Wide Belt Research Articles

FROM COTTON KIMONOS TO THE JEANS INDUSTRY THE DEVELOPMENT OF DENIM INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS IN JAPAN

FROM COTTON KIMONOS TO THE JEANS INDUSTRY THE DEVELOPMENT OF DENIM INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS IN JAPAN

New horizons of vehicle aerodynamics

Vehicle aerodynamics and wind tunnel technology are progressing towards more realistic simulations of the real-world on-road environment. This paper presents an overview of the new systems which were implemented during the recent wind tunnel upgrade at Forschungsinstitut für Kraftfahrwesenund Fahrzeugmotoren Stuttgart as well as comparable computational fluid dynamics simulations. The fully interchangeable road simulation system features an interchangeable five-belt system and three-belt system in the same full-scale automotive wind tunnel. This system offers the efficiency of a five-belt system combined with the more sophisticated ground simulation technique of a wide belt system, which is necessary to assess the aerodynamic properties of sports cars and racing cars. In order to simulate on-road wind conditions, a side-wind generator can be installed to generate a turbulent flow field in the wind tunnel test section. It could be shown that the commonly determined drag coefficient at 0° yaw angle in the smooth flow environment of today’s wind tunnels is not representative of the drag found in real on-road wind conditions. Additionally, the investigations in unsteady side-wind conditions indicate that the commonly used approach to determine the side-wind sensitivity of a vehicle underestimates the forces occurring in turbulent flow conditions. A validated simulation model is presented. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results and can be used as a complementary tool when assessing the unsteady aerodynamic behaviour of a vehicle; this behaviour can be coupled to a vehicle dynamics model for virtual road testing in the Stuttgart full-motion driving simulator. The unsteady-behaviour effects can be evaluated comprehensively, and the results allow a subjective assessment of the unsteady response of the vehicle. Furthermore, the aeroacoustic wind noise in on-road wind conditions is investigated during the development of the vehicle. The side-wind generator reproduces the natural stochastic cross-wind and allows the effect of these wind conditions to be investigated in the aeroacoustic wind tunnel. The results show similar ratings to those in on-road tests when compared with subjective listening tests. In summary, the techniques introduced open up new horizons in the field of vehicle aerodynamics and aeroacoustics, which are a step closer towards real-world conditions in automotive engineering.

On the mechanism of inrush hazards when Denghuozhai Tunnel passing through granite contact zone

Triggered by excavation or blasting, the underground water and debris may rush into tunnel like a mudflow, which is the essence of inrush hazards in tunnels. Three conditions are indispensible for the occurrence of inrush hazards, namely, material, space and triggering conditions. This paper introduces the inrush hazards of the Denghuozhai Tunnel, and analyses the mechanism of inrush hazards from aspects of material and space conditions. Studies on the lithofacies, minerals and alteration characteristics reveal that the inrush hazards occurred in the contact zone between geodetic granite and tuff. The types and evolution of the altered rocks are identified which indicates an intrusion of volatile-rich magma into the wall rocks at shallow depth under tensile tectonic environment. Albitized, sericitized and clayinitized alteration thus occurred near the contact zone, leading to the formation of tens of meters wide, loose and deeply-buried soft mineral belts, such as sericite, kaolinite and montorillonite, etc. These altered weak zones provide the materials and space for inrush hazards. It is found from the physical, mechanical and hydrological experiments that a high degree of alteration causes swelling, disintegration and argillization of rock and soil, and thus weakens physical and mechanical properties of rocks. This weakening further lowers the triggering threshold of inrush hazards. Therefore, when tunnel excavation approached the altered weak zone, as the weak zone was not identified and no measures were taken to avoid the accidents, inrush hazards were triggered due to excavation disturbance, stress redistribution, blasting vibrations and groundwater drainage. The experiences from these successful cases will be a valuable references and experiences in the design and construction of similar engineering in the future.

