On the nature of intraplate earthquakes

Continental intraplate regions are characterized by uniform stresses over thousands of kilometers. Local stresses, with wavelengths of tens to hundreds of kilometers can accumulate at inhomogeneities lying within these regional fields. A variety of geological structures, herein called local stress concentrators (LSCs), act as elastic inhomogeneities. The temporal buildup of stress depends on the particular structure and its geometrical relationship with the regional stress field. The interaction of the local and the regional stress fields can result in the rotation of the latter over wavelengths of tens to hundreds of kilometers. This rotation can be detected by direct measurement or from seismicity data. Intraplate earthquakes (IPEs) result when the local stresses become comparable with their regional counterparts, i.e., hundreds of megapascals. Globally, most of the seismic energy release associated with IPEs occurs within old rifts which contain LSCs most favorable for stress buildup by stress inversion. Of the various LSCs, stepover en echelon faults are associated the largest IPEs. In low tectonic strain rate regions, IPEs are associated with larger stress drops. With the availability of a variety of LSCs, there is generally an absence of repeat earthquakes. Instead, successive earthquakes occur on different structures, leading to the observation of “roaming” earthquakes. These observations suggest a need for a reevaluation of seismic hazard estimation techniques. This study addresses some of these facets of the nature of IPEs with global examples, including a unique, detailed seismicity and geodetic data set collected in a dozen years following the 2001 M 7.7 Bhuj earthquake in western India.     

On the nature of cosmic dust in sedimentary rocks

In the paper, the chemical composition and origin of cosmic dust, as well as its distribution in the geological past, are discussed. Special attention is given to the problem of the difference in cosmic dust from volcanic dust on the basis of indicators such as cosmogenic helium and iridium.     

On the tensorial nature of advective porosity

Field tracer tests indicate that advective porosity, the quantity relating advective velocity to Darcy flux, may exhibit directional dependence. Hydraulic anisotropy explains some but not all of the reported directional results. The present paper shows mathematically that directional variations in advective porosity may arise simply from incomplete mixing of an inert tracer between directional flow channels within a sampling (or support) volume ω of soil or rock that may be hydraulically isotropic or anisotropic. In the traditional fully homogenized case, our theory yields trivially a scalar advective porosity equal to the interconnected porosity ϕ, thus explaining neither the observed directional effects nor the widely reported experimental finding that advective porosity is generally smaller than ϕ. We consider incomplete mixing under conditions in which the characteristic time t_D of longitudinal diffusion along channels across ω is much shorter than the characteristic time t_H required for homogenization through transverse diffusion between channels. This may happen where flow takes place preferentially through relatively conductive channels and/or fractures of variable orientation separated by material that forms a partial barrier to diffusive transport. Our solution is valid for arbitrary channel Peclet numbers on a correspondingly wide range of time scales t_D ⩽ t ≪ t_H. It shows that the tracer center of mass is advected at a macroscopic velocity which is generally not collinear with the macroscopic Darcy flux and exceeds it in magnitude. These two vectors are related through a second-rank symmetric advective dispersivity tensor Φ. If the permeability k of ω is a symmetric positive-definite tensor, so is Φ. However, the principal directions and values of these two tensors are generally not the same; whereas those of k are a fixed property of the medium and the length-scale of ω, those of Φ depend additionally on the direction and magnitude of the applied hydraulic gradient. When the latter is large, diffusion has negligible effect on Φ and one may consider tracer mass to be distributed between channels in proportion to the magnitude of their Darcy flux. This is made intuitive through a simple example of an idealized fracture network. Our analytical formalism reveals the properties of Φ but is too schematic to allow predicting the latter accurately on the basis of realistic details about the void structure of ω and tracer mass distribution within it. Yet knowing the tensorial properties of Φ is sufficient to allow determining it indirectly on the basis of ω-scale hydraulic and tracer data, including concentrations that represent homogenized samples extracted from (or sensed externally across) an ω-scale plume.     

磁尾中交换不稳定性所产生偶极化锋面的动力学特性研究

本文利用考虑了Hall效应和有限Larmor半径（FLR）效应的磁流体数值模拟研究了在离子惯性长度/离子Larmor半径尺度内偶极化锋面的动力学特性.偶极化锋面由磁尾近地区域中由于热压尾向梯度和磁场曲率力不平衡所引起的交换不稳定性自洽产生.数值研究表明,偶极化锋面是切向间断,在相对该锋面结构静止的参考系中等离子体穿过偶极化锋面的法向速度为零.Hall效应主要影响与偶极化锋面的切平面相正交的电场,使得锋面切向电流增大,同时产生锋面结构不对称.研究表明离子在Larmor半径尺度产生的FLR效应可导致锋面结构的大尺度漂移运动.由FLR效应产生的离子磁化流速在偶极化锋面的日下点处指向昏向,锋面后区域的速度晨向分量增长,从而导致整个锋面结构向晨向漂移.     

