45\% lower than previous estimates.}, language = {en} } @article{KaiserWehrhanWerneretal.2012, author = {Kaiser, Thomas and Wehrhan, Marc and Werner, Armin and Sommer, Michael}, title = {Regionalizing ecological moisture levels and groundwater levels in grassland areas using thermal remote sensing}, series = {Grassland science}, volume = {58}, journal = {Grassland science}, number = {1}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Malden}, issn = {1744-6961}, doi = {10.1111/j.1744-697X.2011.00240.x}, pages = {42 -- 52}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Site-specific soil moisture and groundwater levels are key input parameters for ecological modeling. Obtaining such information in a comprehensive manner is difficult for large regions. We studied a floodplain region in the Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany, to examine the degree to which the average depth of groundwater tables can be derived from surface temperatures obtained by the ASTER radiospectrometer (spatial resolution of 90 m per pixel). A floristic ecological indicator representing the site-specific moisture level was applied to develop a proxy between the thermal satellite data and groundwater table depth. The use of spring scenes (late April to early May) from 2 years proved to be well suited for minimizing the effects of weather and land use. Vegetation surveys along transects that were 2 m wide across the pixel diagonals allowed for the calculation of average ecological moisture values of pixel-sites by applying Ellenberg-numbers. These values were used to calibrate the satellite data locally. There was a close relationship between surface temperature and the average ecological moisture value (R2 = 0.73). Average ecological moisture values were highly indicative of the average groundwater levels during a 7-year measurement series (R2 = 0.93). Satellite-supported thermal data from spring were suitable for estimating the average groundwater levels of low-lying grasslands on a larger scale. Ecological moisture values from the transect surveys effectively allowed the incorporation of relief heterogeneity within the thermal grid and the establishment of the correlation between thermal data and average groundwater table depth. Regression functions were used to produce a map of groundwater levels at the study site.}, language = {en} } @article{KaiserBerheSommeretal.2012, author = {Kaiser, Michael and Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw and Sommer, Michael and Kleber, Markus}, title = {Application of ultrasound to disperse soil aggregates of high mechanical stability}, series = {Journal of plant nutrition and soil science = Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Pflanzenern{\"a}hrung und Bodenkunde}, volume = {175}, journal = {Journal of plant nutrition and soil science = Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Pflanzenern{\"a}hrung und Bodenkunde}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1436-8730}, doi = {10.1002/jpln.201200077}, pages = {521 -- 526}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Questions remain about the exact ultrasonic energy level that is required to effectively disperse soil aggregates and to what extent this is accompanied by physical damage to individual soil particles. We found maximum aggregate dispersion at energy levels of 1500 J?cm3 and no evidence for the disintegration of particles < 20 mu m even at that energy level. Our findings suggest that sonication at energies much greater than those applied conventionally can disperse aggregates of high mechanical stability.}, language = {en} } @article{KaiserEllerbrockWulfetal.2012, author = {Kaiser, M. and Ellerbrock, Ruth H. and Wulf, M. and Dultz, S. and Hierath, C. and Sommer, M.}, title = {The influence of mineral characteristics on organic matter content, composition, and stability of topsoils under long-term arable and forest land use}, series = {Journal of geophysical research : Biogeosciences}, volume = {117}, journal = {Journal of geophysical research : Biogeosciences}, number = {4}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0148-0227}, doi = {10.1029/2011JG001712}, pages = {16}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In this study, we analyzed the influence of soil mineral characteristics (e. g., clay concentration and mineralogical composition, iron and aluminum oxide concentration and crystallinity, specific surface area, and exchangeable cation concentration) on (i) organic carbon (OC) content (kg m(-2)) and (ii) the concentration (g kg(-1)), composition, and stability of the mineral-associated organic matter (OM) of arable and forest topsoils. We selected seven soil types with different mineral characteristics for this study. For each soil type, samples were taken from topsoils of a deciduous forest and an adjacent arable site. The arable and forest sites have been used continuously for more than 100 years. Na-pyrophosphate soluble OM fractions (OM(PY)), representing mineral-associated OM, were extracted, analyzed for OC and C-14 concentrations, and characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. For the forest and arable topsoils, a linear relationship was found between the OC content and exchangeable Ca. For the arable topsoils (pH 6.7-7.5), correlation analyses indicated that the OCPY concentration increased with an increase in oxalate soluble Fe and Al, exchangeable Ca, and Na-pyrophosphate soluble Mg and Fe concentrations. The stability of OM(PY) determined by the C-14 measurements of the near-neutral arable topsoils was shown to increase with the specific surface area and the concentration of exchangeable Ca. For the acidic forest topsoils (pH < 5), the stability of OM(PY) was found to increase as the pH, and the concentration of C=O groups and Na-pyrophosphate soluble Mg increase.}, language = {en} } @article{JaramilloDuganHubbardetal.2012, author = {Jaramillo, Eduardo and Dugan, Jenifer E. and Hubbard, David M. and Melnick, Daniel and Manzano, Mario and Duarte, Cristian and Campos, Cesar and Sanchez, Roland}, title = {Ecological implications of extreme events footprints of the 2010earthquake along the chilean coast}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {7}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {5}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0035348}, pages = {8}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Deciphering ecological effects of major catastrophic events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, storms and fires, requires rapid interdisciplinary efforts often hampered by a lack of pre-event data. Using results of intertidal surveys conducted shortly before and immediately after Chile's 2010 M-w 8.8 earthquake along the entire rupture zone (ca. 34-38 degrees S), we provide the first quantification of earthquake and tsunami effects on sandy beach ecosystems. Our study incorporated anthropogenic coastal development as a key design factor. Ecological responses of beach ecosystems were strongly affected by the magnitude of land-level change. Subsidence along the northern rupture segment combined with tsunami-associated disturbance and drowned beaches. In contrast, along the co-seismically uplifted southern rupture, beaches