Sediment yield in the Patuxent River (Md.) undergoing urbanization, 1968–1969

Water discharge from the Patuxent River into its estuary was near-average (95%) during the water year 1968–1969 although precipitation was only 79% of the average. Suspended-sediment discharge into the estuary, however, was more then double the normal yield (344 metric tons/km² compared to 143 metric tons/km²). These increases in runoff and suspended-sediment yields, despite decreased precipitation, must be attributed to urbanization of the drainage basin.The maximum measured suspended-sediment concentrations in the rural Middle Patuxent basin (Piedmont Province) increased only 40-fold during an increase from “average” to high water runoff (15 mg/l to 600 mg/l). In the portion of the Little Patuxent River basin undergoing urbanization (Piedmont portion), stream concentrations increased by over two orders of magnitude (20 mg/l to 2400 mg/l) as a result of heavy rainfall. The area undergoing urbanization of the Little Patuxent yielded more than twice as much suspended sediment per unit area as the rural Middle Patuxent (620 metric tons/km² versus 290 metric tons/km²). This increase also is interpreted to be the direct result of erosion of soils denuded or disturbed during urban construction.Using the Middle Patuxent as a “standard” for normal erosion rates in rural areas, construction sites contributed about 82% of the suspended sediment discharged by the Patuxent River into its estuary even though such sites represented only 23% of the drainage basin.     

On the origin of silicate-bearing diamondites

Garnets and clinopyroxenes, intergrown with diamonds in 37 diamondites (“bort”, “polycrystalline diamond aggregates”, “polycrystalline diamond”, “framesite”), presumably from southern Africa, were analyzed for trace element contents by LA-ICP-MS. The intimate diamond-silicate intergrowths suggest that both precipitated from the same fluids during the same crystallization events. In this study we distinguish 5 chemical garnet groups: “peridotitic” (P), intermediate (I) and 3 “eclogitic” groups (E1, E2 and E3). Chondrite-normalized trace element patterns for the garnet groups roughly correlate with major element abundances. Most of P garnets show complex, mildly sinusoidal REE_N patterns with relatively flat HREE_N-MREE_N, a small hump at Sm-Nd and depleted LREE_N, and have relatively high contents of Nb, Ta, U, and Th. The REE_N abundance patterns of E garnets differ by showing a continuous increase from LREE to HREE and depletion in LREE and highly incompatible elements relative to the P garnets. Of all garnet groups, E3 garnets are the poorest in highly incompatible trace elements and in Mg. Model equilibrium fluids for P garnets suggest crystallization from magnesian carbonate-bearing fluids/melts, which were very rich in incompatible trace elements — similar to kimberlites. Hypothetical equilibrium melts for E1 and E2 garnets are also magnesian and poorer in LREE and highly incompatible elements relative to typical kimberlitic or carbonatitic melts. Fluids that crystallized the P and most of the E garnets have similar mg numbers indicating a peridotitic source for both. The differences in Cr and highly incompatible element contents can be the result of differences in fluid formation and/or evolution rather than different source rock. The positive correlation of Cr₂O₃ and mg with the abundances of highly incompatible elements in garnets indicate fluid-rock fractionation processes rather than igneous fractional crystallization processes being responsible for the evolution of the diamondite-forming fluids.     

Discovery of the “Phantom” dinoflagellate in Chesapeake Bay

Since its discovery in natural estuarine habitat of North Carolina in 1991, the widespread impact of the toxic dinoflagellate, Pfiesteria piscicida (gen. et sp. nov.), popularly called the “phantom” dinoflagellate, on North Carolina fish stocks has been established, yet little is known about its influence outside of North Carolina estuaries. Here, we document the presence of P. piscicida in Chesapeake Bay. A fish kill was observed after inoculating an aquarium containing mummichogs with sediment samples from Jenkins Creek, a brackish creek (salinity 11‰) of the Chesapeake Bay system. P. piscicida was the cause of the kill, as supported by morphological, physiological, and histological evidence. The appearance and behavior of the algae and symptoms associated with fish mortality were consistent with those previously observed in P. piscicida-associated aquaria fish kills in North Carolina. The discovery of P. piscicida in Chesapeake Bay supports the speculation that these toxic dinoflagellates have a dramatic and far-reaching impact on fish stocks in shallow, eutrophic estuaries along the eastern United States.     