Facies and integrated sequence stratigraphy of an Epeiric Carbonate Ramp Succession: Dhruma Formation, Sultanate of Oman

AbstractAs an example of an epeiric carbonate ramp depositional system, the world‐class outcrops of the Middle Jurassic Dhruma Formation were studied in the Oman Mountains (Sultanate of Oman). An integrated approach was followed: facies analyses were combined with quantitative sequence‐stratigraphic methods as well as bio‐ and chemostratigraphy. Depositional environments range from peritidal to lagoonal and ‘shoal‐like’ environments. A conspicuous four‐level hierarchy of cyclicity was identified. This is substantiated by facies trends and specific cycle indicators such as various types of discontinuity surfaces, biofacies changes, and a suite of quantitative‐ and semi‐quantitative sequence‐stratigraphic methods like facies stacking pattern plots, facies percentage, bed‐thickness and bio‐component diversity plots, as well as diagrams representing the environmental range and facies belt width per high‐frequency sequence. Potential reservoir facies are present in the form of peloidal and oolitic grainstones; potential baffle/seal facies as vastly extensive mudstones and marls. A transition from peritidal to low‐energy lagoonal deposits to increasingly high‐energy deposits can be observed towards the top of the Dhruma Formation representing a landward shift of the depositional environment. This study may be useful as outcrop analogue for the hydrocarbon‐bearing parts of the Dhruma in the subsurface of the Arabian Plate and for similar epeiric carbonates elsewhere.

Abundance of the reef-building Petaloconchus varians (Gastropoda: Vermetidae) on intertidal rocky shores at Ilha Grande Bay, southeastern Brazil.

The reef-building vermetid Petaloconchus varians occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean, from the Caribbean Sea to the southern coast of Brazil. The present study evaluated the abundance of P. varians on intertidal rocky shores in Ilha Grande Bay (Rio de Janeiro State), and characterized their reefs, describing the species density, besides the weight and the belt width of the reefs. Petaloconchus varians reefs were recorded at 25 sites, with rocky shores exposed to different wave action (very sheltered, sheltered, semi-exposed and exposed) and slopes (10° to 46°). Clusters of individuals constructed large reefs along the middle intertidal zone, creating a wide belt (38 cm to 2 m). The density of P. varians and the weight of the reefs ranged from 620 to 2,559 ind.100 cm-2 and from 100 to 1,500 g.100 cm-2, respectively. Considering that the species was last reported from the area in the mid-20th century, the present study suggests that P. varians reefs are becoming dominant in the intertidal zone of rocky shores in Ilha Grande Bay. This is a contribution to knowledge of this ecosystem in Ilha Grande Bay, in view of local or global ecological changes.

Quantitative Relation of the Point BarWidth and Meander Belt Width of Subsurface Reservoir

Due to large lateral oscillation amplitude, it tends to form complex meander belt in meandering river, which makes the internal sand body size and distribution characteristics of meandering river deposits in different region very complex. Subsurface reservoir architectural elements analysis based on the experience formula summarized from the outcrop and modern deposition research tends to have greater uncertainty. Microfacies sandbody size was measured through fine reservoir architecture research on mature area of target oilfield, it is concluded that meandering river microfacies sandbody scale is closely related to the size of the sedimentary system, the point bar width has the highest degree in related to meander belt width in the narrow banding patterns. Under different curvature, meandering river point bar length and width present a certain positive correlation, when the curvature is less than 1.7, the correlation is higher. The quantitative relation of different configuration unit of the target oilfield was established，it provided a quantitative basis for fine research and geological modeling on less well area of target oilfield and similar oilfield.