widened and flattened increasing habitat availability. Post-event changes in abundance and distribution of mobile intertidal invertebrates were not uniform, varying with land-level change, tsunami height and coastal development. On beaches where subsidence occurred, intertidal zones and their associated species disappeared. On some beaches, uplift of rocky subtidal substrate eliminated low intertidal sand beach habitat for ecologically important species. On others, unexpected interactions of uplift with man-made coastal armouring included restoration of upper and mid-intertidal habitat seaward of armouring followed by rapid colonization of mobile crustaceans typical of these zones formerly excluded by constraints imposed by the armouring structures. Responses of coastal ecosystems to major earthquakes appear to vary strongly with land-level change, the mobility of the biota and shore type. Our results show that interactions of extreme events with human-altered shorelines can produce surprising ecological outcomes, and suggest these complex responses to landscape alteration can leave lasting footprints in coastal ecosystems.}, language = {en} } @article{InselGroveHaschkeetal.2012, author = {Insel, N. and Grove, M. and Haschke, Michael and Barnes, J. B. and Schmitt, Axel K. and Strecker, Manfred}, title = {Paleozoic to early Cenozoic cooling and exhumation of the basement underlying the eastern Puna plateau margin prior to plateau growth}, series = {Tectonics}, volume = {31}, journal = {Tectonics}, number = {23}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0278-7407}, doi = {10.1029/2012TC003168}, pages = {17}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Constraining the pre-Neogene history of the Puna plateau is crucial for establishing the initial conditions that attended the early stage evolution of the southern extent of the Andean plateau. We apply high-to low-temperature thermochronology data from plutonic rocks in northwestern Argentina to quantify the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and early Tertiary cooling history of the Andean crust. U-Pb crystallization ages of zircons indicate that pluton intrusion occurred during the early mid-Ordovician (490-470 Ma) and the late Jurassic (160-150 Ma). Lower-temperature cooling histories from Ar-40/Ar-39 analyses of K-feldspar vary substantially. Basement rocks underlying the western Puna resided at temperatures below 200 degrees C (<6 km depth) since the Devonian (similar to 400 Ma). In contrast, basement rocks underlying the southeastern Puna were hotter (similar to 200-300 degrees C) throughout the Paleozoic and Jurassic and cooled to temperatures of <200 degrees C by similar to 120 Ma. The southeastern Puna basement records a rapid cooling phase coeval with active extension of the Cretaceous Salta rift at similar to 160-100 Ma that we associate with tectonic faulting and lithospheric thinning. The northeastern Puna experienced protracted cooling until the late Cretaceous with temperatures <200 degrees C during the Paleocene. Higher cooling rates between 78 and 55 Ma are associated with thermal subsidence during the postrift stage of the Salta rift and/or shortening-related flexural subsidence. Accelerated cooling and deformation during the Eocene was focused within a narrow zone along the eastern Puna/Eastern Cordillera transition that coincides with Paleozoic/Mesozoic structural and thermal boundaries. Our results constrain regional erosion-induced cooling throughout the Cenozoic to have been less than similar to 150 degrees C, which implies total Cenozoic denudation of <6-4 km.}, language = {en} } @article{HaeringDietzOsenstetteretal.2012, author = {H{\"a}ring, Tim and Dietz, Elke and Osenstetter, Sebastian and Koschitzki, Thomas and Schr{\"o}der-Esselbach, Boris}, title = {Spatial disaggregation of complex soil map units: A decision-tree based approach in Bavarian forest soils}, series = {Geoderma : an international journal of soil science}, volume = {185}, journal = {Geoderma : an international journal of soil science}, number = {6}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0016-7061}, doi = {10.1016/j.geoderma.2012.04.001}, pages = {37 -- 47}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Detailed knowledge on the spatial distribution of soils is crucial for environmental monitoring, management, and modeling. However soil maps with a finite number of discrete soil map units are often the only available information about soils. Depending on the map scale or the detailing of the map legend this information could be too imprecise. We present a method for the spatial disaggregation of map units, namely the refinement of complex soil map units in which two or more soil types are aggregated. Our aim is to draw new boundaries inside the map polygons to represent a single soil type and no longer a mixture of several soil types. The basic idea for our method is the functional relationship between soil types and topographic position as formulated in the concept of the catena. We use a comprehensive soil profile database and topographic attributes derived from a 10 m digital elevation model as input data for the classification of soil types with random forest models. We grouped all complex map units which have the same combination of soil types. Each group of map units is modeled separately. For prediction of the soil types we stratified the soil map into these groups and apply a specific random forest model only to the associated map units. In order to get reliable results we define a threshold for the predicted probabilities at 0.7 to assign a specific soil type. In areas where the probability is below 0.7 for every possible soil type we assign a new class "indifferent" because the model only makes unspecific classification there. Our results show a significant spatial refinement of the original soil polygons. Validation of our predictions was estimated on 1812 independent soil profiles which were collected subsequent to prediction in the field. Field validation gave an overall accuracy of 70\%. Map units, in which shallow soils were grouped together with deep soils could be separated best. Also histosols could be predicted successful. Highest error rate were found in map units, in which Gleysoils were grouped together with deep soils or Anthrosols. To check for validity of our results we open the black box random forest model by calculating the variable importance for each predictor variable and plotting response surfaces. We found good confirmations of our hypotheses, that topography has a significant influence on the spatial arrangement of soil types and that these relationships can be used for disaggregation.}, language = {en} } @article{HuggelClagueKorup2012, author = {Huggel, Christian and Clague, John J. and Korup, Oliver}, title = {Is climate change responsible for changing landslide activity in high mountains?