Meteotsunami in the Great Lakes and on the Atlantic coast of the United States generated by the “derecho” of June 29–30, 2012

Tsunami-like intense sea-level oscillations, associated with atmospheric activity (meteorological tsunamis), are common in the Great Lakes and on the East Coast of the United States. They are generated by various types of atmospheric disturbances including hurricanes, frontal passages, tornados, trains of atmospheric gravity waves, and derechos. “Derecho” is a rapidly moving line of convectively induced intense thunder storm fronts producing widespread damaging winds and squalls. The derecho of June 29–30, 2012 devastatingly propagated from western Iowa to the Atlantic coast, passing more than 1,000 km and producing wind gusts up to 35 m/s. This derecho induced pronounced seiche oscillations in Lake Michigan, Chesapeake Bay, and along the US Atlantic coast. Sea-level records from the updated National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tide gauge network, together with the NOAA and automated surface-observing system air pressure and wind records, enabled us to examine physical properties and temporal/spatial variations of the generated waves. Our findings indicate that the generation mechanisms of extreme seiches in the basins under study are significantly different: energetic winds play the main role in seiche formation in Chesapeake Bay; atmospheric pressure disturbances are most important for the Atlantic coast; and the combined effect of pressure oscillations and wind is responsible for pronounced events in the Great Lakes. The “generation coefficient,” which is the ratio of the maximum observed sea-level height and the height of air pressure disturbance, was used to map the sea-level response and to identify “hot spots” for this particular event, i.e., harbors and bays with amplified seiche oscillations. The Froude number, Fr = U/c, where U is the speed of the atmospheric disturbance and c is the long-wave speed, is the key parameter influencing the water response to specific atmospheric disturbances; the maximum response was found for those regions and disturbance parameters for which Fr ~1.0.     

Foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the Albian and Cenomanian sediments in the Polish part of the Pieniny Klippen Belt,Carpathian Mountains

Seven local biostratigraphic zones have been distinguished in the Albian and Cenomanian sediments of the Pieniny Klippen Belt: Hedbergella assemblage (Assemblage Zone, AZ), R. subticinensis-R. ticinensis (Concurrent Range Zone, CRZ), R. ticinensis- P. praebuxtorfi (CRZ), R. ticinensis- P. buxtorfi (Partial Concurrent Range Zone, PCRZ), P. buxtorfi- R. appenninica (CRZ), R. appenninica (Partial Range Zone, PRZ) and R. reicheli- R. green-hornensis (PCRZ), The zones are tentatively correlated with the ortho- and parastratigraphic zones of the Albian and Cenomanian. Three palaeoecological associations have been distinguished: “Czorsztyn”, shelf-upper slope, large proportion of nodosarids and miliolids; “Pieniny A” middle part of slope, oligotaxic planktonic assemblages dominant; “Pieniny B”, depth similar to that of “Pieniny A”, larger proportion of agglutinated foraminifers. All fall within the “Marssonella” association sensu Haig, 1979, Haig, 1979. Layers of black shales, interpreted to reflect Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events, are correlated between successions of the Pieniny Klippen Belt, and their biostratigraphical position is determined.     

