Sediment oxygen profiles in a super-oxygenated antarctic lake

Perennially ice-covered lakes are found in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. In contrast to temperate lakes that have diurnal photic periods, antarctic (and arctic) lakes have a yearly photic period. An unusual feature of the antarctic lakes is the occurrence of O2 at supersaturated levels in certain portions of the water column. Here we report the first sediment O2 profiles obtained using a microelectrode from a perennially ice-covered antarctic lake. Sediment cores collected in January and October 1987 from Lake Hoare in Taylor Valley show oxygenation down to 15, and in some cases, 25 cm. The oxygenation of sediments several centimeters below the sediment-water interface is atypical for lake sediments and may be characteristic of perennially ice-covered lakes. There is a significant difference between the observed January and October sediment O2 profiles. Several explanations may account for the difference, including seasonality. A time-dependent model is presented which tests the feasibility of a seasonal cycle resulting from the long photoperiod and benthic primary production in sediments overlain by a highly oxygenated water column.     

Orbitolinidae and Alveolinidae (Foraminiferida) from the uppermost Albian-lower Cenomanian of Monti d'Ocre (Abruzzi, Italy)

A biostratigraphic study carried out in the Monti d'Ocre area, Abruzzi, Central Apennines, allowed us to recognize Orbitolina (Conicorbitolina) moulladei ‘Strata 5 (1985) 1’, Praealveolina iberica Reichel and Praealveolina simplex Reichel in uppermost Albian–lower Cenomanian shelf-edge deposits of the Fossato Machè succession. These foraminifers have now been found for the first time in the Apennines of central Italy; their finding is quite important from a palaeobiogeographic viewpoint, as it contributes to the improvement of our knowledge on facies distribution in the circum-Mediterranean regions during the Cretaceous Period. In the study area, the coeval Monte Rotondo and Monte Orsello sections also crop out; these are characterized by bauxite deposits and stratigraphic gaps reflecting episodes of emergence on the carbonate platform. The Monte Rotondo and Monte Orsello sections accumulated in a platform back-reef environment; consequently, in this sector of the Monti d'Ocre area, the depositional environment shifted from a back-reef westward and southward to a shelf-edge northward, during the latest Albian–early Cenomanian. Owing to synsedimentary tectonics, the area investigated underwent differential subsidence: westward and southward, wide areas were uplifted and subjected to emergence, karstification and bauxite accumulation, whereas sedimentation continued in a shelf-edge environment in the north-eastern area.     

Long-term changes of zoobenthic fauna and submerged vegetation in the shallow Lake Monterosi (Italy)

Benthic invertebrates and aquatic vegetation were investigated in the volcanic Lake Monterosi with the aim to define the stage of development reached during progressive modifications which occurred in the shallow lake. Increasing trophy and introduction of an exotic plant (Nelumbo nucifera) were the key-factors responsible for the rapid qualitative reduction of the macrophyte population and its modification to non rooted plants (Ceratophyllum demersum). The invertebrate fauna associated with macrophytes was found to be abundant, diversified (83 taxa) and characterized by high diversity and presence of bioindicators of mesotrophy. Although the zoobenthic community appeared to be positively influenced by the macrophyte-dominated stage, some negative effects of Nelumbo-colonization on the invertebrate fauna indicated that further growth of this plant would cause a rapid change in the lake.     

Evaluation of general and specific stress indices in mussels collected from populations subjected to different levels of heavy metal pollution

It has been shown that the rate of protein synthesis is significantly decreased in various tissues of mussels gathered from a coastal area, characterised by a high level of pollution, when compared with animals collected in the reference unpolluted area. Such a decrease may represent a general stress index. Additional biological parameters, such as amino acid uptake and RNA synthesis, are similarly decreased in the mussels collected from the polluted area.Moreover, it has been demonstrated that in the digestive gland of the animals sampled from the heavy metal polluted area the level of low molecular weight thionein-like Cu-binding proteins is three times higher than in the digestive gland of the control mussels. The increase in the level of metallothionein-like proteins in the digestive gland of the mussels appears to represent a specific stress index directly related to the presence in the sea water of high concentrations of heavy metals.     

Potential evidence for slab detachment from the flexural backstripping of a foredeep: Insight on the evolution of the Pescara basin (Italy)

The discrepancy between the size of the Apenninic chain and the depth of the Adriatic foredeep is investigated using 2D flexural backstripping on well‐constrained depth‐converted cross‐sections in the Pescara basin (Central Italy). The procedure consisted of removal, uplift, unfolding and unfaulting of the Pliocene–Pleistocene foreland deposits to produce a palaeogeographic map of the basin at the end of the Messinian and to constrain sedimentary rates since the Miocene. Results are found to support the contribution of an external load to the foreland evolution together with the Apenninic chain load. The interplay of the two types of loads resulted in spatial and temporal variations of the foredeep evolution that are quantified by palaeogeographic maps and sedimentation rates obtained through backstripping. Results are interpreted as representing the effects of a southward‐migrating wave linked to slab detachment beneath the Adriatic foredeep. This procedure can be useful to investigate similar problems on other chains worldwide.     

