The earliest baleen whale from the Mediterranean: large‐scale implications of an early Miocene thalassotherian mysticete from Piedmont, Italy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelangelo Bisconti ◽  
Piero Damarco ◽  
Selina Mao ◽  
Marco Pavia ◽  
Giorgio Carnevale
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Early Miocene ◽  
Baleen Whale ◽  
The Mediterranean

Alexandria, Kom el-Dikka. Fieldwork in the 2019 season

2020 ◽  
pp. 469-496
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Majcherek
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Geometric Design ◽  
Late Antique ◽  
Construction Work ◽  
Floor Tiles ◽  
Stone Material ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Late Roman

The report offers an account of archaeological and conservation work carried out at the site. Excavations in the central part of the site (Sector F) were continued for the fourth season in a row. Exploration of remains of early Roman houses led to the discovery of a well preserved multicolored triclinium mosaic floor with a floral and geometric design. A large assemblage of fragments of polychrome marble floor tiles, recorded in the house collapse, showed the scale of importation of decorative stone material from various regions of the Mediterranean. Overlying the early Roman strata was direct evidence of intensive construction work carried out in the vicinity in the form of large-scale kilnworks, supplying lime most probably for the building of the late Roman bath and cistern. Included in the presentation is a brief review of the limited conservation work that was conducted in the complex of late antique auditoria.

scholarly journals Impact of air–sea coupling on the climate change signal over the Iberian Peninsula

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba de la Vara ◽  
William Cabos ◽  
Dmitry V. Sein ◽  
Claas Teichmann ◽  
Daniela Jacob
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Climate Change Signal ◽  
The North ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn this work we use a regional atmosphere–ocean coupled model (RAOCM) and its stand-alone atmospheric component to gain insight into the impact of atmosphere–ocean coupling on the climate change signal over the Iberian Peninsula (IP). The IP climate is influenced by both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean sea. Complex interactions with the orography take place there and high-resolution models are required to realistically reproduce its current and future climate. We find that under the RCP8.5 scenario, the generalized 2-m air temperature (T2M) increase by the end of the twenty-first century (2070–2099) in the atmospheric-only simulation is tempered by the coupling. The impact of coupling is specially seen in summer, when the warming is stronger. Precipitation shows regionally-dependent changes in winter, whilst a drier climate is found in summer. The coupling generally reduces the magnitude of the changes. Differences in T2M and precipitation between the coupled and uncoupled simulations are caused by changes in the Atlantic large-scale circulation and in the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, the differences in projected changes of T2M and precipitation with the RAOCM under the RCP8.5 and RCP4.5 scenarios are tackled. Results show that in winter and summer T2M increases less and precipitation changes are of a smaller magnitude with the RCP4.5. Whilst in summer changes present a similar regional distribution in both runs, in winter there are some differences in the NW of the IP due to differences in the North Atlantic circulation. The differences in the climate change signal from the RAOCM and the driving Global Coupled Model show that regionalization has an effect in terms of higher resolution over the land and ocean.

scholarly journals Late oligocene–early miocene shortening in the Thrace Basin, northern Aegean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ümitcan Erbil ◽  
Aral I. Okay ◽  
Aynur Hakyemez
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Early Miocene ◽  
Fold Axis ◽  
Late Oligocene ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
Sedimentary Sequences ◽  
The North ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
Thrace Basin

AbstractLate Cenozoic was a period of large-scale extension in the Aegean. The extension is mainly recorded in the metamorphic core complexes with little data from the sedimentary sequences. The exception is the Thrace Basin in the northern Aegean, which has a continuous record of Middle Eocene to Oligocene marine sedimentation. In the Thrace Basin, the Late Oligocene–Early Miocene was characterized by north-northwest (N25°W) shortening leading to the termination of sedimentation and formation of large-scale folds. We studied the stratigraphy and structure of one of these folds, the Korudağ anticline. The Korudağ anticline has formed in the uppermost Eocene–Lower Oligocene siliciclastic turbidites with Early Oligocene (31.6 Ma zircon U–Pb age) acidic tuff beds. The turbidites are underlain by a thin sequence of Upper Eocene pelagic limestone. The Korudağ anticline is an east-northeast (N65°E) trending fault-propagation fold, 9 km wide and 22 km long and with a subhorizontal fold axis. It is asymmetric with shallowly-dipping northern and steeply-dipping southern limbs. Its geometry indicates about 1 km of shortening in a N25°W direction. The folded strata are unconformably overlain by Middle Miocene continental sandstones, which constrain the age of folding. The Korudağ anticline and other large folds in the Thrace Basin predate the inception of the North Anatolian Fault (NAF) by at least 12 myr. The Late Oligocene–Early Miocene (28–17 Ma) shortening in the Thrace Basin and elsewhere in the Balkans forms an interlude between two extensional periods, and is probably linked to changes in the subduction dynamics along the Hellenic trench.

