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Abrupt and large-scale climate changes have occurred repeatedly and within decades during the last glaciation. These events, where dramatic warming occurs over decades, are well represented in both Greenland ice core mineral dust and temperature records, suggesting a causal link. However, the feedbacks between atmospheric dust and climate change during these Dansgaard–Oeschger events are poorly known and the processes driving changes in atmospheric dust emission and transport remain elusive. Constraining dust provenance is key to resolving these gaps. Here, we present a multi-technique analysis of Greenland dust provenance using novel and established, source diagnostic isotopic tracers as well as results from a regional climate model including dust cycle simulations. We show that the existing dominant model for the provenance of Greenland dust as sourced from combined East Asian dust and Pacific volcanics is not supported. Rather, our clay mineralogical and Hf–Sr–Nd and D/H isotopic analyses from last glacial Greenland dust and an extensive range of Northern Hemisphere potential dust sources reveal three most likely scenarios (in order of probability): direct dust sourcing from the Taklimakan Desert in western China, direct sourcing from European glacial sources, or a mix of dust originating from Europe and North Africa. Furthermore, our regional climate modeling demonstrates the plausibility of European or mixed European/North African sources for the first time. We suggest that the origin of dust to Greenland is potentially more complex than previously recognized, demonstrating more uncertainty in our understanding dust climate feedbacks during abrupt events than previously understood.

Mineralogical and geochemical investigations of agates from Permian volcanic rocks of the Sub-Erzgebirge basin (Saxony, Germany) were made to constrain the genesis and characteristics of these spectacular forms of silica. Samples from the main agate occurrences of Chemnitz, Hohenstein-Ernstthal, St. Egidien and Zwickau were selected for detailed analyses. The results of the study show that agate formation can be related to volcanic activity (Rochlitz ignimbrite) and the subsequent alteration of the volcanic rocks. Most agates originate from the infill of silica into cavities of lithophysae (high-temperature crystallization domains), which formed during cooling of welded ignimbrite. Agate formation temperatures of probably >150°C were calculated from fluid inclusion and oxygen isotope studies, which indicate that the mobilization and accumulation of silica started already during a late phase of or soon after the volcanic activity. The trace-element composition of chalcedony and macro-crystalline quartz in agates is dif-ferent from that of quartz from magmatic or metamorphic rocks and pegmatites. Elements of the volcanic rock matrix (Al, Ca, Fe, Na, K) were released during the alteration processes and accumulated in the SiO2 matrix of the agates. Extraordinary high contents of Ge (>90 ppm), B (46 ppm) and U (>18 ppm) were also detected, which can exceed the Clark concentration and sometimes the element concentration in the surrounding host rocks. In addition, chondrite-normalized REE distribution patterns of the agates show strong negative Eu-anomalies, enriched HREE as well as tetrad effects. These patterns are different from the REE patterns of the volcanic host rocks and point to fractionation processes during agate formation. The specific geochemical features indicate interactions of the host rocks with heated meteoric water and volatile fluids, and transport of SiO2 and other elements both in aqueous solution and via stable fluorine (and chlorine) compounds such

In this paper we present an analytical formulation of a Zero Position Coding (ZePoC) encoder for an AC power standard based on class-D topologies. For controlling a class-D power stage a binary signal with special spectral characteristics will be generated by this ZePoC encoder for sinusoidal signals. These spectral characteristics have a predictable accuracy within a separated baseband to keep the noise floor below a specified level. Simulation results will validate the accuracy of this novel ZePoC encoder. For a real-time implementation of the encoder on a DSP/FPGA hardware architecture a trade-off between accuracy and speed of the ZePoC algorithm has to be made. Therefore the numerical effects of different floating point formats will be analyzed. © 2015 Author(s).

In this paper, we present a method to increase the time resolution of a pulse width modulator by using delay lines. The modulator is part of an open loop class D power amplifier, which uses the ZePoC algorithm to code the audio signal which is amplified in the class D power stage. If the time resolution of the pulse width modulator is high enough, ZePoC could also be used to build an high accuracy AC power standard, because of its open loop property. With the presented method the time resolution theoretically could be increased by a factor of 16, which means here the time resolution will be enhanced from 5 ns to 312.5 ps.

In this paper a new filter design concept is proposed and implemented which takes into account the complex loudspeaker impedance. By means of techniques of broadband matching, that has been successfully applied in radio technology, we are able to optimize the reconstruction filter to achieve an overall linear frequency response. Here, a passive filter network is inserted between source and load that matches the complex load impedance to the complex source impedance within a desired frequency range. The design and calculation of the filter is usually done using numerical approximation methods which are known as Real Frequency Techniques (RFT). A first approach to systematic design of reconstruction filters for class-D amplifiers is proposed, using the Simplified Real Frequency Technique (SRFT). Some fundamental considerations are introduced as well as the benefits and challenges of impedance matching between class-D amplifiers and loudspeakers. Current simulation data using MATLAB is presented and supports some first conclusions.