}, series = {Earth surface processes and landforms : the journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group}, volume = {37}, journal = {Earth surface processes and landforms : the journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group}, number = {1}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0197-9337}, doi = {10.1002/esp.2223}, pages = {77 -- 91}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Climate change, manifested by an increase in mean, minimum, and maximum temperatures and by more intense rainstorms, is becoming more evident in many regions. An important consequence of these changes may be an increase in landslides in high mountains. More research, however, is necessary to detect changes in landslide magnitude and frequency related to contemporary climate, particularly in alpine regions hosting glaciers, permafrost, and snow. These regions not only are sensitive to changes in both temperature and precipitation, but are also areas in which landslides are ubiquitous even under a stable climate. We analyze a series of catastrophic slope failures that occurred in the mountains of Europe, the Americas, and the Caucasus since the end of the 1990s. We distinguish between rock and ice avalanches, debris flows from de-glaciated areas, and landslides that involve dynamic interactions with glacial and river processes. Analysis of these events indicates several important controls on slope stability in high mountains, including: the non-linear response of firn and ice to warming; three-dimensional warming of subsurface bedrock and its relation to site geology; de-glaciation accompanied by exposure of new sediment; and combined short-term effects of precipitation and temperature. Based on several case studies, we propose that the following mechanisms can significantly alter landslide magnitude and frequency, and thus hazard, under warming conditions: (1) positive feedbacks acting on mass movement processes that after an initial climatic stimulus may evolve independently of climate change; (2) threshold behavior and tipping points in geomorphic systems; (3) storage of sediment and ice involving important lag-time effects.}, language = {en} } @article{HippeKoberZeilingeretal.2012, author = {Hippe, Kristina and Kober, Florian and Zeilinger, Gerold and Ivy-Ochs, Susan and Maden, Colin and Wacker, Lukas and Kubik, Peter W. and Wieler, Rainer}, title = {Quantifying denudation rates and sediment storage on the eastern Altiplano, Bolivia, using cosmogenic Be-10, Al-26, and in situ C-14}, series = {Geomorphology : an international journal on pure and applied geomorphology}, volume = {179}, journal = {Geomorphology : an international journal on pure and applied geomorphology}, number = {22}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0169-555X}, doi = {10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.07.031}, pages = {58 -- 70}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Denudation processes and sediment transfer are investigated in a high-elevation, low-relief environment (eastern Altiplano, Bolivia) using Be-10, Al-26, and in situ C-14 analysis in fluvial sediments. Concentrations of the long-lived nuclides Be-10 and Al-26 yield consistently low catchment-wide denudation rates of similar to 3-29 mm ky(-1) (integrating over 21-194 ky), which reflect the low geomorphic gradients and the discontinuity of fluvial transport along the eastern Altiplano margin. No significant correlation is recorded between denudation rates of individual catchments and morphological basin parameters (slope, area, elevation). This is attributed to the overall little variability in morphology. The agreement between the denudation rates and published modern sediment discharge data suggests steady landscape evolution of the eastern Altiplano from the latest Pleistocene until today. While Be-10 and Al-26 provide long-term estimates on sediment production, in situ cosmogenic C-14 is used to trace short-term sediment storage. In situ C-14 concentrations are comparatively low indicating that C-14 decayed during alluvial storage over at least the past similar to 11-20 ky. We assume storage at shallow depth (2 m) and consider the influence of soil-mantled hillslopes on the in situ C-14 concentration. Our results illustrate the importance of sediment storage even over short distances and demonstrate the potential of in situ C-14 to study sediment routing and transfer times within drainage systems. However, this study also demonstrates that the long-lived Be-10 and Al-26 nuclides can provide adequate estimates on long-term denudation rates even if sediment transport is not fast but interrupted by several thousands of years of storage.}, language = {en} } @article{HiemerRoesslerScherbaum2012, author = {Hiemer, Stefan and R{\"o}ßler, Dirk and Scherbaum, Frank}, title = {Monitoring the West Bohemian earthquake swarm in 2008/2009 by a temporary small-aperture seismic array}, series = {Journal of seismology}, volume = {16}, journal = {Journal of seismology}, number = {2}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {1383-4649}, doi = {10.1007/s10950-011-9256-5}, pages = {169 -- 182}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The most recent intense earthquake swarm in West Bohemia lasted from 6 October 2008 to January 2009. Starting 12 days after the onset, the University of Potsdam monitored the swarm by a temporary small-aperture seismic array at 10 km epicentral distance. The purpose of the installation was a complete monitoring of the swarm including micro-earthquakes (M (L) < 0). We identify earthquakes using a conventional short-term average/long-term average trigger combined with sliding-window frequency-wavenumber and polarisation analyses. The resulting earthquake catalogue consists of 14,530 earthquakes between 19 October 2008 and 18 March 2009 with magnitudes in the range of -aEuro parts per thousand 1.2 a parts per thousand currency signaEuro parts per thousand M (L) a parts per thousand currency signaEuro parts per thousand 2.7. The small-aperture seismic array substantially lowers the detection threshold to about M (c) = -aEuro parts per thousand 0.4, when compared to the regional networks operating in West Bohemia (M (c) > 0.0). In the course of this work, the main temporal features (frequency-magnitude distribution, propagation of back azimuth and horizontal slowness, occurrence rate of aftershock sequences and interevent-time distribution) of the recent 2008/2009 earthquake swarm are presented and discussed. Temporal changes of the coefficient of variation (based on interevent times) suggest that the swarm earthquake activity of the 2008/2009 swarm terminates by 12 January 2009. During the main phase in our studied swarm period after 19 October, the b value of the Gutenberg-Richter relation decreases from 1.2 to 0.8. This trend is also reflected in the power-law behavior of the seismic moment release. The corresponding total seismic moment release of 1.02x10(17) Nm is equivalent to M (L,max) = 5.4.