Carbon isotopic compositions of organic matter across continental Cretaceous–Tertiary (K–T) boundary sections: Implications for paleoenvironment after the K–T impact event

To assess the environmental perturbation induced by the impact event that marks the Cretaceous–Tertiary (K–T) boundary, concentrations and isotopic compositions of bulk organic carbon were determined in sedimentary rocks that span the terrestrial K–T boundary at Dogie Creek, Montana, and Brownie Butte, Wyoming in the Western Interior of the United States. The boundary clays at both sites are not bounded by coals. Although coals consist mainly of organic matter derived from plant tissue, siliceous sedimentary rocks, such as shale and clay, may contain organic matter derived from microbiota as well as plants. Coals record δ¹³C values of plant-derived organic matter, reflecting the δ¹³C value of atmospheric CO₂, whereas siliceous sedimentary rocks record the δ¹³C values of organic matter derived from plants and microbiota. The microbiota δ¹³C value reflects not only the δ¹³C value of atmospheric CO₂, but also biological productivity. Therefore, the siliceous rocks from these sites yields information that differs from that obtained previously from coal beds.Across the freshwater K–T boundary at Brownie Butte, the δ¹³C values decrease by 2.6‰ (from − 26.15‰ below the boundary clay to − 28.78‰ above the boundary clay), similar to the trend in carbonate at marine K–T sites. This means that the organic δ¹³C values reflect the variation of δ¹³C of atmospheric CO₂, which is in equilibrium with carbon isotopes at the ocean surface. Although a decrease in δ¹³C values is observed across the K–T boundary at Dogie Creek (from − 25.32‰ below the boundary clay to − 26.11‰ above the boundary clay), the degree of δ¹³C-decrease at Dogie Creek is smaller than that at Brownie Butte and that for marine carbonate.About 2‰ decrease in δ¹³C of atmospheric CO₂ was expected from the δ¹³C variation of marine carbonate at the K–T boundary. This δ¹³C-decrease of atmospheric CO₂ should affect the δ¹³C values of organic matter derived from plant tissue. As such a decrease in δ¹³C value was not observed at Dogie Creek, a process that compensates the δ¹³C-decrease of atmospheric CO₂ should be involved. For example, the enhanced contribution of ¹³C-enriched organic matter derived from algae in a high-productivity environment could be responsible. The δ¹³C values of algal organic matter become higher than, and thus distinguishable from, those of plant organic matter in situations with high productivity, where dissolved HCO₃⁻ becomes an important carbon source, as well as dissolved CO₂. As the δ¹³C-decrease of atmospheric CO₂ reflected a reduction of marine productivity, the compensation of the δ¹³C decrease by the enhanced activity of the terrestrial microbiota means that the microbiota at freshwater environment recovered more rapidly than those in the marine environment.A distinct positive δ¹³C excursion of 2‰ in the K–T boundary clays is superimposed on the overall decreasing trend at Dogie Creek; this coincides with an increase in the content of organic carbon. We conclude that the K–T boundary clays include ¹³C-enriched organic matter derived from highly productive algae. Such a high biological productivity was induced by phenomena resulting from the K–T impact, such as nitrogen fertilization and/or eutrophication induced by enhanced sulfide formation. The high productivity recorded in the K–T boundary clays means that the freshwater environments (in contrast to marine environments) recovered rapidly enough to almost immediately (within 10 yr) respond to the impact-related environmental perturbations.     

Carbon dioxide emissions from Deccan volcanism and a K/T boundary greenhouse effect

A greenhouse warming caused by increased emissions of carbon dioxide from the Deccan Traps volcanism has been suggested as the cause of the terminal Cretaceous extinctions on land and in the sea. We estimate total eruptive and noneruptive CO2 output by the Deccan eruptions (from 6 to 20 x 10(16) moles) over a period of several hundred thousand years based on best estimates of the CO2 weight fraction of the original basalts and basaltic melts, the fraction of CO2 degassed, and the volume of the Deccan Traps eruptions. Results of a model designed to estimate the effects of increased CO2 on climate and ocean chemistry suggest that increases in atmospheric pCO2 due to Deccan Traps CO2 emissions would have been less than 75 ppm, leading to a predicted global warming of less than 1 degree C over several hundred thousand years. We conclude that the direct climate effects of CO2 emissions from the Deccan eruptions would have been too weak to be an important factor in the end-Cretaceous mass extinctions.     