On the attribution of changing pan evaporation in a nature reserve in SW China

Negative trends of measured pan evaporation are widely reported. Studies of the factors that underlie this reduction in pan evaporation have not reached a consensus about the controlling factors. Most studies employ statistical analysis (correlation analysis or stepwise regression) to identify the controlling climatic variables; in contrast, few studies have employed physical‐based theories. In addition, observations of pan evaporation and related climatic variables are reported to be influenced by anthropogenic activities. Consequently, the observed trends of climatic variables in a nature reserve would be useful for understanding regional climate change. The present study site is located in Ailaoshan National Nature Reserve, SW China, which is free of anthropogenic activity. In this study, we firstly applied the adjusted PenPan model to estimate the pan evaporation. Then, using this physical‐based model, we identified a positive trend in pan evaporation, with a much larger increase in the dry season than in the wet season. The model results indicate that the change in the aerodynamic component is larger than that in the radiative component. In contrast to the reduction in wind speed and sunshine hours that has been reported in previous studies at various sites, we found that wind speed and sunshine hours have increased in recent decades, thereby explaining the increase of the pan evaporation rate. Wind speed made the greatest contribution to the change in pan evaporation, followed by sunshine duration. This study indicates that the potential evaporation has increased at this site despite the widely reported reduction in measured pan evaporation. During the dry season, the availability of water for agriculture and agroforestry could be threatened. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the accuracy of the bathymetry-generated gravitational field quantities for a depth-dependent seawater density distribution

In geophysical studies investigating the lithosphere structure, the gravitational field generated by the ocean density contrast (i.e., bathymetry-generated gravitational field) represents a significant amount of the signal to be modelled and subsequently removed from the Earth’s gravity field. The ocean density contrast is typically calculated as the difference between the mean density values of the Earth’s crust and seawater. The approximation of the actual seawater density distribution by its mean value yields relative errors up to about 2% in computed quantities of the gravitational field. To reduce these errors, a more realistic model of the seawater density distribution is utilized based on the analysis of existing oceanographic data of salinity, temperature, and pressure (depth). We study the accuracy of the bathymetry-generated gravitational field quantities formulated for a depth-dependent model of the seawater density distribution. This density distribution approximates the seawater density variations due to an increasing pressure with depth, whereas smaller lateral density variations caused by salinity, temperature, and other oceanographic factors are not taken into consideration. The error analysis reveals that the approximation of the seawater density by the depth-dependent density model reduces the maximum errors to less than 0.6%. The corresponding depth-averaged errors are below 0.1%. The depth-dependent seawater density model is further facilitated in expressions for computing the bathymetry-generated gravitational field quantities by means of the spherical bathymetric (ocean bottom depth) functions. The numerical realization reveals large differences in the results obtained with and without consideration of the depth-dependent seawater density distribution. The maxima of absolute differences reach 201 m²/s² and 16.5 mGal in computed values of the potential and attraction, respectively. The application of the depth-dependent seawater density model thus significantly improves the accuracy in the forward modelling of the bathymetric gravitational field quantities.     

Glyphosate persistence in seawater

Glyphosate is one of the most widely applied herbicides globally but its persistence in seawater has not been reported. Here we quantify the biodegradation of glyphosate using standard “simulation” flask tests with native bacterial populations and coastal seawater from the Great Barrier Reef. The half-life for glyphosate at 25 °C in low-light was 47 days, extending to 267 days in the dark at 25 °C and 315 days in the dark at 31 °C, which is the longest persistence reported for this herbicide. AMPA, the microbial transformation product of glyphosate, was detected under all conditions, confirming that degradation was mediated by the native microbial community. This study demonstrates glyphosate is moderately persistent in the marine water under low light conditions and is highly persistent in the dark. Little degradation would be expected during flood plumes in the tropics, which could potentially deliver dissolved and sediment-bound glyphosate far from shore.     