}, language = {en} } @article{HammerOhrnberger2012, author = {Hammer, Conny and Ohrnberger, Matthias}, title = {Forecasting seismo-volcanic activity by using the dynamical behavior of volcanic earthquake rates}, series = {Journal of volcanology and geothermal research}, volume = {229}, journal = {Journal of volcanology and geothermal research}, number = {11}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0377-0273}, doi = {10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2012.01.016}, pages = {34 -- 43}, year = {2012}, abstract = {We present a novel approach for short-term forecasting of volcano seismic activity. Volcanic earthquakes can be seen as a response mechanism of the earth crust to stresses induced by magma injection. From this point of view the temporal evolution of seismicity can be represented as a diffusion process which compensates pressure differences. By means of this dynamical approach we are able to estimate the system behavior in the near future which in turn allows us to forecast the evolution of the earthquake rate for the next time span from actual and past observations. For this purpose we model the earthquake rate as a random walk process embedded in a moving and deforming potential function. The center of the potential function is given by a moving average of the random walk's trace. We successfully apply this procedure to estimate the next day seismicity at Soufriere Hills volcano, Montserrat, over a time period of six years. When comparing the dynamical approach to the well known method of material failure forecast we find much better predictions of the critical stages of volcanic activity using the new approach.}, language = {en} } @article{HammerBeyreutherOhrnberger2012, author = {Hammer, Conny and Beyreuther, Moritz and Ohrnberger, Matthias}, title = {A seismic-event spotting system for volcano fast-response systems}, series = {Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America}, volume = {102}, journal = {Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America}, number = {3}, publisher = {Seismological Society of America}, address = {Albany}, issn = {0037-1106}, doi = {10.1785/0120110167}, pages = {948 -- 960}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Volcanic eruptions are often preceded by seismic activity that can be used to quantify the volcanic activity. In order to allow consistent inference of the volcanic activity state from the observed seismicity patterns, objective and time-invariant classification results achievable by automatic systems should be preferred. Most automatic classification approaches need a large preclassified data set for training the system. However, in case of a volcanic crisis, we are often confronted with a lack of training data due to insufficient prior observations. In the worst case (e. g., volcanic crisis related reconfiguration of stations), there are even no prior observations available. Finally, due to the imminent crisis there might be no time for the time-consuming process of preparing a training data set. For this reason, we have developed a novel seismic-event spotting technique in order to be less dependent on previously acquired data bases and classification schemes. We are using a learning-while-recording approach based on a minimum number of reference waveforms, thus allowing for the build-up of a classification scheme as early as interesting events have been identified. First, short-term wave-field parameters (here, polarization and spectral attributes) are extracted from a continuous seismic data stream. The sequence of multidimensional feature vectors is then used to identify a fixed number of clusters in the feature space. Based on this general description of the overall wave field by a mixture of multivariate Gaussians, we are able to learn particular event classifiers (here, hidden Markov models) from a single waveform example. To show the capabilities of this new approach we apply the algorithm to a data set recorded at Soufriere Hills volcano, Montserrat. Supported by very high classification rates, we conclude that the suggested approach provides a valuable tool for volcano monitoring systems.}, language = {en} } @article{HaddadZielkeArrowsmithetal.2012, author = {Haddad, David E. and Zielke, Olaf and Arrowsmith, J. Ramon and Purvance, Matthew D. and Haddad, Amanda G. and Landgraf, Angela}, title = {Estimating two-dimensional static stabilities and geomorphic settings of precariously balanced rocks from unconstrained digital photographs}, series = {Geosphere}, volume = {8}, journal = {Geosphere}, number = {5}, publisher = {American Institute of Physics}, address = {Boulder}, issn = {1553-040X}, doi = {10.1130/GES00788.1}, pages = {1042 -- 1053}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The need to accurately document the spatiotemporal distribution of earthquake-generated strong ground motions is essential for evaluating the seismic vulnerability of sites of critical infrastructure. Understanding the threshold for maximum earthquake-induced ground motions at such sites provides valuable information to seismologists, earthquake engineers, local agencies, and policymakers when determining ground motion hazards of seismically sensitive infrastructures. In this context, fragile geologic features such as precariously balanced rocks (PBRs) serve as negative evidence for earthquake-induced ground motions and provide important physical constraints on the upper limits of ground motions. The three-dimensional (3D) shape of a PBR is a critical factor in determining its static stability and thus susceptibility to toppling during strong ground shaking events. Furthermore, the geomorphic settings of PBRs provide important controls on PBR exhumation histories that are interpreted from surface exposure dating methods. In this paper, we present PBRslenderness, a MATLAB-based program that evaluates the two-dimensional (2D) static stabilities of PBRs from unconstrained digital photographs. The program's graphical user interface allows users to interactively digitize a PBR and calculates the 2D geometric parameters that define its static stability. A reproducibility study showed that our 2D calculations compare well against their counterparts that were computed in 3D (R-2 = 0.77-0.98 for 22 samples). A sensitivity study for single-user and multiuser digitization routines further confirmed the reproducibility of PBRslenderness estimates (coefficients of variation c(v) = 4.3\%-6.5\% for 100 runs; R-2 = 0.87-0.99 for 20 PBRs). We used PBRslenderness to analyze 261 PBRs in a low-seismicity setting to investigate the local geomorphic controls on PBR stability and preservation. PBRslenderness showed that a PBR's shape strongly controls its static stability and that there is no relationship between a PBR's stability and its geomorphic location in a drainage basin. However, the geomorphic settings of PBRs control their preservation potential by restricting their formation to hillslope gradients <40 degrees and the upper reaches of drainage basins. Such examples of our program's utility have led to its use in archival efforts of PBRs in southern California and Nevada, USA.}, language = {en} } @article{GuttZurellBracegridleetal.2012, author = {Gutt, Julian and Zurell, Damaris and Bracegridle, Thomas J. and Cheung, William and Clark, Melody S. and Convey, Peter and Danis, Bruno and David, Bruno and De Broyer, Claude and di Prisco, Guido and Griffiths, Huw and Laffont, Remi and Peck, Lloyd S. and Pierrat, Benjamin and Riddle, Martin J. and Saucede, Thomas and Turner, John and Verde, Cinzia and Wang, Zhaomin and Grimm, Volker}, title = {Correlative and dynamic species distribution modelling for ecological predictions in the Antarctic a cross-disciplinary concept}, series = {Polar research : a Norwegian journal of Polar research}, volume = {31}, journal = {Polar research : a Norwegian journal of Polar research}, number = {6}, publisher = {Co-Action Publ.