Cruise Report R.V. POSEIDON POS297

17.04.2003 to 28.04.200

Bilanzierung und Quantifizierung des Chlorbiphenyl-Eintrages in das Oderhaff

Under the EC sponsored research project ODER (Oder Discharge-Environmental Response) first investigations have been carried out to estimate the chlorinated biphenyls (CB) input into Oderhaff via the Oder river. For this purpose, vertical profiles of CB content and composition were analysed on samples of three sediment cores. In two water samples, the content of suspended particulate material as weil as the particulate CB content and congener-specific composition were measured. In the Oderhaff the CB concentrations of particulate material were between 700 to 800 pg/dm3. Significant differences in the composition of the components were not observed. In sediments, CB contents were as high as 17 to 24 ngig dry weight in near surface sediment layers. They decreased with increasing sediment depth and were below detection limits at 15 to 21 cm depth. Based on the size of the 49 accumulation area and related hydrographic conditions, we estimated an input of 95 kg into the Oderhaff for the last 65 years since the onset of CB production. Applying the present prevailing conditions, we calculated an average transport of about 825 kg CB by the Oder river during this period. Comparing these two estimates, we observed that at least 15 % of the CB transported by the Oder river was deposited in the Oderhaff. The remaining 85 % (-730 kg), have been further transported into the South Pomeranian Bight and Southern Baltic Sea

Multi-decadal atmospheric and marine climate variability in southern Iberia during the mid- to late-Holocene

To assess the regional multi-decadal to multicentennial climate variability along the southern Iberian Peninsula during the mid- to late-Holocene record of paleoenvironmental indicators from marine sediments were established for two sites in the Alboran Sea (ODP-161-976A) and the Gulf of Cadiz (GeoB5901-2). High-resolution records of organic geochemical properties and planktic foraminiferal assemblages are used to decipher precipitation and vegetation changes as well as hydrological conditions with respect to sea surface temperature (SST) and marine primary productivity (MPP). As a proxy for precipitation change, records of plant-derived n-alkane composition suggest a series of five distinct dry episodes in southern Iberia at 5.4 +/- 0.3 ka cal BP, from 5.1 to 4.9 +/- 0.1 ka cal BP, from 4.8 to 4.7 +/- 0.1 ka cal BP, from 4.4 to 4.3 +/- 0.1 ka cal BP, and at 3.7 +/- 0.1 ka cal BP. During each dry episode the vegetation suffered from reduced water availability. Interestingly, the dry phase from 4.4 to 4.3 +/- 0.1 ka cal BP is followed by a rapid shift towards wetter conditions revealing a more complex pattern in terms of its timing and duration than was described for the 4.2 ka event in other regions. The series of dry episodes as well as closely connected hydrological variability in the Alboran Sea were probably driven by NAO-like (North Atlantic Oscillation) variability. In contrast, surface waters in the Gulf of Cadiz appear to have responded more directly to North Atlantic cooling associated with Bond events. In particular, during Bond events 3 and 4, a pronounced increase in seasonality with summer warming and winter cooling is found.DFG (German Research Foundation) CRC 1266 2901391021 Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia SFRH/BPD/111433/2015info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Surface and subsurface Labrador Shelf water mass conditions during the last 6000 years

The Labrador Sea is important for the modern global thermohaline circulation system through the formation of intermediate Labrador Sea Water (LSW) that has been hypothesized to stabilize the modern mode of North Atlantic deep-water circulation. The rate of LSW formation is controlled by the amount of winter heat loss to the atmosphere, the expanse of freshwater in the convection region and the inflow of saline waters from the Atlantic. The Labrador Sea, today, receives freshwater through the East and West Greenland currents (EGC, WGC) and the Labrador Current (LC). Several studies have suggested the WGC to be the main supplier of freshwater to the Labrador Sea, but the role of the southward flowing LC in Labrador Sea convection is still debated. At the same time, many paleoceanographic reconstructions from the Labrador Shelf focussed on late deglacial to early Holocene meltwater run-off from the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS), whereas little information exists about LC variability since the final melting of the LIS about 7000 years ago. In order to enable better assessment of the role of the LC in deep-water formation and its importance for Holocene climate variability in Atlantic Canada, this study presents high-resolution middle to late Holocene records of sea surface and bottom water temperatures, freshening, and sea ice cover on the Labrador Shelf during the last 6000 years. Our records reveal that the LC underwent three major oceanographic phases from the mid- to late Holocene. From 6.2 to 5.6 ka, the LC experienced a cold episode that was followed by warmer conditions between 5.6 and 2.1 ka, possibly associated with the late Holocene thermal maximum. While surface waters on the Labrador Shelf cooled gradually after 3 ka in response to the neoglaciation, Labrador Shelf subsurface or bottom waters show a shift to warmer temperatures after 2.1 ka. Although such an inverse stratification by cooling of surface and warming of subsurface waters on the Labrador Shelf would suggest a diminished convection during the last 2 millennia compared to the mid-Holocene, it remains difficult to assess whether hydrographic conditions in the LC have had a significant impact on Labrador Sea deep-water formation

