A Before–After–Control–Impact Analysis of the Effects of a Mississippi River Freshwater Diversion on Estuarine Nekton in Louisiana, USA

Since 1991, the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion has been reintroducing Mississippi River water into a previously hydrologically isolated estuary in an effort to restore wetlands. To determine the effect of freshwater inflow on estuarine nekton community structure, a Before?CAfter?CControl?CImpact study design was applied. As a result of the opening, salinities in the impact area decreased, and the nekton community structure in the estuary changed significantly. Species of economical or ecological importance either increased in biomass or exhibited no response to the opening of the diversion. Higher abundances of small fish were observed in the area receiving freshwater flow, which is an indication that the area serves as a refuge from large marine predators. Because a salinity gradient was established, as opposed to a uniform but lower salinity regime, aquatic habitat was available to nekton species from a wide spectrum of salinity tolerances.     

Hissar–Alai and the Pamirs: Junction and Position in the System of Mobile Belts of Central Asia

The position of the Pamirs and the Hissar–Alai mountainous system in the structure of Central Asia and features of their junction are considered. It is shown that their outer contours and tectonic infrastructure are significantly distinct in the planar pattern: latitudinally linear and arched for the Hissar–Alai and the Pamirs, respectively. These structures logically match those of the Central Asian and Alpine–Himalayan belts, respectively. The Pamir orogen is a relatively autonomous structural element of the crust, which is located discordantly relative to the country lithospheric blocks. Most of the Pamirs (at least, the Northern and Central) probably form a giant allochthon on the ancient basement of the Tarim and Afghan–Tajik blocks. The junction zone of these two “hard” crustal segments is reflected in the transverse Transpamir threshold, which is expressed in the relief, deep structure, and seismicity. The specific geological structure of the junction zone of the Pamirs and Hissar–Alai (systems of the Tarim, Alai, and Afghan–Tajik troughs) is shown. It suggested that this zone is a damper, which significantly neutralizes the dynamic influence of the Pamir and the southernmost elements of the Pamir–Punjab syntax on Hissar–Alai structures.     

Public health in the regions of Russia at the beginning of the twenty-first century: Medical–geographical assessment

Doklady Earth Sciences - The level of public health in the regions of Russia in the years 2002–2012 is characterized based on the indices of life expectancy of men and women, as well as...     

Deposition in a changing paleogulf: evidence from the Pliocene–Quaternary sedimentary succession of the Nile Delta,Egypt

Sedimentary complexes of ancient gulfs provide valuable information about paleoenvironmental dynamics. The study of several Pliocene–Pleistocene sections allowed reconstruction of the regional stratigraphical framework in the southwestern fringes of the Nile Delta. The Kafr El-Shiekh, the Gar El-Muluk, and the Kom El-Shelul formations of the Zanclean Age and the Wastani Formation of the Piacenzian Age constitute the Pliocene sedimentary succession in the study area. The establishment of 11 facies types related to 5 facies associations coupled with the results of the stratigraphical study indicate the existence of a paleogulf corresponding to the modern delta and lower valley of the Nile. This Nile Paleogulf appeared and reached its maximum spatial extent in the beginning of the Pliocene. Then, it retreated gradually and disappeared before the end of this epoch when alluvial sedimentation reestablished. There was significant flux of siliciclastic material to the study area. The Zanclean Flood in the Mediterranean Sea allowed marine incursion in the study area where the river valley incised during the precedent Messinian Salinity Crisis. Regional tectonic uplift and filling of the accommodation space with siliciclastic material from the eroded land were the main controls on the paleogulf evolution. Strengthened glaciation triggered global sea level fall, and alluvial deposition dominated the study area in the late Pliocene–Pleistocene.     

The Role of Protistan Microzooplankton in the Upper San Francisco Estuary Planktonic Food Web: Source or Sink?

