Abstract: Arctic regions are known to be places where climate shift yields the most visible consequences. In this context, glaciers and their environment are highly subject to global warming effects. New dynamics are observed and the behaviour of arctic systems (such as glaciers, moraines, beaches, etc.) changes at rates visible over yearly observations. According to recent works on climate change impacts on the cryosphere, short/violent events are recently observed and are one characteristic of these changes. As a consequence, an accelerating rate of glacial and pro-glacial activity is observed, especially at the end of each hydrological season (early fall). As an example, many phases of streamflow increase/decrease are observed, transforming glacier outflows, moraine morphology, and re-organizing intra-moraine processes. Within only a few days, the morphology of some parts of the moraine can be completely changed. In order to observe and quantify these processes, reactive methods of survey are needed. That is why the use of commercial off the shelf – DJI Phantom3 Professional – unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for aerial photography acquisition combined with structure from motion analysis and digital elevation model computation were chosen. The robust architecture of this platform makes it well suited as a reliable picture acquisition system for high resolution (sub-decimetre) imaging. These increasingly popular methods, at a convergence of technologies including inertial guidance systems, long lasting batteries, and available computational power (both embedded and for image processing), allow to fly and to acquire data whatever the conditions of cloud cover. Furthermore, data acquisition is much more flexible than traditional satellite imagery: several flights can be performed in order to obtain the best conditions/acquisitions at a high spatiotemporal resolution. Moreover, the low-flying UAV yielding high picture resolution allows to generate high-resolution digital elevation models, and therefore, to measure accurately dynamics on the field with decimetre resolution in all three directions. Our objective is to show an experimental campaign of small UAV data acquisition in an arctic basin (Austre Lovén glacier, Svalbard, 78°N) separated by a few days. Knowing the changing conditions at this period, similar UAV flights have been reiterated in order to catch moraine dynamics. This allowed us to select two sets of images whose processing highlights and quantifies morphological changes into the moraine while a rain event occurred between two cold periods.

Abstract: Nitrogen stable isotope ratio (δ15N) in Greenland snow nitrate and in North American remote lake sediments has decreased gradually beginning as early as ∼1850 Christian Era. This decrease was attributed to increasing atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic nitrate, reflecting an anthropogenic impact on the global nitrogen cycle, and the impact was thought to be amplified ∼1970. However, our subannually resolved ice core records of δ15N and major ions (e.g., Graphic, Graphic) over the last ∼200 y show that the decrease in δ15N is not always associated with increasing Graphic concentrations, and the decreasing trend actually leveled off ∼1970. Correlation of δ15N with H+, Graphic, and HNO3 concentrations, combined with nitrogen isotope fractionation models, suggests that the δ15N decrease from ∼1850–1970 was mainly caused by an anthropogenic-driven increase in atmospheric acidity through alteration of the gas−particle partitioning of atmospheric nitrate. The concentrations of Graphic and Graphic also leveled off ∼1970, reflecting the effect of air pollution mitigation strategies in North America on anthropogenic NOx and SO2 emissions. The consequent atmospheric acidity change, as reflected in the ice core record of H+ concentrations, is likely responsible for the leveling off of δ15N ∼1970, which, together with the leveling off of Graphic concentrations, suggests a regional mitigation of anthropogenic impact on the nitrogen cycle. Our results highlight the importance of atmospheric processes in controlling δ15N of nitrate and should be considered when using δ15N as a source indicator to study atmospheric flux of nitrate to land surface/ecosystems.

Abstract: The Vostok (East Antarctica, 78°S, 106°E) ice core preserves, below the meteoric ice keeping the climatic memory of the last 420?000 years, ice formed by freezing of subglacial Lake Vostok water. This latter contains some bedrock fragments representing unique samples for the geological investigation of the East Antarctic Plateau, covered by ~2–4 km of ice. The first geochemical (87Sr/86Sr versus 143Nd/144Nd) and mineralogical characterization of these inclusions as well as the dating of one of them (Nd model age on whole-rock sample) has given evidence for a Mid-Proterozoic age of the basement lying below the ice sheet, consistent with recent geophysical data. The geochemical characteristics of bedrock inclusions within the accreted ice zone are markedly different from those of the mineral dust of aeolian origin archived in the uppermost part of the Vostok ice core and originating from deflation of the Southern Hemisphere continents, and easily discriminates between the two contributions.

Abstract: To the Editor: Smallpox, which is caused by the variola virus of the Poxviridae family and the orthopoxvirus genus, is among the most devastating human diseases. It may have originated and spread from Egypt, the Near East, or the Indus Valley 3000 to 4000 years ago, and historical reports indicate epidemics in China as early as the first century A.D. and in Europe during the 6th century. By the mid-18th century, smallpox was a worldwide endemic disease. It was eradicated after vaccination campaigns began more than 200 years ago.1 Variola DNA is about 186 kbp, with genes distributed across conserved . . .