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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Alpine-type sensu strictu(ophiolitic) peridotites: Refractory residues from partial melting or igneous sediments? A contribution to the discussion of the paper: "The origin of ultramafic and ultrabasic rocks" by P.J. Wyllie

Although Alpine peridotites and basaltic lavas are widely associated in eugeosynclines and oceanic areas, their genetic ties are obscure. Three major characteristics of olivine-rich Alpine peridotite and dunite—relict cumulus textures, aggregated masses of chromitite, and intimate association with magnesium-rich gabbro — cannot be explained by partial melting of garnet peridotite to form tholeiite. Association of magnesium-rich gabbro with the chromite-bearing and so-called high-temperature Alpine peridotites is believed to present problems that have not been considered by advocates of the partial-melting hypothesis. The chromite-bearing Alpine peridotites and related feldspathic rocks are believed to have formed near the top of the mantle by gravitational differentiation processes which are largely independent of the melting processes that produce basaltic magma at depths of 50 km or more.

Tectonophysics

The Importance of Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis in Process-based Models of Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Terrestrial Ecosystems with Particular Emphasis on Forest Ecosystems — Selected Papers from a Workshop Organized by the International Society for Ecological Modelling (ISEM) at the Third Biennal Meeting of the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society (IEMSS) in Burlington, Vermont, USA, August 9-13, 2006

Many process-based models of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles have been developed for terrestrial ecosystems, including forest ecosystems. They address many basic issues of ecosystems structure and functioning, such as the role of internal feedback in ecosystem dynamics. The critical factor in these phenomena is scale, as these processes operate at scales from the minute (e.g. particulate pollution impacts on trees and other organisms) to the global (e.g. climate change). Research efforts remain important to improve the capability of such models to better represent the dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems, including the C, nutrient, (e.g. N) and water cycles. Existing models are sufficiently well advanced to help decision makers develop sustainable management policies and planning of terrestrial ecosystems, as they make realistic predictions when used appropriately. However, decision makers must be aware of their limitations by having the opportunity to evaluate the uncertainty associated with process-based models ( Smith and Heath, 2001 and Allen et al., 2004 ). The variation in scale of issues currently being addressed by modelling efforts makes the evaluation of uncertainty a daunting task.

Ecological Modelling