}, address = {Jarfalla}, issn = {0800-0395}, doi = {10.3402/polar.v31i0.11091}, pages = {23}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Developments of future scenarios of Antarctic ecosystems are still in their infancy, whilst predictions of the physical environment are recognized as being of global relevance and corresponding models are under continuous development. However, in the context of environmental change simulations of the future of the Antarctic biosphere are increasingly demanded by decision makers and the public, and are of fundamental scientific interest. This paper briefly reviews existing predictive models applied to Antarctic ecosystems before providing a conceptual framework for the further development of spatially and temporally explicit ecosystem models. The concept suggests how to improve approaches to relating species' habitat description to the physical environment, for which a case study on sea urchins is presented. In addition, the concept integrates existing and new ideas to consider dynamic components, particularly information on the natural history of key species, from physiological experiments and biomolecular analyses. Thereby, we identify and critically discuss gaps in knowledge and methodological limitations. These refer to process understanding of biological complexity, the need for high spatial resolution oceanographic data from the entire water column, and the use of data from biomolecular analyses in support of such ecological approaches. Our goal is to motivate the research community to contribute data and knowledge to a holistic, Antarctic-specific, macroecological framework. Such a framework will facilitate the integration of theoretical and empirical work in Antarctica, improving our mechanistic understanding of this globally influential ecoregion, and supporting actions to secure this biodiversity hotspot and its ecosystem services.}, language = {en} } @article{GreenSaxenaFeyzullayevHubertetal.2012, author = {Green-Saxena, A. and Feyzullayev, A. and Hubert, C. R. J. and Kallmeyer, Jens and Krueger, M. and Sauer, P. and Schulz, Hans-Martin and Orphan, V. J.}, title = {Active sulfur cycling by diverse mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms in terrestrial mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan}, series = {Environmental microbiology}, volume = {14}, journal = {Environmental microbiology}, number = {12}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1462-2912}, doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.12015}, pages = {3271 -- 3286}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Terrestrial mud volcanoes (TMVs) represent geochemically diverse habitats with varying sulfur sources and yet sulfur cycling in these environments remains largely unexplored. Here we characterized the sulfur-metabolizing microorganisms and activity in four TMVs in Azerbaijan. A combination of geochemical analyses, biological rate measurements and molecular diversity surveys (targeting metabolic genes aprA and dsrA and SSU ribosomal RNA) supported the presence of active sulfur-oxidizing and sulfate-reducing guilds in all four TMVs across a range of physiochemical conditions, with diversity of these guilds being unique to each TMV. The TMVs varied in potential sulfate reduction rates (SRR) by up to four orders of magnitude with highest SRR observed in sediments where in situ sulfate concentrations were highest. Maximum temperatures at which SRR were measured was 60 degrees C in two TMVs. Corresponding with these trends in SRR, members of the potentially thermophilic, spore-forming, Desulfotomaculum were detected in these TMVs by targeted 16S rRNA analysis. Additional sulfate-reducing bacterial lineages included members of the Desulfobacteraceae and Desulfobulbaceae detected by aprA and dsrA analyses and likely contributing to the mesophilic SRR measured. Phylotypes affiliated with sulfide-oxidizing Gamma- and Betaproteobacteria were abundant in aprA libraries from low sulfate TMVs, while the highest sulfate TMV harboured 16S rRNA phylotypes associated with sulfur-oxidizing Epsilonproteobacteria. Altogether, the biogeochemical and microbiological data indicate these unique terrestrial habitats support diverse active sulfur-cycling microorganisms reflecting the in situ geochemical environment.}, language = {en} } @article{GraaeDeFrenneKolbetal.2012, author = {Graae, Bente J. and De Frenne, Pieter and Kolb, Annette and Brunet, Jorg and Chabrerie, Olivier and Verheyen, Kris and Pepin, Nick and Heinken, Thilo and Zobel, Martin and Shevtsova, Anna and Nijs, Ivan and Milbau, Ann}, title = {On the use of weather data in ecological studies along altitudinal and latitudinal gradients}, series = {Oikos}, volume = {121}, journal = {Oikos}, number = {1}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0030-1299}, doi = {10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19694.x}, pages = {3 -- 19}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Global warming has created a need for studies along climatic gradients to assess the effects of temperature on ecological processes. Altitudinal and latitudinal gradients are often used as such, usually in combination with air temperature data from the closest weather station recorded at 1.52 m above the ground. However, many ecological processes occur in, at, or right above the soil surface. To evaluate how representative the commonly used weather station data are for the microclimate relevant for soil surface biota, we compared weather station temperatures for an altitudinal (500900 m a.s.l.) and a latitudinal gradient (4968 degrees N) with data obtained by temperature sensors placed right below the soil surface at five sites along these gradients. The mean annual temperatures obtained from weather stations and adjusted using a lapse rate of -5.5 degrees C km-1 were between 3.8 degrees C lower and 1.6 degrees C higher than those recorded by the temperature sensors at the soil surface, depending on the position along the gradients. The monthly mean temperatures were up to 10 degrees C warmer or 5 degrees C colder at the soil surface. The within-site variation in accumulated temperature was as high as would be expected from a 300 m change in altitude or from a 4 degrees change in latitude or a climate change scenario corresponding to warming of 1.63.8 degrees C. Thus, these differences introduced by the decoupling are significant from a climate change perspective, and the results demonstrate the need for incorporating microclimatic variation when conducting studies along altitudinal or latitudinal gradients. We emphasize the need for using relevant temperature data in climate impact studies and further call for more studies describing the soil surface microclimate, which is crucial for much of the biota.