Determination of Molybdenum in Fifty Three Geochemical Reference Materials by Flameless Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

The molybdenum (Mo) contents of fifty three geochemical reference materials issued by ANRT, GIT-IWG, NIST and GSJ, have been determined by atomic absorption spectrometry, using a graphite furnace atomiser, after extraction of Mo dithiol with isoamyl acetate. Detection limits for this method (0.01 μg g⁻¹) are ten times smaller than for most classical methods. The agreement between the present results and published data is satisfactory.     

1994 COMPILATION OF ANALYTICAL DATA FOR MINOR AND TRACE ELEMENTS IN SEVENTEEN GSJ GEOCHEMICAL REFERENCE SAMPLES, "IGNEOUS ROCK SERIES"

Analytical data for minor and trace elements published or communicated to us, on seventeen GSJ (Geological Survey of Japan) reference samples, "Igneous rock series" received up to April 1994 are compiled. The data were evaluated statistically in consideration of analytical methods. Based on the selected available data, 1994 recommended and proposed values for 65 minor and trace elements are presented.     

DETERMINATION OF TOTAL NITROGEN AND CARBON IN TWENTY-TWO SEDIMENTARY ROCK REFERENCE SAMPLES BY COMBUSTION ELEMENTAL ANALYZER

Total nitrogen and carbon have been determined in 22 sedimentary rock reference samples by combustion elemental analyzer. Satisfactory agreement is observed between the present study and the published values but much more data for nitrogen are required for better comparisons.     

DETERMINATION OF MERCURY IN ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN GEOCHEMICAL REFERENCE SAMPLES BY COLD VAPOR ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY

The mercury content of 118 geochemical reference samples have been determined by combustion followed by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. The negative interference from volatile halogen and sulfur was eliminated by a packing of sodium carbonate in the combustion tube and addition of magnesium oxide to the samples. A comparison with published data show clearly the need for much more data on most reference samples.     

Elasticity and anharmonicity of potassium chloride at high temperature

High temperature elasticity of single crystal potassium chloride has been studied by the Rectangular Parallelepiped Resonance (RPR) method up to 870 K (? 3.8 times the Debye temperature, ?). The elastic stiffness moduli, C ₁₁ and C ₄₄, decrease linearly with temperature while C ₁₂ increases slightly with temperature. The RPR method is particularly suited to measurements of elasticity at high temperatures, since no glues (which decompose at high temperature) are used to connect the transducers to a specimen. As a consequence, the measured spectrum closely approximates the theoretical spectrum of a specimen freely suspended in space with no external contact. The present elasticity data permits the investigation of the thermodynamic properties of potassium chloride far above the Debye temperature when used together with the previous zero-pressure data on thermal expansivity and heat capacity. The equation of state of potassium chloride is virtually unaffected by anharmonicity, even at T/?=3.8. One result is that the thermal pressure for KCl above the Debye temperature linearly increases with temperature. There is also small dependence on volume, in contrast to NaCl where there is no dependence on volume.     

Elemental distribution of coastal sea and stream sediments in the island-arc region of Japan and mass transfer processes from terrestrial to marine environments

A total of 49 elements have been identified in 338 coastal sea sediment samples collected from an area situated off the Ise-Tokai region of Japan for a nationwide marine geochemical mapping project. The spatial distribution patterns of the elemental concentrations in coastal seas along with the existing geochemical maps in terrestrial areas were used to define the natural geochemical background variation, mass transport, and contamination processes. The elemental concentrations of coastal sea sediments are determined primarily by particle size and regional differences. Most elemental concentrations increase with a decrease in particle size. Some elements such as Ca, Mn, and Yb are found to exist in large quantities in coarse particles containing calcareous shells, Fe–Mn oxides, and felsic volcanic sediments. Regional differences reflect the mass transfer process from terrestrial areas to coastal seas and the influence of the local marine geology. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) reveals that for many elements, the particle size effect is predominant over regional difference. The mean chemical compositions of coastal sea sediments are similar to those of stream sediments in adjacent terrestrial areas and in the upper crust of Japan. This observation supports the fact that coastal sea sediments have certainly originated from terrestrial materials. However, the spatial distributions of elemental concentrations are not always continuous between the land and coastal seas. The scale of mass movement observed in marine geochemical maps occurs at a distance of 20 km from the river mouth. A detailed examination of the spatial distribution patterns of K (K₂O) and Cr concentrations suggests that terrestrial materials supplied through rivers are deposited near the shore initially, and then gravity-driven processes shift the sediments deeper into the basin. Contamination with heavy metals such as Zn, Cd and Pb was observed in coastal bays surrounded by urban and industrial areas. It is noteworthy that the areas with the highest concentration of these elements usually do not occur near the shore (not near the contamination source) but at the center of the bay. Unexpected low concentrations of Zn, Cd and Pb near shore may either be due to a decreased anthropogenic load in the most recent sediments or to dilution by unpolluted flood sediments.     

Zooplankton ecology with particular reference to the behaviour of diurnal vertical migration

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Zooplankton ecology with particular reference to the behaviour of diurnal vertical migration

     

Dynamics of microphytobenthic biomass in a coastal area of western Seto Inland Sea, Japan

This study focused on the causes of the variation in microphytobenthic biomass and the effects of this variation on macrobenthic animals in the western Seto Inland Sea, Japan, where the importance of microphytobenthos as the primary food source for benthic animals has been recently reported. We investigated the microphytobenthic biomass together with light attenuation of seawater, phytoplanktonic biomass, macrobenthic density and biomass at eight stations (water depth = 5–15 m) during four cruises in 1999–2000. The increased light attenuation coefficient of the water column associated with increased concentration of the phytoplanktonic Chl-a caused a decrease in light flux that reached the seafloor. The biomass of the microphytobenthos within the upper 1 cm of the sediment, 1.9–46.5 mg Chl-a m⁻², was inversely correlated with the phytoplanktonic biomass in the overlying water column, 10.9–65.0 mg Chl-a m⁻². Thus, interception of light by phytoplankton is considered to be a main cause of the variation in the microphytobenthic biomass. The microphytobenthos biomass showed a significant positive correlation with the macrobenthic density (78–9369 ind. m⁻²) and biomass (0.4–78.8 gWW m⁻²). It appears that the increase in oxygen production by the microphytobenthos allowed macrobenthic animals to become more abundant, as a consequence of oxygenation of the organically enriched muddy sediments (14.5 ± 2.69 mg TOC g⁻¹). This study suggests that the variation in the microphytobenthic biomass is influenced by the phytoplanktonic biomass due to shading effect, and the balance between these two functional groups might affect the variability in the macrobenthic density and biomass.     

Effects of irradiance on excystment of tintinnids from marine sediments

The effects of irradiance on the excystment of tintinids from marine sediments were examined by incubating sediment samples in filtered seawater under various light levels. The total incidence of tintinnid excystment over five days was significantly less at low irradiance at and less than 2.5 E m^–2sec^–1 comparing to that at higher irradiance, at and more than 6.9 E m^–2sec^–1 (p<0.01), indicating that excystment of tintinnids is inhibited under low irradiance conditions. These results imply that water depth, disturbance of surface sediments and vertical mixing of water influence the excystment of tintinnids in coastal areas because these factors determine the light levels to which the tintinnid cysts are exposed.