On the nature of the junction zone between the Vienna and Pannonian sedimentary basins

The results of long-term (2001–2009) measurements of fractures in sedimentary rocks of the Badenian and Pannonian age within the Rust-Fertorakos Highland and adjacent areas are presented and interpreted in terms of paleostresses in the study. The Rust-Fertorakos Highland has a nearly north-south trending strike and separates the Vienna and Pannonian Basins. It is expressed not only in the topography but also in the thickness of the sedimentary cover. Faults in the basement of the Rust-Fertorakos Highland have a nearly north-south strike diagonal to the general NE-SW strike of the faults of the basement of the Vienna Basin. The data of measurements of joints made in quarries and on road slopes that were subsequently computer processed using two independent techniques indicate that, along with joint systems, which are orthogonal to the rock bedding and are of a primary lithogenetic origin, joints joining to form systems obliquely oriented to the bedding are quite common in the region. These secondary joint systems have been formed at later stages of development of already lithified rocks under the influence of tectonic paleostresses. Interpreting pairs of secondary systems as conjugated shear joints, the authors have reconstructed the orientations of the axes of the relevant tectonic paleostresses. At some observation points, the identification of conjugated shear systems has been ambiguous. In these cases, two possible solutions for the paleostress axes have been drawn. Despite some ambiguities, all of the solutions obtained have a steady tendency in terms of the orientation of the minimum compression axis T ₃. This axis is subhorizontal and is oriented nearly east-west with some variation. The maximum compression axis T ₁ and the intermediate principal stress axis T ₂ are normally inclined to the horizontal, and the orientation of these axes depends on the observation point.     

Caffeine in Boston Harbor seawater

Caffeine has been detected in Boston Harbor seawater with concentrations ranging from 140 to 1600 ng l(-1), and in Massachusetts Bay seawater at concentrations from 5.2 to 71 ng l(-1). Sources of caffeine appear to be anthropogenic with higher concentrations in the seawater of Boston's inner harbor and in freshwater sources to the harbor. Charles River water and Deer Island sewage treatment plant effluent, the two major sources of freshwater to the harbor, contained 370 and 6700 ng l(-1) of caffeine, respectively, in 1998. Sewage influent and effluent concentrations appear to be consistent with consumption estimates of caffeinated beverages for the Boston area and total organic carbon removal targets for treated sewage. Caffeine was inversely correlated to salinity in a transect from the mouth of Boston Harbor to Stellwagen Basin, indicating it may be a useful chemical tracer of anthropogenic inputs to marine systems.     

Neodymium isotopic variations in seawater

New data for the direct measurement of the isotopic composition of neodymium in Atlantic Ocean seawater are compared with previous measurements of Pacific Ocean seawater and ferromanganese sediments from major ocean basins. Data for Atlantic seawater are in excellent agreement with Nd isotopic measurements made on Atlantic ferromanganese sediments and are distinctly different from the observed compositions of Pacific samples. These results clearly demonstrate the existence of distinctive differences in the isotopic composition of Nd in the waters of the major ocean basins and are characteristic of the ocean basin sampled. The average ε_Nd(0) values for the major oceans as determined by data from seawater and ferromanganese sediments are as follows: Atlantic Ocean,ε_Nd(0) ? ?12 ± 2; Indian Ocean,ε_Nd(0) ? ?8 ± 2; Pacific Ocean,ε_Nd(0) ? ?3 ± 2. These values are considerably less than ε_Nd(0) value sources with oceanic mantle affinities indicating that the REE in the oceans are dominated by continental sources. The difference in the absolute abundance of¹⁴³Nd between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans corresponds to ～10⁶ atoms¹⁴³Nd per gram of seawater. The correspondence between the¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd in seawater and in the associated sediments suggests the possible application of this approach to paleo-oceanography.Distinctive differences in ε_Nd(0) values are observed in the Atlantic Ocean between deep-ocean water associated with North Atlantic Deep Water and near-surface water. This suggests that North Atlantic Deep Water may be relatively well mixed with respect to Nd isotopic composition whereas near-surface water may be quite heterogeneous, reflecting different sources for surface waters relative to deep water. This suggests that it may be possible to distinguish the sources of water masses within an ocean basin on the basis of Nd isotopic composition.The Nd isotopic variations in seawater are used to relate the residence time of Nd and mixing rates between the oceans.     

The distribution of particulate iodine in the Atlantic Ocean

The iodine content of marine suspended matter obtained from thirteen stations in the Atlantic between 75°N and 55°S has been measured. The concentration of particulate iodine is high in the surface, up to 127 ng/kg of seawater being observed. Below the euphotic zone, it drops sharply to 1–2 ng/kg. The iodine-containing particles are probably biogenic. A simple box-model calculation shows that only 3% of the particulate iodine produced in the surface water may reach the deep sea and that the residence time of these particles in the surface water is about 0.1 year.     

