Oceanic response to Pliensbachian and Toarcian magmatic events: Implications from an organic-rich basinal succession in the NW Tethys

The Bächental bituminous marls (Bächentaler Bitumenmergel) belonging to the Sachrang Member of the Lower Jurassic Middle Allgäu Formation were investigated using a multidisciplinary approach to determine environmental controls on the formation of organic-rich deposits in a semi-restricted basin of the NW Tethys during the Early Jurassic. The marls are subdivided into three units on the basis of mineralogical composition, source-rock parameters, redox conditions, salinity variations, and diagenetic processes. Redox proxies (e.g., pristane/phytane ratio; aryl isoprenoids; bioturbation; ternary plot of iron, total organic carbon, and sulphur) indicate varying suboxic to euxinic conditions during deposition of the Bächental section. Redox variations were mainly controlled by sea-level fluctuations with the tectonically complex bathymetry of the Bächental basin determining watermass exchange with the Tethys Ocean. Accordingly, strongest anoxia and highest total organic carbon content (up to 13%) occur in the middle part of the profile (upper tenuicostatum and lower falciferum zones), coincident with an increase in surface-water productivity during a period of relative sea-level lowstand that induced salinity stratification in a stagnant basin setting. This level corresponds to the time interval of the lower Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (T-OAE). However, the absence of the widely observed lower Toarcian negative carbon isotope excursion in the study section questions its unrestricted use as a global chemostratigraphic marker. Stratigraphic correlation of the thermally immature Bächental bituminous marls with the Posidonia Shale of SW Germany on the basis of C27/C29 sterane ratio profiles and ammonite data suggests that deposition of organic matter-rich sediments in isolated basins in the Alpine realm commenced earlier (late Pliensbachian margaritatus Zone) than in regionally proximal epicontinental seas (early Toarcian tenuicostatum Zone). The late Pliensbachian onset of reducing conditions in the Bächental basin coincided with an influx of volcaniclastic detritus that was possibly connected to complex rifting processes of the Alpine Tethys and with a globally observed eruption-induced extinction event. The level of maximum organic matter accumulation in the Bächental basin corresponds to the main eruptive phase of the Karoo-Ferrar large igneous province (LIP), confirming its massive impact on global climate and oceanic conditions during the Early Jurassic. The Bächental marl succession is thus a record of the complex interaction of global (i.e., LIP) and local (e.g., redox and salinity variations, basin morphology) factors that caused reducing conditions and organic matter enrichment in the Bächental basin. These developments resulted in highly inhomogeneous environmental conditions in semi-restricted basins of the NW Tethyan domain during late Pliensbachian and early Toarcian time

Rapid and highly variable warming of lake surface waters around the globe

Peer reviewed. ©2015. The Authors.This is an open access article under theterms of the Creative CommonsAttribution-NonCommercial-N oDerivsLicense, which permits use and distri-bution in any medium, provided theoriginal work is properly cited, the use isnon-commerc ial and no modificationsor adaptations are made.In this first worldwide synthesis of in situ and satellite-derived lake data, we find that lake summer surface water temperatures rose rapidly (global mean = 0.34°C decade 1) between 1985 and 2009. Our analyses show that surface water warming rates are dependent on combinations of climate and local characteristics, rather than just lake location, leading to the counterintuitive result that regional consistency in lake warming is the exception, rather than the rule. The most rapidly warming lakes are widely geographically distributed, and their warming is associated with interactions among different climatic factors —from seasonally ice-covered lakes in areas where temperature and solar radiation are increasing while cloud cover is diminishing (0.72°C decade 1) to ice-free lakes experiencing increases in air temperature and solar radiation (0.53°C decade 1). The pervasive and rapid warming observed here signals the urgent need to incorporate climate impacts into vulnerability assessments and adaptation efforts for lakes

Reward, equity and conflict: a dynamic approach

In the past, constant pay rates and piece-rate systems were applied to reward employee effort. Now pay adjustments may vary between employees on the basis of subjective judgements of performance. Consequently, employees may feel that they are unfairly treated. Conflict follows with managers or supervisors who are enforcing corporate goals on production, quality and cost containment. A theoretical framework is proposed within which to study interactions between employees and employers over effort. Four features are demonstrated. Firstly, management can simulate the effects of policy alternatives. Secondly, many theories can be analysed within the framework. A theory of conflict over pay is considered. Then, in effort-wage bargaining chaotic outcomes are demonstrated. Finally, even with such complex outcomes, conventional human resource strategies are shown to moderate the variability of employee responses when remuneration is considered inequitable

Poverty in Australia A study of the implications of education, household formation and the labour market experience of the young

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:3597.9342(91/10) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

ORANI-WINE: Tax Issues and the Australian Wine Industry

In this paper the construction and application of ORANI-WINE is described. This is a special-purpose version of ORANI specifically designed for analysing policy questions bearing upon the alcoholic beverages sector of the Australian economy and on associated agricultural activities, especially viticulture. Details of the modifications made to ORANI are provided, and projections from ORANI-WINE of the effects of the imposition of a specific tax on domestically produced wine, equivalent to that on beer and malt in the base period, are reported. The approximately 58 per cent increase in the purchasers' price of wine induces a 16 per cent reduction in wine output, a two per cent increase in spirit production, but little effect on beer and malt output. Grape industry output is reduced nine per cent. The projections also emphasise mild inflationary effects on the economy, which impinge most severely on the export sectors (agriculture and mining). Rural employment falls two per cent

ORANI-WINE: Tax Issues and the Australian Wine Industry

In this paper the construction and application of ORANI-WINE is described. This is a special-purpose version of ORANI specifically designed for analysing policy questions bearing upon the alcoholic beverages sector of the Australian economy and on associated agricultural activities, especially viticulture. Details of the modifications made to ORANI are provided, and projections from ORANI-WINE of the effects of the imposition of a specific tax on domestically produced wine, equivalent to that on beer and malt in the base period, are reported. The approximately 58 per cent increase in the purchasers' price of wine induces a 16 per cent reduction in wine output, a two per cent increase in spirit production, but little effect on beer and malt output. Grape industry output is reduced nine per cent. The projections also emphasise mild inflationary effects on the economy, which impinge most severely on the export sectors (agriculture and mining). Rural employment falls two per cent.Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries,