Testing the consistency of the Starburst scenario for active galactic nuclei

In the frame of the Starburst Model, we show that the evolution of a massive stellar cluster in a high metallicity environment can reproduce the observed emission-line spectrum and the UV-optical Spectral Energy Distribution of the Seyfert 2 galaxies and LINERs. We apply the results of our models to three objects: NGC 5506, NGC 5643 and Mk 348.     

Trace elements contamination of agricultural soils affected by sulphide exploitation (Iberian Pyrite Belt,Sw Spain)

Agricultural soils of the Riotinto mining area (Iberian Pyrite Belt) have been studied to assess the degree of pollution by trace elements as a consequence of the extraction and treatment of sulphides. Fifteen soil samples were collected and analysed by ICP-OES and INAA for 51 elements. Chemical analyses showed an As–Cu–Pb–Zn association related with the mineralisation of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. Concentrations were 19–994 mg kg⁻¹ for As, 41–4,890 mg kg⁻¹ for Pb, 95–897 mg kg⁻¹ for Zn and of 27–1,160 mg kg⁻¹ for Cu. Most of the samples displayed concentrations of these elements higher than the 90th percentile of the corresponding geological dominium, which suggests an anthropogenic input besides the bedrock influence. Samples collected from sediments were more contaminated than leptosols because they were polluted by leachates or by mining spills coming from the waste rock piles. The weathering of the bedrock is responsible for high concentrations in Co, Cr and Ni, but an anthropogenic input, such as wind-blown dust, seems to be indicative of the high content of As, Cu, Pb and Zn in leptosols. The metal partitioning patterns show that most trace elements are associated with Fe amorphous oxy-hydroxides, or take part of the residual fraction. According to the results obtained, the following mobility sequence is proposed for major and minor elements: Mn, Pb, Cd, > Zn, Cu > Ni > As > Fe > Cr. The high mobility of Pb, Cu and Zn involve an environmental risk in this area, even in soils where the concentrations are not so high.     

Community structure and dynamics of deep-water decapod assemblages from Le Danois Bank (Cantabrian Sea, NE Atlantic): Influence of environmental variables and food availability

The community structure of the decapod crustaceans inhabiting Le Danois Bank (Cantabrian Sea, NE Atlantic Ocean) was studied on two cruises performed in October 2003 and April 2004. Otter and beam-trawls were used to collect this fauna. At depths ranging between 455 and 1048 m, we found distinct decapod assemblages on the bank summit and deeper in the inner basin (between the bank and the continental shelf). The faunal discontinuity between these groups appeared at around 600 m (e.g. between 612 and 642 m in the basis of species replacement). The summit assemblage was characterized by low diversity (in terms of number and relative abundances of species) and by the dominance of hermit crabs (Pagurus alatus, Anapagurus laevis, Pagurus excavatus), the crangonid Pontophilus spinosus and the squat lobster Munida sarsi. Species characterizing the deeper assemblage, which was richer in terms of diversity, were Munida tenuimana, Parapagurus pilosimanus, Pontophilus norvegicus, the crab Geryon trispinosus and a number of bathypelagic shrimps (Sergia robusta, Acanthephyra pelagica and Pasiphaea tarda). Changes in decapod composition characterized by multidimensional scaling analyses were correlated with different variables, e.g. %mud and %organic matter (OM), temperature and salinity close to the bottom. Among those the %OM and %mud in sediments affected decapod distributions the most. The summit of the bank was covered by fine sediments with low proportion of mud (13.9–29.3%) and OM (2.55–3.50%). By contrast, sediment of the inner basin had a higher proportion of OM and mud (64.1–84.2%; 6.26–7.00%, respectively). The low proportion of mud at the summit of Le Danois Bank may explain the absence or scarcity of burrowing species (e.g. the lobster Nephrops norvegicus, the shrimps Calocaris macandreae and Alpheus glaber and the crab Goneplax rhomboides), that are dominant at similar depths (400–500 m) in the upper muddy assemblage on the mainland-continental slope in the Bay of Biscay (44–46°N). The dominance of certain species on the summit of submarine mounts can probably be related to their biology and feeding ecology. For example, pagurids are deposit feeders, even consuming marine snow (e.g. Chl-a identified in guts of Pagurus alatus), and they have low gut fullness (probably indicating a capacity to withstand long periods under starvation), that would favour their adaptability to a rather unpredictable habitat such as Le Danois Bank summit. Regarding prey availability, zooplankton/micronekton and infauna distributed around Le Danois Bank showed different depth-related patterns. Among zooplankton, mesopelagic decapods, mysids, and fishes were absent at the bank summit, while euphausiids exhibited high abundances over the summit. No significant trends with depth were found for infauna abundance, and for instance polychaete densities were similar both at the summit and the inner basin. Therefore, prey availability was lower for summit assemblages regarding zooplankton/micronekton. Patterns in mean size vs. depth were species specific for decapods, and the possible role of the bank summit as a recruitment area was not general for the whole decapod assemblage.     