Decline of native pelagic species in estuarine systems is an increasing problem, especially for native fishes in the San Francisco Estuary and Delta (SFE-D). Addressing these losses depends on understanding trophodynamics in the food web that supports threatened species. We quantified the role of microzooplankton (heterotrophic–mixotrophic protists <200 μm) in the food web of the upper SFE-D. We sampled protist plankton abundance and composition at two sites (Suisun Bay and Grizzly Bay) approximately monthly from February 2004 to August 2005 and conducted dilution experiments during spring and summer of both years in Suisun Bay. Heterotrophs dominated the protist community in Suisun Bay and Grizzly Bay, particularly in the <20 μm size range, and peaks in protistan microzooplankton biomass were associated with high phytoplankton biomass. In both years, microzooplankton grazing rates were high (0.5–0.7 day⁻¹) during the spring and lower (~0.2 day⁻¹) during summer. Phytoplankton growth rates peaked in April 2004 (~0.7 day⁻¹) but were much lower (<0.1 day⁻¹) in spring 2005, despite relatively high abundance. Thus, microzooplankton grazing consumed as much as 73% of phytoplankton standing stock during spring and ~15% of standing stock during summer of both years. Combined with earlier results, we conclude that microzooplankton can be important mediators of carbon and energy flow in the upper SFE-D and may be a “source” to the metazoan food web.     

Severity–duration–frequency curves in the mitigation of drought impact: an agricultural case study

Severity–duration–frequency (SDF) curves are very useful in the analysis of drought phenomena. Station-level information obtained from SDF curves can be interpolated to obtain severity maps for fixed return period, in order to jointly analyse the spatial variability of drought characteristics (e.g. severity, duration and frequency). This approach is limited because the severity is usually quantified through indices that use hydrological and meteorological data, depending on the type of requirements. Therefore, drought indices can only reflect hydrological conditions, but are unable to quantify economic losses associated with droughts. In other words, SDF curves do not allow effective quantification of the impact expected with a certain return period. This paper proposes the methodology drought economic risk assessment (DERA) as an approach that emphasizes the importance of the relationship between a generic drought index (which quantifies water deficit) and the economic impact of the failure to meet water demand. Using integrated SDF curves, this relationship enables drought severity and corresponding impacts to be mapped. This procedure was applied to agricultural droughts (sunflower crop) in Umbria Region (central Italy). The agricultural drought impact variable was identified by sunflower yield (Y); the economic impact variable by net benefit depletion (EL); and the drought index by Relative Severity Index (RSI), which is quantifiable by a soil–water balance model. The relationships Y = g(RSI) and EL = f(Y) were specifically determined. Using DERA, it was possible to derive curves for SDF, impact–duration–frequency, and economic losses–duration–frequency (ELDF), which were then used to map severity, impact and economic losses for the assigned return period and duration. From the ELDF curves, further information was obtained by mapping critical drought durations for the assigned return period and economic loss threshold. The case study supports the potential of the proposed approach, both in the planning and real-time management of drought effects.     

W–Au skarns in the Neo-Proterozoic Seridó Mobile Belt,Borborema Province in northeastern Brazil: an overview with emphasis on the Bonfim deposit

The Seridó Mobile Belt (SMB) is located in the Borborema Province in northeastern Brazil and consists of a gneiss basement (Archean to Paleo-Proterozoic), a metasedimentary sequence (marble, quartzites, and schists), and the Brasiliano igneous suite (both of Neo-Proterozoic age). In this region, skarns occur within marble and at the marble–schist contact in the metasedimentary sequence. Most of the skarn deposits have been discovered in the early 1940s, and since then, they have been exploited for tungsten and locally gold. Recently, the discovery of gold in the Bonfim tungsten skarn has resulted in a better understanding of the skarn mineralization in this region. The main characteristics of the SMB skarns are that they are dominantly oxidized tungsten skarns, with the exception of the Itajubatiba and Bonfim gold-bearing skarns, which are reduced based on pyrrhotite as the dominant sulfide, garnet with high almandine and spessartine component, and elevated gold contents. In the Bonfim deposit, pressure estimates indicate that the skarns formed at 10- to 15-km depth. The mineralized skarns present the prograde stage with almandine, diopside, anorthite, and actinolite-magnesio-hornblende, and titanite, apatite, allanite, zircon, and monazite as accessory minerals. The retrograde stage is characterized by alkali feldspar, clinozoisite–zoisite–sericite, calcite, and quartz. Scheelite occurs in four ore-shoots distributed within the marble and at the marble–schist contact. The main ore body is 5–120 cm wide and contains an average of 4.8-wt.% WO₃, which occurs in the basal marble–schist contact. Fold hinges appear to control the location of high-grade scheelite. The late-stage gold mineralization contains bismite (Bi₂O₃), fluorine-bearing bismite, native bismuth, bismuthinite (Bi₂S₃), and joseite [Bi₄(Te,S)₃], and also chlorite, epidote, prehnite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite. This gold–bismuth–tellurium mineralization exhibits a typical late character and occurs as a black fine-grained mineral assemblage controlled by conjugate brittle-ductile faults (and extensional fractures) that crosscut not only the banding in prograde skarn but also the retrograde alkali feldspar and clinozoisite–zoisite–sericite assemblage. The Au–Bi–Te-bearing minerals are intergrown with retrograde epidote, prehnite, chlorite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite, indicating that gold mineralization at Bonfim is linked to a late-stage skarn event. The polymetallic nature of the Bonfim deposit can be used as an important guide for the exploration of this type of skarn deposit in the Borborema Province, which potentially contains significant new, undiscovered gold and polymetallic deposits.     

