Aerial photographs reveal late-20th-century dynamic ice loss in northwestern Greenland

Global warming is predicted to have a profound impact on the Greenland Ice Sheet and its contribution to global sea-level rise. Recent mass loss in the northwest of Greenland has been substantial. Using aerial photographs, we produced digital elevation models and extended the time record of recent observed marginal dynamic thinning back to the mid-1980s. We reveal two independent dynamic ice loss events on the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet margin: from 1985 to 1993 and 2005 to 2010, which were separated by limited mass changes. Our results suggest that the ice mass changes in this sector were primarily caused by short-lived dynamic ice loss events rather than changes in the surface mass balance. This finding challenges predictions about the future response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to increasing global temperatures.     

Rapid changes in ice discharge from Greenland outlet glaciers

Using satellite-derived surface elevation and velocity data, we found major short-term variations in recent ice discharge and mass loss at two of Greenland's largest outlet glaciers. Their combined rate of mass loss doubled in less than a year in 2004 and then decreased in 2006 to near the previous rates, likely as a result of fast re-equilibration of calving-front geometry after retreat. Total mass loss is a fraction of concurrent gravity-derived estimates, pointing to an alternative source of loss and the need for high-resolution observations of outlet dynamics and glacier geometry for sea-level rise predictions.     

Recent Greenland ice mass loss by drainage system from satellite gravity observations

Mass changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet resolved by drainage system regions were derived from a local mass concentration analysis of NASA-Deutsches Zentrum für Luftund Raumfahrt Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE mission) observations. From 2003 to 2005, the ice sheet lost 101 +/- 16 gigaton/year, with a gain of 54 gigaton/year above 2000 meters and a loss of 155 gigaton/year at lower elevations. The lower elevations show a large seasonal cycle, with mass losses during summer melting followed by gains from fall through spring. The overall rate of loss reflects a considerable change in trend (-113 +/- 17 gigaton/year) from a near balance during the 1990s but is smaller than some other recent estimates.     

A 1500-year record of tropical precipitation in ice cores from the quelccaya ice cap, peru

Two ice cores, covering 1500 years of climatic information, from the summit (5670 meters) of the tropical Quelccaya ice cap, in the Andes of southern Peru, provide information on general environmental conditions including droughts, volcanic activity, moisture sources, temperature, and glacier net balance. The net balance record reconstructed from these cores reflects major precipitation trends for the southern Andes of Peru. These records indicate extended dry periods between 1720 and 1860, 1250 and 1310, and 570 and 610; wet conditions prevailed between 1500 and 1720. Establishing a tropical precipitation record may help explain climatic fluctuations since the tropical evaporation-precipitation cycle is a principal mechanism driving the atmospheric circulation.     

Microparticle concentration variations linked with climatic change: evidence from polar ice cores

The microparticle concentrations in three deep ice cores reveal a substantial increase in the concentration of insoluble particles in the global atmosphere during the latter part of the last major glaciation. The ratio of the average particle concentration in the late glacial strata to that in the Holocene strata is 6/1 for the core from Dome C, Antarctica, 3/1 for the core from Byrd Station, Antarctica, and 12/1 for the core from Camp Century, Greenland. Whether this temporal correlation between increased atmospheric particle load and the lower surface temperatures is directly causal is unknown; however, the variations in these two parameters must be satisfactorily resolved in any successful hypothesis that addresses the causes of climatic change.     

A high-resolution millennial record of the south asian monsoon from himalayan ice cores

A high-resolution ice core record from Dasuopu, Tibet, reveals that this site is sensitive to fluctuations in the intensity of the South Asian Monsoon. Reductions in monsoonal intensity are recorded by dust and chloride concentrations. The deeper, older sections of the Dasuopu cores suggest many other periods of drought in this region, but none have been of greater intensity than the greatest recorded drought, during 1790 to 1796 A.D. of the last millennium. The 20th century increase in anthropogenic activity in India and Nepal, upwind from this site, is recorded by a doubling of chloride concentrations and a fourfold increase in dust. Like other ice cores from the Tibetan Plateau, Dasuopu suggests a large-scale, plateau-wide 20th-century warming trend that appears to be amplified at higher elevations.     

Atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide of the Late Pleistocene from Antarctic ice cores

The European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica Dome C ice core enables us to extend existing records of atmospheric methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) back to 650,000 years before the present. A combined record of CH4 measured along the Dome C and the Vostok ice cores demonstrates, within the resolution of our measurements, that preindustrial concentrations over Antarctica have not exceeded 773 +/- 15 ppbv (parts per billion by volume) during the past 650,000 years. Before 420,000 years ago, when interglacials were cooler, maximum CH4 concentrations were only about 600 ppbv, similar to lower Holocene values. In contrast, the N2O record shows maximum concentrations of 278 +/- 7 ppbv, slightly higher than early Holocene values.     

Mercury in a Greenland ice sheet: evidence of recent input by man

The increased mercury content in a Greenland ice sheet over the last several decades suggests the dissemination of this element about the earth's atmosphere through the activities of man. The mercury content in the atmosphere appears to result primarily from the degassing of the earth's crust. Increased flux may come about as a result of the enhancement of this degassing process through the actions of man.     

Miocene glaciomarine sediments from beneath the southern ross ice shelf, antarctica

Glaciomarine sediments with middle Miocene microfaunal assemblages are exposed at the sea floor below the southern Ross Ice Shelf. Plio-Pleistocene sediments are not present. Post-Miocene glacial sediments may have been deposited but removed by relatively recent ice shelf grounding. A meager Recent microfauna is present in some core tops.     

Brines and interstitial brackish water in drill cores from the deep gulf of Mexico

Marked increases in interstitial salinity occur in two drill holes located in the Gulf of Mexico at a water depth of more than 3500 meters. The increases probably arose through diffusion of salt from buried evaporites. In one hole, however, brackish water was encountered on penetrating the oil-permeated cap rock of a salt dome. The phenomenon is attributed to production of fresh water during oxidation of petroleum hydrocarbons and decomposition of gypsum to form native sulfur.     

Nitrification: importance to nutrient losses from a cutover forested ecosystem

The nitrate concentration (weighted average) in stream water from an experimentally deforested watershed increased from 0.9 milligram per liter before removal of the vegetation to 53 milligrams per liter 2 years later. This nitrate mobilization, presumably due to increased microbial nitrification, was equivalent to all of the other net cationic increases and anionic decreases observed in tae drainage water.     

Eolian biogenic detritus in deep sea sediments: a possible index of equatorial ice age aridity

Opal phytoliths and freshwater diatoms, transported mainly in dust to the equatorial Atlantic, are common in sediments deposited when ocean waters were cool, and sparse in those deposited when waters were warm, during the last 1.8 million years. Climate in source areas of the southern Sahara apparently was more arid during glacials and more humid during interglacials.     

Sulfate and nitrate concentrations from a South greenland ice core

An ice core in south Greenland covering the period 1869 to 1984 was analyzed for oxygen isotopes and chloride, nitrate, and sulfate concentrations. The data show that the "excess" (nonsea-salt) sulfate concentration has tripled since approximately 1900 to 1910 and the nitrate concentration has doubled since approximately 1955. The increases may be attributable to the deposition of these chemical specis from air masses carrying North American and Eurasian anthropogenic emissions.     

自然地理角度下碛口古镇的地域特色

分析自然地理要素对中国传统民居建筑的影响,对于保护生态环境,实现人、建筑与环境的和谐,发展适应时代需求的、乒有地方特色和乡土文脉的现代民居建筑文化,是有启迪和借鉴意义的。以碛口古镇传统民居为例,着重对当地自然条件进行了分析,讨论其对传统民居地域特色造成的影响及其启示作用。     

Holocene forcing of the Indian monsoon recorded in a stalagmite from southern Oman

A high-resolution oxygen-isotope record from a thorium-uranium-dated stalagmite from southern Oman reflects variations in the amount of monsoon precipitation for the periods from 10.3 to 2.7 and 1.4 to 0.4 thousand years before the present (ky B.P.). Between 10.3 and 8 ky B.P., decadal to centennial variations in monsoon precipitation are in phase with temperature fluctuations recorded in Greenland ice cores, indicating that early Holocene monsoon intensity is largely controlled by glacial boundary conditions. After approximately 8 ky B.P., monsoon precipitation decreases gradually in response to changing Northern Hemisphere summer solar insolation, with decadal to multidecadal variations in monsoon precipitation being linked to solar activity.     

