Preliminary determination of calcium,phosphorus,and the calcium/phosphorus ratio in cortical bone of Chinstrap penguin using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence analysis

Synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) approach was applied to analyzing of Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis Antarctica) cortical bone. The method enabled the in situ determination of Ca and P concentrations and the Ca/P ratio in cortical bone. The preliminary results show that: (1) there is the bone site-related difference for Ca and P concentrations. The mean values for the investigated parameters (on a dry-weight basis) are: 30.7% (Ca) and 14.9% (P) for the femoral cortical bone, 21.4% (Ca) and 11.5% (P) for wing cortical bone. (2) The variation for the Ca/P ratio in cortical bone is lower than those for Ca and P separately. This is in agreement with the previous report that the specificity of the Ca/P ratio is better than that of Ca and P concentrations and is more reliable for the diagnosis of bone disorders. The authors suggest that further studies be conducted to establish normal values of Ca, P and Ca/P ratio for polar animals and provide a basis for the diagnosis of bone disorders.     

东南极夏季中山站邻近固定冰DMS、DMSP分布初探

中国第30次南极科学考察期间,在中山站邻近固定冰区采集了两支海冰冰芯并首次分析其中的DMS、DMSP含量。结果表明,两支冰芯上层均含有较高浓度的DMSP+DMS,分别高达114.93及134.41 nmol·L-1。冰芯中DMS、DMSP+DMS浓度随深度的增加而递减。两支冰芯顶部DMSP+DMS高值的成因不同,冰芯1主要受藻类活动影响而产生DMSP+DMS高值,冰芯2主要是由于雪层及薄冰层阻碍,致使DMS在冰芯顶部聚集产生DMS高值。因为海冰底部较高生物量的海冰融化进入水体,所观测的剩余海冰底部Chl a、DMSP+DMS值均较低。在海冰的融化过程中,卤道内的卤水可发生垂向运输,致使冰芯中Chl a、DMSP+DMS的垂直分布有所不同。冰芯的Chl a、DMSP+DMS总量分别为6.79和10.20、51.83和88.41μmol·m-2,与前人研究结果比较,在海冰融化过程中,海冰中Chl a、DMSP+DMS总量变化的总趋势是递减的。     

Total mercury in hair of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Greenland and Svalbard

Concentrations (ppm = ug/g dry weight) of total mercury (Hg) were determined in hair of polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) from northwestern Greenland (N = 22; period of sampling: 1978-1989), eastern Greenland (N = 44: 1984-1989) and Svalbard (N = 31; 1980). For subadults (2-6 years of life), adults (7-10 years). and old bears (>10 years), concentrations of total Hg in hair were not found to be dependent on age or sex. A decreasing trend in Hg concentrations was found from west to east. The mean concentrations of total Hg in hair (cubs of the year and yearlings excluded) were: northwestern Greenland, x = 8.38 ppm (min.-max.: 4.71-14.19 ppm. N = 21); eastern Greenland: x = 4.58 ppm (min.-max.: 2.50-8.83 ppm. N = 41); and Svalbard, x = 1.98 ppm (min.-max.: 1.02-4.55 ppm, N = 29). Concentrations found in northwestern Greenland were similar to those reported by others from the hair of polar bears sampled within management zone F of the eastern Canadian High Arctic. Concentrations of total Hg in polar bear hair from eastern Greenland were similar to concentrations found by others in contemporary (1988) material collected during spring in western Svalbard. However, the mean concentration of total Hg in the 1980 Svalbard material, which was collected during July-September, was significantly lower than concentrations found in samples taken during late winter and spring in eastern Greenland and at Svalbard, respectively. Presumably the relatively low concentrations found in the 1980 Svalbard sample arc attributable to the period of moult and hence a larger proportion of newly grown hair in the individual samples. In a subsample consisting of internal tissues from 19 polar bears from eastern Greenland (1984-1987), concentrations of total Hg in hair correlated positively with concentrations of total Hg (wet weight) in muscle (N = 6), liver (N = 19) and kidney (N = 19) tissue. For liver and kidney tissue these relationships were statistically significant.     

The~(137)Cs activity and its geographical significance in terrestrial ecosystem of Great Wall Station, Antarctica

The radioactive isotope 137 Cs is one of the important tracers for studying the physical processes and the human impacts on the environment. Based on the investigation results of the terrestrial ecosystem of Great Wall Station, Antarctica, it was shown that there are some artificial radioactive elements 137 Cs in Antarctic terrestrial ecosystem. The sequence of 137 Cs specific activities is as follows: crustaceous lichen>fruticose lichen>surfacemoss>surface soil, and the crustaceous lichen is one of the most sensitive ways in monitoring the impact of the longterm diffusion of 137 Cs on the environment.     