EFFECTS OF URBAN GREEN BELTS ON THE AIR TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY AND AIR QUALITY

As urbanization increases, designing green space that offers ecological benefits is an increasingly important goal of urban planning. As a linear green space in an urban environment, green belts lower air temperature, increase relative humidity, and improve air quality. To quantify the ecological effects of urban green belts and to identify a critical width for effective urban green belts, we analysed the width of urban green belts in terms of their effects on air temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), concentration of negative air ions (NAI) and bacteria rate (BR). The air T, RH and NAI from 8:00 to 18:00 and BR at 9:00 over seven days were investigated on six widths of green belts (0–10 m, 10–20 m, 20–30 m, 30–40 m, 40–50 m and over 50 m) along the west Fourth Ring Road of Beijing in April, July, October and December 2009. We found that (1) the T-RH benefits increased with the width of the green belts, and the 6 m belt had the smallest effect on T-RH, followed by the 16 m and 27 m belts, whereas the effect was obvious with the 34 m belt and conspicuous and stable with the 42 m belt (approximately 80% green coverage) (P < 0.05); (2) the critical width reference value of urban green belts for an obvious effect on the increase in NAI concentration was approximately 42 m (approximately 80% green coverage) (P < 0.05) and the NAI concentration increased with the width of green belts even in July; and (3) the positive effect on the decrease in the BR was greater than the negative effect, the BR decreased with the green belt width and the changes in the brs were stable with the 34 m belt. The results of this study may help urban planners and designers achieve urban green space designs that optimize ecological effects and cultural benefits.

Sediments of the Dry Tortugas, south Florida, USA: Facies distribution on a ramp-like isolated carbonate platform

Four sedimentary facies may be delineated based on quantitative analysis of texture and composition of modern surface sediments on the Dry Tortugas carbonate platform. These include (1) mollusk-Halimeda wackestone, (2) mollusk packstone-to-grainstone, (3) coralgal-Halimeda grainstone, and (4) coralgal grainstone. Even though the Tortugas platform is characterized by an open circulation due to deep, broad marginal channels and a lack of a continuous surface-breaking marginal reef, facies are not distributed at random and show bathymetrical zonation. Also, facies appear to cover wide belts rather than forming a mosaic. Mollusk-Halimeda wackestone occurs in protected platform interior areas ca. 10–18m deep. Mollusk packstone-to-grainstone occurs in more open platform interior settings adjacent to channels and in deeper outer reef areas of 14–25m water depth. Coralgal-Halimeda grainstone is found on shallow marginal shoals (1–11m deep), and coralgal grainstone on the somewhat deeper (3–16m), seaward edges of these shoals. However, there is bathymetrical overlap of facies in intermediate depths of ca. 5–17m. This limitation has implications for the interpretation of the fossil record, because changes in water depth are commonly thought to be reflected in facies changes, e.g., in sequence stratigraphy. Comparison with previous sediment studies of the 1930s, 1960s, and 1970s in the area exhibit a decrease in coral fragments and increases in coralline algal and mollusk shell fragments. These observations might be a result of environmental changes such as coral decline and die-outs during temperature events, disease, and the increase in macroalgae (due to the ecological extinction of the echinoid Diadema). The results suggest that more long-term studies are needed that further explore the influence of environmental change on reef sediment composition. Dry Tortugas surface sediments consist of lower portions of Halimeda plates and mollusk shell fragments and higher percentages of coralline algal fragments as compared to sediments of the adjacent Florida Reef Tract, possibly as a consequence of differences in platform morphology and exposure to waves and currents.

A set of possible sensory system preserved in cuticle of Late Devonian thylacocephalan arthropods from Poland

The cuticle of concavicarids (Arthropoda: Thylacocephala) from the early Famennian (Upper Devonian) of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland was studied with respect to its microstructural details. Investigated laminated cuticle with phosphatic/organic composition, possesses two different kinds of microstructure with assumed sensory functions. The first kind consists of circular depressions, each located in the central area of characteristic polygons forming the carapace exterior ornamentation. These depressions are interpreted as sealed during phosphatisation processes setal lumens. The second kind occurs exclusively in carapace margins. These intracuticular microstructures occur as elongated tubular structures, circular to oval in cross section, penetrating the cuticle interior but not reaching its surface. They form a thin belt with a kind of ‘sensory fields’ on the dorsum and a wider belt in the ventrocaudal part of the carapace. These belts are connected in the rostral and caudal area, forming a continuous sensory zone encompassing each valve. These structures are very similar to crustacean organule canals, and the dorsally situated ‘sensory fields’, suggest some similarity to crustacean sensory dorsal organs. This possible sensory system is the oldest of this kind found in Thylacocephala. Its morphology and presumed canal walls mineralogical composition suggests crustacean affinity of Thylacocephala.