Flow in the unsaturated zone around a shallow subsurface radioactive waste trench: Interpretation of an infiltration–drainage test at the Chernobyl Pilot Site

This article describes an infiltration–drainage test carried out in the unsaturated zone (UZ) at the Chernobyl Pilot Site during October 2008; this is an international radioecology study site and is the subject of several papers in this special issue. The test has to be seen in the larger context of radionuclide transport from a waste trench. The conducted experiment consisted of infiltrating a layer of 9.5 cm of water in a circular area of 5.51 m² over 5 h. Its main objective was to create a larger range of water content values (and hence suction pressure values), not only at the top of the soil profile but also at greater depths, in this case up to 1.50 m. Observations of water content and suction pressure were carried out continuously at seven different depths during infiltration, drainage and during the return to natural conditions over a period of several months. This allowed deriving UZ parameter values with greater confidence than those derived from monitoring small natural water content changes over periods of years.     

Crystallization temperature of anatectic melt: An example of biotite–muscovite granite in the Rikolatvi structure,Belomorian Mobile Belt

Zircon hosted in granite, which crystallized from local pools of anatectic melt among migmatites, in the Rikolatvi structure, Belomorian Mobile Belt, contains minute inclusions of various minerals, biotite and garnet among others. The compositions of the biotite and garnet in the microinclusions differ from those of the same minerals in the granite containing the zircon. The crystallization temperature of the anatectic melt was estimated by the biotite–garnet geothermometer and the composition of the biotite and garnet inclusions at ~800°C.     

Interaction of an Fe–Ni Melt with Anthracene (C14H10) in the Presence of Olivine at 3 GPa: Fluid Phase Composition

Doklady Earth Sciences - The first results on the interaction between an Fe–Ni melt and anthracene (С14Н10) in the presence of olivine at 3 GPa and 1500°С and on the...     

Effects of terrigenic He components on tritium–helium dating: A case study of shallow groundwater in the Saijo Basin

Dating using a combination of ³H and ³He is believed to be the most practical method for estimating the short residence time of shallow groundwater. However, this method must estimate tritiogenic ³He alone and tends to overestimate the residence time of groundwater, if terrigenic ³He from the mantle cannot be excluded from the total dissolved ³He. We demonstrate the exclusion of terrigenic ³He in the Saijo Basin, where mantle He is easily released along the major active fault, Median Tectonic Line. The ³He/⁴He ratios suggest that the west bank of the Kamo River, which lies within the basin, has experienced greater emanations of mantle He than the east bank. We estimate the residence times to be 1.1–96 years by the proposed exclusion method.     

The nature of the stability of an incommensurate 3D structural modulation in Baikal lazurite: Experimental data at 550°C