}, language = {en} } @article{GoebelXieNeumannetal.2012, author = {Goebel, Ronald and Xie, Zai-Lai and Neumann, Mike and G{\"u}nter, Christina and Loebbicke, Ruben and Kubo, Shiori and Titirici, Maria-Magdalena and Giordano, Cristina and Taubert, Andreas}, title = {Synthesis of mesoporous carbon/iron carbide hybrids with unusually high surface areas from the ionic liquid precursor [Bmim][FeCl4]}, series = {CrystEngComm}, volume = {14}, journal = {CrystEngComm}, number = {15}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {1466-8033}, doi = {10.1039/c2ce25064k}, pages = {4946 -- 4951}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Mesoporous carbon/iron carbide hybrid materials with surface areas reaching 800 m(2) g(-1) were synthesized via an exotemplating route using monolithic mesoporous silica as template and the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloridoferrate(III) [Bmim][FeCl4] as carbon and iron source. After heat treatment (750 degrees C under argon) of the [Bmim][FeCl4] precursor confined within the silica matrix, the silica exotemplate was removed with HF leaving the mesoporous C/Fe3C hybrid behind. The surface areas and the pore sizes depend on the exotemplate and the surface areas a significantly larger than any other surface area reported for C/Fe3C hybrid materials so far. The approach is thus a prototype for the synthesis of high-surface area iron carbide-based hybrid materials with potential application in catalysis.}, language = {en} } @article{GermerZimmermannNeilletal.2012, author = {Germer, Sonja and Zimmermann, Alexander and Neill, Christopher and Krusche, Alex V. and Elsenbeer, Helmut}, title = {Disproportionate single-species contribution to canopy-soil nutrient flux in an Amazonian rainforest}, series = {Forest ecology and management}, volume = {267}, journal = {Forest ecology and management}, number = {2}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0378-1127}, doi = {10.1016/j.foreco.2011.11.041}, pages = {40 -- 49}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Rainfall, throughfall and stemflow were monitored on an event basis in an undisturbed open tropical rainforest with a large number of palm trees located in the southwestern Amazon basin of Brazil. Stemflow samples were collected from 24 trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) > 5 cm, as well as eight young and four full-grown babassu palms (Attalea speciosa Mart.) for 5 weeks during the peak of the wet season. We calculated rainfall, throughfall and stemflow concentrations and fluxes of Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+,, Cl-, SO42-, NO3- and H+ and stemflow volume-weighted mean concentrations and fluxes for three size classes of broadleaf trees and three size classes of palms. The concentrations of most solutes were higher in stemflow than in rainfall and increased with increasing tree and palm size. Concentration enrichments from rainfall to stemflow and throughfall were particularly high (81-fold) for NO3-. Stemflow fluxes of NO3- and H+ exceeded throughfall fluxes but stemflow fluxes of other solutes were less than throughfall fluxes. Stemflow solute fluxes to the forest soil were dominated by fluxes on babassu palms, which represented only 4\% of total stem number and 10\% of total basal area. For NO3-, stemflow contributed 51\% of the total mass of nitrogen delivered to the forest floor (stemflow + throughfall) and represented more than a 2000-fold increase in NO3- flux compared what would have been delivered by rainfall alone on the equivalent area. Because these highly localized fluxes of both water and NO3- persist in time and space, they have the potential to affect patterns of soil moisture, microbial populations and other features of soil biogeochemistry conducive to the creation of hotspots for nitrogen leaching and denitrification, which could amount to an important fraction of total ecosystem fluxes. Because these hotspots occur over very small areas, they have likely gone undetected in previous studies and need to be considered as an important feature of the biogeochemistry of palm-rich tropical forest.}, language = {en} } @article{GarcinSchwabGleixneretal.2012, author = {Garcin, Yannick and Schwab, Valerie F. and Gleixner, Gerd and Kahmen, Ansgar and Todou, Gilbert and Sene, Olivier and Onana, Jean-Michel and Achoundong, Gaston and Sachse, Dirk}, title = {Hydrogen isotope ratios of lacustrine sedimentary n-alkanes as proxies of tropical African hydrology insights from a calibration transect across Cameroon}, series = {Geochimica et cosmochimica acta : journal of the Geochemical Society and the Meteoritical Society}, volume = {79}, journal = {Geochimica et cosmochimica acta : journal of the Geochemical Society and the Meteoritical Society}, number = {4}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0016-7037}, doi = {10.1016/j.gca.2011.11.039}, pages = {106 -- 126}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Hydrogen isotope values (delta D) of sedimentary aquatic and terrestrial lipid biomarkers, originating from algae, bacteria, and leaf wax, have been used to record isotopic properties of ancient source water (i.e., precipitation and/or lake water) in several mid-and high-latitude lacustrine environments. In the tropics, however, where both processes associated with isotope fractionation in the hydrologic system and vegetation strongly differ from those at higher latitudes, calibration studies for this proxy are not yet available. To close this gap of knowledge, we sampled surface sediments from 11 lakes in Cameroon to identify those hydro-climatological processes and physiological factors that determine the hydrogen isotopic composition of aquatic and terrestrial lipid biomarkers. Here we present a robust framework for the application of compound-specific hydrogen isotopes in tropical Africa. Our results show that the delta D values of the aquatic lipid biomarker n-C(17) alkane were not correlated with the delta D values of lake water. Carbon isotope measurements indicate that the n-C(17) alkane was derived from multiple source organisms that used different hydrogen pools for biosynthesis. We demonstrate that the delta D values of the n-C(29) alkane were correlated with the delta D values of surface water (i.e., river water and groundwater), which, on large spatial scales, reflect the isotopic composition of mean annual precipitation. Such a relationship has been observed at higher latitudes, supporting the robustness of the leaf-wax lipid delta D proxy on a hemispheric spatial scale. In contrast, the delta D values of the n-C(31) alkane did not show such a relationship but instead were correlated with the evaporative lake water delta D values. This result suggests distinct water sources for both leaf-wax lipids, most likely originating from two different groups of plants. These new findings have important implications for the interpretation of long-chain n-alkane delta D records from ancient lake sediments. In particular, a robust interpretation of palaeohydrological data requires knowledge of the vegetation in the catchment area as different plants may utilise different water sources. Our results also suggest that the combination of carbon and hydrogen isotopes does help to differentiate between the metabolic pathway and/or growth form of organisms and therefore, the source of hydrogen used during lipid biosynthesis.