Multiple techniques for mineral identification on Mars:: a study of hydrothermal rocks as potential analogues for astrobiology sites on Mars

Spectroscopic studies of Mars analog materials combining multiple spectral ranges and techniques are necessary in order to obtain ground truth information for interpretation of rocks and soils on Mars. Two hydrothermal rocks from Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, were characterized here because they contain minerals requiring water for formation and they provide a possible niche for some of the earliest organisms on Earth. If related rocks formed in hydrothermal sites on Mars, identification of these would be important for understanding the geology of the planet and potential habitability for life. XRD, thermal properties, VNIR, mid-IR, and Raman spectroscopy were employed to identify the mineralogy of the samples in this study. The rocks studied here include a travertine from Mammoth Formation that contains primarily calcite with some aragonite and gypsum and a siliceous sinter from Octopus Spring that contains a variety of poorly crystalline to amorphous silicate minerals. Calcite was detected readily in the travertine rock using any one of the techniques studied. The small amount of gypsum was uniquely identified using XRD, VNIR, and mid-IR, while the aragonite was uniquely identified using XRD and Raman. The siliceous sinter sample was more difficult to characterize using each of these techniques and a combination of all techniques was more useful than any single technique. Although XRD is the historical standard for mineral identification, it presents some challenges for remote investigations. Thermal properties are most useful for minerals with discrete thermal transitions. Raman spectroscopy is most effective for detecting polarized species such as CO₃, OH, and CH, and exhibits sharp bands for most highly crystalline minerals when abundant. Mid-IR spectroscopy is most useful in characterizing Si-O (and metal-O) bonds and also has the advantage that remote information about sample texture (e.g., particle size) can be determined. Mid-IR spectroscopy is also sensitive to structural OH, CO₃, and SO₄ bonds when abundant. VNIR spectroscopy is best for characterizing metal excitational bands and water, and is also a good technique for identification of structural OH, CO₃, SO₄, or CH bonds. Combining multiple techniques provides the most comprehensive information about mineralogy because of the different selection rules and particle size sensitivities, in addition to maximum coverage of excitational and vibrational bands at all wavelengths. This study of hydrothermal rocks from Yellowstone provides insights on how to combine information from multiple instruments to identify mineralogy and hence evidence of water on Mars.     

Macrovortices-induced horizontal mixing in compound channels

We investigate, within the framework of the nonlinear shallow water equations (NSWE), the generation and evolution of large-scale eddies with vertical axis (macrovortices hereinafter) which are responsible for much of the horizontal mixing occurring at the boundaries between the main channel and the flood planes of a compound channel. We show that the mechanism of generation of vorticity is essentially inviscid and is analogous to that occurring at a curved shock. Numerical experiments performed by means of a recently developed shock-capturing model for the solution of the NSWE, and described in Brocchini et al. (2001), clarify some features of macrovortices generation and allow us to quantify the momentum transfer across the channel.Responsible Editor: Hans Burchard     

Reflectance spectroscopy of ferric sulfate-bearing montmorillonites as Mars soil analog materials

Spectroscopic analyses have shown that smectites enhanced in the laboratory with additional ferric species exhibit important similarities to those of the soils on Mars. Ferrihydrite in these chemically treated smectites has features in the visible to near-infrared region that resemble the energies and band strengths of features in reflectance spectra observed for several bright regions on Mars. New samples have been prepared with sulfate as well, because S was found by Viking to be a major component in the surface material on Mars. A suite of ferrihydrite-bearing and ferric sulfate-bearing montmorillonites, prepared with variable Fe3+ and S concentrations and variable pH conditions, has been analyzed using reflectance spectroscopy in the visible and infrared regions, M?ssbauer spectroscopy at room temperature and 4 K, differential thermal analysis, and X-ray diffraction. These analyses support the formation of ferrihydrite of variable crystallinity in the ferrihydrite-bearing montmorillonites and a combination of schwertmannite and ferrihydrite in the ferric sulfate-bearing montmorillonites. Small quantities of poorly crystalline or nanophase forms of other ferric materials may also be present in these samples. The chemical formation conditions of the ferrihydrite-bearing and ferric sulfate-bearing montmorillonites influence the character of the low temperature M?ssbauer sextets and the visible reflectance spectra. An absorption minimum is observed at 0.88-0.89 micrometers in spectra of the ferric sulfate-bearing samples, and at 0.89-0.92 micrometers in spectra of the ferrihydrate-bearing montmorillonites. M?ssbauer spectra of the ferric sulfate-bearing montmorillonites indicate variable concentrations of ferrihydrite and schwertmannite in the interlaminar spaces and along grain surfaces. Dehydration under reduced atmospheric pressure conditions induces a greater effect on the adsorbed and interlayer water in ferrihydrite-bearing montmorillonite than on the water in ferric sulfate-bearing montmorillonite. Reflectance spectra of ferric sulfate-bearing montmorillonite include a strong 3-micrometers band that is more resistant to dry atmospheric conditions than the 3-micrometers band in spectra of similarly prepared ferrihydrite-bearing montmorillonites.     

On the wave damping due to a permeable seabed

Laboratory experiments were performed to study the wave damping induced by a porous bed. During the propagation of waves over a porous medium the wave characteristics change: a significant wave height attenuation of about 20–30% is observed and, in almost all cases, an increase in wavelength. The wave decay is found to depend on the wave characteristics like the wave height, the wavelength and the wave shape. We have also studied the influence of the geometric properties of the porous bed (i.e. thickness and length) on the wave dissipation. It is found that the attenuation of the wave height increases with the permeable bed thickness and that there is a maximum wave dissipation for a length of the porous seabed equal to 2.0–2.5 times the wavelength. A comparison is also made of our findings with available literature results. A parametric study of the wave damping has been performed by varying the values of the resistance coefficients derived by both literature and experiments. Literature analytical models have been applied by using the resistance coefficients that better describe our flow conditions. All models in use underpredict the observed wave attenuation for any sensible values of the resistance coefficients.