Tectonic and oceanographic control of sedimentary patterns in a small oceanic basin: Dove Basin (Scotia Sea,Antarctica)

Dove Basin, a small oceanic domain located within the southern Scotia Sea, evidences a complex tectonic evolution linked to the development of the Scotia Arc. The basin also straddles the junction between the main Southern Ocean water masses: the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the Southeast Pacific Deep Water (SPDW) and the Weddell Sea Deep Water (WSDW). Analysis of multichannel seismic reflection profiles, together with swath bathymetry data, reveals the main structure and sediment distribution of the basin, allowing a reconstruction of the tectonostratigraphic evolution of the basin and assessment of the main bottom water flows that influenced its depositional development. Sediment dispersed in the basin was largely influenced by gravity‐driven transport from adjacent continental margins, later modified by deep bottom currents. Sediments derived from melting icebergs and extensive ice sheets also contributed to a fraction of the basin deposits. We identify four stages in the basin evolution which – based on regional age assumptions – took place during the early Miocene, middle Miocene, late Miocene–early Pliocene and late Pliocene–Quaternary. The onsets of the ACC flow in Dove Basin during the early Miocene, the WSDW flow during the middle Miocene, and the SPDW during the late Miocene were influenced by tectonic events that facilitated the opening of new oceanic gateways in the region. The analysis of Dove Basin reveals that tectonics is a primary factor influencing its sedimentary stacking patterns, the structural development of new oceanic gateways permitting the inception of deep‐water flows that have since controlled the sedimentary processes.     

秦岭南北地区光合有效辐射时空变化及突变特征

基于秦岭南北地区47个气象站1960-2011年的逐日气象数据,通过Angstrom方程和Penman-Monteith公式计算了各站点的光合有效辐射(PAR),并借助Spline空间插值、Pettitt突变点检验和相关分析等手段对PAR的空间分布、时空演变、突变特征及其可能成因进行了分析。结果表明:① 秦岭南北地区PAR的时间和空间分布特征明显,在空间上呈北高南低的分布格局;在季节分布上,夏季、春季、秋季、冬季依次减小。② 52年间,该地区年PAR整体呈显著下降趋势,下降速率由南向北,由东向西递减;时间变化方面,春季PAR呈现不显著的上升趋势,其余季节均呈下降趋势,夏季减小最快,其次为冬季,秋季最小。③ 该地区89%的站点年PAR存在突变,突变站点中的85%发生于1979-1983年间;夏季89%的站点发生突变,突变站点中的90%发生于1979-1983年间;冬季68%的站点发生突变,但突变时间同步性和一致性较差;春季和秋季突变现象不甚明显。④ 气候变化(风速下降)、城市化进程加快以及工业生产导致的气溶胶增多是导致PAR显著下降的主要原因,而火山爆发引发的气溶胶增加则是PAR波动的主要原因。     

The Contribution of Geoelectrical Investigations in the Analysis of Periglacial and Glacial Landforms in Ice Free Areas of the Northern Foothills (Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)

All periglacial and glacial landforms investigated in the Northern Foothills have a very thin active layer (0.1–0.3 m thickness) overlying a thin permafrost layer, characterised by electrical resistivities ranging between 13 and 50 kΩm and by different thicknesses. Below this surficial layer, different types of ground ice (with a resistivity range from 8000 to 0.1 kΩm) were detected. These different types of ground ice permitted ice-cored rock glaciers to be distinguished from ice-cemented rock glaciers, subsea permafrost to be identified in some raised beaches, and other interpretations to be suggested about a debris-covered glacier. These results have been obtained by vertical electrical soundings (VES) carried out in ice-free areas of the Northern Foothills, near Terra Nova Bay Station during the tenth national Italian expedition in Antarctica (1994–1995). In these areas on the basis of previous geomorphological research, some landforms such as rock glaciers, raised beaches with patterned ground and debris-covered glaciers were chosen to carry out the VES. The electrical prospection can be considered a good means for understanding the origins of landforms in ice-free areas of Antarctica and for making a contribution to the palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of this continent.     

The study on the depositional styles of major ions and the climatic effect of nssSO_4~(2-)in Princess Elizabeth Land, Antarctica

Snow samples collected from a 50 m firn core and two snow pits along the route of the 1996/1997 Chinese First Antarctic Inland Traverse Expedition in Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica, have been analyzed for chemical composition and oxygen isotope ratio. Analyzing the relationship between the concentration and flux of major ions and accumulation rate can draw the following conclusions. 1) The concentrations of major ions in the atmosphere in the study region is big enough so that the concentrations of the ions do not vary with snow accumulation rate, that is to say, the concentrations of major chemical species are independent of snow accumulation rate. 2) The results of analyzing the depositional styles of major chemical species suggest that wet deposition dominates the major ions flux. In addition, there is no apparent correlation between nssSO 2- 4 fluctuations and isotope profile. This would indicate the short-term climatic effect of volcanism is not evident in the region.     