The radius of the core-mantle boundary inferred from travel time and free oscillation data; A critical review

A review is given of the present status of the information on the core radius, indicating its most likely value, but with the understanding that it must be made compatible with the remaining features of the Standard Earth Model, which are not known to us at the present time.     

Magnetic properties of the boundary layer at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary in the Gams section,Eastern Alps,Austria

The paper is concerned with the detailed sectional petromagnetic study of boundary clay in four 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B Gams sections (in Austria). The composition of basic magnetic minerals in the boundary clay of all sections is similar. They are composed of iron hydroxides, hemoilmenite, titanomagnetite, magnetite, hematite, and iron. The difference is the presence in the Gams-1 section of metallic nickel, which is absent in the Gams-2 section, and the presence in the latter of iron sulfides of the pyrite type. Grains of titanomagnetite and ilmenite, connected with volcanic activity, are nonuniformly distributed in the boundary layer, which indicates their irregular precipitation in time. The ensemble of magnetic grains is characterized by high coercitivity. The boundary layer is characterized by an increased content of iron hydroxides. This effect is a global phenomenon and is irrelevant to the local physicogeographical conditions. Such a characteristic of impact events as the particles of metallic iron is almost absent in the boundary layer.     

A critical review of groundwater budget myth, safe yield and sustainability

The principle of water balance is well known, but its application often causes controversy. One recent debate is the use of the water balance equation to determine the safe yield and sustainable yield. Two extreme opinions exist on natural groundwater recharge. One misconception is that the development of groundwater is considered to be safe if the pumping rate does not exceed the rate of natural recharge. Another is that the sustainable pumping rate has nothing to do with natural recharge, but depends on the increased recharge and decreased discharge (called capture) induced by pumping. The truth is that both the natural recharge and dynamic development of the capture determine the safe yield or sustainable yield of a groundwater basin. This paper clarifies the water budget controversy and uses the water balance equation to critically analyse the concepts of safe yield and sustainable yield. Numerical simulation of a hypothetical case was used to demonstrate the natural groundwater balance, effects of pumping and the dynamic development of the capture.     

A review of acid sulfate soil impacts, actions and policies that impact on water quality in Great Barrier Reef catchments, including a case study on remediation at East Trinity

An estimated 666,000 ha of acid sulfate soils (ASS) occur within the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchments of Queensland, Australia. Extensive areas have been drained causing acidification, metal contamination, deoxygenation and iron precipitation in reef receiving waters. The close proximity of ASS to reef waters makes them a substantial threat to water quality. Another important issue linked with ASS is their release of soluble iron, which is known to stimulate nuisance marine algal blooms, in particular Lyngbya majuscula. Known blooms of the cyanobacteria in reef waters have been confirmed at Shoalwater Bay, Corio Bay, the Whitsunday area and Hinchinbrook Channel. Acid sulfate soils are intimately related to coastal wetland landscapes. Where landscapes containing ASS have been disturbed (such as for agriculture, aquaculture, marinas, etc.) the biodiversity of adjacent wetlands can be adversely affected. However, there is no clear knowledge of the real extent of the so-called "hotspot" ASS areas that occur within the GBR catchments. Management of ASS in reef catchments has benefited from the implementation of the Queensland Acid Sulfate Soils Management Strategy through policy development, mapping, training programs, an advisory service, research and community participation. However, major gaps remain in mapping the extent and nature of ASS. Areas of significant acidification (i.e. hotspots) need to be identified and policies developed for their remediation. Research has a critical role to play in understanding ASS risk and finding solutions, to prevent the adverse impacts that may be caused by ASS disturbance. A case study is presented of the East Trinity site near Cairns, a failed sugar cane development that episodically discharges large amounts of acid into Trinity Inlet, resulting in periodic fish kills. Details are presented of scientific investigations, and a lime-assisted tidal exchange strategy that are being undertaken to remediate a serious ASS problem.     