}, language = {en} } @article{GarcinMelnickStreckeretal.2012, author = {Garcin, Yannick and Melnick, Daniel and Strecker, Manfred and Olago, Daniel and Tiercelin, Jean-Jacques}, title = {East African mid-Holocene wet-dry transition recorded in palaeo-shorelines of Lake Turkana, northern Kenya Rift}, series = {Earth \& planetary science letters}, volume = {331}, journal = {Earth \& planetary science letters}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0012-821X}, doi = {10.1016/j.epsl.2012.03.016}, pages = {322 -- 334}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The 'wet' early to mid-Holocene of tropical Africa, with its enhanced monsoon, ended with an abrupt shift toward drier conditions and was ultimately replaced by a drier climate that has persisted until the present day. The forcing mechanisms, the timing, and the spatial extent of this major climatic transition are not well understood and remain the subject of ongoing research. We have used a detailed palaeo-shoreline record from Lake Turkana (Kenya) to decipher and characterise this marked climatic transition in East Africa. We present a high-precision survey of well-preserved palaeo-shorelines, new radiocarbon ages from shoreline deposits, and oxygen-isotope measurements on freshwater mollusk shells to elucidate the Holocene moisture history from former lake water-levels in this climatically sensitive region. In combination with previously published data our study shows that during the early Holocene the water-level in Lake Turkana was high and the lake overflowed temporarily into the White Nile drainage system. During the mid-Holocene (similar to 5270 +/- 300 cal. yr BP), however, the lake water-level fell by similar to 50 m, coeval with major episodes of aridity on the African continent. A comparison between palaeo-hydrological and archaeological data from the Turkana Basin suggests that the mid-Holocene climatic transition was associated with fundamental changes in prehistoric cultures, highlighting the significance of natural climate variability and associated periods of protracted drought as major environmental stress factors affecting human occupation in the East African Rift System. (}, language = {en} } @article{FoersterJungingerLangkampetal.2012, author = {F{\"o}rster, Verena and Junginger, Annett and Langkamp, Oliver and Gebru, Tsige and Asrat, Asfawossen and Umer, Mohammed and Lamb, Henry F. and Wennrich, Volker and Rethemeyer, Janet and Nowaczyk, Norbert and Trauth, Martin H. and Sch{\"a}bitz, Frank}, title = {Climatic change recorded in the sediments of the Chew Bahir basin, southern Ethiopia, during the last 45,000 years}, series = {Quaternary international : the journal of the International Union for Quaternary Research}, volume = {274}, journal = {Quaternary international : the journal of the International Union for Quaternary Research}, number = {19}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {1040-6182}, doi = {10.1016/j.quaint.2012.06.028}, pages = {25 -- 37}, year = {2012}, abstract = {East African paleoenvironments are highly variable, marked by extreme fluctuations in moisture availability, which has far-reaching implications for the origin, evolution and dispersal of Homo sapiens in and beyond the region. This paper presents results from a pilot core from the Chew Bahir basin in southern Ethiopia that records the climatic history of the past 45 ka, with emphasis on the African Humid Period (AHP, similar to 15-5 ka calBP). Geochemical, physical and biological indicators show that Chew Bahir responded to climatic fluctuations on millennial to centennial timescales, and to the precessional cycle, since the Last Glacial Maximum. Potassium content of the sediment appears to be a reliable proxy for aridity, showing that Chew Bahir reacted to the insolation-controlled humidity increase of the AHP with a remarkably abrupt onset and a gradual termination, framing a sharply defined arid phase (similar to 12.8-11.6 ka calBP) corresponding to the Younger Dryas chronozone. The Chew Bahir record correlates well with low- and high-latitude paleoclimate records, demonstrating that the site responded to regional and global climate changes.}, language = {en} } @article{FoersterKadenFoersteretal.2012, author = {F{\"o}rster, Saskia and Kaden, Klaus and F{\"o}rster, Michael and Itzerott, Sibylle}, title = {Crop type mapping using spectral-temporal profiles and phenological information}, series = {Computers and electronics in agriculture}, volume = {89}, journal = {Computers and electronics in agriculture}, number = {32}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0168-1699}, doi = {10.1016/j.compag.2012.07.015}, pages = {30 -- 40}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Spatially explicit multi-year crop information is required for many environmental applications. The study presented here proposes a hierarchical classification approach for per-plot crop type identification that is based on spectral-temporal profiles and accounts for deviations from the average growth stage timings by incorporating agro-meteorological information in the classification process. It is based on the fact that each crop type has a distinct seasonal spectral behavior and that the weather may accelerate or delay crop development. The classification approach was applied to map 12 crop types in a 14,000 km(2) catchment area in Northeast Germany for several consecutive years. An accuracy assessment was performed and compared to those of a maximum likelihood classification. The 7.1\% lower overall classification accuracy of the spectral-temporal profiles approach may be justified by its independence of ground truth data. The results suggest that the number and timing of image acquisition is crucial to distinguish crop types. The increasing availability of optical imagery offering a high temporal coverage and a spatial resolution suitable for per-plot crop type mapping will facilitate the continuous refining of the spectral-temporal profiles for common crop types and different agro-regions and is expected to improve the classification accuracy of crop type maps using these profiles.}, language = {en} } @article{FunkLiHoffmannetal.2012, author = {Funk, Roger and Li, Yong and Hoffmann, Carsten and Reiche, Matthias and Zhang, Zhuodong and Li, Junjie and Sommer, Michael}, title = {Using Cs-137 to estimate wind erosion and dust deposition on grassland in Inner Mongolia-selection of a reference site and description of the temporal variability}, series = {Plant and soil}, volume = {351}, journal = {Plant and soil}, number = {1-2}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0032-079X}, doi = {10.1007/s11104-011-0964-y}, pages = {293 -- 307}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The aims of this study were to identify areas of wind erosion and dust deposition and to quantify the effects of different grazing intensities on soil redistribution rates in grasslands based on the Cs-137 technique. Because the method uses a reference inventory as threshold for erosion or deposition, the classification of any other site as source or sink for dust depends on the accurate selection of this reference site. Measurements of Cs-137 inventories and depth distributions were carried out at pasture sites with predominant species of Stipa grandis and Leymus chinensis which are grazed with different intensities. Additional measurements were made at arable land, plant-covered sand dunes and alluvial plains. Wind-induced soil erosion and dust