Kinetics of Cd sorption, desorption and fixation by calcite: A long-term radiotracer study

Time-dependent sorption and desorption of Cd on calcite was studied over 210 days utilizing ¹⁰⁹Cd as a tracer to distinguish between ‘labile’ and ‘non-labile’ forms of sorbed Cd. Stabilizing the calcite suspensions for 12 months under atmospheric P_CO2 and controlled temperature was necessary to reliably follow Cd dynamics following initial sorption. Results revealed time-dependant Cd sorption and marked desorption hysteresis by calcite under environmentally relevant conditions. Data obtained were fitted to a first-order kinetic model and a concentric shell diffusion model. Both models described the progressive transfer of Cd²⁺ to a less reactive form within calcite and subsequent desorption of Cd subject to different initial contact times. The kinetic model provided a better fit to the combined sorption and desorption data (R² = 0.992). It differentiates between two ‘pools’ of sorbed Cd²⁺ on calcite, ‘labile’ and ‘non-labile’, in which labile sorbed Cd is in immediate equilibrium with the free Cd²⁺ ion activity in solution whereas non-labile Cd is kinetically restricted. For the diffusion model (R² = 0.959), the rate constants describing Cd dynamics in calcite produced a half-life for Cd desorption of ∼175 d, for release to a ‘zero-sink’ solution. Results from this study allow comment on the likely mechanisms occurring at the calcite surface following long-term Cd sorption.     

Numerical estimation of REV and permeability tensor for fractured rock masses by composite element method

The Monte Carlo method is used to generate parent stochastic discrete fracture network, from which a series of fractured rock samples of different sizes and orientations are extracted. The fracture network combined with a regular grid forms composite element mesh of the fractured rock sample, in which each composite element is composed of sub‐elements incised by fracture segments. The composite element method (CEM) for the seepage is implemented to obtain the nodal hydraulic potential as well as the seepage flow rates through the fractured rock samples. The application of CEM enables a large quantity of stochastic tests for the fractured rock samples because the pre‐process is facilitated greatly. By changing the sizes and orientations of the samples, the analysis of the seepage characteristics is realized to evaluate the variation of the permeability components, the existence of the permeability tensor and the representative element volume. The feasibility and effectiveness are illustrated in a numerical example. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Biaxial test simulations using a packing of polygonal particles

The mechanical response of cohesionless granular materials under monotonic loading is studied by performing molecular dynamic simulations. The diversity of shapes of soil grains is modelled by using randomly generated convex polygons as granular particles. Results of the biaxial test obtained for dense and loose media show that samples achieve the same void ratio at large strains independent of their initial density state. This limit state resembles the so‐called critical state of soil mechanics, except for some stress fluctuations, which remain for large deformations. These fluctuations are studied at the micro‐mechanical level, by following the evolution of the co‐ordination number, force chains and the fraction of the sliding contacts of the sample. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flexural isostatic response of the Alps to increased Quaternary erosion recorded by foreland basin remnants,SE France

We test the hypothesis that flexural isostatic compensation of the mass removed by enhanced Quaternary erosion is responsible for uplift of the Western European Alps and their forelands. We use two well‐preserved and well‐dated (1.8 Ma) abandonment surfaces of foreland basin remnants in SE France (the Chambaran and Valensole plateaux) as passive benchmarks for tilting of the foreland. Estimating their initial slope from morphometric scaling relationships, we determine bulk post‐depositional tilting of 0.5–0.8% for these surfaces. The calculated isostatic response of the Alpine lithosphere to erosional unloading, using the method recently proposed by Champagnac et al. [Geology 35 (2007) 195–198] , yields a predicted tilting of 0.3–0.4% in the considered areas, explaining approximately half of the determined post‐depositional tilting. Such long‐term deformation being insensitive to cyclic loading/unloading because of glaciations, we suspect the other half to be related to as yet undetermined long‐wavelength and long‐lived tectonic process(es).     

Cloning of cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) genes from the hermaphrodite fish Rivulus marmoratus and the Japanese medaka Oryzias latipes

To use two small fish Rivulus marmoratus (Cyprinodontiformes, Rivulidae) and the Japanese medaka Oryzias latipes (Belloniformes) as testing models in molecular ecotoxicology, we have cloned the cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) gene after screening of both genomic DNA libraries, and sequenced 11,863 and 7,243 bp including all the exons and introns with promoter regions, respectively. The Rivulus and the medaka CYP1A gene consisted of seven exons (including non-coding exons) with high homology to mammals. In the promoter region, Rivulus CYP1A gene has seven xenobiotic response elements (XREs) and two metal response elements (MREs), while the Japanese medaka CYP1A gene has six XREs and four MREs. Interestingly, medaka CYP1A gene has a number of MREs at the promoter, which may affect its response on metal exposure. We describe here the gene structure of both fish CYP1A genes.     

On the recovery of surface wave by pressure transfer function

Except the commonly selected pressure transfer function derived from the linear wave theory, a previous study on the pressure transfer function for recovering surface wave from underwater pressure transducer suggested that the pressure transfer function is a function of frequency parameter only. With careful analysis, this study showed that the pressure transfer function should include a transducer submergence parameter as that given by the linear theory. It was found that the previously suggested empirical formula should be restricted to measurements with the pressure transducer close to the surface; otherwise overestimation of wave height would result. Field measurements were carried out with an acoustic wave gauge and a synchronized pressure transducer located at various depths with submergence parameter close to 1 (near the sea floor). It was shown that the previous one-parameter empirical formula might overestimate the significant wave height by more than 30%. This study found that with deep-water wave bursts excluded, the transfer function based on the linear wave theory provided a fairly good estimation on the significant wave heights, with an average deviation of 3.6%.     

Consumption of bacteria by larvae of a deep-sea polychaete

We investigated whether trochophore larvae of the polychaete Hesiocaeca methanicola, which lives on exposed ice‐like methane hydrates between 500 and 600 m, could consume near‐bottom picoplankton. In laboratory trials larvae significantly reduced the growth rates of all types of picoplankton, including heterotrophic bacteria, Prochlorococcus sp., Synechococcus‐type cyanobacteria and phototrophic eucaryotes <3 μm. Our findings suggest that these types of plankton may be important food sources for deep‐sea planktotrophic larvae.     

Mapping sediment acoustic impedance using remote sensing acoustic techniques in a shallow-water carbonate environment

 Real-time trackline plots of surficial sediment acoustic impedance delineate several sedimentary facies off Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas. The sea floor within a 6×6 km surveyed area consists of carbonate muds (silts), sands and shell, rock, and live corals. The 4-kHz acoustic data supports this finding by providing a pictographic representation of the distribution and structure of several sediment facies types. Plotting the gridded acoustic data with commercial mapping software (Surfer) provides a three-dimensional (3D) perspective of the bottom topography with a color contour map of surficial sediment impedance (upper 0.4 m) draped over the 3D surface.