Deciphering the past carbon cycle from calcifiers

Deciphering the past carbon cycle from calcifiers

Prof Rosalind Rickaby, Department of Sciences, University of Oxford
7th March 2019

Rosalind has dedicated her time and effort in investigating earth’s past climate by using the chemistry of sedimentary microfossils to obtain a quantitative insight the paleo-climate.

In her research, she investigate the change of the environment and the effect it has on the physiology of the microfossils. The technique uses is fairly new as in involve the separation of single species of foraminifera and coccolithosphore. Paleo-physiology is a new knowledge combining the knowledge of physiological effect on isotopic offsets.Translate isotopic signals from interplay of physiology and environmental changes.

              “Record of Carbon Cycle from Cenozoic”

Change in climate sensitivity, could be recorded in proxy.

Only 1 parameter of the carbonate system, because need 2 to constrain PCo2; change in Ph (record change of CO2) – Hydration of CO2

Key factors, high CO2, in lower pH value is not enough. The total dissolve can be justify only with Ph and carbon isotope where carbon isotope system; C-12, C-13, C-14(radioactive), involving isotopic fractionation lead to different reaction.

Photosynthesis reaction fixes carbon, fractionate carbon produce rabusco, an important enzyme.In comparison, inorganic matter in modern day are heavier than the past. This could be due to the diffusive framework, when carbon decrease, rubisco cause less fractionation.

Integration of carbon data, assuming they are coming from diffusion, but they are coming from bicarbonate pool as well, help photosynthesis where the lighter carbon is removed showing the declining trend of CO2 in the changing environment in the past.

They also decided to select smaller lower coccolith, foraminifera to observe change in C13 and size. When photosynthesis is high, the lighter isotope is removed. The changes tend to start at lower size, remove the light isotope, observation; as they get bigger they have more symbiont.

The existence of the ‘carbonate ion effect’ implies quantitative transformation of this carbon to calcite. 

The internal pool is tainted by old isotopically light metabolic Carbon. Metabolic rate and size.

·      CORRECT FRAMEWORK IN INTERPRETING CARBON ISOTOPES

·      UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANICAL OF THE PROXY

Other works of Rosalind Rickaby :

Phytoplankton Calcification in a High-CO2 World

Exploring Zealandia; New continent of the earth

Exploring Zealandia; New continent of the earth

By: Hamish Campbell
28th February 2019

Pictures shows the location of Zealandia in relative of Australia and New Zealand ; credit goes to  Crystal Eye studio

This talk on the discovery of this new continent is intrigue by the production of gravity based map where they noticed a significant part of the continents at Eastern and northern (New Caledonia) called Zealandia. Since then, more effort on discovering and understanding the part embarked by ocean journey of a group of scientist, called VESPA.

§  White erosion surfaces; flat surfaces

§  Bathymetric map based on gravity (Vaughan Stagoole, GNS Science 2002)

§  Showing shallow water around New Zealand

·      Zealandia from Bruce Luyendyk 1995

  * on the paper - Large continental crust exceed 10 million km and surrounded by oceanic crust

       Earth’s most submerged continent.Thinnest, Smallest,  Freshest but not the youngest; Australia and Antartica are the youngest. Highlighting the basalt, granite presence, differences in the elevation difference of oceanic crust and continental crust above sea level. Southern Zealandia; the largest continental crust on the pacific plate

      In exploring the Zealandia, the focus has always been on the belt of schist in the southern Zealandia, consisting of Greywacke schist,  Granite, diorite, gabbro. Sedimentary basins of the Zealandia is now  being explored greatly.Recording the event of opening of tasman sea and another sea in the southern part. Part of the Drilled, terrain and supergroup are the. Schist island; in the middle of of pacific island and also the Pitt island; waihere bay; Tuuangi formation.

Result of the Expedition

Ø  Eocene to pleocene age submarine volcano emerged underwear in the oast

Ø  Southern chatham; 

Ø  Initially above water, due to extension submerged, the pushed back up

Ø  New Caledonia; VESPA VOLCANIC EVOLUTION OF SOUTH PACIFIC ARCS

Ø  Mostly basalt are found in the voyage, little andesite

Further information of Zealandia;

Zealandia: Earth’s Hidden Continent

Next Post: Deciphering the past carbon cycle from calcifiers

Advances in probabilistic earthquake forecasting; A quiet revolution

Global Change Seminar

14/02/2018

Dr Maximilian Werner, University of Bristol

Pictures shows after effect of an earthquake; Image credit goes to National Geographic

 In this talk, the research is based onComparison with the quiet revolution of weather forecasting where it all link to how good it is in prediction to southern and northern of atmosphere.Review of in recent earthquakes forecasting and avenue for future research.