Study on the distribution,abundance and growth condition of Antarctic Krill(Euphausia superba)in the Prydz Bay region,Antarctica during the Austral summer of 1999/2000

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) were collected from the Prydz Bay region during the austral summer of 1999/2000. The sample - collection was made at 15 sites in 3 longitudinal transects. Although krill were encountered at 14 sites, the abundance was comparatively low in general. The main component of the krill population was of post -larval stages. The mean numerical and weight density of krill integrated for all sampling stations in the survey area were 16. 17 ind. 1000 m -3and 12.02 g 1000 m -3 , respectively. In the survey area, stations with larger krill density are mainly located in the slope zone, except that the largest sample was collected in the open sea zone. No krill occurred in the only station of the shelf zone during our investigation. Krill collected from the slope zone were under better growth condition than those from the open sea zone, but when the survey area is considered as a whole, the growth condition is normal. The results of the comprehensive analysis of the environmental fa     

Preliminary research on the transmission path of nssSO_4~(2-) and NO_3~- in Antarctic ice sheet

The main sources of nssSO 2- 4 and NO - 3 were summarized in this paper. By analyzing the spatial distribution features of major ions in Antarctic ice sheet and studying on the different time of the same volcanic event recorded by different ice cores from different regions in Antarctica, this paper intends to study the transmission path of nssSO 2- 4 and NO - 3. Results show that nssSO 2- 4 and NO - 3 are transmitted to the ice sheet through long distance and high altitude. The procedure of the transmission is that nssSO 2- 4 and NO - 3 are transmitted to the level between the top of troposphere and the bottom of stratosphere, then subsided to the ice sheet surface and spread to other regions.     

Evaluation of forest cover change using remote sensing techniques and landscape metrics in Moncayo Natural Park (Spain)

Monitoring the change in land cover in natural places, such as ecotones, has become an important tool for forest management, especially in protected areas. The present work analyses the spatial and temporal changes in forest cover in Moncayo Natural Park (Spain) from 1987 to 2010 using remote sensing techniques, geographical information systems (GIS) and quantitative indices of landscape ecology. Four Landsat images were used to map nine representative land cover categories in this preserved area in both years. The overall classification accuracies in land cover cartographies in 1987 and 2010 were 87.65% and 84.56%, respectively. Landscape metrics obtained at the landscape level show an increase in fragmentation and, as a result, an increase in landscape spatial diversity. Focusing on the class level, the results show a forest expansion of sessile oaks (Quercus petraea) and beech forest (Fagus sylvatica), two important bioclimatic indicators in this natural park, because they are the southernmost locations for these species in Europe. The decrease of mainly introduced pine forest and the transformation of mixed shrub areas into natural forested areas explain the aforementioned increase in fragmentation. These results are in agreement with the strategies for nature conservation designed by forest managers during the period evaluated.     

Inferring lake depth using diatom assemblages in the shallow,seasonally variable lakes of the Nebraska Sand Hills (USA): calibration,validation, and application of a 69-lake training set

The Nebraska Sand Hills are a distinctive eco-region in the semi-arid Great Plains of the western United States. The water table underlying the Sand Hills is part of the High Plains/Ogallala aquifer, an important water resource for the central Great Plains. Lake levels are affected directly by fluctuations in the water table, which is recharged primarily by local precipitation and responds quickly to climatically induced changes in regional water balance. Instrumental records are available for only 50–100 years, and paleolimnological data provide important insights into the extremes and variability in moisture balance over longer time scales. A set of 69 lakes from across Nebraska was used to establish a statistical relationship between diatom community composition and water depth. This relationship was then used to develop a diatom-based inference model for water depth using weighted averaging regression and calibration techniques. Development of the inference model was complicated by strong intra-seasonal variability in water depth and the linkages between depth and other limnologic characteristics, including alkalinity, water clarity and nutrient concentrations. Analysis of historical diatom communities from eight lakes allowed for the reconstruction of lake-level fluctuations over the past several thousand years. Comparisons of the more recent portion of these reconstructions with the instrumental Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) showed that sediment records may not faithfully reflect short-term fluctuations in water level, except where sedimentation rates are very high. However, large and persistent changes in moisture availability were discernible even in longer, low-resolution records. Thus, diatoms are a useful addition to the tools available for understanding past drought in the central Great Plains, especially when trajectories of change are constrained by data from multiple sites or other proxies.