Inverse methods for subsurface flow: A critical review of stochastic techniques

The development of stochastic methods for groundwater flow representation has undergone enormous expansion in recent years. The calibration of groundwater models, the inverse problem, has lately received comparable attention especially and almost exclusively from the stochastic perspective. In this review we trace the evolution of the methods to date with a specific view toward identifying the most important issues involved in the usefulness of the approaches. The methods are critiqued regarding practical usefulness, and future directions for requisite study are discussed.     

A critical review of methods for pile design in seismically liquefiable soils

Collapse and/or severe damage to pile-supported structures are still observed in liquefiable soils after most major earthquakes. Poor performance of pile foundations remains a great concern to the earthquake engineering community. This review paper compares and contrasts the two plausible theories on pile failure in liquefiable soils. The well established theory of pile failure is based on a flexural mechanism; where the lateral loads on the pile (due to inertia and/or lateral spreading) induce bending failure. This theory is well researched in the recent past and assumes that piles are laterally loaded beams. A more recent theory based on buckling instability treats the piles as laterally unsupported slender columns in liquefiable soils and investigates the buckling instability (bifurcation). The objective of this paper is to investigate the implications to practical pile foundation design that flow from both these theories. Provisions for design made by major international codes of practice for pile design including the Japanese Highway Code (JRA) will be considered. The necessity for such codes to consider alternative forms of failure mechanisms such as the buckling instability of piles in liquefied ground will be discussed. S. Bhattacharya–Previously Departmental Lecturer in Engineering Science, University of Oxford, UK and Fellow of Somerville College, Oxford. S. P. G. Madabhushi–Fellow of Girton College, Cambridge.     

On the determination of the Hermaean magnetic moment: A critical review

The determination of Mercury's magnetic moment from the spatially and temporally limited observations obtained by the Mariner 10 mission is dependent upon the assumed nature of both the intrinsic planetary magnetic field and that of the magnetospheric current systems. In this paper the methods that have been used for this purpose are reviewed. The results that have been obtained are then considered in comparison with the constraints placed on the planetary field by the solar wind dynamic pressures and stand-off distances inferred from the Mariner 10 magnetic field data by Slavin and Holzer (1979) which are consistent with an effective dipole moment of 6 ± 2 × 10²² G cm³. It is found that the models which fit the observations with substantial quadrupole and octupole moments are not consistent with the magnetospheric boundary conditions, presumably owing to incorrect assumptions regarding the magnetopause position, incorrect assumptions regarding solar wind dynamic pressure, and/or averaging over temporal variations in the Mariner 10 data.     

A large vertical wind in the thermosphere at the auroral oval/polar cap boundary seen simultaneously from Mawson and Davis,Antarctica

Ground-based Fabry–Perot spectrometer observations from the Australian Antarctic stations of Davis and Mawson show an upward wind ≥100 m s⁻¹ in the thermosphere at ∼240 km altitude on the night of Day of Year 159 in 1997. The wind was from a region located poleward of the poleward edge of the discrete auroral oval, and is identified as a further event of the type seen at Mawson, and elsewhere, in earlier work. The upward wind was first seen over Davis station at ∼22:00 UT. As the auroral oval moved northward the region of upward wind followed, and was seen at Mawson (some 4° magnetically north of Davis) just over 1 h later. It is shown that the presence of the large upward wind does, at times, affect the horizontal wind inferred from the off-zenith observations. Correcting the affected measurements for the non-zero upward wind leads to a horizontal wind field more consistent with that derived from observations before and after the vertical wind event. A lower limit of the area of the region of upward wind over Mawson and Davis on this night is estimated as ∼6×10¹¹ m². The estimated power required to drive the upward wind over this area at 240 km altitude is of order 6×10⁹ W. We estimate that this represents between 3 and 7% of the geomagnetic power input in the southern hemisphere during this interval.     