Methods

·      CSEP: platform for developing and evaluating forecast models

·      Recent insights from CSEP’s results and plan for future. Predicting earthquakes without relying to the past data hence eliminating all the biases. Testing centre and model’s location of CSEP.

·      Geophysics based forecast; the evolution of strain field (stress changes can help clamp and unclamp faults)

·      Fault response stress changes; friction model of nucleation

·      How strong is the aftershock patterns?

·      Predictive power of coulomb hypothesis?

·      Stress changes associated with the ruptures

·      Physics based model: too deterministic, not integrating all complicate ddata, the complicated geometry of faults etc

·      Improving the model

·      Aftershocks; damages

·      Newest model – physics but with more ability to predict strain changes rat

 RESULTS

o  Small earthquakes help the prediction of the future earthquake

o  First experiment: in California 2007-2011

o  Few models of combination of small-larger earthquakes, only large magnitude earthquake, (geodesy) based on gps data changing strain rate to seismological rate on par with usgs models, geological; fault predictions

o  Using probability mass function which only have one parameter; the rate of global strain or Geodesy

o  Focusing on the plate boundary and also some continental rifting 

o  So, if the combination with past seismicity (smoothed seismicity) would provide the better prediction?

o  This model has become the reference in global scale

o  Conclusion: combining the two is useful and much more reliable

o  Plate boundaries and where the crust is deforming, the experiment in California is encouraging that the data are useful, and the model can be used

Recent highlights

·      Importance of small earthquakes

·      Predictive skill of strain-rate based methods

·      Improved forecasting and the eolution of earthquakes cascades

·      2^ndgeneration coulomb predictions with encouraging results

·      New ensemble modelling and evaluation methods

further readings
The Silent Revolution of Probabilistic Voting
Earthquake prediction by hydrogeochemical record

Next Post: Exploring Zealandia; New continent of the earth

Fire

Global Change Seminar

Little fires and tangled system

Tami Bond

·      Fire

·      Aerosol and climate

·      Little fire

·      Tagled system 1 and 2

I was very intrigue to find out what this seminar is about because as a Geology student, who has little previous exposure of fire, Fore is just fire, never have I thought that fire is actually a very  important element to be investigated. In Tami Bond seminar about fire, she structured her talk into introduction to fire; human control on fire, effects of aerosol on the amount of sunlight reaching earth and effect of changes in energy balance. 

 Particles cool the earth, unless they absorb high amount of light. From black carbon and organic carbon fire can be made.Orange: black carbon, e.g. candle. Blowing the calendar resulting in organic carbon, candle that has no flame and reaction to consume the fuel, will escape to the atmosphere. Black carbon, molecule with plate like structure allows it to absorb almost every light at various wavelength. Black carbon resulted in immediate warming. Contamination of strong radiative force will affect the lifetime of the black carbon existence in the atmosphere thus affecting the environment

   As important as the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that will affect the global warming. Climate effects, health effects can occur as well due to significant type of aerosol which is colour related.

·     Human input to ‘fire’

·      Activity x emission factor = emission rate

·      Emission inventories collect all possible activities which later sorted out by exactly how the fuel get burns, economic consideration and technology available in controlling the ‘fire’

·      Identifying the source of fire that cause pollution by black carbon, surprising result apparently the activity that produced most black carbon is that of 10kw small household stove while industrial power plant produces almost none of the black carbon

·      Little fires were remote and not measured and very fluctuating

Tangled system 1(stove)

·      Effort: to measure remote sources of the little fires

·      Result; stove produce higher value of black carbon than the laboratory

·      Identifying problem: equipment to measure real time fire

·      Optimizing stove design to reduce the influx of black carbon emission

·      Probability distribution function: various scattering of the rest of particles, but the black particles have matched; limited black sources

Fuel leaving system

Tangled system2(vehicles)

Ø  Particles = pickup trucks

Ø  Born and die

Ø  Need to wait for them to die off

Ø  Particulate matter emission come from vehicles

§  Transition of using train from trucks as the train are more energy efficient (for delivery)

§  Prediction of emission using the fleet model

§  Final prediction: impact of emission

§  Reduced form model for mortality (consider emission location)

§  Forcing per emission for climate forcing (all emission)

§  To do by 2050; changing the future 

§  Carbon tax reduces all impacts by pushing freight to more efficient rail

§  Ensure engines are durable (no super emitters)

§  Compact development does not change much in the overall freight system

§  Same activity, less production

Below are some of the research by Tami Bond and his team on the subject of interest.

A laboratory comparison of the global warming impact of five major types of biomass cooking stoves

Evolution of anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions of air pollutants at global and regional scales during the 1980–2010 period

Light absorption of organic aerosol from pyrolysis of corn stalk 

Next Post: Advances in probabilistic earthquake forecasting; A quiet revolution
6th February 2019