Sources of the global magnetic field of the Sun

Data on the global magnetic field (GMF) of the Sun as a star for 1968–1999 are used to determine the correlation of the GMF with the radial component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) |B _r|; all data were averaged over a half year. The time variations in the GMF |H| are better correlated with variations in |B _r|; than the results of extrapolating the field from the “source surface” to the Earth’s orbit in a potential model based on magnetic synoptic maps of the photosphere. Possible origins for the higher correlation between the GMF and IMF are discussed. For both the GMF and IMF, the source surface actually corresponds to the quiet photosphere—i.e., background fields and coronal holes—rather than to a spherical surface artificially placed ≈2.5 R _⊙ from the center of the Sun, as assumed in potential models (R _⊙ is the solar radius). The mean effective strength of the photospheric field is about 1.9 G. There is a nearly linear dependence between |H| and |B _r|. The strong correlation between variations in |H| and |B _r| casts doubt on the validity of correcting solar magnetic fields using the so-called “saturation” factor δ^?1 (for magnetograph measurements in the λ 525.0 nm FeI line).     

New stratigraphic data on the Aptian of the Persian Gulf

During Aptian times the northeastern corner of the African plate, the Arabian craton, was in the tropics. Two-thirds of it was covered by a broad epeiric sea opening eastward into the Tethys Ocean. Carbonate sedimentation recorded several environmental perturbations caused by changes in relative sea-level and by interconnected coeval global events. A well in offshore Abu Dhabi was used as the reference because it was drilled through the whole of the interval of interest and cored strata dated Gargasian (middle Aptian sensu gallico, early late Aptian sensu anglico) downward to beds of Late Barremian age. The holostratigraphic approach employing biostratigraphy, lithostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy, along with basic well log interpretation and δ¹³C-based chemostratigraphy, facilitated correlation with outcrops in Iran and Oman, and with other wells in Iraq, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, over distances of several hundreds of kilometers. This approach made possible refinement of our regional model for this interval and the identification of a set of events that included several forced regressions, transgressions of varying importance (by extension in the literature those floodings of greatest magnitude have been called “drownings”), the Oceanic Anoxic Sub-Event 1a and a microbial Bacinella “bloom”.     

Full-glacial southwestern United States: Mild and wet or cold and dry?

This paper considers a model of cold and dry full-glacial climates for the southwestern United States in the light of published studies. The evidence from fossil plants is shown to be reconcilable with temperatures some 10°C below their present levels and a concomitant shift of the upper timberline which varied according to regional summer lapse rates. Fossils of “thermophilous” or “mesophytic” plants are cited by some writers as evidence for mild, pluvial conditions although today these plants occur in relatively cold and dry situations. Mean annual and July temperatures for the United States as a whole, derived from the model, are in accord with periglacial and palynological evidence.     

Two methods with different objectives: Splines and kriging

When drawing a contour map from a set of irregularly spaced data points, two methods are often used: The first corresponds to a rather aesthetic criterion and consists of obtaining contour lines which will be as “smooth”as possible and will honor the data points. This generally is the objective of the draftsman, and it can be automatically performed by the method of spline interpolation. The other method, used in kriging, is to compute the Best Linear Unbiased Estimator (B.L.U.E.),that is, to obtain a map as accurate as possible. Is it possible, in practice, to predict whether the aesthetic map will also be accurate? In this paper, we first examine the theoretical point of view: Spline interpolation is equivalent to kriging with a given (generalized)covariance. We then take an example to show how this question can be answered in practice: by testing how well the spline covariance is suited to the data.     

A new trionychid turtle from the Early Cretaceous of Heilongjiang Province,Northeastern China

A new soft-shelled turtle (“Trionyx” jixiensis sp. nov.) from the Lower Cretaceous Chengzihe Formation, Jixi city, Heilongjiang Province, China is described on the basis of a nearly complete carapace. The new species is diagnosed by the absence of suprascapular fontanelles and absence of a preneural; eight neurals, tetragonal fifth neural; and eight pairs of costals, with the large eighth costals meeting after the eighth neural. Due to the incompleteness of the specimen and confused classification of the genera of trionychids, the new species cannot be included in any genus of Trionychinae and is temporarily assigned to “Trionyx” (sensu lato). “Trionyx” jixiensis is one of the earliest trionychids, its discovery indicates that the family was already diversified during the Early Cretaceous in Asia.     