The nature of the stability of an incommensurate 3D modulation (ITM) in the structure of Baikal lazurite was evaluated using the methods of experimental geochemistry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was shown that ITM with a period of 4.6a is preserved in the lazurite structure at 550°C almost without changes within the time interval from t = 100 h to at least 2000 h, although its initial (t = 0) development was not restored. In contrast to higher temperatures (≥ 600°C), the activities of gas species have no significant influence on the process of modulation release, except for the region of low O₂, S₂, and SO₂ fugacities, where the type of modulation changes, and the monosulfide ion appears in the lazurite composition. At T = 550°C and probably at lower temperatures, SO₂ fugacity ceases to be the critical parameter of ITM existence. The ordered state of polysulfide and sulfate clusters corresponding to the ITM period of Baikal cubic lazurite is stable at T = 550°C and is an example of forced equilibrium. It develops in response to a crystal chemical event occurring at a temperature of T _x within 600–550°C and is related to the thermal compression of the structure resulting in the isolation of structural cages containing clusters with different states of sulfur. Their mutual interaction, which leads to the rapid release of the modulation at higher temperatures owing to the equalizing of cluster sizes in the cages, ceases. As a result, the proportions of reduced (S₂²⁻, and S _x ²⁻) and oxidized (SO₄²⁻, So₃²⁻, and S₂O₃²⁻ sulfur species show negligible variations, and there is only partial reduction of sulfate to sulfite and thiosulfate. Lazurite samples with disulfide and polysulfide ions behave similarly, which suggests that an important condition for the preservation of ITM is the presence of sulfur-bearing anions with different sizes rather than particular sulfur species in structural cages. The degree of ordering in the distribution of clusters attained at T _x remains unchanged owing to the development of forced equilibrium maintained by the energy balance between framework deformation and cluster ordering. Natural lazurite with an ITM structure could not form at temperatures higher than T _x , i.e., above 550–600°C     

Melt extraction and melt refertilization in mantle peridotite of the Coast Range ophiolite: an LA–ICP–MS study

The middle Jurassic Coast Range Ophiolite (CRO) is one of the most important tectonic elements in western California, cropping out as tectonically dismembered elements that extend 700 km from south to north. The volcanic and plutonic sections are commonly interpreted to represent a supra-subduction zone (SSZ) ophiolite, but models specifying a mid-ocean ridge origin have also been proposed. These contrasting interpretations have distinctly different implications for the tectonic evolution of the western Cordillera in the Jurassic. If an SSZ origin is confirmed, we can use the underlying mantle peridotites to elucidate melt processes in the mantle wedge above the subduction zone. This study uses laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) to study pyroxenes in peridotites from four mantle sections in the CRO. Trace element signatures of these pyroxenes record magmatic processes characteristic of both mid-ocean ridge and supra-subduction zone settings. Group A clinopyroxene display enriched REE concentrations [e.g., Gd (0.938–1.663 ppm), Dy (1.79–3.24 ppm), Yb (1.216–2.047 ppm), and Lu (0.168–0.290 ppm)], compared to Group B and C clinopyroxenes [e.g., Gd (0.048–0.055 ppm), Dy (0.114–0.225 ppm), Yb (0.128–0.340 ppm), and Lu (0.022–0.05 ppm)]. These patterns are also evident in orthopyroxene. The differences between these geochemical signatures could be a result of a heterogeneous upper mantle or different degrees of partial melting of the upper mantle. It will be shown that CRO peridotites were generated through fractional melting. The shapes of REE patterns are consistent with variable degrees of melting initiated within the garnet stability field. Models call for 3% dry partial melting of MORB-source asthenosphere in the garnet lherzolite field for abyssal peridotites and 15–20% further partial melting in the spinel lherzolite field, possibly by hydrous melting for SSZ peridotites. These geochemical variations and occurrence of both styles of melting regimes within close spatial and temporal association suggest that certain segments of the CRO may represent oceanic lithosphere, attached to a large-offset transform fault and that east-dipping, proto-Franciscan subduction may have been initiated along this transform.     

Phosphorus Mobilization at the Sediment–Water Interface in Softwater Shield Lakes: the Role of Organic Carbon and Metal Oxyhydroxides

