MODELLING THE HYDROTHERMODYNAMICS OF THE SURFACE LAYER OF A STRATIFIED TROPICAL SUBTROPICAL OCEAN

In the present paper a two-layer model is developed for the non-permanent hydrothermodynamics of a tropical subtropical coastal ocean. The model includes the equations of motion, continuity and heat. The equations apply only to the thin and warm oceanic surface layer. The deep layer is stipulated to be motionless, arbitrarily deep and separated from the upper layer by a density discontinuity. Cold deep water is carried across the interface from the lower into the upper layer; it is warmed up there by the net energy input from the atmosphere into the ocean The non-uniform sea surface wind stress and heat at the surface are the main forcing functions of the model. A numerical finite element method is proposed to approximate the hydrothermodynamic problem. The model uses simple linear spatial and temporal continuous polynomial and a stabilizing Petrov-Galerkin operator to improve the classical finite element Galerkin method. The hydrothermodynamic response is obtained for the eastern pacific boundary in the southern hemisphere. Monthly climatological data are used to determine the wind and heat fluxes forcings of the model. The main features of the observed Sea Surface Temperature (SST) pattern are successfully simulated by the model. In particular the predicted : upwelling along the coastal boundary; warm water intrusion in offshore side and signals of countercurrents are in a quite good agreement with observations

Preliminary checklist of the Cerambycidae, Disteniidae, and Vesperidae (Coleoptera) of Peru

A preliminary checklist of the Cerambycidae, Disteniidae, and Vesperidae (Coleoptera) of Peru is presented. Within Cerambycidae, we record five subfamilies, 55 tribes, 345 genera and subgenera, and 714 species. Within Disteniidae, we record one tribe, six genera, and 11 species. We also record one subfamily, one tribe, one genus, and two species within Vesperidae. Four new country records are recorded: one species in the tribe Anacolini (Cerambycidae: Prioninae): Cycloprionus flavus Tippmann, 1953; and three species in the tribe Onciderini (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae): Cacostola simplex (Pascoe, 1859); Marensis simplex (Bates, 1865); Trachysomus cavigibba Martins, 1975. In addition, 161 species recorded are known only from Peru

Late Quaternary palaeohydrology of Lake Huinaymarca (Bolivia)

L'analyse des associations d'ostracodes présents dans les échantillons prélevés dans les sédiments du lac Huinaymarca permet de retracer l'évolution hydrobiologique du lac (variation du niveau lacustre, variation de l'oxygénation par rapport à la position de la thermocline, interconnections avec les différents bassins du lac) au cours des dix derniers millénaire

Sedimentological and palaeohydrological characterization of Late Pleistocene and Holocene tufa mound palaeolakes using trenching methods in the Spanish Pyrenees

Lakes developed in the inner depressions of tufa mounds are rare geomorphic features and still poorly understood. Sedimentation in this unusual type of endorheic lake with a very restricted catchment area is highly sensitive to environmental and hydrological changes. The Isona tufa mound complex, north-eastern Iberian Peninsula, is associated with the discharge zone of a confined artesian aquifer and comprises 11 tufa mounds consisting of an annular rimstone enclosing a central depression filled with lake deposits. Data gathered from trenches excavated in four palaeolakes located within three different morphostratigraphic units permitted a precise analysis of the geometrical characteristics and stratigraphic relationships of the deposits and provided a sedimentation model for the Late Quaternary infilling of the spring-fed lakes. The work illustrates that trenches allow a precise characterization of the stratigraphic arrangements, lateral facies changes and deformation structures, which are not apparent in studies relying solely on borehole records, and facilitate sampling for dating and geochemical analyses. The five sedimentary facies described represent different evolutionary stages of the lakes, including: (i) carbonate-rich palustrine deposits probably related to periods with strong hydrological seasonality; (ii) massive highly bioturbated organic ooze; (iii) banded organic carbonate-rich facies associated with an increase in the regional effective moisture; (iv) finegrained quartz-rich aeolian/slope-wash sediments; and (v) colluvial facies deposited following the desiccation of the lakes located at higher altitudes. Geochemical and sedimentological analyses of the lacustrine sequences provided information on the palaeohydrological evolution of the Isona tufa mound complex and the palaeoenvironmental conditions of the area over the last 28 ka. Radiometric dating suggests that deposition occurred simultaneously at ca 22 ka in palaeolakes situated at different elevations. A drop in the piezometric level prompted by the opening of springs at lower altitudes probably caused the deactivation of the upper springs and the desiccation of the lakes. Arid conditions prevailed in the area during the Late Glacial and the early Holocene (28·0 to 8·5 ka BP). More humid conditions recorded from 8·5 to 4·2 ka and again since 1·7 ka are in accordance with palaeoenvironmental reconstructions available in the Western Mediterranean since the Last Glacial Maximum

Identifying the boundaries of sinkholes and subsidence areas via trenching and establishing setback distances