On the Discrepancies in Tropical Belt Expansion between Reanalyses and Climate Models and among Tropical Belt Width Metrics

Abstract The arid subtropics are situated at the edges of the tropical belt, where subsidence in the Hadley cells suppresses precipitation. Any meridional shift in these edge latitudes could have significant impacts on surface climate. Recent studies have investigated past and future changes in the tropical belt width and have found discrepancies in the rates of expansion estimated with different metrics and between climate models and reanalyses. Here, CMIP5 simulations and four modern reanalyses are analyzed using an ensemble of objective tropical belt width metrics to reexamine if such inconsistencies exist. The authors do not find sufficient evidence to demonstrate this discrepancy between models and reanalyses, as reanalysis trends in the tropical belt width fall within the range of model trends for any given metric. Furthermore, only metrics based on the Hadley cells are found to exhibit robust historical and future expansion. Metrics based on the subtropical jet and the tropopause show no robust response. This differentiation may be due to the strong correlation, on all time scales, between the Hadley cell edge latitudes and the latitudes of the eddy-driven jets, which consistently shift poleward in response to radiative forcings. In contrast, the subtropical jet and tropopause metrics appear to be decoupled from the Hadley cells and the eddy-driven jets and essentially measure a different tropical belt. The tropical belt width metrics are inconsistently correlated with surface climate indices based on precipitation and surface evaporation. This may make assessing the surface impacts of observed and future tropical expansion challenging.

Measure for Measure

Reviewed by: Measure for Measure Rachel Wifall Presented by Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival at Boscobel House and Gardens, Garrison, NY. June 25–August 28, 2016. Directed by Davis McCallum. Scenic design by John McDermott. Lighting design by Eric Southern. Costume design by Amy Clark. Sound design by Stowe Nelson. Choreography by Tracy Bersley. With Mark Bedard (Provost), Julia Coffey (Mariana/Mistress Overdone), Shawn Fagan (Angelo), Zachary Fine (Lucio), LeRoy McClain (Claudio), Sean McNall (Duke Vincentio), Stephen Paul Johnson (Escalus), Annie Purcell (Isabella), Kurt Rhoads (Pompey), and others. The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival is located on the historic Boscobel estate in the breathtaking Hudson River Valley, approximately fifty miles from New York City. Theatergoers are encouraged to come early to picnic on the grounds, and excellent concessions are also available. Performances are conducted under a large tent on a sandy floor with seats rising on three sides; "upstage" provides an entranceway for performers and a view over a wide green field and the river below. Four shows played in rotation this summer, the thirtieth anniversary of fine theater at this wonderful destination. On the night of this performance of Measure for Measure, the weather lent drama to the show. At times actors needed to project their voices over the din of heavy rains, but Pompey used the elements to advantage, donning a colorful shower cap and hitting the ground at a loud crash of thunder. [End Page 348] In his director's note in the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival 2016 season program, Davis McCallum wrote, "Measure for Measure contains two worlds: an 'overworld' of government, politics, and law; and an underworld of sex, disease and licentiousness. Moving between these two worlds is the enigmatic Duke, who is described as 'one who, above all other strifes, contended especially to know himself.'" McCallum further examined this division to analyze the concerns of the play at large, which "exists in a kind of identity crisis, playfully poised between comedy and tragedy, between a fart joke and prayer, between the longing of the flesh (or what Claudio calls 'this sensible warm motion') and the longing of the soul (or what Isabella calls 'our glassy essence')." This sense of duality was strongly supported by the use of costumes in his production of the play: while government officials and anyone to do with the law and the administration of "justice" wore purple (even the prison inmates' uniforms were purple striped), those associated with pleasure and personal freedom, such as the bawd Mistress Overdone, wore bright clothing of varied colors. Angelo, the most repressed of all, wore all black, with a purple armband as the badge of his authority; on the opposite end of the spectrum, Pompey the tapster was a transgender woman in heels and short shorts, sporting small tops, makeup and accessories that featured every color of the rainbow. The comic and licentious Lucio was decked out in tight shiny bellbottom jeans, a multicolor blazer featuring a complex design of birds, white leather shoes, funky shades, a wide white rhinestone belt and large rings. When in his role of duke and not disguised as a humble friar, Duke Vincentio—the character who moves between the two worlds and seeks to understand them—was dressed somewhere in the middle. While his suit was of one color, it was not purple, like Escalus's, but maroon; however, his shoes, ruff and cape were gold, as was the gold "bling" around his neck and the large ring that he bestowed upon Angelo. In a world in which women were defined by their sexual relationships to men, Isabella—the pure idealist—was clad in the simple purity of white and pale yellow, set apart from either of these earthly realms. While Lucio seemed to be of the 1970s and some of Pompey's gear echoed pop culture of the 1980s, the overall production did not evoke any specific time period, which is perhaps appropriate for a play that deals with universal and timeless questions regarding justice and morality. The lead actors gave strong performances. Isabella (Annie Purcell) came off as persuasive and sincere in her high-minded appeals, and Angelo (Shawn Fagan) took us convincingly through a range of moods...