A Near-Uniform Basin-Wide Sea Level Fluctuation of the Mediterranean Sea

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 338-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ichiro Fukumori ◽  
Dimitris Menemenlis ◽  
Tong Lee
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Level Fluctuation ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Sea Level Fluctuation ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract A new basin-wide oscillation of the Mediterranean Sea is identified and analyzed using sea level observations from the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon satellite altimeter and a numerical ocean circulation model. More than 50% of the large-scale, nontidal, and non-pressure-driven variance of sea level can be attributed to this oscillation, which is nearly uniform in phase and amplitude across the entire basin. The oscillation has periods ranging from 10 days to several years and has a magnitude as large as 10 cm. The model suggests that the fluctuations are driven by winds at the Strait of Gibraltar and its neighboring region, including the Alboran Sea and a part of the Atlantic Ocean immediately to the west of the strait. Winds in this region force a net mass flux through the Strait of Gibraltar to which the Mediterranean Sea adjusts almost uniformly across its entire basin with depth-independent pressure perturbations. The wind-driven response can be explained in part by wind setup; a near-stationary balance is established between the along-strait wind in this forcing region and the sea level difference between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The amplitude of this basin-wide wind-driven sea level fluctuation is inversely proportional to the setup region’s depth but is insensitive to its width including that of Gibraltar Strait. The wind-driven fluctuation is coherent with atmospheric pressure over the basin and contributes to the apparent deviation of the Mediterranean Sea from an inverse barometer response.

scholarly journals Rheological profiles in the Central- Eastern Mediterranean

1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Viti ◽  
D. Albarello ◽  
E. Mantovani
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Western Turkey ◽  
Geological Time Scale ◽  
Total Strength ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Wet Rocks

Seismological investigations have provided an estimate of the gross structnral features of the crust/upper mantle system in the Mediterranean area. However, this information is only representative of the short-term me- chanical behaviour of rocks and cannot help us to understand slow deformations and related tectonic processes on the geological time scale. In this work strength envelopes for several major structural provinces of the Mediterranean area have been tentatively derived from seismological stratification and heat flow data, on the assumption of constant and uniforrn strain rate (10-16 S-1), wet rocks and conductive geotherm. It is also shown how the uncertainties in the reconstruction of thermal profiles can influence the main rheological prop- erties of the lithosphere, as thickness and total strength. The thickest (50-70 km) and strongest mechanical lithospheres correspond to the coldest zones (with heat flow lower than or equal to 50 mW m-2), i.e., the Io- nian and Levantine mesozoic basins, the Adriatic and Eurasian foreland zones and NW Greece. Heat flows larger than 65 mW m-2, generally observed in extensional zones (Tyrrhenian, Sicily Channel, Northern Aegean, Macedonia and Western Turkey), are mostly related to mechanical lithospheres thinner than 20 km. The characteristics of strength envelopes, and in particular the presence of soft layers in the crust, suggest a reasonable interpretation of some large-scale features which characterize the tectonic evolution of the Central- Eastem Mediterranean.

scholarly journals Transplantation of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica through naturalistic engineering techniques: value, weakness and further improvements

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Acunto ◽  
Luigi Piazzi ◽  
Francesco L. Cinelli ◽  
Anna Maria De Biasi ◽  
Lorenzo Pacciardi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Hydrodynamic Conditions ◽  
Coastal System ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Selection Of

