Fossil bacterial ecosystem at methane seeps : Origin of organic matter from Be’eri sulfur deposit, Israel

The Be’eri sulfur mine (Israel) is a unique deposit mainly composed of sandstone intercalated with biogenic mats and possessing organic matter exceptionally depleted in ¹³C. Molecular and isotopic studies of free and bound biomarkers were performed to unravel the source of the organic matter co-occurring with sulfur in this deposit and to propose a paleoenvironmental model of bacterial life in a type of extreme environment. They showed that the biomarkers are all extremely ¹³C-depleted and almost exclusively composed of hopanoids and biphytane derivatives of bacterial origin, notably methanotrophic bacteria and acidophilic archaea. δ¹³C values of individual components and of bulk organic carbon are in the −80% to −90% range and are among the lowest values ever measured for hopanoids. Organic matter in the sandstone and the mats differ mainly by the occurrence of 3-methylated hopanoids in the mats, which may reflect either different bacterial populations or different conditions of growth.These data demonstrate that the complete biomass of this deposit primarily derives from methanotrophic hopanoid-synthesizing bacteria consuming methane having seeped toward the surface, and that all other organisms—apparently only archaea and bacteria—must have been thriving on methane-derived carbon (methane, CO₂, biomass of methanotrophic bacteria). Unambiguous evidence for photosynthetic organisms in the environment of deposition could not be found. The Be’eri sulfur deposit is thus a fossil remain of an exclusively bacterial ecosystem fueled by methane as sole carbon source and having developed in an interstitial aqueous medium within the sandstone.Elemental sulfur from the deposit probably originates from the oxidation of hydrogen sulfide seeping along with methane, which could have been oxidized either abiotically or biologically by sulfur-oxidizing Beggiatoa-like bacteria and archaea. Further oxidation of elemental sulfur might explain the high acidity of the deposit.The oxidizing conditions now prevailing in the Be’eri deposit were revealed by the occurrence of degraded, oxidized, or thiophenic hopanoid structures. Some of them, unambiguously characterized by synthesis, were also obtained by heating hopenes with elemental sulfur, thus suggesting that the latter could play a role, as dehydrogenating and oxidizing agent, in the transformations undergone by organic matter in the Be’eri deposit.     

U-Th chronology and paleoceanographic record in a Fe-Mn crust from the NE Atlantic over the last 700 ka

Hydrogenetic ferromanganese crusts (Fe-Mn crusts) provide a secular record of the variations of seawater composition responding to changes in ocean circulation and erosion processes. In this respect, the acquisition of an absolute and reliable chronology in Fe-Mn crusts is a prerequisite. Here we combine four different and complementary chronometers (¹⁰Be, ²³⁰Th_ex, ²³⁰Th_ex/²³²Th, ²³⁴U/²³⁸U) in a Fe-Mn crust dredged at ∼2000 m depth in the east Atlantic to first establish a reliable chronology over the Quaternary period. Then, we use EDS chemical analysis to look for correlation between major element chemistry and climate changes. (²³⁰Th_ex), (²³⁰Th_ex/²³²Th), and Be data give very consistent growth rates. In particular, the good match between (²³⁰Th_ex) and (²³⁰Th_ex/²³²Th) data indicates that at the location of crust 121DK, ²³⁰Th and ²³²Th fluxes in the water column change simultaneously and suggests that the normalization of ²³⁰Th_ex to ²³²Th makes (²³⁰Th_ex/²³²Th) a better chronometer. Our best-fit model suggests that crust 121DK experienced changes in growth rates at ∼122 and 312 ka and a growth with a constant ²³⁰Th initial flux. This chronology returns an age of 680 ka for the uppermost 1.5 mm. The (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) depth profile, however, was clearly affected by diffusion of ²³⁴U in the porous crust and can therefore not be used to derive a reliable chronology. One part of the crust seems isolated from pore water diffusion and can be physically recognized as a zone of very small porosity. On the basis of the (²³⁰Th_ex/²³²Th) chronology, major element chemistry is shown to be linked to climate change. Mn/Fe variations compare well with those in a Fe-Mn crust from the Pacific, showing systematic maxima during glacial stages 2 and 4. High Mn/Fe are tentatively interpreted to reflect expansion of the oxygen minimum zone during glacial periods, resulting from higher bioproductivity. In addition we note that the surface (²³⁰Th/²³²Th) activity ratio of crust 121DK is entirely consistent with advection of deep water from the western toward the eastern Atlantic basin.     