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Logging While Drilling (NMR-LWD): from an experiment to a day-to-day Service for the oil industry

NMR T2 distribution measurement is our chosen everyday method for NMR logging while drilling oil and gas wells. This method yields straightforward preparation and execution of the job as well as a normally easy interpretation of the measured data. For instance, gas and light oil discrimination against water is feasible by direct observation of the T2 distribution. A condition for this measurement method is a NMR logging tool that hardly moves while drilling and in addition uses a small static magnetic field gradient and short inter-echo time TE to be motion tolerant. Using data compression techniques, we can transmit by mud pulse telemetry the T2 distribution in real time from the borehole to the surface. This enables the drilling operator to use the NMR data for real-time decisions such as geosteering

Disentangling multiproxy temperature reconstructions from the subtropical North Atlantic

Reliable reconstruction of past sea surface temperature (SST) is of prime importance for understanding the Earth’s sensitivity to external forcing. Yet, it remains a major challenge in paleoceanography because comparison between SST estimates from different proxies reveals mismatches and raise the question as to what the contrasting proxies actually record. A better understanding of these mismatches in the light of seasonal occurrence of the proxy bearing organisms (archives) and water mass changes help to assess climate models. Here, we analyze data from the last deglaciation using a sediment core site situated at the northern boundary of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre influenced by fast latitudinal migrations of the subtropical Azores Front (AF) and resulting changes in water masses that may affect the SST records. Differences between the SST estimates from different deglacial SST reconstructions obtained from (1) Mg/Ca in planktic foraminifer tests, (2) alkenone UK′37, and (3) planktic foraminifer assemblages (SIMMAX), are assumed to result from the ecology of the proxy bearing organisms, and are assessed for the impact on different SST reconstructions from local seawater δ18O (δ18Ow) reconstructions. The general trends of SSTs from all four proxies confirm the well-known deglacial succession of warm and cold events. Mismatches between amplitudes of temperature changes are explained by differences in the phenology of the proxy-bearing organisms and local changes in hydrography. The combination of δ18O SST from the three different archives of δ18Ow reconstructions may cause offsets that exceed the climate driven signals

On the problem of supersonic gas flow in two-dimensional channel with the oscillating upper wall

In the present paper we solve the problem of supersonic gas flow in two-dimensional channel with the moving upper wall making oscillations according to the harmonic law. In order to get a numerical solution for gas dynamics equations we have implemented a difference scheme with space and time approximation of the first order and one with space approximation of the second order. Depending on a type of harmonic law and initial gas inflow conditions, the peculiarities of angle-shock wave propagation in moving curvilinear domains have been investigated. It has been determined that the increase of oscillation amplitude causes the increase of shock wave intensity. It has been shown that under particular oscillation amplitude the moving wall has practically no effect on the flow within the domain

Novel SCARB2 mutation in action myoclonus-renal failure syndrome and evaluation of SCARB2 mutations in isolated AMRF features

Background: Action myoclonus-renal failure syndrome is a hereditary form of progressive myoclonus epilepsy associated with renal failure. It is considered to be an autosomal-recessive disease related to loss-of-function mutations in SCARB2. We studied a German AMRF family, additionally showing signs of demyelinating polyneuropathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. To test the hypothesis whether isolated appearance of individual AMRF syndrome features could be related to heterozygote SCARB2 mutations, we screened for SCARB2 mutations in unrelated patients showing isolated AMRF features. Methods: In the AMRF family all exons of SCARB2 were analyzed by Sanger sequencing. The mutation screening of unrelated patients with isolated AMRF features affected by either epilepsy (n = 103, progressive myoclonus epilepsy or generalized epilepsy), demyelinating polyneuropathy (n = 103), renal failure (n = 192) or dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 85) was performed as high resolution melting curve analysis of the SCARB2 exons. Results: A novel homozygous 1 bp deletion (c.111delC) in SCARB2 was found by sequencing three affected homozygous siblings of the affected family. A heterozygous sister showed generalized seizures and reduction of nerve conduction velocity in her legs. No mutations were found in the epilepsy, renal failure or dilated cardiomyopathy samples. In the polyneuropathy sample two individuals with demyelinating disease were found to be carriers of a SCARB2 frameshift mutation (c.666delCCTTA). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that demyelinating polyneuropathy and dilated cardiomyopathy are part of the action myoclonus-renal failure syndrome. Moreover, they raise the possibility that in rare cases heterozygous SCARB2 mutations may be associated with PNP features