One of the most effective mitigation strategies in sinkhole areas is the exclusion of sinkholes and their vicinity to construction. The application of this preventive measure requires precise mapping of the boundaries of the areas affected by subsidence and the establishment of adequate setback distances, which is an important policy issue with significant economic implications. Through the investigation of several buried sinkholes in the mantled evaporite karst of the Ebro Valley by trenching, this work illustrates that the actual extent of the subsidence areas may be much larger than that inferred from surface mapping and geophysical surveys. The objective and accurate subsurface information acquired from trenches on the outer edge of the deformed ground revealed sinkhole radii 2–3 times larger than initially estimated, increasing one order of magnitude the sinkhole area. Trenches can therefore help to reduce mapping uncertainties and the size of setbacks. Moreover, the trenching technique, in combination with geochronological data and retrodeformation analyses, provides critical information on the subsidence phenomena and the characteristics of the sinkholes relevant to hazard assessment. Since recommended setback distances found in the existing literature are highly variable and rather arbitrary, we include a discussion here on the main factors that should be considered when defining setback zones for sinkholes

Sinkholes in hypogene versus epigene karst systems, illustrated with the hypogene gypsum karst of the Sant Miquel de Campmajor Valley, NE Spain

The Garrotxa-Banyoles artesian aquifer system in NE Spain includes zones with epigene and hypogene evaporite karst and sinkhole development. The sinkhole fields related to hypogene evaporite dissolution are associated with the discharge zones of the aquifer, where groundwater from a confined limestone rises traversing an overlying gypsum formation capped by thick marls. This work analyses the sinkhole field developed in the Sant Miquel de Campmajor Valley (SMCV), a discharge area of the aquifer, where a cartographic inventory including 94 sinkholes has been produced. Sinkholes in this hypogene gypsum karst are mainly large caprock-collapse sinkholes rooted in deep-seated cavities generated by interstratal hypogene karstification, as corroborated by an electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) survey. They show a non-clustered distribution within the sinkhole field and the variations in size and density across the area are mainly controlled by the thickness of the marl caprock. The magnitude and frequency relationships of the sinkholes can be modelled with a high goodness of fit with a log-normal function, like in other regions of the world. However, in this deep-seated hypogene system the depressions show much larger dimensions. Potential differences between the sinkholes developed in hypogene and epigene karst environments are discussed, including their distribution with respect to the groundwater flow system, their spatial patterns and dimensions

Hurricanes and climate in the Caribbean during the past 3700 years BP

International audienceA multiproxy analysis of lacustrine sediments cored in Grand-Case Pond at Saint-Martin, north of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, reveals three distinct climatic periods for the last 3700 years. From 3700 to ~2500 yr cal. BP and from 1150 yr cal. BP to the present, carbonate mud deposition occurred in connection with pond lowstands. These periods were also punctuated by severe drought events, marked by gypsum laminae, and hurricane landfalls, leading to marine sand inputs into the pond. The intermediate time interval, from 2500 to 1150 yr cal. BP, is typified by black organic mud deposition, suggesting that hypoxic to anoxic conditions prevailed at the pond bottom. These were probably linked with a perennial pond highstand and reflect more uniform and wetter climatic conditions than today. The carbon isotopic composition of the ostracod Perissocytheridea bisulcata shows that the lowest δ13C values are recorded during the hypoxic periods, as a consequence of bacterial recycling of isotopically depleted organic matter. Such a climatic history agrees closely with that documented from other records in the Caribbean area, such as the Cariaco Basin, central coast of Belize or Barbados. By constrast, discrepancies seem to emerge from the comparison between hurricane activity recorded at Saint-Martin on the one hand and Vieques (Puerto Rico) on the other hand. We explain this apparent contradiction by a balance between two distinct storm paths in response to latitudinal shifts of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Stronger storm activity over the Gulf coast and the inner Caribbean Sea is favoured by a southern position of the ITCZ in connection with dry climatic conditions. Plausible links with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) are also suggested

Estudo do comportamento do chumbo em latossolos brasileiros tratados com fosfatos: contribuições para a remediação de sítios contaminados

Phosphates have been used for lead immobilization in soils but the influence of soil type is not fully understood. In this work, lead chemical behaviour in two Brazilian latosoils (LA and LV) was studied via treatment with phosphates. The Pb concentration in Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) solutions was decreased in all treatments. After treatment with H3PO4 the Pb concentration in the LA remained within the regulatory limit established by EPA. The ecotoxicological results with Daphnia pulex showed that this treatment reduced the lead bioavailability. Sequential extraction analyses showed that the lead was transferred from the most available to the residual fraction. Relevant decrease of soluble lead was observed in all phosphate treatments

La longue séquence pliocène de Marchésieux - Résultats analytiques et premiers résultats

National audienceLe sondage intégralement carotté de Marchésieux a permis d'atteindre l'objectif fixé dans le projet AR42 du BRGM : l'analyse paléoclimatique du premier épisode glaciaire de l'hémisphère nord (Prétiglien, -2,4 Ma) et probablement le premier rafraîchissement de -3,1 Ma. Les 159,3 m de sédiments datés du Reuvérien et du Prétiglien ont déjà livré une quantité importante d'informations aussi bien climatiques que paléoenvironnementales. De par sa position géographique privilégiée et de par son environnement côtier, la "Longue sequence" de Marchésieux a précisé les modalités de la séquence de dégradation climatique en milieu continental et marin à nos latitudes moyennes. La méthodologie fortement pluridisciplinaire, le plus souvent il très haute résolution, permet d'affiner notablement les modalités de la réponse de chaque environnement au changement climatique, et apparaît, en ce sens, beaucoup plus riche que les études monodisciplinaires classiques. Ainsi, les réponses zoologiques, phytosociologiques, sedimentologiques et géochimiques au stimulus climatique externe peuvent être comparées et calibrées