Carnivorous caterpillars: the behavior,biogeography and conservation of Eupithecia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in the Hawaiian Islands

A completely new feeding pattern has been found among caterpillars native to Hawaii: certain geometrid larvae (commonly called “inchworms”) consume no leaves or other plant matter. Instead, they perch inconspicuously along leaf edges and stems to seize insects that touch their posterior body section. By bending the front of their body backwards in a very rapid strike, the caterpillars opportunistically capture their prey with elongated, spiny legs and 900 larvae and eggs of these moths have been collected from native forests of all the main islands and reared in the laboratory. All are species of Eupithecia, a worldwide group of over 1000 members that had been reported to feed only on plant matter such as flowers, leaves or seeds. At least 6 of Hawaii's described Eupithecia species are raptorially carnivorous, only 2 are known to feed predominantly on plant material, especially Metrosideros flowers. A diet including protein-rich flower pollen and a defensive behavior of snapping may have preadapted Hawaii's ancestral Eupithecia for a shift to predation. Severe barriers to dispersal of mantids and other continental insect predators into Hawaii resulted in an environment favoring behavioral and consequent morphological adaptations that produced these singular insects, which can be commonly called the “grappling inchworms”. Most damage to native biota and habitat is due to imported species or “biological pollution”, and has caused a serious need for protective management.     

Differentiating temperate tree species and their organs using lipid biomarkers in leaves,roots and soil

Although fatty acids and alcohols in plant polyesters can be useful indicators of organic matter provenance in soils and sediments, interpretation is limited by uncertainty in: (i) the distribution of lipids among plant species and their organs (e.g. leaves and roots) and (ii) the extent to which plant lipid composition is recorded in soils and sediments. In this study, we compare lipids in leaves, roots and soils from 11 temperate tree species. Base hydrolysis was used to release ester-bound lipids and solvent extraction was then used to recover both hydrolysable and “free” lipids. Leaf and root lipid composition varied substantially among the tree species and we highlight differences among evergreen conifers, deciduous broadleaved angiosperms and a deciduous conifer (Larix decidua). Some of the variation appears to be linked to the morphology and lifespan of leaves and roots. Soils preserved much of the variation in the leaf and root lipid composition of the overlying tree species. Yet, the concentration of some lipids in soil diverged from their concentration in tree leaves and roots, reflecting an undocumented input from understory plants and other plant organs (e.g. seeds) or variation in the extent of lipid preservation in soil. Finally, by comparing leaf and root lipid composition, our results help constrain the attribution of lipids to each of these plant organs. This allowed us to evaluate the utility of leaf-derived lipids as plant type biomarkers and to document a substantial contribution of root-derived lipids to soil beneath all 11 tree species.     

Representatives of the Neocosmoceras (Neocomitidae, Ammonoidea) genus from the Berriasian of the Crimean Mountains and their stratigraphic significance

The genus Euthymiceras is considered as the junior synonym of the genus Neocosmoceras. Four species N. euthymi, N. cf. transfigurabilis, N. minutus sp. nov., and N. giganteus sp. nov. from the Berriasian deposits of the Crimean Mountains are described for the first time. The biostratigraphic unit formerly termed the “Euthymiceras-Neocosmoceras Beds” is ranked now as the Neocosmoceras euthymi Subzone with a synonymous index species. The subzone is correlated to the following biostratigraphic units: the synonymous subzone of the northern Caucasus, the Neocosmoceras-Septaliphoria semenovi (upper part) and Buchia volgensis local zones of Mangyshlak, the upper part of the Riasanites rjasanensis Zone in the East European platform, and the paramimounum Subzone of the boissieri Zone in the standard zonation of the Tethyan ammonites.     