A Study of Non-invasive Heart Rate Monitoring System by using FPGA

The aspire of this paper is in the direction of extort the Fetal Electrocardiogram (FECG) indication from the mother’s tummy signal which is an essential signal to investigate the abnormality of the fetal heart by a general practitioner. By using the least-mean-square (LMS) filter the abdomen of the mother’s are extracted. The LMS filter is an adaptive filter, in which the FIR filter coefficients are extracted from mother’s abdomen. To calculate the fetal heart beat, the FECG based signal estimation is wanted over period. The FECG of the mother is taken at the pregnancy of 20 weeks by using this system. While considering the FECG in real time manner, the maternal woman should wear a wide belt with electrodes fitted in large manner. To separate the signals, the adaptive noise canceller algorithm is used. The adaptive noise canceller algorithm is used to analyze the collected information of the electrodes which are fitted in the belt of the woman’s abdomen. This separation is here done based on predefined values by using the LabVIEW tool. The FIR filter is designed and simulated with the help of Xilinx ISE 12.1 and is implanted by using Spartan 3 of FPGA.

Evaluation of aggregates from conglomerate beds of the Upper Siwalik Subgroup, Chure Khola area, Central Nepal Sub-Himalaya

Durability of infrastructures demands detail study of rocks which helps to give knowledge on physical properties, strength and durability of rocks, and their usefulness as construction materials. A wide belt of conglomerates of the Upper Siwalik Subgroup (Pliocene to Lower Pleistocene) extends in the Chure Hills of Central Nepal. These conglomerates are mostly loosely consolidated, matrix-supported and containing clast of diverse composition. Because of haphazard mining of the riverbeds of the Chure and Dudhaura Kholas, the present study was carried out for evaluation of clasts from the conglomerates distributed at the hillslopes of the Chure Khola, as alternative sources mainly for unbound pavement. Stiffness and durability of clasts from conglomerates was tested for grading, shape indices, Water Absorption Value (WAV), specific gravity, Aggregate Impact Value (AIV), Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV), Los Angles Abrasion Value (LAV), Sodium Sulphate Soundness Value (SSSV) and Slake Durability Index (SDI). The suitability of clast from conglomerates for unbound pavement was finally evaluated for the sample for intended uses following specifications of British standard, ASTM standard and Nepal standard.The clasts of conglomerate beds are composed of quartzite, sandstone, siltstone, schist, marble, phyllite, granite, limestone and amphibolite. Among all those clasts, quartzite is dominant in all samples. The texture of clast is smooth and rough surface. Flakiness index (FI) and Elongation index (EI) indicate that aggregates possess only some flat and elongate grains and are good in workability. WAV lies below 3% and the dry density (2260kg/m3–2750kg/m3) of aggregates, coincides with the standard average value of ASTM Standard, British Standard and Nepal Standard. The ACV of the sample lies in the range 17% to 26% within the limit of ASTM standard, BS and Nepal Standard. The Los Angles Value of the sample lies in the range 34% to 44.60% and therefore, they can be used for base course and sub base course. SSSV for five cycles was calculated to be less than 10%. SDI after second cycle is very high (94.29%) and samples are durable in nature according to ASTM D4644- 87 Standard. All parameters show that the sample of the clast of conglomerate deposited along the Chure Khola are durable meeting all ASTM, British and Nepal Standard and thus are suitable unbound pavement.Bulletin of the Department of Geology, vol. 19, 2016, pp. 1–14