The critical point and two-phase boundary of seawater, 200–500°C

The two-phase boundary of seawater was determined by isothermal decompression of fully condensed seawater in the range of 200–500°C. The pressure at which phase separation occurred for each isotherm was determined by a comparison of the refractive index of fluid removed from the top and bottom of the reaction vessel. The critical point was determined to be in the range of 403–406°C, 285–302 bar and was located by the inflection in the two-phase boundary and by the relative volume of fluid and vapor as a function of temperature. The two-phase boundary of 3.2% NaCl solution was found to coincide exactly with that of seawater over the range tested in the present study. The boundary for both is described by a single seventh-order polynomial equation. The two-phase boundary defines the maximum temperature of seawater circulating at depth in the oceanic crust. Thus the boundary puts a limit of about 390°C for seawater circulating near the seafloor at active ocean ridges (2.5 km water depth), and about 465°C at the top of a magma chamber occurring at 2 km below the seafloor.     

Bolide impacts, acid rain, and biospheric traumas at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary

Large projectiles impacting the Earth will cause severe shock heating and chemical reprocessing of the Earth's atmosphere. This occurs during atmospheric entry and, more importantly, as a result of the supersonic plume ejected on impact. In particular, very large amounts of nitric oxide would result from the impact of the putative Cretaceous-Tertiary bolide(s). We present models of the shock chemistry, the conversion of NO to NO₂ and thence to nitrous and nitric acids, and the global dispersion of the NO₂ and acids. Two plausible projectiles are considered: an ice-rich long-period comet and a much smaller rock-metal asteroid. The comet produces semi-global atmospheric NO₂ mixing ratios of 0.1% while the asteroid produces these high mixing ratios only in the immediate region of the impact. The comet produces concentrated nitrous and nitric acid rain with apH ≈ 0–1.5 globally. The asteroid produces rain with apH ≈ 0–1 near the impact and≈ 4–5 globally. Immediate environmental effects of these nitrogen species include inhibition of photosynthesis due to extinction of solar radiation by NO₂, foliage damage due to exposure to NO₂ and HNO₃, toxicosis resulting from massive mobilization of soil trace metals, and respiratory damage due to exposure to NO₂. The acid rain decreases the pH of the oceanic mixed layer affecting the stability of calcite with important implications for the survival of calcareous-shelled organisms and for exhalation of CO₂ from the mixed layer to the atmosphere. Longer-term environmental effects perhaps≈ 1000years in duration include a global warming due to the sudden CO₂ injection and the simultaneous extinction of the ocean micro-organisms which normally help remove CO₂ from the atmosphere-mixed layer system. Havens for survival include carbonate-buffered lakes and burrows. This acid rain theory therefore serves to explain the peculiar selectivity of the extinctions seen at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. The first few years of acid rain will lead to massive weathering rates of continental soils characterized by large ratios of the relatively insoluble metals (e.g. Be²⁺, Al³⁺, Hg²⁺, Cu⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Tl³⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Mn²⁺, Sr²⁺) to the more soluble metals (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺) which should have left a clear signal in the fossils of neritic organisms and in unperturbed neritic sediments near river deltas if such sediments still exist for the Cretaceous-Tertiary time frame.     

Stormwater management network effectiveness and implications for urban watershed function: A critical review