Transplantation of seagrasses is considered a useful method to favour the recovery of degraded meadows. Hence, many projects have been carried out worldwide and a manifold of techniques have been applied. However, the choice of transplantation procedures remains a main problem to be assessed. In order to optimize efforts and to minimize risks of plants loss, the applied methodologies should take into account typology of hosting substratum, hydrodynamic conditions, depth and seagrass species. Due to their fundamental ecological role in the Mediterranean coastal system, many restoration projects aiming to preserve Posidonia oceanica meadows took place in the last decades. Several transplantation techniques have produced different results. In fact the same transplanting methodology may originate diverse results under different environmental conditions. Recently, naturalistic engineering techniques developed on land, have been used for transplantations of P. oceanica. Pilot projects concerning small surfaces were carried out between 2006 and 2010. More recently, a large-scale program (0.1 km2) was realized in 2012 at Civitavecchia (Roma, Thyrrenian Sea). The applied technique consists basically of mattresses filled with sand coupled with a net covering able to hold steady in situ the plant rhizomes. These structures have been variously modified in time to be adapted to the different type of substratum and various hydrodynamic conditions of the transplanting sites. Following the results of these transplantation experiences, we analyzed pros and cons of the techniques in order to improve the methodology. Firstly, these techniques may be considered suitable to large-scale projects allowing to minimize transplantation times. Secondly, the rhizomes may be successfully fixed to the structures; the majority of the transplanted shoots was not damaged showing a very good vegetative vitality with the production of new rhizomes, leaves and roots few months after transplanting. Finally, this procedure is flexible, as the basic technique can be modified and tailored to the various environmental conditions of the different receiving site. However, the results obtained in different areas are highly heterogeneous suggesting that a careful selection of the hosting site is a focal point. To this aim, a pilot study before the beginning of large-scale project seems mandatory, providing a fundamental support to guarantee successful results.

scholarly journals Mediterranean Summer Climate and the Importance of Middle East Topography*

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 1977-1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isla R. Simpson ◽  
Richard Seager ◽  
Tiffany A. Shaw ◽  
Mingfang Ting
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Stationary Wave ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
North African ◽  
Incident Flow ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Community Atmosphere Model ◽  
Moisture Deficit ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract In summer, the atmospheric circulation over the Mediterranean is characterized by localized intense subsidence and low-level northerlies over the central to eastern portion of the basin. Here, simulations with the Community Atmosphere Model, version 5 are used to investigate the influence of the elevated terrain of North Africa and the Middle East on this summertime circulation. This builds on previous work that recognized a role for North African topography in localizing the Mediterranean subsidence. By flattening the two regions of elevated terrain in the model, it is demonstrated that, while they both conspire to produce about 30% of the summertime subsidence, contrary to previous work, the mountains of the Middle East dominate in this topographic contribution by far. This topography, consisting primarily of the Zagros mountain range, alters the circulation throughout the depth of the troposphere over the Mediterranean and farther east. The model results suggest that about 20% of the Mediterranean summertime moisture deficit can be attributed to this mountain-induced circulation. This topography, therefore, plays an important role in the climate of the Mediterranean and the large-scale circulation over the rest of Eurasia during the summer. Further stationary wave modeling reveals that the mountain influence is produced via mechanical forcing of the flow. The greatest influence of the topography occurs when the low-level incident flow is easterly, as happens during the summer, primarily because of the presence of condensational heating over Asia. During other seasons, when the low-level incident flow is westerly, the influence of Middle East topography on the Mediterranean is negligible.

scholarly journals The distribution of <i>Triebelina raripila</i> and <i>Carinocythereis carinata</i> (Ostracoda) from the Middle Miocene of the Central Paratethys and their palaeogeographic implications

1998 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Szczechura
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Late Miocene ◽  
Middle Miocene ◽  
Early Miocene ◽  
Central Paratethys ◽  
Eastern Paratethys ◽  
Main Species ◽  
Late Middle Miocene ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. Late Middle Miocene (Upper Badenian) strata of the Fore-Carpathian Depression of Poland yield a shallow-water ostracod fauna which contains the species Triebelina raripila (G. W. Müller, 1894) and Carinocythereis carinata (Roemer, 1838). The palaeobiogeographic distribution of the two main species suggests, that in the late Middle Miocene, Central Paratethys was still connected to the Mediterranean, although still separated from the Eastern Paratethys and from southeastern Eurasia. The continuous occurrence of Triebelina raripila and Carinocythereis carinata in the Mediterranean basins, from the Early Miocene to Recent, indicates that marine conditions existed throughout, thereby allowing them to survive the Late Miocene salinity crisis.

Large-scale drivers of the Mediterranean climate change hot-spot

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman Brogli ◽  
Silje Lund Sørland ◽  
Nico Kröner ◽  
Christoph Schär
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Summer Climate ◽  
Climate Simulations ◽  
Summer Warming ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Circulation Changes