Environmental heterogeneity predicts species richness of freshwater mollusks in sub-Saharan Africa

Species diversity and how it is structured on a continental scale is influenced by stochastic, ecological, and evolutionary driving forces, but hypotheses on determining factors have been mainly examined for terrestrial and marine organisms. The extant diversity of African freshwater mollusks is in general well assessed to facilitate conservation strategies and because of the medical importance of several taxa as intermediate hosts for tropical parasites. This historical accumulation of knowledge has, however, not resulted in substantial macroecological studies on the spatial distribution of freshwater mollusks. Here, we use continental distribution data and a recently developed method of random and cohesive allocation of species distribution ranges to test the relative importance of various factors in shaping species richness of Bivalvia and Gastropoda. We show that the mid-domain effect, that is, a hump-shaped richness gradient in a geographically bounded system despite the absence of environmental gradients, plays a minor role in determining species richness of freshwater mollusks in sub-Saharan Africa. The western branch of the East African Rift System was included as dispersal barrier in richness models, but these simulation results did not fit observed diversity patterns significantly better than models where this effect was not included, which suggests that the rift has played a more complex role in generating diversity patterns. Present-day precipitation and temperature explain richness patterns better than Eemian climatic condition. Therefore, the availability of water and energy for primary productivity during the past does not influence current species richness patterns much, and observed diversity patterns appear to be in equilibrium with contemporary climate. The availability of surface waters was the best predictor of bivalve and gastropod richness. Our data indicate that habitat diversity causes the observed species–area relationship, and hence, that environmental heterogeneity is a principal driver of freshwater mollusk richness on a continental scale.     

On sediment pollution in selected german coastal waters of the Baltic Sea

In order to determine and assess their status sediments from the German coastal waters of the baltic sea were analyzed for structural parameters and for several groups of harmful substances. Regarding all groups of harmful substances, i.e. nutrients, heavy metals and organic toxicants the sediments of the eastern sections investigated (Strelasund, Peenestrom and Stettin Lagoon) are generally more polluted than the sediments of the other ones.The sediments of the examined sections of the Baltic coast compare with North Sea sediments by factors of between 0.05 and 4 with regard to heavy metals.Because of the variability of the concentration of harmful substances in the various coastal sections, it is imperative to make a differentiated assessment of the polluted sediments and to set district-related targets for the various sections of the Baltic coast.     

Hospital Laundry Wastewater Disinfection with Catalytic Photoozonation

Wastewater production in a hospital laundry and the treatment of the most critical wastewater stream, are assessed. Hospital laundry wastewaters are hazardous to the environment due to their high pollutant concentrations and the chemicals added during the clothes washing process. Heterogeneous photocatalysis with UV, O₃ and TiO₂ and their possible combinations were used for disinfection purposes. A ramp‐type reactor was used for TiO₂ (P25 Degussa) fixation and for photochemical diffusion of the ozonized air. After assessing 5‐day biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, pH, turbidity, and surfactant content, and checking for the presence of thermotolerant coliforms and Escherichia coli, it was concluded that UV/O₃/TiO₂ was the best process/combination, yielding a 100% disinfection rate and a microbiological inactivation of 0.5070 min^–1 for E. coli and of 0.5505 min^–1 for thermotolerant coliforms.     