Fabrics and geochronology of the Wushan ductile shear zone: Tectonic implications for the Shangdan suture zone in the Qinling orogen, Central China

The ductile shearing along the Shangdan suture zone during the Paleozoic time is a key to understand the collisional deformation and tectonic regime of amalgamation between the North China Block and the South China Blocks. The Wushan ductile shear zone, a branch of the Shangdan suture, records mylonitic deformation that affected granitic and felsic rocks outcropping in an over 1km wide belt in the western Qinling Orogenic belt. Shear sense indicators and kinematic vorticity number (0.79–0.99) of the mylonites reveal a dextral shear deformation. The quartz c-axis fabrics indicate activation of combined basal 〈a〉 and rhomb 〈a〉 slip, prism 〈a〉 slip and prism 〈c〉 slip. The dynamic recrystallization of quartz is accommodated by combined subgrain rotation and grain boundary migration. These characteristics suggest that the mylonites experienced ductile shear deformation under amphibolite facies conditions at temperatures of ∼500–650°C. Zircons from granitic mylonite yield a U-Pb age of 910±4.8Ma, which represents the formation age of the protolith of the mylonite. The ductile shear zone was intruded by a granitic dyke, which yields a zircon U-Pb age of 403±3.5Ma constraining the minimum age of the ductile shear deformation. Together with regional geology and available geochronological data, these structural characteristics and ages indicate that the Wushan ductile shear zone was formed by dextral shearing following the N-S shortening as a result of collision between the North China and South China blocks along the Shangdan suture.

A survey of land for Weligama coconut leaf wilt disease affected palms outside the declared boundary in the Southern Province

After the identification of the Weligama Coconut Leaf Wilt Disease (WCLWD) in 2006, a three km wide boundary zone was declared which stretched from Galle to Tangalle. All suspicious palms recorded within the boundary zone were removed. Gradual removal of affected palms in the core area was also continued. These actions along with many other precautionary steps were taken with the objective to prevent the spread of the disease further beyond the demarcated boundary. After taking continued precautionary measures for more than 7 years, it was timely to find out the presence of any disease affected palms beyond the boundary. Therefore, a sample survey was conducted along a 4 km wide belt beyond the boundary. Uniform sampling locations were ensured by selecting sample sites on a I km grid drawn on the areal image of the area. Each grid covered an area of I km2 (100 ha). Four sampling locations/plots of approximately I ha in extent were selected within each grid. All coconut palms within selected plots were examined for morphological symptoms of the WCLWD and necessary information was recorded. The total area covered by the sample survey was about 40,000 ha and the extent closely examined was about 1600 ha, which was approximately 4% of the total land area covered by the survey. The results revealed that the precautionary measures taken by relevant authorities to prevent the spread of the WCLWD have had a significant effect in containing the disease within the demarcated area. However, some spread of the disease beyond the boundary was detected in a few places within the four-km-belt beyond the boundary. Thus altogether 18 affected palms were identified in 10 plots in Galle and Malara districts. They were in Akmeemana, Imaduwa and Yakkalamulla DSD in Galle district and Kamburupitiya and Mulatiyana DSD in Malara district. Most of those locations were adjacent to the boundary. However, any detection of even a few affected palms outside the boundary in a sample survey indicates the possibility of having such palms elsewhere in the study area. A comprehensive palm to palm survey is needed for precise detection of such palms. Considering the impending threat from the disease, a palm to palm survey at least within a 4 km belt outside the boundary is suggested to effectively prevent the spread of the disease, despite the cost and the man power required for such an operation.

