Geology and petrogenesis of the edgecumbe volcanic field,SE Alaska: The interaction of basalt and sialic crust

The Edgecumbe volcanic field is a Holocene volcanic province located on Kruzof Island, SE Alaska. Exposed within the 260 km² field are basalt, andesitic basalt, andesite, dacite and rhyodacite. The rhyodacites were erupted after the basalts and before the andesites. The volcanics, which are Al-rich (14–18 wt%) and lack an iron enrichment trend, range from tholeiites (47 wt% SiO₂) through rhyodacites (72%), but a compositional gap of approximately 9 wt% separates the dacites and rhyodacites. Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ranges from 0.70297 in the basalts to 0.70440 in a pyroxene andesite. δ ¹⁸O increases across the suite: 5.8‰ to 7.9‰. Plagioclase (An_32–86) is the dominant phenocryst in all but one lava. Olivine (Fo_58–86) occurs in the basic lavas (<53 wt% SiO₂), but is replaced by orthopyroxene (En_43–73) and clinopyroxene (En₃₁Wo₄₁-En₄₈Wo₄₀) in the more siliceous volcanics. In the basalts and rhyodacites, plagioclase is weakly zoned, but extreme zoning (<30 mole% An) is characteristic of phenocrysts in the intermediate lavas. Fractionation of the observed phenocryst assemblages could not have produced the more silicous volcanics. Instead they were generated by partial melting of intrusive basement (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70487; δ ¹⁸O: 8.7–9.3) by basaltic magma and subsequent assimilation. Mass balance calculations show the rhyodacites are almost pure partial melt (<5% basaltic component) whereas the intermediate lavas contain between 30 and 60% partial melt.     

Modelling Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in the Hudson Bay Complex Using Bulk Heat Flux Parameterization: Sensitivity to Atmospheric Forcing,and Model Resolution

ABSTRACT

Sea surface temperature (SST) from four Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) model simulations is analyzed to study the bulk flux parameterization to compute SST over the Hudson Bay Complex (HBC) for the summer months (August and September) from 2002 to 2009. The NEMO simulation was forced with two atmospheric forcing sets with different resolutions: the Coordinated Ocean-ice Reference Experiment, version 2 (COREv2), as the lower resolution and the Canadian Meteorological Centre’s Global Deterministic Prediction System Reforecasts (CGRF) as the higher resolution. The CGRF forcing is also implemented in the third and fourth runs using different runoff data and different NEMO resolutions (1/12° versus 1/4°). Results show that all four modelled SSTs followed observed SST patterns, with regional differences in SST bias between simulations with different atmospheric forcing. The SST differences are small between simulations forced with the same atmospheric forcing but with different model resolution or runoff. This implies that the model resolution and runoff have a small effect on the simulated SST in the HBC. Moreover, to better capture the effect of near-surface temperature (T_air) on simulated SST, we conducted three analyses using the Haney flux linearization formula. Results from these assessments did not indicate any direct influence on the model-simulated SSTs by T_air. Looking at the heat flux as a signature for SST showed that both averaged spatial distribution and time series of net heat flux produced by the three CGRF forcing simulations were higher than the net heat flux generated by the CORE 2 simulation. This was generally true for all four components of the total heat flux (sensible, latent, shortwave, and longwave) individually as well. Total heat flux in summer is governed by the shortwave heat flux, with values up to 120?W?m^?2 in August, and the longwave heat flux is the main contributor to the total heat flux differences. These heat flux differences lead to corresponding colder model SSTs for the CGRF runs and warmer SSTs for the CORE 2 simulations.     

Quantitation of CYP1A expression in two flatfish species showing different prevalences of contaminant-induced hepatic disease

English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus) and starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus) are two sympatric flatfish species which show markedly different responses to chemical contaminant exposure. Whereas English sole develop hepatic neoplasms, the prevalences of which are strongly linked to exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), evidence of neoplasia is virtually nonexistent in starry flounder, even those residing in areas with very high levels of PAH in the sediments. Because PAHs are activated to genotoxic forms by the action of cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) in teleosts, we are examining the hypothesis that variation in the hepatic expression of this major inducible cytochrome P450 isozyme may contribute to the differential contaminant response. These two species were captured in the Duwamish Waterway, a contaminated area of Puget Sound, Washington. Catalytic activity of CYP1A [determined as aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity] was measured in the liver to quantitatively assess the relative induction of CYP1A in these two species, and AHH activity was significantly higher in English sole than in starry flounder (p = 0.015). Cellular expression of CYP1A was determined by immunohistochemical localization of tissues, using an avidin-biotin peroxidase complex method, with polyclonal rabbit anti-cod CYP1A. The results showed a markedly reduced expression of CYP1A in hepatocytes of starry flounder, which is consistent with the apparent resistance of this species to the development of hepatocellular neoplasia. This reduced expression of CYP1A in hepatocytes of contaminant-exposed fish was previously seen in oyster toadfish from the Elizabeth River, Virginia, and this species is also apparently resistant to hepatocellular neoplasia.     

Simulating compound flooding events in a hurricane

Ocean Dynamics - Compound flooding is usually induced by the concurrence of coastal storm surge and heavy precipitation induced river flooding, with the former involving oceanic processes and the...