&lt;div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;It has long been recognized that the Mediterranean is a &amp;#8216;hot-spot&amp;#8217; of climate change. The model-projected year-round precipitation decline and amplified summer warming are among the leading causes of the vulnerability of the Mediterranean to greenhouse gas-driven warming. We investigate large-scale drivers influencing both the Mediterranean drying and summer warming in regional climate simulations. To isolate the influence of multiple large-scale drivers, we sequentially add the respective drivers from global models to regional climate model simulations. Additionally, we confirm the robustness of our results across multiple ensembles of global and regional climate simulations.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;We will present in detail how changes in the atmospheric stratification are key in causing the amplified Mediterranean summer warming. Together with the land-ocean warming contrast, stratification changes also drive the summer precipitation decline. Summer circulation changes generally have a surprisingly small influence on the changing Mediterranean summer climate. In contrast, changes in the circulation are the primary driver for the projected winter precipitation decline. Since land-ocean contrast and stratification changes are more robust in global climate simulations than circulation changes, we argue that the uncertainty associated with the projected climate change patterns should be considered smaller in summer than in winter.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;References:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Brogli, R., S. L. S&amp;#248;rland, N. Kr&amp;#246;ner, and C. Sch&amp;#228;r, 2019: Causes of future Mediterranean precipitation decline depend on the season. Environmental Research Letters, 14, 114017, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab4438.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Brogli, R., N. Kr&amp;#246;ner, S. L. S&amp;#248;rland, D. L&amp;#252;thi and C. Sch&amp;#228;r, 2019: The Role of Hadley Circulation and Lapse-Rate Changes for the Future European Summer Climate. Journal of Climate, 32, 385-404, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0431.1&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt;

The Mediterranean and climate change: An online participatory simulation – Results from the front lines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Crookall ◽  
Isabel Caballero-Leiva ◽  
Laksh Sharma ◽  
Pimnutcha Promduangsri ◽  
Pariphat Promduangsri
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Free Form ◽  
Great Success ◽  
Feedback Form ◽  
Ocean Science ◽  
Participatory Simulation ◽  
The Mediterranean

&lt;p&gt;Modern, educational simulation/games (s/g) have a rich legacy, stretching back to the 1960s.&amp;#160; They are used today for communicating science in educational, environmental or governmental organizations.&amp;#160; Other uses are to help groups and organizations conduct research, solve complex problems or make collective decisions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the last two decades, a particularly powerful, but underused, form of s/g has developed, called participatory simulation (PS).&amp;#160; It contains (elements of) game, simulation, role-play, experience, human interaction, decision-making, negotiation, engagement, stakeholder, etc.&amp;#160; It is often large scale, open ended, goal and results oriented, free form and data driven.&amp;#160; Of course, debriefing is a crucial component.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last summer (2020), the International Oceans-Climate School (IOCS), of the Ocean Open University (OOP), France, planned to organize an in-person summer school with a PS as its capstone event.&amp;#160; We then postponed and made it an autumn school.&amp;#160; It then became clear that this also was impossible, and so, after some hesitation, we scrambled to turn it into an online PS (OPS).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The theme was &amp;#8220;&lt;em&gt;The Mediterranean and climate change: Impacts, people, action&lt;/em&gt;&amp;#8221;.&amp;#160; Our overarching goal was to help participants understand the &lt;strong&gt;oceans-climate nexus&lt;/strong&gt; and to become better &lt;strong&gt;ocean-climate-literate stakeholders&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;#160; The IOCS is an official event of the &lt;strong&gt;Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission&lt;/strong&gt; (IOC) of UNESCO, as part of the &lt;strong&gt;UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The school ran over three days, with the OPS over two days.&amp;#160; We searched for a platform that would accommodate the flexibility needed for the OPS; we chose Discord.&amp;#160; We had participants originating from Brazil, France, India, Italy, Iran, Spain, Tunisia and the UK; ages ranged from 19 to 60 years.&amp;#160; It was a great success.&amp;#160; A detailed, online feedback form two weeks after the event collected participants&amp;#8217; opinions, including:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;#8220;It was a wonderful experience.&amp;#8221;, :I felt very good with all the participants.&amp;#8221;, &amp;#8220;When I describe the experience to friends I always say that it was something really useful for my personal and professional growth.&amp;#8221;, &amp;#8220;It was a very enriching experience for me to meet all these people with different training and knowledge, coming from different countries.&amp;#8221;, &amp;#8220;Enriching moments, so much more to discover.&amp;#8221;, &amp;#8220;What a great experience! I felt happy, engaged and surrounded by beautiful minds.&amp;#8221;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;We will run the event again in the Spring and the late summer or autumn, with different geoscience themes.&amp;#160; The success of the October 2020 event raises several research questions, including:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;How do the online and the in-person versions compare?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;What are the advantages and drawbacks of each?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Which is more effective for what objectives and what results?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;How do the two versions stack up in regard to conducting research on such events?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;What are the implications of OPS for geoliteracy?&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our presentation will describe the event in more detail, offer tentative answers to the above questions, and help you decide if you wish to participate in the next event.&amp;#160; Co-authors include both organizers and participants.&lt;/p&gt;

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