Assessment of Counting Methods Used for Estimating the Number of Territorial Males in the Endangered Dupont's Lark

Appropriate survey design is essential to estimate population size reliably, especially for endangered species. Dupont's Lark Chersophilus duponti, one of the most endangered passerines in Europe, has been monitored using diverse counting methods. This variation in the methods employed may have a significant effect on the estimates of population sizes. The present study compares four methodologies cited in the literature as having been used for Dupont's Lark censuses: the Finnish line transect (25 m inner belt width), line transect (500 m inner belt width, a specific application of the transect method developed for the second national census of the species in Spain), mapping and point counts methods. We also determined the adequate number of visits needed to detect a reliable number of territories by the mapping method and analysed the effect of census month on the number of males recorded in line transects. According to our results, we consider that the mapping method, based on four visits, is the most adequate methodology for monitoring the species. However, for surveys in large areas the use of the line transect method during May and June may be more affordable. Although census date did not have a significant effect on the number of males recorded by line transect surveys, a larger number of males were indeed detected during May and June. Thus, censuses carried out in March may lead to greater underestimation of population sizes. Nonetheless, the best date for counting Dupont's Lark may differ for populations located at lower altitude. Point counts and Finnish line transects should not be used for counting the species, since both overestimate population sizes by about 35%, according to the mapping method and line transect results.

Changes in the width of the tropical belt due to simple radiative forcing changes in the GeoMIP simulations

Abstract. Model simulations of future climates predict a poleward expansion of subtropical arid climates at the edges of Earth's tropical belt, which would have significant environmental and societal impacts. This expansion may be related to the poleward shift of the Hadley cell edges, where subsidence stabilizes the atmosphere and suppresses precipitation. Understanding the primary drivers of tropical expansion is hampered by the myriad forcing agents in most model projections of future climate. While many previous studies have examined the response of idealized models to simplified climate forcings and the response of comprehensive climate models to more complex climate forcings, few have examined how comprehensive climate models respond to simplified climate forcings. To shed light on robust processes associated with tropical expansion, here we examine how the tropical belt width, as measured by the Hadley cell edges, responds to simplified forcings in the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP). The tropical belt expands in response to a quadrupling of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and contracts in response to a reduction in the solar constant, with a range of a factor of 3 in the response among nine models. Models with more surface warming and an overall stronger temperature response to quadrupled carbon dioxide exhibit greater tropical expansion, a robust result in spite of inter-model differences in the mean Hadley cell width, parameterizations, and numerical schemes. Under a scenario where the solar constant is reduced to offset an instantaneous quadrupling of carbon dioxide, the Hadley cells remain at their preindustrial width, despite the residual stratospheric cooling associated with elevated carbon dioxide levels. Quadrupled carbon dioxide produces greater tropical belt expansion in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere. This expansion is strongest in austral summer and autumn. Ozone depletion has been argued to cause this pattern of changes in observations and model experiments, but the results here indicate that seasonally and hemispherically asymmetric tropical expansion can be a basic response of the general circulation to climate forcings.

