Tar ball frequency data and analytical results from a long-term beach monitoring program

Following the spill of fuel oils from the New Carissa in February 1999, approximately 300 km of beaches on the Pacific coast of North America were surveyed. A long-term observation program focused on the documentation of stranded tar balls in the vicinity of the spill site. Systematic beach surveys which were conducted over the period March 1999 to April 2001 and semi-logarithmic scale, time-series plots proved the most useful format for identifying trends. Beach monitoring continued through to August 2001. by which time 212 tar balls had been analyzed by GC/MS for their chemical characteristics. The samples of tar balls collected between February 1999 and August 2001 were qualitatively compared with New Carissa source oils (NCSO) and 101 (48%) were not consistent with NSCO. The presence of tar balls that are not related to an incident can confound attempts to define cleanup or endpoint criteria and to assess possible injury to natural resources.     

The persistence and character of stranded oil on coarse-sediment beaches

Small amounts of oil that can persist for decades in the intertidal zone of coarse-sediment beaches have been documented in a few well-studied cases. Oil that survives attenuation over the short-term (weeks to months) will persist until there is a change in the environmental conditions, as might occur where there is a seasonal storm-wave climate or as a beach undergoes long-term (erosional) changes. Oil residues can persist on the beach surface as tar mats, asphalt-like pavements, or as veneers on sediment particles or hard surfaces. Subsurface oil residues can persist in similar forms or as fill or partial fill of the pore spaces between coarse-sediment particles. Oil penetrates until it reaches fine-grained sediment, the water table, bedrock, or other penetration-limiting layers. Amounts of persistent oil are very small fractions of the volumes that were originally stranded and these protected residues can continue to biodegrade as they become thinner and more discontinuous.     

砂岩油藏剩余油分布地质研究

胜利油区多数油田总体上已进入中高、特高含水期,为了有效地控制产量递减和提高采收率,对部分油田进行了精细油藏描述和剩余油分布研究,总结出了一套行之有效的寻找剩余油的地质研究方法,认为构造、微型构造、沉积微相等是影响剩余油分布的重要因素。结合对胜利油区ＤＸ油田剩余油分布研究介绍了该方法。     

Genomic cloning and expression of vitellogenin gene from the self-fertilizing fish Rivulus marmoratus (Cyprinodontiformes, Rivulidae)

We cloned the vitellogenin gene from the self-fertilizing fish Rivulus marmoratus, and sequenced 12,326 bp. The number of exons of R. marmoratus and rainbow trout vitellogenin genes were different, and also the splicing junctions are different throughout most of the exons and introns but the amino acid similarity of R. marmoratus vitellogenin gene to other species was rather high. In promoter region of R. marmoratus vitellogenin gene, there were several E2 binding sites and the estrogen response element (ERE). We discuss here the gene structure and expression of R. marmoratus vitellogenin gene.     

Coupling basin- and site-scale inverse models of the Española aquifer

Large-scale models are frequently used to estimate fluxes to small-scale models. The uncertainty associated with these flux estimates, however, is rarely addressed. We present a case study from the Espa?ola Basin, northern New Mexico, where we use a basin-scale model coupled with a high-resolution, nested site-scale model. Both models are three-dimensional and are analyzed by codes FEHM and PEST. Using constrained nonlinear optimization, we examine the effect of parameter uncertainty in the basin-scale model on the nonlinear confidence limits of predicted fluxes to the site-scale model. We find that some of the fluxes are very well constrained, while for others there is fairly large uncertainty. Site-scale transport simulation results, however, are relatively insensitive to the estimated uncertainty in the fluxes. We also compare parameter estimates obtained by the basin- and site-scale inverse models. Differences in the model grid resolution (scale of parameter estimation) result in differing delineation of hydrostratigraphic units, so the two models produce different estimates for some units. The effect is similar to the observed scale effect in medium properties owing to differences in tested volume. More important, estimation uncertainty of model parameters is quite different at the two scales. Overall, the basin inverse model resulted in significantly lower estimates of uncertainty, because of the larger calibration dataset available. This suggests that the basin-scale model contributes not only important boundary condition information but also improved parameter identification for some units. Our results demonstrate that caution is warranted when applying parameter estimates inferred from a large-scale model to small-scale simulations, and vice versa.     