Towards a nonperturbation transport theory in hetereogeneous aquifers

A large body of existing theories of flow and contaminant transport in aquifers ignore the presence of recharge, eliminate the boundary conditions, neglect transient conditions in groundwater flow, conceive hydraulic gradients as linear, and require parameter variability to be stationary and Gaussian. The most outstanding and difficult to justify assumption is the subjective small size of the stochastic terms (i.e., small perturbation methods), which usually is forced by considering the logarithm of the hydraulic conductivity. Several problems in flow and contaminant subsurface hydrology, such as the enhanced dispersion parameters with plume size or time after injection, remain to be observed in the light of a stochastic theory that allows a more realistic consideration of physical and hydrologic properties. In this article, an attempt is made to reformulate a contaminant transport equation (the variable dispersion equation, VDE) with transport parameters in terms of regional hydrologic and aquifer hydraulic properties, such as recharge rate, spatially random transmissivity, hydraulic gradient, aquifer thickness, and soil porosity. Subsequently, a general analytic procedure, the method of decomposition, is used to derive a solution to the VDE. This procedure does not require small perturbation, logarithmic transformations, or specific probability law assumptions. Comparison tests with existing theoretical and field results are given. The tests illustrate the enhanced dispersion and shifting concentration effects produced by the variable dispersion equation. Finally a generalization of the method to nonstationary dispersion in three-dimensional domains is proposed.     

Genetic and chemical relationships between berthierine,chlorite and cordierite in nodules associated to granitic pegmatites of Sierra Albarrana (Iberian Massif,Spain)

Chlorite and berthierine occur through alteration of cordierite within enclaves of metamorphic rocks transformed by the Sierra Albarrana pegmatites. The coexistence of both phyllosilicates allows us to study their stability relationships and to compare their chemical compositions. Samples showing incipient replacement of cordierite by small cryptocrystalline aggregates can be identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) as berthierine with small quantities of chlorite. Electron Microprobe (EMP) analyses give mixed compositions of berthierine and cordierite. Samples with extensive replacement of cordierite by aggregates show similar characteristics to those with incipient replacement, but some small crystals are present. The last type of sample shows complete replacement of cordierite by crystals showing optical properties of chlorite and EMPA compositions coherent with chlorite or berthierine. Their XRD pattern corresponds to chlorite and their high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images only show perfect sequences of 14 Å lattice fringes. The cryptocrystalline aggregates of the samples with incipient and extensive replacement present coexistent areas of 14 Å and 7 Å lattice fringes that are intergrown at different levels: (1) large areas (> 1 m) of 7 Å layers; (2) packets of 7 Å layers between 14 Å layer areas, with visible 7 Å to 14 Å lateral changes; (3) random mixed-layers 7 Å/14 Å. Chlorite is the final stable product of alteration of cordierite, with berthierine as an intermediate metastable phase. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry microanalyses of 14 Å, 7 Å and (14+7) Å areas show lack of systematic differences in chemical compositions between both phyllosilicates which may be considered as true polymorphs.     

The use of the exponent K(q) function to delimit homogeneous regions in regional frequency analysis of extreme annual daily rainfall

The regional frequency analysis of extreme annual rainfall data is a useful methodology in hydrology to obtain certain quantile values when no long data series are available. The most crucial step in the analysis is the grouping of sites into homogeneous regions. This work presents a new grouping criterion based on some multifractal properties of rainfall data. For this purpose, a regional frequency analysis of extreme annual rainfall data from the Maule Region (Chile) has been performed. Daily rainfall data series of 53 available stations have been studied, and their empirical moments scaling exponent functions K(q) have been obtained. Two characteristics parameters of the K(q) functions (γ_max and K(0)) have been used to group the stations into three homogeneous regions. Only five sites have not been possible to include into any homogenous regions, being the local frequency analysis of extreme daily rainfall the most appropriate method to be used at these locations. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.