Rates of dissolution of aluminosilicates in seawater

Dissolution of eight clay minerals, four zeolites, and quartz in seawater has been monitored for81/2 years. For most of the minerals, dissolution can be described as a first-order reaction in which dissolved silica approaches from undersaturation steady concentration values with time. Characteristic reaction rate constants (k₁) are of the order of 10^?7 sec^?1. One of the zeolites, clinoptilolite, shows a different dissolution behavior: SiO₂ concentration in solution reaches a high value within one year, followed by a decline to a lower value, suggestive of precipitation of another silicate phase (possibly sepiolite).A mathematical solution is given for a kinetic equation combining the parabolic-rate and first-order rate processes. It is shown that in a wide range of silicate dissolution reactions taking place over long periods of time, the presence of the parabolic-rate dissolution processes cannot be detected, thereby making its inclusion in the kinetic equations unnecessary. The experimental rates of dissolution are comparable to the SiO₂^? dissolution rates in oceanic sediments near the sediment/water interface. But deeper in the sediment, the calculated dissolution rates are significantly lower than the near-interface and experimental values.     

U,U andTh in seawater

We have developed techniques to determine²³⁸U,²³⁴U and²³²Th concentrations in seawater by isotope dilution mass spectrometry. U measurements are made using a²³³U²³⁶U double spike to correct for instrumental fractionation. Measurements on uranium standards demonstrate that²³⁴U/²³⁸U ratios can be measured accurately and reproducibly.²³⁴U/²³⁸U can be measured routinely to ± 5‰ (2σ) for a sample of 5 × 10⁹ atoms of²³⁴U (3 × 10⁻⁸ g of total U, 10 ml of seawater). Data acquisition time is 1 hour. The small sample size, high precision and short data acquisition time are superior to-counting techniques.²³⁸U is measured to ± 2‰ (2σ) for a sample of 8 × 10¹² atoms of²³⁸U ( 3 × 10⁻⁹ g of U, 1 ml of seawater).²³²Th is measured to ± 20‰ with 3 × 10¹¹²³²Th atoms (10⁻¹⁰ g²³²Th, 1 1 of seawater). This small sample size will greatly facilitate investigation of the²³²Th concentration in the oceans. Using these techniques, we have measured²³⁸U,²³⁴U and²³²Th in vertical profiles of unfiltered, acidified seawater from the Atlantic and²³⁸U and²³⁴U in vertical profiles from the Pacific. Determinations of²³⁴U/²³⁸U at depths ranging from 0 to 4900 m in the Atlantic (7°44′N, 40°43′W) and the Pacific (14°41′N, 160°01′W) Oceans are the same within experimental error (± 5‰,2σ). The average of these²³⁴U/²³⁸U measurements is 144 ± 2‰ (2σ) higher than the equilibrium ratio of 5.472 × 10⁻⁵. U concentrations, normalized to 35‰ salinity, range from 3.162 to 3.281 ng/g, a range of 3.8%. The average concentration of the Pacific samples (31°4′N, 159°1′W) is 1% higher than that of the Atlantic (7°44′N, 40°43′W and 31°49′N, 64°6′W).²³²Th concentrations from an Atlantic profile range from 0.092 to 0.145 pg/g. The observed constancy of the²³⁴U/²³⁸U ratio is consistent with the predicted range of²³⁴U/²³⁸U using a simple two-☐ model and the residence time of deep water in the ocean determined from¹⁴C. The variation in salinity-normalized U concentrations suggests that U may be much more reactive in the marine environment than previously thought.     

E-monitoring the nature of water

ABSTRACT

The critical need for hydrological observations in support of water resources management, particularly during extreme events, has transformed traditional methods of hydrological data management. This transformation has given rise to a framework of e-monitoring the hydrological cycle, the aim of which is to improve understanding of the nature of water. New trends in data science, coupled with increasing technological evolution, make the new generation of data systems more agile and responsive to the needs and expectations for efficient and effective data sharing and service delivery. The WMO Hydrological Observing System was designed around the integration of observations, data exchange, research, data processing, modelling and forecasting, in such a way that societal needs for disaster risk reduction, improved sustainability of environmental resources, climate resilience and economic growth can be effectively met. With its implementation of conceptual functionalities for sustainable data management, the WHOS operational architecture is hydrology’s system for the future.     