Bacterial community and some physico-chemical characteristics in a subtropical mangrove environment in Bahrain

A study of bacterial communities and some physico-chemical parameters of a subtropical mangrove habitat in the Arabian Gulf (Bahrain) was carried out in 1993-1994. Six stations at different parts of the tidal channel were selected for sampling. The mangrove habitat was found to harbor diverse bacterial communities, included among them anoxygenic phototrophs (AP), oxygenic phototrophs (OP), organotrophs (OT), total coliforms (TC), faecal coliforms (FC) and haloalkaliphiles (HA). Spatial and temporal variations in bacterial communities and environmental parameters were found. Each of the OT, AP, TC, and FC were dominant in the innermost stations (S1&S2) and gradually decreased seaward. The HA community on the other hand, was dominant at the seaward stations (S5&S6) and was most likely to have originated from the sea through the tidal flows. Both AP and OT were considered as part of the mangrove native flora, whereas TC and FC were alien and believed to have been introduced through partially treated sewage released at the upstream of the tidal channel. Closely monitoring of the mangrove water revealed succession pattern in bacterial communities. The AP community was predominant from November 1993 to March 1994, succeeded by dominance of OP from June 1994 to October 1994. Both bacterial blooms gave water a pinkish, purple, or green color, respectively. Although OT prevailed during Transitional period between AP and OP eutrophication, it remained comparatively constant (not less than 2 x 10(5)cfu/ml) through other periods. Frequent eutrophication phenomena of OP, which took place in summer and autumn, coincided with increases in water temperature, chlorophyll a, and nutrients (NO(3)(-) and PO(4)(-)). On the other hand, OT and AP were negatively correlated with temperature, salinity and chlorophyll a, but no specific pattern was observed in relation to NO(3)(-) and PO(4)(-). In comparison with seawater, nutrients such as NO(3)(-) and PO(4)(-) were consistently higher in the mangrove habitat. Partially treated sewage and farm drainage canals are proposed to form additional sources of nutrients. Although, the mangrove habitat has been demonstrated to possess self-cleaning properties, data obtained suggest that anthropogenic pollution has a deleterious effect.     

The impact of sika deer grazing on the vegetation and infauna of Arne saltmarsh

Arne saltmarsh, an RSPB reserve, is situated in Poole Harbour on the English south coast. In recent years, there has been concern about possible changes in the suitability of the site for Redshank (Trigna totanus) due to sika deer (Cervus nippon) grazing. In order to assess these changes, 50 plots were established in three different locations: 20 in grazed areas, 20 in ungrazed areas and 10 fenced enclosures. Deer grazing was found to significantly affect structural and species diversity of the saltmarsh vegetation. Spartina anglica dominated in ungrazed areas whilst Salicornia ramosissima and, to a lesser extent, Puccinellia maritima dominated in grazed sites. In grazed areas the vegetation cover was significantly lower, as was vegetation height and volume. In addition, significant changes were observed in the root biomass, which was lower in grazed areas. Infaunal diversity was generally low throughout the survey area. However, significant variations were observed. Invertebrates abundance was more abundant in grazed plots than in ungrazed plots, and least abundant in fenced plots. The study indicated that in its current condition, localised areas of Arne saltmarsh do not provide adequate habitat requirements for Tringa totanus.     

Interaction of oil and mineral fines on shorelines: review and assessment

The interaction of fine mineral particles with stranded oil in an aqueous medium reduces the adhesion of the oil to solid surfaces, such as sediments or bedrock. The net result is the formation of stable, micron-sized, oil droplets that disperse into the water column. In turn, the increase in surface area makes the oil more available for biodegradation. This interaction, referred to as oil–mineral aggregate (OMA) formation, can explain how oiled shorelines are cleaned naturally in the absence of wave action in very sheltered coastal environments. OMA formation also plays an important role in the efficacy of shoreline treatment techniques, such as physical mixing and sediment relocation that move oiled sediments into the zone of wave action to promote the interaction between oil and mineral fines. Successful application of these shoreline treatment options has been demonstrated at two spill events (the Tampa Bay response in Florida and the Sea Empress operation in Wales) and at a controlled oil spill experiment in the field (the 1997 Svalbard ITOSS program). Sediment relocation harnesses the hydraulic action of waves so that the processes of fine-particle interaction and physical abrasion usually occur in tandem on open coasts. There has been no evidence of significant detrimental side-effects of residual oil in pelagic or benthic environments associated with the use of these treatment options to enhance rates of dispersion and oil biodegradation.