Vigorous deep-sea currents cause global anomaly in sediment accumulation in the Southern Ocean

Abstract The vigorous current systems in the Southern Ocean play a key role in regulating the Earth’s oceans and climate, with the record of long-term environmental change mostly contained in deep-sea sediments. However, the well-established occurrence of widespread regional disconformities in the abyssal plains of the Southern Ocean attests to extensive erosion of deep-sea sediments during the Quaternary. We show that a wide belt of rapid sedimentation rates (>5.5 cm/k.y.) along the Southeast Indian Ridge (SEIR) is a global anomaly and occurs in a region of low surface productivity bounded by two major disconformity fields associated with the Kerguelen Plateau to the east and the Macquarie Ridge to the west. Our high-resolution numerical ocean circulation model shows that the disconformity fields occur in regions of intense bottom-current activity where current speeds reach 0.2 m/s and are favorable for generating intense nepheloid layers. These layers are transported toward and along the SEIR to regions where bottom-current velocities drop to <0.03 m/s and fine particles settle out of suspension, consistent with focusing factors significantly greater than 1. We suggest that the anomalous accumulation of sediment along an 8000-km-long segment of the SEIR represents a giant succession of contourite drifts that is a major extension of the much smaller contourite east of Kerguelen Plateau and has occurred since 3–5 Ma based on the age of the oldest crust underlying the deposit. These inferred contourite drifts provide exceptionally valuable drilling targets for high-resolution climatic investigations of the Southern Ocean.

State of the art: Italian carbonatites and their potential for critical-metal deposits

This paper is an updated overview, including many new data, of what is known about Italian alkaline–carbonatite complexes, plus a new description of a carbothermal residua-related district, and its potential for mineral deposits. The Italian carbonatite occurrences can be divided into two belts. The first is a 350km long and 75km wide belt along the Apennines mountain range mainly with primary extrusive carbonatites generally from monogenic volcanoes and from the Vulture volcanic complex; the second belt is 60km long and 20km wide in the Northern Latium region in which carbothermal residua carbonatites and fluorite mineralisation deposited by high-temperature fluids rich in CO2, SO2 and fluorine are occurring in caldera volcanoes. Several of the raw materials, such as Light Rare Earth Elements, vanadium, niobium, zirconium, fluorite and phosphate are identified as critical as well as other commodities, occur in Italian carbonatites and alkaline rocks. At the Pianciano quarry (Bracciano) fluorite-rich ore (fluor-ore=fluorite in a mineralised gangue) is actually exploited as flux for cement, but Rare Earth Elements (+V) could be a notable by-product (300,000metric tonnes, equivalent to 4.2% of European resources). Pyrochlore, monazite, apatite, and britholite bearing subvolcanic rocks in ejecta from the Vulture volcano are of a near-economic grade, but their geological constraints are not known. A conceptual framework of combined geological and geochemical data improves the general understanding of this regional magmatic system, aimed at laying the foundations of a future geological model disclosing unrecognised potential exploration targets. However, this paper is not intended for direct use by the exploration industry; rather it is principally aimed at mineralogists and petrologists who could develop strategies for the identification of unexposed or unrecognised deposits.

Submarine channel evolution linked to rising salt domes, Gulf of Mexico, USA

An examination of halokinetics and channel evolution together in a deepwater system provides an opportunity to investigate how submarine channel morphology is locally affected by rising salt domes. The study area is located in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM), directly off the Louisiana continental slope in a prominent salt dome region. The influence of salt growth on submarine channel evolution is relatively understudied, particularly in the GOM. Utilizing high-resolution 3D seismic and well data and seismic geomorphology techniques, a long-lived (~3 Myr) Plio-Pleistocene submarine channel system has been investigated to show a relationship between variable phases of salt motion and planform morphology of preserved submarine channels.Our data suggest that local salt motion acts as a driver for submarine channel evolution. During the late Pliocene, when salt moved upward at a relatively fast rate, channels show distinct entrenchment with narrow channel belts and overall less sinuosity. When salt motion slowed down at the beginning of the Pleistocene, channels aggraded rapidly with preserved levees, and moved toward an equilibrium state with the expansion of channel belt widths. As our results indicate, the rate of salt diapirism exerted a first-order control on channel location and morphology and distribution of reservoir-prone units. This study cautions against readily invoking allogenic factors (e.g., sea level and climate) in explaining changes in submarine channel behavior and associated fan sedimentation, particularly in regions with salt tectonics.