Glaciers all over the world are expected to continue to retreat due to the global warming throughout the 21st century. Consequently, future seasonal water availability might become scarce once glacier areas have declined below a certain threshold affecting future water management strategies. Particular attention should be paid to glaciers located in a karstic environment, as parts of the meltwater can be drained by underlying karst systems, making it difficult to assess water availability. In this study tracer experiments, karst modeling and glacier melt modeling are combined in order to identify flow paths in a high alpine, glacierized, karstic environment (Glacier de la Plaine Morte, Switzerland) and to investigate current and predict future downstream water availability. Flow paths through the karst underground were determined with natural and fluorescent tracers. Subsequently, geologic information and the findings from tracer experiments were assembled in a karst model. Finally, glacier melt projections driven with a climate scenario were performed to discuss future water availability in the area surrounding the glacier. The results suggest that during late summer glacier meltwater is rapidly drained through well-developed channels at the glacier bottom to the north of the glacier, while during low flow season meltwater enters into the karst and is drained to the south. Climate change projections with the glacier melt model reveal that by the end of the century glacier melt will be significantly reduced in the summer, jeopardizing water availability in glacier-fed karst springs.

The 2492 Ma deposit occurs on the margin of the West African craton in an Archaean carbonate-facies banded iron formation, having formed during regional shearing in upper-greenschist/lower-amphibolite facies rocks. The hydrothermal mineralisation, hosted by breccias and shear zones that focused the ore fluids, comprises magnetite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, Fe- Co-Ni arsenides, arsenopyrite, cobaltite and Bi-Au-Ag-Te minerals. The meta-carbonate has three types of fluid inclusions, which indicate that the IOCG deposit resulted from complex hydrothermal evolution, with Au transported as AuCl2(-) complexes in undersaturated ore fluids and concentrated in co-existing Bi melt-droplets so that an assemblage of Au- Bi was precipitated during cooling., The 2492 Ma deposit occurs on the margin of the West African craton in an Archaean carbonate-facies banded iron formation, having formed during regional shearing in upper-greenschist/lower-amphibolite facies rocks. The hydrothermal mineralisation, hosted by breccias and shear zones that focused the ore fluids, comprises magnetite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, Fe- Co-Ni arsenides, arsenopyrite, cobaltite and Bi-Au-Ag-Te minerals. The meta-carbonate has three types of fluid inclusions, which indicate that the IOCG deposit resulted from complex hydrothermal evolution, with Au transported as AuCl2(-) complexes in undersaturated ore fluids and concentrated in co-existing Bi melt-droplets so that an assemblage of Au- Bi was precipitated during cooling.

The origin and evolution of CO2 inclusions and calcite veins in peridotite xenoliths of the Pannonian Basin, Hungary, were investigated by means of petrographic investigation and stable isotope analyses. The fluid inclusions recovered in paragenetic olivine and clinopyroxene belong to distinct populations: type A (texturally early) inclusions with regular shapes (often with negative crystal forms) forming intragranular trails, type B (texturally late) inclusions defining randomly oriented trails that reach grain boundaries Type B inclusions are often associated with silicate melt (type C) inclusions Stable carbon isotope compositions in inclusion-hosted CO2 were obtained by vacuum crushing followed by conventional dual inlet as well as continuous flow mass spectrometry in order to eliminate possible lab artifacts. Olivines, clino- and orthopyroxenes of the host peridotite have oxygen isotope compositions from 5.3 to 6.0 parts per thousand (relative to V-SMOW). without any relationship with xenolith texture. Some of the xenoliths contained calcite in various forms veins and infillings in silicate globules in veins, secondary carbonate veins filling cracks and metasomatic veins with diffuse margins The former two carbonate types have delta C-13 values around -13 parts per thousand (relative to V-PDB) and low Sr contents (<05 wt %), whereas the third type,veins with high-temperature metasomatic features have a delta C-13 value of -5 0 parts per thousand and high Sr contents up to 34 wt.% In spite of the mantle-like delta C-13 value and the unusually high Sr content typical for mantle-derived carbonate, trace element compositions have proven a crustal origin. This observation supports the conclusions of earlier studies that the carbonate melt droplets found on peridotite xenoliths in the alkaline basalts represent mobilized sedimentary carbonate. The large delta C-13 range and the C-12-enrichment in the carbonates can be attributed to devolanlization of the migrating