Recent variability in the southern oscillation: isotopic results from a tarawa atoll coral

In the western tropical Pacific, the interannual migration of the Indonesian Low convective system causes changes in rainfall that dominate the regional signature of the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system. A 96-year oxygen isotope record from a Tarawa Atoll coral (1 degrees N, 172 degrees E) reflects regional convective activity through rainfall-induced salinity changes. This monthly resolution record spans twice the length of the local climatological record and provides a history of ENSO variability comparable in quality with those derived from instrumental climate data. Comparison of this coral record with a historical chronology of EI Ni?o events indicates that climate anomalies in coastal South America are occasionally decoupled from Pacific-wide ENSO extremes. Spectral analysis suggests that the distribution of variance in this record has shifted among annual to interannual periods during the present century, concurrent with observed changes in the strength of the Southern Oscillation.     

Paleomagnetic record of a geomagnetic field reversal from late miocene mafic intrusions, southern nevada

Late Miocene (about 8.65 million years ago) mafic intrusions and lava flows along with remagnetized host rocks from Paiute Ridge, southern Nevada, provide a high-quality paleomagnetic record of a geomagnetic field reversal. These rocks yield thermoremanent magnetizations with declinations of 227 degrees to 310 degrees and inclinations of -7 degrees to 49 degrees , defining a reasonably continuous virtual geomagnetic pole path over west-central Pacific longitudes. Conductive cooling estimates for the intrusions suggest that this field transition, and mafic magmatism, lasted only a few hundred years. Because this record comes principally from intrusive rocks, rather than sediments or lavas, it is important in demonstrating the longitudinal confinement of the geomagnetic field during a reversal.     

Early holocene ooids in modern littoral sands reworked from a coastal terrace, southern Tunisia

Locally, Early Holocene (Atlanticum) o?ids, dated with carbon-14, form the major compound in the Recent near-shore sediments of the Gulf of Gabes (southern Tunisia, Mediterranean Sea). They are reworked from coastal o?lites and are not forming today. The Holocene o?lites crop out at the seaward side of a coastal terrace, while the o?litic rocks from the inland side give a straightforward carbon-14 age of 20,000 to 30,000 years before the present. The entire terrace was formerly dated as Tyrrhenian III (= last interglacial time).     

健康视角下我国南亚热带水田粮食产能关键限制因子识别——以广州市从化区为例

在国际粮食供需环境剧变及国内耕地非农化压力下，保障国家粮食安全，保证健康状态下耕地的粮食产能是全社会的重中之重。但是现有的耕地质量认知仍偏重于“自然环境本底”与“投入-产出”作用的耦合效应，缺乏从健康视角对耕地粮食产能关键限制因子的多维度考量。以广州市从化区为研究区，在大量样本采样检测和实地调研测产的基础上，采用地理探测器识别了健康视角下我国南亚热带水田粮食产能关键限制因子。结果表明：我国南亚热带水田粮食产能受地理环境健康背景、土壤健康状况和农田健康人工环境3个健康维度协同影响，三者贡献力分别为2.702、2.025和1.200，13个影响因素贡献力（q值）介于0.012~0.865之间，36个影响因子贡献力介于0.004~0.537之间。健康视角下我国南亚热带水田粮食产能关键限制因子主要为农田水文条件、土壤物理与微量元素健康状况、土壤侵蚀状况、生产保障措施和人为管理强度中的7个因子，其贡献力介于0.299~0.537之间，贡献力大小依次为：表土质地 > 平均水位变化 > 农作活动频率 > 土壤侵蚀程度 > 灌溉保障能力 > 有效硅含量 > 灌溉方法。受现代农业种植策略影响，我国南亚热带水田中土壤肥力、酸碱度和生物健康水平普遍较高，但土壤有效硅含量严重不足，基于灌溉保障和灌溉方法的农田精准水环境管理措施也亟需重视。可见，农田粮食产能的“木桶效应”仍严重威胁粮食安全，导致粮食产能的不稳定性与空间差异性，建议高度重视不同土壤类型中的微量元素健康状况及农作物生长过程中水环境的精准管理。     

Microtektites, microkrystites, and spinels from a late pliocene asteroid impact in the southern ocean

The properties of glassy spherules found in sedimentary deposits of a late Pliocene asteroid impact into the southeast Pacific are similar to those of both microtektites and microkrystites. These spherules probably formed from molten silicate droplets that condensed from an impact-generate vapor cloud. The spherules contain inclusions of magnesioferrite spinels similar to those in spherules found at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, indicating that both sets of spherules are impact debris formed under similar physical and chemical conditions.