Deleterious effects of urban stormwater are widely recognized. In several countries, regulations have been put into place to improve the conditions of receiving water bodies, but planning and engineering of stormwater control is typically carried out at smaller scales. Quantifying cumulative effectiveness of many stormwater control measures on a watershed scale is critical to understanding how small‐scale practices translate to urban river health. We review 100 empirical and modelling studies of stormwater management effectiveness at the watershed scale in diverse physiographic settings. Effects of networks with stormwater control measures (SCMs) that promote infiltration and harvest have been more intensively studied than have detention‐based SCM networks. Studies of peak flows and flow volumes are common, whereas baseflow, groundwater recharge, and evapotranspiration have received comparatively little attention. Export of nutrients and suspended sediments have been the primary water quality focus in the United States, whereas metals, particularly those associated with sediments, have received greater attention in Europe and Australia. Often, quantifying cumulative effects of stormwater management is complicated by needing to separate its signal from the signal of urbanization itself, innate watershed characteristics that lead to a range of hydrologic and water quality responses, and the varying functions of multiple types of SCMs. Biases in geographic distribution of study areas, and size and impervious surface cover of watersheds studied also limit our understanding of responses. We propose hysteretic trajectories for how watershed function responds to increasing imperviousness and stormwater management. Even where impervious area is treated with SCMs, watershed function may not be restored to its predevelopment condition because of the lack of treatment of all stormwater generated from impervious surfaces; non‐additive effects of individual SCMs; and persistence of urban effects beyond impervious surfaces. In most cases, pollutant load decreases largely result from run‐off reductions rather than lowered solute or particulate concentrations. Understanding interactions between natural and built landscapes, including stormwater management strategies, is critical for successfully managing detrimental impacts of stormwater at the watershed scale.     

A study of conditions at the inner core boundary of the earth

A study is made of the thermal and compositional conditions which the liquid outer core must satisfy at the inner core boundary, assuming the inner core to be growing by continual solidification of the heavy component of the liquid alloy in the outer core. It is found that the outer core is strongly destabilized by the compositional gradients driven by the separation process associated with the freezing. Further, it is argued that all the freezing necessary for the growth of the solid inner core cannot occur on a flat interface; most of it must occur above the solid boundary in a region labeled the slurry layer.     

Ecological evolution across the Permian/Triassic boundary at the Kangjiaping Section in Cili County,Hunan Province,China

The stratigraphic sequence of calcimicrobialite facies at the Permian-Triassic (P/Tr) boundary has well recorded the biotic and environmental transition across the end-Permian catastrophic events. The biostratigraphy, microfacies, carbon isotopes, and fossil records across the P/Tr boundary have been studied at the Kangjiaping Section in Cili County, Hunan Province. Three biostratigraphic zones, Palaeofusulina-Colaniella Zone, Hindeodus parvus Zone, and Isarcicella staeschei Zone, are identified. The excursion of δ¹³C_carb exhibits a sharp negative shift in the calcimicrobialite at the P/Tr boundary, which is roughly accordant with the abrupt bioclastic decline. In addition, five types of microfacies are recognized, including algal-foraminifer bioclastic limestone, algal-laminated calcimicrobial limestone, oolitic grainstone, vermiculate limestone, and intraclastic wackstone. The results indicate that the changeover of ecosystem from metazoan reef to calcimicrobialite in Cili is a classic case of marine ecological evolution during the Paleozoic-Mesozoic transition. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40830212, 40621002, 40730209) and National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB80640)     

Evolution of fumarolic gases — boundary conditions set by measured parameters: case study at Vulcano,Italy

Physical, chemical and isotopic parameters were measured in fumaroles at the Vulcano crater and in drowned fumaroles near the beach. The data were used to define boundary conditions for possible conceptual models of the system.Crater fumaroles: time variations of CO₂ and SO₂ concentrations indicate mixing of saline gas-rich water with local fresh water. Cl/Br ratios of 300– 400 favour sea-water as a major source for Cl, Brand part of the water in the fumaroles. Cl concentrations and D values revealed, independently, amixing of 0.75 sea-water with 0.25 local freshwaterin furmarole F-5 during September 1982.Patterns of parameter correlation and mass balances reveal that CO₂, S, NH₃ and B originate from sources other than sea water. The CO₂ value of ¹³C = – 2%_o favours, at least partial, origin from decomposition of sedimentary rocks rather than mantle-derived material. Radiogenic⁴He(1.3 × lO^–3 ccSTP/g water) and radiogenic⁴⁰Ar(10.6 × 10^–4 ccSTP/g water) are observed, (⁴He/⁴⁰Ar)_radiogenic = 1.2, well in the range of values observed in geothermal systems.Drowned fumaroles: strongly bubbling gas at a pond and at the beachappears to have the same origin and initial compositionas the crater fumaroles (2 km away). The fumarolic gas is modified by depletion of the reactive gases, caused by dissolution in shallow-water. Atmospheric Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe are addeden route, some radiogenic He and Ar are maintained. The Vulcano system seems to be strongly influenced by the contribution of sea-water and decomposition of sedimentary rocks. Evidence of magmatic contributions is mainly derived from heat.     

Magnetic minerals in sediments at the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary (the Gams Section,Eastern Alps)

The paper presents results of detailed magnetomineralogical and microprobe studies of sediments at the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/T) boundary in two epicontinental sections in the Eastern Alps (Austria), where deposits, including the K/T boundary, outcrop along the Gams River and its tributaries. K/T boundary layers in these sections are similar in the set of such magnetic minerals as iron hydroxides, ferrospinels, hemoilmenite, titanomagnetite, magnetite, hematite, and metallic iron. However, the boundary layer in the Gams-1 section is distinguished by the presence of metallic nickel and its alloy with iron and by the absence of iron sulfides, whereas nickel has not been discovered in the Gams-2 section, which, however, contains iron sulfides of the pyrite type. Therefore, these minerals occur locally. It is suggested that enrichment in iron hydroxides of a common origin can be regarded as a global phenomenon inherent in the K/T boundary and unrelated to an impact event.     

Ostracod fauna across the Permian-Triassic boundary at Chongyang, Hubei Province, and its implication for the process of the mass extinction

Thirty species of 10 ostracod genera were identified from 440 fossil specimens isolated through the hot acetolysis of the rock samples collected across the Permian-Triassic boundary at Chongyang section. Twenty species of 6 genera are found to occur in the limestone of Changxing Formation, and 11 species of 7 genera above the main faunal mass extinction horizon. The os-tracod assemblages identified at the Chongyang section are obviously different from those previously reported in the contem-poraneous microb...     

Accidental spills at sea - Risk, impact, mitigation and the need for co-ordinated post-incident monitoring

A fully integrated and effective response to an oil or chemical spill at sea must include a well planned and executed post-incident assessment of environmental contamination and damage. While salvage, rescue and clean-up operations are generally well considered, including reviews and exercises, the expertise, resources, networks and logistical planning required to achieve prompt and effective post-spill impact assessment and monitoring are not generally well established.The arrangement and co-ordination of post-incident monitoring and impact assessment need to consider sampling design, biological effects, chemical analysis and collection/interpretation of expert local knowledge. This paper discusses the risks, impacts and mitigation options associated with accidental spills and considers the importance of pre-considered impact assessment and monitoring programmes in the wider response cycle. The PREMIAM (Pollution Response in Emergencies: Marine Impact Assessment and Monitoring; www.premiam.org) project is considered as an example of an improved approach to the planning, co-ordination and conduct of post-incident monitoring.     

Particulate aluminium, iron and manganese chemistry at the deep Atlantic boundary layer

Scanning electron microscopy and instrumental neutron activation analyses of filtered suspended matter from the Atlantic Ocean show that particulate aluminium (Al_p) is a sensitive measure of bottom derived or resuspended material. The proportion of Al_p in suspended particulate matter (SPM) increases slightly between surface and intermediate depths but shows large and steady increases in deep waters with approach to the bottom.

Fe_p/Al_p andMn_p/Al_p ratios are always higher than the crustal ratios throughout the water column. We show that the processes which can explain such enrichments are different for particulate matter in surface waters (scavenging, incorporation in biogenic particles) than for resuspended material (precipitation from interstitial waters on surficial sediments).

Close to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the bottom suspended matter exhibits higher Fe_p/Al_p andMn_p/Al_p ratios than in abyssal plains. A ridge crest source must be invoked to explain the striking enrichment of Mn_p. This source could also explain the enrichment of Fe_p, although primarily because the resuspended flux is small in that region, one cannot exclude the contribution of particles from the mid-water column.