Technosols made with various urban wastes showed contrasted performance for tree development during a 3-year experiment

Vegetation in urban areas is generally living in a stress-inducing environment. Sustaining good soil quality is crucial to improve tree development and heath in such (artificial) environment. This study investigates the dynamics of the physico-chemical properties of Technosol, and compares tree development performances in various waste mixtures. A 3-year experiment was conducted with Acer platanoïdes L. grown in three distinct constructed soils, in three replicates, in 0.480-m³ lysimeters in Angers (France). Four combinations of artefacts were studied either as “growing material” (GM) or “structural material” (SM). Three different SMs were used: (1) a mixture of fine mineral material, demolition rubble and green waste (SM-DR/GW), (2) a mixture of fine mineral material, track ballast and sewage sludge (SM-TB/SS), and (3) the SM currently used by Angers city for green space settlements (SM-CT). Waste characteristics and mixing proportions both affected tree development. Physical properties were not a limiting factor for tree development, despite a relatively low soil water reservoir due to high stone content. Moreover, the chemical properties of the materials, more particularly low water pH and CEC, led to poor tree development in SM-CT, whereas the other two SMs did not affect tree development. SM-TB/SS was the most suitable constructed soil after 3 years because it exhibited satisfactory soil nutrient contents that promoted the best tree crown quality. Waste mixtures can sustain soil functions for tree development. As for urban street tree pits that are 2–8 m³ in volume, soil water, and nutrient autonomy should satisfactorily sustain tree development.     

The first evidence of iguanodontids (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) in Alberta,Canada – A fossil footprint from the Early Cretaceous

Basal iguanodontians (“iguanodontids”) were a successful group of ornithopod dinosaurs that attained a near global distribution by the late Early Cretaceous. Despite their body fossils being known in abundance from the uppermost Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous of the western United States, their remains have never been found in western Canada. With its extensive, terrestrial sedimentary record for the whole of the Early Cretaceous, the expectation is that these dinosaurs would have been present in western Canada. This paper reports the finding of a fossil footprint from the Gladstone Formation in southwestern Alberta that is interpreted to have been made by an iguanodontid. This identification is based on the late Barremian age of the hosting rock, gross footprint details that match the skeletal foot structure of Iguanodon bernissartensis, and similarities to Early Cretaceous dinosaur footprints found elsewhere in the world that are attributed to iguanodontids. This finding fills a noticeable gap in the iguanodontian fossil record, and is consistent with the clade's attainment of global distribution during the Early Cretaceous.     

Palaeobathymetric model of the Upper Senonian Flysch sediments of a part of the Silesian Basin (Polish Carpathians)

The occurrence of redeposited sediments and foraminiferids within the Upper Senonian deposits of the Silesian Unit (Northern Carpathians) have allowed a reconstruction of a part of the southern slope of the Silesian Basin. Three main zones have been established with specific sediments and associations of foraminiferids; basin plain, slope and upper slope-shelf which correspond to part of the “Recurvoides” and “Marssonella” associations sensu Haig (1979). Nine species of Foraminiferida from the uppermost associations are described.     

Transport of dissolved organic carbon in streams of differing physiographic characteristics

Transport of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in four river systems in different physiographic regions of the United States was related to link magnitude by a power function, log Y = ?0.84 + 1.24 log X. Multiple linear regression indicated that discharge, watershed area, and link magnitude explained almost all variation in DOC transport. For purposes of ecosystem comparison, link magnitude appeared superior to other classification systems, such as stream order.In two of the river systems, the largest fraction of DOC was transported in the spring. A third has a winter transport maximum; the last had bimodal spring and fall maxima.Streams transporting similar total amounts of DOC may vary widely in DOC concentration (mg. 1^?1). Particulate organic matter concentration was not simply related to that of DOC.Ranges and means of DOC concentration, mean DOC: POC ratios, annual load of transported DOC as well as annual watershed DOC output were tabulated for 45 streams and rivers, representing a broad range of stream systems and physiographic regions. Mean DOC concentration for these 45 waterways ranged from 0.7 to 28 mg. 1^?1. The very low DOC values are found in undisturbed streams; many of the higher values are associated with larger streams influenced by human activities. Most DOC outputs fell within the range 0.21–5.42 metric tons. km^?2.yr^?1; mean DOC:POC ranged between 0.09 and 70.A comparison was made among several biomes of the ratio of experted DOC to watershed gross and net primary production. DOC, while playing a major role in aquatic ecosystem organic budgets, appears to be of little significance in the nutrient balance of watersheds.     