New Observing Opportunities in the Far‐Infrared and Submillimeter Range

F01 CONDOR – 1.4 THz Hetrodyne Receiver for APEX and for GREAT on SOFIA F02 FLASH – a First Light APEX Submillimeter Heterodyne instrument F03 GREAT – The German first light heterodyne instrument for SOFIA F04 CHAMP+ – A powerfull submillimeter array for the APEX telescope F05 The JamesWebb Space Telescope (JWST) and its Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI) F06 CHARM – a Compact Heterodyne Array Receiver Module for KOSMA with Scalable Fully Reflective Focal Plane Array Optics F07 Science with Herschel‐PACS F08 CI/CO Mapping of IC 348 & Cepheus B using SMART on KOSMA F09 The warm and dense interstellar medium observed with Herschel F10 Intelligent Detectors – On‐Board Data Reduction for Future Missions F11 The Herschel Photodetector Array Camera & Spectrometer PACS F12 Why Astromineralogy Should Care about the Far‐infrared Range F13 ESI: A European Imaging Far‐Infrared Spectrometer for the Japanese SPICA space observatory F14 STAR – A 16 Pixel Terahertz Array Receiver for SOFIA F15 FIFI LS, a Field‐Imaging Far‐Infrared Line‐Spectrometer for SOFIA F16 Characterization of high‐ and low‐stressed Ge:Ga array cameras for Herschel's PACS instrument F17 Herschel / PACS Guaranteed Time Programs at MPIA F18 NANTEN2: CI and mid‐J CO surveys of clouds and galaxies of the southern sky     

The Far‐Infrared Emission of Galaxies

C01 Study of local infrared bright galaxies with HERSHCEL‐PACS C02 PDR modeling of the COBE Far‐Infrared data of the Milky Way C03 MAMBO observations of BzK‐selected vigorous starburst galaxies at z ∼ 2 C04 Starburst galaxies in the far‐infrared. Modelling the line, PAH and dust continuum emission C05 The SED from isothermal clouds C06 PDRs in M83 and M51: The road to HIFI/Herschel and SOFIA C07 Large Scale Mapping of Molecular Gas in the Vicinity of 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud C08 Modelling far‐infrared emission from dust in gas‐rich galaxies C09 [CII]/CO(1‐0) Line Ratio at low Metallicities C10 Gas, Stars and Dust in the Spiral Arms of M51 C11 The ISOPHOT 170 micron Serendipity Survey (ISOSS) catalog of optically identified galaxies C12 Spitzer Images of M33: A Probe to Radio‐FIR Correlation C13 Observations of far‐infrared emission from dust in gas‐rich galaxies C14 Dust and Gas in Nearby Galaxies: First Results from SINGS and THINGS C15 Sequential Starburst in Arp220?     

Simulation analysis of domestic water demand and its future uncertainty in water scarce areas

This paper demonstrates a practical simulation approach to analyze domestic water demand and its future uncertainty in water scarce areas through a case study of Beijing, China. Analytic models and a forecasting model were constructed using statistic and econometric regression approaches. The analytic models were used to analyze the interrelationships between domestic water demand and some socio-economic factors of Beijing. The forecasting model was applied to predict domestic water demand from 2009 to 2015, and this model was validated by comparing the prediction values with the observations. Scenario analysis was applied to simulate uncertainty and risks in domestic water demand in the future. The simulation results proved that domestic water demand will increase from 13.9×10⁸ m³ to 16.7×10⁸ m³ from 2009 to 2015. Three more sustainable strategies were also found through scenario analysis. The simulation and modeling approaches and results would be very supportive for water decision makers in allocating water efficiently and making sustainable water strategies.     

Identification of a sulfide derivative with a bicyclic hydrocarbon skeleton related to squalene. Part I: synthesis of a dithiane triterpenoid

In order to confirm the tentative structure of a dithiane sulfide with a bicyclic squalene hydrocarbon skeleton representing the predominant alkyl sulfide in Shell Beach samples from the Monterey Formation (Miocene, CA) and also occurring in various immature sulphur-rich sediments [Schouten, S., Sinninghe Damsté, J.S., de Leeuw, J.W., 1995. A novel triterpenoid carbon skeleton in immature sulphur-rich sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 59, 953–958], synthesis of a reference compound bearing two thiochromane moieties has been carried out. The product was obtained as a diastereomeric mixture appearing in the form of five peaks (partly) resolved in gas chromatography (GC). This is in sharp contrast with the geochemical compound, which appears as a single broad peak in GC. Co-elution experiments showed that none of the peaks from the synthetic mixture coelute in GC with that of the geochemical sulfide. Furthermore, the different synthetic isomers have identical mass spectra, which are clearly distinct from that of the naturally-occurring compound. The results unambiguously indicate that the natural compound is not the dithiane triterpenoid originally envisaged. Instead, we propose that the compound has a structure of a bicyclic squalene derivative bearing two “S-spiro”-type moieties as is the case for other sulfides related to regular polycyclic polyprenoids and hopanoids in Monterey sediments.