A high-resolution analyser for the measurement of ammonium in oligotrophic seawater

In this work, we describe a high-resolution fluorometric shipboard analyser and an improved method to determine NH₄⁺ in oligotrophic seawater. The limit of detection is <5 nM, calculated with 95% confidence level using the weighted regression line applied to the standard addition method using real samples prepared with low nutrient seawater from the Atlantic. The results are summarised and cross-compared with spiked artificial seawater (ASW) and spiked Milli-Q water samples. The analyser has a precision of ±1–4% with a high performance over a wide range from 5 nM to 25 μM. The methodology of NH₄⁺ analysis is based on the fluorescent product formed between o-pthaldialdehyde and NH₄⁺ in the presence of sulfite. Due to the high resolution of the developed system, we were able to study in depth the sensitivity of the method to salinity, amines, amino acids and potential interferences from particles/algae. The method was found to be sensitive to salinity variations, reducing the signal by up to 85% at 5 nM; this effect decreased at higher concentrations of ammonium. It was noted that the interference from amines at low concentrations was negligible; however, at either high amino acid or high amine concentrations, the signal was depressed. To test for the effect of particles on the system, the system was tested with samples containing phytoplankton (Dunaliella primolecta) cells at different concentrations prepared with ASW to simulate the effect of a phytoplankton bloom. This experiment assessed the potential impact of both particles and other potential fluorescence interferences from cells and/or ammonium leaching from cells. This experiment showed that a phytoplankton bloom could potentially have an impact of up to 12% on the signal of interest. Thus, we propose that this method is suitable for oligotrophic environments rather than coastal and eutrophic environments. The reagent was found to be stable for 17 days and standards of 1 μM were stable for 6 days under laboratory conditions. The developed analyser was successfully demonstrated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in an area of oligotrophic, low NH₄⁺ oceanic waters.     

Concentration of selected radionuclides in seawater from Kuwait

No baseline existed for the radionuclides in Kuwait territorial water. With changing trend in the region to embrace nuclear energy, the baseline study is imperative to create a reference and to record the influence-functioning of upcoming power plants. The first one in Bushehr, Iran is ready to start and several more are likely to come-up in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The present baseline concentration of the four considered radionuclide's show low concentration of tritium, polonium, strontium and cesium; their concentration is comparable to most oceanic waters.     

Effects of bottom sediments on the survival of Enterobacter aerogenes in seawater

The survival of the coliform bacterium Enterobacter aerogenes in seawater was greatly affected by the underlying bottom sediments. The presence of sediments which contained higher concentrations of organic nutrients than the overlaying seawater prolonged the survival and even enabled growth of the bacterial cells. Results obtained from chemical analysis indicated that sediments of fine-grained, silt-clay type contained highest amounts of organic nutrients as compared with sediments with larger particle sizes such as silt and sand grains. Thus, nutrient contents of the sediments were found to be inversely proportional to sediment particle size. The degree of prolonged survival of E. aerogenes was also found to be inversely proportional to the size of the sediment particles presented. Release of the bound nutrients which became available to cells of E. aerogenes from sediments by action of waves and human activities can explain, at least in part, why high counts of coliform bacteria are obtained in coastal and beach waters.     

An evaluation of the apparent dissociation constants of carbonic acid in seawater

The internal consistency of five sets of apparent dissociation constants of carbonic acid in seawater obtained by Buch (1951), Lyman (1956), Edmond and Gieskes (1970), Hansson (1973) and Mehrbach et al. (1973) have been tested using the GEOSECS Atlantic data for the total alkalinity, the total CO₂ concentration and the partial pressure of CO₂. As a measure of the consistency for each of the five sets of the dissociation constants with the data, the 77 measured values of the partial pressure of CO₂ have been compared with those calculated from the alkalinity and total CO₂ values determined for these samples. It has been found that: (1) the apparent dissociation constants of Lyman (1956), Hansson (1973) and Mehrbach et al. (1973) appear to be internally consistent with the data, whereas those of Buch (1951) and of Edmond and Gieskes (1970) appear to be markedly inconsistent with the GEOSECS data; and (2) on the basis of a statistical analysis of the data grouped in three temperature ranges, the dissociation constants of Lyman (1956) and of Mehrbach et al. (1973) appear to be most satisfactory.     

Non-marine bacteria in dialysis bags, in seawater

In a previous study we demonstrated the progressive disappearance of Escherichia coli populations upon contact with marine environment (Bianchi & Mircea, 1976). We have used the same experimental device to study the behaviour of other bacteria of enteric or terrigenous origin (Vibrio cholerae, Streptococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) when rejected into the sea.