Environmental changes during the past 2000 years in north-central Wisconsin: Analysis of pollen,charcoal, and seeds from varved lake sediments

A 2000-year accumulation of varved sediments from Hell's Kitchen Lake in north-central Wisconsin was analyzed for pollen, charcoal, and seeds. The varves provided an accurate time scale for the study. The pollen record indicates changes on two different time scales. Short-term changes lasting several decades appear to be superimposed on long-term changes lasting several centuries. The short-term changes are related to individual fires, and the long-term changes result from increases or decreases in the frequency of these perturbations. From 2000 to 1150 years ago the average interval between fires was about 100 years, and from 1150 to 120 years ago the interval increased to about 140 years. Evidence from pollen, seeds, and charcoal at Hell's Kitchen Lake suggests that at least two “moist” intervals occurred during the past 2000 years, one between 2000 and 1700 years ago and the other between 600 and 100 years ago. A third but minor “moist” period occurred about 1150 to 850 years ago. A pollen and seed diagram shows that these intervals are characterized by increased percentages of white pine pollen, hemlock pollen, and yellow birch seeds, and by decreased levels of charcoal. The “dry” interval of 1700 to 1150 years ago is characterized by increased percentages of paper birch seeds, oak pollen, and aspen pollen, along with high levels of charcoal. The times of climatic change indicated at Hell's Kitchen Lake are nearly synchronous with those based on studies of tree rings, soils, glacial activity, and other pollen studies from various regions of North America, but the direction of these inferred changes is not always the same. This result suggests that the long-wave pattern of the general circulation has been variable during the past 2000 years.     

The first record of “spelaeoid” bears in Arctic Siberia

For a long time, “spelaeoid” (cave-bear-like) bears, Ursus (Spelearctos) spp., were believed to be almost purely European animals. Their geographic range has recently been extended to the east, in southern Siberia, Transbaikalia, Kirghizia, Mongolia and Korea. Two unexpected new findings, presented here in detail, significantly change existing views on the distribution of cave bears; both were found in North-Eastern Siberia, far beyond the Arctic Circle, more than 1500 km to the north-east of the previously accepted range.One of the fossils is a mandible, found near the town of Cherskiy at 68.73°N, 161.38°E. The analysis of local geology and accompanying mammal fossils suggests that it comes from the Olyorian Fauna (Early to early Middle Pleistocene). Morphologically, the Cherskiy mandible is closest to Ursus savini, a small middle Pleistocene cave bear from the British Cromer Forest-bed Formation, but differs in having a slightly more advanced dentition, and thus it is described as a new subspecies Ursus savini nordostensis. Another newly recognized fossil of the “spelaeoid” bear is an astragalus found at the Oskhordokh site at 67.54°N, 135.67°E, on a large gravel bar on the right bank of the Adycha River. This specimen is attributed to Ursus cf. deningeri.The paper also presents an interesting example of the interaction between classical and “molecular” palaeontology.The new finds significantly change existing ideas on the ecology and evolution of cave bears, some of the most remarkable members of the extinct Pleistocene megafauna.     

Global industrial systems — a case study of the clothing industry

Recent rapid changes in comparative advantage have led to serious stresses through market disruption of the industries of many developed countries. The paper views the global industrial geography of the clothing industries as a form of adaptive, purposeful system in which governments respond to stress through the negotiation of “voluntary” export restraints, reversion to “escape clauses” or safeguards offering protection, or the application of adjustment assistance. It contrasts the stresses and mechanisms of adjustment of the Netherlands, West Germany, Sweden, the United States and Japan.