The adsorption of phosphorus on natural diagenetic iron (Feox) and manganese (Mnox) oxyhydroxides was studied in deep and littoral zone sediments of mesotrophic Lac Saint-Charles (46°56 N, 71°23 W), using a Teflon sheet technique for collecting diagenetically produced metal oxyhydroxides. Collected metal oxide amounts were greater at the deep-water station, relative to littoral zone stations reflecting sediment and local diagenetic differences. Two-layer surface complexation modeling on iron oxyhydroxide was consistent with the measured total P/Fe molar ratios except for the upper mixed Mn–Fe oxide layer from the littoral stations, where measured phosphorus exceeded the modeled phosphorus by more than fivefold. Soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) exchange between oxyhydroxide samples and natural lake water in the laboratory revealed a labile phosphorus pool. Phosphorus determined on the Teflon sheets from the littoral zone stations appears to be related to a distinct non-humic organic carbon pool that readily exchanges SRP, while little exchange was observed from material collected from the deep-water station. We suggest that the enhanced SRP release from littoral zone sediments is due to an organic carbon and/or metal oxide-impoverished sediment matrix, limiting microbial oxide reduction and allowing phosphorus to be rapidly recycled at the sediment–water interface, instead of being slowly incorporated into humic material. The SRP fluxes revealed in our study, which originate from the solid phase at the sediment–water interface, would be difficult to resolve using interstitial pore-water samplers and might be a quantitatively important source of inorganic phosphorus in Shield lakes.     

Mobility of rare earth elements in the system soils–plants–groundwaters: a case study of an arid area (Oman)

Groundwater samples from six wells and various species of plants from soils developed on ophiolites were collected from an arid area (AlKhod area, Oman) and analyzed for trace elements including rare earth elements (REEs). The distribution patterns of REEs in plants indicated an enrichment in middle REEs (MREEs?=?Sm to Dy) and heavy REEs (HREEs?=?Ho to Lu), when they are normalized to the REE composition of the Post Archean Australian Shale (PAAS), with a significant negative anomaly in Ce and a positive anomaly in Eu. Compared to Oman ophiolites, the REEs in different species of plants are depleted in Ce and enriched in MREEs and slightly enriched in light REE (LREE?=?from La to Nd). Relative to PAAS, the distribution of REEs in groundwaters revealed similar patterns to the REE distribution in plants. The distribution patterns of REEs in plants relative to those in waters are nearly flat. These patterns suggest that the transfer of REEs from soil solutions to the groundwaters in Oman occurs without any significant fractionation.     

The ‘urban–rural divide’ at question: exploring the long-term shift of marital age in Greece

GeoJournal - While marital age is the highest worldwide, spatial disparities still exist among European regions. Although Mediterranean societies were traditionally characterized by high propensity...     

Analysis of the Marmara flood in Turkey, 7–10 September 2009: an assessment from hydrometeorological perspective

Turkey often suffers from flood-related damages and causalities as a result of intense and prolonged storms that are usually convective or cyclonic in origin. The impact is more distinctive in Aegean and Mediterranean coasts of the country where quantity and distribution of rainfall is influenced by Mediterranean cyclones, especially in late autumn and early winter. The floods sometimes became very hazardous when combined with urbanization effects, especially in the densely populated coastal communities and major cities. Severe weather was marked in the early parts of September 2009 that produced record-setting rainfall amounts across the Marmara region of Turkey and led a series of flash floods which affected ?stanbul and Tekirda? provinces especially. The overall flooding was the result of successive and persistent intense rainfall episodes over a 3-day period which produced more than 250-mm rainfall over portions of the region. The floods resulted in death of 32 people and caused extensive environmental and infrastructural damage in the region. This study provides in-depth analysis of hydrometeorological conditions that led to the occurrence of flash floods in Marmara region during 7–10 September 2009 period and also discusses non-meteorological factors that exacerbated the flooding conditions. Main meteorological settings that led to intense storms were presence of cold air in the upper atmosphere, a slow-moving quasi-stationary trough, and continuous resupply of moisture to the surface low from the warm Aegean Sea. Radar images showed the development of clusters of convective cells that remained quasi-stationary over portions of the region. The 24-h rainfall amounts varied between 100 and 253 mm in most parts of the region during the flooding period with diverse spatial patterns. The southern locations received the highest amount of the rainfall as compared to stations located in northern slopes of the region. Typical effects of orography that enhance rainfall in the coastal areas, however, were not observed during the Marmara flood. Some features of the synoptic pattern observed prior and during the flooding period, supported the back door cold front concept. This is characterized with easterly to northeasterly surface flows forced by an anticyclone, advection of cold continental air over the warm Black Sea which provided anomalous moisture to trigger cyclogenesis over the Marmara region, and falling of core of the intense rainfall over the Marmara Sea. The study concluded that although the meteorological settings were favorable for the convective rainfalls, urbanization factors, such as land use changes and occupation of flood plains, played major role in aggravating the worst flood observed in the region in recent decades.