deposition rates were calculated from Cs-137 inventories by means of the "Profile-Distribution" and the "Mass Balance II" models. The selection of the reference site was based on fluid dynamical and process-determining parameters. The chosen site should meet the following four conditions: (i) located at a summit position with obviously low deposition rates, (ii) sufficient vegetation cover to prevent wind erosion, (iii) plane to exclude water erosion and (iv) in the wind/dust shadow of a higher elevation. The measured reference inventory of Cs-137 was 1967(+/- 102) Bqm(-2) located at a summit position of moderately grazed Leymus chinensis steppe. The Cs-137 inventories at other sites ranged from 1330 Bqm(-2) at heavily grazed sites to 5119 Bqm(-2) at river deposits, representing annual average soil losses of up to 130 tkm(-2) and deposits of up to 540 tkm(-2), respectively. The calculated annual averages of dust depositions at ungrazed Leymus chinensis sites were related to the dust storm frequencies of the last 50 years resulting in a description of the temporal variability of annual dust depositions from about 154 tkm(-2) in the 1960s to 26 tkm(-2) at recent times. Based on this quantification already 80\% of the total dust depositions can be related to the 20 years between the 1960s and the end of the 1970s and only 20\% to the time between 1980 and 2001. Cs-137 technique is a promising method to assess the effect of grazing intensity and land use types on the spatial variability of wind-induced soil and dust redistribution processes in semi-arid grasslands. However, considerable efforts are needed to identify a reliable reference site, because erosion and deposition induced by wind may occur at the same places. The combination of the dust deposition rates derived from Cs-137 profile data with the dust storm frequencies is helpful for a better reconstruction of the temporal variability of dust deposition and wind erosion in this region. The calculated recent deposition rates of about 20 tkm(-2) are in good agreement with data of other authors.}, language = {en} } @article{FritzHerzschuhWetterichetal.2012, author = {Fritz, Michael and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Wetterich, Sebastian and Lantuit, Hugues and De Pascale, Gregory P. and Pollard, Wayne H. and Schirrmeister, Lutz}, title = {Late glacial and holocene sedimentation, vegetation, and climate history from easternmost Beringia (northern Yukon Territory, Canada)}, series = {Quaternary research : an interdisciplinary journal}, volume = {78}, journal = {Quaternary research : an interdisciplinary journal}, number = {3}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {San Diego}, issn = {0033-5894}, doi = {10.1016/j.yqres.2012.07.007}, pages = {549 -- 560}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Beringian climate and environmental history are poorly characterized at its easternmost edge. Lake sediments from the northern Yukon Territory have recorded sedimentation, vegetation, summer temperature and precipitation changes since similar to 16 cal ka BP. Herb-dominated tundra persisted until similar to 14.7 cal ka BP with mean July air temperatures <= 5 degrees C colder and annual precipitation 50 to 120 mm lower than today. Temperatures rapidly increased during the Bolling/Allerod interstadial towards modern conditions, favoring establishment of Betula-Salix shrub tundra. Pollen-inferred temperature reconstructions recorded a pronounced Younger Dryas stadial in east Beringia with a temperature drop of similar to 1.5 degrees C (similar to 2.5 to 3.0 degrees C below modern conditions) and low net precipitation (90 to 170 mm) but show little evidence of an early Holocene thermal maximum in the pollen record. Sustained low net precipitation and increased evaporation during early Holocene warming suggest a moisture-limited spread of vegetation and an obscured summer temperature maximum. Northern Yukon Holocene moisture availability increased in response to a retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet, postglacial sea level rise, and decreasing summer insolation that in turn led to establishment of Alnus-Berula shrub tundra from similar to 5 cal ka BP until present, and conversion of a continental climate into a coastal-maritime climate near the Beaufort Sea.}, language = {en} } @article{FrijiaDiLuciaVicedoetal.2012, author = {Frijia, Gianluca and Di Lucia, Matteo and Vicedo, Vicent and G{\"u}nter, Christina and Ziemann, Martin Andreas and Mutti, Maria}, title = {An extraordinary single-celled architect A multi-technique study of the agglutinated shell of the larger foraminifer Mesorbitolina from the Lower Cretaceous of southern Italy}, series = {Marine micropaleontology}, volume = {90-91}, journal = {Marine micropaleontology}, number = {7}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0377-8398}, doi = {10.1016/j.marmicro.2012.04.002}, pages = {60 -- 71}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Orbitolinids are larger foraminifera widespread in Lower Cretaceous shallow-water carbonates of the Tethyan realm. They are among the most important fossil groups used for Biostratigraphy. Despite this and although the structural features of the group have been described in detail, very little is known about the composition of their agglutinated test and the process by which they selected foreign grains. In this study, the test of Orbitolina d'Orbigny, 1850 (subgenus Mesorbitolina Schroeder, 1962) from Aptian shallow-water carbonate deposits of southern Italy has been studied in detail. We combine petrographic techniques (optical microscope and SEM) with energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDS), electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy analyses. The results show that the test of Mesorbitolina is composed of carbonate and non-carbonate agglutinated grains with the latter distributed across the test with a specific pattern, moving from the marginal to the central zone. In the marginal zone, non-carbonate grains are found only in the epidermis and along the septa which are composed of quartz, with smaller amounts of illite/muscovite and K-feldspar grains. In the central zone of the test, non-carbonate grains are distributed in two ways. Coarse grains of quartz and K-feldspar are abundant and randomly placed in the endoskeleton embedded in a mosaic of minute carbonate grains. Flat grains, mainly of illite/muscovite constitute the external part of the septa. Our observations indicate that Mesorbitolina did select and place agglutinated grains across its test, mainly according to their shape, whereas it did not select particles according to grain size. The distribution of agglutinated particles according to their mineralogical composition shows some contradictory evidence and therefore, at the moment, grain selection in function of mineralogy cannot be completely confirmed or ruled out. Analogies in the test composition of Mesorbitolina specimens from coeval deposits from different areas of southern Italy indicate that the features of their agglutinated test are typical characters of the genus Mesorbitolina. However, it is still unclear what advantage was obtained by the foraminifer by the described test features.}, language = {en} }